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Back Angels of Vengeance Save as PDF
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

‘I was Johnny on the spot at Gitmo,’ Musso said, as if that explained everything. He cocked an eyebrow at her as they passed the truckers’ diner. ‘This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered you, Agent Monroe. That’s why you’re here now. When everything was turning to shit-flavoured custard in Gitmo, and France, and Britain, and pretty much everywhere, the surviving Joint Chiefs, of which I was an acting member, received word from an asset in France about the real reason behind the intifada there, and the roll-up of Echelon’s network. It was an impressive job of work, from a lone operator, to survive that piece of villainy and turn out the bad guys. It might even have changed the outcome of that attempted coup. You were that operator, I believe.’

Caitlin remained silent for just a second too long. ‘You can believe what you want, General Musso,’ she replied. ‘It’s a free country. For now.’

He smiled. ‘And you’re discreet. I like that in a secret agent.’

33

NORTH DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY

She left Shah’s soirée just before midnight, in a taxi driven by one of his men. Julianne didn’t ask why Shah owned a taxi licence. She didn’t need to. The driver was an Australian who introduced himself as Granger. She wondered how realistic it was, having such a fit- and competent-looking white man driving a cab in a city like Darwin, where all the worst jobs were now performed by refugees. Then again, did it matter? The cab was the cover, not the driver, and truth be known, she felt much better riding next to him. Better still because of the pistol she could see bulging under his lightweight cotton jacket and the sawn-off shotgun he’d handed her when they got under way.

‘Boss man says you’re staying in a motel over by Doctors Gully,’ he said. ‘Must be pretty noisy, hey, with all the construction down at the new wharves?’

Jules had been exhausted when she’d arrived here in Darwin. Now she found herself wrung out from the shock and high emotions of that lunchtime down at the marina, worn down by the intrigues of the afternoon and evening. Whenever she thought of the Rhino, her stomach churned with an acid mix of worry and guilt; and when she found herself not having thought about him in a while, the guilt came rushing back with twice as much force. She didn’t much feel like talking, but she’d been brought up to value good manners. For her father, they had been an excellent disguise.

‘I’m so bloody tired, I suspect nothing would wake me once I got to sleep tonight,’ she said. ‘Assuming I can sleep at all, of course, given all the current hullabaloo.’