Search and Destroy by JT Sawyer (top non fiction books of all time .TXT) 📗

“Project 284 was nothing more than a simulation done within the confines of an underground think tank, but Cal wondered if someone had taken it to another level, and if Stephen Burke had stumbled onto something he wasn’t supposed to.”

“So, the Colombian government or cartels are involved?”

He pursed his lips, leaning back. “And you want what in return for an answer, exactly?”

“Is this how it always works with you guys? You think everything’s about an IOU?”

“Every relationship, even between married couples, is built upon the IOU system, whether conscious or not. A wiser man than I once said that the best way to lose a friend is to keep giving them things and not allowing any reciprocity.”

“Is that what we are—friends? You’re too kind.”

“I think you’re only here because you know that Cal isn’t the one behind what happened at Burke’s, and the former street cop in you is telling you to search for the bigger picture so an innocent man doesn’t face the hangman’s noose.”

“And the big picture is what?”

There was a pregnant silence in the air as Patterson carefully aligned his thoughts. “The big picture is…what organization would benefit from destroying any trace of a program created by a private contracting firm that could prevent political coups and assassinations from occurring. Surely this isn’t about someone but rather about some group or even regime that was threatened by Perseus.”

“That’s what Burke was doing?” She waved her hand at Patterson. “He was working for you guys?”

“My extrapolation was merely hypothetical, but one thing to keep in mind, Agent Carter—if this has international ties to the Colombians or some other powerful organization, then even a federal agent won’t be off limits.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the two guys in suits, who had strolled out to either edge of the park. If an agency guy is telling me he’s worried, then who the hell are these people who took out Burke and set up Shepard?

Despite the heat and humidity, Carter’s face felt temporarily frozen.

“So Shepard worked for Burke as a what…a consultant or something, and now he’s become the fall guy for a government-sponsored program that has its origins back at your desk? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Covering your ass.”

“I’ve shoveled shit on numerous continents during the past three decades. My ass is secure, trust me. It’s Cal I’m worried about. He’s the best of a rare breed of agent. A natural predator who was born for the hunt like no other. Once he’s located who’s behind this—and he will—there will be no place for them to hide in this world.”

“And you’re just going to sit back and watch it unfold? Let slip the dogs of war…let him do what you trained him to do even if it means murdering people on U.S. soil?”

“His world and mine are not so black and white, Agent Carter. I’m surprised, growing up in the Bronx like you did, that you still adhere to such a pious code.”

So, he’s already done a deep background search on me…interesting. She leaned forward. “That’s not the way I work and not the way any civilized nation works. If I’m there when Shepard’s about to spring into action, then he’s going down. Vigilantes aren’t tolerated in this country and certainly not on my watch.”

“I don’t think you entirely believe that’s how civilized countries work. I suspect you overlaid a system of justice provided by your job with the bureau to compensate for the raw brutality of your life in the slums growing up. I’ve seen it before.” He pulled out his phone, typing in a number then hitting send.

“You a psychologist, too. Not a very good one…more like a burned-out spook who wants to make sure his pension’s secure.”

“This has been illuminating.” He glanced down at her phone, which had just pinged with his number. “If you care to text me that photo, I will see what my people can turn up on Montoya’s whereabouts.”

She smirked, glancing down at her device and forwarding it to his number.

“And for the record, I don’t expect an IOU,” she said. “There are still some of us who try and uphold the law because it’s the right thing to do, not because of an agenda.”

He smiled. “It appears that Cal isn’t the only rare breed of individual these days.” Patterson nodded at her as she stood. “Farewell and good luck, Agent Carter. And remember that the waters ahead may have a precipitous drop-off.”

She planted both of her feet, staring down at the man. “Next time just call me. That’ll go a long way towards fostering trust instead of this power-play bullshit.”

She walked back to her vehicle, wondering why he even wanted to meet, since he didn’t ask her anything other than about the forensics results from the explosion and had given such circuitous answers to her questions.

Carter looked back at the man, who was still sitting peacefully on the bench. He seemed more concerned about Shepard than about the rest of the case. Does he need to bring his protégé in from the cold before he talks or exposes something, or is he just genuinely worried about the man?

She got into her car, shaking her head and driving off. God, like I don’t have enough on my plate with the director breathing down my neck about the explosion and a bunch of Colombian assassins on Shepard’s trail. And fuck, then there’s Shepard himself, who I still need to apprehend!

She tried to convince herself that he was just a lone fugitive on the run with limited resources. Now she wasn’t so sure that he was the hunted, and she wondered if the body count on the bridge was only the beginning.

31

Cal acquired another vehicle and drove for a half-hour to College Park, four miles northeast of DC. He took a slow route around the playground that Vogel had indicated for the dead drop.

Once he was relatively certain that the place wasn’t