Twenty-Three

Jared noticed the drops of blood while he was standing in line at the Roti Indian Café to talk to the young male clerk. There was one female customer ahead of him, and two men in the kitchen filling orders. He followed the blood trail down a back hallway, past two bathrooms to a staircase.

He pulled out his gun, moving quietly up the stairs. There was more blood on the landing and on the knob of a closed door. He listened for a moment, hearing what sounded like muffled groans. He had no idea who was on the other side of that door, but his gut told him it was Isaac. The blood was fresh and judging by the number of food wrappers from the café downstairs, clearly the kidnappers had been at this location numerous times.

He tested out the knob. The door was locked. He didn't really want to kick it in and alert anyone, either in the room or downstairs, as to his presence. He pulled out his wallet and removed a lock-picking tool.

It took him only a minute to turn the lock.

He slowly opened the door, raising his gun as he did so. He saw a man lying on the couch, a towel pressed to his gut, a gun on the coffee table in front of him.

Isaac!

His heart jolted with a rush of adrenaline. The man he'd been hunting for weeks was right in front of him. He didn't see anyone else in what appeared to be a studio apartment. He strode forward, his gun on Isaac.

"Don't move," he said, as Isaac tried to sit up and get his gun.

The man stared back at him, as if weighing his options. If he hadn't been bleeding so badly, he probably would have come at him, but it didn't appear as if Isaac had much strength left. His face was ashen. Sweat dotted his face, and his breathing was fast. He was obviously in pain.

Jared walked over to the coffee table and grabbed Isaac's gun. "Where's Sara?"

Isaac shrugged.

"You're not going to make it through the day, Isaac. You talk, and I'll get you help."

"I'm not afraid to die," he said, his voice laced with a British accent.

"That's good, because that's where you're headed, unless you decide to help. Where's the bomb?"

Isaac stared back at him. "What bomb?"

"The one you and your pals made. What's the target?"

"You think I'd tell you?"

"If you want to live, you will."

"Who are you? Why are you alone? Where's your badge?" Isaac asked, his gaze narrowing.

"I'll tell you who I am. I'm April's friend. Remember her? The woman you killed in Paris?"

"The CIA bitch?"

His gut tightened at Isaac's despicable words. "You killed her."

Isaac gave him a brash, unrepentant look. "So what?"

"You'll pay for what you did."

"The CIA won't let me pay. I'm their asset," he drawled. "They'll protect me, or they get no more information."

"They won't protect you, not for killing an agent."

"You're wrong," Isaac said, a mocking expression on his face. "They already know what I did. They don't care. I'm useful to them."

Anger and fury ran through him, as he wondered if he was wrong, if the agency would protect Isaac.

He'd never felt such overwhelming rage, such an intense desire to kill someone. This man, with his evil grin did not deserve to be on this earth. It would be easy to pull the trigger, to make sure April got justice. She deserved that. His hand tightened on his gun.

"Jared, don't."

He turned his head to see Parisa in the doorway. She had her weapon out as she came into the room.

"Don't kill him," she said, her gaze on his. "Not because he deserves to live, but because you will never be the same."

"I don't care about myself."

"Well, I do," she said. "I care about you."

"He thinks the agency will protect him."

"They will," Isaac put in.

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," Parisa said. "We'll get justice for April and for Jasmine."

"Is the FBI right behind you?" he asked.

"I told Damon I was following a lead, that I'd call him if it panned out. It's just me and you…and him."

He looked back at Isaac, at his smug smile. He wanted so much to take this man's last breath, to avenge April's death. But if he did—what difference would there be between him and Isaac?

He saw Isaac's gaze darting around, looking for an escape, or maybe another weapon. "Don't move," he warned him.

"You're not going to kill me," Isaac drawled. "You're going to save my life."

"I don't have to kill you. I can just let you die. At the rate you're bleeding, that won't be long."

"She won't let you." Isaac tipped his head at Parisa. "She's a woman. Women are weak."

"Not this woman. I'll let him do whatever he wants," Parisa said. "And I won't mind watching." She turned to him. "It's up to you, Jared. This is your call. Whatever you say happened here will be what happened."

He felt a rush of amazement at her words of unconditional support. He knew what he had to do. "Call Damon."

She pulled out her phone and made the call.

"You're a coward," Isaac said, spitting onto the ground. "All of you Americans are cowards."

"What's cowardly is killing an innocent person," Jared returned.

"The CIA bitch wasn't innocent. She was using me. I used her."

"If you knew she was CIA, and you're an asset, why the hell would you kill her?"

"Because she thought I was playing both sides." Isaac paused, then uttered a short, harsh laugh. "She was right."

He shook his head, wondering how his agency could have protected this terrorist as long as they had. That ended now. He would make sure of it. "You won't be playing any sides anymore. You'll be sitting in prison."

"It won't matter. I am but one person. My brothers will change the world. We will bring our righteous cause to everyone. Today, Kaala Kaua will fly and inspire others to do the same."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Isaac's cold grin chilled his soul. "You'll find out soon enough. We are going to educate the world. Everyone will know our name."

"Where's it going to happen?"

"You can't stop it. It's too late, and you don't know where to go."

"I know where to go," Parisa said suddenly, a note of shock and anger in her eyes. "I have to leave, Jared."

"What? Where are you going?"

"I don't have time to explain. It's going to happen at noon." She looked at her watch. "That's in thirty minutes. Give me the car keys. I'll text Damon on the way."

"How do you know it's happening at noon?"

"Because of the story," she said cryptically. "Kaala Kaua. The raven. I can't believe I didn't remember before. It's going to happen at the college."

"What the hell? What story? What college?"

"Everly. The bomber is going to be on a roof or a ledge, someplace high."

"That's not much to go on," he said, as he handed her the car keys.

"It's all I have."

"Why Everly?"

"Because the person who told that story works there." She ran to the door.

"Parisa, wait!"

But she was already gone. He had to trust Parisa could take care of herself until he got there.

"She won't be in time," Isaac said. "I wish I could be there to see it. Perhaps the Raven will take her with him." His eyes took on a fevered glow. "And soon I will join the Raven as well. We will soar together with the souls who have gone before us and will come after us. Then we will be free."

"Who is the Raven?"

Isaac didn't answer. Instead, he started chanting in a language that Jared couldn't understand. At the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs, he backed up, keeping his gun on the door.

Damon came into the room, gun drawn as well, followed by six other agents.

"MacIntyre?" Damon said, his gaze sweeping the room. "I take it this is Isaac Naru."

He lowered his gun. "Yes. He's all yours. I need to get to Everly College."

"I'll take you," Damon said briskly, as the other agents secured Isaac. "I got Parisa's text that Everly is the target."

"That's what she said. It's happening at noon. The bomber will be on a roof or a ledge, which doesn't narrow it down much. How big is the college?"

"I don't know. I haven't been there. But I'm sure there are at least five or six buildings," Damon replied.

As they moved through the café, they had to make their way through a half-dozen more agents interviewing the restaurant staff. If the café was a meeting place for the terrorist cell, hopefully, they'd get even more leads.

As he got into the SUV with Damon, he called Parisa, but she didn't pick up. "She's not answering." He sent her a text: Where are you? What building?

"How does she know it's Everly College?" Damon asked. "Did Isaac tell her?"

"No. He said the Kaala Kaua will fly today, and apparently that translates to the Raven will fly today. Parisa said she knows it's Everly, because the person who made up the story works there."

"Jasmine Kumar teaches at Everly. Ben Langdon is enrolled there. And Neil Langdon is a guest lecturer," Damon said.

"It has to be Neil." His stomach turned over at that thought. Would Parisa have to kill the man who had saved her life?

Damon took out his phone and punched in a number, then said shortly, "We need all agencies at Everly College to evacuate classrooms and dorms. Suspected bomb or bomber on a roof or a ledge. I'll be there in ten minutes." He set down his phone, then gave Jared a hard look. "Police, FBI, and Homeland Security, as well as campus police, will respond to the threat."

"Good."

"So, let's get to you. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm CIA," he admitted. "At least for now. I've been operating off book."

"I figured it was something like that. You've been after Naru since Paris?"

"Yes. He killed a fellow agent."

"Sorry. Why is that off book?"

"Because a key suspect was also a CIA asset."

"What?" Damon exclaimed.

"I didn't know Isaac was the asset until just now. But it finally makes sense why the agency wanted me off his tail."

"This is going to be a bureaucratic nightmare."

"Definitely," he agreed. "I'm happy that Naru is in FBI custody."

"Because you don't want the CIA to protect him."

"I don't," he said, meeting Damon's gaze.

"I get it," Damon said with a nod. "You want him to pay."

"Yes. But making him pay won't mean anything if this bomb goes off, if Parisa…" He couldn't finish the sentence, because the thought was unthinkable. "I can't lose her."

"You're in love with her," Damon said, making it a statement and not a question.

"I might be," he admitted.

"Well, you're not going to lose her. She's my friend, too."

"She told me. She also told me about Vincent Rowland. Would he be aware of what's going on now?"

"Oh, yeah," Damon said tightly.

"Then Parisa might have more to worry about than just the Raven." Fear ran through him, and he prayed that this time he'd get there in time.