Rage Of The Assassin Read Online Free PDF Page B

enforcement casualties. Since Cruz had declared his emancipation from the dolt, his life had been easier, reporting once a month to a group who largely rubber-stamped whatever approach he recommended. As the senior authority on cartels within the Federal Police, he was respected and deferred to, which was as it should be – he’d earned his stripes the hard way and had the bullet wounds and scars to prove it.
    Cruz stood and moved to the door, where his uniform jacket hung from a hook. He pulled it on, glanced at his reflection in the glass covering one of the prints on his wall, and took a moment to straighten his tie. He had no idea why he was being called to the top floor, but whatever the reason, he’d project the authority of his office lest some new genius try to steamroller him.
    The elevator ride was mercifully short, and when he arrived at the commissioner’s office, the secretary nodded a wary greeting. “You’re to go right in, Capitan .”
    Cruz found himself in a room with five suits, one of whom he recognized with loathing: Eduardo Godoy, his old supervisor, as big a waste of carbon and water as he’d ever encountered.
    “ Capitan , please, come and join us,” the commissioner said. “Have a seat. We’ve been waiting for your arrival to begin.” Cruz sat in the only empty chair, thankfully as far from Godoy as he could get in the confined space. The commissioner, another political appointee who’d taken the job after Godoy had been shifted sideways in the power structure, reviewed his notes with exaggerated formality before looking around the room. “I’ve called this meeting to announce a new emergency working group. The object is the investigation of Don Aranas’s escape, with an emphasis on locating him and taking him back into custody at all costs. The group will have any and all support it needs, without restriction.”
    Everyone but Cruz nodded. It wasn’t surprising to him that the official response to the public relations disaster was the formation of a crisis team, which would be ultimately blamed for lack of results. He’d seen the game played enough times that he was already framing his refusal when he was asked to chair it.
    Cruz’s mouth fell open as the commissioner continued, “To head the effort, I’ve appointed the best man for the job: Eduardo Godoy, whose expertise navigating complicated political waters and experience with police work should serve the group well.”
    Cruz said nothing. The plus side of the selection of Godoy was that he would be the sacrificial lamb when the administration needed a public face for the government’s failure to recapture the crime lord. Godoy was too unseasoned to appreciate that he was being set up, which a part of Cruz delighted in even as he loathed the idea of working with the pompous imbecile.
    Godoy stood, as though ready to address a class of junior students. “Gentlemen, a pleasure to see so many familiar faces. Together we’ll get to the bottom of what happened, and we’ll pick up the scent of Aranas and follow it wherever it leads. I’ve already commandeered working space for a strike team, and the president has given his personal assurance that we’ll have anything we need.”
    “How?” Cruz asked, his voice mild. Godoy stared at him like Cruz had asked the question in Swahili.
    “Pardon me?” Godoy sputtered.
    “ How will we achieve all this?”
    Godoy waved a careless hand. “Through perseverance and tireless police work.”
    “I see. Such as?”
    Godoy’s eyes narrowed. “ Capitan Cruz, may I remind you that this is a time of national emergency? It would be best to put aside personal differences and focus on the job, don’t you think?”
    “Couldn’t agree more. How do we do that, exactly? Who’s in charge of what, what are the first steps we should take, what approach should we use?”
    The commissioner rescued Godoy from being forced to admit that he had no idea how to do anything he’d assured them they