Page 115 of Every Last Breath

The Capital One Arena was a mere four-minute walk. This city offered many tempting targets, but the death toll of women and children at most exceeded his stomach-churning threshold. The success of this Dez Dax and his sold-out show in New York City had been splashed across the newspaper on the flight from England. Nothing personal against Dez Dax, but reading about him again in the entertainment section of the Washington Post cemented the target. As close to perfection as possible.

Tomorrow, he would lay Levik to rest. Val planned to buy a boat and do some sailing. His son loved the ocean. With his demon gone, Aleksander would quietly retire in the Seychelles. Sonia had wanted to honeymoon there, but they couldn’t afford it on his military salary. He would’ve loved to have shown her the islands. Just once.

He wished he had a picture of his beautiful ladies. In this business, such personal items were a liability, but he wanted to see his Sonia and Mila as they’d once been. Happy and smiling.

Instead, he was cursed to see them lying on the ground in an assembly line of carnage. Easier for family members to identify their dead. Dismembered limbs set in a pile.

He’d sworn an oath to his family, and shortly, he’d make good on it. With those agents out of the way, how could he possibly fail?

Chapter 33

Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

7:00 p.m. EDT

The playback of the security feed at the Capital One Arena confirmed Novak’s survey of the location. It was possible the Ghost might’ve scoped out more than one place for the bio attack, lining up the arena as a backup. The city was ripe with potential targets, but Sanborn agreed the video combined with Maddox’s hunch about the demographics at the Dez Dax show was a solid lead.

Doors opened to the general public one hour prior to the seven o’clock show time. With four entrances to the Capital One Arena, Maddox had assigned Castle, Gideon, Amanda, and Cutter to cover them. Doc was positioned in an unmarked van with a CDC unit and the biocontainment receptacle—a three-hundred-pound, hermetically sealed container that resembled a safe.

The rest of the team had taken point inside an hour ago. In coordination with arena security, they’d have eyes on everyone entering the facility.

Cole and Reece gathered around Maddox in a corner to the side, out of the way of the horde of men pouring into the entertainment center. She pulled a cap down over her hair. “Remember, I want Novak and his son alive,” she said over comms to the entire team, with headquarters tuned in, not wanting to elaborate over the open channel, since someone listening was their mole.

Once they contained the bioweapon, they would clean house. Novak and his son were the only ones who could steer them in the right direction of the leak in the Gray Box.

She looked at Reece. “The ventilation system is the easiest way to disperse the weapon throughout the facility. Find someone in maintenance. Make sure access stays locked down.”

“Will do.” Reece took off.

She folded her arms and faced Cole, bracing for an argument. “We should split up to cover more ground.”

“You know what I’m going to say. Let’s not bother fighting. I stay with you.”

With her injured feet and Novak having gotten the drop on her not once but twice already, she was in no position to gripe. They moved deeper into the arena by the concession stands in a spot with the best vantage point of the elevator and stairs, keeping their backs to the wall.

She didn’t limp, but her gait was unnatural. Soreness raked her swollen feet with each step. She should’ve seen if Doc had anything to numb the bottoms of her soles.

Cole took a position within arm’s reach, the side of his face with the scar obscured by a vendor display and the communications earpiece Sanborn had authorized concealed by his hair.

The place teemed with men from early twenties to midforties, even a few who looked eligible for an AARP membership. The crowd’s kinetic energy grated on her senses. The noisy frat boy environment, rife with the odor of beer and greasy junk food, was right up Castle’s alley.

She scanned her sector to the right while Cole surveilled left.

Masculine gazes zeroed in on her, licking the length of her body. She garnered smiles and winks, unsettling her stomach. Despite her low profile, she was attracting too much attention.

Cole followed the gaze of the gawkers and sidestepped in front of her, shielding her body without obstructing her line of sight. It worked. The guys seemed to cease noticing her.

“This is Delta. I found one of the maintenance mechanics,” Reece said over open comms. “Access to the ventilation system is restricted. We’re heading there now. I’ll stay posted, ensure no one gets through.”

“Copy that.”

The minutes ticked past, drawing closer to showtime, and the crowd thickened.

Maddox scrutinized the faces who passed, her palms growing clammy, stomach rolling with jitters.

The Ghost could transform himself into almost anyone. Safe to assume his son could as well. No one could be dismissed. But whatever they looked like, regardless of their disguises, they’d need to get the canister inside the building through security, clearing a bag check.

“Alpha here,” Maddox said. “Has anyone spotted a guy with a package or a bag, something that might take extra time clearing security?”