Beloved Enemy Read Online Free PDF Page B

minutes.”
    Nona nodded. “We’re no more than eight minutes from the airport, so the time frame shouldn’t present a problem. It’s getting you there that’s bound to be tricky. In light of the secretary’s murder, a cordon has surely been deployed around the entire D.C. area by now.”
    As if to punctuate her words, she said, “We’ve got a problem.”
    “What is it?”
    “Two state police cruisers parked in a chevron formation half across the highway. They’re funneling traffic down to one slow-moving lane.”
    “Roadblock?”
    The lights on the tops of the cruisers were flashing, and, as Nona steered the SUV to join the line waiting for clearance, she could see heavily armed officers interrogating the people in every car, checking identities of everyone in each vehicle before it was allowed to pass through.
    “Uncuff me. I’d better get out of here.”
    Nona shook her head. “You get out now, you’re a dead duck.”
    He looked into her dark eyes. “Does that mean you have a better suggestion?”
    *   *   *
    Bobby Brixton had applied three times to be a fed, and three times he had been turned down. He had no idea why and no one would tell him. Gradually his disappointment and rage had been subsumed into his work as a state police officer. So it was understandable that when he received orders to head out to Dulles International as part of a district-wide cordon to intercept a known murderer he was immediately psyched, even though his partner was less than enthused.
    “Who’d we piss off this time?” his partner, Andy Hay, had said as Brixton switched on the top lights and floored their police cruiser. “These cordons, I’ve been on ’em before. The only thing more boring is a stakeout. At least, when you’re part of a cordon you can pee without worrying that you’ll miss the perp.”
    “This one’s different.” Brixton’s eyes were alight with anticipation. “The flag came down from the feds.”
    “The feds!” Hay spat out his window. “Fuck, let state do their grunt work for them, sure, why not? Then if on the off chance something happens, they take the credit. Fucking feds. I don’t know why the fuck you want to join their team, Brixy.”
    Brixton laughed. “I want to be able to break your balls, is why.”
    “Fuck, you do that already, you cocksucker.”
    “True that!”
    They had arrived at their appointed coordinates to find another state cruiser already there. One of the uniforms in the other car had already stopped traffic on its way to the airport, and the two vehicles formed up into the standard chevron formation to better handle traffic flow. Brixton and Hay got out and started checking the IDs of the vehicle occupants. They pulled trucks to one side and inspected whatever was in the transport compartments.
    After forty minutes of this, Hay said, “What’d I tell you? A whole lot of nothing.” He gestured. “And look at this fucking lineup. Except for FedEx, mornings are the worst for cargo traffic.”
    Brixton, who’d had just about enough of his partner’s bellyaching, said, “Go take a crap or something, maybe that’ll lighten your mood.”
    Hay grunted. “The only thing that’ll lighten my mood is getting the fuck outta here and back to some meaningful police work. This is like babysitting the fucking blacktop.”
    Brixton waved his partner away as yet another black SUV rolled to a stop beside him. “IDs,” he said automatically.
    Nona showed him her ID.
    Brixton found himself admiring her heavy breasts before he tore his gaze away to check out her creds. “A bit far from your home turf, Chief Heroe, aren’t we?” Then, craning his neck, he saw the SUV’s second occupant and he felt the hair at the back of his neck stir.
    The man was leaning forward, his manacled wrists crossed at the small of his back. A black hood obscured his head.
    Brixton felt his mouth go dry. “Christ, is that a terrorist?”
    Nona looked up at him, her expression maddeningly