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“Was this the gift, or did you have something more?” I asked.
Charlie shifted, opened his suit jacket, and pulled out a thumb drive.
Great.
“Maddon’s safehouses, bank accounts, and most trusted associates,” Charlie said and tossed the drive on the coffee table in front of him. “Also what I believe is his end game.”
“Wanna cut the suspense and just tell us?” Zane sighed.
“Electrical grid,” Charlie announced. “From what I’ve pieced together he’s been working with the Chinese. Best way to attack the US is to take out our electrical grid. Once that’s down, the chaos that will ensue will make us an easy target. Ports will be next. Think 9-11 but with ships. Take out the bridges near the major ports. Once that happens the United States will fall into panic. Step three would be a cyberattack. Then you have all the makings for war.”
Jesus Christ.
“You know this—”
“I don’t know anything as fact,” Charlie interrupted Zane. “This is my gut. Me knowing him for over forty years, trusting him, working in the field with him, learning from him, confiding in him, him confiding in me. This is what I would do if the Chinese were paying me to plan a war with America. On that drive you’ll find an account. Once Kira traces it she’ll find the payments are direct from the CCP. It won’t take but a few minutes for her to find it, seeing as it only took me a week.”
Fucking, fuck.
“Find Nebraska. She’ll lead you to Maddon. Quietly take him out, put someone in his place to continue talks with the Chinese and you might be able to stop World War III.” Charlie stood, straightened his jacket and moved towards the door but looked back at Zane. “As a failsafe, I’ve given Badger duplicates of what I’ve given you. In the event of my death Nebraska knows how to access all my personal files. As a backup, Badger now has access as well. He has my permission to hand everything over to you if something were to happen to myself and Nebraska. You’ll have everything from the time I started my career to as recent as yesterday when I update my files.”
Charlie turned back to the door but slowly turned when Zane called his name.
“Does Nebraska know her mother’s alive?”
The man didn’t look surprised Zane knew.
“No.”
“Come again?”
“As far as my daughter knows her mother was murdered when she was twelve. I’d ask you to keep Pidge’s secret but I know you won’t so all I can do is ask that when you tell her, you do it in a manner that will cause the least amount of harm.”
“I’m sorry, are you seriously asking one of us to do your dirty work?” I asked through gritted teeth.
The nerve of this motherfucker.
“Yes. I should’ve told her years ago but I’m too much of a coward. Telling her Pidge is alive would be to betray an oath and shatter my daughter’s heart. Neither of which I have the courage to do.”
“Where’s Pidge now?” Zane’s voice was laced with disgust. He was a father who would under no circumstances leave his children.
“Off doing Pigeon things. Whatever they may be. She checks in once a year on Nebraska’s birthday to ask after her. She never tells me where she is or what she’s doing and I never ask. On Nebraska’s eighteenth birthday was the last time she asked me for a photograph. And in the years since I have not offered. She is not of my blood but she is my daughter. Not Anna’s and certainly not Dmitri Zenin’s.”
Zane came out of the chair he was lounging in, stood at his full height, and scowled at Charlie.
“You’re shitting me. The Zenith is Nebraska’s biological father?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Jesus fuck. Anything else you need to tell us before you leave? Is her godfather Satan? Any relation to Harley Quinn?”
“I think as far as the parental lottery goes her father being a notorious Russian contract killer is shitty enough, don’t you?”
My head was getting ready to explode.
Or my temper.
I wasn’t sure which but something had to give to release the pressure that was building in my chest.
