Gideon's War/Hard Target Read Online Free PDF Page A

sent to infiltrate their ranks. And he did. Posing as a Chechen arms dealer, he fed crucial information to the Sultan’s intelligence service. With Tillman’s help, the Sultan was able to beat back the insurgency.” Parker sighed heavily. “But that’s when things started going wrong.” Parker tapped the seat beside him. “Come over here so I can show you.”
    Gideon switched seats, watching as Parker moved his blinking cursor and clicked one of his desktop icons. A map of the South China Sea appeared on-screen. Parker traced his finger along the southern edge. “See this skinny little strip of ocean here, from the Strait of Malacca just below Singapore, up to the coast off Vietnam? Sixty thousand ships, billions of tons of goods, over a trillion dollars’ worth of commerce, pass through this corridor every year. It’s one of the most heavily trafficked shipping lanes in the world, and the one most vulnerable to piracy.
    “Last year, off the Somalia coast, we saw just how vulnerable. The jurisdictional issues are messy, the money is huge, and the shipping companies view piracy as a cost of doing business. A wri heÁness. A wte-off. A ship gets seized, they don’t call the navy, they reach for their checkbooks. Spending a few million bucks now and then is easier than jeopardizing the safety of their crews and cargoes.”
    Gideon held up his hand. “Hold on. What’s this got to do with Till-man?”
    “It was his cover story. Disaffected American soldier turned independent contractor. To prove himself, he seized an oil tanker bound for Mohan. It was all playacting, of course, with a local crew he’d put together and a cooperative vessel he’d hired to go along with the setup.
    “Problem was, it worked too well. The jihadis wanted Tillman to do it again. He tried to stall, but they kept pushing. Next thing we knew, he and his men had seized a second ship. This time, it was a real one. Tillman claimed he had to do it in order to avoid blowing his cover. Said it was worth doing a few bad things to stop some much worse things from happening, and the Agency went along with it. Nobody gets hurt, a couple of big companies lose a negligible amount of money, all for the greater good. But after a couple more seizures, he broke off contact with his handler and started doing this stuff for real.”
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “It means he started identifying with the people he was sent to destroy. He changed his name, became a Muslim. Or, I should say, a follower of the violent extremists who’ve perverted and co-opted that religion.”
    Gideon shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
    Earl blew out his breath. “That doesn’t make it any less true.”
    “How long have you known about this?”
    “Almost a year.”
    “A year? And you’re only telling me now?”
    Parker’s eyes flashed. “Do not play the guilt card with me, son. The last time I asked you to reach out to Tillman, you told me to mind my own damn business.” Parker was right. Gideon had traveled the world brokering peace between warring parties, but he’d been unwilling to reach out to his own brother. A dozen times he’d picked up the phone to call him. Each time, he’d hung up before the connection even went through.
    Parker lowered his voice to a wistful register. “Besides, I knew there wasn’t anything you could do about it. I tried contacting Tillman myself through an intermediary, begged him to come in. But he never even responded. For him to lose himself like that . . . I can’t even begin to imagine the twisted logic that must have gotten into his head.”
    “Bullshit.” It was the only word that fit. “Tillman may have changed, but he’s not someone who changes sides. Not like this.”
    “You need to understand, he’s not the same person anymore. Last year, in this shipping lane, over a hundred ships were seized. We’ve got multiple intelligence sources saying your brother was behind at least thirty of