"And coming here must upset you."
"Why are we here?" Castleton repeated.
"I thought it fitting. Galen says I have no sense of ceremony or protocol, but that's not quite true. Not when it comes to this particular business."
"What business? What did you want me to do, Logan?"
"Just die." He whirled and smashed the ball of his hand upward under Castleton's nose, splintering the bones and driving them into his brain.
Chapter 4.
"Done?" Galen was standing in the middle of the path as Logan strode through the trees toward the campsite.
Logan nodded.
"What about disposal?"
"No one will find him."
He gazed at Logan curiously. "It's been a long time since you did a job like this. Did it bother you?"
"No."
"Not even a little? You've been a respectable businessman so long, I'd think you'd find it hard to revert to the old ways."
Logan's lips twisted. "I enjoyed it."
"I don't like traitors either. I told you I'd do it for you."
"I know. But it was my job. I chose him. If I'd kept a closer eye on Castleton, maybe I'd have sensed he'd turn Judas." His face darkened as he glanced over his shoulder. "All those lives . . ."
"It was probably a crime of opportunity. Castleton might have walked the straight and narrow if Rudzak hadn't tempted him."
"How tempting was it?"
"Sanchez said he was paid one million for helping them set up the attack on the facility, and he was to get another two when he lured you into the trap. How did you guess Castleton was in Rudzak's pay?"
"I didn't guess. I was just exploring every possibility. Castleton was conveniently in town when the attack occurred. I started from there. It could have been coincidence, but I couldn't take a chance on coincidence in a situation like this. I had to make sure. If he was dirty, then the lead he gave me to Sanchez would be bogus. Sanchez would be set up to give me the wrong information on how to find Rudzak, and I'd be led down the garden path straight into a trap. That's why I sent you to Sanchez."
"Because you knew how efficient I am."
"Because I couldn't have any more deaths on my hands. I thought the research center was safe here. But it wasn't safe. Rudzak found out about it."
"Stop beating yourself on the head. You didn't know Rudzak would turn up again. You thought he was in that prison in Bangkok."
"You're wrong. I always had a feeling he'd show up again."
"Then you should have had him killed in that prison. I offered to have it done." Galen glanced sideways at him. "Why didn't you?"
Logan didn't answer.
"I never could understand what went on between you and Rudzak. For a while I thought he was your best friend."
"So did I. Then he started to hate me. But he never let me see it until the end." He shrugged. "And he hates me more now. So maybe he was meant to get his shot at me."
"Fate?" Galen shook his head. "We make our own fate."
Logan agreed with that premise. He'd lived too long in the Far East not to have acquired a healthy respect for the patterns life seemed to weave. But he believed only to a degree. "Maybe. I only know I was dead certain I'd be Rudzak's prime target when I heard he'd finally managed to bribe himself out of that prison two years ago."
"Two years is a long time. I was hoping he might have forgotten you."
"Be for real. After what I did to him? I've been waiting for him. I knew he'd have to reestablish contacts before he'd go after me. But, Christ, I was hoping he wouldn't find out about the research facility."
"How long has it been operating?"
"Three years."
"Progress?"
"Early stages, but promising. Very promising. Bassett was brilliant."
"Was?"
"Freudian slip. He may still be alive. But since money isn't Rudzak's prime motivation, it could go either way."
"That was my reading. We're going in regardless?"
Logan nodded. "I won't have Rudzak killing my people or hovering over me like a dark cloud any longer. We're taking him out."
"When we find him. Just how good is Sarah and her dog?"
"Do you think I'd be taking
"Why are we here?" Castleton repeated.
"I thought it fitting. Galen says I have no sense of ceremony or protocol, but that's not quite true. Not when it comes to this particular business."
"What business? What did you want me to do, Logan?"
"Just die." He whirled and smashed the ball of his hand upward under Castleton's nose, splintering the bones and driving them into his brain.
Chapter 4.
"Done?" Galen was standing in the middle of the path as Logan strode through the trees toward the campsite.
Logan nodded.
"What about disposal?"
"No one will find him."
He gazed at Logan curiously. "It's been a long time since you did a job like this. Did it bother you?"
"No."
"Not even a little? You've been a respectable businessman so long, I'd think you'd find it hard to revert to the old ways."
Logan's lips twisted. "I enjoyed it."
"I don't like traitors either. I told you I'd do it for you."
"I know. But it was my job. I chose him. If I'd kept a closer eye on Castleton, maybe I'd have sensed he'd turn Judas." His face darkened as he glanced over his shoulder. "All those lives . . ."
"It was probably a crime of opportunity. Castleton might have walked the straight and narrow if Rudzak hadn't tempted him."
"How tempting was it?"
"Sanchez said he was paid one million for helping them set up the attack on the facility, and he was to get another two when he lured you into the trap. How did you guess Castleton was in Rudzak's pay?"
"I didn't guess. I was just exploring every possibility. Castleton was conveniently in town when the attack occurred. I started from there. It could have been coincidence, but I couldn't take a chance on coincidence in a situation like this. I had to make sure. If he was dirty, then the lead he gave me to Sanchez would be bogus. Sanchez would be set up to give me the wrong information on how to find Rudzak, and I'd be led down the garden path straight into a trap. That's why I sent you to Sanchez."
"Because you knew how efficient I am."
"Because I couldn't have any more deaths on my hands. I thought the research center was safe here. But it wasn't safe. Rudzak found out about it."
"Stop beating yourself on the head. You didn't know Rudzak would turn up again. You thought he was in that prison in Bangkok."
"You're wrong. I always had a feeling he'd show up again."
"Then you should have had him killed in that prison. I offered to have it done." Galen glanced sideways at him. "Why didn't you?"
Logan didn't answer.
"I never could understand what went on between you and Rudzak. For a while I thought he was your best friend."
"So did I. Then he started to hate me. But he never let me see it until the end." He shrugged. "And he hates me more now. So maybe he was meant to get his shot at me."
"Fate?" Galen shook his head. "We make our own fate."
Logan agreed with that premise. He'd lived too long in the Far East not to have acquired a healthy respect for the patterns life seemed to weave. But he believed only to a degree. "Maybe. I only know I was dead certain I'd be Rudzak's prime target when I heard he'd finally managed to bribe himself out of that prison two years ago."
"Two years is a long time. I was hoping he might have forgotten you."
"Be for real. After what I did to him? I've been waiting for him. I knew he'd have to reestablish contacts before he'd go after me. But, Christ, I was hoping he wouldn't find out about the research facility."
"How long has it been operating?"
"Three years."
"Progress?"
"Early stages, but promising. Very promising. Bassett was brilliant."
"Was?"
"Freudian slip. He may still be alive. But since money isn't Rudzak's prime motivation, it could go either way."
"That was my reading. We're going in regardless?"
Logan nodded. "I won't have Rudzak killing my people or hovering over me like a dark cloud any longer. We're taking him out."
"When we find him. Just how good is Sarah and her dog?"
"Do you think I'd be taking
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