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chalky material stuck in his hair. The crashing sounds of drywall hitting the floor was accompanied by a deeper thud. Alan stared in horror at the floor between him and his partner. Foxx shook his head vigorously to free his hair and eyes of the dust and fallen debris. The moist darkness surrounding his eyes contrasted comically against his dust covered face. As his vision began to clear, it took a couple of seconds for his mind to process the scene. He could manage only two words - “Holy shit!”
    On the floor between them lay the dead body of a large, muscular man. He was dressed in black, complete with military-style combat boots and gloves. His face was beaten beyond recognition.

 
    Chapter 4
    Mike Lee’s revelation had briefly thrown the normally unflappable Jake Riley into an emotional whirlpool. The big man shook his head, as though resetting his brain. He leaned in close to Mike, so they could hear each other over the cacophony of loud music and street-market sounds. “How is that possible? You told me the case file was completely inaccessible. I even got Equilibrium to hack into the CIA records system, but there’s no electronic record.”
      Mike looked surprised. “Equilibrium is probably the best computer jock in the world, but since the only existing file is on hard copy, and eyes only for the Director, there’s no way to access it electronically. But what are you doing mixed up with that hacker anyway? Wasn’t he a CIA target a few years ago?”
    Jake paused, realizing Mike didn’t know Equilibrium was actually a woman – a beautiful woman with whom he now had a very personal relationship.  
    In fact, he decided, it would be best to keep details of his new lover secret from Mike. “Turned out the boys at Langley had it wrong. Equilibrium was removed from the target list. Anyway, let’s get back on point. How the hell did you find out about Shane’s killer - and what’s his name?”
    Now it was Lee’s turn at secrecy. “All I can tell you is, I got it from a friend in the NSA - any more than that and I’m jeopardizing my contact. But believe me when I say the intel is rock-solid. The name is Sergey Ugolev. He’s definitely the guy who fired the shots that killed your brother.”
    Jake’s elite military training, and years of experience in dangerous covert operations, made him a different kind of man. The news that he might finally have the chance to avenge his brother’s death was deeply savored, but the effects of this revelation remained invisible to the outside world. Emotion was not something Jake outwardly expressed, especially in such solemn matters. Not that he was devoid of true feeling - far from it - but his experiences had molded his public persona to the point where even his closest associates had difficulty discerning changes in his mood.
    With the name, Sergey Ugolev, burning indelibly into his mind, Jake’s mouth formed an almost imperceptible grin. “How long do I have to wait?”
    “Not long, my friend. He’s on the move right now, but my guy says he’ll be in Pattaya the day-after-tomorrow, checking up on his Thai operations. I know your sights are set, but there’s nothing you can do right now, so let’s take the night to catch up on old times then head down there tomorrow afternoon for some recon. I’ve got transport arranged for 1300 hours. Sound good?”
    Jake reached over to pat his friend on the shoulder. “If this pans out, I’ll owe you a big one.”
    “It’ll pan out - but you won’t owe me shit. I seem to remember you saving my neck more than once. We’ll talk details on the way down, but I’ve got a couple of Thai Special Branch cops and the Aussie brothers lined up, so we’ve got our team.”
    “No offense, but you know I work alone.”
    “Not this time, bro. I’m assuming you want this to be up-close and personal, so a sniper assault is out. And his operation may be too big for a single-man insertion. Unless the recon says otherwise,