Page 148 of False Flag

Beau faced Gerard. “You said it was a false flag. That she did it. You said she was the reason I was arrested and court-martialed.”

“She was.” Gerard had also risen to his feet. “She accused you. You didn’t do it. I protected you.” He took a step back and tripped over the rock he’d just been sitting on.

“You said she was a conniving bitch. When I told you, after she and I first got back together, that I thought there wasn’t a conspiracy, that she wasn’t a liar, you told me she was. You said Big Archaeology was the enemy, and I needed to get to the truth. Through her. And then there was the second Truther attack in Atlanta. But there was nothing in our group about it. You said it was a false flag. But you’d already created a new group by then, hadn’t you? One I wasn’t in. I was ready to quit the group for her. And you convinced me to stay and keep spying.”

Whoa. This wasn’t what she’d expected.

“I also got you out of confinement. Casper got you into Canada even though you’re a convicted felon. I made it up to you.”

“Did you kill Lloyd?” Beau’s wild eyes went from Staci to Gerard. “And your fans, the ones you sent to the protest, are you going to kill them too? Claim Big Archaeology did it with the weapon they’ve been hiding? Is this how you’ll shut up the opposition?”

“They…they won’t die. Just get sick. Maybe.”

“You can’t know that, Gerard,” Staci said. “You can’t know what kind of anaphylactic reaction people will have, unless you and Casper have been testing it on humans.” She took a step toward him, no longer afraid of Beau. “How is it weaponized? What will it look like?”

“You’re both nuts. If anyone releases a toxin, it’ll be Big Archaeology. Her! Her friends. They’re the ones with the weapon.”

“Oh, but Casper already told the world all about the biotoxin. No doubt it was made by that lab in Taipei.”

“Tested. Not made.”

Beau reached out and grabbed Gerard by the neck. “Who has it? Where will it be released?” He squeezed, and Gerard’s face turned bright red.

Gerard gripped Beau’s hands, trying to pull them off, but he was no match for the former soldier.

Beau’s fingers relaxed, and Gerard took a gasping breath. “What is it?” When Gerard didn’t answer, he squeezed again. “Tell me, motherfucker.”

He released Gerard’s neck one more time. Gerard coughed and said, “Antifa. They’ll be all in black. With spray paint. Antifa will spray-paint the gazebo and crowd.”

Antifa. Of course he planned to blame it on Antifa. “Antifa means antifascist, you fuckwad. It’s anarchists who use spray paint.” Staci moved to step behind the camera, to make sure it was still streaming live. If it wasn’t, if the connection had broken, she’d call Jake.

But she was still streaming. She lifted the tripod to center Beau and Gerard.

Beau still had his hands on Gerard’s neck. “Was it all a lie? Big Archaeology? Lost Civilizations. Mu? Staci said over and over that this was all a grift. The more outrageous things you say, the more clicks. Clicks are money. You’ve got a billionaire funding an expedition you never intended to actually do—and this is after you got fans to donate thousands? You’ve made millions. You’ve got a vice president getting you grant money for the fake expedition, all so you’ll tell your fans that he’s the guy to vote for. You’ve lied and lied and lied. Staci was right about everything, wasn’t she?”

Gerard’s eyes were wide with fear. “No. No. No. I only lied when it mattered.”

“You murdered Lloyd. I didn’t like the guy, but that doesn’t make it okay. You told us the Truther attacks were justified—the ones you admitted to, anyway. You said the only way to get Big Archaeology to start telling the truth was to doxx them. Harass them. And when the online threats didn’t get results, Ace said it was time to make an example. He was giving your orders, wasn’t he? Oh Jesus. That woman in Philadelphia. Her screams… The terror. But she was innocent. Wasn’t she? While you needed drama for your clicks. I gave you that.”

“You made your own choice. I didn’t make you.”

“You said violence was necessary. That it was the only way to get to the truth.” He paused and seemed to study his hands. He flexed his fingers, tightening briefly, then releasing. “I only wanted the truth. I hurt that woman. I stole classified data because you promised me the truth.”

Beau was crying now. “But it was all a lie.”

It happened in a flash. A quick, violent flick of his wrist followed by a loud, horrific snap. Gerard Campbell’s head flopped to the side, and his body fell into a heap on the forest floor.

Beau stared down at his boss. He nudged the body with his foot, then rose to his full height—almost a foot taller than Staci—and turned to face her.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Jake and the team, comprised of former and active-duty special forces, made a barrier between the crowd of protesters and supporters who’d gathered around the pavilion as the governor and premier were evacuated from the gazebo to a secure building.

After the VIPs were gone, there would be an orderly disbanding of the opposing sides. Everyone would be searched for spray paint. In a false flag attack, the opposition would dress as the enemy. No one could be trusted.

Jake and the others hadn’t been able to watch Staci’s livestream, but they were in radio communication with FMV and NSWC. They’d been able to listen in and knew the pertinent details.

Jake couldn’t think about Staci being alone in the woods with Beau. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself for being here, not there, when she needed him. He knew she was capable, but for the first time since he earned his Trident, he struggled to focus on the op.