Enemy Lover by Karin Harlow Read Free Book Online Page A

“
Why
? Because if it comes down to it,we’ ll take the fall instead of you. And believe me, that won’t happen.”
    “And Turkey? Explain Turkey to me.”
    The colonel stepped back, dropped his hand and shrugged. “What’s to explain? The Iranian consulate was harboring a known terrorist. That SOB Say-Ed and that extremist he was protecting had to go. Making it look like a homo love-murder-suicide was genius and not my idea, I might add, but that of a very good operative. The same one who handled Venezuela, in fact.” The colonel softened his tone and said, “Look, Senator, we’ re on the same side here, and with all due respect, everything is fine. Could not be better, in fact. We’ re cleaning up a lot of the bottom-feeders out there.” He looked pointedly at the senator. “That which needs handling is getting handled, and no one,
no one
is going to be the wiser.”
    He’s patronizing me,
Rowland thought. But he’d called this meeting for one reason and one reason only, and he’d be damned if he’d allow the colonel to bully him out of what he knew he had to do. Without his intelligence and his funding, the colonel was soon going to find himself and The Solution out of work. “I’m shutting it down, Colonel. It’s over.”
    The colonel yanked off his glasses. His pale eyes narrowed, and he moved in closer. Rowland actually felt the outline of the man’s .45 against his chest, and his pulse began to hammer even before the colonel whispered, “You’ ll shut down nothing. Do you understand?”
    Fear curled in Rowland’s belly, and he felt like a coward for it. He pushed through it. This was his mess to clean up, and as much as he would have liked to passthis along to his chief of staff, Rowland stood his ground. “Stand down, Colonel. This is not your decision.”
    “Bullshit!
This
country needs The Solution. It needs patriots like you and me, and the men who serve me. Men willing to not ask questions. Men of blind faith and dedication to a greater cause, a higher purpose. 
For the greater good.
Men who make presidents and, yes, even senators greater men than they alone can be.”
    Rowland did not waver in his purpose. What had begun with noble intentions had turned into an enormous disaster, with this half-crazed colonel acting like God Almighty. “My mind is made up. I will no longer pass along classified information to The Solution. I’m withdrawing the earmark that would continue to fund your preferred government contractor status. It’s finished, Colonel. I suggest you take stock of your employees and decide what, if anything, may need to be done with them. Whatever you decide in that regard, I don’t wish to be a party to it.” Rowland stepped past the colonel, wanting to get away from him. Afraid if he did not the colonel would take his wrath out on him personally.
    Colonel Lazarus grabbed his arm and spun Rowland, all six foot two and two hundred forty pounds of him, around.
    “My employees?” the colonel demanded incredulously. “Decide what might need to be done with them? They’ re heroes! Patriots! And you speak as if I’m just supposed to give them a company watch and say thanks for the memories.”
    “Remember your position, Colonel,” the senator warned. “For that matter, remember mine. It’s
over
!”
    The colonel stepped back, but the senator knew he was regrouping to attack from another angle. “No, sir,
you
remember
my
position, and my position only, because right now that’s the only one you need to concern yourself with.” The colonel leaned in close and personal, now eyeball to eyeball. “Remember what I’m capable of, and that I will do anything to protect this country from her enemies,
especially
those from within.”
    “Your threats are falling on deaf ears, Colonel. We’ re through here.” Rowland made to move past him, but the colonel grabbed his arm and jerked him back.
    “How dare you threaten the security The Solution provides this