Locked and Loaded Read Online Free PDF Page A

Assad replied with a cautious smile. “His name is Anglo, but he is an old Russian.”
    Roberto laughed and gave a glance of approval toward Hector, who preened from the silent compliment. “Easier to transfer funds to accounts that do not give rise to suspicions, true?”
    Assad nodded.
    “So … he showed you what you needed to see at Boston’s Technology Trade Show, and you were pleased?”
    “I am very pleased,” Assad said, glancing around at his men. “But my ultimate pleasure depends of Aalam Bashir feeling the same way.”
    “Of course, of course,” Roberto said, waving his hand. “Trust, but verify.”
    Assad bowed slightly from his seat. “Trust, but verify.”
    “So, while I am trusting you and you are trusting me, and we are both waiting to verify our deliveries from one another, shall we spend the time in New Orleans enjoying the casino and the women?” Roberto smiled and motioned toward the male security guard doubling as a flight attendant to bring a bottle of Cristal to the group. “Oh come now, gentlemen,” Roberto said when he saw them hesitate. “Tell me you are not of the rank that are looking to blow yourselves up and are saving yourselves for twenty-one virgins, are you?”
    Assad’s men cast nervous glances toward him, and Assad nodded his permission for them to accept the champagne flutes being offered.
    “I do not believe that is our fate,” Assad said with a sly half smile. “What a man does in private is between him and Allah.”
    *   *   *
     
    Anthony stood outside Special Agent Sage Wagner’s hospital room, listening to her boss drone on about their mutual targets of interest. His gut hunches rarely proved wrong, even in this case. When he’d first seen her on the screens while getting a mission briefing, she’d arrested his attention. It had been impossible to shake her presence out of his mind, but the way she’d been grouped with Salazar, it seemed like she was an enemy sympathizer—what else could he believe, especially when she’d pulled a gun on him? But by not listening to that nagging voice within, he’d almost done the unthinkable to one of his countrywomen. Damn.
    Still quietly kicking himself, Anthony responded to Hank Wilson with crisp, perfunctory answers as both men waited for coffee to be brought up for the meeting they’d have once Sage was dressed.
    As much as he hated to admit it, the entire concept of her literally being embedded with the enemy bothered him. Until now, it had never really crossed his mind how gender differences could affect the role of a female agent working undercover. There were no females in DELTA Force, at least not on the combat side of their operations. Those who were tertiary to the unit were in support roles in military intelligence or logistics. And yet this sharp, capable, gorgeous woman had put more on the line in service to her country than he’d ever had to consider.
    It made him want to know more about her. Who was this woman he’d almost killed? What could drive a woman of Special Agent Wagner’s obvious talent to want to take on a role like this? Surely she had her choice of assignments; was blind ambition the ice water that ran through her veins?
    “So, Captain, this is definitely a ‘no guts, no glory’ mission,” Hank Wilson remarked and then waited.
    Anthony wrested his attention back to the conversation. “Roger that. We want Assad alive, if possible. If not, we need to send his side a message. A very profound message, hence the C4 at the Salazar compound.”
    “Just don’t toast my agent,” Hank warned, losing some of the easy camaraderie that had been in his eyes. “Wagner is the best I’ve got, and if there’s any way to work it out, I want her to get a piece of taking down the Salazars.”
    “I’m sure you understand that my unit can’t worry about or guarantee jurisdictional credit or career enhancing—”
    “It’s not for that,” Hank said quickly, cutting him off. He lowered his