The Reckoning - BLACKBIRD book 3

11. another friday

**picture: South Boston

Cassidy heard voices from the back of the vacant apartment and headed straight to them. He found Gillian and her team at the master bedroom, checking their weapons around the board table and the screens. All of them trailed off at seeing him wearing jeans and a Kevlar, his Glock in its holster hanging from his belt.

"Agents," he greeted, nodding at them, and turned to Gillian. "Sit rep, Gillian?"

She swallowed a smile. Cooper had warned her about Cassidy joining them at the site before the procedure, so she was expecting him to show at any moment. Now she understood why Cooper sounded specially annoyed—he meant to join them for the procedure.

"Coleman is already in position at the dock with the harbor authorities. And here we gotta get moving asap, 'cause the offices are closing in ten minutes."

"Thanks for waiting." He smiled. "So what's the plan."

Gillian looked at her team.

"I'm requesting to see the manager," said Ron, feeling awkwardly fed in his black suit. "That should get them on the move."

"The rest of us are going in back," said Aldana, pointing at the screens. "To stop them when they set off their alarm."

"And Morris is covering us from the roof of this building," added Gillian, nodding at Fred.

Cassidy counted heads and frowned. "Only three of you to go in back?"

"We requested police backup, but they're stalling," replied Hank, shrugging. "If we keep waiting for them, we're gonna have to breach hard, after the offices close."

"Okay, then I'm going with you."

He said it as if they were going for a drink.

Gillian ignored the team's surprise and flashed a tight smile. "Let's go, then."

All of them headed out and she stayed behind, to walk at Ron's pace. Cassidy paused by the door to look back at them and frowned again.

"You're coming like that, Bellison?" he asked, pointing at Ron's crutches.

"Unless you have a spare jetpack, sir," Ron replied, in the most respectful way.

Cassidy scoffed and walked out, shaking his head. Gillian and Ron traded an approving look as they followed him.

A car waited for Ron outside the building, with an agent behind the wheel. Aldana stopped him, straightened his tie and opened the door for him. He touched the radio earphone in his ear, trading one last glance with them before driving away.

Gillian turned to Cassidy. "Fancy to climb the wall or a tree, sir?" she asked.

"Wherever you go, Gillian." This time he spoke with a fake romantic tone, taking a hand to his chest, and the others couldn't help a chuckle. The man looked excited like a child, and his cheerful mood was contagious.

Gillian smiled wide. "Then up my tree it is."

He waved for her to lead the way. She nodded at Hank and Aldana, then guided Cassidy to the corner, the same way she'd gone with Russell two days earlier. They reached the tree at the same time that Ron stepped out of the car, at the workshop's main entrance.

Ron secured the crutches under his armpits and walked into the building in no hurry. A young woman flashed a nice welcome smile at him from the front desk.

"Good afternoon, sir, how can I help you?"

Ron smiled back at her, producing his badge. He paid attention to how he introduced himself, to keep from saying he was with the Boston PD just out of habit. "Good afternoon. I'm Agent Bellison, with the FBI, and I need to see Mr. George Farrell."

"Yes, sir. What about, if I may ask?"

"I'll explain to him myself."

"Of course, I'm sorry." The receptionist was already making a call. "If you want to take a seat, sir..."

"It's okay, thanks."

Ron kept his calm smile while the receptionist whispered on the phone, hung up and faced him again, composing her most polite expression.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but Mr. Farrell is in a meeting right now. If you want to leave me your card, he will get in touch with you later today."

"Young lady, I suggest you let Mr. Farrell know that it's in his best interest to be here within the next five minutes. Else, I will have to go up and fetch him myself. And I don't think he'd like that."

The receptionist could only nod, grabbing the phone again with a scared glance at Ron's bulletproof smile.

Outside the building, the team got ready to move. And at the field office, Cooper's knuckles went white around her coffee mug, as Tanya and Kurt suddenly paused their work.

Hank and Aldana placed the hand ladder to climb up the back wall. Gillian was already up the tree and she sneaked along the branches to crouch on the trunk. Cassidy joined her with a muffled panting.

Tanya alerted them, "A silent alarm just went off at the back workshop."

Ron smiled a little wider, while the receptionist muttered, "He'll be here in a minute, sir."

"Thank you."

From the roof across the street, Fred informed, "The back workshop is open."

"Give us the go, Al," whispered Gillian. She glanced over her shoulder at Cassidy, who nodded, looking past her at the backyard.

Aldana and Hank needed only three steps to reach the top of the wall and hoist themselves up, and she said,"Now!"