Dead Six

what seemed like a long time. Neither one of us said anything.

“You did fine, by the way,” I said at last.

“What?”

“In the interrogation,” I continued. “You really kept your cool in there. You really seemed like you knew your stuff.”

“I’ve been trained,” Sarah said, “by, um, our employers for Project Heartbreaker. I just didn’t know how intense it was going to be.”

“It gets easier. I mean, it sounds horrible, but you get used to it.”

“I hope so,” Sarah said. “We’re just getting started.”

“You hear something?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah.” She looked back over at me. “We’ve got a list of targets a mile long. Terrorists, financiers, support people, recruiting people, you name it.”

“You know all of the targets?” I asked incredulously.

“What? Oh, no. I just got a peek at it. It’s not just names, either. It’s places. Gatherings. Events. This is going to get ugly, Mike.”

“That’s what I figured,” I said. “So, what happens to our boy downstairs?”

“Hunter’s sending someone to come get him. I don’t know what they’re going to do with him now.”

“They’ll either make a deal with him in exchange for being a continuing source of information, or they’ll put a bullet in his brainpan and dump him in the ocean. Either way, sucks to be him.”

Sarah nodded. “His computer wasn’t even password protected, either. There’s a lot of information on there. Hunter was happy.”

“Heh . . . I’m glad. So, do you know what’s next?”

“His uncle. He’s the next target for you guys.”

“I figured. When?”

“Soon. Hunter said your chalk did so well that he’s giving you that mission next. We’ve got some more intel to gather, but that’s your next job. They’ll be sending me information to brief you soon.”

“Good.”

“Mike . . . I saw something else. You know, when I was digging around. They’re expecting heavy casualties for Dead Six. The operations they’re planning are high risk and are planned with minimum possible manpower.”

I sighed aloud, looking back out over the city. “Great.”

“You just be careful out there, okay?” she said quietly. She was staring at me intently. We held eye contact for a long time.

“I will,” I managed.

“What’s up?” Tailor said, strolling through the door onto the roof, lighting a cigarette as he went. He was unusually upbeat and had a stupid grin on his face. He paused when he realized Sarah and I were alone together. “Am I, uh, interrupting something?” he asked, cigarette in mouth.

“No, no,” Sarah said, stepping away from me. “I was just giving Valentine some info on what’s happening next.”

“We’re going after his uncle, right?” Tailor asked, referring to the captive in our basement.

“Sure are,” I answered.

The expression on Tailor’s face changed almost imperceptibly. My friend might not have been certifiably nuts, but he sure did enjoy this kind of thing a little too much. “Good.” He grinned.

Chapter 4:

Secondary Target

LORENZO

March 13

Falah had sounded nervous on the phone as he apologized for postponing our appointment due to family trouble. I played the concerned friend, even went so far as to offer my assistance, but he wouldn’t elaborate about what was wrong. It wasn’t until afterward that I got the word on the street that Falah’s favorite nephew had disappeared. The bodyguards provided by his uncle had been found shot to death, along with one of their new recruits. I’d only met the kid once. He’d struck me as another obnoxious rich kid, wannabe-terrorist asshole.

Nobody had any idea who’d taken him. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the senior Falah wasn’t waiting by the phone for the ransom call right now. There was a subset of the criminal underworld that specialized in kidnapping the kinds of targets whose parents wouldn’t involve the authorities. It was dangerous, but drug lords’ kids were especially lucrative. But I knew of most of the crews who did that kind of thing professionally, and I didn’t think any of them were operating around here.

Even the lowest of the low had families, easy targets that could be exploited for money, revenge, or leverage. Hell, I was a perfect example. Eddie had learned my real name, tracked down my family, and just like that, he owned me.

My family wouldn’t even recognize me now. My older brother, Bob, the federal agent, always the righteous, morally grounded, overachieving tough guy would certainly slap the cuffs on me himself if he had even the slightest clue about the things I’d done, and he’d probably sleep well at night afterward. But he, and all the rest, were family, and I owed them. They wouldn’t understand, but I was doing this for them.

In a way, I could understand Falah’s worry. Even scumbags had loved ones. I just hoped he got that shit cleared up fast so I could hurry up and kill him.

VALENTINE

Al Khor District, Safe house 4

March 20

0745

Tailor and I made our way into the basement of the safe house, having been rousted out of bed by Sarah. We were surprised to find Colonel Hunter waiting for us, flanked as always by a pair of his nondescript security men. Several chairs had been set up. A laptop sat on a small table, hooked up to a portable screen. Wheeler and Hudson had been called away a few days prior and hadn’t yet returned.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Hunter said. “I apologize for dragging you boys out of bed so early, but we’ve got work to do. We’re ready to move.”