Breaking point - By Tom Clancy & Steve Perry & Steve Pieczenik Page 0,22

would be treacherous, as trustworthy as foxes guarding a henhouse. Even at this point, he could scrap the whole deal and walk away without being caught, he was certain of it. But no risk, no gain—and the gain here was enormous. People would buy a lottery ticket when the odds were millions to one against them winning. How many people would buy the ticket if they could get their hands on the winning numbers before the drawing?

No, he was committed. He was going to step very carefully, and when he left, it wouldn’t be walking, it would be in a solid gold limousine with diamonds for headlights.

There was a price to be paid in human life, of course, but he was willing to pay it—well ... as long as it wasn’t his.

7

Tuesday, June 7th

Sperryville, Virginia

A light rain pattered tiny wet fingers on the tent, but the rip-stop Gortex was up to it—water beaded and ran down the roof sides in meandering rivulets.

It was just after dawn. Jay Gridley lay on his back watching the drops. He was inside the two zipped-together sleeping bags next to Soji, his head propped on his rolled-up jacket. She’d been right—he hadn’t been the least bit disappointed in this camping trip, no sir, no way. This was the best vacation he had ever had, no two ways about it. He wasn’t a fan of the great outdoors, he was much more comfortable creating a VR version of it and plugging into that, but no matter how good a programmer you were, you couldn’t begin to approach the reality of sex.

Nope, nossir, no way, no how.

Jay glanced over at Soji, who was still asleep. He resisted the urge to reach over and stroke her dark hair. God, she was beautiful. Smart, wise, everything he could possibly want in a woman. The only question was, how could he make it permanent? Would she, he wondered, laugh at him if he asked her to marry him?

Soji opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Thinking about asking for your money back, white boy?”

“I’ll have you know I’m half Thai,” he said, “and that for your white boy.” He gave her a slapped biceps and raised fist. “And no, I wasn’t thinking about asking for my money back, thank you.”

“Scenery was worth the trip?”

“All the scenery I need is here in the tent.”

She laughed. “Uh-oh, a flatterer trying to reattach me to my ego.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m a Buddhist’s worst nightmare. Listen to me, you will fall right off the edge of the eightfold path.”

“Never happen,” she said. “We Buddhists are middle-of-the-roaders, remember?”

Now he did reach out and softly run his hand through her hair.

She caught his hand, brought it to her mouth, kissed the palm. “Hold that thought,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Going to go and meditate in the rain?”

“No, I’m going to go pee behind the tent.”

“You’re ruining my image of your holy nature.”

“Sorry. You’ll just have to get used to me being a lowly human.”

“Like the rest of us.”

She unzipped the sleeping bag and rolled out, gloriously nude. “Well, not as lowly as some of you.”

He watched her crawl out of the low-roofed tent, smiling at her tight backside as it vanished past the mosquito netting. They were in the middle of nowhere, hadn’t seen another soul for four days, not since they’d left the main trail. They could run around naked in the sunshine—as long as they slathered themselves in sunblock and bug dope, of course—and nobody would see them. If it stopped raining and there was any sunshine—and as far as he was concerned, he didn’t care if they ever left this tent except to go pee.

Jay laughed. Boy, had he come a long way from being a dedicated computer op. Going back to work had no appeal whatsoever. This was what life was all about.

Yes, sir.

London

Toni had rented a small place when Alex had gone back to the U.S.—she had some money in the bank, but hotel prices in London would eat that up in a big hurry, now that she wasn’t on an expense account. Carl had introduced her to one of his students who had a granny flat, and the cost was more than reasonable. In fact, Toni wondered if maybe Carl was somehow subsidizing it on the sly. So far, she hadn’t worked up enough nerve to ask him—if he wasn’t, he might be insulted by the thought. And if he was, then she’d have to move out, and that would