McClain flipped through the folder. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Falling into a trap happens to everyone.”
“Nathan thinks otherwise. He asked me to keep this out of the official report. He doesn’t want it on his record with the Service.”
“That’s fine by me.” McClain tossed the report back on the table. “And on the topic of things kept out of records and reports,” McClain said, “our friend at CIA has resigned for personal reasons.”
“Adams?”
McClain peered at Justin over his glasses. “You have other friends at CIA?”
“No, not really.”
“Mr. Adams resigned so he could spend more time with his family.”
“The same family he successfully ignored for the last twenty-five years?”
“Well, he’s on his third wife. Maybe he’ll make it work with this one. But don’t expect any gifts at the end of the year from CIA.”
“I didn’t get anything last year either. Did you?”
“Uh-uh. Nothing for Easter or Christmas. Seriously though, they’re quite pissed at our trick. They insisted we should have gone to them, and they would have handled the matter discreetly. Like they gave us intelligence about our traitor.”
“It was not the same. Adams was not our kind of traitor. He was still a part of the intelligence community, a vital part, but caved in to blackmail. He was doing everything to hide his mistakes at the expense of the US and her allies. Johnson wanted revenge. Adams wanted survival.”
McClain leaned back in his seat. “Survival which he got. CIA is not and will not admit anything. They’re sending Adams away to close this scandal.”
“I hope he truly goes away and doesn’t come back seeking revenge.”
“Yes, I hope not.”
McClain took a sip from his coffee mug. Justin had declined his offer to have someone bring him a drink.
“NYPD found the second man involved in the NY car bombing. He died in a shootout with police earlier today,” McClain said.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Justin replied.
“Have you heard from Carrie?” McClain asked. “She sent me an e-mail from Grozny, saying she was expecting some good news.”
“Yes. She came into some information about her father’s grave from one of the investigators she hired in Grozny. They’ve discovered some remains that could be her father’s. A witness testimony and some paperwork seems to indicate that much. She’s arranging for DNA tests.”
“I hope it’s a conclusive match. She needs closure.”
“Yeah. It would be good for her. Allow her to move forward with her life.”
“And Romanov?”
Justin tried to read McClain’s face. Unable to do so, he asked, “What about him?”
“Where do you two stand now?”
“We’re on good terms. He came through with information that helped us get rid of Adams. We’ve settled our differences.”
“That’s good. As much as I dislike saying this, we may need him, well, his influence, on another matter.”
McClain pulled open a drawer and retrieved a black folder.
“Is this it?” Justin asked.
“No, this is your next assignment. Unrelated to Romanov or this previous mission.”
“How urgent is it?”
“Utmost.”
“Where is it?”
“Somewhere hot, very hot.”
“When do I need to leave?”
“Right away.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Justin smiled. “I’m ready,” he said and reached over for the file with his new assignment.
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed FOG OF WAR. I would love to hear your thoughts about this book, and you can always reach me at author.ethan.jones@gmail.com. I promise to answer all e-mails.
Your opinions are truly important, and they can inform other readers about this book and my style of writing. Please take a minute and post a review of FOG OF WAR on Amazon at this link http://amzn.to/1IY9Kyt or on your other favorite book retailer.
Join my Loyal Readers’ List at this link: http://eepurl.com/HIG7r to receive the second thriller in this series, TRIPOLI’S TARGET, for FREE. You will also receive updates on new book releases, special deals, and promotions.
My blog at http://ethanjonesbooks.wordpress.com is the place to learn about my future works. You can also follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SpyAuthorEJones or find me on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Author-Ethan-Jones-496274310537554/
Acknowledgements
This work would have not been possible without the great support of my wife and son. I would also like to thank Claude Dancourt, Ty Hutchinson and Kenneth Teicher for their helpful suggestions.