Dark Deceptions Read Online Free PDF Page B

scanner.
    “Not you.” Lara shook her head, slapping her hand against the statue of the center’s namesake, Aaron Thomas. A prominent early
     American scholar from New York, Thomas had been quite the rabble-rouser. Famous for his treatise
Scíentia Potéstas Est
—
Knowledge Is Power
—Thomas also served as a spy for General Washington, making his role in A-Tac all that much more apropos.
    “Jason. You have to admit he does have a rather well-documented obsession with all things Batman.”
    “And you love it,” Jason said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. With an impressive Ph.D./M.D. combo, Lara chaired Sunderland’s
     chemistry department and served as A-Tac’s expert in biochemical weaponry, as well as the unit’s medical officer. She and
     Jason had been living together for the past year. Although such relationships were frowned upon by their bosses at Langley,
     the team nevertheless turned a blind eye to their relationship.
    Life was short and it was best to take what you could while you had the chance. Nash knew that firsthand. And even though
     in his case it hadn’t ended well, he still didn’t regret the fact that for a little while at least, he’d been lucky enough
     to find someone who’d accepted him for what he was.
    But nothing was forever.
    “So anyone seen Drake?” Hannah was asking as they walked through the now-open panel in the rear reception wall.
    “He had an off period,” Tyler said. “So my guess is he’s already down here.”
    As if to verify the fact, Drake appeared in the doorway to the war room. “Nice of you to join us,” he said with his customary
     grin.
    “So have you got any idea what this is all about?” Jason asked.
    “Why don’t you ask the big guy himself.” Drake moved aside to reveal Avery Solomon standing at the head of the conference
     table. The man dwarfed even Nash. An ex-marine with service in both the CIA and the Pentagon, the fact that Avery had worked
     with three different administrations said a lot about his loyalty to country and his ability to sway even the most strident
     of critics.
    His appointment as commander of A-Tac eight years ago had coincided with Nash’s arrival in the unit, the two of them hitting
     it off instantly. They’d worked countless operations together, and now, along with Tyler, were the senior members of the team.
    “So what’s up?” Nash asked with a frown. “You’ve got your serious face on and that’s never a good thing.”
    “If everyone will have a seat, we’ll get started,” Avery said, his tone no-nonsense. The rest of the team took their places,
     the jovial mood from the elevator replaced with somber anticipation. “I just got word that we’ve received a credible threat
     against a high-ranking official.”
    “That’s not exactly something new,” Drake said. “We get hundreds of threats on a weekly basis.”
    “Yes, but as I said,” Avery continued, shooting him a censorious look, “this one is credible. More than credible, actually.
     It’s verified. According to Langley’s intel, a splinter group of Al Qaeda is planning an assassination.”
    “Which group?” Hannah asked.
    “Ashad.”
    “Out of Pakistan. Didn’t we have a run-in with them a few years back?” Tyler asked. “The massacre in Peshawar.” Seventeen
     innocents had been slaughtered when a bomb exploded in the central marketplace. Despite serious A-Tac efforts, the culprits
     were still at large.
    “Yup,” Avery said. “That’s the one. But they’ve gotten more ambitious. This time they’re targeting the United States. A top-level
     government official. We haven’t been able to confirm the target, but we’ve narrowed it down to three.”
    “The president?” Jason asked, tapping away on his computer, already trying to secure new information.
    “No. Secretary of State Wright seems most probable, but it could also be Evan Packard.”
    “Head of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee,”