Fog of War (Justin Hall # 3) by Ethan Jones Read Free Book Online

the reports and lit them up. He stared at the flame leaping at the words, the sketches, and the diagrams. A couple of moments later, he threw them inside the mouth of the cast iron stove, closed the stove’s door, and returned to the table.
    “I’ll finish before our briefing with McClain,” Nathan said.
    Justin glanced at his wristwatch. It was eight forty-five. Their boss was supposed to call them at nine. “Have you tried Ruslan’s driver?”
    “Yes. Three times. No one answered his cellphone.”
    “You think the Guards caught him?”
    “Maybe. If he kept to the road in his Nissan, he made himself an easy target.”
    Justin nodded, then looked at the coffee pot on the kitchen counter. It was almost empty, not enough for two cups. “You want some coffee?”
    “Sure. I’ll make some.”
    “No, I got it. We need to contact Ruslan’s man. I need to ask him questions,” he said.
    “You think he had something to do with the ambush?”
    “I don’t know, but we need to make sure he’s telling us everything. Somebody gave the sniper our coordinates.”
    “Maybe he had another phone. Made a call, then ditched it.”
    “Yeah, it’s possible.”
    Nathan reached for his satellite phone on the desk and dialed a number. He listened for a moment, then said, “Now it’s telling me his cellphone is disconnected.”
    “I don’t like this,” Justin said. “I’ll talk to Colonel Garryev, see if he has another number.”
    He tapped his foot on the gray kitchen floor, watching the coffee dripping into the pot. He filled his cup, then searched the cupboard for a clean one for Nathan.
    “Thanks,” Nathan said, as Justin placed the cup next to his scanner.
    Justin went to his bedroom, returning a few minutes later with a small envelope in his hands. “The defector’s papers,” he said and headed to the stove. He threw them all in the fire, after weighting them for a moment or two in his hand and taking a deep breath. A lot of time and effort had gone into obtaining a genuine Canadian passport, a matching driver’s license, and credit cards. The fire engulfed the documents, and the smell of burning plastic filled his nose. He closed the stove’s door.
    The cleanup stage of their operation started the moment they returned to their apartment. The time had come to erase all evidence, all traces of their true purpose for being in Turkmenistan. The last items they needed to get rid of were their weapons and their tactical gear.
    “Here’s the rest.” Nathan handed Justin a batch of documents in a folder.
    “Thanks.” He began to crumple the sheets and toss them into the fire.
    The satellite phone on the table beeped an alarming tone. “It’s McClain,” Justin said. The man had a reputation for being punctual for meetings or phone calls. “Hello, sir. This is Justin and Nathan,” he said after checking the caller’s number.
    Nathan sat across from him. Justin pressed the speakerphone button.
    “Hello, boys. How are you doing?” McClain’s deep voice came loud and clear as if he were standing in the other room.
    “Doing great, sir. Just eager to come home,” Justin said for both of them.
    “Anything new about what happened in Iran?”
    “Negative. Ruslan’s driver, Suleyman, has gone underground. If Colonel Garryev cooperates, we’ll find him,” Justin said.
    He felt Nathan’s curious eyes fall on him and waved his hand. It was Nathan’s turn. “All documents retrieved from the defector have been transmitted to our servers. We’re tidying up the place.”
    “Good job. I’ll have our analysts review them and determine their authenticity and their importance. We’ve gathered some intel about movements of rogue Taliban fighters in Northern Afghanistan near the border with Iran. Perhaps some of them crossed over to smuggle weapons or drugs and intercepted you or the defector.”
    “They stumble upon our operation, and one of their snipers decides to have a field day?” Justin said.
    “Maybe they