The Sword of God - John Milton #5 (John Milton Thrillers) (45 page)

That meant something.

He had walked around the block to ensure that he wasn’t being tailed, old habits, and, by the time he had made it back to the entrance she was with another man. He was dressed for the game, Packers colours, but he had the look of an agent: short, well-trimmed hair, anonymous clothes, good quality. Milton had watched as he had laid his hand on Ellie’s elbow. They looked intimate. They were going to the game. He must have been her date.

She hadn’t mentioned whether she was seeing someone but come on, seriously, there had to be someone, right?

What did he think? That they were going to have a relationship? She was an FBI agent, and he was who he was. As far as Milton was concerned, a relationship could only work if it was built on a foundation of total honesty. He felt that very strongly, and it was something he would never be able to offer. Secrets were toxic and he had a million of them. And even assuming that he
could
be honest, assuming that he
could
ignore the legal and moral implications of telling her about the things that he had done, it would poison the way that she saw him.

How could it ever have worked?

It couldn’t.

He had been stupid for even entertaining the notion.

Best to leave it as it was. They had their moment.

Ellie would be better with someone from the same world as her. The guy in the bar. They would be a better match.

He thought about mortgages, credit cards, consumer goods. He thought about children and nine-to-five jobs, about medical insurance and dental plans, about pensions and savings accounts, and he knew he was making the right decision.

It was time to move on.

And so he walked on, heading west. There were seven hundred miles between Green Bay and Minneapolis. That would take him three weeks to walk in weather like this. He would have to hitch a ride to make it in time for the gig. He would hike out to the WI-29, get to a truck stop, and see if he could find a driver who wanted some company.

Milton took his battered headphones from around his neck and put them over his ears. He reached into his pocket, took out his iPod and scrolled through his playlists for the one he wanted. He settled on The Smiths, pressed play and nodded his head a little as the distorted guitar riff from “How Soon is Now?” started to play. He took a woollen beanie from his pocket, pulled it over the headphones and then put on his gloves.

He set his face to the west, the icy blast of the wind lashing against his cheeks, his breath clouding before his face, and started to walk.

Building a relationship with my readers is the very best thing about writing. I occasionally send newsletters with details on new releases, special offers and other bits of news relating to the John Milton, Beatrix Rose and Soho Noir series. And if you sign up to my no-spam mailing list I’ll send you all this free stuff:

1. A copy of my best-seller, The Cleaner (116 five star reviews and RRP of $5.99).

2. A copy of the John Milton introductory novella, 1000 Yards.

3. A free copy of my best-seller, The Black Mile (averages 4.4 out of 5 stars and RRP for $5.99).

4. A copy of the introductory Soho Noir Novella, Gaslight.

5. A copy of the highly classified background check on John Milton before he was admitted to Group 15. Exclusive to my mailing list – you can’t get this anywhere else.

6. Later this year, a copy of Tarantula, an exciting John Milton short story.

You can get the novels, the novellas, the background check and the short story, for free, by signing up at
http://eepurl.com/1ab6H

…I would really, really appreciate it if you would help others to enjoy it, too. Reviews are like gold dust and they help persuade other readers to give the stories a shot. More readers means more incentive for me write and that means there will be more stories, more quickly.

Mark Dawson is the author of the breakout John Milton, Beatrix Rose and Soho Noir series. He makes his online home at
www.markjdawson.com
. You can connect with Mark on Twitter at
@pbackwriter
, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/markdawsonauthor
and you should send him an email at
[email protected]
if the mood strikes you.

When Harry and his brother Frank are blackmailed into paying off a local hood they decide to take care of the problem themselves. But when all of London’s underworld is in thrall to the man’s boss, was their plan audacious or the most foolish thing that they could possibly have done?

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London, 1940: the Luftwaffe blitzes London every night for fifty-seven nights. Houses, shops and entire streets are wiped from the map. The underworld is in flux: the Italian criminals who dominated the West End have been interned and now their rivals are fighting to replace them. Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the Black-Out Ripper sharpens his knife and sets to his grisly work.

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War hero Edward Fabian finds himself drawn into a criminal family’s web of vice and soon he is an accomplice to their scheming. But he’s not the man they think he is - he’s far more dangerous than they could possibly imagine.

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In this dip into his case files, John Milton is sent into North Korea. With nothing but a sniper rifle, bad intentions and a very particular target, will Milton be able to take on the secret police of the most dangerous failed state on the planet?

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Sharon Warriner is a single mother in the East End of London, fearful that she’s lost her young son to a life in the gangs. After John Milton saves her life, he promises to help. But the gang, and the charismatic rapper who leads it, is not about to cooperate with him.

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John Milton has been off the grid for six months. He surfaces in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and immediately finds himself drawn into a vicious battle with the narco-gangs that control the borderlands.

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John Milton is blackmailed into finding his predecessor as Number One. But she’s a ghost, too, and just as dangerous as him. He finds himself in deep trouble, playing the Russians against the British in a desperate attempt to save the life of his oldest friend.

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Beatrix Rose was the most dangerous assassin in an off-the-books government kill squad until her former boss betrayed her. A decade later, she emerges from the Hong Kong underworld with payback on her mind. They gunned down her husband and kidnapped her daughter, and now the debt needs to be repaid. It’s a blood feud she didn’t start but she is going to finish.

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There were six names on Beatrix’s Death List and now there are four. She’s going to account for the others, one by one, even if it kills her. She has returned from Somalia with another target in her sights. Bryan Duffy is in Iraq, surrounded by mercenaries, with no easy way to get to him and no easy way to get out. And Beatrix has other issues that need to be addressed. Will Duffy prove to be one kill too far?

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Beatrix Rose has worked her way through her Kill List. Four are dead, just two are left. But now her foes know she has them in her sights and the hunter has become the hunted.

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A story of greed, duplicity and death in the flamboyant, super-ego world of rock and roll. Dystopia have rocketed up the charts in Europe, so now it’s time to crack America. The opening concert in Las Vegas is a sell-out success, but secret envy and open animosity have begun to tear the group apart.

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Daniel Tate looks like he has it all. A lucrative job as a lawyer and a host of famous names who want him to work for them. But his girlfriend has deserted him for an American film star and his main client has just been implicated in a sensational murder. Can he hold it all together?

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I am indebted to the following for their help, all above and beyond the call of duty: Lucy Dawson (for her early edits and direction); Martha Hayes and Pauline Nolet; Detective Lieutenant (Ret’d) Edward L. Dvorak, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and Joe D. Gillespie (for their advice on weapons and military matters); Senior Inspector John W., US Marshals Service; Julian Annels (for advice on semi trucks); and Robert Lass, for working with me on the ending.

The following members of Team Milton were also invaluable: Lee R, Nigel F, Frank W, Gary P, Brian E, Bob , Mel M, Phil P, Charlie, Matt B, Edward S, Desiree B, Don L, Barry F, Corne vdM , Dawn T, Paul Q, Carl H, Chuck H, Don, Bernard C, Julian A, Charles R, Michael C, Grant B, Rick Lowe, Randall M, Steve D, Chris O, Mike S, Rick S, Pat K, Dale M, Robert L, Bill D, Rob C, Ian C, Chris G, Jared G, Roman P, Cecelia B, David S, Caleb B, Louis P, Sonny dC, John H, Matt B, JKP, Richard S, Bev B, Dave Z, Steve C, Christian B, Daniel C, Debra K, George W, Linda F, Mark G, Phillip S, John O, Melinda D, Janet H, Lynn E, Tim A, Steve H, Martin W, Kent, Mark D, Jack O, William L, Dale V, James F, David, Alan, Daniel O, Reid W, Robert T, Reid W, Robert T, Thom L, Andrew G, Tom C, Cindy S, John C, François D, Delbert L, Paul L, Robert D, Craig M, Nick B, Keith R, Bob U, Daryl, Andrew H, Lewis B, Jim C, Tim H, Iain A, Larry C, Byron M, Charlie, Ann B, Jeff B, Jim B, Bev G, Pete P, Mark D, Sanjay K, John L, Anton P, Andy W, Bob T, Shawn H, Mark F, Steve P, Kirk I, Terence A, Gene K, Dean Y, Houston H, Joe T, Edward H, Julia W, Hank H, Glenda W, Mark D, David V, Randy S, Piet dP, Lisa P, Virginia W, Charlotte M, Milton, Skip W, Peter G, Patrick F, Bob C, Stuart R, Rob, Jesse, Amanda L, Tony M, Monte H, Peter B, Vinnie V, Jay, John, Nigel E, Victoria W, Steve U, Maxine B, Maurice G, Claire, John H, Pete B, FR, Andras N, Len F, Mike M, Terry, Jami C, Jim A, Robert W, Genevieve L, Ralph W, Steven, Casey P, Jay J, Jim E, Bill M, Brad, Rory, Billy, Ann W, Michael G, Keith B, Walter K, Jeff R, Andy W, Mark, John C, Buzz B, Steve G, Doug C, Bill W, Stephen C, Bruce C, Greg G, Cynthia M, Bill N, Alana F, Randall B, Philip E, Allen M, John G, Morris D, Chris W, Paul M, Hendrik

The moral right of Mark Dawson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.