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Back Strategic Moves Save as PDF
Chapters (66)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. AUTHOR’S NOTE

“Stay close behind the car ahead,” Stone said.

“That a cop car?”

“It is.” He explained what he wanted the cabdriver to do.

At the next corner, Eighty-seventh Street, Dino’s car turned right and accelerated. Stone’s cab pulled into the intersection and stopped, blocking traffic that wanted to turn right.

There was a cacophony of car horns behind them, and a black SUV with darkened windows pulled alongside the cab, paused, then took off down Second Avenue, unfortunately getting caught at the next light.

Stone gave the driver his address and told him to continue downtown at his own pace. When they reached his house, he added a twenty-dollar tip to the fare, then got out of the cab.

As the taxi drove away the black SUV pulled up to where Stone stood, and the front-seat passenger window slid down. Todd Bacon sat in the car.

“That was cute,” he said.

“Following my client around wasn’t part of the deal,” Stone said. “Tell Lance that if he does that again, Pablo will develop severe memory loss.”

Bacon stared at him for a moment, then his window slid shut and the SUV drove away.

Stone let himself into the house feeling better.

FORTY-TWO

FORTY-TWO

At nine the following morning the group sat down. Stone spoke first, to Lance. “I sent you a message last night. Was it delivered?”

“It was,” Lance replied.

“Do we have an understanding that all this nonsense will end as of this moment?”

Lance didn’t speak right away.

“Or we can shut this down right now,” Stone said.

“Pablo won’t be followed,” Lance said.

“I don’t know what else you’re cooking up, Lance, but I can tell you right now, I won’t tolerate it.”

“All right,” Lance said through clenched teeth.

“Pablo,” Stone said, “you may continue.”

Pablo began recounting details of further arms sales. After a few minutes, Lance stopped him.

“The name you just gave us is not in our databases,” Lance said.

Stone assumed that whoever was watching at Langley was running names through their computers and communicating with Lance through an earpiece.

“Often my buyers employ noms de guerre,” Pablo said. “I do not always know their names.”

“Describe the man you just mentioned,” Lance said.

Pablo immediately gave a detailed description.

“Thank you,” Lance said. “Proceed.”

Pablo took up where he had left off.

At the end of the day Lance called Stone aside. “My technical people tell me that we are having gaps in the video and audio sent from your house,” he said.

“Any of these gaps occur during Pablo’s testimony?” Stone asked.

“Not so far.”

“I am entitled to privacy in my own home and in my consultations with clients,” Stone said. “Neither Pablo nor I signed up to have our private conversations recorded by your people.”