“Okay,” Blair said, shaking her head ruefully. “I don’t know why I even questioned it. You wouldn’t have fallen in love with her if you couldn’t handle who she is.”

Diane smiled. “Thanks.”

Blair knocked on the closed door to the dining room before opening it a few inches and sticking her head in. “Can Diane and I come in?”

Paula swiveled in her chair, her expression distracted but her tone polite. “Of course. We’re not going to be able to explain much once things get going, but you’re welcome to stay.”

“Thanks,” Blair said. “You don’t need to worry about us, Chief.”

Blair and Diane moved up behind Mac and Stark.

“Can you tell us what we’re looking at?” Blair asked.

“This is a satellite relay of ten square miles surrounding the meet point,” Paula said, turning back to the computer monitor, which showed a smattering of small blips on a grid surrounding a dark circle in the center. “The majority of the vessels in the area are fishing boats, commercial ships, and the occasional recreational vehicle.” She pointed to a glowing dot in the middle of the circle. “That’s Valerie.”

“How do you know that?” Diane asked.

“We have GPS transponders in all of the vessels, including Valerie’s, the command ship with Renée and the commander and Felicia, and Tanner’s surveillance boats.” Paula skimmed her finger in a semi circle along the border of the screen. “These are Tanner’s people here.”

“When will we be able to see Cam?” Blair asked.

“They’re just leaving the marina now.” Mac adjusted the wireless receiver in his ear and spoke using a throat mic, keeping both hands on the keyboard of his computer. “Commander? How do you read?”

A few seconds passed, then Mac spoke again. “Loud and clear, Commander.”

Paula said without looking at him, “Can you put that on audio, please, Mac.”

“Yes ma’am.” Mac keyed a series of commands into his computer and then spoke again. “Ready for camera scan.”

“Sending image…now,” Felicia’s voice announced from the speakers.

Yellow, red, and blue images vaguely resembling human forms flickered on Mac’s screen and then stabilized.

“How do you read?” Felicia asked.

“Four hots.” Mac opened a small window within the larger screen and a fluctuating bar-graph appeared. “Temperature variation less than two degrees. Give me a coordinates check.”

Savard rattled off a list of figures.

“What are they doing?” Blair asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Checking the variance on the infrared thermal detector camera,” Paula said. “The lower levels of thermal radiance are due primarily to two things—either larger body mass and high body fat, which blunts the reading, or a true depression in body temperature.”

“You’re the warm one, Renée,” Mac said.

Savard laughed. “That’s what they tell me.”

“Mac, can you correct for body mass using the limited readings we have?” Felicia asked. “Valerie is thin and her core temperature is going to skew the thermal readings. Can you factor for that?”

“Working on it,” Mac said, inputting figures as he spoke.

“You’re in visual range, Commander.” Paula straightened and her voice took on an edge. “We have an approach vessel closing on ground zero, bearing…”

Blair sensed Diane trembling beside her and slid an arm around her waist. She kept her voice low so as not to disturb Mac and Paula. “Just remember that we’re only getting part of the picture here, so don’t worry, no matter what seems to be happening.”

“I know. I’ll remember. It’s just…she feels so far away,” Diane whispered.

“She isn’t. And Cam and Renée and the others are right there.”

“Savard, hold us here,” Cam’s voice said.

The words were so clear that Blair almost looked over her shoulder to see if Cam had miraculously returned. Even miles away over radio, the sound of Cam’s voice eased the tension that had been slowly clenching her muscles and squeezing around her heart until she felt as if she were a piano wire tightened to the point of snapping. She forced herself to take a breath and let it out slowly.

The red numerals in the lower left-hand corner of Paula Stark’s monitor read 2258.

Cam opened the priority one channel to Valerie. “Lawrence?”

“I’m here, Commander,” Valerie said.

“Approach vessel on its way.”

“Roger that.”

“If you’re forced to board his ship and we lose our audio link to you, I want you to bail at the first sign of trouble. Are we clear?”

“Clear, Commander,” Valerie replied.

“Confirming scan now,” Cam said. “Switching to open channel.”

“Roger that. Greetings, team,” Valerie said. “Glad to see you.”

“We’re right behind you, Valerie,” Savard said.

“Do we have her?” Cam asked Felicia, bending down beside Felicia’s computer array against one wall of the ship’s cabin. Behind them, Savard eased the engine down to idle and the ship rocked in the swells.

“I’ve got her,” Felicia said. “I’m just adjusting the feed to Donaldson’s video goggles.” She opened up the com link in her head set. “Donaldson? Target on screen?”

“Sweet and hot, ma’am,” he radioed from his position outside on the bow.

“Not too hot, I hope,” Cam murmured. “Where does she fall on the thermal range?”

“Five percent below mean.”

Cam frowned. “That’s not much to distinguish her from Henry.”

“She’s cold, I can guarantee you that,” Savard said. “Much colder and her reaction time will be so slow she won’t be able to protect herself.”

“Here he comes.” Valerie’s voice filled the cabin. “Switching to transdermal mic.”

Savard linked to Mac. “Anyone else out here with us?”

“Lots of someones,” Mac radioed, “but no one in critical range.”

“Okay, let me know if anyone moves within the strike radius.”

“Roger.”

A minute of silence passed until broken by Valerie’s voice, muted by the shielded microphone.

“Toss me your tie line,” Valerie said, “and come aboard.” “Here you go. Catch,” a deep male voice responded. “Drop your ladder. ”

Savard glanced at Cam in surprise. Cam shook her head, thinking it wasn’t necessarily a good sign that Henry was so willing to board Valerie’s boat. It meant they had an open channel to Valerie if they needed one, but if Henry’s plan was to eliminate Valerie, he wouldn’t want to do it on his own vessel. He’d want to do it on hers.

“Are you armed?” Henry said.

“Of course.”

“What about the others?”

“What others?”

“Don’t tell me you came without backup.”

“Do you see anyone?” Valerie asked.

Henry laughed. “Only about two dozen boats out there.”

“I told you I don’t trust them. No one knows I’m out here. Search the boat if you want.”

“Not necessary. I agreed to this meet under these less than optimal circumstances,” Henry said, “so you’ll believe me when I tell you that you need to come in. You’re in danger.”

“From whom?”

“From Roberts. The White House sent her after you.”

“Why?”

“They need a scapegoat. How long do you think they’ll be able to keep the attack on the president’s daughter quiet? Add to that they botched the assault on Matheson’s compound and let him escape.”

“He had help.”

“The country needs accountability, especially after 9/11. Someone needs to pay for that,” Henry said. “Washburn and the security adviser and a fair number of other people have decided it will be you, for starters. It’s out of our hands.”

“And if I come in?”

“We’ll help you get lost for a year or two. There’s work to be done elsewhere.”

“Convincing, isn’t he,” Felicia muttered. “Bastard.” “What’s the temperature register look like?” Cam asked. “There’s a three degree difference between them.” Felicia keyed Donaldson. “Can you distinguish the primary from the friendly?” “Yes ma’am, as long as they don’t move around too much.” “On my mark,” Cam ordered on the same channel. “Yes ma’am. Locked and loaded.”

“Who tipped Matheson?” Valerie asked. “We think he has friends in the Special Forces.” “Do we have a name?”

“Several possibles. I’ll brief you as soon as you are secure.” “Where do you want me to go?” “I want you to come with me now.” “Tonight?”

“If you go back, Roberts may lock you down and we won’t be able to extract.”

“What about my boat?” “We’ll sink it. It’s a good cover.”

“He came prepared.” Cam checked the digital readout on the electronic timer running in one corner of Felicia’s monitor. Henry had been on board almost five minutes. That was a long time for this kind of rendezvous.

“If she goes with him, he sinks the boat and she’ll disappear,” Savard said. “If she doesn’t agree to go, and he’s bad, he’ll sink the boat and she’ll disappear. Either way, he wins.”

“I need at least 24 hours to create a plausible cover with Roberts,” Valerie said. “I didn’t spend all that time getting close to her to lose my connection to her now. Even if I have to go deep undercover, I’ll still have a link to her.”

“She’ll never give you anything.”

“She already has.”

“What?” Henry’s voice rose.

Listening, Cam tensed. Valerie was playing a dangerous game. If Henry thought she already had important information, he might not let her go even if he wasn’t working with Matheson. If he was Matheson’s front man, all the more reason to take her now, or eliminate her.

“They’re close to identifying…”

Two miles away, Stark’s satellite image showed a new blip at the same time as Mac picked up a thermal flair five miles from Valerie’s boat.

“Christ,” Mac blurted. “It’s an SSM!”

Stark jumped to her feet. “Target?”

“Tracking!”

Stark grabbed her radio. “Hara, this is command one. Stand by to evacuate.”

“No!” Blair exclaimed, grabbing Stark’s arm. “What is it?”

“Missile.” Stark turned sharply to Mac. “Target. I need it now, Mac!”

Mac was already opening the comm channel. “Savard! Ship to ship missile, targeting Valerie’s boat. Forty seconds to impact!”

“Donaldson, mark,” Cam snapped.

“Roger.”

Cam switched to the open microphone on Valerie’s boat. “This is Cameron Roberts. You are targeted for a direct hit by an SSM. You have thirty-seven seconds. Evacuate your vessel.”

“She’s lying,” Henry shouted. “Stay right there!” “No,” Valerie said, “she’s…Henry, we have to…why are you drawing your weapon? There s no one…”

“Thirty-two seconds,” Savard called. “She’ll never disengage from Henry’s vessel in time, Commander.”

“Fire!” Cam ordered and Donaldson’s rifle cracked from just outside the cabin. Cam spun toward Savard. “Get us in there now.” “It’s going to get hot,” Savard noted even as she powered up the engine and shoved the throttle to maximum.

Cam didn’t answer, stripping off her windbreaker and vest as she ran from the cabin. She’d been wrong. They didn’t have thirty seconds.

Blair pressed close to Paula’s back, unconsciously gripping her shoulders. “What’s happening?”

“Time?” Paula shouted to Mac.

“Five… four… three… two… one…”

For a millisecond, the blip in the center of Paula’s screen doubled in size. Then it winked out.

After a minute of silence, Diane asked unsteadily, “Where’s Valerie?”

“We’ve lost the signal,” Paula said tightly.

“What about Cam’s?” Blair’s fingers dug into Paula’s shoulders.

Paula shook her head.

“Fine shooting, Colonel.” Matheson leaned against the rail of the boat, feeling a swell of satisfaction as a tower of flame climbed into the sky on the horizon.

“Thank you, General.”

“We’ve eliminated both problems at once,” Matheson said. “It’s time to rejoin our men and re-dedicate ourselves to our true mission. We have a war to win.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Is she… are they… Oh, God,” Diane whispered. “Get me a narrow-field, real-time image!” Paula ordered. She keyed her radio. “Hara, standby. Close the roads. No one in or out. Call in the backup units and position them on the shore and the perimeter.”

Blair realized she was still gripping Paula’s shoulders and forced herself to let go. She couldn’t move her eyes from the screen in front of her. She stared at the dark circle, willing an image to appear.

“Cam’s boat,” Blair asked hoarsely. “Cam’s boat should still be there, shouldn’t it? Paula?”

For the first time in her life, Paula ignored the first daughter. Renée was on the boat that had suddenly disappeared. The thought sent a momentary surge of panic through her and she went completely blank. Then, as if changing a channel in her mind, picture after picture snapped into view and came sharply into focus. Beirut, the Cole, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon. A field in Pennsylvania. Not one life. Not hundreds of lives. Thousands and more to come, she knew. And her part to play was here, today, and it would never be about one life again. Not even the life of the woman she loved.