Faith’s lips thinned.She shared a look with Jessica, then turned to the negotiator.“Tell him the car’s here, and the driver’s on her way in.Ask him where he is.”
While the negotiator complied, Faith walked to the edge of the cordon where Bridgette waited.She grinned at Faith and stuck her microphone out.“Special Agent Bold—”
“Hush,” Faith said, her voice low and dangerous.To her amazement, Bridgette hushed.“I said you could have an exclusive, and you will, but you willnotendanger innocent lives.Back off, let us do our jobs, and I’ll talk to you when this is over.”
Bridgette recovered quickly.“Of course, Special Agent,” she replied.“Can you at least share what your plan is?”
“Do not broadcast this,” Faith instructed.“Cut the feed now.”
Bridgette blinked.“Well, my cameraman’s still getting us set up for air, so I can cut this part if you need me to, but—”
“I need you to.The suspect has a cell phone, and if he watches the news, seeing this could lead to innocent lives lost.Go back with the other news reporters and wait.”
She left Bridgette without waiting for an answer, but as she returned, she heard Bridgette telling her cameraman to back up and not air the footage, so for now, at least, the problem was dealt with.She rejoined Jessica and Turk and the negotiator informed her, “Okay, we told him we’re sending someone in.He’s in the maintenance restroom on the basement level.You’ll have to go alone.He said if he sees anyone but the driver, he’s letting go of the button.”
Faith nodded.She took a deep breath and turned to the EOD sergeant.“Bring your team with us.We’ll all go to the basement level, but only I enter the restroom.”
“All right,” the sergeant replied with grudging admiration.“Gotta hand it to you.You’re one brave girl.”
Faith gave him a half smile.“We all do our best.”
She hooked her head toward the terminal, and the group headed inside.A cheer started from the crowd, but Faith spun around and chopped her hand, and the cheer stopped.Jesus, guys, subtle.Be subtle.
They entered the terminal.Empty of passengers, the building looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie.The cordons for the ticket counters and baggage check counters crisscrossed like snakes across the vast floor.Escalators hummed but transported no one to the upper or lower concourses.LCD notifications slid across narrow strips above the counters, informing passengers that all flights were currently delayed.It occurred to Faith that she hadn’t seen a single aircraft take off or land since arriving here.Hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of people all brought to a grinding halt because of the anger of one man.
Or, depending on how you looked at it, the selfishness and irresponsibility of a few others.
Faith called the group to a halt at the top of the escalator."Everyone needs to be quiet.Sergeant, I want your team to wait at the foot of the escalator.Jessica, you take Turk and attack on my command.Turk, listen to Jessica, okay?"Turk dipped his head in acknowledgment."I'm going to go into the restroom and lead him out.I'll secure the detonator and Jessica and Turk will assist me in holding him.Then the EOD team will disarm the bomb.We'll let Hartford find his own way upstairs and out of the terminal.Any questions?"
“Yeah,” one of the EOD techs asked.“What if you don’t grab the detonator?”
Faith nodded.“This is your chance to back out of this.I won’t pretend that we’re not risking our lives.If that’s not something you’re all comfortable with, then I’ll understand if you want to get out of here.”
The others looked at each other.The EOD tech who asked the question shook his head.“Hell no.We’re in this all the way.”
The others echoed that sentiment.Faith nodded again, then said, “Okay.Showtime.”
They descended the escalators in silence.Turk bared his teeth and tensed as they descended and Stevenson’s scent reached his nostrils, but he kept quiet.Jessica’s face was ashen, but her eyes were just as determined as Faith’s.
The maintenance basement was quieter than the terminal above.No noise from the outside filtered down, and the lack of windows on the walls of the underground floor contributed to the feeling of stepping into an alternate universe, or an alternate time, somewhere humanity had died off suddenly and completely, leaving behind only the bleak relics of its existence and the monsters that took its place lurking in the shadows.
The EOD sergeant clapped Faith on the shoulder and nodded.Faith squeezed his shoulder, and he, Jessica, and Turk proceeded forward.Turk’s feet padded soundlessly across the tile floor while Jessica matched Faith’s steps to keep from giving the slightest indication that there was more than one person approaching.
They stopped just outside the restroom.Faith squeezed Jessica’s shoulder, keenly aware of her lack of vest, gun, taser, and pepper spray.She was completely defenseless other than her own fighting skill.If that bomb went off… Well, if the bomb went off, her vest wouldn’t help her at all, so she supposed it didn’t make a difference.
She took a deep breath and entered the restroom.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
She stopped in the entryway and called, “Mr.Stevenson?I’m entering the restroom.I’m your driver.I’m unarmed, and I mean you no harm.”
“Okay,” Stevenson called back in a thready voice.“I’m here.”
Faith stepped into the restroom.Stevenson stood at the end of the room next to the hand dryer.The detonator, a small, laser-pointer-sized cylinder, was clutched tightly in his right hand.
He looked exactly as Faith expected.His eyes were wild and bloodshot, and his hair was unkempt and frizzy, more gray than brown though his last driver's license record indicated he was Faith's age.He had facial hair just as unkempt and ragged as the hair on top of his head.He was tall and had probably once been a robust man, but now he was almost emaciated.His cheeks were sunken, his eyes hollow, and his clothing—a denim vest over a red t-shirt, and cargo pants—were faded, dirty, and tattered and hung loosely on wasted arms and legs.His shoes had holes in the toes, and the left one was untied.No wonder security had focused on him immediately.He looked homeless and very, very crazy.
Hartford was nowhere to be seen.