Counter-Strike (A Mitch Kearns Combat Tracker Novel Book 2) (17 page)
Read Counter-Strike (A Mitch Kearns Combat Tracker Novel Book 2) Online
Authors: JT Sawyer
Epilogue
At the end of the week, Mitch was sitting
in his favorite sushi restaurant in downtown Tel Aviv. He had just gotten off
the phone with Marco, who was lying low back in Kuala Lumpur and waiting for
the right time to go back in and retrieve his plane from the remote jungle
airfield.
Mitch had another round of mantracking
courses to teach for the Israeli military before his contract was up and he was
trying to find a way to enjoy the urban setting, though the large city, throngs
of people, and grating sounds were beginning to wear thin.
Mitch was dining at this particular
restaurant today for a meeting and he had his back to the wall, facing the
entrance as he always did out of habit. Looking up from his plate of futomaki,
he saw a lanky figure enter and move in a straight line towards him then sit
down at the table next to him. Though the man was clad in a long coat and low
baseball cap, he recognized the gait pattern instantly. Even though he was
expecting the visit, Mitch shifted slightly, making sure the tactical blade on
his right side was accessible for a quick draw.
The man held up a menu, staring blankly at
the words while speaking. “I was always told eating uncooked fish was a health
hazard,” Von said.
Mitch lowered his hand towards his knife.
“I’d be worried about other bodily concerns to be honest. There are just too
many other things which can kill you in this world.”
“After all we’ve been through and you
still don’t trust me.”
Mitch took a toothpick out of its wrapper
and needled out a piece of fish from between his teeth. “I trust you plenty,
kid. It’s your employers that worry me.”
“I was just passing through and thought we
could catch up on old times,” he said with a chuckle.
Mitch shoved a wad of food from his
chopsticks into his mouth, never taking his eyes off of Von. He removed a
padded manila envelope from his pocket and slid it across the table to Von.
“This kind of work will eat you up and I
ain’t just talking about your body,” said Mitch. “Our government doesn’t give a
shit about you or me. Their concern for you only extends as far as their agenda
demands.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He tucked the
envelope in his jacket and nodded at the petite waitress who was approaching.
“I’m afraid I have to leave. I just got an unexpected call.” She turned around
and walked away as Von got up, straightening his rumpled sleeves. “I doubt
we’ll ever see each other again but I will not forget what you did.”
“You’re a good man, Von, whether you know
it or not.” He smiled and waved two fingers. “I don’t care what my friends say
about you.”
Von returned to his blue Audi with the
dark-tinted windows on the third level of a nearby parking structure. He
scanned his surroundings before getting inside then unfurled the manila
envelope and slid out the device. The encryption on Jessica Yin’s cellphone
would still be able to be hacked and provide him with the server address that
he needed to wrap up this final leg of his objective. Using a stolen laptop, he
used a cable to connect the phone then slid in a disk that uploaded the malware
necessary to crack the code. A few minutes later, he had the routing number and
then he pulled out Redstrom’s flash drive that he had removed from the jungle
lab. All of the files implicating Crenna, Redstrom, and Yin were uploaded to
the phone.
Von routed the phone’s server
identification through the darknet linkup on the laptop and typed in the GPS
coordinates for a Russian yacht, which was anchored in the Mediterranean Sea
near Malta. He took a deep breath and then pressed the send button, the message
being delivered to the editor of the
Washington Post
courtesy of Anton
Tokarev.
***
Mitch finished his meal and swigged down
the rest of his water then paid the bill at the counter. He walked out,
glancing both ways before getting on his motorcycle. He looked up at the
skyline around him and shook his head while putting on his helmet. “God, I hate
big cities.” As he merged into traffic and sped off, he thought of the mesas
and canyons of Arizona.
Just one more teaching gig here and then I’m free
for a few months. Then maybe I can convince Dev about opening a U.S. branch in
Arizona.
He rode through the streets, his
motorcycle gliding along the winding pavement that led towards Haifa and Mount
Carmel National Park, inhaling the sweet fragrance of cedar trees and enjoying the
warmth of the sun on his face.
Thank you for reading this book. Join
Mitch Kearns in book three,
The
Kill List,
now available for pre-order on Amazon.
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About the Author:
JT Sawyer is the
pen name for Tony Nester who makes his living teaching survival courses for the
military special operations community, Department of Homeland Security, US
Marshals, FAA, and other federal agencies throughout the US. He has over 25
years of experience testing long-term survival skills in the desert, mountains,
and forest. JT also served as a consultant for the film
Into the Wild
.
Post-Apocalyptic Fiction by JT Sawyer
Non-Fiction
Survival Books
by Tony Nester:
Survival
Gear You Can Live With
A
Vehicle Survival Kit You Can Live With
When
the Grid Goes Down: Disaster Gear and Survival Preparations for Making Your
Home Self-Reliant
The
Modern Hunter-Gatherer: A Practical Guide to Living Off the Land
Life
Under Open Skies: Adventures in Bushcraft