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 looked over his shoulder at her, hurrying after him, her pack on one shoulder and his on the other.

“What are you doing?” he said.

“I’m not letting you go.”

“It’s not your choice.”

“You can’t let your anger at Roth stop you from doing what you know you have to do.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

“You have to stop this virus and you know it. It’s the reason you came after me.”

Lance stopped and she caught up to him. She handed him his pack.

“It wasn’t him, you know,” she said.

“What wasn’t him?”

“It wasn’t his idea.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was the one who suggested it. I saw the pictures of Clarice and I saw it immediately. I was the one who suggested it.”

“You suggested the surgery?”

“Yes, Lance.”

He shook his head.

“You thought you’d just make a few tweaks to your face and I’d do whatever Roth asked?”

She looked at him but her lips didn’t move. He could see in her eyes she didn’t know what to say. She’d made a mistake. And now it was going to cost the mission.

“I told them to do it because I thought it would bring you back.”

“What are you? Some kind of psycho? Who thinks like that?”

“They told me they needed you back. They said without you, they had no use for me. They were going to get rid of me.”

“And this was your answer?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I know it sounds crazy, Lance. Believe me, I know that. But back then, I don’t know, I thought I could help. I wanted to serve my country.”

“This isn’t how you serve your country, Laurel.”

“They shot my father in the back,” she said, tears running down her face.

He shook his head. “This isn’t how you get even.”

She was about to say something else but shut her mouth. She nodded. “I know that,” she said.

Lance sucked on the cigarette and threw the butt on the ground. “It’s almost time,” he said.

She let out a long sigh and adjusted the weight of her pack. They were both dressed completely in black, carrying black backpacks, and wearing earpieces for communication.

“You clear on the plan?” Lance said.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

He turned to her. “You want to know the worst thing about it?”

She nodded.

“The worst thing,” he said, “is that you still don’t know what you’ve done.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you before, Laurel. Things are never what they appear with Roth.”

“What things?”

“Keep us in the dark and feed us shit. Isn’t that what I told you when we first met?”

“Yes, but what are you talking about?”