Page 66 of Circle of Death
When we ride up, I see Tapper crouched under the fuselage. He peeks out, then stands up slowly. He walks toward us, looking stunned. “Margo? Jesus Christ! You’realive?”
Margo lays her bike down and pulls off her cap. “I am. Minus a few hairs.”
Tapper looks over at me. “What the hellhappenedhere?”
I drop my bike next to Margo’s. “You and Hawkeye were right about the villa. The Destroyer was there. And the intelligence from Diaz was solid, too. There’s some kind of super-weapon in the works. She pretty much bragged about it.”
Tapper nods, then cocks his head. “Hold on,” he says. “She? Shewho?”
“I’ll explain in the air.”
Tapper pulls a jumpsuit from the cockpit. Just one. He’s embarrassed. “Sorry,” he says. “I thought…”
I grab the yellow outfit and toss it to Margo. “You take it. I’ll use the body bag.”
Margo steps into the leg holes and zips the suit up. Tapper helps her into the plane, then climbs into the cockpit. I settle into my seat in front of Margo and strap in. I spread the thick black vinyl bag across my torso and tuck it in around my waist. Not the most comfortable blanket, but better to be under it than in it.
Tapper looks back at me as we start to taxi. “Hey, boss. How did you even know this strip was here?”
I gaze out the window as the rutted field rolls by. “I spent some time in Flanders.”
It’s a short runway. It was built for biplanes, not jets. But Tapper doesn’t need a lot of running room. The takeoff is as explosive as the first time. In a few seconds, we’re thousands of feet up. I look down at the green fields and tidy towns as we climb. When I close my eyes, I see the same landscape. But now it’s blackened with craters and strung with barbed wire.
Like most people in the world, I thought the Armistice would bring an end to the insanity once and for all. After the Great War, humans would never be that careless or cruel again.
Clearly, I was wrong.
We all were.
CHAPTER 79
WE TOUCH DOWN on the runway in New York just as the sun comes up. On the way, Tapper managed to transmit the good news about Margo. I can already see the happy welcoming committee at the end of the runway. Maddy and Jessica are standing arm in arm on the apron. Jericho and Hawkeye are waiting by a huge military-style Humvee.
As soon as the canopies pop open, I see Maddy running toward us. Margo barely has her feet on the ground when Maddy grabs her in a tight hug. They hold each other for a long time. “I thought you were gone,” says Maddy, her face pressed against Margo’s shoulder. “I really did.”
“Don’t worry,” says Margo. “I’m only a fashion casualty.” She steps back and uses Maddy’s shoulder for support as she unzips her jumpsuit. “Hold still while I climb out of this damn thing.” She extracts her arms and legs and drops the outfit in a heap. “Good riddance.”
While Tapper sets the chocks on the jet wheels, I walk over to Hawkeye and Jericho. They’re not the hugging type, but I can tell that they’re both relieved to see us all home and still breathing.
“You gave us a little scare there, boss,” says Hawkeye.
Jericho shakes his head slowly. “We thought Margo was…”
I nod. “I know. She almost was.”
Hawkeye leans forward. “Is it true, what Tapper radioed? The Destroyer is afemale?”
Before I can answer, Margo steps up beside me. “That’s right. She is. And she’s one green-eyed bitch.”
Jericho looks confused. “Green? Like a cat?”
“Green, like envy,” says Margo. “She has some perverse fascination with Lamont, and she wants me out of the way.”
Jericho pats the massive vehicle. “In that case, I’d say the best place for you is inside an armored-plated chariot.”
He opens the door to the electric Humvee and climbs behind the wheel. Hawkeye takes the front passenger seat. Margo and I scoot into the middle row. Maddy and Jessica slide into the back. We’re just waiting for Tapper to finish securing the jet.
Jericho’s right. The vehicle is a beast. The doors and sides are reinforced with thick steel, and the windows are bulletproof. “Found this baby in Khan’s garage,” he says, pressing the ignition. “All it needed was a charge.”
