Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
I wanted to include this... What he says about oligarchy is true and could never have happened without a coalition of those who sponsored the Project 25 document... They are who is in control--Money and Power Controllers! No, the President cannot do everything they want!
She makes an interesting statement when she certainly lacks access to complete information...
But...isn't it important to know the reputation of America?
I worked in higher education... I worked my entire career and NEVER GOT SUPPORT FOR MY MAJOR ASSIGNMENT
NEED FOR AN INTEGRATED FACILITIES COMPUTER SYSTEM
THE MONEY DEPARTMENTS CONTROLLED PRIORITIZATION...
The CFO (money controller) reported directly to the President...
When additional leaders were added at the top, it just became worse since more programs were added in that priority list
Do you ever consider that the government is nothing more than
a lot of "corporations" each vying for support...
I learned it is impossible to do everything needed, but that doesn't mean somebody did something wrong as this woman's sarcasm implies.
The fact is that there will always be a shortage of funds if the world wishes to improve the lives of we who live on this planet...
Give the good guys a break!
Get rid of those who do nothing but complain or lie
There are too many people out there who are and have worked throughout their lives to do a good job
Some of us never achieve the end products of those lives...
That is Fact... We Must Work Together to Create Ways to Change FACTS of Failure to FACTS of Accomplishments...
Biden has done more in the only term as president than any of the recent former presidents has accomplished... Period!
My Guess?
The Amount of Money Spent on the last election (or any?)
could answer the world-wide hunger crisis for a year...or more???
The costs are unbelievable and ridiculous!
Especially when we see how and what was done...
How bad can it get NOW???
Remember all of these past events?
Not even past presidents are willing to support his second term...
This may not be true, just listened to The View and they were only talking about Michele... BUT, if it isn't true...it's a perfect example how communication attempts are ruined...
Once upon a time when the outside world was sane and I had about 10 years of peace and quite after going through Job Burnout, I felt I might be able to write a book, which I had already titled Emotionally Damaged: Living With Job Burnout... I thought it could be helpful and provide a real-life story by which one individual reached Job Burnout based upon Mismanagement...or Should I say, A Change of Administration...
I had even begun writing what I would be calling an Open Memoir, which would be produced sporadically within my blog...
And then 2015 came and I, for the first time in my life (no kidding) heard the name Donald Trump... It was the infamous "Grab her by the Pxxxx that changed my entire life... Seriously, think about it... I, one individual, had been abused in various ways on my job at West Virginia University. No, it wasn't physical abuse! It was mental abuse! I'm sure I'll be talking about that again...
Mental Abuse - The type of abuse that Trump immediately placed on the entire nation from Day 1... You know what, I soon realized that I could not possibly deal with my own personal situation, while at the same time, one man was wreaking havoc on millions of people... I knew this man was dangerous... I had been overwhelmed by individuals in power over a few... Trump was overwhelming the entire country with lies, threats, misinformation, nonstop repetitive chaotic rhetoric, not to mention that he had no credentials to actually be in the presidency!
And it never stopped, even though he was no longer president...he just kept doing the same thing...The ravings of a narcissist, soon became an awareness that he was a sociopathic narcissist who cared about nothing but what affected HIM... Yes, I am not qualified to claim his limitations. limitations... OK, fine, but I have read his niece's books as well as his nephew's book, which their uncle in their lives and about his early life... Mary, his niece, is now a psychologist... she's my source...
In any event, I became almost a fanatic watching what he was doing. Or mostly Not Doing... I had worked over 35 years (much like Biden) and started at the lower level, moving upward based upon study, expertise gained, and longevity in administrative positions on campus, first in Personnel and then in part of the President's Office, finally, moving into higher levels, beginning in the technical ranks... Nearly every single day, I was having flashbacks of similar on-the-job activities thatI'd gone through. listening to the news, ... Soon I realized that there was no way I was not going to work to get this man out of office. I changed from an Independent to a Democrat and have voted straight democrat from then on... Because I had seen just how corrupt the republican party had become and knew that Trump was picked on purpose, for a bigger plan...
Do you remember how often Trump was called to the carpet, for what he said, what he did or didn't do? He was impeached twice... I want to stop there because, we who watched knew what was coming...
Donald Trump was impeached because of his desire to make a deal with Ukraine's president. He wanted him to do research on Joe Biden and his son to get what dirt he could find, more or less. He even sent his lawyer there to push buttons behind the scenes. Now, here's the thing, Trump was holding up an allotment already approved through Congress--they would get the money when he got the "dirt." That was illegal!
The Impeachment passed the House, but not the Senate, due to republicans... However, the investigation was televised and we all had the opportunity to evaluate Truth... Documentation was provided that the command was indeed made to hold up providing funds that Congress had already approved... for this specific allocation. The Executive Branch (President) is responsible for the implementation of APPROVED actions only...
So, let's consider right now more of what has happened... January 6th, election violations across the nation and so much more had occurred or been discovered. Trump was being tried by 4 state courts as well as federally. We watched as one case was delayed by a Trump appointed judge over and over. We watched as the personal life activities of an AG was so skewed that that case was destroyed. The two NY court case were both won... But in each such case, Trump had different lawyers dealing with each and appeals were going on all the time...and, of course, the news followed the televised court cases, and could only listen to Trump when he came out where he lied, obfuscated, blamed the democrats, etc. Little was actually publicized of what Biden's administration was doing, routinely... Media choices have been questioned often...
(By the way, if you think this is all new, check out the history of court cases in which Trump/family were involved through the years)... Even his book was ghostwritten... because he obviously didn't do well with any deals that we've seen that he personally actually did...) So, for the majority of the 4 years that Joe Biden was in office doing wonderful things for America, the media covered the hottest news, Trump's court cases where excitement was sure to exist, rather than the boring reporting that a bridge had been built, or a city got a new water system...or whatever Infrastructure projects did occur... They were rarely covered and Trump kept lying, lying, lying... So much so that soon the republican majority Supreme Court (created by preventing Obama candidates to be even submitted for consideration) began acting as if Trump was already president and all those court cases of actual criminal activities for which he was indicted were dismissed not because they weren't real but because of Trump's constant falsification of everything... delay tactics... as well as the amazing decision by the Supreme Court that claimed that anything the President did during his term was immune from any type of action... Common Sense tells us that is categorically crazy!
Get the Idea - Lies or False Conclusions said over and over and over
and people begin to actually believe...That's why, up until the Trump presidency, very few actually created the chaos of lies/rhetoric initiated and incited by Trump...Inciting fear through Lies is...Just...Wrong!
And that leads to all that has happened even before Trump is inaugurated!
Let's look at just one 10 pm News review this week
Candidate for Secretary of Defense in for congressional review
Note that the mother of this candidate wrote a letter to him about his treatment of women...!!! She later also changed her statement
During the Discussion on Senator Ernst is the key point
I want to spot... that is, she was originally opposed to the candidate
After harassment by MAGA, she, I believe, voted not her real evaluation of the candidate, but what she was forced to do...
Can You Imagine that an individual for the Attorney General
said at her full hearing that "they" targeted Trump right from the beginning... Now, like I said, I've been watching closely for the same time period... and the only THEY that was acting properly were those individuals charged with upholding the Constitution of the United States, which was being totally ignored by the President who could care less about what he should or should not be doing... Witch Hunt became a household term heard across the land...
Now, I ask you to think about multiple issues discussed on the videos!
The MAJOR
Loss of homes and lives in California!
Now those who lost their entire lives are expected to be affected by the President and the Republic Party trying to make a deal for less coverage if the government of California doesn't do something for Trump...
It's being said that some type of deal must occur before disaster money would be provided!!!
Ready for another impeachment trial for the president and speaker of the house???
The President of Ukraine did NOT give in to political pressure by the Trump call to him and onsite pressure by Rudy Giuliani and those helping him, one of which testified at the investigation on what they were doing...
Senator Ernst has received so much pressure, that she changed her voting as originally planned... Senator Ernst served in the Military
The candidate has stated that women should not be permitted there!
Duh...
WE ARE NOT GOING BACK!
Folks, Do you realize that the guy is not yet even the President?
Money and Power, though, is evidenced in everything he does or says...
I wish to thank my new connections at BlueSky for sharing all the pics...
I had never been so brazen to say some of these things that are being said Now I realize that if I had talked more maybe more people, especially my family, would have started to believe me, Truth, and the Democratic Party, MSNBC
rather than the lies, disinformation and so much more being spewed out for the last 8 years... God, help us through the next 4
Gabby
A final Point... If we allow criminally charged, indicted, and convicted individuals in the government, we might as well start looking to move out of the country like many are already talking about...
Trump is a convicted felon, recently charged after being found guilty
The Secretary of Defense demanded by Trump--Powerful position--
was fired for mismanagement of funds for Vets Org!
And this guy is going to be in charge of the highest single budget in our government...
The thing about this: Yes, they are going to be "Yes" men for Trump--all of them...The thing is, those two alone don't have the capability of even understanding when something that is being discussed is wrong, or right...
Don't be surprised if you see Marines walking down the street of a US city one day at the command of Donald Trump, with the "Yes Sir!" from the Secretary of Defense...
And, oh yeah, let's get some planes up over my Golf Course... Can't have another sniper try to shoot me while I spend my normal times on the green...
Can't be too careful... I'm in Charge NOW
And let me know by lunch how many immigrants have been thrown out of our country and how much it costs us...figure we'll charge the country who allowed them to invade us...
Did you get the names of the Chinese immigrants working on the Panama Canal ... We need to move quickly to get that going...
And don't tell me I have to get approval from Congress... to get a new jet to replace Biden's...
It's out of Date so see if you can get Musk to give it to me as a gift
How many times do I have to say--I'm immune to anything that happens while I'm in office... A Jet is needed when I meet with Putin... and go visit my friend in North Korea...Maybe I can talk him into more soldiers being sent to Putin to fight against the Ukrainians...
Hey, did you hear that the guy wanted for Secretary of State refused the job...Get somebody putting pressure on, maybe threaten to "ensure" his wife doesn't get back in office next election...
Cancel all the prayer breakfasts!
I'm so sick and tired of having them people put their hands on me!
Most men can stand up against adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power… - Lincoln
I Will Miss Joe Biden... Oh, I haven't been involved in politics to know much about his early life there, but I remember him from his words, either read and written by him, read and written by somebody else, said by many, many news commentaries, but mostly because of his constant references to His Lord and Savior... How many times have you heard him close with God Bless America; God Bless Our Troops
But there were times when he joked about having to talk with Him, or in the midst of a speech, he would go through the sign of the cross, often laughing...
Now, take a look at the top picture in the right side of my blog
I believe Jesus and Joe Biden were trading jokes about what was happening during his years in Politics. Let's face it. You had to have a major faith in God, A sense of commitment to the role he was playing in America, and, most of all, Joe Biden went through many personal family losses that he could never understand, but knew he had God's Love to Get Him Through...
I saw God in his actions on the picket lines...talking and hugging and supporting Americans
I saw him speaking out against those who attempt to not recognize all people are created in God's image. While he attempted to work with Congress and got a Border Bill created in the first years of his administration...He must have been sad, distraught. He knew the republican president cared nothing about the immigrants who sought America seeking safety, support.
Joe Biden cares for all people...You can see it in all videos
But Joe Biden believed in the rule of law, based upon our Constitution
He allowed the Attorney General's Unit to be totally free to act, even at the same time we all watched as every single step forward was challenged and placed into legal scrutiny with years passing, only delayed by the "unneeded" in my opinion, appeal of every single thing that was appealable!
The courts became unworthy of respect as we had earlier expected.
In Biden's Final Address, he speaks to America to seek term limits and timely ethic reviews for courts. In one fumble Joe Biden was tried by millions of Americans for one presentation...
Yet thereafter, he has successfully represented our country, and, I believe, was ready to continue on for another term if the disinformation, misinformation and ugly smears had not been made.
I would have voted for Joe Biden for a second term...
He has major differences that the republican president, past and newly elected doesn't have: integrity, the ability to delegate and trust staff, and the willingness to accept briefs and discussions with staff... He would have been prepared to continue for more years, based upon these skills, together with his decades worth of experience in government!
America will begin to see what the last election has brought upon America.
We have already seen Project 25, the movement toward a dictatorship, the staffing of government with convicted felons, liars, individuals who refuse to speak truth if Trump has lied about it.
Can you imagine what will happen if they attempt to do everything they claim they will do?
Let's consider just one thing... I contributed to Social Security from age 18 through to 65
MY contribution was expected to be invested for my benefit
That is true for every single American.
IF Social Security is running out of money, then I consider that a problem for the government's financial staff, NOT US. There are many elders who are living on social security alone
Do you really think that Americans are going to be left without our own money/income?
NOT!
PREPARE AND WATCH...
EACH DAY COULD REAP ANOTHER DISASTER.
ONLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF
THE GOVERNMENT UNDER REPUBLICANS WILL NOT!
Pray that I'm Wrong...
~~~
I've selected three books of relevance at this time...
If you have not already read them, I suggest you do.
Or at least read my and other people's reviews...
Hopefully, do your own research! Read from multiple news stations
I watch ABC and MSNBC for world news after many years of choosing
Be careful of social media. Do NOT believe everybody who posts.
If you know it is misinformation, it is the time to share known facts without prejudice. In fact, in my opinion, it is your personal responsibility to speak Truth
Share Truth, Write Truth, Challenge with Truth
Because God created all people and America is open to All
Father, I pray for all my black friends, my Indigenous friends, all friends and neighbors. We are afraid, we hear so many lies, disinformation, misinformation, there are so many scams, so many people taking our children into human trafficking, there are so many who turn away from those in need, of hunger, or clothes... You said to allow your children--all of your children to come unto you...
We have come... We know of YOUR love and we try to share it. There are those, only you know who they all are, but they hate because of our love...They want more from you--riches, power...they have even begun to use your name in political issues, claiming you as their lord and what they ask should be blessedly given, yet choosing then to turn away from those in need, they threaten many when we try to speak truth, they force their own people to vote for things they don't believe in for fear--they know that one word of threat can bring followers that think nothing about, for instance, breaking into a home, seriously beating up an elderly man, just because his wife's name was mentioned by the MAGA leader... Lord, things are happening so fast that we can't possibly keep up with all that will affect each of us, our family or friends...the people of our world, our nation, our state, our community, even our churches... Lord, give us the strength to speak on your behalf. We know that your Love is bigger than any of us...Provide the words of love to speak against Lies, against corrupt leaders, leaders of churches, those who place being rich over anything else even though being rich has also done so much harm to so many... Oftentimes based upon religion as opposed to Your Love.
Father we call upon you to be with us as we move forward, touch those who will be in office. Place the spirit of truth on those who are being confirmed; let their tongues speak truth about all things and God give us your grace, your infinite patience, your strength and love
Keep those thoughts in our minds so that we don't speak out in anger, but in truth.
Lord, we ask these things in Your Name
Amen
Freedom was given to us...
He gave us Free Will!
Depend Upon Him in the coming days, months and years....
You gave us Freedom
You gave us JOY
Please, Lord guide us to keep safe from those who would take those freedoms that You gave us...
We Speak Jesus!
May these words and music teach us and our children of freedom, peace, of those in need...
May we, like Jesus asked of us - Love ALL of our Neighbors
May we work to never go back, but look forward with Joy,
Ok, apparently the writer was not happy when I decided to refer to his book as a Satire. But he said he really hadn't thought about genres when I first asked him... I'm going to leave this up, though, because when I don't consider it a satire and he said he didn't intend to write a satire, then I have to say--exactly what was the book about?
I thought about this a lot last night... Let me tell you what I saw? The Chapter headings had management steps...but I had no idea who was supposed to be doing that step... That is, as I said, the first chapter introduced the main characters. A lot of bar fights took place... That's it... It drew readers forward, but that's was more for the action, thinking, still, what's the book about? Nuclear weapons are, indeed, important, but we never learn who was going to be audited, was it routine?
Yes, there was a sentence or two about there was going to be an audit of nuclear materials. Setting, that is the location of where the audit would take place, like, which country, were not really explained, nor were those individuals involved... We found only at the end that multiple countries were involved--I had no idea why... Were they part of a group of nations watching out for the auditing process? Were they aware that they knew that something was being planned? How? If they were spies, were they aware of each country's representatives? Did they share information behind the scenes like NATO countries do on some occasions? If so, why wasn't the reader privy to those communications?
Then there were the spies? Since you didn't know who they really were, when one was a power-hungry leader, did that mean the whole operation was bad, or just the female? There was lots of sexual interaction via flirting, suggestive messages and actual events. Was it to gain information because there rally wasn't any interaction thereafter.
Now I admit I don't know how our CIA operates--nobody does. But, when you are writing a book and want readers to follow what is happening, then the author must use some basic narrative, at least, to outline what is happening. The only somewhat close spy tale I've followed is Talanov by James Turner. Talanov was from Russia but had become a counter spy for America. We knew that and were able to follow the action which was extensive. We knew the location of the action, who was involved and the reason it was so important that an agent (think James Bond) was tracking down what was happening.
One of the points I had highlighted was that there was just no way to keep track of the characters, other than a few basic ones. There was movement from one group or another but with no identification I really didn't know who was doing what to who...
Yet the book was well written, the characters were developed well, the storyline was minimally known. I have no idea why the characters representing different countries were not clearly defined and identified as action included them. The strange situation is that the entire book was moving from one action to the next to the next to the next.. The auditor was killed, but nothing was said...surely somebody knew where he was, what he was doing, and surely he reported in or had a secretary or other type of assistant that would miss him... Yet it was near the end when it was announced that the body was found... Nothing about any investigations of a missing person? Action continued, more action, more action...crime by the Red Tie came in every once in awhile, when guns were acquired for instance...
All I can say is that there was too much action and no setting given for the reader as the story started... Why the Red Ties got involved? Why Jamie's girlfriend wasn't openly dealing with things... I could only assume that this is what the author wanted to write. Yes, I could have given it a critical review, but it was a fun, humorous book to read and readers are indeed pulled into the fray, albeit, even if we didn't know who killed the guy and why that needed to be done... Too many armaments, auditor was demanding money? We just don't know...
I admit I got wrapped up because I saw so much that was, well, wrong, for a normally written fiction story, that I made a, maybe, big jump, in saying, this writer is spoofing us, spreading disinformation against others, or actually, doing their job through sexual manipulation, simply watching what happened and reporting, or...who knows what... If this is a trilogy, perhaps the intent was to explain everything at some later time, maybe by the M5 guy who ends the book watching... but...this book was very long! It took me days to read it because of all that was questionable as well as really, no segues, really, of transition beyond the chapter heading. I am openly apologizing to the writer... But, like I said, I really should have gone with my first reaction and overlooked the writing, etc. This individual did not know enough about writing a novel. What he seemed to write was all the action that we see in, say, the FBI TV programs... But, there is a control center, where readers/watchers catch up to the specific crime, status, who was in charge, etc. as the action goes on out on the streets... This book lacked that control center by which readers understood the what and why, not only the who and where... and I still have no idea why the chapters received management-related topics without an overall project defined and by whom...
So, just one more thing, I'm hoping this will be a tool for those who are self-publishing. There was no reference to a publisher. Also, I thought it might be beneficial for readers to actually see some of the early information of the book:
...Mr Kelly for all of the hospitality, anecdotes, advice, and introductions, as well as their profound psychological insights into the mores of gangland.
Content. This story contains graphic scenes of gratuitous sex, violence, substance abuse, kink, foul language, suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, illegal activity, racial slurs, toxic masculinity, and gender bias. The imperfect persons portrayed in this book are theoretically trained professionals, so please do not try any of this at home without first consulting a qualified medical practitioner, a legal representative & at least one responsible parent. So, I again, ask what was the purpose of the book if not to point out all these issues of "trained professionals..."
Hi Everybody! First, I wanted to let all of my readers know that I'm now up and running on BlueSky and enjoying meeting new friends. One of them is JK Scot, who, when I read his ID, said, "I wrote a book..." The name was there so I went out, did a search, found the book description interesting...and bought it! (Be very careful, the description is maybe part of the satire...)
When I began reading, I was caught off-guard within the first chapter. "Oh Boy!" But I kept on reading... Along the way I was trying to determine the primary fictional genre and went through a number: Humor, International Intrigue, Historical, Romantic Suspense, or is that, Romance, Suspense (or both!), Men's Literature (there is a Women's Literature genre, but Men's is not listed--this book is definitely the first in my newly recognized genre), Spy fiction and, perhaps, Historical as the only reference was of a new government activity which started in the 1950s... Be sure to check hashtags on this one...
Oh yes, another is management... Yep! It's all in there... and I'm going to try to make this even a fraction of the hilarity I experienced as I read... I've never had a real sense of humor, but I learned alot beyond the doors...
Now, by the time I finished the book, Satire was MY Final Offer as the primary genre... Not familiar with satire? I know what it is, but I rarely like it, so I searched for latest samples... Family Guy is one and the Simpsons... Neither of which I'd ever watched--cartoon characters, really???... Although I remember when I watched the first show of Archie Bunker and I was horrified! Yep, that show was true satire! It took awhile for me to see the brilliance of the show... Who knew they were considered Satire? Soooo, that led me to verify my definition (by the way do you think, like I do, that online security is ridiculous? Like, how many times do you have to verify who you are? I KNOW who I am! The computer knows who I am...So why does Windows have to know where I go and force me to okay it???!!! Oh, yea. Threw in a bit of satire to see if site owners will take my hint! By the way, this part is part of the management schtick... You'll know Management is part of the book because each Chapter Heading gives you the official name about which you will be reading and learning...how what not to do... By this time I was having lots of fun! In fact, it reminded me of my Open Memoir which often could be considered satire...especially about our past and new convicted felon president... And I don't even have to lie to make it true...
Finally, for new readers of Satire--you'll need this--I've included an official definition... and then a simpler one to make sure I knew, and maybe some of you, that I was right in guiding you... Personally, I learned that many of my Open Memoir or NonFiction books I've been reading lately and writing about, would often be classified Satire... Here I was thinking that I was just using sarcasm, but when, apparently, you start out with illustrative videos, excerpts documenting experiences by me or others, then it is clearly Satire, used for the purpose to uncover evil or bad behavior... (better go out and add hashtags to many posts of mine, LOL)
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposing or shaming the perceived flaws of individuals, corporations, government, or society ...
What is satire in simple words? (1) Satire is the art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets. (2) Satire is a genre, or category, of art or literature thatuses wit, irony, and sarcasmto talk about or unveil evil or bad behavior in humanity. Please note I don't consider any comments about the orange man satire...satire is rarely truth... Or, is it? Guess I'll keep doing my research...
Just as this author obviously has done! The presentation of the book is excellent... Each chapter presents a title, which you don't normally see in fiction. However, since his goal is obviously to use the chapter's narrative to spotlight how NOT to use the "effective" management tools identified and available to all of us, this was my first hint. (Hey, planning and management is my field...) I began to know what to look for! And from then on, his amazing ability to write a storyline to present the satire of the characters, their actions, or in one way or another, mostly by other characters working to counteract what another was planning (and not always succeeding, however), still the storyline reflects, in my opinion, what the writer intended us to realize...
Let's now talk about the actual storyline! UNBELIEVABLY HILARIOUS, IRONIC, sarcastic, while keeping the storyline moving forward... By the way, I've used a number of excerpts, more to allow you to begin to understand how to look at this book right from the beginning... Scot cven alerted me to his first character; I was right. in his introduction to himself, he humbly said just, I wrote a book..." And so, I believe, the main character, Jamie, is the basis for the commonsense approach to what the book's main character will be sharing to his audiences... Jamie is a memorable character. In the midst of becoming a member of a new brotherhood, his personal interaction with his new female friend is as gentlemanly as you could expect and want for as a woman looks to a new male in her life.
Chapter 01 - Initiating a Project. Note the beginning of a project is the first step... Everybody needs a set of steps and instructions, right?
Jamie trudged with the other passengers up the gangplank and grunted, ‘Good morning,’ to a ticket collector before dumping himself onto an uncomfortable bench beside a porthole. Taking a last look across the sea loch to his village, he sighed. It was dawn o’clock in the morning, and at his mother’s insistence, he and his rucksack were on their way to a city, as far away from his home as he could go without needing a passport. He resented the trip, and if he’d known any of the dangers that fate had planned for him, he’d never have got on the boat. He’d only switched off for a minute when a former teacher plopped down next to him and asked in the happy-chatty tone of a morning person, ‘Hi? Where are you off to?’ ‘University,’ he replied curtly, then added a more friendly, ‘England.’ ‘Oh, that’s great. Where, what are you studying?’ Jamie forced a half-hearted smile but groaned inside as he mumbled, ‘Engineering.’ He didn’t want to appear rude but usually felt more comfortable observing people than talking to them. The following conversation was a struggle, as he’d hardly spoken to anyone in the previous six months, apart from the winch operator he’d been working with in the woods. Going from a limited vocabulary yelled into his walkie-talkie of “Haul-in, Haul-back and Stop,” to using whole sentences early in the morning was hard, and it took a while for his brain to warm up. She asked, ‘What made you choose that? Is it something you’ve always wanted to do?’ ‘Naw, no really,’ he shrugged, grinned, then misquoted something she’d said to him in class, ‘Apparently, I am a blank sheet of paper upon which I can write my own life of adventure. For the propriety of politeness, the pair maintained a banal conversation for the half hour it took for the ferry to cross the Clyde, and when they parted ways at the train station, she told him, ‘Well, it was nice to see you again. I hope you realise all of your ambitions.’ Those words rattled around in his mind as he continued southwards to England. He had no ambitions. At best, he was disinterested in seeing the world on the other side of the loch, and he was only becoming a student in response to his mother’s relentless pressure to leave what she called, ‘A dead-end job in a place where people went to die of boredom.’ Twelve hours later, at the final train station of his journey, he was stiff, red-eyed, and groggy from sleeping curled up on a seat. He called home to say he had arrived safely, then took a disorientating cab journey through a warren of identical houses to an address in a long street of red brick. Sadness overwhelmed him when he realised that he’d swapped life in a place of deer on the hills where no one locked their doors, for a grubby red-light district where the only feral wildlife were muggers and pimps. He turned the key in his new home, but instead of the rich smell of freshly baked bread he was used to, the stink of garbage assaulted his nose. He hated it already. When a mouse scuttled past him in the hallway, he’d seen enough of the place. In the hundred square feet of dilapidation that was his bedroom, he dumped his bag on the floor and lay down with his head on an uncomfortable pillow. There, staring at a damp, stained ceiling he sulked himself to sleep. It felt like he’d closed his eyes for only a second when his quiet was shattered by someone ringing a cowbell while repeatedly bellowing, ‘Beer! Beer! Beer!’ It became apparent that he had flatmates. Bursting into his room, they made introductions and became insistent in their eagerness for Jamie to come out drinking with them. They didn’t take, ‘Erm…Ahm no sure,’ for an answer and he was soon carried on a wave of enthusiasm to a tiny bar opposite the local fire station. Inside, the students were pressed together so tightly that he couldn’t move without stepping on someone, so he hung back from his new acquaintances and stood in an alcove by the entrance where at least there was a cool draught. From there, wherever he looked, it was packed with colourful people. All fluttering past and chattering away with what he interpreted as cosmopolitan cool. At home in Argyll, he might only see half a dozen different people per week, but now everything was overpowering; too strange, too noisy, and too hot. He was considering leaving to return to his bedsit when one of his housemates thrust a pint of lager into his hand with the words, ‘It’s alright, isn’t it?’ and dragged him into the swirling mass and towards the beer garden. Five lagers later, the students Jamie had arrived with had drifted away. He was now alone, people-watching and slumped against a wall with two full pints in his hands. He felt fuzzy headed as he pressed one cold glass against his skin. It sent a refreshing and tingly spasm of ice down his spine, and he tried to stand straight. Instead, he managed only a slight stumble that cracked the back of his head on some masonry. A female voice purred, 'You okay?' Looking around, Jamie saw a tanned girl with one of the pub’s spot lamps illuminating her head like a halo. She was beautiful, stylish, dripping in gold jewellery, and fashionably dressed in a black designer blazer. She seemed serene, out of place in a sweaty student pub. She took a step closer and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a grumpy sound behind him barking an order, ‘Mate, go over there!’...The words came from a doorman...
Beyond that door, is where the entire first chapter is centered! Chapter 2 will begin, of course, The Feasibility Study. BUT... beyond the doors, an entirely different regiment will be found. They are called The Red Tie regiment (my word)--but I checked my military definitions, even if they are informal) Of course they could also be called mercenaries, the mob, or the gang... or, better, you will find... and how I thereafter thought of them, through reading their stories, The Brotherhood...
Because the men you will get to know intimately in Chapter 1 are doormen for local bars. Their job is to protect the normal patrons and take care of all the "drunk and beyond..." politely or violently, when necessary...
By this time you will have already met the main character, Jamie. On his first night in town, he was pulled out of his lousy room by his fellow inebriated students and introduced to what university life was all about. Now Jamie was even more naive than I who grew up in a small town of maybe 200 people and pleased to have a post office, and sometimes one of the local citizens would try to make some money by opening a small grocery story... Jamie's mum had kicked him out of his home, hoping he'd get some "worldly" smarts by going to university... Now, I want to take a minute and defend his mum's actions... Last night as I was thinking of poor Jamie, I remembered my Mom's boss had offered to sponsor my brother to attend a boys school during the high school senior years... Yes, he went and I didn't really consider much about it until, one day, I couldn't find my Mom, finally finding her in our cruddy basement where water always ran in, underneath the stairway and cleaning out the shelving (where she kept canned foods). She didn't turn when I innocently asked what she was doing and got a somewhat unusual response, like, "what's it look like, Go on back upstairs.") I could tell by her voice that she was crying...she was sending her son, in just ninth grade, across the state, for his own good--a professional education... I was learning empathy from my Mom that day... So, I knew exactly why Jamie's mum did the same... And, you will find that Jamie is a very interesting, actually fantastic character. His language skills may be lacking, especially having to use English instead of his local dialect from home, but he is a good decent young man and everybody he met (except those that would be trying to kill him, or at least do great damage to an arm or two) soon knew it...
Let me give you a short description of part of a normal night for the doormen and the type of zinger scenes you'll be reading about in chapter 1... In fact, the entire book is action packed, although some of it is slow-motion as we read about the planning, the characters to be involved, the signals/communication--you know all those bureaucratic directions with secret names and sign-outs--over and out nonsense... LOL
When they were told to leave, an intimidating man at the back of the group yelled, ‘Make us!’ Another made the point-blank threat of, ‘Do one, or you’ll get a kicking!’ while encouraging his associates to move forward with little waves of his hand. ‘Not so big on your own, are you?’ said a fat pimple in dirty jeans and a smelly t-shirt. The men were getting braver, daring the doorman to react in one direction so that they could surround him from another. They only hesitated to rush him because they could see what Jamie couldn’t. The doorman was gripping something under the hem of his jacket. It was the handle of a Kukri blade. Another thing he was unaware of was that these workmen had a lucrative criminal side-line in local pubs. Their usual method was to take over an area’s supply chain of drugs by arriving en masse and causing enough trouble to intimidate the landlord into turning a blind eye to their trade. ‘You know I could just shoot you, don’t you,’ said the ringleader seated at a table. The man looked confident with his friends flanking him and didn’t bother to get up, but the doorman didn’t seem concerned and casually answered in a mocking tone, ‘Yer whatever, I’ve had more rounds coming at me than you’ve had breakfast fry-ups. Fatty!’ That was when Jamie spotted the weapon and woke up to what was happening. He muttered, ‘Uch jeez, not now,’ and scanned around for a safe avenue of retreat.
The girl Maria caught his attention. She was surprisingly tranquil and outstretched her hand to beckon him with one finger; she cooed, ‘Sweetie, come to me.’ His legs found the impulse to wobble forward to where she stood behind the man at the table, but as he squeezed past the ringleader, he gave him a sneering glance. It was the look a bully might reserve for the harmless, but it distracted Jamie enough that he missed his footing and dropped one of his pints. What happened next began like a set of dominos falling as his arms and legs floundered in a slow drunken sequence. It ended with one of his hands smashing a glass off the table and his other grabbing the man’s shoulder for balance. At that moment, he was neither worried nor particularly aware of what was happening because as he looked up, his eyes met those of Maria. Her strangely peaceful smile captured him. It didn’t matter that she was also shaking her head at him as the look of mirth on her face, made him feel warm and snuggly drunk. He grinned back at her without realising that to everyone else in the pub, it was the crazy-eyed grin of a boy holding the edge of a broken glass to a terrified man’s neck. Jamie locked into her gaze. He was only mildly aware that he was still draped over someone and had spilt his lager. Then his befuddled mind caught up with some of what had happened, which prompted the conditioned response of apologies, ‘Oh, very sorry.’ one of the workmen yelled, ‘Don’t move, John, DON’T MOVE!’ and Jamie saw the blood and realised he’d nicked the man’s chin. He wasn’t concerned for the man, having already marked him down as a bad person, but it wasn’t in him to be impolite about it either so said, ‘He was...’ To clarify his meaning, he nodded towards the seated man with a clumsy gesture and accidentally head-butted him. Then he yawned and blinked before announcing to Maria, ‘I am so tired and, yir lovely by the way. Oh, and my name’s Jamie.’
Just then, a seven-foot-eight giant in a red tie and blazer arrived from inside the pub and scattered everyone like skittles. Jamie watched, too slow of thinking to be afraid as the hulk growled, ‘Whatcha looking at,’ and rushed at him with a massive arm outstretched. It was as if with each step, the earth shook. The ringleader wasn’t sneering anymore, and Jamie was brushed aside as the Giant gripped the seated man around his jaw and lifted him above his head. Holding him aloft, he told the crowd, ‘I haven’t started work yet, but once I clock on, I’ve a generous helping of pain for anyone what don’t look studenty.’ Clearly unwilling to confront the big man, the workmen screamed, ‘Let him go!’ but backed away. The Giant roared, ‘Orders are to clean this pub of dealers. Nothing personal dickheads! Now fxxx off.’ Taking a deep breath and still holding the man in one paw, he sunk his other into his victim’s ribs with a sickening crack. The ringleader dangled like a toy doll, and with only a slight flex in his legs, the giant lobbed the man to splatter at the feet of his mates and tell them, ‘Don’t come back, or I’ll be round to wake you up one morning with a hammer.’ As the men left, Jamie sat down on the vacated table. Everything was a bit wobbly, and he briefly rested his head on the beer-stained table to stop the world from spinning. An adrenalin dump took over. The last thing he remembered was being told, ‘You can stay.’ He dozed off and dreamt of a girl talking to him in a sweet purring voice while his head rested on her arm as a pillow. When he finally woke up, he was lying on a pool table upstairs, surrounded by doormen in uniforms with a rolled-up dog blanket under his head. Spread around him in the bar was a blur of inquisitive faces and the shaven skulls of doormen. Their shifts had finished in other pubs around the city, and with their red ties removed and clipped to their blazer pockets, they’d congregated for after-hours drinks in the now-closed pub. One of them mimicked in a threatening tone that changed to laughter, ‘Did you touch one of my students?’ And with a grin, he asked Jamie, ‘Pint? I’ll get it.’ ‘Could ah huv a black coffee, please,’ he told the man while stretching. One of the men threw his wallet onto the pool table and told him, ‘There you go, had to check who you were. Don’t worry, it’s all there.’ Jamie sighed and decided to be relaxed about having his pockets rifled. He didn’t bother checking it, as he had no idea how much he’d spent that night. One by one, the identically dressed men introduced themselves, ‘I’m fifty,’ said a grim looking thug. The man beside him pointed at his badge number and declared, ‘Thirty-two.’ Then the group of uniformed lads called out their numbers in turn as if it was a hilarious joke. A scarred face told him, ‘I’ve known Nine since school. I still dunno his real name.’ ‘I dunno it, and I’m his nephew,’ said another who choked laughing. Jamie stared around the faces, and they explained why they used numbers, ‘Nobody wants names shouted across a pub Matey. That’s a step closer to getting known or nicked.’ The Giant told him, ‘I’m Ginger. It be hard to be anonymous when you are British prisons powerlifting champ. Non-drugs free obviously.’ It was as if he wanted a reaction to the words’ Prisons’ and ‘Drugs,’ but Jamie’s face stayed blank. As they chatted, it felt like he was an honoured supper guest surrounded by cannibals, who all knew some secret he didn’t. He was their after-hours entertainment, but it all seemed okay. One asked, ‘So how come you stuck a glass in matey’s neck?’ Still tired, he slipped into his semi-intelligible Scottish dialect to say, ‘Uch, him, Ah don’t ‘hink he wiz awe that nice. Ma name’s Jamie. I’m a student at the university,’ then he yawned to punctuate his reply. The doormen then all spoke at once in a barrage of questions with garbled Hampshire accents, and one asked, ‘Can you say eleven? Go on, say eleven. No, no say purple burglar alarm for us.’ He knew what they were talking about but feigned ignorance about the comedy show they were referring to and switched in his mind to pronounce every syllable slowly in clear English. Another of the doorman asked, ‘Can you say film, no. Say poem?’ The first doorman he’d seen that night, badge number 22, placed a pint of lager in front of him and said, ‘Thanks, but you shouldn’t have got involved.’ ‘Any coffee?’ Slurred Jamie as he tried to process what they were saying. Another interrupted, ‘Well mate, I started working on nightclub doors at fourteen, but I don’t think I have ever seen anyone fall asleep halfway through a glassing before.’ The Giant grabbed Jamie by the collar and pulled him closer to declare, ‘Fair play mate. You did good! Ya helped us, so don’t worry about the lad you glassed. He’s a muppet.’ ‘Yer but you were a bit too psycho, a bit too soon,’ suggested Twenty-two holding an imaginary sugar cube in front of his eyes and grunting, ‘A little.’ Jamie forced himself to speak without his dialect and jokingly replied in an impersonation of an English one, ‘Air well it t’was all terribly, terribly upsetting don’t you know.’ One of them called out to a large shaven-headed Buddha sprawled on the next sofa, ‘What about him for that student thing?’. The man didn’t look over but nodded his agreement and said, ‘Why not.’ The Giant explained, ‘We need someone who speaks student. Next Tuesday morning for a couple of hours work. Few quid for someone using their social skills, won’t be any trouble?’ ‘I don’t have any social skills,’ Jamie replied with another yawn. The Giant beamed, ‘Yer mate, good one. So go to your campus Tuesday, meet us at the reception at 11 am, white shirt with a collar.’ ‘Okay. I kin dae that,’ he said, without really thinking about what he’d agreed to. All he was clear about was that he’d no real lectures in the first week. ‘Good lad, now repeat the order in fucking English. So, I knows ya understand.’ ‘College reception, Tuesday at 11 am, white collar shirt, I understand,’ he said quietly and slowly without his accent, perhaps a little uncomfortable to be the centre of attention. From behind the bar, he heard, ‘Jamie, where are these kettles? Please to help?’ The lads around him chuckled, ‘Go on through Matey. She’s been waiting all night for you.’ He walked over and pushed open the lower door that led him into the kitchen, and as soon as he saw her he froze like a rabbit in a set of headlights. The woman reached forward, gently held his ears and kissed him on both cheeks while saying, ‘Hola. Niño Bueno.’ He had no clue what to say in reply. It was a new feeling for him, a weird nervousness that made his stomach tense and his neck retract into his shoulders. Mostly he was startled by the surprise familiarity rather than any sudden shyness, and for a moment he could only manage to stare into her eyes, mesmerised...
So within the first week on campus, Jamie got drunk, threatened a guy with a broken glass, while seeming to fall asleep, got offered a job and met the girl for his first and only romantic relationship...
Now here's the good and the bad about the Red Tie Brotherhood... They were indeed trained and loyal to all of their brothers and did a great job maintaining peace in bars and keeping drug dealers out! Jamie became a surprise to everybody when he didn't share that he had done some training and was able to handle himself better than they'd imagined. Of course, if I remember the correct count, he was sent to the hospital three times during the book, once seriously... But Jamie hated violence and the only reason he began using those Martial Arts skills was to take care of bad guys... Actually, The Red Ties were fighting against the drug dealers, working to keep them out of the bars. At the same time, under their boss, Don, there were many criminal activities, which did not include drugs...but a lot of risks and violence... And this group of men thrived on these activities!
Moving into the future chapters, you will be meeting lots of characters who you can't possibly remember who they are and what they are doing... They're the CIA types from the various countries involved, including England, Scotland and Spain. However, you may never know that because they are all SPIES! So, while you may not remember the names and know whether they are good or bad guys, what you will learn that murder is goin' happen... Because a Nuclear Audit Officer is about to begin his work... and so many attempts to bribe him, or stop him in any other way than killing him, you will struggle through. Seriously, even at the point they were considering the scene for his murder, I could not be sure who was who--good or bad--! The only thing I can tell you is that every single woman that is in this book--don't believe a word she says! Some are cool professionals who are incognito; some are power-hungry bitches (you know the type by now--Think actor in a female lead action film who plays the villain). You will enjoy each individual scene, and only in the last few chapters will key names be known and from which country they represent... Those will be the good guys... Readers will be getting hints about many of the characters being spies or professionally in service. But, just like America right now, many will not identify who the good guys are and who are the bad guys... Believe me, I've been keeping track of both for going on 10 years...
There are references and characters from England... The leader will be revealed as one who sits back and watches and should retire, not really getting into the action. In fact, that's how the writer ends the book,with this bureaucrat still keeping watch... Now that can be both good and bad behavior. I'll let you decide how you perceive this character. I wasn't impressed even if we all know the initials MI6 and lower numbers... this guy was NOT James Bond! Another comment about the writer's skill in the actual use of satire in presenting each character... Angel was a character I was able to watch through the book... Since he was later identified, all I will say is that he is a good character to identify and follow book. His name obviously is strange for a man--his actions do not reflect the image of that heavenly being is all I can say... LOL... Kudos to the author again... I was impressed with the numbering of the Red Tie men who willingly accepted an assigned number, knowing they couldn't afford to be known personally... except for Ginger whose athletic notoriety prevented him not to be known! Especially with his size! And once anybody saw him, they'd turn and leave... if they had any sense...
I'm going to close with the use of the only two musical references that were actually named. I thought they were quite interesting, so have chosen the videos to reflect my personal perception of the classical music selections...
Networking. Angel had gone to sleep at three in the afternoon after a coded message from a withheld number. It said, ‘Delivered-Pizza.’ From that, he knew that Matty’s job had been a success but that there had been some complications. An hour later, he got an email from the Denver HQ with an instruction to attend a charity event that night in Parliament. All he had to do was go to Portcullis House, drink free wine and listen to the corporate PR people talk about the godly works they did around the globe. He dressed in the company brand, caught a train to London and began thinking about Tanya again, hopeful that she was in town and they could meet. She’d gone quiet even though he’d been texting her relentlessly, telling her he missed her. Tanya had turned into an oasis of relief he felt in the sickening world he lived in. He did not like what he had become, and it was she who could reach into his soul to smooth away the pain and anxieties that hid there. She had something on him, and he hoped maybe she felt a connection too. In his mind, he thought of her as the one person in his life who wasn’t some corrupt spy or mercenary doing something despicable and relaxed into a warm, happy stupor flicking through some pictures she’d sent. When he arrived in Westminster, he found it to be a busy event with several MPs and their staff attending, so he skulked in a corner by a drinks trolley. It wasn’t long before he was discovered by two elderly baronesses determined to be sociable and friendly. One asked him, ‘Don’t I know you from Africa?’ and as she looked at his name tag, she paused and told him, ‘So glad you could make all this happen.’ ‘Such a great company to work for,’ he replied attempting a smile. The other eighty-year-old lady moved in with a gentle stroke of his arm to ask him, ‘Did you have anything to do with the press pack? Apparently, something sweet might trickle over my palate tonight. It says there might be a nice sugar cane on my lips.’ Angel wasn’t relieved when the first Baroness giggled and asked, ‘You’re a soldier, aren’t you?’ ‘No, sorry. Not at all,’ he replied and only escaped their interrogation when the lights dimmed, and the main video of the evening was projected on the north wall. The film was about the work of the MPs and the sponsoring corporations sitting in the room. It soon became a tear-jerker movie showing artillery strikes and the debris of war. It was a merciless manipulation of emotions using mutilated corpses, burned-out desolation and the walking wounded of a previous year’s African rebellion. It was reinforced by a ticker tape of statistics at the bottom of the screen listing the deaths, disease, and destruction. Then the tone of the video changed, and hope began. A half-dressed child staggered along a muddy path crying in anguish towards an aide worker’s welcoming arms. The horror scenes changed into a section with dawn breaking over a beautiful landscape and the music of Wagner’s Gotterdammerung morphing into Beethoven’s, ‘Ode to Joy,’ and the video cut to farming in sun-drenched fields and happy beaming smiles. Western and African faces posed at every stage of a coffee harvest and drying process while earnest-looking charity volunteers did pieces to camera wearing comical baseball hats and company t-shirts that said, “I love my team,” or emblazoned with quotes from Marcus Aurelius. Then the film went to the credits, showing a montage of corporate and NGO logos mixed with the faces of doctors, nurses and schoolteachers who were working to help. A girl’s face appeared, smiling, and holding in her hands a flower. She spoke earnestly about hope and Angel recognised her as a teenager he’d seen earlier by the drinks trolley, serving coffee grown on the plantation to attendees and handing out leaflets. It was part of the event company’s vision to fly her from where she worked in Africa to London, have her mingle with the guests and tell her traumatic story and rebirth as a manager of a coffee cooperative. As the movie ended, a spotlight switched on to show that it was no longer a recording of the English narrator but the famous lady in person. She was a big deal for the organisers and stood at the podium beckoning the teenager to be hugged. The speaker, an accomplished human rights lawyer and wife of a famous Lord was there to enthral and excite listeners. The gig was to pitch the coffee company’s charity in Central Africa and stir conscience on health, education, women’s rights, and the business initiatives that supported local communities. Angel yawned. He’d been bored since entering the sea of grey glassy stares and was just about to reach for another drink when one of the baronesses said, ‘She’s so very good!’ He tuned in when the other old lady replied, sounding shocked, ‘Oh my god, I have never known you to make a complimentary remark about another lawyer. Ever! The media make out she is a scatter-brained weirdo?’ ‘No, far from it. She’s actually brilliant. We consider her as the best legal mind of our generation!’ ‘Oh wow, that is praise coming from you. I’ve never heard you say a nice word about anyone before,’ her friend smiled both returned to the speech, listening intently. From the podium, the presentation was enticing eloquence. She thanked the benefactors for their funding while creating an image of a fragile post-genocide tribal homeland that was blossoming into a beacon of optimism. As an impassioned orator, she drew connections between infrastructure and social mobility while explaining that the charity needed a little help and only £180 million from the UK government. She spoke brilliantly for precisely eight minutes before packing up her notes and brushing past her many fans to be halfway to the exit by the time the lights came on. The old ladies left and as Angel’s eyes adjusted to the new brightness, Jessica arrived with a man who was a chinless piece of dandruff in a black suit. Standing between them, she didn’t bother with her usual pretence of southern charm and seemed more anxious than usual. Without looking up from the game she was playing on her phone she whispered, ‘Angel, you okay honey, this is Smith. He’s with me.’ Angel knew the name. It was her liaison officer in MI5. A name tag stated that he was a communications manager which was more or less true, but Angel recognised the type. He’d be an apex predator if the world was, survival of the most devious. ‘So why are we here?’ Jessica asked, still playing the game on her phone. ‘There were complications with your thing,’ Smith explained. She sighed, ‘Honey, you better spell it out, as you’d not believe the documents, I had to fill out just to stand here. I’ve expense claims, purposes, replies to guidance and all that hooey.’ Smith leant in to whisper several sentences in her ear, and Jessica’s expression changed to one that Angel hadn’t seen before. It was fear. When her eyes darted towards him, Angel’s instincts told him that he was in trouble, and perhaps his days were numbered. He chatted amiably, ‘It’s bad news. Only a matter of time before things are asked. Unless we can do something about damage control.’ ‘What might that be?’ she asked putting away her phone and picking up a glass of claret. ‘An illegal turned up. It seems, they took photographs. Our boffins checked a camera and found that copies had been made. We presume those to be with a team member. Who is now, also missing.’ ‘Understood. Who else knows,’ she replied with her nostrils flaring. ‘No one yet.’ ‘Any idea about where our missing things are now,’ she asked. Smith looked at Angel, ‘No, not yet. I thought your colleague here might be able to help some of our specialist tackers with that question?’ She sipped her wine and told him, ‘I guess,’ then breathed in as if smelling her favourite perfume before smiling at Angel to say, ‘It’ll be fine Honey. Y’all work together on this now and keep me posted.’ Angel nodded, but with a sense of alarm in his stomach and the urge to throw up while Jessica asked Smith, ‘Anything I should know about?’ The MI5 officer gloomily replied, ‘Two similar issues. In the last few days.’ ‘Which issues?’ ‘Do you remember the Minister we met in Paris?’ Jessica purred, ‘Oh yes, I remember his economic advisor. I doubt she had a primary school education, but she had great tits.’ Smith coughed and cleared his throat with a glass of wine before replying, ‘I was asked about it. Nothing too specific, and it all seemed too casual.’ ‘So, someone is looking?’ She asked. ‘Because of whom it came from. I think it’s your people. But I can’t ask anyone about it. If it is something, I’ll have to wait for a team to wade through whatever it is, before being told about it in a briefing.’ ‘My people can investigate me all they like. They won’t find anything. It all went through,’ she paused and nodded at Angel. The MI-5 man muttered, ‘Okay then. As far as I know, the records on my side are impartial and accurate. There is nothing amiss.’ Jessica breathed deeply and asked, ‘And the other thing?’ ‘A webpage was asking about Scotland this morning. It’s gone now, but it was there for an hour.’ Now Jessica seemed calm and serious, ‘Who was behind that?’ Smith shrugged. Jessica snorted and scowled before turning to Angel, saying, ‘Okay Honey, we need to put all of this behind us, why don’t y’all go with Smith? He is our partner in this and so might have a few little questions. So, y’know, work together then y’all can disappear on that sabbatical I’ve always promised you.’ Angel’s mind swirled when she said that, but he presented his best attempt at appearing unbothered and replied, ‘Sure Boss, no problemo.’ As far as he could tell, a button was being pressed on Jessica’s world. He walked with Smith to Westminster station. As they were about to cross the road a car pulled up next to them and made it obvious, he had to get in. Angel sat in the back, flanked by two large thugs. They didn’t say a word until they arrived at a safe house at the end of an overgrown track in rural Essex. The place looked like a stone mason’s workshop, with slabs of marble stacked neatly around a cutting table. The whole place sucked the heat out of his body, and Angel feared the worst, as it was the perfect place for disposing of bodies. Smith started his interrogation by asking, ‘Sorry about all this, it’s orders. Your boss and I want to know about the Russian illegal you’ve been fucking.’ The questioning went on with different and grim old men until the following day. It didn’t seem routine, and he thought he overheard an American accent during one of the breaks in his ordeal. A sign that confirmed to him, someone was looking into Jessica’s activities.
I am impressed with this new author for me and will look forward to his future works. Highly Recommended!
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