Page 21 of Sinner's Salvation

“He’s on his way back here,” Gerry said. “He’ll explain himself or get demoted down to private.”

***

Evan strode back tothe security room, his heart rate and breathing faster than normal.

Was he really going to do this?

Throw his entire Army career into a dumpster and bodily follow it in with a couple of grenades in his hands?

The dumpster fire that resulted would burn him, that was guaranteed, but the one that the moron who was running this op had planned would be even worse. Evancouldn’tstop now.

He wouldn’t. He’d just met a fucking legend in the flesh, Anna Breznik – a woman who spied on the Germans during the Second World War and helped to make sure they were looking for the Allies to land on the wrong French beaches on D-day.

What she’d done was worth more than his Army career, though he wasn’t sure it would come to that. Ledger was a slimy son-of-a-bitch, and he was up to his armpits in some shady shit. If Evan could spin the situation in the right way, he might be able to emerge from this shit show without getting tried for treason.

First, he had to break her and the baby agent out of here and attempt to contact his own chain of command.

He opened the door to the security room.

Ledger and his two buddies turned to look at him.

“Well?” Ledger said.

“She’s not interested in cooperating. We’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

“What do you need to convince her to cooperate?” Ledger asked, frustration flattening his mouth.

Evan gave him an answer guaranteed to piss him off. “Time.”

One corner of Ledger’s lips curled up into a snarl. “We don’t have time. This needs to be done now.”

“Did you see the look on her face?” Evan asked. “That is not a woman who’s willing to talk.”

“Thenmakeher,” Ledger ordered, his face red and eyes bulging.

Evan shook his head. “I’m an interrogator, not a torturer.” He put up a hand to stop Ledger from speaking whatever bullshit that had been about to come out of his mouth. “I suggest calling the CIA if you want to give her snorkeling lessons.”

“I need this done now,” Ledger said, in a surprisingly cold tone for a man who looked like he was about to explode. “I don’t have time to call in someone else. I was told you’d follow my orders.” He took a step closer, into Evan’s personal space. “My orders are to restrain that creature in there and get the answers I want,now.”

Evan held his gaze for one complete heartbeat before he said grudgingly, “Yes, sir. I’ll need a couple of things from my duffel.”

“Get them,” Ledger spat out the words. “Then do your goddamned job.”

Evan pulled his bag out from where he’d dropped it earlier and unzipped it. He searched through his gear and pulled out his combat vest. Attached to it and inside various pockets were several useful items: ten feet of high tensile rope, a stun gun, a couple of knives, one for throwing and one for close quarter combat. Pepper spray, two thousand dollars in cash, a couple of different multi-tools, and extra clips for his Beretta.

He wasn’t going without his sidearm again.

He got his thigh holster on and put his gun in it. He looked through his bag again. Nope, nothing there he couldn’t live without. He tidied what was left, an extra set of his urban combat uniform hiding two compact devices with timers. They were his plan of last resort, He activated both of them as he moved his backup gun to the top of the bag, in view of the men watching him.

Show a man a gun and he rarely looked anywhere else. Evan had learned that bit of wisdom from his grandfather, who learned it from Anna.

Evan took his bag and shoved it under the tables holding the computers and monitors.

“Are you finally ready?” Ledger asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think it’s going to require all of this?” one of his stooges asked, waving his hand in front of Evan’s vest.

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