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There were holes in it, though If the OPA had been playing with the proton of it And Fred Johnson’s psychological profile didn’t match with terrorist attacks Johnson was old-school, and the ht, miss Holden and his people have met armed resistance They’ve set a perimeter The on-site analyst can’t approach”

“Resistance? I thought this was supposed to be unused Who the fk are they shooting at?”

“Shall I query?”

“God daoing on, and she was here, in a bedroo her ear to the wall The frustration was a physical sensation It felt like being crushed

Forty minutes out Forty ave, it would get there almost an hour and a half behind as clearly a rapidly changing situation

“Pull him in,” she said “Holden, Burton Their Pinkwater friends And thisthem all in Now”

Ameer in Atlanta paused

“If they’re in a firefight, ht, and take them in We’re past surveillance Get it done”

“Yes, miss”

“Contact me as soon as it’s done”

“Yes, miss”

She watched Ameer’s face as he framed the order, confirine the screen, the strokes of his fingers She willed hiht and get the da done

“Order’s out As soon as I hear from the on-site analyst, I’ll reach you”

“I’ll be here If I don’t take the connection, try again until I wake up”

She dropped the link and sat back Her brain felt like a swarain The boy had a talent for that, but that in itself , had coht be a oat sent to lead the OPA into a trap She considered turning off the light, trying to sleep, then abandoned it as a bad bet

Instead, she set up a connection with the UN’s intelligence research database It was an hour and a half at earliest before she’d hear anythingwas and why he mattered

Chapter Nineteen: Holden