Read Blood Ties for Free Online Page B

was more aware of the uniformed guard who strolled through in seemingly casual but exquisitely precise intervals of eight and a half minutes and even more aware of strategically placed cameras.
    The museum knew all the tricks required to guard its treasures.
    “Relax, Micah. Anyone would think you were planning to rob the place.”
    Hughes didn’t relax. He also didn’t turn his head, and he kept his voice low. “You usually pick less-public meeting spots. And I don’t like the idea of turning up on a security tape talking to you. No offense.”
    “None taken. You don’t have to worry about any type of recording. That part of the system is undergoing routine maintenance for the next half hour.”
    “And I’m supposed to… trust that information is accurate?” He’d nearly said “take your word for it,” but had managed to stop himself just in time.
    “I would, if I were you.” The very distinctive voice was pleasant.
    But when Hughes stole a quick glance at his companion, he noted that the half smile on that handsome face was more dangerous than it was reassuring and that those regular features gave nothing else away. The man was tall, slender but broad-shouldered and athletic, and could have been any age between fifty and sixty-five. Whatever his age, his vitality was obvious, and there clung to him an ineffable air of power.
    One of the movers and shakers of the world, Hughes knew. He also knew that few people would have recognized the man’s name, and fewer still his face. He had been very successful at keeping a low public profile for a very long time.
    Hughes concentrated on what he needed to say. “Look, I’ve done everything you asked of me.”
    “Yes, you have. Thank you.”
    “And I’ve done everything you asked of me because I believed it was in the best interests of the Bureau and this country to rein in Noah Bishop and his unit of mavericks and misfits.” It was a clear and concise statement, and Hughes was proud of it. He’d been practicing it in his head for weeks.
    He had not acted out of malice. He had not acted out of jealousy or resentment. He had not acted out of greed. And he most certainly had not acted out of fear. That was what he wanted to make absolutely clear to the other man.
    “Nothing has changed, Micah. Bishop is still a danger. His unit is still a danger.”
    “I’m not so sure of that. Not anymore.”
    “Why? Because they managed to stop Samuel, killing him in the process?”
    “They didn’t kill him.”
    “Someone else may have held the knife, but they most certainly destroyed him. And you know it.”
    “I don’t know what happened in the Compound, and neither do you. I have Bishop’s report, backed up by his team and by the local chief of police, that Samuel was stabbed to death by one of his followers. * No other witness has stepped forward to dispute what happened. I also have boxes of evidence that Samuel was responsible for more murders than I want to think about, including that of the daughter of a United States senator.”
    “Micah—”
    “Whatever you want to say about it, however you choose to view it, Bishop and his team stopped a serial killer. One of many they’ve stopped. That is beyond dispute.”
    The other man was silent for a moment, then said, “So he’s finally won you over, I see.”
    Hughes paused as the guard strolled through the room several feet away from the two men, then said evenly, “I don’t like Bishop. I believe he’s arrogant and ruthless, that he has a tendency to play by his own rules rather than the rule of law, and I profoundly distrust these… paranormal abilities claimed by him and by his agents.”
    “But he’s successful. And that’s enough for you.”
    “He gets results. Positive results. He catches, cages, or otherwise destroys killers who are, without any doubt, a menace to public safety. He does it without fanfare, keeping himself and his people out of the media as much as possible, and he does it