24: Deadline (24 Series) by James Swallow Read Free Book Online Page A

commercial cell phones. The little sliver of dark plastic was smaller than the tip of his thumb, but it contained a stock of information that, if anything, was worth more than the bundle of cash he had secreted elsewhere. Quadruple encrypted for his personal use, courtesy of Chloe O’Brien’s ex-husband Miles, the data card was Jack’s equivalent of a “black book.” Now all he needed was something that could read it.
    He glanced back toward the window, then down at the MTM Blackhawk watch on his wrist. Jack estimated that he had around ten minutes before his guests were going to arrive. He pulled the cord to drop the blinds and walked back toward the front door.
    *   *   *
    Kilner blinked as the man in the dark jacket appeared and disappeared in the window of the apartment. His throat went dry.
    “He’s there. He’s actually there.” Kilner had to say it out loud in order to fix the thought in his mind. Somehow, Bauer had slipped past the cops and made his way back to the apartment. The agent’s mind raced. It was either the most foolish or the most calculated move the man could have made. Did he think that no one would ever look for him here? Or had Bauer come back to get something that the evidence techs had missed?
    It didn’t matter. Kilner stabbed the speed-dial tab on his phone and Hadley picked up on the second ring. “ What? ” he demanded.
    “I have eyes on Bauer,” Kilner blurted. “He’s at the Hotel Chelsea, right now!”
    “ You’re certain it’s our man? ”
    “I just looked right at him.” He licked his lips. “Sir, we’ve got a chance to end this now, before it goes any further … If I get up there, I can—”
    Hadley shut him down with a snarl. “ Hell, no. You’ve got your orders, Agent Kilner. Maintain your position and watch the exits. If Bauer leaves the building, follow but do not engage, you hear me? ”
    He nodded, deflating. “Yes, sir.”
    Kilner heard Hadley calling out to someone else, scrambling to move. “ I’m heading to you right now. A tactical team has been mobilized. Listen to me, you remain on station, let the team do their thing. Do not get in the way. ”
    “What…” Kilner hesitated. “What are their rules of engagement?”
    “ Bauer is a lethal threat, ” Hadley replied firmly. “ The tac team has orders not to take any chances with him. ”
    Kilner’s blood ran cold as he realized that he had just signed Jack Bauer’s death warrant.
    *   *   *
    Exactly twelve minutes had elapsed before the FBI tactical team arrived. Sloppy, thought Jack. I could have been out of here in half that time.
    With his ear pressed to the door, he could hear the scrape of boots on the landing floor, the faint whispers of the armed men as they arranged themselves before making a dynamic entry. Jack retreated slowly toward the kitchen, activating a cook cycle on the microwave oven before moving on to the bedroom area.
    In his mind’s eye, he pictured what the six-man team was doing. They would be lining up along the wall outside the apartment, weapons at the ready and safeties off. A point man armed with one of the big Remington 870 shotguns the bureau favored would take aim at the lock mechanism and on a three-count, blow a hole as big as a child’s head in the thick wooden door.
    He counted with them, and there was a deafening boom as the shotgun discharged. A single 12-gauge breaching round blasted a projectile made of powdered steel and wax into the front door’s dead bolt mechanism, instantly obliterating it. A second agent kicked open the ruined door and tossed an M84 stun grenade into the apartment; the flash bang released a shock of light and sound that made the windows shake in the confined space.
    *   *   *
    The assault proper began. In pairs, the FBI agents streamed through the doorway with their weapons pulled tight to their armored vests. With the exception of the shotgunner, the other five men carried Heckler & Koch MP5/10 submachine