Read Tesla Secret, The for Free Online
Authors: Alex Lukeman
cityscape and considered the problem of Harker. He hoped she sent someone to Prague. Sooner or later, he'd find a way to eliminate her and her group of troublemakers once and for all.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"The shooter had an M4A1 with an ACOG sight," Elizabeth said, "the latest version. The one our snipers like."
"Christ," Nick said. "How does someone get hold of that?"
"Tracked to Fort Bragg. The Army arrested a Quartermaster Sergeant who works in the armory. They're talking to him as we speak."
"I'll bet they are, " Ronnie said.
"What's an ACOG?" Selena asked.
"ACOG stands for Advanced Combat Optical Group," Nick answered. "There are a lot of variants. It's a computerized telescopic sight with built in goodies to determine range, compensate for bullet drop and wind factors, things like that. You haven't worked with it yet. It's not available on the civilian market. The M4A1 is strictly military and police use."
"Where was the shooter?" Ronnie asked.
"In the HVAC duct work over the convention floor," Harker answered. "He fired through a vent. That center is 300,000 square feet. The system runs all around the top and it's huge. Plenty of room for someone to crawl in there."
"They ID him yet?"
"A former Army Staff Sergeant named Hardin. Dishonorable discharge after an incident in Afghanistan. He was accused of rape."
"Winning hearts and minds," Nick said. "There's always a rotten apple somewhere to give the military a bad name. How come he didn't end up in Leavenworth?"
"It was political."
Nick shook his head.
Harker said, "The Bureau and the Secret Service are all over the assassination attempt. It's not our concern at the moment. We have something else. Stephanie broke the encryption on the laptop from Endgame. Steph, show us what you found."
The monitor on the wall lit. On screen was an email with directions to Nick's cabin and photos of Nick and Selena. Selena shivered. Someone had taken her picture and sent assassins to kill her.
"Son of a bitch," Nick said.
"The message was sent to a cyber café in Los Angeles," Stephanie said. "It's a dead end. I got prints from the laptop and sent them to Interpol. There were two hits, both former FSB. Russians."
"The Russians went after us?" Selena looked at Stephanie. "Why would they do that?"
"They wouldn't," Harker said. "It's not the government."
"That's an assumption," Selena said, "that it isn't the Russian government."
"You want to do the assumption thing?" Ronnie asked.
"Why not?"
"Okay." Harker looked at them. "Assumption number one is it isn't the Kremlin. What's two?"
"Those hoods were ex FSB," Nick said. "So assumption number two is that whoever is behind this has a Russian connection."
Lamont said. "Who has the contacts to hire guys like that?"
"The Russian Mafia, for one."
"Yeah, but the mob wouldn't have any interest in us. Don't forget the ones who went after us here and in California were American."
"Then assumption number three is that it's someone with widespread contacts here as well as in Russia. Who fits that profile?"
"Endgame is part of Foxworth's holdings," Selena said. "He runs AEON. He would have contacts here and in Russia."
Elizabeth said, "Ogorov is part of AEON. He could be the Russian connection. So we're back to them again."
Nick shifted in his chair, trying to ease the pain in his back.
Ronnie smoothed the front of his shirt, where hula dancers swayed under impossibly green palm trees.
"Look what's happened so far." Lamont counted out points on his fingers. "First they go after Nick and Selena. Then Ronnie and me. Nick and I go to New York, Russians try to kill us, and we find a computer with directions to Nick's place."
He'd run out of fingers. "That about it?"
"There's more," Stephanie said.
Lamont groaned. "What, more?"
"Several emails went between Brighton Beach and Prague."
Nick rubbed his forehead. He felt a headache beginning. "Prague? As in the Czech Republic?"
"Yes." Steph clicked her mouse. The
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"The shooter had an M4A1 with an ACOG sight," Elizabeth said, "the latest version. The one our snipers like."
"Christ," Nick said. "How does someone get hold of that?"
"Tracked to Fort Bragg. The Army arrested a Quartermaster Sergeant who works in the armory. They're talking to him as we speak."
"I'll bet they are, " Ronnie said.
"What's an ACOG?" Selena asked.
"ACOG stands for Advanced Combat Optical Group," Nick answered. "There are a lot of variants. It's a computerized telescopic sight with built in goodies to determine range, compensate for bullet drop and wind factors, things like that. You haven't worked with it yet. It's not available on the civilian market. The M4A1 is strictly military and police use."
"Where was the shooter?" Ronnie asked.
"In the HVAC duct work over the convention floor," Harker answered. "He fired through a vent. That center is 300,000 square feet. The system runs all around the top and it's huge. Plenty of room for someone to crawl in there."
"They ID him yet?"
"A former Army Staff Sergeant named Hardin. Dishonorable discharge after an incident in Afghanistan. He was accused of rape."
"Winning hearts and minds," Nick said. "There's always a rotten apple somewhere to give the military a bad name. How come he didn't end up in Leavenworth?"
"It was political."
Nick shook his head.
Harker said, "The Bureau and the Secret Service are all over the assassination attempt. It's not our concern at the moment. We have something else. Stephanie broke the encryption on the laptop from Endgame. Steph, show us what you found."
The monitor on the wall lit. On screen was an email with directions to Nick's cabin and photos of Nick and Selena. Selena shivered. Someone had taken her picture and sent assassins to kill her.
"Son of a bitch," Nick said.
"The message was sent to a cyber café in Los Angeles," Stephanie said. "It's a dead end. I got prints from the laptop and sent them to Interpol. There were two hits, both former FSB. Russians."
"The Russians went after us?" Selena looked at Stephanie. "Why would they do that?"
"They wouldn't," Harker said. "It's not the government."
"That's an assumption," Selena said, "that it isn't the Russian government."
"You want to do the assumption thing?" Ronnie asked.
"Why not?"
"Okay." Harker looked at them. "Assumption number one is it isn't the Kremlin. What's two?"
"Those hoods were ex FSB," Nick said. "So assumption number two is that whoever is behind this has a Russian connection."
Lamont said. "Who has the contacts to hire guys like that?"
"The Russian Mafia, for one."
"Yeah, but the mob wouldn't have any interest in us. Don't forget the ones who went after us here and in California were American."
"Then assumption number three is that it's someone with widespread contacts here as well as in Russia. Who fits that profile?"
"Endgame is part of Foxworth's holdings," Selena said. "He runs AEON. He would have contacts here and in Russia."
Elizabeth said, "Ogorov is part of AEON. He could be the Russian connection. So we're back to them again."
Nick shifted in his chair, trying to ease the pain in his back.
Ronnie smoothed the front of his shirt, where hula dancers swayed under impossibly green palm trees.
"Look what's happened so far." Lamont counted out points on his fingers. "First they go after Nick and Selena. Then Ronnie and me. Nick and I go to New York, Russians try to kill us, and we find a computer with directions to Nick's place."
He'd run out of fingers. "That about it?"
"There's more," Stephanie said.
Lamont groaned. "What, more?"
"Several emails went between Brighton Beach and Prague."
Nick rubbed his forehead. He felt a headache beginning. "Prague? As in the Czech Republic?"
"Yes." Steph clicked her mouse. The
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