Free The Nostradamus File by Alex Lukeman

little walk."
    She slipped the Mercedes into a spot. They got out and began walking. The path forked around a stand of trees in full leaf. The gray-blue waters of the Potomac were visible beyond the trees, wide and calm.
    He thought of the story about George Washington and the Potomac. He looked at the river. No way Washington threw that silver dollar across .
    The day was warm , the air filled with the scent of fresh cut grass and the damp smell of the river. Clusters of people strolled about, enjoying the fine weather. A group of sullen teenagers passed them. The boys gave Selena lewd looks. Nick smelled marijuana as they went by.
    The men from the car had followed them into the park. Nick felt a light sweat starting. He wanted to take off his jacket but he didn't want to upset the citizens. Shoulder holsters and guns tended to do that.
    The path they were on led to a long pier that angled left and then straight ahead. A river tour boat was docked at the end, getting ready to sail. P assengers were going through a caged ticketing area. Nick headed for the pier as if they planned to board.
    "Want to take a boat ride?"
    "You'll miss your appointment."
    "Spoilsport. All right, let's see what they'll do if we turn around."
    They did an about face and walked toward the two men. Both men had short hair and looked as if they worked out a lot. Their expressions were unfriendly. They both wore jackets. One man was taller than the other. He needed a shave and he wore a blue sport coat. He reached inside his jacket.
    Everything after that was instinct.
    As the gun came out, Nick gave off a piercing shout he'd learned from Selena. It froze Blue Coat in the act of raising his pistol for a split fraction of time, long enough. Nick got his pistol free and fired at the center of Blue Coat's body. He missed and fired again and watched blood blossom on the shirt. Blue Coat staggered backward and fell. Chaos and screams erupted in the park. Panicked people scrambled to get out of the way.
    The second man pulled his jacket away with his left hand, exposing a MAC-10. He fired a one-handed burst as Nick swung toward him. Someone cried out on the pier. Selena shot him before he could get off another burst. She shot him again. He doubled over and fell to his knees. He tried to lift the gun. Nick and Selena fired at the same time. The man fell to his side. He twitched and stopped moving.
    They walked over and kicked the guns away from the bodies. Both men were dead. Nick holstered his gun.
    "I hate this," he said.
    "Better call your therapist," she said. "You're going to be late."
    Nick looked down at the bodies. "Gives me something to talk about."
    "That's not funny," she said.
    "No," he said, "it isn't."
     

 
    CHAPTER NINETEEN
     
     
    "No IDs on the two in the park," Harker said. "The car is a rental. The license and credit card they used are fakes. Good fakes, I might add. I wish you hadn't killed them."
    "We didn't have a choice."
    "I had to call in some serious pressure to get you out of there. I'm not sure it's over yet. Everyone is nervous about guns going off in public places. The spin is that those two were terrorists and you were Federal Agents. Some people think you're heroes. Some people want to make an example of you."
    "Are we subject to political correctness now? Those two called the play."
    "I know. I'll take care of it. The real question is who were they and why did they go after you."
    "They picked us up on the Beltway," Nick said. "They had to know we were coming from here."
    "So much for our new anonymity. I guess it was just wishful thinking." She picked up her Mont Blanc. "The quality of the fake IDs indicates pros. We're running the prints to see if anything turns up."
    "It has to be about the Ark," Selena said. "The same people who sent gunmen after us in Jordan."
    "Someone who has a lot of resources," Nick said. "Serious connections and serious money. You don't just hire a truck or two full of guys with automatic weapons