by Don Bentley
I slipped the phone back into my pocket and zipped it closed. Then I pushed the pistol into the top of Charles’s skull, driving his face into the dirt.
“Listen up,” I said. “If you’ve transferred a penny less than seventy-five percent of your take, I will pay you another visit. And when I do, it will make this little meeting look like a tea party. Understand? Speak.”
“I understand,” Charles said. “I understand!”
“Good,” I said. “Now, I’m going to walk away. Keep your face in the fucking dirt until I’m gone. If you get up before then, I’ll kneecap you. Nod if you understand.”
Charles nodded, his head sliding back and forth in the snow.
“Fantastic,” I said, walking slowly backward. “I’m glad we had this talk, Chucky. Good luck at the confirmation hearing.”
* * *
—
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled open the passenger door of an unmarked Pontiac Grand Am and climbed inside. A blue cloud of cigarette smoke awaited.
“Did you burn through the entire pack while I was gone?” I said, unzipping my windbreaker.
“I told you,” Agent Rawlings said. “I smoke when I’m nervous.”
“You need therapy,” I said, rolling down the window. “Did it come through?”
“Every goddamn word,” Agent Rawlings said. “You’re the best source I’ve ever run.”
“You do not run me,” I said, stripping the microphone and miniature transmitter from where Rawlings had taped them against my chest, “and I am no longer your source.”
“You’re gonna have to testify,” Rawlings said.
“Bullshit,” I said, tossing the listening device into his lap. “My part is done. Zain rescued the girls in Iraq, and Ferah and Nazya are reunited. One of the men who set all of this into motion is dead, and the other just transferred me a shitload of dirty money. You don’t need me to testify. You already have more than enough to subpoena Charles’s financials. I’d start here.”
I activated the banking app and handed Rawlings the cell phone.
“Jesus,” he said, his bushy eyebrows arching upward. “Stealing from the CIA pays well.”
“That’s not all Charles,” I said. “It’s also the account I used for the sex-trafficking auction. But tying Charles to the dirty money will certainly jump-start your investigation.”
“Except there’s the little matter of how you obtained this evidence,” Rawlings said. “US attorneys aren’t real fond of coercion.”
“And I could give two shits,” I said, glaring at Rawlings. “That motherfucker is lucky he’s still breathing. He’s the reason four of my people are dead and another’s crippled. I would have been within my rights to put him in the ground.”
“So why didn’t you?” Rawlings said.
I took one deep breath and then another. “Here’s the thing—I don’t kill for money, and I don’t get off on it. I do what needs to be done. That’s it. I’m not a murderer. Not now. Not ever.”
“Fair enough,” Rawlings said, “but that still doesn’t help me with my warrant.”
“Maybe you ought to take a look at a blog run by a journalist named Allie Mishler,” I said. “She’s an investigative reporter. I heard she’s got the scoop on Charles too.”
I gave Rawlings the website’s address, and he punched it into his phone.
“She sure does,” Rawlings said. “That’s a fantastic bit of reporting right there. You know what’s even more fantastic? According to her byline, she’s a Texas girl. What are the odds of that?”
“Tell me about the CI investigation,” I said, “and I’ll tell you about Allie.”
“Nope,” Rawlings said. “That’s how I got into this shit show to begin with. I’ve still got more than enough to bring Charles in for questioning. Wanna tag along?”
“Rain check,” I said, getting out of the car. “I’ve got dinner with my wife, and she hates it when I’m late.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I hope you enjoyed reading The Outside Man as much as I enjoyed writing it. Actually, that’s not true. As my good friend Nick Petrie, author of the Peter Ash novels, is never afraid to remind me, writing a book is hard. Writing two books borders on insanity. With that in mind, I’d like to thank some of the people who were brave enough to join me on this journey of madness.
I have the pleasure of writing for Berkley, and they really are the publishing dream team. Once again, editor extraordinaire Tom Colgan understood what I was trying to achieve and pushed me to go further. Publicist Loren Jaggers was great as always. Marketing guru Jin Yu really is a force of nature, as much at home planning and executing masterful marketing campaigns as she is helping hapless authors unlock their Facebook accounts. Seriously, Jin—it wasn’t my fault!
Writing novels is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately for me, I have a built-in support group of like-minded lunatics in the form of fellow authors Nick Petrie, Bill Schweigart, and Graham Brown, along with our fearless agent, Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. I’d like to thank each of you for your humor and wisdom—I’m not sure which I valued more!
Speaking of Barbara, if you’ve never met her, you’re in for a treat. She’s smart, funny, and a fierce advocate for her authors. Thank you, Barbara, for always being in my corner.
Over the past several years of writing, I’ve been lucky enough to work with a stellar group of first readers. If you liked this book, then Erica Nichols, Tommy Ledbetter, Michelle Kime, and Bill Schweigart deserve a huge portion of the credit. If you didn’t, it’s probably because I didn’t listen to their feedback closely enough!
I’d also like to thank Bill Schweigart and his lovely wife, Kate, for hosting me at their home numerous times so that Bill and I could talk through plot issues and drink beer. On a related note, if you haven’t read Bill’s first book, The Beast of Barcroft, you’re missing out.
The kindness of the authors who write in the military / political thriller genre is second only to the quality of their work. In particular, Matthew Betley, Sean Parnell, Joshua Hood, Simon Gervais, K.J. Howe, Anthony J. Tata, Laurie Chandlar, Jack Carr, Chris Hauty, Anne Wilson, Jeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews, Kathleen Antrim, Mike Maden, Kyle Mills, Mark Greaney, and Brad Taylor all provided encouragement throughout the writing process.
Of these great folks, Mark Greaney and Brad Taylor were exceptionally kind. Mark selflessly used his platform to talk about my first novel, Without Sanction, and was more than willing to offer a rookie his thoughts on what it took to succeed in this business.
Likewise, Brad and Elaine Taylor took me under their wing, graciously providing invaluable lessons from their stellar writing career while going above and beyond to help me promote Without Sanction. Additionally, Brad traveled to Austin for my book launch party and was a stand-up guy when I told my dad he was really a SEAL. Sorry, Brad, but it was kind of funny!
In addition to the writers, this genre is also blessed to have some amazing reviewers and podcasters. Ryan Steck of The Real Book Spy fame and Slaven Tomasi of Lima Charlie Editing have both been exceptional advocates for my work. Additionally, the guys from The Crew Reviews podcast (Chris Albanese, Sean Cameron, Mike Houtz, and Eric Bishop) and Jason Piccolo from the Protectors podcast have all been immeasurably helpful.
As they did during Without Sanction, my cadre of subject-matter experts again generously provided me with answers to the numerous inane questions I encountered while writing The Outside Man. Specifically, former Army Ranger Brandon Cates offered valuable insight into why fast roping looks so much more fun than it actually is. By the same token, retired Sergeant Major Jason Beighley was kind enough to explain some of the intricacies of distance shooting in terms that even a former gun pilot could understand. As before, any technical inaccuracies are my responsibility, while anything that rang true is a testament to these fine folks.
On a serious note, The Outside Man deals with the horrific topic of sex trafficking. Much of my research into this horrible practice came from the heartbreaking book The Last Girl, written by Nadia Murad, herself a survivor of sex trafficking. If you want to understand this problem better, Nadia’s book is a great place to start. If you want to do something to help, I’d humbly point you toward Imagine Goods (imaginegoods.com). Cofounded by my cousin, Michelle Kime, Imagine Goods exists to provide opportunities for empowerment through employment for survivors of trafficking. Ninety percent of Imagine Goods’ artisans are survivors.
Once again, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my longtime friend John Dixon. A fantastic writer in his own right, John has been my consigliere and confidant for the past decade. John, thank you for your wisdom and heartfelt advice. I couldn’t have written this without you.
Finally, I’d like to thank my children, Will, Faith, and Kelia, and my wife, Angela. Without all of you, none of this would mean anything.
—Don
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot, and while deployed in Afghanistan was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with "V" device for valor. Following his time in the military, Don worked as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence and was a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member.
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