by Ward Larsen
The posting to Amalfi had not really surprised him. He was, after all, the only SVR officer who’d ever encountered Slaton. That meeting had taken place under mostly agreeable circumstances, yet there was something about the Israeli that unnerved him. Left to his druthers, he’d be happy to never see the man again. Unfortunately, orders were orders. So, in keeping with his calling, he presented himself that morning as best he could: as an American in search of a friend’s boat.
“He told me the marina and slip number, but I’ve lost it, and he’s not answering his phone. A bit over six feet tall, gray eyes. His family is with him.”
A dockworker with an oar under his arm only shrugged and replied in broken English, “I don’t know this man.”
And so it went. He knew there were marinas up and down the coast—indeed it seemed there were more boats in the harbors than gulls on the beach. By eleven that morning, with aching feet, he was nearing dehydration. He attacked a steep path, and near the top found a tiny store that sold a bit of everything. Back outside, he nearly emptied a one-liter bottle of water before deciding to continue upward, thinking a good look up and down the shoreline might be useful.
The sidewalks fell to a maze, and a poor choice of turns led to a dead end. He reversed, and soon found himself hopelessly lost in a warren of alleys. He would have asked directions, but there was no one in sight. He paused momentarily to get his bearings, and as he did so his mobile phone vibrated with a message:
YOUR MISSION IN AMALFI ABORTED. RETURN MOSCOW IMMEDIATELY. ACKNOWLEDGE.
It was the best news he’d had all day.
He sent the reply, spun a half circle, and decided to go back the way he’d just come.
* * *
The man whose name wasn’t really Smith never knew how close he’d come to dying. Six steps farther up the narrow alley, in a recessed doorway, a muscular gray-eyed man stood in wait. In his right hand was a classic Smith & Wesson revolver, recently stolen from a union boss in Vieste—although that probably wouldn’t have been necessary.
What saved the Russian was in the assassin’s left hand: a mobile phone.
Thanks to the CIA, and in a reversal of the advantage the Russian had held in Marrakesh, the phone displayed the very message from SVR headquarters that Smith was then reading. Word for word, translated into English:
YOUR MISSION IN AMALFI ABORTED. RETURN MOSCOW IMMEDIATELY. ACKNOWLEDGE.
Luckily for Smith, he did precisely that.
* * *
One hour later the ersatz Smith was finishing an extended lunch in a café overlooking the harbor. Relieved that his mission had been curtailed, he’d booked an early evening flight to allow himself a few hours to celebrate. He mopped his plate with a crust of bread, and tipped back the last of a nice Sangiovese. He paid his bill, walked to the entrance, and paused just outside. With one last look at the sea, he turned away to begin eighteen hours of travel that would return him to the snow-encrusted streets of Moscow.
Had he looked seaward one last time, just beyond the breakwater, he might have glimpsed a modest catamaran nosing gently into the waves. The boat, which was running a more or less westerly course, was too far away to discern any real detail. Without binoculars he never could have seen the name on her stern, which had recently been changed. Nor could he have made out the three people at the helm. They were grouped together tightly, almost as if trying to stay warm on what was a wondrously balmy day.
A man and a woman sat arm in arm. Directly in front of them, a tiny boy stood at the wheel like a seasoned captain of the sea.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to recognize my hardworking co-conspirators: without you there would be no stories. Thanks to my editor, Bob Gleason, for your boundless knowledge, experienced eye, and the occasional beer. There are none better than the wonderful team at Tor. Linda Quinton, Elayne Becker, Kevin Sweeney, Deborah Friedman—my sincere thanks for all that you do. To my agent, Susan Gleason, thanks for your longtime support and chasing what you chase.
I would also like to express my appreciation to independent booksellers. A few among you were the first to believe in my work, and I can attest that no one does a better job of bringing together readers and writers.
Finally, thanks as ever to my family. The next ten books will come much more easily.
BOOKS BY WARD LARSEN
The Perfect Assassin
Assassin’s Game*
Assassin’s Silence*
Assassin’s Code*
Assassin’s Run*
Cutting Edge*
*Published by Forge Books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WARD LARSEN is a USA Today bestselling author and five-time winner of the Florida Book Award. He has also been nominated for both the Macavity and Silver Falchion Awards. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Larsen flew more than twenty missions in Operation Desert Storm. He has served as a federal law enforcement officer and is a trained aircraft accident investigator. His first thriller, The Perfect Assassin, is currently being adapted into a major motion picture by Amber Entertainment.
Visit him online at www.wardlarsen.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seven
ty-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Books by Ward Larsen
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ASSASSIN’S RUN
Copyright © 2018 by Ward Larsen
All rights reserved.
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Cover images by Shutterstock.com
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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Forge® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-9150-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-7653-9151-3 (ebook)
eISBN 9780765391513
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First Edition: August 2018