“No. It was a CIA operative who intervened before the team could take the pilot.”
“How do you know it was a CIA operative?”
“Because she went dark a day before it happened. And we managed to catch her on video.”
Walter pulls up a photograph, tilts the tablet so I can see. It’s a black and white photograph, probably taken the day she entered the Agency. A young black woman with long hair.
“Her name is Alice Morgan. Thirty-three years old. Graduated from MIT, was recruited into the Agency as an analyst five years ago.”
“I thought you said she was an operative.”
“She was.”
“What kind of operative was she?”
“The kind the CIA sent in to tie up loose ends. And she was good at her job, Holly. Very good.”
“What happened to the drone pilot and journalist?”
“They’ve gone off the grid. As has Alice Morgan. That’s where you come in. I need you to fly to Germany to meet with the remaining team member. Try to figure out what the fuck happened.”
“I have one request.”
“What?”
“I’d like Nova to work with me on this.”
Walter makes a small smile, and glances out his window again.
“I like Nova. Always have. He’s a good man. Trusted. I’d bring him back in a heartbeat, but not for this.”
“Why?”
“He has a conflict.”
“What conflict?”
Walter turns back to the iPad, taps the photo of Alice Morgan.
“She’s his fiancée.”
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BULLET RAIN
FIRST KILL
About the Author
Robert Swartwood is the USA Today bestselling author of The Serial Killer’s Wife, No Shelter, Man of Wax, and several other novels. He created the term “hint fiction” and is the editor of Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer. He lives with his wife in Pennsylvania. Visit him online at www.robertswartwood.com.
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Publisher’s Note
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Also by Robert Swartwood
NOVELS
Holly Lin Series
No Shelter
Bullet Rain
First Kill
The Devil You Know
Hollow Point
Man of Wax Series
Legion
Man of Wax
The Inner Circle
Stand-alones
The Calling
Land of the Dead
The Serial Killer’s Wife
New Avalon
Abducted
Temple
Walk the Sky (with David B. Silva)
COLLECTIONS
Real Illusions: Stories
Phantom Energy: [Very Short] Stories
NOVELLAS & SHORT STORIES
Muse
Giotto’s Circle
The Man on the Bench
Spooky Nook
In Solemn Shades of Endless Night
In the Land of the Blind: A Zombie Story
Wayward Pines: Nomad
At the Meade Bed & Breakfast (with David B. Silva)
AS EDITOR
Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer
No Shelter Copyright © 2011 Robert Swartwood
The Devil You Know Copyright © 2017 Robert Swartwood
Hollow Point Copyright © 2018 Robert Swartwood
Cover design copyright © 2018 Damonza
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Robert Swartwood.
www.robertswartwood.com
