by Bob Mayer
Chase nodded.
Porter stuck his hand out. “Whatever you decide, you know you can count on me.”
Chase shook his partner’s hand. “I know.” He put the badge in his pocket and left.
**************
When Chase walked out of the building, a black van was parked next to his Jeep. Chelsea was glaring at it. Chase pulled the Glock out of the holster as he approached and the side door opened. Cigarette smoke wafted out. Cardena waved for him to come in.
“Want a smoke?” Cardena asked as Chase got in the van and took the seat across from him, Glock still in hand.
“I’m quitting.”
“Probably good for you.”
Chase stared at him, smelling the nicotine. Realizing once more how stupid he had been. “You’re not DEA.”
Cardena chuckled. “That’s a losing fucking war if I ever saw one. You can’t stop demand. When you can’t stop demand, you can’t win. Prohibition didn’t work, why does anyone think the war on drugs will?”
“So who do you work for? CIA?”
“Horace Chase, my man.” The sound of a deep drag on a cigarette echoed in the van. “DEA. CIA. FBI. Fucking alphabet soups. I’m not even on the map. You get that? I try to keep things clean and keep them from fucking up too badly.
“The CIA should have never contracted Vladislav. Fucking psychopath. Fucking FBI of course should have never allowed nine-eleven, of course. I’ll give your guys that. Spec ops Intel guys, reservists at that, weekend warriors, warned them about Al-Qaeda. But everyone was too worried about their damn careers and their little fiefdoms to do their damn jobs. I just clean up the shit they all leave behind.
“But let’s not go there. I’m here as a courtesy to you. Because you finally did what needed to be done. You cleaned up the clusterfuck.”
“Which? Rivers? Vadislav?”
Cardena lit another cigarette, chain-smoking. Chase felt the aching desire for one.
“Both,” Cardena said. “Can’t have that stuff happening here in the good old U. S. of A. The CIA should have just paid off Vladislav or put a bullet in his fucking brain. And eliminated Rivers before he even fucking retired.”
“You got me this assignment,” Chase said.
“Give the man a cigarette,” Cardena said, holding out the one he had just lit.
Chase shook his head.
“Getting healthy?” Cardena asked. “Expecting a long and happy life? With the stripper? Like your mother?”
Chase just stared at the dark figure.
Cardena sighed. “Ok. Sorry. That was cheap. Your father was a fucking hero. Medal of Honor winner. And you did us right. Cleared a big problem up. Took you a while. Take some time off. Go fishing. Do something. Be happy.”
“Fortin?” Chase asked.
Cardena shook his head. “Another dumb fuck. Good riddance.”
“Why are you letting me live?”
Cardena actually looked surprised. “We’re the good guys, Chase, for Gods-sakes.” He paused. “You know. I’d really like you to work for us. Really. But. It just wouldn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
Cardena flicked the cigarette to the van’s floor and ground it out. “You wouldn’t smoke in the airport.” He nodded toward the door.
As Chase exited, he heard Cardena say one last thing: “But you’ve got a special talent and we’ll keep you in mind.”
THE END
Other Books
by Bob Mayer
Reference Mayer’s Thrillers:
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“Fascinating, imaginative and nerve-wracking.” Kirkus Reviews
“A pulsing technothriller. A nailbiter in the best tradition of adventure fiction.” Publishers Weekly.
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Praise for Atlantis by Bob Mayer:
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NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has over 50 books published. He has sold over four million books and is in demand as a team-building, life-change, and leadership speaker and consultant. Bob graduated from West Point and served in the military as a Special Forces A-Team leader and a teacher at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School. He teaches novel writing and improving the author via his Write it Forward program. He is the Co-Creator of Who Dares Wins Publishing. For more information see www.bobmayer.org or www.WhoDaresWinsPublishing.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
CHASING THE GHOST
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-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Other Books
Table of Contents
Title Page
CHASING THE GHOST
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-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Other Books