Read Online No Fortunate Son by Brad Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

income was from crime. Gaining small-scale payoffs from extorting drug dealers and businesses, they spent more effort trying to collect operational funds than on the operations themselves.
    In order to increase the flow of money, Seamus had had some of his men migrate to the continent, working with a team of Serbian jewel thieves who were experts in their chosen field. Called the Pink Panthers by Interpol, they’d pulled off some spectacular heists. While their nickname implied buffoonery, the operations were anything but. In less than a decade they’d netted over five hundred million dollars in places as far flung as Dubai and Tokyo, conducting hits that looked more fit for a Hollywood movie than real life.
    Even with that, the Serbs were the undisputed leaders of the team. They used Seamus’s men for their specific skills but took most of theprofits, leaving him little to show for the risk. But through it he’d learned that there was money to be made if one found something valuable enough to steal. He’d decided to graduate from material things. After all, at the root, what was more valuable than life?
    While his men thought the entire operation was about money, for him it was personal. Make no mistake, he intended to earn enough funds to keep them in operations for decades, but he also had some lessons for the special relationship between Britain and the United States. Lessons only his brother Braden knew about.
    Kevin turned from the computer, a Reuters press report on the screen. “Looks like they just conducted a strike in Yemen. Hit a wedding party by mistake. Talk about perfect timing.”
    Seamus smiled. “You see, you can always count on the Yanks. They don’t take any shit. Unless something valuable is at stake.” He turned to Colin and said, “Execute the plan. Get the package in the air. Time to show we’re serious.” To Kevin, “Go ahead and send the message.”
    Kevin pulled up the Whitehouse.gov contact page and filled out the return information using the name of one Abu Mustafa. He typed a message, then turned around and looked at Seamus, waiting on permission.
    Dialing his phone, a concerned look on his face, Colin said, “You sure that can’t be traced? The government owns that website and the United States will bring everything they have to bear. The NSA is no joke.”
    Kevin said, “I’d try to explain it to you, but it would be wasted effort. Just consider it magic, and me Gandalf. It can’t be traced. Unlike me, the NSA isn’t a magician.”
    Seamus said, “Send it.”
    With Colin talking in the background, Kevin posted the message. Seamus waited until Colin was done and asked, “Any issues?”
    “No. They’re ready to leave Honduras. They’d already made the tape. Now it’s just a matter of cutting the limbs. The issue is whether we’ve gone too far too soon. This is going to cause the US to explode.”
    Seamus bristled, saying, “What is your fucking problem? Are you afraid of them? Afraid of the fight? They are no more powerful thanEngland. No more powerful than the intelligence agencies we’ve been fighting for years. They know nothing of us. They’re babies in our fight. They’ll never figure it out. The secret is the power
we
hold. They will be looking for the wrong people, and in the meantime someone will pay for them. One way or the other.”
    “What about later? When the hostages say it wasn’t a bunch of ragheads who held them? How long can we hold up under that pressure? Christ, all they have to say is we had Irish accents.”
    “The hostages will never talk. It’ll work out. Worst case, we blame the Serbs. We’re paying them enough.”
    Colin said, “One more weak link. Those bastards will sell their own mothers. They have no cause.”
    “You’re wrong. They have the omertà. They will never utter a word. I’m more worried about you.”
    Colin said nothing under Seamus’s withering gaze. He eventually nodded, wanting to break the contact.
    Seamus held