Face Off--A Kirk McGarvey Novel Read online

  Najjir jumped up just as the two women with the packages, coming from the dining room, walked past, and he drew his pistol with one hand and clamped his free arm around the neck of the woman in the blazer. The other one dropped her bags and scrambled away.

  McGarvey jumped up, pointing his pistol directly at Najjir’s head as the Saudi dragged the struggling woman a few feet back, then stopped. “Otto, we have a situation. Pull the pin.”

  “I’m on it,” Otto’s voice came from the cell phone in Mac’s jacket pocket.

  “But with velvet gloves. We have a hostage situation here, Marty and the other two are heading our way.”

  Pete was pointing her pistol at Miriam, who was sitting back, her hands in plain sight.

  “You’re either going to die here in the next few seconds or you’re going to come with me,” McGarvey said.

  “You shoot and the woman dies.”

  “Do you think Kazov gives a shit about one hostage?”

  “Of course not, but they’re here to take you down. And if they can do that I’ll suddenly be worth something. I’m holding the winning hand.”

  Marty, Rodak, and the Russian were less than fifty feet away. Everyone else in the lobby, realizing that something was going on, had either scattered or dropped to the deck. People in every big city in the world had become attuned to developing terrorist situations. Five men and one woman all holding pistols was not a good sign.

  Without a word McGarvey walked directly toward Najjir and the woman, who was so frightened she couldn’t scream.

  “We can deal,” Najjir said.

  The woman, almost as if it had been rehearsed, moved her head sharply to right, just out of line with the muzzle of the pistol at her temple, and Mac fired one shot, hitting Najjir in the middle of the forehead.

  The Saudi’s pistol discharged, the bullet ricocheting off the tiled floor, and he collapsed, dragging the now hysterical woman with him.

  McGarvey turned as Kazov began shooting, his first rounds going wide. Marty had stopped, the pistol in his hand lowered, but Rodak began firing, one of his shots just grazing Mac’s left arm, above the shoulder.

  Pete had turned and begun firing at the three men, momentarily drawing their attention, as McGarvey sprinted to the left, away from her, at the same time directing his fire at Rodak, who went down.

  An instant later one of Pete’s rounds hit Kazov in the side, staggering him back, and McGarvey switched aim to the Russian and began firing at the same time as Pete.

  The man was hit at least three times and he dropped to the floor beside Rodak.

  SWAT team police rushed in from the viaduct entrance as well as up the escalators from Forty-Second Street.

  Marty laid his pistol on the floor and raised his hands high above his head. “I’m Martin Bambridge, deputy director of the CIA,” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

  Miriam had taken out her pistol and was pointing it toward Pete. “Bitch,” she swore

  Mac caught the action out of the side of his eye and turned on his heel. “Incoming.”

  On instinct Pete ducked left as Miriam fired, the round going wide.

  Mac fired two shots, one catching Miriam in the shoulder, the other in the side of her head, and she went down.

  “Put your weapons down, now!” one of the cops shouted.

  McGarvey and Pete both made a show of placing the guns on the floor and raising their hands.

  “All clear?” Otto asked.

  “All clear. But Marty’s come out of it,” McGarvey said.

  Otto laughed. “Not for long, kemo sabe, not for long.”

  SEVENTY-ONE

  McGarvey, Pete, and a belligerent Marty Bambridge were driven by the FBI to the Teterboro Airport private jet terminal across the river. On General Gibson’s orders Otto had sent a CIA Gulfstream VIP jet up to fetch them, and once the confusion at the Hyatt had been brought under control by the FBI, working with NYPD, McGarvey and Pete were released into the custody of Bambridge, to be returned to Langley.

  Their weapons had been taken from them, but not their cell phones or any other personal belongings, nor had they been placed in restraints, though a pair of special agents had been sent along as escorts.

  The jet was warming up on the tarmac outside one of the hangars when they arrived and got out of the car.

  “Quite an afternoon, sir,” one of the FBI agents said to Bambridge.

  “Yes, and thanks for your help,” Marty said. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

  The other agent turned to McGarvey. “Hope this all gets straightened out, Mr. Director,” he said.

  McGarvey nodded.

  Bambridge broke in. “It sure the hell will, and I promise that heads will definitely roll,” he said, but his words held no real conviction.

  Their Bureau minders left, and they boarded the aircraft, where the pilot and copilot were already at the controls.

  “Good afternoon,” the steward, a young man from the Company’s housekeeping division, greeted them warmly. “Your hotel rooms were cleared out and your bags just now arrived. I put them in back, not in the hold, in case there was anything you needed.”

  “No weapons?” Bambridge demanded.

  “No, sir,” the steward said, and he led them back to their seats. “We have immediate permission to take off as soon as you’re settled.”

  “I have something to get out of my bag first,” Bambridge said, and he went aft to where the few pieces of luggage had been jammed on the floor between a pair of facing seats.

  “Drinks?” the steward asked. “A cognac, Mr. Director?”

  “Champagne,” Pete said. “For two.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the steward said, and he went to the galley.

  “Well?” Pete said when he was gone. “You haven’t said a word in last hour.”

  “Because I’ve been trying to work it out.”

  “It’s over. The principals have been bagged and Marty’s feet will be put to the fire as soon as we get back. What’s left?”

  “This is something between Putin and Weaver that’s been brewing since before the election, and as crazy as it sounds, Marty’s the only one left with the keys to the kingdom.”

  “Are you talking about some kind of a deal between Putin and Weaver?” Pete asked, shocked.

  “I don’t know, except that it seems important to the Russians to bring down the president. Even to the point that there’s an ongoing rift between the SVR and the Kremlin.”

  “The reason being?”

  McGarvey had been thinking of nothing but, since Putin had secured his release from Novorossiysk. “I don’t know, but it was something Putin said to me in his office before he sent me back. He said that he and I were kindred spirits in many respects.”

  “With a translator?”

  “No, just us.”

  “Could you have mistaken his English?”

  “I don’t think so. And he said that he and I had a close connection some years ago. Said that we were adversaries.”

  “Do you have any idea what he was talking about?” Pete asked.

  “Not a clue. But Marty knows something that might help.”

  “Mac,” Otto’s voice came from the cell phone, still in speaker mode.

  McGarvey took it out of his pocket. “We’re about to get airborne.”

  “Don’t,” Otto practically shouted. “He made another call to his wife just a minute ago. Told her that everything had fallen apart. The center would no longer hold. She told him that it was too bad, but he knew what had to be done and he had the means to do it at his disposal.”

  McGarvey jumped up and turned around, almost knocking into the steward coming back with their wine. Marty was seated in the rear, his back to them.

  “I think the crazy bastard is going to try to hijack the plane and bring it down,” Otto shouted.

  The steward heard that, and he dropped the wine and raced to the cockpit to alert the flight crew.

  Mac went to Marty, bu
t the deputy director wasn’t moving. He was slumped slightly to the right side, his eyes half open, a little foam at the corners of his lips. He was not breathing.

  Pete was at this side. “Christ, the son of a bitch committed suicide.”

  The captain came back. “What the hell is going on?” he said, but then he stopped when he understood the situation.

  “Now we’ll never know,” Pete said.

  “Don’t be so sure,” McGarvey said, and he looked up at her. “My past has always had a way of catching up with me.”

  “How do you want to handle this, Mr. Director?” the pilot asked.

  “Take us home. I’ll strap him in.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I always like hearing from my readers, even from the occasional disgruntled soul who wants to pick a bone with me, or point out a mistake I’ve made.

  You may contact me, McGarvey, Pete, and Otto, by sending a message to [email protected]. Please understand that because I’m extremely busy, quite often I won’t be able to get back to you as soon as I’d like. But I will make every effort to answer your queries.

  For a complete list of my books and reviews please visit Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or any other fine bookseller.

  If you would like me to do a book signing at your favorite store, something I have absolutely no control over, or if you would like me to attend an event as a guest speaker or panelist, please contact:

  Tor/Forge Publicity

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, N.Y. 10010

  Email: [email protected]

  If you wish to discuss contracts, movie or reprint rights, or e-business concerning my writing, contact my literary agent:

  Susan Gleason Literary Agency

  Email: [email protected]

  BY DAVID HAGBERG

  Twister

  The Capsule

  Last Come the Children

  Heartland

  Heroes

  Without Honor*

  Countdown*

  Crossfire*

  Critical Mass*

  Desert Fire

  High Flight*

  Assassin*

  White House*

  Joshua’s Hammer*

  Eden’s Gate

  The Kill Zone*

  By Dawn’s Early Light

  Soldier of God*

  Allah’s Scorpion*

  Dance with the Dragon*

  The Expediter*

  The Cabal*

  Abyss*

  Castro’s Daughter*

  Burned

  Blood Pact*

  Retribution*

  The Fourth Horseman*

  End Game*

  Tower Down*

  Flash Points*

  The Shadowmen*+

  24 Hours*+

  Face Off*

  WRITING AS SEAN FLANNERY

  The Kremlin Conspiracy

  Eagles Fly

  The Trinity Factor

  The Hollow Men

  Broken Idols

  Gulag

  Moscow Crossing

  The Zebra Network

  Crossed Swords

  Moving Targets

  Winner Take All

  Kilo Option

  Achilles’ Heel

  WITH BYRON L. DORGAN

  Blowout

  Gridlock

  NONFICTION WITH BORIS GINDEN

  Mutiny!

  *Kirk McGarvey adventures

  *+Kirk McGarvey Ebook original novellas

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DAVID HAGBERG is a former U.S. Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than seventy novels of suspense, including Flash Points, Tower Down, and the bestselling Allah’s Scorpion, Dance with the Dragon, and The Expediter. He makes his home in Sarasota, Florida.

  Visit his website at www.david-hagberg.com, or sign up for email updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Tom Doherty Associates ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

  For email updates on the author, click here.

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Part One: Paris

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Part Two: Istanbul

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Part Three: Novorossiysk

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Part Four: Washington And New York

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Author’s Note

  Also by David Hagberg

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  FACE OFF

  Copyright © 2018 by David Hagberg

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Paul Youll

  A Forge Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Forge® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8491-1 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8600-7 (ebook)

  eISBN 9780765386007

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7
945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].

  First Edition: October 2018