Read Online Chaos by David Meyer - Free Book Online Page A

one who’d already Tasered me.
    She sat down next to me. Crossing her legs, she stared directly at Chase. I glanced in her direction and felt my jaw unhinge.
    Beverly wore a tight, white collared shirt, popped open at the top, highlighting her ample chest. Her black and white pencil skirt hugged her hips and tapered to her knees, accentuating her legs. A perfect French manicure peeked out of her open-toed high heels, one of which she swung back and forth, over and over, like a hypnotist’s swing watch.
    First, she’d portrayed a victimized archaeologist. Now, she wore the attire and hungry look of a corporate executive. She was like some kind of sex-charged chameleon, changing her outfit and personality to match her needs.
    And to seduce her prey.
    I turned toward Chase. “You must be out of your mind.”
    “I know there are some trust issues here but –”
    “She lied to my face. She risked my life.” I raised my voice. “Then to top it off, she kidnapped me. Trust issues are the least of our worries.”
    “I understand your feelings. But this is non-negotiable. You need a partner.”
    I jerked my thumb at her. “And you think she’s the best choice? Does she have any experience conducting a manhunt? Does she know anything about the tunnel system?”
    Beverly smiled. “Maybe not. Then again, I’m not an archaeologist either, but I still managed to fool a so-called expert.”
    My blood boiled as I looked at her. “This isn’t some kind of game. I’m going to venture miles into a hostile, closed environment. There are no food sources and few places to access potable water. I can’t afford to expend time and energy babysitting you.”
    “I’ve experienced every type of weather and terrain known to man. I think I can handle a couple of city tunnels.”
    “In case it’s escaped your attention, the two subjects vanished for a reason,” I retorted. “Maybe a little-used tunnel collapsed on them. Maybe it was foul play. Regardless, if something goes wrong, there’s nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. I’m dead and so is anyone unfortunate enough to be with me.”
    I looked at Chase. “You already tried a manhunt. You already tried the police. You said it yourself back in Colombia…a solo operation might be the last chance you have to find Kolen and Adcock.”
    Chase smiled.
    The bastard. He’s actually enjoying this.
    “So I did,” he replied. “However, Beverly’s still travelling with you. But you have my word that she won’t get in your way. Her responsibilities are strictly limited to observing your progress and reporting back to me.”
    His tone indicated that the discussion was over. I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms.
    “Good,” he said. “Now, let’s get down to business. You mentioned you’d prepared a strategy?”
    “According to the briefing I read aboard the plane, after attempting to pawn the gold bar, Fred Jenson disappeared into a subway station near Union Square. An initial investigation revealed that he maintained a permanent residence somewhere in New York’s tunnels. Subsequently, you hired several teams to canvas the area.”
    I leaned forward. “One of those teams consisted of Javier Kolen and Dan Adcock. They entered the subway system shortly after midnight on August 21. They were tasked with searching several miles of tunnels, beginning with the Lexington Avenue Line. Javier reported his position at the start of the search but failed to check in at Union Square. Thanks to an eyewitness…”
    “A severely intoxicated eyewitness,” Beverly added.
    “…we have reason to believe that they successfully passed through the Grand Central Terminal station. Thus, I’ll begin my search at that point and trek south to Union Square.”
    Chase frowned. “I hoped for something more creative. The manhunt and police search exhaustively searched that entire length of tunnel.”
    “Those efforts were heavily flawed. They were conducted far too quickly and with a greater