Read Online Without Options by Trevor Scott - Free Book Online Page B

LCD screen to a briefing one of his analysts had set in front of him moments ago before leaving him alone to his thoughts. Since taking over the Agency, this was the second time he had been briefed on his old friend Jake Adams. Sure he’d tried to call Jake back into service many times while he was the deputy director of the CIA. Maybe that was a mistake. But he always thought of Jake when he needed something done and could trust no others to do the job with such great verve. And Kurt trusted him like a brother. But this report was disturbing. He had also kept Jake’s recent problems secret from Jake’s ex-girlfriend, Toni Contardo. After what happened the last time the two of them had worked together, he thought that Toni and Jake should keep their distance. Love hate? That was the problem. Kurt wasn’t sure how the two of them felt toward each other anymore. Not that it mattered to him. He had asked the analyst to fetch Toni as soon as he scanned the briefing and she should have been to his office by. . .
    Knock on the door.
    Now.
    Toni entered wearing black slacks and a black sweater that highlighted her still-perfect body. Her long curly black hair flowed sensuously over her shoulders with each step she took in her high-heeled boots. He certainly understood Jake’s attraction. God, almost forty and she was still beautiful. But Toni was now untouchable. Married to a wealthy businessman from New York, whom she didn’t get to see much thanks to Kurt sending her all over the world on special projects. Helluva way to run a marriage.
    She took a seat on a leather chair to the side of the large desk, her hand sweeping hair away from her dark eyes. She crossed her legs and slowly tapped her fingernails on the arm of the chair.
    “You get your morning coffee?” Kurt asked her.
    Toni’s eye’s glanced at the wall, where numerous clocks ran from zulu in the center to locations around the world. It was zero six thirty local east coast. “An hour ago. What’s up?”
    “We have a situation in Europe with one of our assets,” Kurt started. “Former assets.” He searched for his words. “Let me bring you up to date.” He explained to Toni what had happened to Jake over two months ago in Austria, just days after Jake had worked a private case in Bulgaria. When he was done he waited for a response, knowing it could be anything from subdued indifference to pulling a gun and shooting him between the eyes.
    She looked stunned. “Jake almost died two months ago and I’m first hearing about it now? We’ve been friends for years.”
    “I know. I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but we weren’t sure if the hit was directed toward him or his wife.”
    “Girlfriend” she corrected.
    “Right. Besides, we had a local asset watching him while he was in the hospital for two months. If nobody tried to finish the job, we thought the hit must have been on Anna.”
    Toni’s expression changed from concern to alarm. “Really.”
    Kurt nodded.
    Expelling a deep breath, Toni said, “He could have used a friend, Kurt. I should have been there for him. He probably thinks I’m a complete ass.”
    “I thought you moved on. You’re married.”
    “We’re still friends.”
    Looking at the briefing again, Kurt thought how he had directed the conversation and realized he couldn’t have done it any better than he had. Now to close the deal.
    “That’s not everything,” Kurt said. “There was another hit attempt on Jake yesterday at his apartment in Innsbruck.”
    “Is he all right?”
    “Yeah. Jake killed one man, a Turkish Kurd, but the other man got away.”
    “Innsbruck? He was living in Vienna.”
    “He still owns the apartment in Innsbruck. Anna’s parents dissolved her apartment and sent Jake’s stuff back to his old place. Also, a man died setting a bomb to Jake’s car a few days before Jake got out of the hospital.”
    “Jesus,” she muttered. “What has he gotten into this time?”
    The two of them sat in