Page 35 of Ignite (Iron City Knights MC #1)

The summer heat in Washington, DC, didn’t stop the hordes of tourists who flocked to the National Mall.

Crowds of people walked from the National Air and Space Museum across to the National Art Gallery in a never-ending flow.

The Capitol Building sat at one end with its majestic domed spire within sight of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial farther down.

Beyond the mall perimeter sat other buildings full of workers going about their daily business, including the Library of Congress and the J.

Edgar Hoover Building, which held the headquarters of the FBI.

The man had no interest in the museums, art or history. His goal was the building just a few blocks north of the National Mall. The US National Central Bureau, otherwise known as Interpol.

Technically, he should go to a field office first, as the central agency was for law enforcement assistance, not for the general public. But he had the feeling he would be welcome inside once he showed someone what he had.

Nassar stood outside the building and stared at the security doors.

Fatima and his children were in Pennsylvania, staying with a distant relative of hers.

The escape from their own country into this one had been long and tedious.

They’d started travel by train and then boat, hopping countries in a roundabout way through port areas that had less security until arriving in London and securing a flight to the United States.

He’d tried to plan for any contingency, from tourist papers to whatever his children might inadvertently say to a stranger.

Ironically, their money was all on Visa gift cards, so there were no banking records to track.

They’d lived with new identities, fake passports, and the constant fear that something would tip off either his old employers or the authorities.

Either way, he could get screwed for life or his family destroyed in the process.

He closed his eyes and sent up a prayer, hoping that when he walked into the building, he could walk out again. His hand shook as he pressed the button on the intercom.

“This is a restricted area. Please step away from the building,” a disembodied voice announced. It could have been a man or a woman. What it wasn’t was friendly.

Nassar wiped the sweat from his brow and licked his lips. “I have information to report about the network collapse a few months ago and international cybercrimes.” He pulled out the flash drive he’d smuggled across the world. “Names. Dates. Transactions. All of them here.”

He held his breath as he waited.

Then the door opened.

Nassar let out a long sigh, and his entire body went numb. He raised his chin and stepped through.