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David sighed. “Turns out Riku had tight contacts with the American C.I.A. They're investigating bank fraud in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, in areas where Americans hold significant assets. Agents from Latvia as far south as Turkey and Cyprus.” David stopped and cleared his raspy throat. “The day Cedarcliff was attacked, chatter suggested a massive financial breach loomed in Poland. That’s why Riku wanted to meet with us.”
She attempted to access the information tucked away deep in her memory but couldn’t. “Fine, but how’d you decide to copy the root keys?”
“Our meeting in London. As you said, breaching a bank network depends on accessing the encryption root key. After you left Ivy House, I researched our Eastern European customer banks with London locations. Found two Polish banks, then extracted their root keys to a portable drive I kept with me. A bargaining chip if I needed it.”
“Thank goodness you had the foresight to take them.” She would’ve done the same thing had she been in his position. “But your kidnapping—how did it happen?”
“Chief Inspector Adams was my police escort that afternoon, but instead of driving me home, he handcuffed me inside the car, then dumped me off at a shipping container east of London, where two Belarusian gunmen tortured me. Adams spoke perfect Russian and had us fooled all along.”
“Adams is a traitor.” She shook her head and prayed Willis wasn’t dirty, too. He’d said he was sending help, but what if he was manipulating her to serve Adams?
“I couldn’t produce Rapadon, so they cut off my finger, then threatened to kill Penelope and little Nigel.” David’s voice wavered again. “I traded the keys to the banks to save their lives and my own.”
“Christ, no one can blame you. Kyle made the same trade-off last year to keep me alive, and Crimson Hammer killed him.”
“Oh, dear God.” David dropped his mouth open and shook his head before clenching his eyes shut and releasing a shaky breath. “The car crash wasn’t an accident?”
“No—long story. Kavita’s teams are working to stop the breach. We need to get you to a hospital. Can you stand?” She helped him to his feet.
Groaning, he crumpled back to the ground. “Can’t move, sorry.”
“Stay here. I’ll be back with help soon.” She hustled out of the foliage and charged toward the hill demarcating King Henry’s Mound. Despite her aching leg, she surged past all sensible limits and barreled down the path.
Finally, the wail of a police siren cut through the air, followed seconds later by an entire squad of blaring horns.
She’d never been so glad to hear a siren. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she kept scrambling through the woods. A couple of minutes later, she spotted Declan’s familiar silhouette racing down the steep trail and saw anger painted across his face as he passed under a lone, lit lamppost near the trailhead.
“Why the hell aren’t you in the car?” He shook her shoulders with both hands.
“I found David. He’s alive but needs an ambulance.”
“Thank God, he’s alive. A guy toting an assault rifle showed up and whipped out a laptop. I gave him the red drive I modified, which he uploaded via satellite data link.” He paused to take a breath. “Something exploded, not sure where. When sirens came, the bloke ran away.” He stepped closer. “You’re covered in smoke and dirt. What happened?”
“Your jeep blew up a few yards away from me in the parking lot. Lots of debris.” Though the car bomb exploded less than an hour ago, so much transpired that it felt like months ago.
“My jeep’s gone?” He dropped open his mouth, then squinted. “Hey, your neck is bleeding.”
She pressed her bare hand to her neck and stared at the fresh blood coating her fingers, wondering if she’d end up with another scar inflicted by Yuri. “One of the terrorists caught me, but I got away.”
Declan offered her a crooked smile of awe. “Shite, Bennett. You’re a badass. But we gotta run—the arsehole’s still out here.”
She grabbed his sleeve. “But where’s Mark?”
“I can’t find him now.” Declan stared at the ground.
“Goddamn it, he shouldn’t have come out here.” Tess fumed and dug a fingernail into one palm to fight her growing worry. “Look. Adams played you, then canceled the operation and disappeared. He left you to be killed.”
“You mean that bastard let me walk into this shitstorm alone? Fucking traitor.” Breathing hard, Declan slammed his foot into a pile of sticks, scattering them far and wide.
The cacophony of sirens transformed into a caravan of swirling lights arriving at Richmond Park. The park's west side formed a blinding white wall that lit up the woods a couple hundred yards away. Pounding footsteps thundered, heading for the light.
Tess waved a hand above her head. “Police, over here,” she yelled.
Two SCO19 Metropolitan Police Service officers were the first to spring around the corner and discover her and Declan.
She held her empty hands in the air to prove she was unarmed. “I’m Tess Bennett, and this is Declan O’Leary. David Kingsley’s alive but needs an ambulance.” She described where to find him. “They tortured him.”
Declan grabbed his gut and threw up on the dirt trail.
