by Brad Thor
The families and victims needed closure. He understood. Though, if they had known what he was willing to do, he was certain many of them would have quietly chosen to have him handle things.
Part of handling things his way had been to get Staelin, Barton, and Morrison to pump Vottari full of Rohypnol and leave him naked in a cheap hotel room on Sicily. It wasn’t the justice he deserved, but that had been Harvath’s agreement with Argento, and he intended to honor it.
After a seventy-two-hour hold, the ROS operatives in Palermo blindfolded Ragusa, Naya the bartender, as well as the two bodyguards and dropped them in the middle of the street in front of the Black Cat.
Upon returning home, Bob McGee and Lydia Ryan had requested a private debriefing with Harvath. They met, as they had previously, at the blue lockhouse.
After taking them through everything that had happened, Ryan then explained all that she and the Old Man had been wrestling with.
Susan Viscovich had spilled the beans on Andrew Jordan. Working with Jake Fleischer, Nicholas had been able to connect Jordan and a ton of offshore accounts to Paul Page and Page Partners, Ltd.
In fact, they had been able to identify two other sources inside the Agency that Page had been buying information from without Jordan’s knowledge.
The problem, though, was that Jordan had gone missing. No one had heard from him and no one knew where he was. They suspected Page might have had something to do with it. Harvath had been tasked with getting to the bottom of it.
Once he did, though, Page’s confession—secured under considerable duress—was absolutely inadmissible in court. Ryan and McGee were just happy to have recovered Jordan’s body from the forest preserve where it had been buried, and to have closure. The possibility of a well-funded rogue CIA agent floating around wasn’t something they wanted to add to their to-do list.
And while recovering Jordan’s body and knowing Page had been responsible for his murder did provide closure, it didn’t provide any sense of justice. That was where the Old Man had come in.
The moment Harvath had heard his idea, he had been one hundred percent onboard. It meant one more plane ride, but he was happy to do it.
Pumping Paul Page full of ketamine, he had flown with him to Malta. There, he had met up with Vella, who had provided him a vehicle and a ticket on the high-speed car ferry to Sicily. Argento’s lieutenant, along with Roberto and Naldo, had met them upon arrival.
In the car trunk, “attempting to sneak into Italy,” was Page. In his pocket was a key for a safety deposit box at a bank in Palermo. In the box was a passel of uncut diamonds, paid for with money drained from one of Andrew Jordan’s offshore accounts.
It was a payday worth sneaking into Italy for. No matter what tall tale Page told about being smuggled into Italy against his will, no jury would ever believe him. Not only would he be expected to serve his full sentence for the kidnapping of the Milan Imam, but the diamonds would be forfeited and go toward paying off the fines levied against him in the case.
For a man suffering from Alzheimer’s, Reed Carlton was still pretty sharp.
“I have good days and bad,” he said, as he picked up his drink and joined Harvath at the windows. “The only thing I know for sure is that it’s not getting better.”
This was the visit Harvath had wanted to pay before he had left for Libya, but now that he was here, he wanted to be anywhere but. Knowing the Old Man was slipping away was more painful than having him suddenly taken.
The two of them were like family. Now, the father was looking to hand over the business to the son. The problem, though, was that the son didn’t want it. Not fully. Not yet.
“I know you want me to run a Special Activities Division for you,” he said, “but I’ve still got a lot of special activities I’d actually like to carry out. I don’t want to sit behind a desk.”
“What if you didn’t have to?” Carlton asked. “What if it were a hybrid and you could do a little bit of everything?”
“There’d have to be a solid team in place, starting with a number two who knew what the hell he or she was doing.”
“I hear you and Mike Haney get along pretty well. What about him?”
Harvath smiled. The Old Man was always up on everything. “Haney walks funny.”
Carlton smiled back. “That might be permanent. Time will tell. Nevertheless, he’s interested. If you are.”
“You already talked to him?”
“Of course. I don’t have a lot of time to pull this succession plan together.”
Harvath loved the Old Man, and also loved his offer, but there was a reason he had left D.C. and moved to Boston. “I have a plan I’m trying to pull together too. I can’t do that from here.”
“What if you didn’t have to?” said a voice.
He turned to see Lara standing in the doorway of the study. He didn’t know if he should hug Carlton or hit him. He had always been a resourceful yet manipulative spy. For the moment, Harvath decided to ignore him.
Crossing over to Lara, he took her in his arms and hugged her. He had missed her. “What are you doing here?”
“Lydia Ryan called me.”
“Against my wishes,” said Carlton.
“She cares about both of you,” Lara continued, “and she thinks you should take this position.”
Harvath laughed. “I’m sure she does. It’d make her job a lot easier having me around.”
“So do it. Take the position.”
“But what about us? What about Boston?”
“We’ll figure it out,” she replied. “Right now, though, there are a lot of people who need you here. The country needs you here. Not in Boston.”
“And you and Marco?” he asked.
“You made the move for us and I love you for that. But maybe we should have made the move for you. Maybe the right answer for all of us is here.”
Harvath kissed her. This was what he wanted. This was exactly where he wanted to be.
Looking over at Carlton, he saw the Old Man smile.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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The best part (for an author) of finishing a novel is getting to the acknowledgments and saying thank you to all the people so important to the process.
At the top of my list are you, my amazing readers—old and new. Thank you for making the career I love possible. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Thank you for all the great word of mouth. I work for you, and I have the best employers in the business.
Next, a BIG thank-you to all the sensational booksellers across the globe who sell my thrillers. You are gateways to adventure, excitement, and escape. We romanticize what you do, even though we know so much hard work goes into it. Always know how much this author (and book buyer) appreciates you.
Thank you, James Ryan, for your help on this one. While you’re out there doing it, I’m at my desk writing it. You continue to inspire me to improve myself in every area of my life. Knowing I can reach out to you day or night is invaluable.
This year, while going through some old photographs, I found a picture of me and Sean F when we were little, little kids. I framed a copy and gave it to him for Christmas. It was a token not only of our friendship, but of my thanks for what he has given to this country and for the help he has provided me on my books. Thank you, Sean, for everything.
Speaking of photographs, I am indebted to Greg Hammonds for the pictures and fascinating, firsthand information he shared with me about Tajikistan.
Through thick and thin, Rodney Cox is someone I truly value. His advice is always excellent, and I appreciate his hard-won experience forged in some of the darkest corners of the world. Thank you, my friend, for everything.
J’ro—that was the best bottle of whiskey I ever consumed. A late, late evening indeed, but the information was invaluable. Thank you for that and so many other things.
Thomas Williams was a big help on and off the page. Thank you, brother—from the entire family.
Soon to be a newly minted thriller author himself, George Petersen was extremely gracious in answering a wide array of questions. No detail was ever too small. Thank you, George. I appreciate all of it.
Pete Scobell, Morgan Luttrell, and Paul Craig are good buddies and exceptional Americans. They helped in key places throughout the book, and I am grateful for their assistance. Next time we’re all in the same town, dinner’s on me.
Rome-based journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau couldn’t have been more generous with her time. Her writing on the refugee crisis in Europe, human smuggling, and the ISIS-Mafia connection is top-notch. If you’d like to learn about any of those subjects, make sure to check out her work. Thank you, Barbie.
My thanks also go to Chad Norberg, Jon Sanchez, Robert O’Brien, Peter Osyff, John Schindler, and Jeff Boss. America isn’t good because it is great, it is great because it is good. The selfless service these men have rendered to our great nation continues to humble me. I am honored to know them and to be able to call on them for help in writing my novels. Thank you.
As many people as I can name, there are also those whom I cannot. To those selfless warriors out there taking the fight to the bad guys each and every day, thank you.
Debra Lovett and Susan Viscovich helped contribute to two wonderful causes near and dear to my heart. These are two absolutely amazing ladies worthy of a novel all their own. I hope they enjoy their namesakes herein, and maybe—just maybe—we’ll see a return appearance in the future. I thank you both.
The publishing world’s equivalent of Scot Harvath is the magnificent Carolyn Reidy. You could not ask for a better champion on your side. Thank you for everything, Carolyn, and here’s to many more years of excitement and success together.
The outstanding Judith Curr and the marvelous Louise Burke take such good care of me. If there’s an issue that needs handling, I only need to ask, and they’re on it. I am thankful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I am extremely fortunate to be working with you both.
All of my novels have been with Simon & Schuster, and I want to thank everyone in the entire magnificent organization. A more wonderful group of people you will never meet. I am honored to be a part of the family. Thank you.
My absolutely brilliant editor and publisher, Emily Bestler, deserves more thanks than I could ever give her here. There isn’t a single part of the process that she isn’t involved with—and all are made so much better because of her involvement. Simply put, there is none better. Thank you, Emily, for your wisdom and unending well of talent.
So, I have this unbelievable guy from Frank Sinatra’s hometown in New Jersey who can make anything happen. You could write the best book in the world, but if no one knew about it, where would you be? That’s where the tremendous David Brown comes in. He is the publicists’ publicist. Thank you, D—for every single thing.
When you have Cindi Berger and PMK-BNC on your team bringing additional PR heat, it’s like having the Avengers on speed-dial. They are super people and super professionals. Thank you.
My entire Atria, Emily Bestler Books, and Pocket Books family is very important to me and I want to thank them for everything they do all year long. You are the best.
I want to also thank the incomparable Michael Selleck, Gary Urda, and John Hardy, as well as the astounding Colin Shields, Adene Corns, Lisa Keim, Irene Lipsky, Lara Jones, Alison Hinchcliffe, the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books sales team, Albert Tang and the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books Art Departments, Al “Don’t worry, Brad, I got this” Madocs and the Atria/Emily Bestler Books Production Department, Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, Sarah Lieberman, Desiree Vecchio, Armand Schultz, and the entire Simon & Schuster audio division.
One of the best days of my personal and professional life was the day I met my astonishing agent, Heide Lange of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. I owe Heide more thanks than I will ever be able to convey. Thank you, Heide. You mean the world to me.
As James Bond has Q, Heide (and I) have the incredible Stephanie Delman and Samantha Isman. I thank you both for everything you do for me on a daily basis. And to that, let me also thank everyone else at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates for such wonderful assistance throughout the year.
In a word, Yvonne Ralsky is marvelous. The key to being successful is surrounding yourself with great people and letting them do what they do best. Yvonne, you are one of the greatest. My thanks to you and your wonderful family for being part of the team.
Every year, I thank my awesome entertainment attorney and dear friend, Scott Schwimer. He’s not only a superstar in Hollywood, but he’s also one of the best people I have ever met. Thank you, my friend.
Finally, my biggest thanks of all go to my spectacular family. If it weren’t for you, this book would not have happened. Ours truly is a “family business.” You do more for me than I can list here. No father or husband could ever ask for more supportive people in his life. I love you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
In closing, please visit my website. I not only create a lot of bonus content for the novels, but I also put out a fun, fast, free newsletter each month that includes a terrific prize. Swing by BradThor.com and check it out.
Now, with the novel complete and everyone thanked, I am off on my next adventure!
RESOURCES
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I spend a lot of my time between books reading and doing research. Material ends up piled all around my office, taped to the walls, etc. Picture the movie A Beautiful Mind and you’re about halfway there.
In writing Use of Force, a few resources stand out, and I would like to share them with you:
No Easy Day by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer
No Hero by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer
Fearless by Eric Blehm
Beyond Repair by Charles S. Faddis
Fair Play by James M. Olson
As I mentioned in the acknowledgments, I also highly recommend the reporting of Barbie Latza Nadeau on ISIS, the Mafia, and the European refugee crisis.
Scott Onstott’s blog at secretsinplainsight.com provided fascinating information about sacred geometry and patterns of distance between major world landmarks.
Burningman.org and burners.me are excellent resources for anyone wanting to learn more about the Burning Man celebration.
For the writers out there, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi put out a great series of books covering character expression, flaws, and attributes. If you’re looking for insight into why people do what they do, this is a great place to start.
Finally, in order to satisfy the time constraints of the novel, I took artistic liberty with the start/stop dates of the Burning Man festival and the Fête des Tuileries in Paris. In all other areas, I worked to be as accurate as possible.
Any mistakes in the novel are on me, and I take full responsibility for them.
Thank you for reading Use of Force.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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BRAD THOR is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Foreign Agent, Code of Conduct, Act of War, Hidden Order, Black List, Full Black (one of Suspense Magazine’s best political thrillers of 2011), The Athena Project, Foreign Influence (one of Suspense Magazine’s best political thrillers of 2010), The Apostle, The Last Patriot (nominated best thriller of the year by the International Thriller Writers Association), The First Commandment, Takedown, Blowback (recognized as one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” by NPR), State of the Union, Path of the Assassin, and The Lions of Lucerne. Visit his website at BradThor.com.
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ALSO BY BRAD THOR
The Lions of Lucerne
Path of the Assassin
State of the Union
; Blowback
Takedown
The First Commandment
The Last Patriot
The Apostle
Foreign Influence
The Athena Project
Full Black
Blacklist
Hidden Order
Act of War
Code of Conduct
Foreign Agent
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