Countdown to Midnight, page 37
“Do they have any theories?” Flynn asked.
“A few,” Fox said with a wry smile. “The CIA’s upper echelons are apparently convinced that something must have gone wrong aboard the Gulf Venture—resulting in the premature detonation of the missile the Iranians were smuggling.” He steepled his hands. “In fact, my understanding is that Langley has decided to toot its own horn in administration circles by slyly suggesting one of its own covert operations was actually responsible for thwarting a major terrorist nuclear threat against the United States.”
Flynn and Van Horn stared at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding me,” Flynn growled. “We took all the risks. We suffered all the losses. So that the CIA’s pencil pushers and ass-kissers can claim all the credit? For preventing an attack they ignored from the very beginning?”
Fox nodded. “I told you the truth a few moments ago, when we honored Alain and Mark,” he reminded them quietly. “This is the darker side of our secret war. And it is one we must accept. Four can only be effective—and, in fact, only survive—so long as we operate entirely in the shadows, outside the public square and beyond the control of risk-averse government bureaucrats.”
With a sigh, Flynn pushed away his disgust and anger. For the moment, anyway. One of his mother’s favorite sayings was that life wasn’t fair. That obviously went triple for anything in the world of covert operations. He sighed. “Well, if we’re skipping the medal ceremony for this mission, I guess I’ll take some leave instead.”
“In the civilian world, we call it vacation,” Laura Van Horn reminded him dryly.
He grinned back at her. “Leave. Vacation. Time off. I don’t care what it’s called as long as it involves lots of doing nothing much. Preferably on a sunny beach . . . with tall, iced, strongly alcoholic drinks.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Got anywhere in particular in mind right now?”
“Somewhere in the Caribbean,” Flynn told her. “Probably Aruba. I had a hell of a lot of fun there a few years back, when I was a just a kid. I bet it’s even more fun as an adult.”
“An excellent choice,” Van Horn agreed. She looked speculative. “I’ve been meaning to take a break myself. Care for some company?”
Flynn’s grin widened. “I think I could be persuaded.”
Sitting across from them, Fox, they suddenly noticed, had a thoughtful look on his face. “You know, Aruba is only a few miles off the coast of Venezuela,” he commented, almost idly. “And lately, we’ve been hearing some very disturbing rumors coming out of Caracas. Rumors we should probably investigate. So perhaps you could handle that for—?”
“No,” Flynn told him bluntly.
With a smile, Fox turned to Van Horn. “Well, then, how about you, Laura?”
She smiled sweetly at him. “Nick here is a man of very few words, Br’er Fox,” she said. “Personally, I prefer to be a little more eloquent.”
“And?” Fox asked, curious.
“Hell, no,” Van Horn replied.
Acknowledgments
As always, many thanks to Patrick Larkin for his hard work, expertise, and talent.
About the Author
DALE BROWN is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, from Flight of the Old Dog to, most recently, Arctic Storm Rising. A former U.S. Air Force captain, he can often be found flying his own plane in the skies of the United States.
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Also by Dale Brown
Arctic Storm Rising
Eagle Station
The Kremlin Strike
The Moscow Offensive
Price of Duty
Iron Wolf
Starfire
Tiger’s Claw
A Time for Patriots
Executive Intent
Rogue Forces
Shadow Command
Strike Force
Edge of Battle
Act of War
Plan of Attack
Air Battle Force
Wings of Fire
Warrior Class
Battle Born
The Tin Man
Fatal Terrain
Shadows of Steel
Storming Heaven
Chains of Command
Night of the Hawk
Sky Masters
Hammerheads
Day of the Cheetah
Silver Tower
Flight of the Old Dog
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
countdown to midnight. Copyright © 2022 by Creative Arts and Sciences, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover photographs U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo; wingsuit jumper © Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition MAY 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-301509-8
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-301508-1
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Dale Brown, Countdown to Midnight
