The Ajax Protocol-7 by Alex Lukeman Read Free Book Online Page A

had a closet like his. He'd been accumulating the shirts for years, ever since the first time he'd been in the islands, stationed at the Marine Corps barracks on Oahu. It didn't fit anymore but he still had it, hung in the place of honor as the first one on the left.
    After some thought, he went for one with a scene of ukulele-strumming hula girls in grass skirts dancing beneath an unnaturally bright sky.
    He finished dressing and went into the kitchen and fired up the stove. He put a half dozen pieces of bacon into a pan, took two slices of bread out of the pantry and put it in the toaster. He got a couple of eggs out of the refrigerator while the bacon was cooking. He threw some butter into the pan, turned up the flame and cracked the eggs in. He turned the bacon the couple of times, waiting for it to get dark enough so it would be crisp when he took it out. He flipped the eggs over. The toast popped up and he picked it out and put the pieces on his plate. He forked the bacon out of the pan onto a paper towel to drain the grease.
    Multitasking.
    Ronnie took the food over to a table and began eating. He lived in a one bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city, where he had a place to park his car, a black Hummer. Aside from the shirts, the Hummer was the only thing Ronnie owned that he cared about.
    He looked at his watch. It was time to head in for the morning briefing. He clipped the holster with his Sig onto his belt and let the shirt drape over it. He put on a pork pie hat and a pair of sunglasses and went out into the hall to the elevator.
    He scanned the parking garage as he stepped out of the elevator but there was nothing out of the ordinary. He got into his car and began the drive to work. Traffic was heavy. It was always heavy, except in the early morning hours. Not like the long, empty stretches of desert highway back home.
    It had been too long since he'd been home. His Auntie had done her best when she was bringing him up to pass on to him the traditions of the Diné ,his people. She'd made him learn Diné bizaad ,the Navajo language. She'd taught him respect for the healing ceremonies that traditional Navajos relied upon to restore their sense of harmony and oneness with the world.
    Somehow life always managed to shatter one's sense of harmony. At the moment, about the only thing Ronnie felt at one with was the steering wheel under his hands. Lately he'd felt like he was being stalked by the Chindi , the evil ghosts of the enemies he'd killed. It wasn't that he really believed in ghosts, but it wouldn't hurt to undergo a healing ceremony. He decided that when this new mission was finished he would go back to Arizona for a while. Maybe he could get Lamont and Nick to go with him. He wasn't the only one who could use a little help with his ghosts.
    When he got to Harker's office, he was late. Everyone was already there. Lamont pretended that the glare from Ronnie's shirt was hurting his eyes. He put on a pair of Ray Bans and leaned over to stare at one of the hula dancers.
    "Nice shirt, Ronnie."
    "One of these days you're going to hurt my feelings," Ronnie said. "It's not my fault you can't appreciate true art."
    Harker said. "I'm glad you're back, Lamont. Now, can we focus here?"
    "Sorry, Director."
    She turned to Nick. "What happened yesterday?" she said.
    "Someone followed us on the way to the hospital," he said. "When we came out, they began shooting. Usually the shooting doesn't start until we're in the middle of a mission."
    "Looks like the mission has already started," Elizabeth said. "We need to brainstorm this. Make some assumptions."
    "What do we know?" Selena said.
    "We know someone considers us a threat," Nick said, "but not much else."
    Harker said, "First me, then the rest of you. Coming after us is a preemptive strike. Do we all agree on that?"
    She looked around the room. The others nodded.
    "The question is why?"
    Nick said, "It could be the same people that tried to kill Rice."
    "My