Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) Read Free Page A

before?"
    "Sure." Aaron nodded.
    Flisk stared at him. "You're a big guy for a reporter. You look strong. You ever play football?"
    "Drafted by the Bears. I lasted one series in one preseason game before I blew out my knee. Haven't played since."
    "That sucks, man."
    "Shit happens." Aaron shrugged. "Are we going to do this?"
    "Let me see the money."
    Aaron took a stack of twenty dollar bills from his coat pocket and handed it over. "Five hundred."
    Flisk quickly counted the money. Then he took some papers from his leather briefcase and gave them to Aaron.
    The papers were crime scene photos and reports. Aaron had been a Chicago detective years ago, so this kind of material was very familiar to him. He grabbed a camera from the back seat and started taking pictures of each page.
    What he saw through the eyepiece made him tremble with emotion. Simpson had been killed with a knife, but not just any knife. It had a long serrated blade with a black coating. Tight leather straps were wrapped around the handle. The edges of the guard were honed to a sharp edge, making it a useful secondary weapon. Aaron recognized the dagger as one of Marina's personal favorites.
    She had thrust the blade through the soft part of the shoulder behind the clavicle. The angle was exactly right to hit the heart. It was a technique specific to the Gray Spear Society.
    "Are you OK?" Flisk said. "You look a little spooked."
    Aaron gave him a tentative smile. "I'm not used to looking at dead bodies. I'm new at this job."
    "Just finish up. I have to get back inside. I'm a witness in a trial."
    "Sure."
    Aaron finished taking pictures. He returned all the papers to Flisk.
    "Nice doing business with you." Flisk got out of the car and ran back to the courthouse.
    Aaron sat very still for a few minutes. Tears dripped down his cheeks, but he didn't wipe them off. He had never felt so disappointed and betrayed as now. Marina had committed a crime that couldn't be forgiven. Now he would have to kill the woman he loved more than life itself. He had no choice. His duty was so obvious he couldn't even argue with himself about it. He wanted to rip out his own heart to make it stop hurting so much.
    Instead, he drove off.

Chapter Two
    By the time Aaron arrived back at headquarters, he had cooled down enough to be merely boiling with rage. He stopped in front of the garage door and waited impatiently. It finally rose up, and he went forward until he reached an internal security barrier. The Plexiglas panels were six inches thick and reinforced with steel girders.
    Jack came out of the security booth. "Hello, sir," he said cheerfully.
    He wore straight blue jeans and a plaid, wool shirt. His bald head gleamed under the fluorescent lights. He was relatively short for a Spear, but he looked scrappy and tough. A .45 caliber revolver hung low in a holster on his thigh.
    Aaron turned his head and glared.
    "I'll raise the barrier," Jack said quickly.
    He pressed a button on a small box in his hand. Hydraulic pistons lifted the barrier, allowing Aaron to drive forward. He parked and got out.
    "Where is Marina?" he growled.
    "I think she's trying to take a nap, sir," Jack said in a nervous tone. "In your suite."
    Aaron drew a gun and jogged towards his room. He opened the door silently. Marina was sleeping peacefully on their bed. Seeing her beautiful face made his guts twist in knots.
    He pointed the gun at her heart. "Don't move," he commanded.
    Her eyes flicked open. She froze when she saw him.
    "Why?" he said. "Why did you do it? I told you not to. I ordered you."
    "Aaron..." she pleaded.
    "You flagrantly disobeyed me. You drugged me. You left our headquarters unguarded. You murdered a civilian."
    She bit her lip.
    "I don't understand," he said. "You've been so much better since Wesley healed your mind. The perfect teammate and a model legionnaire . The homicidal outbursts have stopped. Your friends aren't afraid of you anymore. You're even nice to people sometimes. I depended