The Hit Read Online Free PDF

in the process, right?” said Robie.
    Gelder looked at him as though he had merely stated the obvious.
    The next moment the door opened and the number two man walked out through it. He closed the door behind him with the finality of a coffin lid shutting.
    Blue Man glanced nervously at Robie, who was still staring at the door. Then Robie slowly looked over at Blue Man.
    “You knew about this?” Robie asked.
    Blue Man nodded.
    “And what do you think about it?”
    “I think you are ideally suited for it.”
    “Dead or alive? Was that bullshit or code or both?”
    “I truly think they want her alive. She needs to be interrogated.She was one of our top operatives. We’ve never had one of them turn before.”
    “Well, you know that’s not true. There seems to be a run on turncoats in the agency lately.”
    Blue Man looked pained by this statement, but he could hardly dispute it in light of recent events.
    “So that’s what you think this is? She was turned? So why kill Jacobs? Now we know she’s gone bad. It’s not like she can walk back into the job and start collecting valuable intel for her new employer. Doesn’t make sense.”
    “It has to make sense in some way. Because it’s happened.”
    Robie said, “Jacobs is dead. Reel is nowhere to be found. Her being turned is only one possibility. There are others.”
    “Her voice was on that secure operations line along with Jacobs’s.”
    “Still other possibilities.”
    “And now you have the chance to explore them, Robie.”
    “I’m assuming there is no opportunity to decline the assignment?”
    Blue Man did not even bother to answer.
    “The target left standing in the Middle East. It would seem that maybe he did the turning. Why not start there?’
    “Tricky situation. Ferat Ahmadi is vying to fill the power vacuum in Syria. He has a lot of support on the ground. Unfortunately, he is a terrible choice as far as we are concerned. We’ve had a lot of that happening with the Arab Spring. Those countries are electing people who hate us to lead them.”
    “Okay, but I take it the Chinese and Russians would not be happy that we’re picking winners and losers over there again,” commented Robie.
    “The assassination attempt coming out would not be in our interests, no.”
    “If it had gone according to plan, how was it going to be covered up?”
    “Standard procedure. Blame it on opposition leaders to Ahmadi. Not a stretch by any means. They’ve tried to kill him twice. They’rejust not very good at it. We were going to leave evidence behind that would lead back to one of them.”
    “Two birds with one stone?”
    Blue Man nodded. “We try to be efficient. That would leave a third party standing who we can at least attempt to talk sense to.”
    “But that’s all been shut down now.”
    “Yes, it has.”
    Robie stood. “I’ll need whatever you have on Reel.”
    “Being assembled as we speak.”
    “Okay,” said Robie, but for him, right now, nothing was okay.
    “What did you really think of Reel when you worked with her?”
    “I already told you.”
    “The unvarnished version.”
    “She was as good as me. Maybe now she’s better. I don’t know. But it looks like I might find out.”
    As he turned to leave Blue Man said, “We’ve had a run of bad luck lately, Robie.”
    “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
    “I suppose that the longer you stay in service the greater the chance that someone will try and turn you,” said Blue Man. He tapped his fingers on the table and looked off.
    “The more years of service, the more value you might have.”
    Blue Man glanced over at him. “Others have been tempted. Successfully.”
    “A few out of many.”
    “Still a problem.”
    “Is it a problem for you?” asked Robie.
    “No more than it is for you, I’m sure.”
    “Glad we got that straight.” Robie walked out to begin his new assignment.

CHAPTER

6
    R OBIE DROVE THROUGH THE STREETS of D.C. with a USB stick in his coat pocket. On it