by Jack Mars
“You? Why?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said—about right and wrong,” Strickland admitted. “I didn’t think what you did was right… not until I saw their faces. Not until we saw those girls you saved from those trains. Not until I saw you, carrying her down the tracks like you did. I don’t think I’ve seen strength like that before.” He shook his head. “So I’m going to make it my personal agenda to make sure those girls are safe and cared for, no matter what. Because it feels right.”
“I…” Reid didn’t know what to say. Strickland was a veritable stranger, yet when Reid looked into the younger man’s eyes, he believed every word of his vow. “Thank you, Strickland.”
He nodded. “I’m going to park myself right outside this door until Sara is cleared for discharge. Then I’m going to escort them personally to the airport and we’re going to get on a direct flight to LaGuardia. I understand you have a sister-in-law in New York; she’s going to meet us at the gate. The girls will be staying with her. I’m also told they’ll be chipped—”
“Chipped?” Reid interrupted.
“A very tiny subcutaneous microchip,” Strickland explained. “They’ll be told it’s a flu shot or something similar and it’s injected just under the skin, usually in an arm or shoulder. It tracks by satellite. They’ll never be lost again.”
Three days ago Reid would have argued tooth and nail about the idea of his daughters being microchipped—but that felt like practically another life.
Reid felt his muscles go slack. He felt himself relaxing, embracing the idea of Strickland watching his girls. It allowed him to accept the cuffs on his wrists, to accept his fate.
“What about Maria—Agent Johansson?” he asked. “What’s going to happen to her?”
Strickland shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Reid nodded. Maybe I’ll see her again, if we end up in the same place. “And… me?”
Strickland sighed evenly through his nose. “There are three agents in the waiting room at the end of the hall. They’re going to take you to a plane. Where that plane’s going, I have no idea. Sorry, Kent. That’s the best I can do.”
“No,” Reid said. “Watching out for my girls, that’s the best you can do. And I truly appreciate it.”
Strickland raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to?”
“Going to what?”
The young agent gestured toward the end of the hall, where the other agents were waiting. “Go with them?”
Reid smirked lightly. He knew what Strickland was asking; Agent Zero could make a lot of trouble for them if he wanted to, and they knew it. Maybe he could even get away before getting shot.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m going to go with them.”
Strickland nodded gratefully. He took Reid gently by one elbow and led him down the hall toward the waiting room.
Reid wasn’t lying. He was going to go with them. As anxious as he was about his future, as agonizing as it was to leave the girls, and as distressing as it was to be so uncertain about what might happen to those who had helped him, like Maria and Watson, a bizarre calmness overtook him. It was a strange serenity, but he knew its source—his girls were safe. He had done what he set out to do. He believed Strickland when he said he would take care of them. They would never be lost again.
He had no idea what the CIA had planned for him, where they might take him, but at that moment, walking down the hall toward three unfamiliar agents and his fate, it didn’t matter. His heart was peaceful and his mind was quiet.
There wasn’t much more he could hope for than that.
NOW AVAILABLE!
TRAPPING ZERO
(An Agent Zero Spy Thriller—Book #4)
“You will not sleep until you are finished with AGENT ZERO. A superb job creating a set of characters who are fully developed and very much enjoyable. The description of the action scenes transport us into a reality that is almost like sitting in a movie theater with surround sound and 3D (it would make an incredible Hollywood movie). I can hardly wait for the sequel.”
--Roberto Mattos, Books and Movie Reviews
In TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4), a terrorist cell in the Mideast gains a new, fanatic leader, one intent on orchestrating what would be the deadliest attack on American soil. Can Agent Zero uncover the plot and stop him in time?
Although Agent Zero’s daughters are home safely, the mental anguish from their experience weighs heavy on their small family. Zero, working to be a good father and to repair the damage, decides the time has come to undergo surgery to regain all of his memories. But will it work?
In the midst of it all, he is again thrust into the line of duty as a U.S. embassy is destroyed in the Mideast and as an experimental new weapon is uncovered. But without his memories, with some of his own CIA allies intent on his destruction, who can he really trust?
TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4) is an un-putdownable espionage thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
“Thriller writing at its best.”
--Midwest Book Review (re Any Means Necessary)
“One of the best thrillers I have read this year.”
--Books and Movie Reviews (re Any Means Necessary)
Also available is Jack Mars’ #1 bestselling LUKE STONE THRILLER series (7 books), which begins with Any Means Necessary (Book #1), a free download with over 800 five star reviews!
TRAPPING ZERO
(An Agent Zero Spy Thriller—Book #4)
Jack Mars
Jack Mars is the USA Today bestselling author of the LUKE STONE thriller series, which includes seven books. He is also the author of the new FORGING OF LUKE STONE prequel series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the AGENT ZERO spy thriller series, comprising six books (and counting).
ANY MEANS NECESSARY (book #1), which has over 800 five star reviews, is available as a free download on Kobo!
Jack loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.Jackmarsauthor.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!
BOOKS BY JACK MARS
LUKE STONE THRILLER SERIES
ANY MEANS NECESSARY (Book #1)
OATH OF OFFICE (Book #2)
SITUATION ROOM (Book #3)
OPPOSE ANY FOE (Book #4)
PRESIDENT ELECT (Book #5)
OUR SACRED HONOR (Book #6)
HOUSE DIVIDED (Book #7)
FORGING OF LUKE STONE PREQUEL SERIES
PRIMARY TARGET (Book #1)
PRIMARY COMMAND (Book #2)
PRIMARY THREAT (Book #3)
AN AGENT ZERO SPY THRILLER SERIES
AGENT ZERO (Book #1)
TARGET ZERO (Book #2)
HUNTING ZERO (Book #3)
TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4)
FILE ZERO (Book #5)
RECALL ZERO (Book #6)