Forced to Kill by Andrew Peterson Read Free Book Online Page A

Thorny said, “this is purely a Marine Intelligence operation, and off the books at that.”
    “Sounds familiar,” Harv said under his breath.
    “You know the score. It’s your call how it goes down.”
    “As in dead or alive?” Nathan asked.
    “If the opportunity presents itself, we’d prefer to get Montez alive for obvious reasons. He’s a walking gold mine of military intelligence. We’ve got MIAs all over the globe, some in Central America. We might be able to close some files and give some families closure.”
    Harv said, “I guess it wouldn’t break my heart to see Montez get a dose of his own medicine.”
    “Look, I’m only asking you to bring him in if the opportunity presents itself. But under no circumstances are you to risk your lives. Clear?”
    Nathan’s cell interrupted them. He looked at the screen. Holly .
    “General, I’m sorry, but I should take this. It’s SAC Simpson.”
    “Go ahead.”
    “Hi, Holly, I have you on speaker. Harv, General Robert Hawthorne, and his aide Major Halliday are with me.”
    “Hello, gentlemen.”
    “Nice to meet you, SAC Simpson.”
     “A few hours ago, a woman was kidnapped at gunpoint from the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego. I think it could be connected to Kramer’s murder.”
    “Why is that?” Thorny asked.
    “I was doing a search in the NCIC database with the keywords Eastern Europe , Eastern Bloc , Hungary , and attaché . I got a positive hit on the abducted woman. Her name is Nichole Dalton. Six years ago, we did a complete background check on her. Ms. Dalton currently works for the NSA as an Eastern Bloc language specialist. Care to guess what one of her languages is?”
    “Hungarian,” Thorny said.
    Nathan glanced at Harv.
    “And she was abducted today? There’s no way that’s a coincidence,” Thorny said. “No way.”
    Nathan squinted. A slideshow of a woman being tortured by Montez invaded his thoughts.
    “There’s more,” Holly said. “Her two daughters are also missing, presumed kidnapped. The report said they’re eight and nine years old. San Diego PD activated the amber alert system.”
    “That’s a bad deal,” Harv said.
    It was no secret Nathan held a soft place in his heart for kids. He forced the images aside and tried to stay focused. “We need to find out all we can about any potential Kramer-Dalton connection as soon as possible. Holly, can you send us more info on this? Pictures of Ms. Dalton and her daughters, the police report, and anything else you’ve got?”
    “Sure. Can we set up an encrypted fax line at your office?”
    Harv jumped in. “No problem, I’ll take care of it within the hour.”
    “General Hawthorne,” Holly said. “I hate to tell you this, but there was another victim in this morning’s kidnapping. An off-duty Miramar MP was shot to death while trying to stop Dalton’s attackers.”
    “One of my Marines was murdered? I want the details,” Thorny said.
    “I’ll forward a copy of the police report to you, General.”
    “Well, if I wasn’t before,” Thorny said with venom in his voice, “I am thoroughly pissed off now.”
    “Don’t worry, General,” Harv said. “Well get them.”
    “Think about what this means,” Nathan said. “If Montez is behind the kidnapping, then he’s here, in San Diego.”
    “That’s not necessarily true,” said Harv. “Given the time that’s elapsed, he could be anywhere.”
    Nathan thought for a moment. “I still say we go out to Utah. But let’s keep a close eye on developments in the Nichole Dalton case. General, can you add her to the list? See what your sources can dig up?”
    “I report to the secretary of the navy. He’s friends with the NSA’s director.”
    “Will the secretary of the navy keep your inquiry confidential?” Nathan asked.
    “He will if I ask him to.”
    “What about the NSA’s director?”
    “I can’t guarantee that. All I can do is ask a friend to ask a friend. You know the drill.”
    “It’s your call,