Secrets of the Fall Read Online Free PDF Page B

hair and a strong jawline.  After
greeting Kevin, Drew moved to a medium-sized man slightly balding and wearing
glasses named Joseph Conrad. I greeted him and we both mentioned how his name
sounded like the classic novelist, but he said he was far from anything
literary. He was a techie, and his entire world revolves around high-tech
espionage equipment and security systems.
    “Robert
Frost,” a man with spiky grey hair and a large build said with a deep voice. He
shook my hand. “Not the poet,” he said again, when I opened my mouth to ask. “I
handle logistics and sensitive information.”
    “Hi,
I’m Timothy Childs,” Tim said. “You already know that. I handle U.S.
operations. But I’m helping with coordinating this entire operations.”
    “Nothing
but the best for our boss,” the woman said with a deep and firm commanding
voice. She came around and shook my hand before crossing her arms and walking
to the front to join Drew. “I’m Karen Waters…I’m working with Tim and Kevin
with getting clearance, getting documents and everything from the country so we
can move in further. In other words, I’m the one handling the details, the
legalities so to speak, and the relations.”
    I
stood up straighter while I listened to Karen talked about some of the
complexities of the mission. What it was and how Donovan Dynamics got involved.
“You see, we got a contract from a Turkish company to help build their company
security system. They specifically asked for Mr. Donovan. When he arrived there
with a few of our international-based team members, instead of finding a
company building, they found an abandoned warehouse.”
    “It
was a set up,” Karen went on, “by an international cyberspace crime ring.”
    “An
elaborate setup,” Tim added. “We couldn’t even detect foul play. Everything
checked.”
    “But
as I said,” Karen continued. “The entire operations went south. Apparently it
was a kidnapping scheme to obtain Mr. Donovan to open a vault somewhere.”
    “Like
obtaining a black book,” I said. “Of clients’ intimate information.”
    “Exactly,”
Karen went on. “Only there isn’t one physically with Donovan Dynamics. He
didn’t keep a black book.”
    “So
they wanted Nat,” I said
    “As
leverage to get Mr. Donovan talking,” Robert Frost chimed in.
    My
stomach churned with nervous anticipation, hearing about Nat.
    If
Nat had gone through any torture, anything like that, I couldn’t bare hearing
about it.
    I
looked over at Drew, and he had a stone face expression. I’ve only seen him
once or twice before with that expression.  Once when he was determined to win
a race on the beach, and another time right after hearing about his mother
Nadine Donovan’s suicide attempt on Fourth of July. I knew Drew was worried
about Nat and his father, too.
    I
took a deep breath and prepared myself mentally and emotionally for any further
news about Nat. Oh God, please let Nat be alive and fine. And please let Mr.
Donovan survive, too.
    In
moments like these, you could taste your own mortality. You could feel
everyone’s own mortality.
    Drew
spoke up, commanding the room with his undeniable stage presence. “Have we
located Nat and my father yet?  Any progress on this?”
    Joseph
said, “I saw a light go off in the distance and another online. They seem to be
heading across borders, but the good thing is…the signal is still on them, and
it’s moving. Which means…”
    Drew
said, “They are still alive.” I saw him punch the air and bend over onto the
table. When he stood up, there were tears in his eyes, and I went over to place
my arms around him. Tim was there, patting Drew’s shoulders too.
    “It’s
okay, son,” he said. “It’s okay. We’re all happy about the news and hopeful for
something better.”
    Drew
took a deep breath and contained himself. “How the hell are we going to get
them out of there?”
    “We
have some inside help,” Karen said. “Locals there. But we also