First Kill--A Kirk McGarvey Novel

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First Kill--A Kirk McGarvey Novel Page 31

by David Hagberg


  SEVENTY-THREE

  McGarvey flew Pan Am first-class under his own name direct to Miami. He had taken a shower at the bus depot when they’d arrived in B.A., but his rough clothes were dirty and he needed a shave. Nevertheless it was first-class, he carried a diplomatic passport, and he was treated the same as any man dressed in a business suit and tie.

  “All the bother back there was about you, wasn’t it?” the bus driver had said when they’d made it.

  McGarvey nodded. “But I’m surprised that the cops in Santiago let you go.”

  “Even in Chile they need bus drivers more than they need prisoners.”

  He had his first decent meal in what seemed like weeks: a good Argentine steak, a salad and a bottle of Dom Pérignon. Afterward he’d managed to get four good hours of sleep, so that finally back in the States, and aboard an American Airlines flight to Dulles, he was feeling reasonably good, at least physically.

  Except for the general’s wife. She’d grabbed for a pistol on the nightstand, and he’d had no other choice. It was something he kept telling himself, but so far it hadn’t stuck, nor had the thought given him any solace.

  His mission was a success, the general was dead. But so were two women and his mood was dark.

  “I hope you had a good flight, sir,” the stewardess said at the door.

  “I did, thanks. It’s good to be home.”

  Trotter, dressed impeccably as usual, was waiting for him after passport and customs. He had an odd, almost unreadable expression on his face. “I have a car and driver to take us to Langley.”

  “I want to go home first.”

  “They want you debriefed. Everybody, including me, wants to know why you went ahead with it, despite orders to the contrary.”

  “What orders?”

  “When I couldn’t reach you, I left orders with Dick that the op had been canceled, that you were to return home immediately.”

  McGarvey stopped him. “I was out of the system, John. Isn’t that what’s taught at the Farm? SOP against disinformation?”

  “This was different.”

  “Different how?”

  “Goddamnit, Kirk, the order to stand down came from the White House. The president himself.”

  “I was asked to do a job, and I did it,” McGarvey said. “And now I want to go home. I’ll come out to the Campus in a day or two.”

  “Give me your passport,” Trotter said when they got outside. A Caddie limo was waiting at the curb.

  McGarvey handed his over. “I have others.”

  “We’ll want those too. What about your weapon?”

  “I’ll keep it for now.”

  Trotter was frustrated. “You’re not listening, Kirk. Good heavens, I’m trying to help out here, even though I’ve been ordered to keep my distance. I’m not supposed to be here like this.”

  “Keep your distance why?”

  “You’ve been terminated. You no longer work for the Company in any capacity. They’re calling you a rogue. You’ve gone off the reservation. There’s no way to control you.”

  McGarvey stepped closer. “You gave me a job and I did it.”

  “Brilliantly,” Trotter said. “No one denies it. But it’s over, Kirk. You’re out.” He held out his hand. “Your gun.”

  McGarvey handed over his rucksack without a word.

  “People are fighting for you. You have six months. Lawrence thinks that you can be rehabilitated. And for what it’s worth, so do I.”

  “No.”

  “No what?”

  “Too many loose ends. Who killed Sergeant Major Carol? Who tried to kill me? What haven’t I been told, John? Because from where I’m standing it seems like the entire Bible has been held back. And what about Janos’s family?”

  “They’re on their way back from Florida, safe and sound,” Trotter said. “But I’m truly sorry about the rest.”

  “The mole?”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you want me to come back for six months, giving the bastard another chance?” McGarvey said. “Goodbye, John.”

  He walked off to the queue for the taxis.

  * * *

  Kathleen came to the head of the stairs when he let himself in. “You’re finally back,” she said, coming down. She was dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt and no shoes. Her hair was a mess, by her standards, and she hadn’t put on makeup, even though it was after one. But she looked fabulous to Mac.

  “You are back,” he said. “It’s over now.”

  “Yes, it is, Kirk. I can’t take this kind of a life. I’ve had my fill of being worried sick while you jet off on some new adventure, like Don Quixote tilting after windmills.” She said it all in a pent-up rush.

  “What are you saying?”

  “It’s come to the point where you’ll have to make a choice.”

  “Where’s Liz?”

  “Elizabeth!” Kathleen screeched. “She’s still at your sister’s. I needed to get this settled with you first. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “No,” McGarvey said, though he did.

  “It’s me and Elizabeth or the CIA. You can’t have your job as a spy and still have this family. It’s something even your own sister agrees with.”

  They didn’t understand his pain. They didn’t know how much he needed just the kind of helping hand that Katy was refusing to give him. And the hell of it was that he couldn’t explain it to her—he didn’t have the words.

  On paper signing up for black ops, and even the training, did nothing to prepare a man for taking the life of another. Not to mention the lives of women. And maybe someday, it had been put to him, the lives of children. Watching the life drain out of a human body, and then taking the insurance shot, was not something that could be explained in any way that didn’t sound like insanity.

  “Well?” Kathleen demanded.

  It was his first kill. Because of it he had lost the three things that meant the most to him: his wife, his daughter and his job.

  “I’ll get my things,” he said.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I always like hearing from my readers, even from the occasional disgruntled soul who wants to pick a bone with me, or point out a mistake I’ve made.

  You may contact me, McGarvey, Pete, Otto, and the computer Lou at [email protected]. But please understand that because I’m extremely busy, quite often I won’t be able to get back to you as soon as I’d like. But I will make every effort to answer your queries.

  For a complete list of my books and reviews, please visit Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or any other fine bookseller.

  If you would like me to do a book signing at your favorite store, something I have absolutely no control over, or if you would like me to attend an event as a guest speaker or panelist, please contact:

  Tor/Forge Publicity

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, N.Y. 10010

  Email: [email protected]

  If you wish to discuss contracts, movie or reprint rights, or e-business concerning my writing, contact my literary agent:

  Susan Gleason Literary Agency

  Email: [email protected]

  BY DAVID HAGBERG

  Twister

  The Capsule

  Last Come the Children

  Heartland

  Heroes

  Without Honor*

  Countdown*

  Crossfire*

  Critical Mass*

  Desert Fire

  High Flight*

  Assassin*

  White House*

  Joshua’s Hammer*

  Eden’s Gate

  The Kill Zone*

  By Dawn’s Early Light

  Soldier of God*

  Allah’s Scorpion*

  Dance with the Dragon*

  The Expediter*

  The Cabal*

  Abyss*

  Castro’s Daughter*

  Burned

  Blood Pact*

  Retribution*


  The Shadowmen*+

  The Fourth Horseman*

  24 Hours*+

  End Game*

  Tower Down*

  Flash Points*

  Face Off*

  First Kill*

  WRITING AS SEAN FLANNERY

  The Kremlin Conspiracy

  Eagles Fly

  The Trinity Factor

  The Hollow Men

  Broken Idols

  Gulag

  Moscow Crossing

  The Zebra Network

  Crossed Swords

  Moving Targets

  Winner Take All

  Kilo Option

  Achilles’ Heel

  WITH BYRON L. DORGAN

  Blowout

  Gridlock

  NONFICTION WITH BORIS GINDIN

  Mutiny!

  *Kirk McGarvey adventures

  *+Kirk McGarvey Ebook original novellas

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DAVID HAGBERG is a former U.S. Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than seventy novels of suspense, including Flash Points, Tower Down, and the bestselling Allah’s Scorpion, Dance with the Dragon, and The Expediter. He makes his home in Sarasota, Florida.

  Visit his website at www.david-hagberg.com, or sign up for email updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Tom Doherty Associates ebook.

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  and info on new releases and other great reads,

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  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Part One: Call to Arms

  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

  Part Two: The Mole

  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

  Part Three: First Kill

  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 Seventy-Two

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Author’s Note

  Also by David Hagberg

  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.

  FIRST KILL

  Copyright © 2019 by David Hagberg

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Paul Youll

  A Forge Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Forge® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-3733-7 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-3438-5 (ebook)

  eISBN 9781466834385

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].

  First Edition: May 2019

 

 

 


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