Kill Chain Read Online Free

comfort her, the woman’s terror obvious, her
eyes wide, her cheeks flushed, her grip tight.
    Then she started to hum a
song.
    Seriously?
     
     

7

    COEX
Convention & Exhibition Center
Seoul,
Republic of Korea
     
    “Status?”
    Dawson climbed into the
rear of the armored limousine, Atlas slamming the door shut and getting into
the front, the motorcade accelerating hard the moment the last foot cleared the
cement of the conference center’s underground parking. A large contingent of
motorcycle police and squad cars immediately met them as the emergency
evacuation of nineteen world leaders unfolded, he having no doubt the officers
on the ground had rehearsed this scenario, fully expecting it never to happen.
    And yet it was.
    “We’re finding that out
now, Mr. President,” said Dawson as he grabbed a handhold, the driver operating
under orders not to worry about comfort, speed of the essence.
    “Are we going back to the
hotel?”
    “Negative. Protocol
dictates the embassy in this situation. If they’ve managed to take your
daughter and the others, we have to assume all security precautions have been
compromised. The embassy is the only place we can be certain is secure since
all security inside is our responsibility.”
    “What do we know?”
    Atlas turned from the
passenger seat, just having received an update. “Not much yet, Mr. President.
The security vehicles accompanying the bus were apparently hit by a fuel truck,
and the bus continued on. The GPS tracker has been disabled, and the security
team on board isn’t responding.”
    “Do we know where the bus
is?”
    Dawson could hear the
panic creeping into the voice of the most powerful man in the world. And he
didn’t blame him. He had never liked the idea of a driverless bus ferrying so
many VIPs around, yet his concerns had been overridden by the White House
staff’s unwillingness to offend their South Korean hosts.
    He just hoped those poor
souls didn’t pay the price for political correctness.
    He exchanged a glance
with Atlas.
    “Not yet, sir. Emergency
vehicles are responding and aerial units are deploying. We’ll find them, Mr.
President.”
    Starling looked at
Dawson. “I can’t lose my daughter too.” His voice was subdued, it almost
cracking.
    Dawson nodded. “I’m not
going to make you any promises, Mr. President, except that if you give us free
rein, we’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”
    Starling’s jaw squared as
he drew in a breath, staring at Dawson.
    “Consider yourselves
unleashed.”
     
     

8

    En route
to the Embassy
Seoul, Republic
of Korea
     
    Niner’s
fingernails dug deeper into the dash as Ji-yeon weaved in and out of traffic,
he beginning to question whether her Kia Morning had a brake pedal installed.
    And the harrowing
experience was made all the worse by her penchant for staring at Jimmy in the
rearview mirror.
    “Eyes on the road!”
    “Calm down, I know what
I’m doing!”
    “I’ve been trained for
this and I don’t even know what you’re doing!”
    “They teach soldiers how
to drive like this?”
    “Some of them.”
    “What is it you do?”
    Niner ignored the
question, his job Top Secret, his cover an honorable logistics clerk. The less
his family and loved ones knew about his real life, the safer they all were. If
his enemies were to know his true identity, they could kidnap his family and
try to use them as leverage to get what they wanted.
    That was why only spouses
knew.
    And he definitely didn’t
have one of those.
    Someday.
    With Dawson and Atlas
starting to settle down, some of the other guys already having done so long
ago, the thought had occurred to him, but he was having too much fun being
single.
    You’re only young
once.
    Besides, he hadn’t met
anyone he’d exactly consider marriage material.
    Including yourself!
    His phone vibrated and he
swiped his thumb over the display, recognizing Dawson’s number. “One-One.”
    “It’s me. Status?”
    “We’re heading into