Enemy Among Us-A Jordan Wright Thriller Read Online Free Page A

morning, after I woke up.”
    “Sorry, Jordan. It can’t wait. I need to see you right away. I’m coming to Italy. We need to meet tomorrow.”
    “What’s going on, Max?”
    “Jordan, we can’t discuss this over the phone. Where will you be tomorrow?”
    “At my usual place. Can we say ten o’clock? It’s Il Palio today, in Siena”
    “Oh, my gosh! Are you kidding? Well, lucky you that you can have fun today, because it won’t be fun tomorrow, when we talk.”
    “Great, Max. I’ll see you then.”
    “Have fun, Jordan.” Max hung up.
    He took his shower and went down to have breakfast. The hotel lobby was a bustle of activity. Excitement was everywhere with people loud and the lobby jammed, which made it a challenge for Jordan to maneuver himself across it to the lounge, where they served breakfast. He grabbed the last table by a window. It seemed he was the only one that was just now getting up, so he quickly filled his plate at the buffet and asked for a pot of coffee. People were everywhere in the street, wearing the colors and symbols of their respective contrade. He could pick out those that were from Tortoise and Wave, others from Owl, Snail and Giraffe. As he returned to his table, he found that Gerhardt had joined him.
    He found himself quickly forgetting about the phone call from Max and seeing her tomorrow.
    “Good morning, Gerhardt. Thank you again for dinner last night.” Acting unsurprised by Gerhardt’s appearance, Jordan sat down.
    “Jordan, you are more than welcome. I was happy to be your host. Marco told me you were in need of some information. How can I help?
    Jordan brought Gerhardt up to speed on the Pakistan operation and Tahir’s comments. “Marco felt you might be able to fill in some of the blanks.”
    “I’ll try my best. Marco may have told you I’m former Stasi. I was the number two in their clandestine operation when the wall came down and the Russians sold us out. Fortunately, I had friends in the Kremlin who gave me a heads up and I was able to be in Switzerland at the time. My wife was Swiss, but when she passed away, I wanted to be somewhere else. I came here on vacation and never left.”
    “Not a bad spot to live your life.” They both laughed. “How did you connect with Marco?”
    “Marco and I spent thirty years trying to recruit the same people, carrying out similar missions. We had seen each other many times. We knew who the other was and what we did. Spying is like any other business. You’re competitors but, you know and respect one another. Sometimes, we won; other times, Marco did. But, we were always professional to one another. One day, I was walking down this street.” Gerhardt pointed out the window. “Just a few blocks from here. And, I see this Priest approaching in his brown robes. The face is so familiar and then I recognize Marco. I thought he was retired, like me, but I assumed he must be on an assignment, to be dressed in that fashion. So I followed him. As I turned a corner where he’d gone, he grabbed me and pulled me into an alley. He’d seen me and thought maybe I was freelancing and was there to kill him. Once we got it all straightened out, we had a great laugh. We spent the rest of the day drinking and reminiscing. Two old colleagues, talking about people we had worked with over the years and wondering where they were now. No different than any two people. We’re dear friends, now.”
    “That’s a great story. I’m not sure I ever see myself sitting down with some of the folks on the other side, these days.”
    “It’s a different world, today, Jordan. I don’t envy you at all. Going up against men like you do, you have my blessings. I’m not sure I could do it. They are rotten. Men like Amadi play by no rules, like so many of his comrades. Elimination seems the only option.”
    “What about cells in the United States? I don’t mean ones put in for the short term. I mean ones that might have been in place for years, just