The Rescue(35)

After earning Frist’s confidence and trust over a number of years, Harcourt encountered no resistance when he eventually confided in the senator about a plan to tap into unchecked power and unlimited wealth. Two political currencies Frist could never turn down. Harcourt’s sole job right now was to keep him from panicking, which was why he’d driven down here to meet in person. By this time next week, he could finally take a break from these incessant meetings. They needed to put some distance between each other anyway, in preparation for the next phase of the plan.

His phone beeped, drawing the secretary’s momentary, noncommittal glance. He feigned a smile and answered the call.

“Can I call you back in a few minutes?” he said. “I can’t talk here. Everything okay?”

“We’ve had a few developments,” said Gunther.

“Good or bad?”

“Both. It’s important.”

“I’ll call you back shortly,” he said, ending the call.

He waited several excruciating minutes before the door finally opened, disgorging a pack of middle-aged men in dark suits, each stabbing their hands through the tangle of arms and shoulders to shake Frist’s hand. When the last of the jackals had cleared the office, Frist ushered him inside.

“Hungry?” said Frist. “I appreciate you coming by during lunchtime. I can have Tanya order from the canteen. Be here in ten minutes.”

He had no intention of being here that long.

“Thank you. I had a late breakfast,” said Harcourt. “I actually need to call my tactical operations lead, if you don’t mind. He had an update on Decker.”

“I can’t believe he had the balls to grab the Russian. That’s not good. I’m a little concerned about my own security. I mean—if he can grab a Russian mob boss right off the—”

“Gerry. There’s no link between you and Decker, or the Steele thing. None,” said Harcourt. “Right now I’m doing everything I can to erase the last trace of a link between Aegis and Decker. Once he’s gone, the slate is officially clear.”

“I know, but if Aegis takes a hit—that affects me, too,” said Frist. “I’ve invested a considerable amount of money in the company, not to mention the rest of what I’ve done—and what I’m about to do.”

“I have my best people and resources dedicated to this,” said Harcourt. “We’ll get it resolved.”

“I’m just a little nervous with the vote coming up.”

“There’s no connection between your bill and Aegis, either. We’ve mapped this out, Gerry. It’s a slam dunk.”

“I hope so,” said Frist. He motioned to the leather couch next to his desk. “Sorry. Grab a seat. Make your call. I’m eager to hear the status update.”

Harcourt sank into the luxurious leather cushions, adjusting his posture while Frist sat gingerly on the opposite side of the couch.

“Gunther doesn’t know anything beyond Aegis,” said Harcourt. “So try your best not to jump into the conversation. You’ll be tempted.”

“I would never.”

“I’ve known you a long time, Gerry,” said Harcourt, pressing “Send” on his phone. “You’re never at a loss for words.”

“My lips are sealed.”

He put the call on speakerphone when Gunther answered.

“Gunther. What’s up?”

“Decker and some woman posing as an FAA investigator showed up at Ares Aviation in Riverside this morning,” said Gunther. “I called that office yesterday, requesting they contact me if anyone inquired about local airspace waivers. Covering all bases.”

Frist mouthed, “Airspace waivers?” and Harcourt waved him off.

“Did they get a copy of the waiver?” said Harcourt.

“They already had a copy.”

“What?”

Frist was becoming frantic trying to get his attention.

“The woman showed up with it, asking questions about the type of drone used,” said Gunther. “Apparently, she had shown up a number of months earlier to audit their airspace waiver database.”

“Please tell me you have her face on video,” said Harcourt.

“Affirmative. I have her on the office security feed. Close up. We’ll get her ID’d right away,” said Gunther. “Ready for the bad news?”

“I didn’t hear any good news.”

“It’s all relative at this point.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“I strongly suspect the same woman had a hand in the mall fiasco,” said Gunther. “She disabled our SUV with a remote-controlled spike strip, a few hundred feet from Ares Aviation.”

“She was still there?”

“Decker was there, too. They had Ares Aviation under observation from a parking lot across the street,” said Gunther. “She’s a pro. No doubt about that. She wasn’t the least bit worried about sticking around, knowing that spike strip would stop us cold.”

“So it’s fair to say that Decker ID’d you?”

“If he didn’t recognize me in the parking lot, he’ll certainly recognize me when they go over the pictures. One of them was using a telephoto lens–equipped camera.”