The First Commandment: A Thriller
Page 36
Schroeder didn’t know much about where Vignon had come from nor how he’d secured his job with the organization. Some said he was former military, others said he was former intelligence. Nevertheless, it was widely agreed that the man was discourteous and off-putting. Schroeder had looked into his background once, but the man was a black hole. Everything had been erased. The sick joke that had sprung up around his cold demeanor was that he was possessed of unusual powers; instead of seeing dead people, he created them.
He was the only American on the security team; the rest were Israelis, all handpicked by the security chief himself.
Vignon gave Schroeder a curt nod and waved him toward two of his men, one of whom was holding a metal detector wand. Considering all he was entrusted with at ATS, being wanded was an indignity. These wannabe Secret Service morons were out of control.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Schroeder simply submitted to the search. Before the security team could fully sweep him, though, his boss appeared.
“Where have you been?” the man demanded.
It was a stupid question. He knew where he had been, and Schroeder didn’t bother answering.
“You’d better not have bad news for me.”
Schroeder was opening his mouth to respond when his boss cut him off.
“Not here.” He gestured for him to follow and led him down a wide hallway to an opulent study. A myriad of exotic animal heads adorned the walls. A fire in the fireplace warded off the chill from outside.
Schroeder waited for his boss to offer him a seat, but the offer never came, so he just stood there.
“Well?” the boss asked, as he walked over to a wet bar and poured himself a drink.
Schroeder took a deep breath into his lungs and let it out. “I’m sorry. Nothing yet.”
“What do you mean, nothing yet?”
“We haven’t been able to locate anything.”
“Don’t give me that we bullshit,” the older man turned and said. “I made myself perfectly clear. I tasked you with this, and failure is not an option.”
Craig Middleton was in his early sixties, had a thin build and curly gray hair that resembled a scouring pad. Despite sporting a perpetual tan and laser-whitened teeth, the most distinct feature of his rather unremarkable appearance were his deep-set eyes, which were rimmed with dark circles. Contrary to Craig Middleton’s opinion, he was not an attractive man.
Schroeder eyed the matching purple silk tie and handkerchief that his peacock of a boss was sporting and, masking his distaste, focused carefully on his words. “It’s only a matter of time,” he replied. “Don’t worry.”
Middleton eyed his subordinate as he took a long draught of scotch. “Do you like your job, Kurt?”
“Excuse me?”
“I said do you like your job?”
“Of course I—”
The older man shook his head and motioned for him to be quiet. “I could have taken anyone under my wing, but I took you.”
“And I’m grateful for—”
“I don’t think you are, Kurt. I think, like the rest of your spoiled, entitled generation, you take everything for granted. I don’t think you know the meaning of hard work. What’s worse, I don’t think you know the meaning of loyalty. Do you have any idea what I put on the line to bring you in and raise you up through the ranks? Do you have any idea at all?”
Schroeder knew all too well. If it weren’t for Craig Middleton, he’d be sitting in a federal prison, or worse. “I think you know where my loyalty lies.”
The older man took another sip and then looked at his watch. “Do I? I’m the one who has to go sit down with the board in ten minutes and look like I have zero control over this organization, and it’s all because you aren’t doing your job.”
“We’re talking about a needle in a haystack.”
“We own the fucking haystack,” Middleton spat. “Every last fucking straw of it. We own every rock. We own every drainpipe. We own every hollowed-out fucking tree. You can’t even change your fucking mind without us knowing about it. So don’t tell me you’ve got nothing yet. You’ve got everything you could possibly need at your disposal. Which means you’d better get me something and get it to me soon. Do you understand me?”
Schroeder nodded.
“Don’t you fucking nod at me,” snapped Middleton. “Answer me.”
“Yes, sir,” he piped up. “I understand.”
His boss then raised his hand and pointed at the door. The pep talk was over.
As Schroeder left the house and climbed back into his car, Middleton crossed over to the desk and picked up the handset of his encrypted telephone, known as an STE, short for Secure Terminal Equipment. Inserting a dummy NSA Crypto Card into the slot, he dialed.
After two rings, the call was answered. “What’s the verdict?”
“I think he’s lying,” Middleton stated.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Follow him.”
“And if he is lying?” replied the voice.
“Add him to the list.”
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Brad Thor is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 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.
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