Chapter Seventeen
Sam was so relieved to see Jeannie awake and alert and to hear Helen had been rescued, too. “What about Joe?” she asked Malone.
“They’re working on getting to him.”
“Sam! Jake!”
She turned to see FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Avery Hill jogging toward them with his deputy, George Terrell. “We came as soon as we got the word.”
“We’re glad to see you,” Malone said. “Holland can brief you on details that may be relevant.”
“Earlier today, we picked up a John Doe who was later identified as Sergei Ivanov, a Russian, who’s leading the resistance against Petrov and his regime. Ivanov has connections to Vice President Gretchen Henderson, who knew him at Oxford. She’s been fired for keeping that relationship a secret. Prior to the explosion, MPD officers and the Secret Service were in a standoff with a group from the Russian Embassy that had come to collect Ivanov’s body. They were told the body was being examined and would be returned when the examination was complete. They didn’t care for that answer. Then there was an explosion, Sergei Ivanov’s body is now missing, and we haven’t been able to locate Amara Robinson, a witness in another case who was near the morgue when the bomb detonated. It’s possible the explosion could’ve been intended to create a distraction that would allow them to grab Ivanov.”
“Jesus,” Terrell muttered under his breath.
“I’m very concerned about Amara, who’s eighteen. She just reported the murder of her brother and could now be caught up in something that has nothing at all to do with her.”
“Understood,” Avery said. “As soon as you’re able, get me a description of her and anything else that might be relevant.”
“We’ll be shifting operations to one of our subsidiary stations while HQ is processed,” Malone said. “We can issue the BOLO for Amara and get you those details once we’re set up over there.”
Shouting from inside the building caught their attention, and Sam turned to see EMTs wheeling the chief out of the building on a gurney. He was unconscious and covered with blood. The sight of him that way was so shocking, Sam could hardly breathe or move.
“Is he alive?” Malone asked.
“Yes,” an EMT said as they quickly loaded him into an ambulance that took off with sirens blaring a second later.
“Sam.”
She blinked and looked up at Malone.
“Breathe.”
Tears filled her eyes. “He… I…”
Malone hugged her. “He’s tough as nails.”
“We might have a second device!” Higgins said from the gaping hole where the main doors once were. “Everyone get back. Hurry!”
Malone kept an arm around Sam as he headed toward the street with Lindsey, Q, Freddie, Avery and George moving with them as others followed.
Sam pulled the vibrating BlackBerry out of her back pocket to take a call from Nick. “Hey.”
“Babe… I need to get you out of there right now. We’re not sure what’s happening, but it may not be contained to MPD. They want to move us to the bunker, but I won’t go without you.”
“Just go! I’ll catch up when I get home.”
“Samantha, I need you to comply with the directions of your detail right now. This is nonnegotiable. Please.”
Because he never used that word with her, she said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. I love you. Please hurry.”
“I love you, too.”
“What’s wrong?” Freddie asked. “Other than the obvious.”
“The Secret Service wants to move the family to a bunker, but Nick won’t do that without me.”
