by Jason Kasper
“Yes, but they don’t help us.”
“How so?”
“The first two words were names—Merym, his wife, and Patime, his daughter. Both killed in a Chinese concentration camp.”
I felt my chest tighten with the recognition of what this man had lost...would I be any more civil if our roles were reversed?
Or would I be worse?
I managed an unemotional tone as I continued, “And the rest?”
“Wǒ yào huí jiāle translates as, ‘I’m coming home.’”
Swallowing hard, I asked, “Has our birdie begun to sing?”
I was referring, of course, to the lone surviving terrorist, presently in CIA custody—the man Reilly had knocked out with a haymaker blow before we ascended to the top deck. Not even the ship’s captain had made it out alive; my team had found him in the control room, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Duchess replied, “Oh, he’s singing a song you won’t believe. But we’ll have to save that for a conversation in person.”
“In person?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. “It sounds like you’re saying I still have a team.”
“For now, and only because you thwarted the attack. Though this was your last chance to color outside the lines of authority. You had one alibi before being disbanded. But you used about seventeen, and if you’re expecting any more latitude in operational authorities, I’ll have to disappoint you in stating that you’re severely mistaken. This entire program—and my leadership of it—is now under more political and military oversight than ever before.”
“Understood,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll get in touch when we have something for you to move on. Goodbye, Suicide.”
“Goodbye, Duchess.”
Ending the call, I hurried to finish the dishes, my mind racing.
There was much I didn’t know—who had handpicked Bari Khan to lead the attack, or why. After all, he’d demonstrated remarkable tradecraft and sophistication, complete with financing and logistical support from a now-fugitive billionaire. There was simply no way that Bari Khan got that lucky on what was ostensibly his first terrorist operation, and Ian felt the same way.
Someone had to be pulling the strings, and until we figured out who, I’d remain troubled by Bari Khan’s words: This is just the beginning.
I brushed the thoughts from my mind. Whatever additional information Duchess had about the origin of the attack or her living detainee’s information, it could wait. At the moment, I had far more important things to attend to.
Starting the dishwasher in my perfectly ordinary suburban home, I went upstairs to join my family as we got ready for the day.
Thanks for Reading
The story continues in Last Target Standing, Shadow Strike #2. Read on to learn more.
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LAST TARGET STANDING:
SHADOW STRIKE #2
When a narrowly foiled terrorist attack leaves more questions than answers, David Rivers and his team are sent to uncover the mastermind.
The mission will take them to the rugged mountains of China, where they will stop at nothing to find their man…the last target standing between them and a sinister conspiracy with global implications.
Click here to purchase Last Target Standing now
Last Target Standing
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ALSO BY JASON KASPER
Spider Heist Thrillers
The Spider Heist
The Sky Thieves
The Manhattan Job
Shadow Strike Series
The Enemies of My Country
Last Target Standing
American Mercenary Series
Greatest Enemy
Offer of Revenge
Dark Redemption
Vengeance Calling
The Suicide Cartel
Terminal Objective
Standalone Thriller
Her Dark Silence
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About the Author
Jason Kasper is the USA Today bestselling author of the Spider Heist, American Mercenary, and Shadow Strike thriller series. Before his writing career he served in the US Army, beginning as a Ranger private and ending as a Green Beret captain. Jason is a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and was an avid ultramarathon runner, skydiver, and BASE jumper, all of which inspire his fiction.
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