"Smith, Anthony Neil - The Dealbreaker" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Anthony Neil)

Doc said, "TamaraТs your wife. HankТs your son. I bet you knew I was going to say that."

Still craning. "I had a feeling, yeah."

More snapped fingers. "Pay attention. I need your concentration."

"You donТt need anything from me. What you need to do is to apologize for getting the wrong guy dragged in here." I leaned forward and sneered, shot some imaginary Heat Ray vision right into his forehead. I wanted to provoke, get him to slap my face, leave the room for five minutes. Anything so I could buy time. All I needed was time.

But this wasnТt that type of interrogation.

Doc said, "We know it wasnТt amnesia, or a blow to the head. I have to believe it was brainwashing. Like religious cults use, or like they did to Patty Hearst. But it can all be deprogrammed, just opposite as it was put in there in the first place. We can change who we think we are, but not what we are. But just because weТre people doesnТt mean weТre not animals, too, with the instincts built-in. WeТre just animals who think. YouТre still the same man I knew years ago."

He brought another photo out of the envelope and set it on top of the others. There was Tamara, and a much younger Hank, who was being held by a tall well-built black man, everyone smiling at the camera. Guy had his arm around Tamara. The guy was me. Or a dead-on split image. But here was me with a woman I didnТt know, holding a kid I didnТt know.

I said, "ThatТs a fake. Easy enough to do. Look, what game are you playing with me here?"

Doc stood and walked around to my side of the island. He rested a hand on my shoulder, brought his face close to my ear. It was all friendly. He whispered, "After the bust, seeing it was you and all, I went out of my way to set this up. We want you back. And with a little jogging of the memory, itТll come back to you. Trust me. You always trusted me, buddy. YouТll be yourself again in no time, okay?"

Then I said the words that would have ended it at the bridge if I had thought everything was legit. I hoped my audience was still listening: "ItТs a deal."

They had been listening all along. They came in the front and back simultaneously. I fell onto the island and pushed the guns and photos off with my chest, fell off my stool. The injured Chinese guy had his own pistol out, but when the agents came through the door in bulletproof vests, ATF blazed in yellow across the back, shouting orders with guns ready, the guy was too shocked to drop his piece. They took him down with two shots.

DocТs hands went up, and two agents took him to the floor and handcuffed him. Another couple of shots sounded elsewhere in the house. An agent was by my side asking if I was okay. Then there was Gloria, my girlfriend, on her knees pressing her free hand on me, seeing if I was shot. She kept her Glock tight in her other hand. Vest on, hair tucked under her ATF cap, badge on her belt. More beautiful than if she were in lingerie.

"You took long enough," I said.

"The magic words. After that mistake on the bridge, you couldТve tried then."

"Everything was too fast. I didnТt know if I was out of range or not. You heard it all?"

"We never lost you."

Two agents stood Doc up and carried him out. Gloria helped me to my feet. She cut the tie off my hands, then reached into her back pocket and brought out my clip-on badge. She said, "Better put this on now. Crime scene."

I slipped the badge into place. Someone had already taken the photos and the Sig away. Another agent handed my .40 and its magazine to me.

Gloria said, "We couldnТt move in at the pond. It took us by surprise."

"Yeah, the whole thing was phony, I could tell. That George guy was too nervous."

"They found him upstairs. HeТs dead."

"What about the others?" I said, feeling some strength and circulation come back to me as the drug wore off.

"Just wounded. TheyТll be fine. How about you? Did they hurt you?" She ran her hand up and down my arm slowly.

"They handled me with kid gloves. What was all that they were talking about, Wally Collins?"

Her eyes glanced away, glanced back. "Like you said, either they had the wrong guy or it was a big game."