rubbed my face, the adrenaline beginning to subside. When I pulled my hands away, Jennifer was in front of me, a smile splitting her face.
“We did it.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I guess we did. Meaning you.”
The cop that had let us up said, “I’m going to need to see some identification now.”
I looked at Johnny and he said, “They were undercover. Your Department of Homeland Security has been working with them from the start. I’ll vouch for them.”
He looked bewildered, saying, “
Our
Department of Homeland Security? Who is that?”
“Jesus. I thought you guys were on board with counterterrorism. The person who placed the bombs was a Filipino. Surely you’re tied into the security apparatus on the threat. We called your department a week ago about it. I thought this was a big win for you considering how quickly you reacted. You saved the day. Are you saying you don’t know who we are?”
The man looked at me, then at him, and said, “Yes, of course I do.”
Behind his back, I mouthed to Johnny,
Getting out now.
He nodded and continued to engage the cop. I was glad I didn’t have to do cleanup, because it was going to be a mess. We reached the door leading to the elevator and he shouted my name.
I turned and he jogged up. I said, “What,
now
you want my help? Might I remind you that this is
your
mission?”
He grinned and said, “I got nothing for you, Pike. You mess with a mission of mine again, and I’ll rip your dick off.”
He turned to Jennifer, clearly uncomfortable. “This pains me more than you could possibly know, but your gut was right. I won’t make that mistake again.”
She smiled, a conciliatory expression that set him at ease. She said, “Trust me, I know how hard it is for you guys to say you were wrong. I started here with this man. He’s
never
wrong.”
Johnny said, “Hey, I didn’t say I was wrong . . .”
She said, “I know. And I appreciate it.”
He grinned, nodded at me, then walked away. We entered the elevator. I waited until the doors closed and said, “Honey badger don’t quit, huh?”
She smiled again, the radiance shining off her face at what she had done. By preventing both bombs from detonating, she’d saved the lives of more than three hundred people.
She slid her hand into mine and squeezed, then let go. Watching the elevator numbers tick down, she said, “No. Honey badger don’t quit.”
• • •
For a complete list of this author’s books click here or visit
www.penguin.com/taylorchecklist
Read on for an exclusive extended excerpt of Brad Taylor’s
THE WIDOW’S STRIKE
A PIKE LOGAN THRILLER
Available July 16, 2013, wherever books and eBooks are sold
1
The technician thought the sign on the door said it all. WARNING: BIOHAZARD LEVEL IV—H5N1 RESEARCH ONGOING . It looked official enough, the universal biohazard symbol followed by a host of precautions proclaiming its authority, but it was listing a bit to the side, the tape holding it in place losing adhesive in the humid air. An indicator of the less-than-perfect nature of the work beyond the door.
Takes more than a sign to make a level-four facility.
The technician thought again about telling someone what they were doing. Perhaps preventing a tragedy. He knew he wouldn’t, though, because the money was too good, and there just wasn’t anywhere else to do the research.
Singapore had only one level-four biosafety facility in the entire country, and it was owned by the government at the Defence Science Organisation laboratory. No way was his employer going to let them in on the action. Too much profit at stake. Not to mention the red tape involved.
He clocked in on the computer and pushed through into the anteroom, seeing the old BIOSAFETY LEVEL III warning mounted in a frame on the wall—what this facility had been rated before they used some tape and a new sign. He waited for the outer door to snick closed, then entered the lab, still empty at this hour, and continued
“We did it.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I guess we did. Meaning you.”
The cop that had let us up said, “I’m going to need to see some identification now.”
I looked at Johnny and he said, “They were undercover. Your Department of Homeland Security has been working with them from the start. I’ll vouch for them.”
He looked bewildered, saying, “
Our
Department of Homeland Security? Who is that?”
“Jesus. I thought you guys were on board with counterterrorism. The person who placed the bombs was a Filipino. Surely you’re tied into the security apparatus on the threat. We called your department a week ago about it. I thought this was a big win for you considering how quickly you reacted. You saved the day. Are you saying you don’t know who we are?”
The man looked at me, then at him, and said, “Yes, of course I do.”
Behind his back, I mouthed to Johnny,
Getting out now.
He nodded and continued to engage the cop. I was glad I didn’t have to do cleanup, because it was going to be a mess. We reached the door leading to the elevator and he shouted my name.
I turned and he jogged up. I said, “What,
now
you want my help? Might I remind you that this is
your
mission?”
He grinned and said, “I got nothing for you, Pike. You mess with a mission of mine again, and I’ll rip your dick off.”
He turned to Jennifer, clearly uncomfortable. “This pains me more than you could possibly know, but your gut was right. I won’t make that mistake again.”
She smiled, a conciliatory expression that set him at ease. She said, “Trust me, I know how hard it is for you guys to say you were wrong. I started here with this man. He’s
never
wrong.”
Johnny said, “Hey, I didn’t say I was wrong . . .”
She said, “I know. And I appreciate it.”
He grinned, nodded at me, then walked away. We entered the elevator. I waited until the doors closed and said, “Honey badger don’t quit, huh?”
She smiled again, the radiance shining off her face at what she had done. By preventing both bombs from detonating, she’d saved the lives of more than three hundred people.
She slid her hand into mine and squeezed, then let go. Watching the elevator numbers tick down, she said, “No. Honey badger don’t quit.”
• • •
For a complete list of this author’s books click here or visit
www.penguin.com/taylorchecklist
Read on for an exclusive extended excerpt of Brad Taylor’s
THE WIDOW’S STRIKE
A PIKE LOGAN THRILLER
Available July 16, 2013, wherever books and eBooks are sold
1
The technician thought the sign on the door said it all. WARNING: BIOHAZARD LEVEL IV—H5N1 RESEARCH ONGOING . It looked official enough, the universal biohazard symbol followed by a host of precautions proclaiming its authority, but it was listing a bit to the side, the tape holding it in place losing adhesive in the humid air. An indicator of the less-than-perfect nature of the work beyond the door.
Takes more than a sign to make a level-four facility.
The technician thought again about telling someone what they were doing. Perhaps preventing a tragedy. He knew he wouldn’t, though, because the money was too good, and there just wasn’t anywhere else to do the research.
Singapore had only one level-four biosafety facility in the entire country, and it was owned by the government at the Defence Science Organisation laboratory. No way was his employer going to let them in on the action. Too much profit at stake. Not to mention the red tape involved.
He clocked in on the computer and pushed through into the anteroom, seeing the old BIOSAFETY LEVEL III warning mounted in a frame on the wall—what this facility had been rated before they used some tape and a new sign. He waited for the outer door to snick closed, then entered the lab, still empty at this hour, and continued
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