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A spy presumed dead only wants his life
back... the undercover bride is a surprise.
CIA officer Andrew Garner died in an ambush he plotted, taking three soldiers down with him. Or so everyone believed. After years of living under the radar without a country or a friend, he's tracked the real culprit back to Charleston, South Carolina.
Army Counter-Intelligence officer Laura Talbot signed off on the reports of Garner's death as well as his responsibility for the tragic ambush years ago. Hearing he might be alive, she travels to Charleston to confirm the rumor with her own eyes.
But it's more than a simple case of mistaken identity as Laura and Andrew must improvise and outmaneuver a team bent on killing them both.
CIA officer Andrew Garner died in an ambush he plotted, taking three soldiers down with him. Or so everyone believed. After years of living under the radar without a country or a friend, he's tracked the real culprit back to Charleston, South Carolina.
Army Counter-Intelligence officer Laura Talbot signed off on the reports of Garner's death as well as his responsibility for the tragic ambush years ago. Hearing he might be alive, she travels to Charleston to confirm the rumor with her own eyes.
But it's more than a simple case of mistaken identity as Laura and Andrew must improvise and outmaneuver a team bent on killing them both.
Excerpt from The Ghost
RC Investigations Office Haleswood,
SC
“This looks serious,” Ross
Carpenter said, joining his partners Rick Dryer and Eva Battaglia in
the Haleswood office of their investigations firm.
Rick’s new wife Nicole stood near the
window, her gaze on the street below. They rarely had reason to
either exclude or involve their respective spouses, so naturally Ross
wondered if this meeting involved any of the skeletons rattling
around in Nicole’s past.
“It is,” Eva replied, waving him
over to her side of the desk. “Nicole caught these during Rick’s
last case.”
“The bank bag thief in Charleston? We
closed that and turned it over yesterday,” Ross said. “Did we
miss something?”
“Nothing related to the case we were
hired for,” Rick answered. His head tilted toward his wife. “But
she found a connection to us that I’d overlooked.”
Ross couldn’t remember a time when
Rick had overlooked anything. Not during their military service and
definitely not back in the civilian side of life. “Why call me up
here just to dance around it? You’re all acting as if you’re
afraid to tell me something.”
Rick’s somber face twisted into
something resembling sympathy. “Nicole caught Andrew Garner in the
background.”
“That’s impossible. Garner…”
Had turned traitor on the other side of the world and been ripped
apart with shrapnel courtesy of an IED. He couldn’t have survived.
Ross had seen the remains. The scorched clothing, the blood. “Garner
is dead,” he said, his voice hard under the onslaught of the grim
memories.
“Take a look, boss,” Eva said.
He bristled at the calm tone she used
with irate or panicked clients. He was neither. Garner was dead.
She’d enlarged a portion of the picture, zeroing in on a man seated
near the garden wall of a sidewalk café in Charleston, South
Carolina.
“A doppelganger,” Ross said,
ignoring Rick’s sarcastic laugh. “One of Garner’s strengths was
his common, forgettable face.”
“Have you forgotten his face?”
Eva hit a key and the entire series of Nicole’s surveillance photos
filled the screen.
He bit back the retort. Not her fault
he was suddenly filled with rage. They’d nearly lost the entire
team out there thanks to Garner’s greed. Over Eva’s monitor, he
met Rick’s gaze. “What do you want from me?”
“Permission to pursue and verify,”
Rick began. “Nicole and I can -”
“Permission denied.”
Eva sucked in a breath. Ross felt
Rick’s glare biting into the top of his head as he bent for a
closer look at the pictures. No, this wasn’t how he typically
conducted RCI business, but Garner was a special case. The man was a
unique and special danger if he was somehow strolling around on this
side of the grave. “Let me call in a favor,” he managed, trying
to smooth ruffled feathers.
“Who?” Rick demanded. “I know
you’ve got connections all over, but who would you trust besides us
to verify someone like Garner?”
“It’s not Garner,” Ross insisted.
It couldn’t be. The man was dust. But barring some miracle or
perfectly executed plan, Ross would not expose anyone on his team
again. Once had been more than enough.
Ready for more? You can find The
Ghost, along with a full list my books, collections, and short
stories at my Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/V.R.-Marks/e/B009KLZKEG
-V.R. Marks
Sounds like a great read.
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