The Vilest Conceits: A British Spy Thriller by Tom Quiller

Author:Tom Quiller [Quiller, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dream Paladin Media
Published: 2024-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

Asimilar scenario played out at the Tilson residence, with the SAO Group operatives pulling off an even more meticulous counter-assault on the Keeper forces. None of the enemy managed to get a shot off. Better still, the quick thinking of one SAO operative when faced with a confused target meant she had deployed a taser on one of the Keeper assassins. The leader of the SAO soldiers—Nevin’s own daughter and former US Marine herself—Miranda believed the comatose assassin to be none other than the commander of the assault team.

With their prisoner in tow, the SAO team evacuated the scene with the same ruthless efficiency as their counterparts in Oxfordshire, departing about the time Tilson himself was boarding an aircraft in Rome for his return flight.

He had almost three hours to contemplate the events of the last twenty-four and they were possibly the worst of his life. As he sat in the isolated seating of the World Traveller Plus cabin, he was thankful to be more or less alone at such a godless hour. The cabin crew had dimmed the lights and Tilson found himself plunged into his own form of darkness with the events of his recent past playing out in his mind like a haunting song he couldn’t shake.

The memories of Rome were some of the most intense he had ever felt—the intoxicating allure of Rosa, the passionate lovemaking that had followed, and the devastating loss when she was torn from him by the hand of a ruthless killer.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the images that flickered behind his eyelids—the blood pooling on the cold stone floor, Rosa's lifeless body crumpled at his feet, and the searing pain of loss that threatened to consume him whole. But no matter how hard he tried to push them away, they lingered, lashing out at him from unexpected directions like the tentacles of some furious kraken reaching out from the darkest corners of his mind.

Was it really his fault? This one question tormented him, gnawing at his conscience, sending him into a spiral of self-doubt and helplessness. He had promised to protect Rosa, to keep her safe from harm, and yet he had failed. Not only that, but he had brought her death upon himself. If he hadn’t been so naïve, she would still be alive. If he hadn’t had such pathetic notions of right and wrong, she would still be alive. "She would still be alive." He wasn’t sure those five words would ever leave his mind.

And then there was the confrontation in the depths of the Colosseum—a battle of wills and wits fought in the shadows of an ancient arena—two gladiators seemingly equally matched in their murderous intent. Tilson had faced off against his enemy, a man whose only purpose seemed to be destruction, and in the end, despite being unarmed, he had pulled the trigger without hesitation to end the man’s life.

As the engines throbbed, no longer a companion to excitement and more like an

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.