Mackie's Men by Lynn Ray Lewis Page A

group who wants to stop the use of Drone technology combining several other weapons that are being developed such as lasers and smarter smart bombs. His group has ties to terrorist organizations over seas too.
    “The man’s biggest mistake was in using out of date intel, and not doing his homework. That mansion is a rental, no one lives there. The rooms are there for the event’s use and while it is rented on a monthly basis to some people, our contract was for the weekend only. He thought he could snatch one of our family members to keep us from selling the technology. Darryl found him in the closet of what was once the master suite.”
    Darryl took over the explanation when Liam began pouring beverages for all of them at the small table in the corner of the room that was half filled with bottles. He handed her a glass identical to the rest that he passed to the men. Whiskey neat wasn’t her favorite alcoholic drink, but if she was going to play with the big boys, she might as well not bitch too much about the wish for some cola and ice to go with it.
    “Last night someone broke into this house, and thanks to Dorian, nothing was tampered with. He woke up when he heard the back door open and thought it was John coming in. Being the evil little shit that he is, Dorian shot the fucker in the kneecap.
    “So now we have two would be spies, and more are on their way. According to the first guy, the reward for one of the Klinger’s is high, the reward for some of their close employees and associates is just a small amount lower. The one who broke in here wanted John’s research in defensive medicine stopped.”
    Mackie grinned and shook her head. “Do you mean to tell me that you have at least two factions working against Klinger Corporation? It sounds to me like you have more than one security breach, and given the scope of your company’s reach, ferreting out the moles could be close to impossible.” She was quiet for a few moments, before continuing, “So the threats are all geared to stopping the technology, but what if it is just a ruse to keep you so busy guarding your people, that you stop all research and development for a time? Long enough for some enterprising thief to find out where you keep the actual technology and steal it. Which leads me to think your problem is a close advisor and someone you consider a loyal friend.
    “I assume tonight’s adventure was a test?”
    All three men nodded their heads and Liam rubbed the back of his neck, shot John a look, and turned his head to give Darryl the same look. They all sat down in a cluster with her at the table. Something gave her a warning that she wasn’t going to like what they had in mind for her participation in catching the person responsible.
    Darryl again started talking as Liam pushed several photographs toward her. John remained silent, but watched her intently. His perusal made her uncomfortable, but she was certain her discomfort didn’t show. What in the hell were they up to?

Chapter Nine
     
     
    “Today we held a conference with four of the top executives at Klinger. I mentioned that I would be there at the Pub tonight and hoped that a certain lady would show up. I never mentioned a name or said anything else about it. In the mean time, Liam was in the corner of the room making plans to meet you tonight. He never told me who he was meeting until we met in the hallway at the condo. I wasn’t aware that he had a date and it was too late to call you and cancel. I was trying to trap our snitch, I didn’t plan to meet anyone. Once we’d established that we were dumbasses, Liam took the passageway into the private room, and as you know, I met you in the bar.
    “Taking me out of the picture would be a big blow to Klinger, and now we have four prime suspects. Unfortunately, you are now added in the mix.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “I know it’s fucked up reasoning, but the first thing I thought was that I was thankful it