David Morrell - The naked edge

"Exactly what we had in mind," Cavanaugh said. "But as long as we're here…"

"Let me guess. You want to talk about the Global Protective Service agents who've been killed."

"You know about that?" Cavanaugh looked at him in surprise.

"They're not the only ones. Protectors in various government agencies are being killed also."

"What?" Cavanaugh slackened his pace and veered from the path, stopping next to bushes.

Rutherford and Jamie followed him.

"The Secret Service. The U.S. Marshals. The Diplomatic Security Service. Three days ago, agents from all of them suddenly became targets." Rutherford took a towel from around his neck and wiped sweat from his forehead. "At first, it looked like they'd taken hits meant for the people they were protecting. But the casualties kept mounting, and most of the attacks happened when the agents were off-duty. We soon had to conclude-"

"The protectors were the targets."

"On a hunch, we checked the civilian protection agencies. The small ones didn't know what we were talking about. But a major one like Global Protective Services…"

"We took our share of hits," Cavanaugh said.

"'We'?" Rutherford frowned. "I thought you'd left the business."

"What's that line from one of the Godfather movies? 'Just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in'? Now I'm not only back in the business. I own the damned thing."

Cavanaugh explained what had happened at the GPS office in Manhattan and later in Eddie's car.

"Eddie Macintosh?" Rutherford looked appalled. "He's one of the best drivers I ever worked with."

"That's how he died. Behind a steering wheel."

A group of joggers sped by. Rutherford stepped farther toward the bushes, trying to get out of hearing range of anyone on the path.

"Sharp weapons? Bladed ones?" Rutherford asked.

"That's the pattern. Up close and intimate. Except for the attacks against Jamie and me."

"But at the time of the first one, you were retired. Out of the game. Why would anyone attack you?"

"Maybe somebody found out who was set to inherit Global Protective Services," Jamie said. "Maybe that couldn't be allowed to happen."

Cavanaugh looked around the park. "Aren't you nervous being out here in the open every morning?"

"Protectors are the ones getting killed, not FBI agents. But now that you've paid a visit…"

"We weren't followed."

"After last May, it's no secret we're friends."

"Hey, so far so good. Nobody's made a move against us while we've been talking," Jamie said.

"I'm not consoled."

"At first, I thought this was a client from my past, trying to keep me from revealing something incriminating that I happened to learn," Cavanaugh said. "Then, when I realized how many top-rate GPS operators had been killed, I figured this was an attack directed at the company-to put it out of business, or to get even for an assassination or a kidnapping that we prevented. But now… Attacks this widespread. You're assuming this is…"

"Who's got the money, the organization, and the determination?" Rutherford asked. "The Bureau believes it's a terrorist network taking out key security personnel and trying to intimidate the others so we're not prepared for another major assault. Protectors are trained to be shields, not targets. Presumably, the bad guys figure our protective divisions will be so busy looking over their shoulders that they won't be able to do their jobs."

"It's a hell of a distraction," Cavanaugh agreed.

"'Hell' might be appropriate in this case," the Southern Baptist said.

"Got any leads?"

"Every extreme faction in every country who hates us. Take your pick. These days, there are plenty to choose from. And as for possible ultimate targets, plenty to choose from there, also. For starters, the president."

"We'd better keep moving." Worried about directional microphones, Cavanaugh pointed toward a street next to the park, where traffic accumulated. "Over there. Next to the refreshing smell of automobile exhaust."

"And the noise of car engines?" Jamie asked.

"Hey, what's the harm in a few precautions?"

"You're going to ruin this place for me," Rutherford complained.

They increased speed toward the street.

"How did the government protectors die?" Cavanaugh asked.

"Sniper rifles, remote-controlled bombs, car ambushes."

"No bladed weapons?"

"A few, but no pattern. Nothing like what happened to your GPS operators."

"Then why was GPS singled out for that kind of weapon?" Jamie wondered.

"Last night, when I was studying the printouts of my former missions-" Cavanaugh breathed quickly as he ran. "-I couldn't find any client who might want to kill me because of things I knew about him. But the idea of knives reminded me of somebody."

"Who?" Rutherford asked.

"A former GPS agent. Can you use your Bureau resources to get a profile of a man named Carl Duran? And while you're at it, do a deep background check on Gerald Brockman, Kim Lee, and Ali Karim."

"But aren't they-"

"The top officers in GPS. Something's wrong there. Maybe it's got nothing to do with what's going on, or maybe it's got everything to do with it. Either way, I need to find out."

"Who's Carl Duran?" Jamie asked, lying next to Cavanaugh on a motel bed.

"Bad news." Preoccupied, Cavanaugh removed the magazine from his pistol and pulled back the slide, letting Jamie see that the firing chamber was empty. "Clear?"

"Clear."

He pressed the release lever, causing the slide to snap forward. Then, as was the habit of many operators, he practiced raising the pistol and lining up its sights. It was the equivalent of fingering worry beads. "Carl Duran and I went through Delta Force training together."

Jamie was propped against pillows the same as Cavanaugh was. She removed the magazine from her handgun, then pulled back the slide. "Clear?"

"Clear."

She too practiced aiming. The pistol came with a wide-notched rear sight that had a white dot on either side to encourage focusing. The front post had a similar, easy-to-distinguish white dot that made sighting easy.

"Some people have a misguided notion about special-operations personnel," Cavanaugh said. "They think we're beer-swilling bar-brawlers. They don't understand that what our trainers are looking for is discipline and control, and anybody who acts like a thug when he's off-duty doesn't meet those requirements. In fact, the best operators are amazingly well mannered. They've been conditioned to unleash massive amounts of violence. They've also been conditioned to have a mental on-off switch and to turn on that switch only when it's appropriate. When they're not working, it's essential to remain calm."

"And Carl Duran didn't?"

"He almost got kicked off Delta Force."

"What was his problem?"

"Special operators are attracted to the profession because they enjoy the rush of taking risks. You might even say they're addicted to it. They crave the satisfaction of knowing they were in danger and had the strength and determination to survive."

Cavanaugh thought a moment, remembering Carl. "Special operators are also attracted to the profession because they like the reinforcement of belonging to an elite group. There's no place for a grandstander in a special-ops unit. As the old joke goes, there's no 'I' in 'team.' For most special operators, the bond they feel for their group is greater than what they feel for their family. They get a powerful satisfaction from knowing that they and their teammates survived unimaginable dangers, that they're among the most special human beings in the world, and that they can count on each other for support, even if it comes to dying for each other."

"Carl Duran was a grandstander?"

"He wanted to prove he was better than anybody else. For him, everything was a contest-not with himself, which is the way Delta wants it, but with everybody in his unit. He had to be superior. The best operator. The best gunfighter. And he had to make sure everybody knew it. Even when he was a kid, he acted that way."