The defector, p.1
The Defector, page 1
THE DEFECTOR
A SPECIAL AGENT DYLAN KANE THRILLER
J. ROBERT KENNEDY
About the Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
"Dylan Kane leaves James bond in his dust!"
Though this book is part of the Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers series, it is written as a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without reading the other installments.
What readers are saying about the Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers Series:
“The action sequences are particularly well-written and exciting, without being overblown.”
“I love how the author explains what's needed but doesn't just ramble on in narrative.”
“Don’t mess with Kane, he takes no prisoners, especially when you target his friends.”
“Fast paced international spy thriller with good old American values among its main characters. I'd like to think we really do have agents like Kane.”
BOOKS BY J. ROBERT KENNEDY
Please click here for the intended reading order.
* Also available in audio
The Templar Detective Thrillers
The Templar Detective
The Templar Detective and the Parisian Adulteress
The Templar Detective and the Sergeant's Secret
The Templar Detective and the Unholy Exorcist
The Templar Detective and the Code Breaker
The Templar Detective and the Black Scourge
The Templar Detective and the Lost Children
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol *
Brass Monkey *
Broken Dove
The Templar’s Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii’s Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter’s Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
Wrath of the Gods
The Templar’s Revenge
The Nazi’s Engineer
Atlantis Lost
The Cylon Curse
The Viking Deception
Keepers of the Lost Ark
The Tomb of Genghis Khan
The Manila Deception
The Fourth Bible
Embassy of the Empire
Armageddon
No Good Deed
The Last Soviet
Lake of Bones
Fatal Reunion
The Resurrection Tablet
The Antarctica Incident
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator *
Containment Failure *
Cold Warriors *
Death to America
Black Widow
The Agenda
Retribution
State Sanctioned
Extraordinary Rendition
Red Eagle
The Messenger
The Defector
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
Forgotten
The Cuban Incident
Rampage
Inside the Wire
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
The Kriminalinspektor Wolfgang Vogel Mysteries
The Colonel’s Wife
Sins of the Child
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
The Novel
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Acknowledgments
Don't Miss Out!
Thank You!
About the Author
Also by the Author
For #10.
“Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.”
Mark Twain
“All Party members, service personnel, and other people should turn out as one with ardent loyalty to the Party and extraordinary patriotic zeal, and demonstrate the spirit and mettle of Korea that is rushing forward towards final victory racing against time.”
Kim Jong-un Supreme Leader of North Korea 2016 New Year Address
PREFACE
The Bridge of No Return has a storied history. It was once a key crossing between the two nations still technically at war, familiarly known as North and South Korea. After the signing of the Korean Armistice in 1953, it was used for prisoner exchanges, which is where it got its unofficial, ominous name. When a North Korean prisoner was brought to the bridge, they were given a choice: remain in South Korea, or cross the bridge into North Korea. If they chose the latter, they were told they could never return, even if they changed their minds. More than 100,000 prisoners of war were exchanged over this single bridge during Operation Little Switch, a test case, then Operation Big Switch.
In 1968, the illegally captured crew of the USS Pueblo were allowed to walk across the bridge after 11 months of captivity while a forced confession by the captain was played over loudspeakers.
But perhaps the most infamous event was in 1976 when two American soldiers attempting to trim a poplar tree blocking the view from a checkpoint were killed by North Korean soldiers in what became known as the Korean Axe Murder Incident. The North claimed the tree had been planted by the Supreme Leader himself and to cut it was sacrilege. In response, the Americans launched Operation Paul Bunyan, eventually felling the tree.
Two men dead over a tree.
And today, a man has parachuted onto this same bridge, in a move about to send a shockwave that will be felt around the entire world. An action with consequences far greater than the loss of a tree.
For once this man crosses the bridge, there can be no return.
Only death.
1 |
Bridge of No Return Joint Security Area, North/South Korean Border
This was it. Less than one hundred feet to the rest of his life. This was no man’s land, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea where an uneasy peace reigned between two parties still technically at war. The South Korean guards behind him were still shouting at him to come back, but none dared take any action lest they provoke the always on-edge North Koreans at the other end of the bridge.
He was unarmed, his only defense against what might come his raised hands, his ballistic vest, and his demeanor. His heart beat a tad faster than usual, though that was expected. After all, he had just jumped from 50,000 feet and now stood on the most heavily guarded border in the world. He should be a little tense. But he was here by choice. This was what he wanted.
This was what he needed to do.
He slowly walked forward as lights trained on him from both sides, dawn just breaking minutes ago. While the South Koreans held their positions, North Korean soldiers emerged from behind their fortifications, aiming their Type 88-2 assault rifles at him, shouting for him to stop or they would shoot.
“I’m an American!” he announced, his voice calm and even, though raised.
“Hold your position or we will open fire!” was the immediate reply, the man on the speaker switching to English.
He stopped. “I need to speak to your commanding officer. I have urgent business with your government.”
He was still several feet inside South Korea. Technically, they shouldn’t shoot him until he crossed the line painted on the bridge, though the North Koreans were not known fo r their predilection for following the rules. They could shoot him right now, free of consequences, though he suspected once they figured out who they had shot, Pyongyang would torture and execute the shooter.
He was a valuable asset. Likely the most valuable to have made this crossing in years if not decades. The North Koreans would desperately want him. They just had to be given the opportunity to realize who was delivering himself into their hands.
A light armored vehicle pulled up, coming to an abrupt halt, a diminutive colonel exiting. The product of a lifetime of malnutrition fit his oversized hat in place then marched forward, a permanent scowl creasing his face. A guard rushed up to him, a whispered conversation held before the new arrival dismissed the man with a flick of his wrist. The colonel stepped forward then held his position at the start of the North Korean side of the bridge, flanked by four of his men.
“State your business!”
“I have urgent business with your government.” He held up his hands and slowly turned. “As you can see, I am unarmed. May I approach?”
The man beckoned him forward and he slowly advanced, his hands still held high. This was the riskiest part. If he survived, the rest should be easy. They wouldn’t dare harm an asset like him. He reached the colonel and extended a hand.
“I am CIA Operations Officer Dylan Kane, and I want to defect.”
2 |
Leroux/White Residence, Fairfax Towers Falls Church, Virginia
CIA Analyst Supervisor Chris Leroux lay in bed, exhausted. Some moron—Marc Therrien—had come into the office with the flu. When asked why, he said he didn’t want to waste any sick days. Leroux had sent him home immediately, but the damage had been done. Half the team was sick before the end of the week, including him.
Therrien was healthy and back at work, but Leroux had been walloped. His fastidious ways and loner lifestyle pre-Sherrie meant he rarely got sick. His girlfriend, CIA Operations Officer Sherrie White, hadn’t been ill a day since they had met. Part of her training was to avoid touching the mouth or nose with your hands, to wash them frequently, and to breathe through the nose whenever possible—all defenses against picking up a bug, natural or manmade.
He wasn’t so careful, and wasn’t accustomed to being this sick.
“How are you feeling?”
He groaned as Sherrie entered the bedroom with a tray carrying his lunch. “Like shit. Anyone who says they had the flu and it only lasted a few days has no idea what the flu is. They just had a cold.” He shifted his position, propping up against the headboard. “What’s on the menu?”
Sherrie placed the tray in front of him. “Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwich, milk, orange juice, and me, if you’re up for it.”
He gave her a look. “I’m not up for it.”
She laughed. “Thank God. You’re icky!”
He flipped her the bird then sniffed the soup. It smelled wonderful. “I think my sinuses have cleared. I can actually smell that.” He took a spoonful and gently blew on it before putting it in his mouth and swallowing. “And I can taste again. I might just be on the mend.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed his shin. “You look a hell of a lot better than a few days ago.”
“I thought I was icky.” He took a bite of the cheddar and Swiss grilled cheese.
“You are. But two days ago you were super icky.”
“Nice.” He took another bite. It was good. So good. He was definitely feeling better.
“I have some bad news.”
He continued to chew. “Don’t care. Eating.”
She giggled. “I have to head into the office. I just got a priority alert.”
His eyes narrowed as he swallowed. “Something serious?”
She shrugged. “No idea. My handler wouldn’t tell me anything, just that it was urgent I report in immediately.”
Leroux’s phone beeped a coded sequence, telling him a secure message had just been delivered through his best friend’s private security network. He reached for his phone but Sherrie beat him to it.
“Dylan knows you’re sick. He shouldn’t be bothering you.”
Leroux finished off the first half of his sandwich then washed it down with a large gulp of milk. “It’s his secure network. It must be something serious.”
“Serious to him.”
“At least let me check.”
She handed him the phone as she rose. “Fine. You’ll just check the moment I leave anyway.” She stripped bare then struck a pin-up pose. “You sure?”
Something stirred. He was definitely feeling better. “Well…”
“Ew!” She rushed into the bathroom and he laughed. He logged into the secure app then operated his phone with one thumb as he devoured the second half of his sandwich, his appetite returning with a vengeance.
Then he froze, midchew, as he read the message from his friend.
Tell Fang and my family that I am so sorry for what I have done, but I had no choice. I hope one day you can all forgive me.
“Sherrie!”
Sherrie bolted from the bathroom, concern on her face. “What?”
“Read this!” He held out the phone and she took it, her jaw dropping as she read the message.
“What the hell is this? What has he done?”
Leroux shook his head. “I have no idea. But it has to be something bad.” He pushed the tray out of the way. “I have to go into the office.”
Sherrie shook her head. “No, I’m going in already. I’ll try to find out.”
“He’s my best friend. He’s in some sort of trouble.”
His phone vibrated in Sherrie’s hand and she checked the display. “It’s the Chief.”
Leroux grabbed the phone and swiped his thumb. “Hey Chief. Is, umm, something going on with Kane?”
“How the hell did you find out so fast?”
Leroux’s chest tightened and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Is he…alive?”
Sherrie gasped then rushed to the dresser, quickly pulling on clothes.
“We don’t know. We assume so. If you’re feeling up to it, I need my best man on this.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Only if you’re up to it.”
“I could have one foot in the grave and I’d still be coming in.”
“Understood. I’ve already had your team activated. Sonya is setting up an ops center. Let me know when you arrive.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended and Leroux rolled out of bed, heading for the shower. “Something’s wrong.”
“What is it? Did he say?”
Leroux paused as he gripped the shower handle. “No, actually, he didn’t. He just said he assumed Dylan was alive.”
“You didn’t ask?”
He sighed, turning the handle, the water rushing out of the showerhead. “I didn’t think to ask.” He stepped in and let the water soak him as Sherrie continued to prep at the vanity.
“You didn’t think to ask? Are you sure you’re ready to run an op?”
“I don’t know, but I have to be there. If something’s happened to Dylan, I can’t just stay here. I have to do something. If I think I’m not up to it, I’ll have Sonya take over and I’ll just advise.”
“Thank God for her. She’s a godsend.”
“She is.” Leroux cursed. “Fang!”
“I’ll go upstairs and tell her what’s going on.”
Leroux lathered up, enjoying the luxurious experience of bathing for the first time in days. “That should be a short conversation.”
“Hopefully we’ll know more later. We can both use the app to keep her informed.”
“Be careful. If it involves Dylan, then it’s going to be highly classified. We could make things worse for him if she finds out stuff she shouldn’t.”
“But he’s basically her husband. She deserves to know.”
“She deserves to know, but might not be cleared to know.” He stepped in front of the stream and let the water rinse him off. “And you know her. She’s ex-Special Forces. She’s liable to do something stupid.”
Sherrie groaned. “You’re right, of course. God knows what I would do if I were in her situation and it was you who was in trouble.”
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