Page 111 of The Wild Charge

“Pardon?”

“Charles Willian Fox.” There had been no footfalls, but suddenly the voice wasmuchcloser. “You aren’t him.”

Shit.

~*~

The lampposts running the length of the bridge glowed with a cheery, warm light reminiscent of old gas lamps. They generated enough light to bathe the roof of the restaurant in soft shades of gray. Down below, on the strip of beach, the dark was impenetrable – not a problem for the man perched on the edge, peering down with night vision binoculars.

Barefoot, dressed in clinging leggings and turtleneck that didn’t so much as whisper when he moved, Fox walked soundlessly up behind the man and pressed a gun to the back of his head.

Marshall Hunter stiffened, but he didn’t lower the binoculars. “I had someone on lookout,” he said, conversationally.

“Don’t worry. He’s not dead.”

“Hm. The man in the boat is built a lot like you. Not as muscular, though. And the nose is wrong. One of your brothers, I’m guessing. Not the young one, though. I’m assuming he’s who incapacitated my boy?”

“He had help.”

“Ah. Reese. You’ve been putting him to good use, I see.”

Fox didn’t expect the surge of anger that flared inside him.Don’t talk about him. Don’t talk about either of them. They’re done with fuckers like you.His voice was light, though, when he said, “Since you brought him up, let’s talk about Reese. Is that what tonight’s farce is about? You trying to get him back?”

“Back?” Hunter chuckled. He still had the binoculars pressed to his face. “Nah. I’ve got no use for him anymore. He had promise, but I realized after a while that he had no initiative. Couldn’t think on his feet. Good at taking orders, bad at adapting to a changing situation.”

That anger in Fox’s belly started to simmer. “Meanwhile, your new ones are so genius they let us get the drop on them. You clearly traded up.”

Another low, creaky laugh. A laugh that saidI’m two steps ahead of you, and which pissed Fox the hell off. He pressed in harder with the barrel of his Browning, feeling the tiny flinch Hunter wasn’t able to suppress.

“Why am I here?”

Finally, the binoculars lowered. The laughter dropped out of Hunter’s voice like it had never been there, which sent a frisson of awareness through Fox. Here was another actor. A showman, like himself.

No, nothing like him.Nothing, he swore, vehemently.

“Can we at least face one another and do this in a civilized way?” Hunter asked.

“No. Start talking.”

“Should I call off my boy on the beach, first? Or let him kill your brother?”

“He kills him, I kill you.”

“Ah. But then I couldn’t check in. And if I don’t check in, then the crew in New York who just scared the shit out of your sisters gets the green light to do more than scare them.”

Every inch of Fox’s skin flashed cold, and broke out in goosebumps. “What are you on about?” he asked, mockingly, but his pulse jumped. He couldn’t remember ever being afraid for himself on any op, but mention of the girls turned his blood to ice.

“You haven’t heard yet? Guess your phone’s turned off. Or maybe that fucking princess Shaman called your president instead. He’s got daddy issues, doesn’t he?”

Fox’s arm flexed; his grip tightened on the gun. One quick strike against his temple would lay Hunter flat. Fox had zip ties. Could probably hoist the man over his shoulder, and get him off the roof, and then he could unleash Mercy on him…

No. No, he had to hear. He couldn’t jeopardize the plan.

“What did you do to my sisters?”

“Notme. I can’t be in two places at once. But there are people all over – there are people everywhere – who can reach out and touch you and yours. You can’t getaway. There’s no running. That’s what I came here to tell you. You’re out of your depth, Charlie. You and all your Dogs.”

“We. I thought you were just some sort of washed-up military wannabe who liked turning little boys into robots. How’d you get mixed up with Abacus?”

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