Devlin's Defiance: Book Two of the Devlin Quatrology Read online

  Devlin's Defiance

  ALERT!

  (Word to the Wise)

  Devlin's Defiance is a sequel to (and a spoiler for) The Devlin Deception. The author would STRONGLY suggest that if you have not read that before starting this book, please do so first. (Even reading the first page of the fourth chapter of this novel will change your perceptions of the first one and take away a lot of the enjoyment in reading it.)

  (If it were possible and appropriate, he would insist that you do that, make it a prerequisite. But he'll leave it at “word to the wise,” okay? Word to the wise.)

  (The author has, on far too many occasions, picked up and begun reading a book that turned out to be the third or fourth in a series, so he had to go back to the first in the series to pick up on what he needed and wanted to know, so he wishes to spare all of his readers the same inconvenience; ergo, the above Word to the Wise. Okay?)

  Note to the CIA ...

  … and the ODNI, FBI, NSA, DHS, NIC, DIA, DEA, NRO, NCTC and any and all other federal, state and local agencies, especially any “nonexistent” black ops groups:

  Any similarities between ANY of your actual operations and/or techniques and/or strategies and/or weapons, past, present or future, and those in this book or The Devlin Deception or in any other books this author may write in the future are purely coincidental. That includes both operational details and any and all operation names and/or titles, like “Dragon Scramble” in The Devlin Deception. The author has no intention of revealing any (repeat, ANY) classified information, even coincidentally.

  Put simply, folks, these books are ALL FICTION, okay? (Well, some parts do deal with reality, but they're mostly fiction.)

  Praise for “The Devlin Deception”

  “I loved the book! The two stories in one was done well, not confusing as some books are. It was entertaining as well as fascinating.......bring on Donne for real!!” - MC, on Amazon

  “... colorful characters, along with dialog and scenes that are often humorous, often adventure-filled, and always engaging. Even though this is a work of fiction, its focus upon the political, economic and legislative issues of contemporary America, set in one of its small towns, Bonita Springs, FL, is razor-sharp and intelligent. I highly recommend this read! - MLH, on Amazon

  “I think it is one of the most intelligent books of fiction I read in the last decade. Cleverly written, witty, funny - written for the smart side of all of us readers ...” - Marina, on Goodreads

  “You need to read between the lines to catch some of the intentions, but I was on my seat, nodding my head, agreeing with what was said, and I also found myself in bouts of laughter. A great read, and highly recommended.“ - AB, on Amazon

  “What a joy to read. I laughed out loud and thought what a unique way of fixing these United States. Also tried to figure out the ending and didn't guess it. “ - TSR, on Amazon

  “... plenty of action, adventure and romance along the way. “ - JMG, on Amazon

  “This book is a great read on so many levels. First, it is a political thriller, fictional of course, but including some policy suggestions, particularly fiscal ones, that deserve to be taken quite seriously. There are multiple subplots, including assassination plots and espionage, and involving colorful characters involved in personal relationships that are hilarious at times, titillating at others, and at all times interesting. From its first page to its epilogue (alternate ones included), this book will amuse, bemuse, entertain, and stimulate the intellect of its readers.” Marti Hanson, on Amazon

  “Political satire and hilarious musings on the human condition are rampant in The Devlin Deception. There is also a touch of erotica as well, so this novel is definitely for adults. Littered through the satire … some practical solutions for fixing the ailing country. Cleverness is about throughout the novel.” on TheBookBrothers.com

  Devlin's Defiance

  Sequel to “The Devlin Deception”

  (which should be read first, as this not only contains spoilers for that novel, but needs information in

  that book to be even remotely comprehensible)

  (Yes, a second word to the wise)

  By

  Jake Devlin

  This is a work of fiction.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

  business establishments, events or locales, including

  public figures, is entirely coincidental or intentional.

  This material has not been reviewed by the CIA, FBI,

  Secret Service or any other US government agency to

  prevent the disclosure of classified information.

  Any similarity of fictional classified information in this

  novel to actual classified information is purely coincidental.

  Nothing herein should be construed as asserting or

  implying US government endorsement of the contents.

  (Put simply, IT'S ALL FICTION, readers!!)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used

  or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without

  written permission, except in the case of brief

  quotations embodied in critical articles and/or reviews.

  Copyright © 2013 by R.J. Hezzelwood

  www.JakeDevlin.com

  [email protected]

  First Edition: December 2013

  This is also a work of fiction.

  Dedicated to those who are

  desperately seeking complacency.

  - NOTE -

  “The Devlin Deception” should be read

  before this novel, as this one not

  only contains spoilers for that one,

  but needs information IN that one

  to be even remotely comprehensible)

  (Yes, a third – and final - word to the wise)

  **************************************

  - 1 -

  November 13, 2012

  2:27 a.m. local time

  On the Aegean Sea

  Two modified, high-powered jet skis sped silently across the choppy surface, the heavily armed riders cloaked in black wet suits, black multipocketed vests and black ski masks, their eyes covered by night vision goggles; on their backs, each wore a harness with a complicated array of hoses, bars and nozzles.

  Two miles ahead, their destination perched precariously atop a craggy outcropping that rose eighty feet straight up from the sea, an isolated, irregular, natural phallic obelisk. But the ancient monastery had thumbed its nose at gravity for over seven hundred years and would probably last another seven hundred.

  “Two miles to target, Fiona.”

  “Roger that, Becks. Drone shows no outside activity.”

  “Copy that, Fiona.

  “So, Cam, how's Blake doing?”

  “Much better now that I've moved him to that private school in Virginia; the public schools in DC are awful.”

  “Atrocious.”

  “Appalling.”

  “Abominable.”

  “Abhorrent.”

  “Abysmal.”

  “Um … agregious.”

  “Doesn't count, Cam; it's 'egregious,' with an E. Round goes to me.”

  “Can't blame a girl for trying, can ya?”

  “I”ll put it on your tab. That's – what – 5K, so 55K now?”

  “Okay, okay. 55K it is. You'll get it as soon as we get paid for this job.”

  “Fair enough. Anyhow, agreed on the DC schools. Nate and I moved Tiffany out two years ago.”

  “I know. How's Nate doing in his new job?”

  “He's still sorting it out, but he says it's mostly okay.
It's the only place that gave him an interview.”

  “Really? Only one interview in – what was it – nine, ten months?”

  “Over a year. That bitch of a boss he had wouldn't even give him a recommendation.”

  “Shit. A royal bitch, just like her namesake.”

  “The worst. At least he wasn't working for HER.”

  “Oh, at the State Department?”

  “Right. He's glad he's always been in the private sector, that's for sure, even if it was with that bitch. And I heard she got promoted to VP.”

  “Christ, Becks, really? Who'd she sleep with to get that?”

  “You know Malcolm, the CEO?”

  “Seen him and his family in the papers and on TV. You mean” --

  “She's been fuckin' him for at least three years.”

  “Three years? No kidding? Friggin' hypocrite.”

  “Yeah, so much for family values.”

  “Geez; asshole.”

  “And how are things with Armando?”

  “Oh, god, Becks, he's the sexiest man I've ever met. I damn near have a Big O just thinking about him.”

  “You'll bring him to the pot luck next Sunday?”

  “Oh, yeah. And you won't believe the dish he's bringing.”

  “Oohh, tell me.”

  “Nope, can't. He swore me to secrecy.”

  “Oh, c'mon, Cam. You can tell me.”

  “Sorry; can't. Really. He wants it to be a surprise. But you'll love it, guaranteed.”

  “Can't be any worse than that tofu shit whatsisname brought last year.”

  “Oh, Herb the herbalist? Yeah, that sucked. Never gonna date a vegan again, that's for sure.”

  “Bravo, Cam.”

  “But Armando, he's … he's – uh-oh. Oh, god, oh, oh, ohhhhh!”

  “Oh, Cam, did you just” --

  “Oh, god, oh, god. Oh. My. God!”

  “Come on, Cam; time to focus.”

  After a long pause, Cam replied, “Okay, okay, I got it, Becks. All set.”

  “Okay; we just crossed the one-mile mark.”

  “I'm okay, really; all focused.”

  “Good.

  “Coming up on 1500 yards, Fiona.”

  “Roger that, Becks.

  “You good, Cam?”

  “All set, Fiona, really; compartmentalizing.

  “But are these machines vibrating more than usual? Or is it just me?”

  “I'd bet it's just you, Cam.”

  - 2 -

  November 12, 2012

  2:27 p.m. local time

  Isle of Man, United Kingdom

  “Authentication 0018937.”

  “What's up, Marta?”

  “We just picked up an alert on one of our Colombian bugs.”

  “Which one?”

  “The one in El Oso's bedroom in Medellin.”

  “What's that bastard up to now?”

  “He's planning a major assault on the Palace of Justice and the US embassy in Bogota a week from tomorrow.”

  “Patch it through. It's live, right?”

  “Yup. Here ya go, Amber.”

  Fifteen minutes later, after traveling through a worldwide network of fifteen anonymous servers, an emailed recording of that conversation in the original Spanish, along with an English translation, was received in a nondescript office in a nondescript industrial park near Langley, Virginia, in the United States, as well as in another nondescript office in an office building in Bogota, Colombia, and yet another in Medellin.

  Four hours after that, contracts with the Asp, the Decimator and the Passive Vocalist were finalized, each with a fee of 20 million euros, all with the same target. Three deposits of ten million euros were sent and received and ultimately consolidated into one account in the Cayman Islands.

  The following morning, El Oso's guards were horrified to see his pet liger, with no warning, suddenly leap onto El Oso and claw at his body, blood and guts spurting around his office, and then begin gnawing on his stomach, face and arms as El Oso screamed and fell to the floor under the onslaught.

  It happened so quickly that none of the guards was able to get from the monitoring consoles to the office in time to save El Oso's life, but they did manage to kill the liger with at least ten rounds from their sidearms.

  The next day, three additional transfers of ten million euros each were sent and received and added to the Cayman Island account, bringing the total there to sixty million euros. The man with many names received a report the following day, read it, then shredded and burned it.

  No attack on the Palace of Justice or the US embassy occurred.

  -

  3 -

  November 13, 2012

  2:31 a.m. local time

  On the Aegean Sea

  “Coming up on a thousand yards, Fiona.”

  “Roger that, Becks. Drone still shows your entry point is empty.”

  “Copy that.”

  “Camelia?”

  “Copy.”

  “Battery levels? Becks?”

  “Ninety-three percent.”

  “Cam?”

  “Ninety-two percent. All good.”

  “Roger that.”

  A brief moment later, Becks whispered, “Passing five hundred,” and her fellow rider added, “Five hundred; same.”

  “Five hundred, roger that. Entry point still empty.”

  “Three hundred.”

  “Same.”

  “Roger that. Still empty.”

  “One hundred, going to half speed.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Half speed, roger. Still clear.”

  “Idling … and stopped in position.”

  “Same.”

  “Roger that. All clear above you.”

  Turning a lever on her dashboard, Becks whispered, “Deploying hose.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Deploying, roger that.”

  A two-hundred-foot length of two-inch hose spewed out of the rear of each jet ski as the two riders pulled the bars on their harnesses down and locked them into place in front of them.

  When the hoses had fully deployed, riding on the surface of the sea, Becks whispered, “Ready; safeties off.”

  Cam also whispered, “Ready; same.”

  “Roger that. All still clear up top.”

  “Here we go.”

  “Yup.”

  “Roger that. Good luck, gals.”

  Becky and Camelia gently squeezed the triggers on the bars in front of them and flew up the cliff face, riding on powerful jets of sea water forced out of nozzles mounted on their harnesses, one on each side. The hoses extended below them as they rose, adding the weight of the water to the burden the water flow had to support, but with more squeezing of the triggers, the jets got stronger to compensate.

  In less than a minute, the girls reached the top of the cliff and landed on a five-foot-wide ledge next to the monastery's windowless south wall. They released the triggers, took off their harnesses and hung them over the safety rail at the edge of the ledge. Then each of them released two silenced machine pistols from the harnesses and faced opposite ends of the ledge, standing back to back, sweeping their weapons to cover the ledge from end to end. All was quiet.

  -

  4 -

  One FINAL word to the wise (I know, a fourth one):

  Here comes the first REAL spoiler

  November 12, 2012

  2:33 p.m. local time

  Aboard Defiance

  On the Red Sea, southbound

  "Ahhh," Evelyn sighed, sipping from her cranberry mimosa, "this is glorious, Paul."

  "It's okay to call me Jake when it's just us, Pam."

  "Okay, Jake. This is glorious."

  "Not bad for November. You have enough sunscreen on?"

  "All set." She sat up, lifted her sunglasses and glanced over at Jake, lying on the chaise lounge next to hers on the foredeck.

  "You know, Jake, that was kind of cruel."

  "What? What was?"

>   "Letting readers believe that that guy on the PVC lounge wrote the book, not you."

  "Oh, that. Not cruel, just good strategy. Anonymity, you know?"

  "But you put a target on his back, left him holding the bag, having to take all the flak that's gonna come down, all the stuff I warned you about, and probably lots more."

  "He can handle it."

  "You think so?"

  "Yup." Jake rolled onto his side, took a sip from his wineglass, and then chuckled.

  “What?"

  "Maybe I should have put it on Ron."

  "Oh, Jake, that WOULD have been cruel," she said, giggling.

  "Or maybe Norm and Janet."

  Jake's walkie-talkie buzzed; Jake reached over and clicked it on.

  "Yes, Captain, what is it?"

  "Sir, we may have a problem. Radar has picked up a small craft approaching fast, off our port bow."

  "Range?"

  "14,000 yards, closing at 35 knots. ETI, twelve minutes. We should have visual in two. I've put up a drone and alerted the crew."

  "I'll be right up." He clicked the walkie off. "Pam, JJ, it may be nothing, but stay alert, okay?"

  "Holler if you need us," Pam and JJ chorused from their lounges.

  -

  5 -

  November 13, 2012

  2:33 a.m. local time

  80 feet above the Aegean Sea