Sidney Sheldon's Reckless Read Online Free PDF Page B

same way that the jihadist groups groomed boys in the west after the Syrian war. He offers them a purpose and a sense of belonging, wraps it all up in a pretty parcel of social justice—”
    â€œAnd then murders people,” Greg Walton interrupted.
    â€œPrecisely. We are fearful that Captain Daley’s death may mark the beginning of a new era of global terror. It’s an enormous pity you didn’t kill Argyros when you had the chance.”
    â€œHow do you know we didn’t?” Greg Walton asked.
    This time Frank Dorrien answered.
    â€œBecause we’ve picked up internet traffic between Apollo and an unknown contact in the U.S. Alexis Argyros is alive and well and he’s out there looking for Drexel, just like we are. Make no mistake. Group 99 want Hunter Drexel dead.”
    â€œAnd you know all this how?” Milton Buck demanded sourly. A stocky, handsome, middle-aged man with dark hair and what ought to have been a pleasing face, Buck successfully concealed whatever charms he may have had beneath a thick veneer of arrogance.
    â€œOur methods are none of your concern,” Frank Dorrien snapped back. “We’re here to share intelligence, not tell you how we came by it. Now, what do you have for us ?”
    Milton Buck looked at Greg Walton, who nodded his approval. Buck pulled out an old-fashioned Dictaphone voice recorder and put it on the table.
    â€œWhile you’ve been unmasking the monkey,” the FBI man sneered, “we’ve been focused on the organ grinder.”
    Jamie MacIntosh sighed. He was starting to find Milton Buck’s posturing deeply irritating.
    â€œYour man Apollo may have pulled the trigger,” Buck went on, “but he was following orders from above.”
    He pressed PLAY . A woman’s voice filled the room. It was American, educated, soft and low and the sound quality was excellent, as if she were sitting right there with them.
    â€œIs everything ready?”
    A man’s voice answered . “Yes. Everything has been done as you instructed.”
    â€œAnd I will see it on live feed, correct?”
    â€œCorrect. You’ll be right there with us. Don’t worry.”
    â€œGood.” The woman’s smile was audible. “Have him deliver the speech first.”
    â€œOf course. As we agreed.”
    â€œAnd at nine p.m. New York time precisely , you will shoot him in the head.”
    â€œYes, Althea.”
    Milton Buck hit STOP and smiled smugly.
    â€œ That, gentlemen, was the authorization for Captain Daley’s execution. The woman on that tape, who goes by the codename Althea, is the real brains behind Group 99. We’ve been tracking her for the last eighteen months.”
    â€œWe already knew about Althea,” Jamie MacIntosh said dismissively, to the FBI man’s visible annoyance.
    â€œBut you didn’t know she’d directly ordered Daley’s assassination. Did you?” Greg Walton countered.
    â€œNo,” Jamie admitted. “What else have you got on her? An ID?”
    â€œNot yet,” Greg Walton admitted, a little uncomfortably.
    â€œYou’ve been tracking this person for eighteen months and you still don’t know who she is ?” Frank Dorrien asked, disbelievingly. “What do you know?”
    â€œWe know she channels funds to Group 99 through a complicated network of offshore accounts that we’ve mapped extensively,” Milton Buck snapped.
    â€œWe have some unconfirmed physical data,” Greg Walton added more calmly. “Witnesses at various banks and hotels we believe she’s used have suggested she’s tall, physically attractive and dark haired.”
    â€œWell that narrows it down,” Frank Dorrien muttered sarcastically.
    Milton Buck looked as if he were about to spontaneously combust.
    â€œWe know she orchestrated the attack on the CIA systems and the blackout of the stock exchange servers on Wall Street two years