I smile as he feigns offense. “British shit? Are you kidding me? The Stones are legends, man!”
“Not my thing, man. Too mainstream…”
“Too main—? Oh, man, that is blasphemy! How can you—”
The door opens and Julius steps out, wearing another of his gray suits. “Come on through, gentlemen.”
We both stand, and the British guy strides past me, banging into my shoulder as he passes me. “Too mainstream… This isn’t over, Blasphemer!”
I smile as I follow him into the room. I’m starting to like this guy.
Julius closes the door behind us and walks to the head of the long table in the center of the room. He gestures silently to the seats on his left, and we both sit down. There’s another door at the opposite end of the room with one guy standing beside it, his arms folded across his chest, casually leaning against the wall. He’s wearing a black suit, white shirt and a blood-red tie. He looks at us with total disinterest.
The room itself is generic and anonymous. The walls are painted cream, and the floor is covered by a light gray, threadbare carpet. The fluorescent lights overhead buzz in the otherwise quiet room.
Julius sits and looks at the pair of us. “I’ll keep this brief.” He looks at me. “First of all, congratulations on a job well done. I’ll assume the dead bodies you left there were necessary…?”
I smile nervously. “Ah… yeah, absolutely.”
He tries his best not to roll his eyes, but fails. “Uh-huh…” He looks at the Brit. “And thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
Next to me, the guy shrugs. “Your boy here didn’t leave me much choice, but whatever. You’re welcome.”
Julius smiles. “My boy here is this government’s best kept secret. He’ll be leading an elite unit of operatives who will function independently from any of this country’s agencies, and will report directly to me. I, in turn, report directly to the White House.”
“Sounds great. But what do you want with an SAS tech specialist who has an inappropriate sense of humor and a dubious haircut?”
Tech specialist? Really?
“This unit will be comprised of the absolute best. I don’t care which country they’re from. We will be operating globally, and it makes sense to me to recruit globally as well.”
“And you want me?”
Julius nods. “I do, yes. I’ve spoken with your superiors at Hereford and, while they would hate to see you leave, they’ve given us a glowing recommendation of your abilities. I would very much like you to join our unit.”
He gestures to me with his thumb. “And I’d be reporting to the Boy Wonder here?”
I clench my jaw muscles, trying to suppress the flash of anger at the comment. I know he’s not being serious. If anything, I think his pride’s hurt a little bit.
Julius looks at me for a moment before answering. “Yes, you would. Will that be a problem?”
He looks at me as if he’s thinking about it. After a moment, he shakes his head. “Nah, I reckon I can live with that.” He smiles. “Your boy is pretty badass. He needs some help with his taste in music, but I could work with him.”
I smile back at him. “For me, not with me.”
He shrugs. “Whatever.”
Julius stands. “Excellent. Then it’s settled.” He gestures briefly to the man by the other door. “My associate will run through the details and process the necessary paperwork. Your training will begin tomorrow.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Training? I thought we just established I’m already pretty fucking awesome?”
Julius suppresses a smile. “Our training program is… a little more intense than anything you’ve had before.” He throws me a knowing, apologetic glance, and I raise an eyebrow in return. “Like I said, you start tomorrow.”
I think this meeting’s over. I stand, smiling because I know what our new recruit here’s about to go through. The SAS is tough, no doubt, but he isn’t ready for this shit.
The British tech specialist gets to his feet, moves around me, and shakes hands with Julius. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr…”
“Jones. Julius Jones. And thank you again for agreeing to come work with us. I know it’s happening very quickly, but you’ve made the right choice. We’re gonna make a real difference here, you have my word.”
He nods and heads for the door, leaving the two of us standing by the table. As he grabs the handle, he stops and looks back at us. “Oh, one last thing. Seeing as you two are a team now, we can dispense with all the formal anonymity.” He looks at me. “Adrian Hughes… meet Josh Winters.”
We look at each other and I extend my hand, which he shakes. “Good to meet you, Josh.”
He nods back. “Likewise, Adrian. I think we’re gonna get on great!”
He slaps my shoulder and strides away toward the opposite door. The man in the blood-red tie opens it and they both disappear into the room beyond.
I look at Julius. “Quite a character…”
He nods. “He certainly is. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
He slaps me on my shoulder, like Josh had a moment ago, and smiles. Then he opens the door and walks out into the corridor. The clacking of his heels is loud, but gradually gets quieter as he makes his way to the elevator at the far end.
I’m standing alone in the conference room. I’m officially in charge of a clandestine unit, backed by the CIA, which so far consists of a brash, sarcastic, now former member of the SAS, and myself.
I smile.
This should be fun!
THE END
Dear Reader,
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James P. Sumner
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ALSO BY THE SAME AUTHOR
You can visit my website to find out more about my other books, as well as links to download them.
THE ADRIAN HELL SERIES
(listed chronologically by storyline)
A Hero of War – An Adrian Hell Novella
True Conviction
Hunter’s Games
One Last Bullet
Deadly Intent
D.E.A.D. Till I Die – A GlobaTech Novella
A Necessary Kill
Good Intentions
A Hero of War--An Adrian Hell Novella Page 10