Page 61 of The 9th Man

“When I arrived at the site, Persik and his men were dead, all from close-quarters gunfire,” Jack Talley said. “Daniels and Stein were not there and one of our vehicles was gone.”

“How many were dead?”

“Five. The hangar was set up for interrogation. But somehow Daniels and the woman turned the tables.”

“How is that possible? The major was well trained.”

“Daniels is better. I explained this already. I warned you not to underestimate him.”

“Don’t lecture me.”

“I’m not. Just pointing out facts. I apologize if I offended.”

“What about Persik’s other men? His team was bigger than four.”

“We found one unconscious and tied up. Persik told me that two more were killed and dumped in the river. Their bodies have not turned up yet.”

“Forget them. What else?”

“As I said, one of Persik’s vehicles was gone. Daniels most likely took it. I’ve reported it stolen so the police will be on the lookout for it.”

“And the items found in the storage unit?”

“No sign of any of it.”

He paused to think, choosing his words with care. “Is Daniels vulnerable to compromise? Can he be leveraged?”

“Doubtful. When I knew him, he was a stand-up guy.”

“Is that respect I hear in your voice?”

“For service to this country, yes. But nothing more.”

“Everyone has a price. Find his.”

“I think that’ll be a dead end.”

“Which leaves us with limited options,” he said. So he gave his usual command, “I want to know who he loves. His family, friends, anyone and everyone. Same with Stein’s granddaughter. Find out what will hurt them most.”

“I’ll start assembling information,” Talley said. “But first I have a few other routes I want to try.”

“Please explain.”

“I might know where they’re headed next.”

“I was hoping you were ahead of them. Will that destination offer them anything?”

“No. I’ve seen to it. But it could provide us with an opportunity.”

“Sounds promising. Keep me informed.”

He ended the call.

This nightmare might soon be over. No longer were things spiraling out of control. Instead, he’d turned lemons into lemonade.

And was now on the verge of sealing this ever-expanding leak in the dam.

27

---