by Matthew Rief
He smiled and realized that it was the one place that felt most like home. Jason focused on a side door and a man standing in front of it with his hands planted on his hips.
“Nobody comes back to Tenth Circle,” Marcus Chapman said. The thirty-year military veteran, retired brigadier general, and current head of the most secretive covert training facility in the United States, lowered his sunglasses.
Jason stopped in front of the imposing military man. “Yeah, well, I’m not like other people. Or have you forgotten?”
“I think it’s you who forgot the unique brand of torture I conjure up in this crucible.”
Jason grinned confidently. “Remind me. Unless you’ve gone soft lately.”
Marcus slid his sunglasses back over his eyes. “You’re gonna regret that one.”
EPILOGUE
Hotel Dalian
Liaoning Province, China
The gray-haired man strolled leisurely along a quiet stone path beside a cascading brook. Cresting a set of steps in the shade of flanking ginkgo trees, he reached a garden littered with blooming azaleas and a koi pond with clusters of rich pink lotus flowers.
Across the garden, the man reached a serene grassy knoll set against the hill with sweeping views of Xinghai Bay and the Yellow Sea. To his left was the impressive façade of his luxury hotel, the structure resembling a colossal Bavarian castle.
Near the middle of the field was an unassuming cast iron table under a trellis choked with ivy. The man removed his suit jacket, leaned his cane against the vertical lattice, and sat in one of the two chairs. The moment he got comfortable and glanced at his Omega timepiece, a younger suited man seemed to materialize out of thin air, gliding into the vacant seat.
Without a word, the younger man supplied a Go board, and the two set it up and began to play.
After three minutes of silence, the gray-haired man cleared his throat. “You may proceed with your brief, Shen.”
The younger man scanned over his shoulder for the hundredth time, then said, “The WHO and CDC have all of the virus samples in their possession. They are being held in maximum security underground facilities. The window of opportunity has closed. We will never get our hands on them again. And with Zhao dead—”
“The operation had grown too risky regardless. And representative Song was foolish to expedite the release prior to our developing a defense against the virus. The goal is to wipe out our enemies, not ourselves.”
Shen swallowed, then bowed slightly to the leader of their clandestine organization. The aged official was one of the most powerful men in the country, but only a handful knew it. Head of the completely off the books Unrestricted Warfare Program, the man acted outside the limits of normal government operations, giving the group a sort of free rein and plausible deniability for the political faces. Even his visit to the region bordering North Korea was masked in a veil of secrecy, being regarded as a family vacation rather than an official meeting.
Shen placed a white stone onto the board, then hunched over slightly. “The fault is mine. You tasked me to orchestrate this joint operation, and I failed.”
“Song and the Korean general are to blame, not you,” the older man said, rubbing his mustache.
Shen snarled, struggling to compose himself. “Such an opportunity… wasted.”
“Patience, Shen. Our time will come. Tell me about the cleanup.”
Shen stayed silent a moment, then said, “This has all been swept under the rug. Our hands are clean of it all. Representative Song is believed to have planned everything without consulting our officials. He worked on his own, and did so out of hunger for money and power. The Unrestricted Warfare Program will remain intact and untainted. Zhao and North Korea are the culprits here. That is the story. And networks around the world are eating it up.”
“Good. Then the book is closed.”
Shen gazed out over the bay. “Yes. But…”
“But what?”
“This American. This covert operative, Jason Wake. He cannot go unpunished. He nearly single-handedly snuffed out and put a stop to this operation. He must be dealt with appropriately.”
“What do you suggest?”
“We put a bounty out. We can utilize our third-party contacts to ensure we remain detached. We’ll put a price on his head that’s too good to turn down. And then… we will never have to deal with him again.”
The leader thought for a moment. He positioned a final black stone, winning the game, then rose to his feet.
“Sir?” Shen said.
“Do it.” The gray-haired man grabbed his coat and cane. “But there can be no mistakes.”
“That, sir, I can promise you. No one will be able to withstand the dogs I’ll let loose. Not even this… Jason Wake.”
The leader gave no reply, retracing his steps across the knoll in the same nonchalant gait as before. Ambling through the garden, he inhaled the lotus’s sweet perfume as he trekked back down the steps along the creek, heading for the hotel veranda for a family lunch.
THE END
Note to Reader
Given recent events, I’d like to take a moment to clarify that there is no connection between the virus in this book and Covid-19. I first had the idea for this story at the end of 2018, long before the spread of the Coronavirus.
In addition, I’d like to express that the purpose of my writing is not to stir up dissension, incite controversy, or push any kind of political view, but simply to spin an entertaining yarn. This is a work of fiction. The plot developed from my imagination and the views expressed by characters are not a reflection of my own.
Now that that’s addressed, I’d like to thank you for reading this story. I had a great time creating it, and I hope you enjoyed every page.
Cheers to the next adventure,
Matthew
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my phenomenal editor, Sarah Flores (writedowntheline.com), for all of her hard work. Sarah has the best qualities you could hope for in an editor and more, and I’m honored to work with her.
I also want to thank my two proofreaders, Donna Rich and Nancy Brown (redlineproofreading.com). Their feedback and corrections are always helpful, and I can’t say enough good things about them.
A big thank you to Ryan Schwarz from The Cover Designer for creating the exceptional cover for this book. And to Colleen Sheehan from Ampersand Bookery for adding the finishing touches with her fabulous designs and formatting.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank all of my wonderful readers. I can’t even begin to express the extent of my appreciation for your reviews, ratings, comments, and recommendations of my stories. Your support means the world to me.
Also by MATTHEW RIEF
Florida Keys Adventure Series:
Featuring Logan Dodge
Gold in the Keys
Hunted in the Keys
Revenge in the Keys
Betrayed in the Keys
Redemption in the Keys
Corruption in the Keys
Predator in the Keys
Legend in the Keys
Abducted in the Keys
Showdown in the Keys
Avenged in the Keys
Broken in the Keys
Payback in the Keys
Condemned in the Keys
Jason Wake Novels
Caribbean Wake
Surging Wake
Relentless Wake
Turbulent Wake
Join the Adventure!
Sign up for my newsletter to receive updates on upcoming books on my website:
matthewrief.com
About the Author
Matthew has a deep-rooted love for adventure and the ocean. He loves traveling, diving, rock climbing and writing adventure novels. Though he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, he curren
tly lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Jenny.