Текст книги "The Naked Edge"

Автор книги: David Morrell

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

^{And another.}

^{It's amateur night , he thought.}

^{A guy with a sweat shirt labeled OUTSOURCE THE WHITE HOUSE TO INDIA on one side and KEEP AMERICAN JOBS AT HOME on the other told a buddy, "Man, if it's starting this early, tomorrow's gonna be wild."}

^{A group chanted, "Stop burning the rain forests!"}

^{Keeping a distance, avoiding the appearance of any association with the protestors, Carl drifted into the shadowy background. About to return to the van, he paused for a final look at the smoke coming from the hotel.}

^{Tomorrow's going to be wild? he thought. You have no idea.}

^{Chapter 15.}

^{"Good morning, gentlemen."}

^{The men looked up from cleaning their weapons as Carl entered the warehouse. Walking toward the podium, he rubbed his hands together enthusiastically.}

^{"I trust you had a restful sleep."}

^{They gathered before him.}

^{"We've got another fine breakfast for you. Sugared beignets and chicory-flavored coffee. Eggs with Creole sauce and Cajun sausage. Hash browns. Steak. Biscuits. Gravy. Your basic Heart Association, cholesterol-friendly meal."}

^{They chuckled.}

^{"Eat up because you might not have a chance for another meal until tonight. No complaints? Everybody happy?"}

^{They nodded.}

^{"Outstanding. So are you ready to earn your pay, to do what you've been training for, to prove how skilled you've become, and show me an honest morning's work?"}

^{"Yes," they answered.}

^{"I can't hear you."}

^"Yes!"

^{"Damned straight. An honest morning's work. Once we get to Texas, you can let off steam. But right now and until noon, we're all business. Finish your breakfast. Roll up your sleeping bag. Fold your cot. Set it over by the door. Put the TVs, DVD players, computers, and video games over there as well. Pretty soon, a truck'll arrive, and we'll load everything. Those of you on KP duty will take the leftover food and deliver it to a homeless shelter, a different one from the one yesterday's KP team delivered to. No point in wasting food. Share and share alike. Camp without a trace. Words to live by, gentlemen. As soon as this warehouse looks the same as when we arrived, you'll put on your knapsack and double-check its number with the corresponding number on the map. You'll make sure you know how to get to the street you've been assigned. I don't want anybody wandering around asking directions from a cop."}

^{They chuckled again.}

^{"Control. Discipline. That's what you've been training for. Otherwise, you're just the street thug you were when I took pity on you and brought you to the training camp. Make sure you're wearing your Navy SEAL watch. They're each set to exactly the same time. After you put on your knapsack and go to your assigned street, you'll mingle with the demonstrators. The conference starts at nine. There'll be delays because the protestors will try to block the streets. Some of the trade ministers will want to make an impressive late entrance. But let's assume that by ten o'clock, all the participants will be there and the opening ceremony will be in full swing. Exactly at ten on your watch, take off the knapsack and pull the cord on it. Everybody clear on that?"}

^{They nodded.}

^{"When the black smoke comes out and mingles with all the other black smoke and covers your area, pull out your pistol and empty it into the air. Enjoy yourself. Stampede the protestors. But for God's sake, don't shoot any of them. We've been hired to disrupt the conference, not kill people. Clear on that ?"}

^{Again, they nodded.}

^{"Okay, clean up this warehouse. Put on the knapsacks. Make sure you know where you're going. Don't bunch up after the event. Go your separate ways, and regroup two days from now at the campground near Galveston. Gentlemen, you want to make a bet?"}

^{They studied him, eager to hear his next words.}

^{"I bet you make me proud. I bet you prove that I was right to choose you, that you're worth all the training you received. You're not thugs anymore. You're operators. I can't think of a higher compliment to give anyone. Operators."}

^{Chapter 16.}

^{Cavanaugh felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked awake. It took him a moment to realize that he was in a hotel room, that sunlight struggled past the draperies, and that Jamie, who looked as tired as he felt, was leaning over him, nudging him.}

^{"William's here," she said.}

^{Cavanaugh squinted up toward William, who stood at the foot of the bed, holding a briefcase. Despite the long plane trip, William's expensively tailored, pinstriped suit was impeccably pressed. His pristine white shirt was perfectly starched, his striped tie dramatically authoritative. With his coiffed gray hair and projecting chest, he had never looked more like a high-powered attorney.}

^{"He brought us beignets." Jamie bit into one.}

^{". . . coffee," Cavanaugh murmured.}

^{"That, too." Jamie handed him a Styrofoam cup.}

^{Groggy, Cavanaugh sipped the hot bitter liquid. "You're the best attorney anybody ever had, William."}

^{"Maybe I should open a catering service."}

^{"What time is it?"}

^{"Six-thirty."}

^{Cavanaugh turned toward Jamie. "You let me sleep this long?"}

^{"You were dead on your feet."}

^{"Unfortunate choice of word. You were exhausted too, but you still got up earlier than I did."}

^{"Things on my mind. Not to mention nightmares."}

^{"I know all about nightmares." Cavanaugh sat slowly, his head feeling as if ball bearings rolled inside it.}

^{"On the phone last night, you told me to get here as quickly as possible," William said.}

^{"And by God, you did. Thank you, William."}

^{"Is there a legal emergency?"}

^{"There's going to be," Cavanaugh told him. "And that's probably not the only emergency."}

^{"When the Gulfstream picked me up at Teterboro airport, my escorts said that I wouldn't be needing their protection any longer."}

^{"That's right," Jamie said. "You're not in danger now. Or perhaps I should say, you're not a specific target."}

^{"As opposed to being part of a general target?" William frowned.}

^{"I'm going to need your help," Cavanaugh said. "But I can't lie to you. You'll probably be risking your life to help me. Are you willing to do that?"}

^{"As I recall, you saved my life back at your ranch–not to mention, several times you kept some of my litigation opponents from trying to strangle me."}

^{"Then you'll do it?"}

^{"When do we start?"}

^{"Good man," Cavanaugh said. He stood from the bed and looked down at his rumpled slacks and shirt. "Don't have a change of clothes."}

^{"There's no time to change them anyhow," Jamie said, peering down at her own wrinkled slacks and blouse.}

^{"Or shave." Cavanaugh scraped a hand over his beard stubble.}

^{"We're going to hell," Jamie said.}

^{" Carl is." Cavanaugh went into the bathroom, shut the door, and urinated. He put his head under the cold-water facet and soaked his hair. He toweled it, ran a comb through it, then came out and took a bite from what was left of the beignet in Jamie's hand. After snapping his pistol holster to his belt, he put on his sport coat, which reeked of tear gas and smoke. "Knives. Two spare magazines. Looks like I've got everything but a winning lottery ticket."}

^{Jamie attached her gun and knife to her belt, then hid them with her blazer. "Ready?"}

^{Chapter 17.}

^{Seven a.m.}

^{The communications center was even more crowded and noisy than the evening before, radios crackling, keyboards clattering. But in contrast with the chaos of yesterday, everyone in the room seemed paralyzed. Motionless agents stood before a vast array of closed-circuit television monitors that showed intense crowds assembling on various streets around the conference center. Helmeted police officers and military reservists formed a line behind barricades, holding shields and batons, ready to respond if the crowd pushed beyond the checkpoints.}

^{Somber, Rutherford sensed movement behind him and glanced back, frowning toward Cavanaugh and Jamie. His gaze lingered on William.}

^{"Any developments?" Cavanaugh asked, reaching him.}

^{A stranger shifted next to Rutherford. A mustached man of fifty, he had gray hair, the severely short cut of which exposed a crescent of skin above each ear. His tie was rigidly knotted, his suit meticulously pressed, his shoes obsessively shined. Of medium height and weight, with pallid skin suggestive of a career spent at a desk, he wore a white shirt whose style communicated the impression he gave: button-down.}

^{"The demonstrators are getting ready to try to block the streets so the trade ministers can't reach the conference," Rutherford said.}

^{"It starts at nine?" Jamie asked.}

^{"It was supposed to," the severe-faced stranger said.}

^{Cavanaugh studied him, puzzled. "I don't believe we've met."}

^{"This is Deputy Director Mosely." Rutherford subtly emphasized the stranger's title, as if giving Cavanaugh a warning.}

^{"Pleased to meet you." Cavanaugh extended his hand. "This is my wife Jamie, and my name's–"}

^{"You've got plenty of names, I hear." Mosely ignored the offered hand. "I'm surprised you can keep them all straight."}

^{Cavanaugh looked at Rutherford and then back at Mosely. "Is something wrong?"}

^{"You got what you wanted," Mosely said.}

^{Two FBI agents edged toward them.}

^{"I'm not sure what you mean."}

^{"Four hotels needed to be evacuated," Mosely continued. "The ones with the most trade delegates. There wasn't any way to put them in rooms in other hotels in the area. Every place was full. In fact, there weren't enough available hotel rooms within twenty miles. We had to take them to the nearest city: St. Charles. All the confusion forced the WTO to cancel today's meetings."}

^{"They did ?" Jamie asked.}

^{"Don't act so surprised," Mosely answered.}

^{Other agents stepped closer.}

^{"Hey," Cavanaugh said, "if the conference got postponed, it's a good thing, right? It gives everybody more time to try to find Carl and stop whatever he's doing."}

^{"Oh, it's a good thing. Definitely," Mosely replied with sarcasm.}

^{Frowning with greater puzzlement, Cavanaugh turned toward Rutherford. "John, on the flight here, you and I talked about how important it was to get this thing canceled, how crazy it was that the WTO wouldn't allow itself to appear to give in to the demonstrators. Now the trade ministers did what we hoped they would. A lot of lives have probably been saved."}

^{"Oh, I'm all for saving lives." Mosely stood more rigidly. "But when you couldn't convince the WTO to change its mind, do you think it was right to change their minds for them?"}

^{"You're not making sense," Jamie said.}

^{"Who's this man?" Mosely pointed toward William.}

^{"My attorney," Cavanaugh answered.}

^{"You suspected you'd need one?"}

^{"William has one of the most attentive, logical minds I've ever come across. I thought it would be a good idea to include him. Maybe he'll notice something we haven't thought of."}

^{"Well, he's definitely going to come in handy," Mosely emphasized.}

^{On the various TV monitors, the crowd kept getting larger.}

^{"Wait'll they find out the conference isn't happening today," someone said.}

^{Mosely pointed toward a door. "We need to talk," he told Cavanaugh. "You too," he told Jamie. He looked at William. "And by all means, you're invited, counselor."}

^{Chapter 18.}

^{The door led to an office that was bare except for a metal table and chair. Two FBI agents joined the group. In the cramped quarters, everyone remained standing.}

^{Although Rutherford shut the door, Mosely still had to raise his voice to be heard above the noise outside. "You were seen entering all four hotels."}

^{"Of course," Jamie said. "We visited trade ministers in those hotels, trying to persuade them to cancel the conference. We identified ourselves to security personnel."}

^{"Someone went to the bottom of the elevator shafts and put smoke bombs in them," Mosely told her. "Someone went to the roofs, opened the air-condition vents, and put tear-gas grenades inside. Spray paint disabled the lenses on the security cameras in those areas."}

^{"That makes sense," Jamie concluded. "That's the way I'd have done it."}

^{"Which begs the question," Mosely said.}

^{"Wait a minute. Are you suggesting I did it?" Jamie sounded indignant.}

^{Cavanaugh looked at Rutherford. "What's going on here, John?"}

^{"Sorry. I'm afraid it's out of my hands."}

^{William stepped forward. "Before this conversation goes any further, are you arresting my clients for what happened at those hotels?"}

^{"Counselor–" Mosely put rancor into the title. "–I invited you to listen, but I don't believe you're licensed to practice law in the state of Louisiana."}

^{"That doesn't mean I can't act as a concerned knowledgeable friend." William pulled out his cell phone. "But if you want to put this on an absolutely legal basis, I'll make a call to my good friend, Lester Beauchamp. He and I went to Harvard together. He's also my brother-in-law and the former assistant attorney general for the state of Louisiana, not to mention the most respected defense attorney in New Orleans. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to represent my clients."}

^{"Let's be clear, counselor. Are you advising your 'friends' not to answer my questions?"}

^{"If you're arresting them, I'm advising you to read them their rights."}

^{"We don't have anything to hide," Jamie insisted.}

^{"A man and a woman matching your description were seen in the area of the elevator shafts and the roofs just before the incidents happened," Mosely said. "Your height, your build, your clothes."}

^{"Where are your witnesses?" William challenged.}

^{"They worked the night shift at the various hotels."}

^{"That doesn't answer the question. The witnesses are where? My friends are more than willing to stand in a lineup and be identified–or not be identified, which is what's going to happen."}

^{Mosely's gaze almost faltered. "We haven't been able to contact them this morning."}

^{"Perhaps because they're drug addicts semiconscious from illegal substances," William continued. "Until you find these so-called witnesses and prove their reliability, these accusations are hearsay and possibly slander."}

^{"I was speaking with the Japanese trade minister when the smoke and the tear gas went off in his hotel," Cavanaugh said. "How could I have been in two places at one time?"}

^{"Did I neglect to mention that the detonation devices were on timers?" Mosely asked.}

^{"And where are we supposed to have gotten all that stuff?"}

^{"Your file emphasizes how resourceful you are. You have an obsession with being close to what you call 'bug-out bags' that have all sorts of equipment in them. Your wife carries a specialty knife that has numerous tools in the handle. She wouldn't have had any trouble opening the air-conditioning ducts. For all I know, your corporate jet is loaded with other equipment you needed."}

^{"Then search the jet," Cavanaugh told him.}

^{"But not before you get a warrant," William pointed out.}

^{Mosely's eyes flared. "You present yourselves as such ethical people, so concerned about protecting your clients. You claim you're the edge between right and wrong. Then you show how irresponsible you are by putting all those trade ministers at risk. Thanks to your stunt, one of them broke his leg. Another had a heart attack. Two cars rammed into emergency vehicles speeding toward the hotels."}

^{"Was anybody killed?"}

^{"No, but that doesn't mean what you did is right!"}

^{Cavanaugh looked at Rutherford. "Make him understand, John. Whoever's responsible saved a lot of lives. Now that the conference has been postponed, Carl will need to change his plans. Meanwhile, we've got time to catch him."}

^{Mosely's pallor mutated to a fiery red. "You think you deserve a medal? Well, I think you took a privilege the Bureau gave you and abused it. You're a guest here! A civilian. You don't have any authority, but you decided you were running this operation, breaking God knows how many laws. If it's up to me, you'll go to prison."}

^{"Thank heaven, it isn't up to you," William said. "After I talk to Lester Beauchamp, I'll phone the district attorney and–"}

^{The door opened. Everyone turned toward an agent.}

^{"There's been a new development," the uneasy man told them.}

^{"Don't tell me the riots have already started," Mosely said.}

^{"Fifteen minutes ago, a man and a woman were caught trying to put tear gas into the conference center's air-conditioning ducts."}

^{" What? "}

^{"And smoke bombs in the elevator shafts."}

^{Mosely groaned.}

^{"Do the suspects look like these two?" William asked the agent in the doorway.}

^{"Yeah, in a way. Sort of. They're white and more or less the same age."}

^{"You're not deceiving me," Mosely told Cavanaugh and Jamie. "Those are copycats."}

^{"Without talking to the suspects, how can you be sure?" William asked.}

^{"Because, unlike your friends, they don't have the skills to manage that kind of sabotage. Because the man and woman today got caught."}

^{"An interesting distinction but without legal merit. If you're not going to arrest my friends, I trust you have no objection to allowing them to go about their business."}

^{"Not here. They don't have any business in this area."}

^{"Uh, sir," Rutherford said.}

^{Mosely stared. "Yes, Executive Assistant Rutherford?" He emphasized "Assistant," reminding Rutherford of who had the greater authority.}

^{"If I could make a suggestion."}

^{"By all means." Mosely clearly wished that Rutherford had kept quiet. "Everyone knows I'm always open to constructive ideas."}

^{"I think it might not be a bad idea to let them stay. Cavanaugh understands Duran's personality better than anyone. As events develop, he might be able to predict what Duran will do. Plus, Cavanaugh's the only person here who can identify him."}

^{Mosely continued staring.}

^{"We need to seem to use every available resource," Rutherford said. "Otherwise, in an inquiry, there might be questions."}

^{Mosely's narrow gaze pivoted toward Cavanaugh and Jamie. To Rutherford, he said, "This time, keep them under control." He yanked open the door and entered the communications room, followed by the agents.}

^{Except Rutherford.}

^{As the noise from out there filled the small area, Cavanaugh said, "Thanks, John."}

^{"I feel my job dangling in the wind."}

^{"I owe you. I'm sure it wasn't easy disagreeing with him."}

^{Rutherford looked pained. "Please, remember what he warned you about. You're civilians. Don't make me sorry I trust you."}

^{Cavanaugh solemnly followed him into the communications room.}

^{Chapter 19.}

^{On the TV monitors, the crowd got bigger.}

^{On one of the screens, a woman carried a large, heavy purse. She hid an object in her hand and periodically looked at it.}

^{"Part of the radiation detection team," someone in the communications room explained.}

^{On another screen, a man held what looked like a smart phone: a pathogen detector.}

^{"Two hundred members of the Homeland Security team are out there, weaving through the crowd, scanning it. But how many diseases can they program their detectors to test for? They can't possibly scan for everything ," someone said.}

^{"How big is the crowd?"}

^{"Fifteen thousand."}

^{"And getting larger," an agent said. "What difference does it make if the conference was postponed? As long as they think it's happening, there'll be a riot."}

^{"And maybe worse," Rutherford murmured.}

^{Next to him, Cavanaugh said, "Right now, somebody needs to send agents into that crowd. Make them act like the protestors. Tell them to spread the word, sounding pissed off that the conference was cancelled."}

^{Mosely's gaze was icy as he turned toward Cavanaugh. "And I bet you're dying to get out there and show us how it's done."}

^{Chapter 20.}

^{Seven-thirty.}

^{On the podium, Carl faced his men and said, "To tell the truth, I'm jealous. You're going to have so much fun, I decided to join you. There are six knapsacks that aren't being used because of the men who opted out. I might as well take one and enjoy myself. Mr. Ramirez is going to put on a knapsack and join the fun also."}

^{Raoul looked up, not having expected to hear that. But to Carl's approval, Raoul concealed his surprise and nodded firmly.}

^{"Has everyone got a watch?" Carl asked.}

^{They did.}

^{"Is your knapsack on? You know where you're going?"}

^{They did, obviously pleased that Carl would be joining them.}

^{"Leave here in groups of six. Split up as soon as possible. New Orleans has an excellent bus system, so you won't have trouble getting to the target area. But those buses are equipped with video surveillance cameras, so sit separately and look out the window, not at the camera. Remember, when it's ten o'clock, take off your knapsack and pull the cord at the side. Make sure you're wearing these finger-tip pads so you don't leave prints when you drop your gun. Everybody clear? Good. Gentlemen, show me how disciplined you are."}

^{Chapter 21.}

^Eight.

^{Mingling with demonstrators across from the conference center, Jamie felt pushed and shoved. The heat of so many bodies increased the humidity, making her sweat. Someone stepped on her shoes. They had steel caps under the leather: standard equipment for protectors. Even so, she felt the jolt. But she was less concerned about damage to her body than she was about someone bumping against the weapons under her blazer, realizing what they were and trying to take them. She kept her elbows tight against her sides, bracing them against her handgun and her knife.}

^{Although the conference wasn't scheduled to start for another hour, the demonstrators were already shouting their complaints about Third World sweatshops, increased pollution, climate change, the vanishing rain forests, the over-fished oceans, and chemicals in the food supply.}

^{"Wait'll the motorcades arrive," someone said. "We'll stop those greedy bastards from getting into the building."}

^{"If we need to, we'll push their cars over," someone else vowed.}

^{Jamie pretended to be listening to her cell phone. She hurriedly lowered it and blurted to the people around her, "My friend says she saw on television that the cars won't be coming."}

^{Someone overheard and asked, "What?"}

^{"They just announced the conference was postponed."}

^"Bullshit."

^{"No, it's true," Jamie said, the crowd banging against her. "The chief of police just made an announcement. Something happened at four hotels last night. Smoke and tear gas. The trade ministers were moved out of town."}

^*

^{". . . ministers were moved out of town," Cavanaugh said.}

^{"Harry, listen to this guy. They cancelled the conference."}

^{"Like hell."}

^{Cavanaugh pointed toward his cell phone. "That's what my friend just told me. He saw it on television."}

^{"A trick. They want us to give up and leave. Close to nine o'clock, those pigs'll arrive in their limos. Bet on it."}

^{Chapter 22.}

^{Eighty-thirty.}

^{The spreading chaos forced Carl to park a half mile away. Even from that distance, he heard the shouting.}

^{"Sounds like the party started." He grinned at Raoul. "This is what it's all about. Everything else is just waiting."}

^{He and Raoul stepped from the van and made certain their loose shirts covered their weapons.}

^{"Here's your party favor," Carl said, handing Raoul his knapsack. He put on his own.}

^{They followed Magazine Street six blocks north of the convention center. As they neared the shouting, they saw a bus come to a stop. Amid numerous departing passengers, six members of their group emerged, keeping separate as instructed. Like good operators, they never glanced at each other as they took separate directions through the crowd.}

^{"Don't you love it when a plan comes together?" Carl asked Raoul.}

^{Progress became difficult. Carl passed one of his men halfway down the block, exactly where he should be. Although they didn't acknowledge one another, their brief eye contact told Carl how much the man was reassured.}

^{And so it went. Shifting through the crowd, passing various members of his team, Carl verified that everyone was obeying instructions. That gave him reason to believe they would continue to obey.}

^{By nine, he and Raoul reached the conference center, where the crowd was so immense, the protestors so animated that the four-lane boulevard in front was almost totally blocked. Behind barricades, police officers readied themselves to push back.}

^{" Where are the cars? " a demonstrator demanded to his friends. "They should have been here by now!"}

^{Energized by anticipation, Carl continued through the turmoil, buoying his widely separated men with his presence while he made sure they were in place.}

^{Chapter 23.}

^Nine-thirty.

^{Cavanaugh and Jamie pushed through the crowd, reached the back of a large delivery truck, and showed their IDs to a camera above the rear doors. A moment later, one of the doors opened, hands helping them up.}

^{Against the inside wall, armed men were ready in case Cavanaugh and Jamie were not who they claimed or someone charged in after them.}

^{The truck's interior was a compact version of the communications center. Computers, two-way radios, and closed-circuit monitors seemed everywhere. An electronic glow filled the compartment. On the screens, the police and the protestors shoved at each other outside the convention center, but because the police had body armor, helmets, shields, clubs, and tasers, they had more success. The silence of the images contrasted with the tumult outside.}

^{"I told as many as I could about the radio announcement that the conference was postponed," Jamie said.}

^{"We've got plenty of other operators blending with the crowd, spreading the word," an FBI agent said.}

^{"Doesn't seem to be doing any good." Cavanaugh frowned toward the violence on the monitors.}

^{"Wait." An agent pointed.}

^{On one of the screens, Cavanaugh saw the protestors shifting back from the police. On another screen, the shrubs that separated the four lanes of Convention Center Boulevard were becoming visible. Protestors stared both ways along the thoroughfare, baffled that the motorcade hadn't arrived.}

^{At a two-way radio, an agent said, "I'm getting reports that portions of the crowd are beginning to realize the conference isn't going to happen."}

^{"Look," Jamie said. "At the end of the boulevard. Near the casino. On Poydras Street. Some of them are drifting away."}

^{Chapter 24.}

^{Nine forty-five.}

^{A cloud crossed the sun, casting a cool shadow. Then the sun returned, the heat again as palpable as the humidity. The press of bodies smelled of sweat as Carl and Raoul made their way through them. After crisscrossing the target area, they entered Girod Street, moving away from the conference center. Carl verified that the final man he needed to check was in place.}

^{As Carl reached the intersection of Tchoupitoulas Street, where Raoul was scheduled to wait until 10 o'clock, he noticed that the going seemed easier, that he no longer needed to struggle against the crowd. Then he realized that the tide had turned, that the demonstrators were moving away from the conference center instead of toward it, that he was being carried by the flow.}

^{He stopped an angry-looking man and woman. "What's going on? Why are you leaving?"}

^{"Damned thing's been cancelled."}

^{"No," Carl said, jostled by the passing crowd.}

^{The woman held up an iPhone. "It's all over the Internet. Four hotels got smoked-bombed and tear-gassed last night. The trade ministers were evacuated."}

^{"But that can't be!" Carl insisted.}

^{"I'm telling you, the bastards left town."}

^{" No motorcade? No opening ceremonies? "}

^{"Nothing. Down at the convention center, they're getting their heads cracked for no reason."}

^{As the disgusted man and woman moved onward away from the pointless battle, Carl stared down Girod Street. Except for a truck parked two blocks away, all he saw were demonstrators moving in his direction, a steady mass of them filling the pavement and the sidewalk.}

^{Four hotels? Furious, Carl remembered following last night's sirens and arriving at hotels that were surrounded by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles while smoke streamed from the buildings.}

^{Aaron? he thought. Was that your doing?}

^{"Is it over?" Raoul asked.}

^{For a moment, Carl didn't hear him. "Over?"}

^{"If the conference isn't going to happen, what's the point of the smoke?"}

^{"Quiet." Carl pulled him toward a wall. "Somebody might hear you."}

^{"But we don't have much time. We need to split up and hurry so we can tell the men to forget about ten o'clock."}

^{"Forget about ten o'clock? No way."}

^{Carl's employers were more frightening than anyone could imagine. Good God, the last thing he needed was them hunting him because he took their money and didn't follow through on what he promised.}

^{"But what's the point?" Raoul demanded. "You told us we were hired to make sure the conference didn't happen. Mierda , look around you. It isn't happening."}

^{The point, Carl couldn't tell him, was the Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Homeland Security Response Team, not to mention operators from Global Protective Services and other major non-government firms. They'd been lured into coming to New Orleans to safeguard the World Trade Organization. In eleven minutes . . .}

^{"We're going to do what we promised," Carl said.}

^"But–"

^{"This isn't some stupid-ass street gang. We don't act on impulse. We don't change our mind whenever we feel like it. We follow orders."}