Gone by Francine Pascal Page A

that sir,” his operative replied. “Surveillance is under way.”
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Jake croaked, staring at Oliver’s confused expression.
    â€œI don’t know yet,” he said, trying to think it through. “But I’m going to find out. Can you stand?”
    â€œYeah.” Jake’s breathing was still labored.
    â€œYou’re sure?”
    â€œYes” he insisted. Jake clenched his teeth, fightingoff the pain, and he climbed back to his feet slowly, stumbling to stay upright. Oliver threw Jake’s arm around his shoulders and began walking him back gingerly toward the car.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Jake said, pushing Oliver away and forcing himself to walk unassisted.
    â€œFor what? I never should have let you walk into that trap.”
    â€œI could have
taken
those assholes,” Jake said. He stumbled again and Oliver quickly propped him back up, keeping his arm wrapped around his shoulders. “If I’d known what was coming, I could have taken every one of them.”
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous,” Oliver said. “There were too many of them. You did everything you could. You impressed the hell out of me.”
    â€œI did?” Jake turned to him.
    â€œYou did,” Oliver said. “You reminded me of someone,” he uttered under his breath. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
    â€œWho?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWho did I remind you of?”
    â€œForget it,” Oliver said. “He was a Green Beret. A fighter. Brilliant with hand-to-hand combat. You reminded me of him.”
    â€œBut who was he?”
    â€œNever
mind
that,” Oliver snapped, carefully helpingJake into his car. Oliver didn’t want to think about that man. It was the last thing he wanted to think about right now—the pathetic sob story of a young fool named Oliver Moore—who had never had a child of his own. And never would.
    â€œOur only focus is Chris Rodke,” Oliver said coldly. “He’s all we need to talk about right now—he’s all we need to think about. And when I get my hands on that little bastard and I get all the information I need… I will not be held accountable for the actions that follow.”
    memo
    From: KS5
    To: L
    Monitored all aspects of military presence as ordered. Witnessed the following:
    The soldiers completed their observation of the incident and then placed a call to a “General Colter.” Below is the soldier’s cell phone conversation (recorded and noted):
    Soldier: General Colter? Yes, sir. We have witnessed the incident, sir. There were injuries, no casualties. But it was an ugly scene, General. There was a rescue of the victim by an unidentified party, but the evidence is sufficient. The Rodke boy was not lying to you, sir. This drug is bad news. Extremely ugly, sir. They were like animals on the stuff. Deranged. Subhuman, I would say, sir. They would have decimated their victim, and then I think they would have decimated each other. I’m a Christian man, and this was some unholy stuff, sir. [Pause] Yes, sir. Reporting back to base now.
    That was the end of the communication. The soldiers, pulled out of position and drove north. Please advise.
    Memo
    From: L
    To: KS5
    This is excellent work. You have more than made up for your prior failures. If my instincts are correct, then this is the pivotal piece of information I was missing. I believe the boy may be within our reach. Await further instructions. And send medical supplies to the loft ASAP.

Phase Two
    DR. RODKE WAS NOT ONE TO PANIC. He kept a stiff upper lip. He never let anything faze him. It was one of the keys to his success. But after hearing General Colter’s voice on the phone, he couldn’t help it. He was panicked. Something was wrong. He could hear it in the general’s voice. Colter was pissed, and Rodke was now sweating bullets under his Brooks Brothers jacket. His blood