Page 87 of Fatal Mistake
Eyes wide, June blinked rapidly, yet, underneath it all, the quiet strength her aunt always possessed shone through. Tara opened her mouth to say something, but the video abruptly ended. Tara had expected her aunt would tell her not to comply with Oren’s demands, but then maybe with so many lives on the line—including Cal’s if he went to help the other woman, Tara suspected—June would hold her tongue.
“Did your person try to kill Cal with a bomb in Oregon yesterday?” Tara asked.
“Someone tried to bomb your FBI agent?” Oren sounded honestly surprised. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Perhaps this Sarra woman had decided to detonate an additional bomb without Oren’s direction. Or maybe he was lying. Toying with her. Trying to confuse her.
“What I really want, Tara,” Oren continued, “is to see you.”
“Me?”
Why did he want to see her? If she complied and went to meet him, giving him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have a reason not to kill June. The only hope she had, apart from trusting Oren’s word, was to tell Cal and the Knights what was happening. But if she told Cal, he’d never let her go to Oren, and Oren would kill June. Of that, Tara was certain. The rest was speculation.
“So, if you want June to live, you need to send Riggins to the callout. If not…”
She had no choice. At least not right now. She’d have to abide by Oren’s wishes. “I’ll encourage Cal to respond to the callout, but I can’t force him to go if he doesn’t want to.”
“Ha! Nice try, Tara. You have more influence on him than you’re letting on. And if for some reason I’m wrong, you better find a way to make him obey or June is dead.” He blew a noisy breath over the phone. “Once Riggins leaves, find a distraction for the other agent on your detail. Take his car and his phone to prevent him from following you or calling for help. I’ve hidden a car for you.” He rattled off the address. “Now write that down, as you’ll only have thirty minutes to get there, and I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Tara jotted down the address, the words barely legible from her trembling hands. “Got it.”
“The car is unlocked. I’ve left a phone for you and will call it in precisely thirty minutes. If you don’t arrive on time to answer…well, you know what will happen.” He laughed. “Ticktock, Tara. The clock starts now.”
The phone went dead, and Tara stared at the screen. He’d put her in an impossible situation.
She had to choose between the two people in this world who meant the most to her.
Chapter 25
Phone to his ear, Cal paced the living room at the safe house and listened to Max provide details of another necklace bomb threat not far down the road from the safe house.
Cal’s immediate thoughts went to the list of women Tara hadn’t been able to remember, but their addresses were all located in D. C., not in Virginia where Keeler had activated the latest bomb. “Are you sure this bomb is legit?”
“The woman called it in herself, and the first officers on scene confirmed it was Keeler’s signature device.”
Something was off in this scenario, raising Cal’s concerns. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Keeler left a phone near this woman so she could call for help?”
“Maybe something spooked him, and he didn’t have time to take it.”
“Maybe,” Cal said, letting the thought ruminate. “Or maybe he wanted us to be sure we’d find her before he detonated the bomb.”
“Or maybe he’s changing his whole MO.”
Adrenaline raced through Cal’s veins as thoughts charged through his head.
Relax. Breathe. Calm down.
He didn’t want to make a stupid mistake and further compound the problem. “So where do we stand with the woman now?”
“As of my last update from the scene, the local bomb squad has been dispatched,” Max said. “A Bureau team is on the way, too. As are agents who will scout the area for Keeler, but with the location so far from metro D.C., the locals will arrive first. In the event that you’re able to remove the device, I also have a containment vessel on the way.”
“Good,” Cal mumbled, his mind already on the best approach to safely free this woman. “But you should know, even though I’ve reconstructed one of Keeler’s devices, I can’t in any way guarantee that I can render this bomb safe.”
“You have more knowledge than anyone else, and skill-wise, there’s no one better than you for the job.” He paused for a long moment. “I’m sure I don’t have to say this, but I want you out there ASAP.”
Cal’s brain revved on high octane. “I’ll need a suit.”
“I’ll arrange with the locals to let you use their equipment.”
