Dying For LA by Ian Jones (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

got in the front and they pulled out of the car park.

‘What the fuck is going on?!’ Keane demanded angrily rubbing his arm.

‘We know Ron, we know,’ John told him, passing the gun to Reed.

‘Know what? What the hell do you mean?’

‘What we know Ron, is that it’s you.’

‘What’s me?’

‘What’s you? You’re the leak. It’s been you tipping them off all along.’

‘What?’

The car slowed at traffic lights and Keane immediately pulled on the door handle, to no avail.

Reed twisted around to look at him.

‘Child locks. I’m real surprised you tried that, you being a cop and all. This is an MP car, we’re used to carrying people like you,’ he said.

‘Undesirables,’ Louisa added.

‘Yeah, good word. Undesirable.’

The car pulled away again; Louisa put her foot down and Keane leaned forward, frustrated.

‘So, Ron, what was it? Money? They promise you everything you ever wanted?’ Reed asked.

Keane sat back and looked at John, an expression of total innocence on his face.

‘Listen, I don’t know what this is, but you are wrong.’

John shook his head.

‘No Ron, we’re not. Me and Tom knew there had to be somebody talking for sure when two guys tried to jump us on the way to Vegas. I already suspected there was a leak. But those two were stupid, bad planning. You should have given them better advice, or maybe found a couple of guys who knew what they were doing. But what we didn’t know was who. After that we were very careful, but Kyle still got killed. Only one way that could happen.’

‘I was as shocked about that as anyone. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Yeah, you do. And the SIG? That was clever, that looked good, the whole escapade in the bar. We were trying to work out who it was, and I never even considered you.’

‘This is bullshit. Let me out. I’m a police officer.’

‘In name only. And you’re going nowhere, you’ve got questions to answer. Give me your mobile.’

‘Fuck you. I ain’t done nothing wrong.’

‘Mobile.’

‘Like I said, fuck you.’

John sighed deeply, then suddenly launched a powerful punch right into the side of Keane’s face, making his head bounce hard off the window. In shock he raised his arms and John grabbed his hand and began twisting it, making Keane shriek out. Still holding the hand John reached into his jacket and pulled out the phone and threw it into Reed’s lap, then pushed Keane backward and let go.

‘Jesus Christ John! You damn near broke my fucking arm. And my fucking jaw,’ Keane whimpered.

‘You deserve worse. Kyle dead and Judy next. But who are you working for?’

‘I’m a cop! You know that! What do I got to tell you?’

‘Is it 1-Too? Or is it the Russian? Both?’

Keane stared at him, and John saw something, a flash of indecision in the man’s eyes. He knew one hundred percent they were right about Keane.

The traffic thinned as they moved out of the city, Louisa sped up.

‘Where the hell are you taking me?’ Keane asked.

‘Somewhere you’ll be out the way. No chance of tipping anyone off.’ John replied, knowing exactly where they were going but not at all sure how Reed had arranged it.

‘You’re wrong. I’m telling you, this is crazy. I done nothing!’

‘Save it,’ John told him, and looked out of the window.

Keane continued to protest his innocence, which fell on deaf ears and he eventually became silent, breathing heavily, an angry bruise forming on his face.

They drove on for more than half an hour, and then a huge army base came into view on their right. Louisa slowed, and turned off the main road and headed toward it. The entrance was up ahead and she stopped at the barrier under a massive ‘United States Army – Fort Indigo’ sign, holding up her pass, and Reed had his out too. The MP looked closely, then at the two men in the back, turned and walked into the hut which was positioned in the centre. John could see several soldiers inside.

Reed got out the car and walked around to stand by the front wing. A sergeant appeared and the two men shook hands, Reed gestured at the car and the sergeant nodded, passed over a sheet of paper and raised the barrier. Reed got back in the car and Louisa drove through.

The road they were on ran straight for a few hundred metres, pristine grass on either side and white painted kerbstones. They went straight over at a crossroads, approaching a large building with a rose garden set in an island in front. Louisa turned left, and now they could see dozens of similar looking buildings, single and multiple storeys, all in neat rows laid out in front of them down a shallow hill. There were military vehicles and soldiers moving around everywhere. Louisa turned right, and rolled to a gentle stop among more of the same olive-green sedans and a couple of Humvees.

The building they were in front of was a plain red brick building, three storeys high. The entrance was a glass door up some steps, but there were no signs anywhere to say where they were. Louisa and Reed got out the car and she opened the door for John. Reed pulled Keane out and keeping a vice-like grip on his arm, pushed him up the steps and through the door.

Inside it was a spotlessly clean lobby, with stairs rising up from the centre. There was a female MP sitting at a window set into the wall at the side looking curiously at them. She said something into the room behind her and a second face appeared, this time a fresh-faced young corporal.

‘Hello sir,’ he called out and disappeared, then emerged from a door just down from the window.

‘What the hell am I doing here,’ growled Keane nervously.

‘You’ll see,’ Reed replied easily.

‘This him?’ asked the corporal.

‘Yep. We ain’t searched him.’

‘No problem. This way.’

With Reed holding one of Keane’s arms and the corporal the other John followed them across the lobby toward a heavy door