Black Flagged Apex

Chapter 39





2:12 AM

Lake Wallenpaupack

Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania



Jackson Greely sat on the spacious deck overlooking the lake and stared at the full moon's reflection on the rippled water. A light breeze rustled the dark shapes of several massive pine trees flanking the property and swept across the elevated wood structure. He zipped his jacket all the way to the top, closing the flannel-lined collar and preventing the chilly wind from stealing a little more of his core body temperature. Temperatures in the Poconos still dipped well into the lower forties in early May. He couldn't sleep thinking about Benjamin Young's abduction. Or was it a rescue? Six more of their operatives were killed, bringing their total losses to just over twenty in less than twenty-four hours, not including the three men sacrificed outside of Fort Meade. Heavy, unanticipated losses, but nowhere close to a showstopper.

He glanced back at the tall bank of windows facing the lake, resentful that Lee could sleep peacefully at such a critical juncture in True America's revolution. Then again, Jackson had done most of the heavy lifting since they started to put the pieces together. Not all of the lifting, but certainly the lion's share. Lee enjoyed the publicity and rarely shied away from the camera or an audience, but he wasn't comfortable making hardcore decisions on his own, or even suggesting them. That was Jackson's role. Lee's role was to support Jackson and keep the rest of their executive group in line. This was in no way an easy task, but it allowed Lee to sleep on the eve of True America's rising.

Greely's cell phone illuminated the table next to him. A phone call at two in the morning could only mean one thing: Trouble. He recognized one of Brown's numbers and answered it immediately.

"Good news, I hope," he said.

"That was fast. Trouble sleeping?" Brown said.

"What do you think?"

"I think you'll be pleased to know that the compound has been hit. Comms are down, and some of our local contacts have reported helicopters in the general area," Brown replied.

"Good. Let's just hope that Bishop and his second-in-command were killed."

"It doesn't matter either way," Brown suggested.

"You're probably right, but I'm starting to get an uneasy feeling. I'd feel much better knowing that our insurance policy was ready to roll."

"It'll be ready. Perfectly timed in my opinion," Brown said.

"I hope so. I'll sleep better knowing that we've removed the last obstacle."

The call ended, and he leaned back into the Adirondack chair. Who was he kidding? Once the bottles were delivered, he'd be glued to the television twenty-four hours a day, waiting for the results. He'd be glad to lose the sleep.