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Back Nemesis Save as PDF
Chapters (79)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Anthony Riches
  3. NEMESIS
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. Read on for an exclusive preview of the next Mickey Bale thriller Target Zero
  76. Prologue
  77. 1
  78. About the Author
  79. An Invitation from the Publisher

His hacker? Mark stared after Joe as he went out through the room’s heavily insulated door. The throwaway comment about IT security suddenly making horribly obvious sense. Shit.

34

Mickey was out for a run when the WhatsApp message arrived. Saw it was from Nemesis. Stopped running and took a moment to get his breath back. Feeling the suppressed fear and rage in the words on screen.

‘Joe has the journalist’s colleague. He will be talking by now. Joe’s hacker will find her through her phone and he will send Lewis for her. She needs to hide. And the Clarion’s systems are compromised, so make it somewhere that’s not on record. Make it happen. now.’

Shit. His mind raced. Working through his options. Narrowing them down to one. Typed in a reply.

‘I’ll have to make the next kill earlier than we planned. It’s a risk.’

Got a terse reply.

‘You taking risks caused this. Now you can take some more to get us both out from under.’

Fair point. Well made. Mickey went to kill the app. And start making phone calls. But the phone buzzed again before his finger touched the screen. A one-word message.

‘Improvise.’

35

‘So, we’ve established that you lied about the name I want. This Anthea isn’t a reporter. She’s the paper’s news editor.’

Joe was sitting on the room’s only chair. Smoking a cigar that he’d lit up on returning to the room. Making sure it was properly lit before pronouncing judgement on Mark’s attempt to protect Tamara. He looked down at Mark, who’d been dumped out of the chair onto the ridged floor, with an expression that spoke of irritation. Intimidation and torture looking over irritation’s shoulder with evident eagerness. Mark could see the psychology being employed, however crudely. And knew that he was totally unable to resist it. That he was totally in the shit.

‘Not that the name’s not useful. Given the bitch has been mounting some sort of campaign against me. Encouraged, it seems, by the filth.’

The filth? Mark took a moment to make the connection. ‘The police?’

‘Yeah. We got access to her emails. Seems like there’s a senior copper who might have been a very naughty girl. And we’ll have her as well, in due course. Put her on the payroll, without the option to decline.’ Joe grinning triumphantly. ‘It’s amazing what these hackers can do. I should have got myself one years ago, but better late than never, eh?’

He took a puff at the cigar smouldering in his hand.