Midnight Sun (128 page)

Farrah
turned
his
head,
looking
past
Jim
to
a
point
at
the
edge
of
the
crowd.
As
he
turned
,
a
drop
of
sweat
broke
loose
,
trickling
from
high
on
his
cheek
in
a
fast
-
moving
stream
across
his
skin
,
then
vanished
as
it
came
to
the
dry
spot.
Jim
felt
a
familiar
flush,
the
sense
of
standing
near
death.
He'd
last
felt
it
while
sneaking
his
boat
through
Republican
Guard
lines
in
Iraq
and
had
hoped
never
to
experience
it
again.

Chapter
29

Delaney Park Strip

Friday,
June
24th

09:46
a.m

Warner
saw
the
thick
-
looking
city
maintenance
worker
making
his
way
along
the
periphery
of
the
crowd
talking
in
to
a
cell
phone.
He
pulled
out
his
own
phone
and
looked
at
the
screen
—there
was
no
signal.
The
jammers
Tomer
mentioned
were
working.
 
Warner
discreetly
followed
the
man
until
he
came
to
a
small
brick
structure
behind
an
office
building,
unlocked
the
door
,
and
went
in.
He
waited
until
he
thought
the
man
had
descended
the
steep
staircase
to
the
subterranean
passage.
A
moment
later,
he
entered
slowly,
pausing
to
allow
his
eyes
to
adjust
to
the
light.
Warner
drew
his
weapon
from
inside
his
jacket
and
continued
to
the
bottom,
soundlessly
walking
tiptoe
down
the
metal
stairs
, knees slightly bent, body in a partial crouch, ready to pounce into combat
.

Leka
watched
his
cousin
go
into
the
underground
tunnel,
and
saw
the
tall
FBI
agent
follow
him
in
alone.
He
made
his
way
toward
the
same
tunnel
entrance,
going
in
slowly,
producing
a
resin
knife
from
inside
his
boot.
The
knife,
hard
and
razor
-
sharp and invisible to both x-ray and metal detectors
,
had
been
easy
to
smuggle
o
nto
the
grounds.
Kreshnik
had
one
too,
as well as a handful of
deadly
throwing
darts
made
from
the
same
material
,
tucked
within
their
boots
as
well.
After
all
the
years
of
protecting
the
p
resident
,
the
Secret
Service
still
overlooked
things
their
technology
could
not
pick
up,
all
in
the
name
of
protecting
citizens
’
privacy.

Kreshnik
approached
a
valve
on
the
pipe.
Warner
’
s
voice
rang
out.

“
Freeze!
Hands
out
from
your
body,
now!
”
Warner
fast-walked
toward
him,
gun
pointed
at
his
chest.

Kreshnik
’
s
right
hand
went
up.
The
left
stayed
out
of
sight.

“
Both
hands,
now!

Kreshnik
abruptly
ducked,
and
his
left
hand
flicked
into
view.
Warner
fired
his
pistol
twice
as
he
flattened
himself
against
the
wall
,
dodging
two
heavy
resin
spikes.
The
shots
exploded
like
a
howitzer
battery
in
the
tight
confines
of
the
cement
-
lined
tunnel,
the
sound
wave
enough
to
knock
a
man
flat.
Kreshnik
spun,
arms
flailing
as
a
bullet
slapped
the
meat
and
bone
of
his
shoulder.