At Any Cost Read Online Free PDF Page B

he could.
    He had enough time, he thought, and lay back on the bed to finish the job Claudia started.
    It was four o’clock: a cold, blustery afternoon with bleached skies and the sparkle of snow hinting in the air. Bundled-up tourists and determined joggers moved through the west end of the National Mall in a buzz of constant, light activity, seemingly oblivious to the landmarks around them.
    Richard, ten minutes early, walked past the Vietnam Memorial, regarding with the required solemnity the names etched on the black granite wall. The nature of war had changed since those men died. Modern war was won by knowing more about your enemies than they knew about you. For all practical purposes, the United States was at war with every country on earth, doing battle twenty-four hours a day. At the front lines of this invisible war was Richard Mullinax. Tip of the spear.
    There was no country Richard did not have access to, no system so secure that he could not penetrate it. The world’s secrets flowed into his office every day. It was somewhat ironic that despite the United States government’s extensive ability to monitor every other country in the world, it actually had very poor infrastructure for monitoring itself.
    Richard gazed over the Mall, seeking out Omar Koss. He felt certain that Omar was already here, watching him. Koss lived and breathed surveillance and covert activities; he would not be seen until he wanted to be seen.
    Richard huddled in his coat and strolled to Abe’s Greek Doric temple. Few tourists had braved the nasty weather, one reason he’d chosen this place to meet. Abraham Lincoln gazed into the modern world with calm, steely resolve. Like an ordinary tourist, Richard began to read the Gettysburg Address etched into the marble walls.
    â€œWe agreed to meet on the steps,” Koss said from behind him. He had approached with predatory silence. Cool as a cobra. His silence was positively unnerving.
    â€œI didn’t like being in the wind,” Richard answered, hating the whininess of his answer. He used a blank expression mask the unease he felt from being in the other man’s presence.
    â€œSurveillance cameras are all over the place,” Koss replied, stepping alongside him.
    Richard risked a glance. Koss had an elegant, granite-sculpted face with a hawkish nose and an exotic hooded slant to his eyes that reminded Richard of shark’s eyes. He was a big, solid guy who even in jeans and layered shirts and coats managed to convey supreme strength, like he could effortless destroy anyone or anything in his path. His true identity was something of a mystery; not even Richard, with all the world’s resources at his fingertips, had been able to derive a complete and satisfactory answer to that issue. Mullinax smelled ex-spook or commando on him, but from what agency, he couldn’t even hazard a guess. Presently, Koss operated his own intelligence service, the products of which he sold to whomever would pay the highest price. He had a network of buyers and sellers all over the globe. Anything you wanted, he could provide. Nukes, diamonds, babies, weapons, blackmail material. He was the middleman, making money on every transaction.
    Koss said, “Let’s walk.”
    They strolled down the steps and continued down the pathway toward the Washington Memorial obelisk. The flags around the monument snapped in a sudden gust of stiff wind. Beyond that, the white marble cupola of the US Capitol loomed like an accusation.
    â€œThere’s been a complication,” Koss said. “The kid … my partner had to neutralize him.”
    Richard winced. The first stirrings of genuine concern began low in his gut. There were not supposed to be any “neutralizations.” Killing people would bring scrutiny—the one thing that Richard must avoid.
    â€œThe bad news …”
    â€œThere’s more?” Richard blurted.
    Koss continued as if he