Read Online Kill Chain by J Robert Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

Maggie.
    “I just wish I knew where
he was,” said Vanessa, her face clouding over.
    “Oh, we saw him on the
news. He’s perfectly safe.”
    Vanessa smiled at Maggie.
“Really? Where?”
    “South Korea.”
    Vanessa’s eyes shot wide,
her jaw dropping. “South Korea? Haven’t you been listening to the news?” She
rushed from the kitchen, Maggie following. There was a mad scramble for the
remote as Bryson tried to play keep-away, a snap from his mother ending the
game. Maggie switched from cartoons to CNN.
    “Oh my God!”
     
     

23

    Unknown
Location
Seoul,
Republic of Korea
     
    Nancy
gripped the bench she was sitting on, bracing herself as they came to a rather
abrupt halt. Something was said over the speaker in a language she didn’t
recognize, though it sounded Chinese or Japanese to her—hell, it could have
been Korean or Thai.
    All she knew was it meant
nothing to her, and it was the first time they had been spoken to in anything
but English.
    The Chinese woman seemed
scared.
    I guess it’s Chinese.
    The French President’s
wife leaned forward. “What did he say?”
    The rear door began to
lower, sunlight pouring in, the sounds of traffic and life suddenly heard.
    Nancy’s heart raced.
    If I time it right, I
can get out of here.
    “I think they’ve ordered
me off the truck.”
    “You think?”
    “I-I’m not sure. It-it
was a bad translation, but I’m pretty sure they want me off the truck.”
    “But why?”
    “I-I don’t know.”
    Nancy tore her eyes away
from potential freedom and stared at the now shaking Chinese woman.
    “I-I think they’re going
to kill me!”
    The French woman jumped
up and shook a fist at the camera, anger etched across her face. “Who are you to
do such a thing! What gives you the right to treat people like this! This woman
has done nothing wrong! She’s only a wife like the rest of us! We have no
power!”
    “Behind every strong
man is a strong woman.”
    Nancy held her breath,
the excitement of someone finally fighting back nipped in the bud with the
cold, digital reality that faced them.
    Everyone flinched then
turned as one as the rear ramp hit the pavement with a rattle. Nancy felt her
body tense as the internal debate raged on whether to bolt.
    Two drones suddenly
dropped into view from above, making the decision for her.
    “Leave now, or you
will die. You will stand on the side of the road until the drones leave. If you
attempt to leave before that, you will be killed, and so will the others.”
    The Chinese woman stood,
straightening her jacket before sucking in a deep breath, forcing as much
dignity as she could muster on her face, though her trembling chin betrayed the
terror she felt as she jerked forward, a step at a time.
    Nancy reached out on
impulse, squeezing her hand. The woman flinched then looked at her, forcing a
smile on her face before patting Nancy’s hand.
    “Be safe, little one.”
She reached the rear of the truck and turned back to face the others. “I-I’m so
sorry. I don’t know why they’re letting me go.”
    “It’s okay. Tell my
husband and kids that I love them,” said the Italian woman, tears flowing down
her cheeks, she suddenly human again, Nancy immediately regretting her horrible
thoughts of earlier. A flurry of messages burst forth, but Nancy sat silently,
gripping the bench as she continued to resist the urge to follow the Chinese
woman down the ramp.
    The moment her feet hit
the pavement the ramp began to rise, the large rectangle of light disappearing
quickly, becoming a narrowing shaft, then nothing.
    “Why do you think they
let her go?” asked someone, Nancy not sure who, her eyes still adjusting to their
old reality.
    Suddenly she blurted out
the first thing that came to mind.
    “Maybe the Chinese are
behind this?”
     
     

24

    Crawford
Residence
Forest
Hills, Washington, DC
     
    “Dude,
are you seeing this?”
    Jeff Crawford’s head
bobbed as he snapped his jaw shut before his friends noticed. “These