Page 269 of Silent Target

“Listen carefully, Agent Collins. There may be an explosive attached to your SUV.”

My attention moved to the vehicle.

I saw nothing unusual.

“How would you know that?”

“Because someone sent me a photograph of you fifteen minutes ago.”

The garage suddenly felt too quiet.

“What kind of photograph?”

“You leaving your office.”

I remembered the black sedan parked across the street.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

“Who sent it?”

“We don’t know.”

“We?”

“Shadow Division.”

I knew the name.

Everyone in federal service had heard the rumors. An unauthorized team operating beyond normal command structures. Some called them traitors. Others insisted they’d exposed a group responsible for murdering American servicemen.

There were no official files.

No photographs.

No confirmed identities.

Only whispers.

“You expect me to trust you?”

“No.”

The answer came without hesitation.

“I expect you to stay alive long enough to decide whether you should.”

A sharp metallic sound came through the phone.

A weapon being reloaded.

“Move away from the SUV,” he continued. “Use the stairwell behind you.”

I glanced toward it.

“That would put me inside an enclosed concrete shaft.”

“Yes.”