A Killing to DIE For
by P Gaseaux
In Gaza terrorists have a new kind of missile...a deadly accurate one. In Manila a businessman lies dead, murdered by arms traffickers. In the frozen valleys of West Virginia, a veteran mourns his son. He wants answers. So does the FBI. And so does Anna...the super-spy and enigmatic killer who is torn between revenge and loyalty to her controllers.Two combat choppers of the Israel Defense Force are shot down by terrorists who are building their own guided missiles. A strike force code named Arcana is tasked to locate and destroy the source of the weapons. In the Philippines an American businessman, Billy Bob Hatfield is abducted and murdered but his boss Anna, a wealthy entrepreneur from Bangkok escapes and goes into hiding. The Feds are involved after it is revealed the victim was in contact with the embassy in Manila. Washington assigns Special Agent Tanaka, to interview the father of the victim, Gunny Hatfield who is a terminally ill war veteran living in West Virginia.The Bureau decides to hand jurisdiction of the case to the Philippines although they change their mind following political pressure. Tanaka and Hatfield fly to Manila to begin inquiries and collect the victim’s remains At the mortuary they meet Anna, and after identifying the deceased they stumble into a three-way gun battle between members of an arms trafficking syndicate, Anna and Strike-Force Arcana. Anna is abducted after the trigger-men are killed and Arcana interrogate her. Her only choice to assist and reveal where her former clients are located. Anna is not only a financial wizard, but she possesses specialist military training and killing techniques, something that worries the Bureau and troubles the Israelis. Tanaka’s investigations lead him to the last remaining guidance systems, seized from the victim’s safe deposit by local police following the murder. Tanaka and Hatfield return home and Anna is released. The investigation is halted. Upon return to Thailand, Anna’s controllers are furious she has lost custody of the guidance system. Hatfield, suspecting his son was romantically involved with Anna flies out to Bangkok, despite his deteriorating health. When Tanaka learns of this he follows Hatfield where Arcana’s mission to locate the syndicate has already begun. After rescuing Anna from a bomb blast, Tanaka meets her controllers, a clique of senior figures in the Thai military. Arcana complete a series of assassinations, eliminating the arms dealers except for two principal members who escape. Now the race is on...a fight to the death that has begun in the scorching deserts of the Middle East and a conflict that will end in a ball of fire in the frozen Appalachian winter.A Killing to Die For...a story to kill for...a tale of love, death and revenge in the civilized world.