Dying Art by Don Pendleton

Author:Don Pendleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worldwide Library
Published: 2018-09-10T19:17:49+00:00

Chapter Six

Midway International Airport

Chicago, Illinois

Tragg had just finished going through the TSA checkpoint when his burner cell phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was the number for Dean. He grabbed the carefully padded metal case that contained The Lion and the Lioness Attacking the Nubian, then pressed the button and said, “Let me call you back.”

Dean terminated the call.

Tragg reset the locks on the case and went to the bench to tie his shoes, put on his belt and restock his pockets. He silently cursed terrorists for causing these ridiculous rituals of present-day air travel, and then felt a gratification that his flight tomorrow would be on a private aircraft, courtesy of Don Fernando’s organization.

Covertly, of course, he thought.

After he finished tying his shoes, Tragg pressed the thin cardboard envelope that contained the safe-deposit box key for reassurance. As he put on his watch, he checked the time: 11:20 a.m. Without any luggage to check, Tragg had allowed himself only an hour to get through security and catch his flight. The plane would be boarding shortly so he headed for his gate. The three-hour flight to Arizona would leave him with lots of time to get to the bank in Phoenix and drop off one half of the artifact in the safe-deposit box, and then catch his small plane to Lucien Technologies in Temptation.

Temptation... An appropriate name for the task at hand.

Tragg mentally reviewed the plan to take one half of the lion or the lioness to show to Lucien Bruns. Don Fernando felt that given Bruns’s obsession with the item, being able to hold only one portion of the pair would be all the impetus needed to assure his compliance.

Tragg began walking toward his gate as he hit the redial button on his burner phone.

Dean answered and Tragg replied with one word. “Sitrep.”

“Good news and bad news.”

“I’m listening.”

Dean sighed. “Okay, we got the flash drive, but not the woman.”

Tragg said nothing.

“We hit them in the hallway, as they were opening the door. An agent managed to pull his piece, and things went downhill from there.”

“How bad?”

“Bad,” Dean said. “Two TMKIA.” That was their code for two Team Members Killed in Action. “Myers and Garcia. We came under fire. Had to evac through a window.”

“Two FBI agents did all that?”

“Hardly. Remember those wild cards I told you about?”

Tragg grunted, recalling Dean’s report of the Escalade.

“They showed up in spades,” Dean said. “Like gangbusters and took out Myers. Hit Garcia in the leg during a firefight. Had to have picked up on us wearing body armor and aimed low. Must have hit an artery. Garcia bled out in the van.”

Tragg was silent. He’d assumed their ballistic protection would give the team a distinct tactical advantage and ensure success. Obviously, he’d been wrong.

“The one guy moved like a superninja, or something,” Dean said. “Never saw anything like it, at least not on this continent. I’m betting they were the same guys from Cancun.”

“Doesn’t matter. Tentiente?” Tragg asked, referring to Romero.

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