Fatal Truth: Shadow Force International Read Online Free

dead.”
    The smell of the food teased Trace’s nose again, making it hard to concentrate. He’d been surviving on little more than bread and water in solitary.
    Walk away .
    He knew he should, but he was rooted to the spot.
    One more minute . He really did want to know what this guy was up to. “And in return?”
    “We have a job for you. Best job around, if you ask me.”
    A job. Of course. There was the rub. They thought they knew everything about him, that’s why they were here.
    “I don’t kill people anymore.” He shot Reese and the guy in the Escalade a scalding look. “Unless they get in my personal space.”
    Point taken, Reese held up a hand and took a subtle step backward. “We’re not here to force you into anything, and we don’t expect you to kill people. Not many people anyway, and certainly not innocents. If you work for Shadow Force International, every operation is off the books but we take matters of life and death seriously. We don’t believe in collateral damage.”
    Shadow Force International? Trace had heard rumors inside Witcher, but then he’d heard rumors about mysterious paramilitary groups in there on a daily basis. Everyone wanted to believe that some Hollywood-inspired black ops team was going to crash through the concrete walls and rescue them from their dismal existence, giving them a new life.
    “We’re looking for a team leader for a second Shadow team.” Reese rubbed his hands together, blew on them. “You don’t have to commit to anything right now. My card’s in the bag, along with some money, a couple of burn phones, and an unregistered, untraceable gun. It’s yours, the whole thing, whether you join us or not.”
    Fuck, and all he wanted was that goddamn cheeseburger.
    And maybe the clothes .
    Reese held out a hand. “Good luck, man.”
    Trace stared at the outstretched hand. For some stupid reason, his own hand seemed to have a brain of its own and reached out to shake it.
    Reese walked toward the vehicle, but stopped after a couple of feet and turned back. “I know about Command & Control. They tried to kill my wife. She’s the one who found you and picked you to join our team…and she’s never wrong. About anyone or anything. Give it some thought.”
    At the mention of C&C, Trace’s insides went as cold as his nose and his fingers. Few people in the world knew about the group, and those handpicked for it rarely knew each other.
    But Trace was fairly certain he knew the woman in question. “What did you say your wife’s name is?”
    Reese smiled. “I didn’t.”
    Trace watched as Reese climbed into the Escalade. Watched the vehicle drive away. Snatching up the bag of food, he found the burger and ripped off the foil wrapper. It had cooled but was still the most delicious thing he’d had in his mouth since his last night as a free man.
    Once he finished the burger, he opened the duffle and dressed. There were even shoes. Half a size too small, but he didn’t care.
    As Trace fingered the white business card inside with nothing but a phone number on it, he realized that Callan Reese had given him more than a survival kit.
    He might have given him a lifeline too.

    Witcher Prison

    T HE WOMAN MOVED through the prison with purpose, ignoring the guards accompanying her and the catcalls of the prisoners as she passed the cells in the north wing—the most dangerous and violent housed inside these walls—on her way to see the one man ON16 had assured her could help.
    A flash of her credentials and she was buzzed through the gate to the next section where the man was waiting in an interrogation room. Immediately, the cement floors gave way to carpet. The walls were painted. The carpet was a dark industrial blue and the walls were dull yellow, hardly an improvement, but anything was better than the depressing gray that covered everything in the prison section.
    Her badge was scanned before she was led to an interrogation room. As she waited for the guard to open