Frankfurt, Germany
Yasin was passing through the school gates with the small knot of kids who had gradually become his friends over the past six months, all chattering and laughing together as they made plans for the summer ahead.
He was tired after a long day of studying, having thrown himself into schoolwork with even greater determination recently. Doing his best to keep his mind occupied. Doing his best to forget the woman who had come to visit him a month ago.
‘What about you, Yasin?’ one of his friends asked. ‘What will you do?’
But Yasin wasn’t hearing him. He had seen something on the open playing fields that backed onto the school. Something that stopped him in his tracks.
* * *
‘I want to live a real life,’ she whispered. ‘No more missions, no more Agency, no more hiding in the shadows. I want to be better than that.’
Drake nodded, sensing that perhaps a little piece of the armour had been discarded. Another little burden cast aside. Perhaps she might finally see beyond the darkness and struggle of the past, to make a better future for herself. Not by fighting and killing, not by hiding herself away from the world, but by doing something good with the time she had left.
‘I might suggest a vacation first,’ he added with a grin. ‘I’d say you’ve earned it.’
That’s when it happened. For the first time in a long time, Anya laughed. A true, honest, uninhibited laugh of joy, of relief. Of life. Just the sound of it was enough to make his heart swell.
‘And you?’ she asked as her laughter faded. ‘What will you do with your life?’
Drake shrugged playfully, then glanced back down the slope at the small gathering of people. His friends. His family. The new path they might chart together.
‘You know me. I always find a way to cause trouble.’
Stepping closer, Anya reached out tentatively, placed her hands on his shoulders and just looked at him for a long moment. Taking in everything he was. Then, unable to hold back any longer, she pulled him close, holding him tight as if she would never let go.
Drake too felt the gravity of this moment, the significance of this embrace.
They had been many things to each other. Comrades, allies, enemies, lovers. But perhaps, here at the end, they were none of those things. Perhaps they too had earned a clean slate.
* * *
‘Go on without me,’ Yasin replied absently. ‘I’ll catch up.’
Leaving his friends behind, he changed direction, heading across the open expanse of grass, ignoring the other kids who were running and laughing and playing around him. His eyes were fixed on the woman ahead of him.
A woman he’d said goodbye to.
‘I thought you weren’t coming back,’ he whispered, standing face to face with her.
Anya nodded. ‘So did I.’
‘You said yours was no life for someone like me.’
And then, for almost the first time he could remember, Anya smiled. ‘Then perhaps it’s time I made a better life.’
It was more than he could take. Dropping his school bag, Yasin rushed forward and threw his arms around her.
* * *
‘You know your problem, Ryan Drake?’ Anya whispered as she stepped back. ‘You’re a good man.’
With a final, wistful smile, Anya turned and walked away. Drake stood there watching her leave, thinking about everything that had changed because of her. Everything he’d done, everything he’d lost and gained, everything he’d become. Because of her.
He heard footsteps beside him, felt his sister draw near.
‘Do you think we’ll ever see her again?’ Jessica asked gently, watching Anya depart.
For so long, the two of them had been like magnets pulling inexorably together. No matter how much time and distance opened up between them, somehow they always found their way back to each other. And maybe they still would. Perhaps one day their paths would cross again, or perhaps this was to be their last encounter. Only time would tell.
‘I don’t know,’ Drake confessed. ‘But she’s free now, just like us. And that’s good enough.’
Whether he saw her again or not, Drake knew one thing as he watched her departing, her back straight and her head held high – Anya had found something to live for.
And so had he.
Acknowledgements
‘Part of the journey is the end.’
Never have those words felt more relevant than when I sat down to write this book in the summer of 2019. It’s a journey that started for me more than a decade ago. I was a young unpublished author lying awake one night, with a hundred jigsaw pieces of ideas floating around in my head. When suddenly, in one of those little chance events that can change the course of a person’s life, everything seemed to come together in a moment of clarity and Ryan Drake, Anya and so many of their friends and enemies were born. It’s a journey that carried me through nine books, two novellas, many long, frustrating, rewarding hours at my computer, and more cups of coffee than I care to think about. It’s a journey that’s changed my life for the better, in more ways than I can begin to express.
And it’s a journey that’s inevitably brought me here, to the end. Writing Something to Die For was always going to be a bittersweet experience, taking these characters who have been such a big part of my life for so long and sending them on their last adventure, but even I wasn’t prepared for how demanding, draining and exhausting this book would prove to be. It’s my sincere hope that I’m able to do them justice, and give them the send-off they deserve.
But producing a book like this isn’t just down to me. It’s an undertaking that requires the combined efforts of many others behind the scenes, and it’s only fair and right that I acknowledge them here. Firstly, my sincere thanks go to my editor, Craig Lye, for his tireless work, his boundless enthusiasm for this series and his excellent suggestions and ideas. This book is far better (and shorter!) because of his efforts.
Likewise, I’d like to thank Iain Millar and everyone at Canelo for bringing me into their vibrant, positive and wonderfully supportive publishing house, for seeing the potential in my work and for allowing me to tell this story my way. And for understanding when I missed my deadline!
Also, my appreciation as always goes to my agent Diane Banks at Northbank Talent for taking me on all those years ago, for pushing me to be better at what I do, and for her help and guidance in this strange, often confusing world of book publishing.
Last of all, I want to thank my wife, Susan, and my two boys, Daniel and Matthew, for keeping me grounded and focussed, for understanding when I locked myself away in the office night after night, for their love and laughter, and for reminding me of what’s really important.
To all of you who have helped, advised, supported and encouraged me over the years, I thank you.
About the Author
Will Jordan’s Ryan Drake novels draw on extensive research into weapons and tactics, as well as the experiences of men who’ve fought in some of the world’s most daunting combat zones. Other books in the series include Redemption, Sacrifice and Betrayal. He lives in Fife, Scotland, with his wife and sons.
Also by Will Jordan
The Ryan Drake thrillers
Redemption
Betrayal
Black List
Deception Game
Ghost Target
Second Chances (novella)
Shadow Conflict
Trial by Fire (novella)
Downfall
Something to Die For
First published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
31 Helen Road
Oxford OX2 0DF
United Kingdom
Copyright © Will Jordan, 2020
The moral right of Will Jordan to be identified as the creator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788637169
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Look for more great books at www.canelo.co
Something to Die For
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Prologue Abbottabad, Pakistan – May 1st, 2011
Part One Something to Lie For
Chapter 1 North Wales, UK – two months earlier
Chapter 2 Abbottabad, Pakistan
Chapter 3 Washington DC – June 20th, 1989
Washington DC – February 27th, 2011
Chapter 4 North Wales, UK
Chapter 5
Part Two Something to Strive For
Chapter 6 Blue Ridge Mountains – June 21st, 1989
Tel Aviv, Israel – April 24th, 2011
Chapter 7 Oxford – April 25th
North Wales, UK
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Vienna, Austria – July 19th, 1989
Washington DC – April 25th, 2011
Chapter 11 North Wales, UK
Chapter 12 Liverpool, UK – April 26th
Chapter 13 Camp Peary Training Facility, Virginia – October 19th, 1989
Jerusalem, Israel – April 26th, 2011
Chapter 14 London, UK
Chapter 15 GCHQ, Cheltenham
London, UK
Chapter 16 GCHQ, Cheltenham
Chapter 17 Secret Intelligence Service Headquarters – London, UK
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20 East Berlin, German Democratic Republic – October 25th, 1989
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24 Five minutes earlier
Chapter 25 Jerusalem, Israel
Chapter 26 Amesbury, UK
Berlin – October 3rd, 1990
Chapter 27 Berlin, Germany – October 3rd, 1990
Jerusalem, Israel
Chapter 28 Amesbury, UK – April 27th
Part Three Something to Fight For
Chapter 29 Abbottabad, Pakistan – April 28th, 2011
Chapter 30 CIA Headquarters, Langley
Chapter 31 Tijuana, Mexico – April 28th
Chapter 32 Washington DC – April 4th, 1992
Washington DC – April 28th, 2011
Chapter 33 Tijuana, Mexico
Chapter 34 Washington DC – June 10th, 1999
Islamabad, Pakistan – April 29th, 2011
Chapter 35 Sheffield, Texas – April 29th
Chapter 36 Ojinaga, Mexico
Chapter 37 Sheffield, Texas
Chapter 38 Washington DC – April 30th
Chapter 39 CIA Headquarters, Langley
Chapter 40 Washington DC – April 24th, 2009
North Wales, UK – May 1st, 2009
Chapter 41
Chapter 42 Islamabad, Pakistan
Chapter 43 Washington DC
Chapter 44 Alaska – September 27th, 2001
Islamabad, Pakistan – April 30th, 2011
Chapter 45 Washington DC
Fort Totten Waste Disposal Site
Chapter 46
Chapter 47 Islamabad, Pakistan
Part Four Something to Kill For
Chapter 48 CIA Headquarters, Langley – May 1st
Chapter 49 Golyanovo District, Moscow – March 10th, 2003
Chapter 50 Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Washington DC
Chapter 51 Afghanistan
CIA Headquarters, Langley
Chapter 52
Chapter 53 Two months earlier
Chapter 54 Golyanovo District, Moscow – March 10th, 2003
Washington DC – May 1st, 2011
Pakistani Airspace
Washington DC
Chapter 55
Chapter 56 Washington DC
Chapter 57 Golyanovo District, Moscow – March 10th, 2003
Chapter 58
Chapter 59 United Kingdom – May 1st, 2009
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Part Five Something to Die For
Chapter 64 Havana, Cuba – May 3rd, 2011
Chapter 65 Frankfurt, Germany
Chapter 66 CIA Headquarters, Langley
Havana, Cuba
Chapter 67 Lithuania
NSA Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland
Havana, Cuba
CIA Headquarters, Langley
Chapter 68 Lithuania
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71 CIA Headquarters, Langley
Chapter 72 Two years earlier
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75 NSA Headquarters, Maryland
Part Six Something to Live For
Chapter 76 Arlington National Cemetery – one month later
Frankfurt, Germany
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Will Jordan
Copyright
Cover
Table of Contents
Start of Content