BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

He picked up a bunch of keys and his coffee. Then he led Roth to the control room. He unlocked the door and they stepped inside. There was a mop and bucket by the door, some cleaning supplies, a furnace, and some communications equipment. On one of the servers was a sticker with the name Securico on it.

“Thanks,” Roth said.

They went back to the lobby and Roth approached the elevator.

The cops looked up. “Who are you?” one of them said.

Roth flashed him the FBI badge and said, “What have we got?”

“Looks like three gunshot wounds,” the cop said. “We’re waiting for homicide.”

“Just the one body?” Roth said.

The cop nodded. “You guys getting involved?”

Roth handed him a copy of the falsified incident report. “There’s something going on that involves national security. I need you to send this report up the chain.”

“This says two bodies were found.”

Roth handed the cop a business card. On it were the contact details for one of the specialists who dealt with situations like this. She didn’t work from Langley and didn’t have full security clearance. She couldn’t have been the mole. “I need you to call this woman,” Roth said. “She’ll explain everything. I have to go upstairs.”

“You’ll have to take the stairs,” the cop said. “All the elevators are down right now.”

Roth nodded. He stole a glance at the body in the elevator as he passed.

When he got to Lance’s floor, he saw that the carpet was damp. Lance had cleaned it. He went to the apartment and slid his hand along the top of the doorframe where he knew Lance had left the key.

He let himself into the apartment and found the would-be assassin in the bathroom, bound and gagged with a pillow case over his head.

Roth removed the pillow case and untied the gag.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man said.

“You’re American,” Roth said.

“Yes.”

“You know the man you tried to kill works for the CIA?”

“Yes.”

“And you work for the Russians.”

The man nodded.

“What does that make you?”

“What is this? A civics lesson?”

“You know what the punishment for traitors is?”

The man shook his head.

Roth knew the look in his eyes. It wouldn’t be difficult to get him to cooperate. He’d already surrendered.

“You know where I’m going after here?” Roth said.

The man shook his head.

“To the White House.”

The man looked at him.

“Do you know who I’m going to see?”

“The president?”

“Correct. The president.”

“What is this?” the man said.

“I’m going to make this very simple for you,” Roth said, “because I don’t have a lot of time. I’m going to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

“What?”

“I can’t believe you grew up wanting to be a traitor.”