Page 122 of Silent Target

Every member of the Inner Guard adjusts around him.

Respect.

Not fear.

Mac stops behind me.

“Victor Kane.”

The commander hears him.

A faint smile touches his face.

“Mr. Stenson. It has been a long time.”

Mac raises his weapon. “Not long enough.”

“I wondered whether your conscience would eventually bring you back.”

“You trained him?” Rook asks.

Mac never looks away from Kane. “He trained all of us.”

Kane takes one deliberate step closer.

“I taught you patience. Discipline. Sacrifice.”

“You taught obedience.”

“Yes. And you refused to learn.”

The guards tighten their formation.

Kane looks directly at me.

“Caleb McDougal. The sniper who refuses to miss.”

I don’t answer.

“Your father was the same. Infuriatingly principled.”

“What did you do to him?”

“Nothing.”

His smile changes.

“The Chairman did.”

My finger tightens against the trigger.

Kane’s gaze shifts toward the ceiling.

“And Miss Hart appears to have reached our control room.”

Fathom’s tablet comes alive.

The sealed doors throughout the bunker begin opening.