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“This is under the jurisdiction of the FBI,” Monica insisted. “I can go get them myself just as easily as you can. Not every agent is on Calakmul’s payroll.”
“I know that, but I let Moretti take Suki away.” Lund’s voice had steel in it. “I’m bringing her back.”
“If you make it personal, you—”
“Oh, it’s very personal,” Lund cut in. “I’ve seen what these guys can do. So have you. They took down an FBI chopper and a sniper team. They blew up part of the airport in Bozeman. I’m sorry, Agent Sanchez, but I don’t trust anyone else to do this job. I’ll coordinate with my guys here in DC to keep the family safe. Now that Jordan’s here, he can protect them personally. You now have actionable intelligence about Jacob Calakmul’s headquarters. Have the CIA take it out. And cancel the Friday pandemic meeting!”
“The director isn’t going to green-light starting another war in Mexico over a set of coordinates. But you’re right.” She sighed. “I can’t trust there won’t be a leak.”
Lund reached out and took Roth’s hand. Shook it. “I’ll be back tomorrow with the rest of your family. I promise you.”
“I want to talk to Sarina,” Roth said. “As soon as she wakes up. Have her call me.”
“I will. I need to get to Dulles right now.” Lund paused and looked at Monica. “I’m serious. Call the meeting off.”
“We’ve tried,” Monica said with visible frustration. “The director refuses to do it. It drives me crazy that they’re letting politics get in the way of safety. But we’ll keep trying.”
“There’s a reason I retired early,” Lund grumbled. “You have the GPS coordinates. Get a Sentinel over that jungle or some UAVs.”
Dr. Estrada spoke up. “Remember what happened to us,” he said. “The weather changed when we got close.”
Lund snorted. “A Sentinel can fly above the weather. All we need is to corroborate the location.”
“We’ll try, Steve. But you know how things work in DC.”
“So does Calakmul,” Lund countered. “See if you can keep the federal government intact while I’m gone. Give me the car keys, Jordan. We’ll get you a replacement vehicle.” Jordan tossed him the key fob. Lund nodded to Roth once more and then strode out the door, retrieving his phone to make another call.
Monica watched him go.
“So Steve left the FBI early?” Roth asked her.
“Yeah, I guess you’d call it office politics,” she answered.
“That makes it sound like a little snub,” Jordan said, shaking his head. “It was more than that.” Turning to Roth, he added, “He had a run-in with the attorney general’s security detail over a nonincident in Beijing.”
“Wait, isn’t the attorney general the FBI’s boss?” Roth asked. “I don’t know that much about the federal government, but I know that much.”
“You’re right,” Monica said. “Lund was in Beijing on assignment, rooting out State Department employees compromised by Chinese intelligence operatives. There was a big to-do about it around ten years ago. Back when you were in high school, probably,” she said to Jordan with a hint of snark.
“Not my fault you like younger men,” Jordan quipped in return. The boys snickered.
Roth shook his head and held up his hands, because this wasn’t a time for flirting or for fighting. “Was Lund in the wrong?”
“Of course not,” Monica said, her cheeks burning a little. “He’s always been a straight shooter. But the higher you go in government jobs, the more political it gets. That run-in with the attorney general’s security detail ended Lund’s assignment in Beijing. And damaged his reputation in DC. He wasn’t fired, but he was put out to pasture. Many believed he was a strong candidate for deputy director before the incident. Might be the reason it happened.”
Monica’s cell phone rang. She looked at the ID and then went a little pale. “Sanchez,” she answered. “Yes, Mr. Brower. Yes, sorry I didn’t call you sooner, but we just got the information from Dr. Estrada.” She walked over to the table where the professor and Illari were sitting. “What are the coordinates for Calakmul’s compound?”
Dr. Estrada turned the laptop screen. “It’s right here,” he said, pointing. “Not far past the Guatemalan border. There.”
Monica squinted and looked closer. “I’ll read them to you. The coordinates are 18°51'37.5"N 89°31'04.5"W. Do you want me to say it again? Okay. 18°51'37.5"N 89°31'04.5"W. Yes. That’s it.” She paused, listening. Then she smiled. “That’s good news, sir. Do you think you can convince the director to call off the meeting tomorrow in the Situation Room?”
She looked crestfallen. “Understood. There’s more news, sir. Steve Lund just got a call from Suki Roth. She escaped. With Mrs. Roth and the Beasleys’ daughter. They’re all alive. Yes. Yes, he’s here.”
Monica approached Roth and handed him the phone. EAD Brower, she mouthed.
Roth raised her phone to his ear. “Yes?”
“Mr. Roth, that’s wonderful news about your family. I’m happy for you. We just got a call from Senator Coudron, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The director gave a closed-door briefing on what’s happening. Senator Coudron would like to speak to you and Dr. Estrada in the Capitol building.”
