Diamond Rain: Adventure Science Fiction Mossad Thriller (The Spy Stories and Tales of Intrigue Series Book 2) Read Free

the people now in his
charge seemed unhurt, just confused.  Where’d the ‘perps’ get to? he
thought.
    The soldiers helped dignitaries into
waiting helicopters and the other victims into military ground transport.  The executive
officer fiddled with Thomas’ camera as he walked to the armored black Escalade
holding Thomas and Sue Ann.  They were locked in the back bucket seats and a
metal screen separated them from the front.
    “What’s this about an IDF officer
disappearing?” the officer asked as the driver pulled out in convoy, taking
some of the Special Forces team.
    “What about my camera?” Thomas asked.
    “First things first,” the officer replied,
turning for the first time to face the two journalists.
    Captain Avon hated dealing with the public
and he disliked journalists almost as much as he despised terrorists.  His
recent promotion had changed his job.  The pay didn’t make up for having to
deal with non-military issues.  Tact was not Avon’s forte.  The effort
of controlling his reactions showed as he ground his teeth.
    “The officer,” he repeated acidly.
    “We cooperate and it means we get a story,
right?” said Sue Ann.
    “Maybe.  Now tell me about the officer,”
replied Avon.
    Thomas spoke up first.
    “She wasn’t wearing a uniform.  I just knew
instinctively that she was military.”
    Captain Avon turned his gaze back to the
road and cursed under his breath.  A terse expletive phrase borrowed from
Arabic.  His index finger played between his front teeth before he spoke.
    “So this person appeared to be military to
you, but she was not in uniform?”
    “In this business your nose gets pretty
good and the military stinks a certain way,” Sue Ann rejoined, provoking an
angry look from Avon.
    Thomas touched Sue Ann’s leg to get her to
lighten up, but she continued.
    “Anyway, this spy or whatever she was. 
They were after her.  The Chinese fell on her and ignored everyone else,” she
stated.   She waited for the response.
    “Really.  And this is the story you want to
report?” Avon asked, sighing deeply.
    “When do I get my camera back?” demanded
Thomas.
    “When you hand over that memory stick, I’ll
think about it.”
    “There’s copyrighted transmissions on it. 
I’ll need a written promise from your superior before I instruct him to hand it
over,” said Sue Ann.  She surprised Thomas with this sudden and apparent change
of heart.
    “Give it to him, Thomas.”
    Thomas reached into his sock.  He always
stashed his memory sticks there when situations got out of control.  He held
the device up, but just as he was about to put it in the small tray which
communicated with the front seat, Sue Ann grabbed it.
    “The only reason you’re getting this is
that we got those Chinese guys in the suits taking the officer on it.  They
appeared briefly before disappearing again.  But you can bet your ass I want
something in return or I destroy it right now,” said Sue Ann.
    She held a Bic lighter in her hand and the
flame just touched the bottom of the memory card.  An acrid smell of melting
plastic filled the car.
    “Ok.  Ok.  You get the story when it’s
released.”
    “Write it down and sign it with your name,
rank and serial number or I burn the evidence,” said Sue Ann.
    Avon willed himself to remain calm.  He was
wondering how he let this scum trap him.  If I don’t get the evidence, my
ass’s in a sling , he thought.  Carefully he wrote his name, rank and serial
number under the authorization and passed the paper through the slot in the
mesh between the seats.
    “Now let me see your dog tag,” demanded Sue
Ann.
    Avon’s anger showed only in a momentary
flush in his cheeks as he twisted his neck and placed his tag against the mesh
so Sue Ann could read it.  Sue Ann closed the lighter.  He was indeed Captain
Avon and the seven digit number agreed.
    “Here you go, now take us to our hotel and
replace the camera that you broke when you