The Export by J.K. Kelly (read along books txt) 📕

his sports coat and a compact Glock strapped to his ankle, he looked forward to coming face to face with his targets.

After a moment’s thought, he added a rather aggressive-looking knife to his arsenal. The handle featured finger grooves, and one edge of the blade was sharp and smooth for slicing while the other was designed with a sawtooth for ripping things. He left the rest of his weaponry locked up safely in his special bag, the small combination lock making sure of that.

His plan was simple. So he’d be free and ready to make a move at the drop of a hat, he’d hired a car and driver – a black Mercedes provided by a service known for discreet and competent drivers trained in high-speed maneuvers and offensive and defensive skills. His first stop would be Charlie’s home in Highgate. Departing the Hilton at this early hour, they’d avoid most of the morning traffic.

He had tried calling his friend a few more times during the night, texted him, emailed him, and was able to track down Charlie’s office extension and tried him there. The one call he wasn’t able to make was to the dog sitter who lived next door. He decided he’d peek into Charlie’s bay window, and if there were no sign of him, he hoped to at least find Lois safe next door.

With no luck at Charlie’s, Matt lifted the neighbor’s knocker and heard Lois’s threatening bark. It was still early, and the sitter hadn’t risen yet, but Lois was pitching a fit. Matt noticed a mail slot with a hinged cover. He went down on one knee, lifted the cover, and let Lois sniff her friend. Her bark changed to a much more welcoming greeting.

When the sitter opened the door, Lois charged Matt, as she had the last time he’d come to see her. This time he was ready for her. Luckily the sitter remembered him too.

“I’m so happy to see you, luv,” she said. “I was hoping it was Charlie. I haven’t seen or heard from him since suppertime last night, and that’s not like him at all.”

Matt fussed over the dog as he always had, but the look he gave the sitter seemed to make her worry even more.

“Forgive me, but what was your name again?” Matt asked.

“Shirley,” she said, reaching for Matt’s hand. He took it but didn’t shake. It was clear they were both concerned for their missing friend.

“Come in, come in,” Shirley gestured and then chased Lois through the house to let her out into the backyard. “I’ll make some tea, if you’d like.”

Matt’s lips formed the only word he wanted to hear this early in the day: Coffee.

Once Lois was taken care of and given a busy-bone to tear into, Shirley and Matt sat down.

“Have you seen or heard anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood in the last few days and nights here?” he asked.

Shirley assured him that she hadn’t. Charlie had left Lois with her yesterday morning as usual, and all seemed well. But then she remembered Lois acting up, barking a lot more than usual. At that late hour, around 11, she was normally fast asleep.

“Maybe she saw a rabbit in the backyard,” she suggested. “But that’s all I can recall that was out of the ordinary.”

Matt nodded.

“Do you think anything’s happened to CC?” she asked, then apologized. “That’s my nickname for him, CC, that is.”

Matt smiled. I hope to find that old bastard soon so I can tease him with it, he thought to himself, but he wasn’t optimistic. Matt was certain at this point that these two incidents were related somehow to Thomas Sinclair. And his two attackers had been after Matt, and now Charlie, for revenge.

But who would have ordered the hits? He had asked himself that same question, over and over, for the last 12 hours.

To a large degree, Matt was a loner by choice. He’d tried to do what he thought was right in Washington, but that had made him a ton of enemies, powerful ones, with connections around the world. Charlie, like a small handful of other confidants on both sides of the oceans, had traveled a similar path in the UK. But this was the first time anyone had come after them for revenge as a reaction to their service.

“Shirley, can we look around Charlie’s? Maybe there are clues as to his whereabouts,” he suggested.

Minutes later, Matt was in full FBI crime scene mode, searching for anything helpful he might find. He’d asked Shirley to remain behind with Lois so neither would disturb anything he might come across. Shirley had obliged quite happily, but Lois was not pleased at all – she loved Matt, and as some dogs do, she seemed a bit higher strung than normal when sensing something wasn’t right.

Frustrated when he’d found nothing that seemed to indicate foul play, a threat, or a last-minute meet-up, Matt observed the sparkling clean home, sensing the familiar presence of its missing owner – and felt an overwhelming sadness. After thanking Shirley for her help and for taking care of the dog, they exchanged cell numbers, and both promised to call if they saw or heard anything from Charlie.

Heading back to the Mercedes after watching Lois chase after a squirrel, Matt’s instincts began to scream. He stopped and scanned the surrounding area, feeling as though he was being watched, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Charlie lived in a quiet neighborhood, and a stranger in a surveillance vehicle or an unfamiliar person walking through would stand out.

Come on out, you bastard, he thought. We can finish this right here and now. But, he added to himself, only after I pull Charlie’s whereabouts out of you in a very painful way.

Soon after, Matt was back at MI5. This time the security screening would go much differently. Someone there would most assuredly take issue with an American with an attitude walking through the front door with two guns and