Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

reason, whoever that is wanted President Herrera dead.”

“I agree,” said Buchanan. “Jericho thinks the Palugan military is behind it.”

Julie thought for a moment. “Possibly. Still seems a bit beyond their reach, though.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Their president hired us. We’re beyond their military’s reach. Without concrete evidence either way, we can’t rule out anything.”

“I agree.”

“This is your mission, Fisher. What’s your next move?”

She pushed herself off the tree and paced over to Collins. “We need to focus on the shooter. If we find him, we find who hired him and where the bullet came from.”

“Okay. I know Jericho is looking over the surveillance footage of the event. He has our satellite feeds too. I’m sure he would appreciate any help. Do whatever you need to, Miss Fisher. Understand? Clock’s ticking.”

She heard a strain in his voice, as if he were lifting something.

“Everything okay, Boss?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m just getting out of my car,” he replied. “I’m at the airport now.”

She sensed it was more than that. Wary of overstepping her boundaries, she said, “Sir… Moses… what happened at the U.N.?”

She was standing beside Collins. He looked over, concerned, when he heard her ask.

There was a long, distorted sigh on the line. “The U.N. blame GlobaTech for what happened, so they’re on PR clean-up duty. Fisher, they’ve terminated the peacekeeping contract. We’re no longer acting on behalf of the U.N. Effectively immediately.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “Can they do that?”

“They’re the U.N.,” replied Buchanan. “They can do what they want. Doesn’t mean I have to agree with it.”

“But wait… what does that mean for Jericho? For the operatives still in Paluga? Does he even know?”

“I called him as soon as the meeting finished. We’re on borrowed time to get to the bottom of this. They no longer have the protection that comes from being peacekeepers. They’re just mercenaries on foreign soil, stuck in the middle of a divided military taking pot-shots at itself.”

She put a hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God…”

Collins silently asked what was being said, but she waved his inquiry away.

“Why are you heading to Washington?” she asked.

Buchanan sighed again. “Because the Security Council also recommended GlobaTech be brought before a Senate committee on anti-monopoly charges. So, I need to go before the secretary of state and the justice department to talk them out of shutting GlobaTech down entirely.”

“That’s crazy! They can’t do that!”

“Turns out they can, so that’s where I’ll be. You need me, call. Keep Jericho in the loop. He’ll do the same.” He paused for a moment. “Julie, I don’t need to tell you how bad this might get. We need to get the shooter. We need to find who made that bullet. That’s all that matters now. Understand?”

She nodded to herself. “I do. Good luck.”

The call ended. She stared at the device in her hand, stunned silent.

Collins tapped her arm. “Hey, what’s going on, Jules?”

She looked at him blankly for a moment, then relayed everything Buchanan had told her.

Five minutes later, Collins tossed his cup into the air, then punted it with his right foot in frustration, like he was kicking a field goal.

“This is bullshit!” he yelled, attracting the attention of some personnel passing by. “They can’t do this to us, Jules. After everything we’ve done for this world… they can’t do this!”

Julie didn’t attempt to calm him down. She agreed with him and allowed him to vent on behalf of them both.

Collins paced back and forth like a caged animal, fists clenched, teeth grinding, walking his frustration out. When he finally stopped, he stood in front of Julie and nodded.

“Okay. We track down the shooter, right? Help Jerry?”

She nodded back. “That’s the plan. And I think I know where we can start.”

“Huh. Me too. What’s your idea?”

“Remember a couple of weeks back, Jericho and I went to Des Moines to speak with Roachford?”

Collins thought for a moment. “Is he the fella we gave that Tristar data to?”

“That’s him. Well, there was a bar in town. A hangout for mercenaries and contractors. Perhaps a little small-time for a job assassinating a world leader, but it’s a start.”

Collins smiled. “Well, I… ah… I kinda had a similar idea. I know a place in New York: Mama’s Bakery.”

Julie raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Mama’s one of the best fixers around. If something this big went down, she’ll either know about it or know who does. Guaranteed.”

Julie stroked her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes fixed on a small whirlwind of dust being ushered along at her feet by the warm breeze.

“New York is closer to Moses…” she mused. “Useful, should he need us.”

Collins clapped his hands together. “The Big Apple it is. We good using a jet?”

“Moses said whatever it takes.” She shrugged. “Let’s go.”

They set off walking toward the hangar. It was on the other side of the compound, roughly ten minutes away on foot. The persistent breeze tugged at their clothes and hair, doing little except keep them uncomfortably hot.

Julie glanced at Collins. “So, I gotta ask… how do you know the best fixer in New York?”

He looked back at her. His expression hardened. For a brief moment, a memory of his old life washed to the forefront of his mind. He saw himself and Patty Velasquez talking together, laughing.

The memory faded as quickly as it had appeared. He tilted his head and arched his brow. “We all had a life before this place, Jules.”

13

The air in Paluga sizzled with tension. Almost every street in Maville had a military presence on it. Soldiers manned checkpoints. MPVs rolled around patrol routes. Helicopters surveyed the city from above. Few civilians walked freely. As soon as they were spotted, they were ushered at gunpoint to their homes, with a firm word that it was for their own safety.

General Guerrero’s army had been deployed around the country within hours of President Herrera’s body hitting the floor. The bases emptied, filling the streets with military personnel. The general made a public address on their local TV