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Back Angels of Vengeance
Chapters (68)
  1. Blurb
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. CHARACTER LIST
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. TWO MONTHS LATER
  60. ONE YEAR LATER
  61. TWO YEARS LATER
  62. FOUR YEARS LATER
  63. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. Also by John Birmingham
  66. ALSO BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM
  67. Copyright
  68. Cover

Wales Larrison answered the question. ‘He is. It’s not my preference, but Mister Culver has his reasons and I can live with them.’

‘Tusk Musso’s a patriot,’ said Jed. ‘And he worked a goddamn miracle down at Gitmo. But the Corps, they dropped him like a turd at a tea party because he ran up the white flag. I got him that job in Temple, running the Federal Centre there, because it’s not all that different from what he had to do in Cuba, dealing with a hostile power hunkered down just outside his fenceline. The President didn’t need much convincing, I might add. He thought Musso did a great job too. Bottom line – you can trust Musso, he knows the score. But only him, okay? He won’t be your overwatch authority, but you can go to him if you need to.’

‘And you’re cool with this, Wales?’ asked Agent Monroe. The familiarity between them wasn’t lost on Jed. He was very much the outsider here. That made him vulnerable. He could use these people, but he couldn’t trust them.

The deputy director didn’t look happy, but he shrugged.

‘We don’t have the luxury of time with this, Caitlin,’ he said. ‘You spent years building your case file on Baumer, but —’

‘But we don’t have years,’ Jed put in. ‘We don’t have months or even weeks. Every day that Mad Jack sits down there getting stronger is an affront to the Republic and a hazard to its future. I think he fucked us in New York. And I intend to fuck him back, severely and without consent. With your help, Agent Monroe.’

‘It will be my pleasure.’ Caitlin smiled. It was a thin smile, which only hardened her face.

She should have fangs, he thought.

‘Your pleasure will be finding shit out and doing nothing about it,’ Culver emphasised. ‘Do you understand? You will bring any evidence you discover to me. And I will ensure that Mad Jack Blackstone pays with his life for this treason. But you won’t be taking that life. It is owed to the American people. Is that clear?’

Caitlin Monroe nodded. Slowly. Once.

Jed leaned back. Spent. He had rolled the dice on the largest bet he’d ever made in his life. Indeed, he may well have just bet his life on the outcome.

25

ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA

Traffic on Interstate 35 picked up as they approached the Oklahoma–Texas border, their small convoy augmented by another three trucks they’d picked up in Wellington. The snow thinned out too, revealing a layer of grey-brown weeds beneath the icy slush. Sofia had long ago lost interest in gawking at the vehicle wrecks strung along the side of the highway and the charred ruins of towns that had burned down to war-torn streetscapes. She focused her thoughts instead on Fort Hood.