Rage Of The Assassin Read Online Free PDF Page A

it makes you feel better, when we’re done with lunch, I’ll get the car for you.”
    She smiled, still shaken but quickly recovering as the adrenaline seeped from her system. “My knight in shining armor.”
    He returned the smile. “Tarnished but serviceable.”
    Once they were seated at a quiet table at the rear of the restaurant, the assassin with his back to the wall out of habit, he leaned forward toward her and took one of her hands. “How’s my favorite reporter?”
    She took a sip of water. “Working hard on a few stories.” She paused. “I missed you.”
    “Me too.”
    Carla had been out of town, chasing down a lead, and had just returned after a four-day absence. Her occasional dates with El Rey had intensified over the last month as they’d become intimate, and they now spent many of their nights together.
    El Rey released her hand and sat back. “Any progress?”
    “The sources are all terrified of being identified by the cartel, obviously. So lots of hearsay and supposition, but not a lot of concrete links.”
    “If it was easy, everyone would do it, right?”
    She nodded. “That’s always been my philosophy.”
    The waiter returned and they ordered. When he departed, Carla reported on the progress she’d made on her investigation into the rumored influence of the Los Zetas Cartel over several prominent national politicians. El Rey had proven helpful in his suggestions; his knowledge of the cartels was comprehensive, although he was always careful not to share anything that only he might know. The last thing either could afford was even a whiff that he was still alive, much less involved with her.
    “Where do you think the trail will lead? Dead end or red-handed?” he asked.
    “Hard to say. You know how these things go. Everyone’s got an agenda – political rivals trying to smear each other, cartel mouthpieces posing as legitimate sources, trying to build support for their groups or mislead their enemies. The art’s in sorting through all the chaff.”
    Their meals arrived and they ate quietly. Carla tried not to be annoyed by the way the assassin’s eyes continuously roamed over the other diners, never settling on her for more than a few moments. She couldn’t possibly grasp his background, the things that had made him the man he was, filled with contradictions and warring imperatives, and she saw no benefit to judging him. Yes, he was a stone-cold killer. Or had been. But he was also…
    “Did you see that Aranas escaped?” he asked in his seductively soft voice.
    “Of course. Biggest story in Mexico.”
    “Are you going to follow up on it?”
    “What do you think?”
    “Just be careful. My gut says there are wheels within wheels there. From what I know of the man, nothing is as it seems.”
    A single frown line creased her forehead. “What do you think happened?”
    “All I’ll say is that I was surprised when he was caught. The entire affair felt off to me,” he said.
    “Off, how?”
    “One of the richest men in the world gets taken down over a series of rookie mistakes? Oh, I don’t know. Let’s just say my eyebrows rose when I read the coverage, which was identical across all the papers and appeared almost instantly – almost like they had the articles ready to go before he was arrested.”
    She studied him. “So suspicious for a young man.”
    “Maybe I’ll go into the reporting game.”
    Carla laughed and toasted him with her mineral water. “I don’t need any more competition. It’s hard enough as it is.”
    “All I’m saying is that Aranas rarely does anything that isn’t deliberate, and being too good at your job could carry more risk than being dumb and blind.”
    Her expression grew serious. “You really think it’s dangerous to dig into?”
    His eyes locked with hers. “I wouldn’t go near it, and I don’t scare.”
    The waiter arrived and cleared their plates. El Rey ordered coffee, leaving Carla to consider his words. A man who’d taken down