The last half-hour had been a whirlwind for Kate. She sat rigidly in the passenger seat of the white F-350. Between them, three silver disks rested in the open center console, clicking softly against one another whenever the road curved.
Kate peered out the window. The pines passed at an alarming speed. Beside her, Nick thrust a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small box no bigger than a thumb drive. He rattled it once, then snapped open the ashtray, dropped the box inside, and slammed it shut.
“No one smokes anymore,” he said.
Kate ignored the ashtray. “You didn’t call the police.”
“No.”
“You left three armed men tied inside your workshop.”
“I left three disarmed men secured to structural columns.”
“That distinction isn’t going to matter when someone finds them.”
“It matters to whoever sent them.”
The swiftness of the answer caught Kate off guard. “Why?”Continue Reading “DEAD LOAD (A Nick Stello Action Thriller) Chapter Four: The Geometry of Tracking”
DEAD LOAD (A Nick Stello Action Thriller) Chapter Five: The Weak Point
“Boston is a large city,” Nick said.
“Not from where I’m sitting.”
Unlike the men at the workshop, Julian wasn’t merely an operative. Nick still had to test him.
“If you have Noah, put him on.”
“I didn’t say I had him.”
“Then you don’t.”
“Not yet.”
“You’ve always been a big talker.”
“Let’s see…” Julian paused as if reviewing notes. “He left the residence hall eight minutes ago. Westbound on Newbury, on foot. He’s approaching Mass Ave.” Another pause. “He’s probably headed for MIT. He meets his PRIMES mentor Thursday mornings.”
Nick looked at Kate. She nodded.
Kate gripped her First Communion cross. Someone was watching her son in real time. Still, Continue Reading “DEAD LOAD (A Nick Stello Action Thriller) Chapter Five: The Weak Point”