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Back Stealth Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
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  66. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  67. Excerpt from TREASON
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  70. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  71. What’s next onyour reading list?

They were getting dressed for dinner when a package was delivered to the house. Geoffrey, the butler, brought it upstairs to Stone. It was small but hefty for its size. Stone opened it and removed a wallet containing a new ID and a badge, plus a box of business cards and an Apple iPhone. Stone had used one of these, briefly, in Paris. It had scrambling, encryption, and other capabilities At the bottom of the package was a Colt Government .380 pistol with royal bluing, ivory handles, a couple of extra magazines, a box of ammunition, and a soft suede holster. There was also a silencer and a place for it in the holster.

“Looks like you’re in the spy business,” Holly said.

36

Late in the afternoon Stone and Holly cast off his dock in his Hinckley 43 motor yacht and moved slowly down the Beaulieu River, careful not to make an excessive wake.

“This is a beautiful stretch of water,” Holly said, gazing at the passing landscape, the farms, and country houses.

“I have to agree. That and access to the Solent were big parts of my decision to buy the place.”

“I assume Felicity Devonshire brought it to your attention.”

“And insisted I buy it. I didn’t take much convincing.”

They moved around a bend in the river and picked up the marked channel to the Solent. Shortly, they were running toward the Isle of Wight, a few miles away, at 25 knots. Stone pointed out the Squadron at the head of the harbor, a castle with a row of brass cannons out front. “Henry the Eighth build this to protect England from France. I don’t think it was ever used for that purpose.”

“And yet, the cannons are there.”

“Those are used exclusively for starting and finishing races,” Stone replied. They pulled into the Squadron’s little marina, where a uniformed boatman waited to take their lines. After they had made fast and shut down, they walked the few steps to the castle’s entrance, then to the front door. Down a hallway they came to the Lounge, where cocktails were served, and found the rest of their party waiting.

Stone introduced Holly to the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Timothy Barnes, and to the Squadron’s commodore Derek Drummond and his wife, Hildy. Felicity introduced them to the other couple, General Sir Jeremy Pink and his wife, Nicole. A bottle of champagne was brought. They drank that, then were called to dinner in the next room. The Members Dining Room was large but comfortable; portraits of past commodores, some of them kings and princes, stared down on them. They sat at a round table for eight in the center of the room.

Dame Felicity raised her glass. “I think we should have a congratulatory toast to Stone Barrington, who has just become a deputy director and special adviser to the United States Director of Central Intelligence.”