Sheepdog Page 11
TWENTY-EIGHT
NEW YORK CITY—ONE WEEK LATER
I sat in the outdoor cafe, enjoying my cup of Deathwish Espresso in the afternoon sun, when the black car rolled to a stop across from me.
“You have eyes?” I muttered under my breath, as I brought the cup to my lips.
“I am the holy finger of God, baby,” Bella said over the com. “It’s him.”
Adams stepped out of the car and waved off his security detail, who refused to comply and hovered on the fringe of the cafe tables, scanning the perimeter.
He was older than I recalled, still fit, with a resting murder face of mild disgust mixed with open contempt. His gray hair was trimmed down into a crew cut—some habits never die. There were a few more wrinkles around his face, but his eyes were still vibrant and looked right through you.
“License plate?” he said as he settled into his chair. “Both of them.”
“DIA-29812 and WA-63456” I said, before taking another sip. “You sneaky bastard.”
“No subterfuge,” he answered, getting the waiter’s attention. “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”
“Your turn,” I said. “Who and what?”
“Five tables,” he started. “Fringe one: a couple of agents from DHS, probably wondering if you’re staking out the place to blow it to bits. Caesar salad and a pasta Alfredo—both untouched.”
“Since when did I blow up anything?”
“There is a crater I could show you, if you’re interested.”
“Continue,” I said, taking another sip. “And that wasn’t my fault.”
“Fringe two: the two businessmen are really FBI who will back up any action DHS takes this afternoon. One of them is being investigated for corruption. No food yet on the table—amateurs.”
“Maybe they aren’t hungry?”
“Rookie mistake, they’ve gotten sloppy and complacent.”
“Fringe three?”
“Genuine patrons enjoying an afternoon meal in this great city of ours.”
“Good to see we still have regular people in this city,” I said. “Makes it all worthwhile.”
“Indeed. Fringe four is a buyer who will approach you regarding the procurement of a certain seismic device and its chemical catalyst. My people will have a conversation with him—if you don’t mind.”
“Glad I could be of service.”
“Smartass. Mmm, this is good,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “What is this called?”
“Deathwish.”
“How appropriate for those in your orbit,” he said, taking another sip. “I will have to stock some in the office.”
“Fringe five?”
“Two of your team—your shadow, the lethal and lovely Anvil, and your explosives expert, Monk, if I recall,” he said, feigning memory loss.
“Cut the shit, I know your power of recall. Not bad, old man—not bad.”
“Can still kick your ass,” Adams replied and sat back sipping his coffee. “Oh, tell Bella that water tower she’s in, is infested with rats.”
“Fuck me!” I heard Bella yell over the com.
Adams leaned in. “Still doesn’t like them?”
I nodded. “Bullock?”
“He will still be your liaison—under protest. Though, you may need to smooth things over. No one likes getting shot. Not even with riot rounds.”
“I’ll make it up to him,” I said. “Tell him I said thanks for the power move.”
“Glad I could be of service,” Adams answered with a head tilt, echoing my earlier comment. “Figured you needed an assist.”
“Check, please,” I said, raising my hand. “I have something to give you an assist at the office.”
The waiter, Cans, came over and placed a small package on the table. For a brief second, Adams looked genuinely surprised.
“The waiter? One of yours?”
I nodded and placed a hand on the box, moving it to his side of the table.
“The formula for a certain stable catalyst, along with a method of containment, with samples of each. I suggest you don’t jostle the box.”
“In exchange for?” Adams asked, eyeing the box warily. “What do you need?”
“Even trade. Two for two. Call off Lydia and her CITADEL dogs. Rebuild my base and grant my team complete autonomy.”
“I count three things.”
“Lydia is one of yours,” I said. “I’m adding her in because I know CITADEL does good work. I would hate to have to shut her down.”
Adams leaned back and took another sip of his coffee, savoring it and trying to make me sweat. I knew he would agree. The stable compound was lost in the building collapse. That, plus the formula for the Cascader, meant I just gave him the keys to the kingdom. He would go from Acting Director to Director with full privileges and benefits.
“I can give you the new base and take the heat off with Lydia.”
“Autonomy?”
“Limited autonomy.” He raised a hand when I was about to protest. “Hear me out.”
“I’m listening.”
“You and your team destroyed a classified government facility,” he said. “There are some who would prefer to see a certain one horned animal and his friends, in the deepest bowels of Leavenworth.”
“People can be ungrateful,” I said with a tinge of anger. “We were cleaning up someone else’s mess.”
“Which is why we’re out here enjoying this wonderful coffee in a pleasant cafe and not draping a wet towel over your face in some undisclosed location.”
We stared at each other for close to ten seconds before we both sighed.
“How limited?” I asked.
“I’ll only call you when there’s no other recourse,” Adams answered. “You liaise with Bullock, but report directly to me—no one else.”
“Let me discuss it with my team,” I said, pushing back from the table. “I’m going to need their input and get your offer in writing.”
“I had a feeling you would say that,” he said, motioning to his security. “See if this motivates you.”
One of the security men came over and handed Adams a folder. Adams pushed it slowly across the table.
“That’s for you and your team—If you want it.”
“If you pull another Greenland move—”
“Funny you would say that,” he answered, tapping the folder and standing as he grabbed the box gingerly. “Thank you for the coffee. I expect to hear from you soon.”
“Not likely,” I said as he left the table. “We’re going on vacation.”
“I hear Greenland is excellent this time of year. I’ll have Bullock call you…to arrange travel.”
I looked down and opened the folder.
There was one sheet of paper in the folder with one sentence in the middle of the page—one sentence that could end my life.
The jewels of Nuuk are missing.
THE END
Author Notes
Our lives are measured by the risks we take.
For me, SHEEPDOG, this story—was a huge risk.
I’ve loved the action thriller genre ever since I was very young. Together with my dad, I would watch Peter Graves & Co. pull off the impossible missions every week on TV. My appreciation for action stories only matured as I discovered Bond, Secret Agent, The Prisoner, The Avengers(with Patrick Macnee and the attractive Diana Rigg) and more. I continued to explore the world of action adventure through books by entering the worlds of: John Le Carre, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, Barry Eisler, Lee Child, Eric Van Lustbader, Ian Fleming, and many others.
I never thought I would write in this genre.
Yes, I enjoyed reading and watching it, but writing it? It felt daunting—almost impossible.
Even though it wasn’t urban fantasy, I’m beginning to see and understand that a good story can transcend genre. That is what I hope I accomplished with SHEEPDOG—given you a good story. You may find inconsistencies or pure fabrications(it is a story after all)
but I’ve tried to be as authentic as I could. Next gen tech is pretty close to magic when we think about it.
However, if you discover something completely off the deep end in terms of the tech or weapons (I tried to keep it close, if not authentic to reality) please send me an email with your concern. I am open to and appreciate feedback. If it makes the story better, even more so.
I had a great and challenging time writing this story and I’m proud of how it turned out. I want to extend a special thanks to my Advance Reader Team and those concerned readers with military and weapons experience who pointed out gross inconsistencies and added nuances to make the story feel authentic. Any error in this story is solely mine.
Thank you for taking a chance and reading this story. It’s a departure for me to write a straight (no magic-no hand wavium) thriller. I hope you enjoyed jumping into this story with Shep and the RHINOS. If you want to see more of their adventures, it really is up to you—the reader.
Let me know in the reviews if Shep & Co. should continue, or if he should consider a warm island in the Caribbean and retire.
Once again—my deepest thanks.
Special Mentions
Craig-the Dragon: for insightful and authentic input. Thanks for Randall Bullock and the reason for the name.
Isabel: the ‘real’ Bella in my life…you totally rock and are just as awesome in real life…a little scary too lol.
Noel: who I lost at dual magazine revolver. Thank you for your feedback.
Orlando A. Sanchez
www.orlandoasanchez.com
Orlando has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem. He currently resides in Queens, NY with his wife and children and can often be found lurking in the local coffee shops where most of his writing is done.
Bitten Peaches Publishing
Thanks for Reading
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More books by Orlando A. Sanchez
The Warriors of the Way
The Karashihan*•The Spiritual Warriors•The Ascendants•The Fallen Warrior•The Warrior Ascendant•TheMaster Warrior
John Kane
The Deepest Cut*•Blur
Sepia Blue
The Last Dance*•Rise of the Night•Sisters•Nightmare
Chronicles of the Modern Mystics
The Dark Flame•A Dream of Ashes
Montague & Strong Detective Agency Novels
Tombyards & Butterflies•Full Moon Howl•Blood is Thicker•Silver Clouds Dirty Sky•Homecoming•Dragons & Demigods•Bullets & Blades•Hell Hath No Fury•Reaping Wind
Montague & Strong Detective Agency Stories
No God is Safe•The Date•The War Mage•A Proper Hellhound
Brew & Chew Adventures
Hellhound Blues
Night Warden Novels
Wander•ShadowStrut
Division 13
The Operative•The Magekiller
Blackjack Chronicles
The Dread Warlock
The Assassins Apprentice
The Birth of Death
Gideon Shepherd Thrillers
Sheepdog
*Books denoted with an asterisk are FREE via my website—www.orlandoasanchez.com
Acknowledegements
With each book, I realize that every time I learn something about this craft, it highlights so many things I still have to learn. Each book, each creative expression, has a large group of people behind it.
This book is no different.
Even though you see one name on the cover, it is with the knowledge that I am standing on the shoulders of the literary giants that informed my youth and supported by my generous readers who give of their time to jump into the adventures of my overactive imagination.
I would like to take a moment to express my most sincere thanks:
To Dolly: my wife and greatest support. You make all this possible each and everyday. You keep me grounded when I get lost in the forest of ideas. Thank you for asking the right questions when needed, and listening intently when I go off on tangents. Thank you for who you are and the space you create—I love you.
To my Tribe: You are the reason I have stories to tell. You are my heart and cannot possibly fathom how much and how deeply I love you all.
To Lee: Because you were the first audience I ever had. I love you sis.
To the Logsdon Family: The words, Thank You are insufficient to describe the gratitude in my heart for each of you. JL your support always demands I bring my best, my A-game, and produce the best story I can. Both you and Lorelei(my Uber Jeditor) are the reason I am where I am today. Thank you for the notes, challenges, corrections, advice, and laughter. Your patience is truly infinite. Arigato gozaimasu.
To The Montague & Strong Case Files Group-AKA The MoB (Mages of Badassery): When I wrote T&B there were fifty-five members in The MoB. As of this release there are over one-thousand members in the MoB. I am honored to be able to call you my MoB Family. Thank you for being part of this group and M&S. You make this possible. THANK YOU.
To the WTA-The Incorrigibles: JL, Ben Z. Eric QK. S.S.
They sound like a bunch of badass misfits, because they are. My exposure to the deranged and deviant brain trust you all represent helped me be the author I am today. I have officially gone to the dark side thanks to all of you. I humbly give you my thanks, and…it’s all your fault.
To The English Advisory: Aaron, Penny, Carrie and all of the UK MoB. For all things English…thank you.
To DEATH WISH COFFEE: This book (and every book I write) has been fueled by generous(some would say dangerous) amounts of the only coffee on the planet (and in space) strong enough to power my very twisted imagination. Is there any other coffee that can compare? I think not. DEATH WISH-Thank you!
To Deranged Doctor Design: Kim, Darja, Tanja, and Milo.
If you’ve seen the covers of my books and been amazed, you can thank the very talented and gifted creative team at DDD. They take the rough ideas I give them, and then produce incredible covers that continue to surprise and amaze me. Each time, I find myself striving to write a story worthy of the covers they produce. DDD you embody professionalism and creativity. Thank you for the great service and spectacular covers. YOU GUYS RULE!
To you the reader: I was always taught to save the best for last. I write these stories for you. Thank you for jumping down the rabbit holes of what if? with me. You are the reason I write the stories I do. You keep reading…I’ll keep writing. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
Contact Me
I really do appreciate your feedback. You can let me know what you thought of the story by emailing me at:
www.orlando@orlandoasanchez.com
To get FREE stories please visit my page at:
www.orlandoasanchez.com
For more information on the Orlandoverse…come join the MoB Family on Facebook!
You can find us at:
Montague & Strong Case Files
If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review. They really help the book and other readers find good stories to read. THANK YOU!
ART SHREDDERS
No book is the work of one person. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing team of advance readers and shredders. They give their time and keen eyes to provide notes, insight, and corrections (dealing wonderfully with my dreaded comma allergy). They help make every book and story go from good to great. Each and every o
ne of you helped make this book fantastic.
THANK YOU
ART SHREDDERS
Anne M. Audra V.M. Audrey C. Barbara H. Bennah P. Bethany S. Beverly C. Brett W. Cam S. Carrie Anne O’L. Cat. Chris C.II. Colleen T. Cynthia S. Dana A. Darren M. Denise K. Diana G. Diane K. Dolly. Donna Y.H. Hal B. Helen W. Jan G. Jeremy J. Joscelyn S. Julie P. Karen H. Kimbra S. Larry D. T. Laura T. I. Lee W. Lesley S. Malcolm R. Maryelaine E-F. Mike H. Penny C-M. RC B. Rene C. Rob H. Shannon O.B. Stacey S. Sue W. Tami C. Tammy T.
Tanya A. Ted C. Terri A. Thomas R. Wendy S.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2019 Orlando A. Sanchez
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Published by: Bitten Peaches Publishing