The Keystone Protocol

PRAISE FOR R.J. PATTERSON SIGN UP for R.J. Patterson's newsletter and stay up to date on all new releases, deals, and special projects: Click here to sign up “R.J. Patterson does a fantastic job at keeping you engaged and interested. I look forward to more from this talented author.” — Aaron Patterson, bestselling author of SWEET DREAMS "Patterson has a mean streak about a mile wide and puts his two main characters through quite a horrible ride, which makes for good reading. " — Richard D., reader "Like a John Grisham novel, from the very start I was pulled right into the story and couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I personally knew and cared about what happened to each of the main characters. Every chapter ended with so much excitement and suspense I had to continue to read until I learned how it ended, even though it kept me up until 3:00 A.M. — Ray F., reader DEAD SHOT "Small town life in southern Idaho might seem quaint and idyllic to some. But when local newspaper reporter Cal Murphy begins to uncover a series of strange deaths that are linked to a sticky spider web of deception, the lid on the peaceful town is blown wide open. Told with all the energy and bravado of an old pro, first-timer R.J. Patterson hits one out of the park his first time at bat with Dead Shot. It 's that good. " -Vincent Zandri, bestselling author of THE REMAINS "You can tell R.J. knows what it 's like to live in the newspaper world, but with Dead Shot, he 's proven that he also can write one heck of a murder mystery. " — Josh Katzowitz, NFL writer for CBSSports.com & author of Sid Gillman: Father of the Passing Game DEAD LINE "This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I didn’t really want to put it down. R.J. Patterson has hooked me. I 'll be back for more. " — Bob Behler, 3-time Idaho broadcaster of the year and play-by-play voice for Boise State football DEAD IN THE WATER "In Dead in the Water, R.J. Patterson accurately captures the action-packed saga of a what could be a real-life college football scandal. The sordid details will leave readers flipping through the pages as fast as a hurry-up offense. " — Mark Schlabach, ESPN college sports columnist and co-author of Called to Coach Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy ALSO BY R.J. PATTERSON Titus Black series Behind Enemy Lines Game of Shadows Rogue Commander Line of Fire Blowback Honorable Lies Power Play State of Conspiracy The Patriot The President's Man The Haitian Assassin Codename: Killshot House of Cards False Flag Brady Hawk series First Strike Deep Cover Point of Impact Full Blast Target Zero Fury State of Play Seige Seek and Destroy Into the Shadows Hard Target No Way Out Two Minutes to Midnight Against All Odds Any Means Necessary Vengeance Code Red A Deadly Force Divide and Conquer Extreme Measures Final Strike Cal Murphy Thriller series Dead Shot Dead Line Better off Dead Dead in the Water Dead Man's Curve Dead and Gone Dead Wrong Dead Man's Land Dead Drop Dead to Rights Dead End James Flynn Thriller series The Warren Omissions Imminent Threat The Cooper Affair Seeds of War CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Newsletter signup Acknowledgments About the Author THE KEYSTONE PROTOCOL THE PHOENIX CHRONICLES | BOOK 8 R.J. PATTERSON For Geoff, your enthusiasm for life is contagious CHAPTER ONE KOROSTELI, KAZAKHSTAN Hawk braced himself against the special compartment nestled in the trailer of the barley truck as it rolled to a stop. The driver killed the engine, the loud rumbling replaced with nearly complete silence. Amidst the darkness, Hawk couldn’t see his own hand, let alone Alex’s face just a couple of feet away. But he knew she was there, probably just as anxious as he was about crossing the northern border of Kazakhstan and entering Russia. The smell of freshly cut barley mingled with the stale cigarette smoke wafting past the back of the truck. Placing his ear against the side of the truck bed, Hawk strained to hear the conversation between the Russian guard and Mansur, their truck driver. But neither of the men uttered a word. Nothing but heavy deliberate footsteps mixed with an occasional splash in the pockets of standing water. Hawk pressed his right eye up against a sliver of an opening to see if he could tell what was happening. After scanning the area, he spotted a guard walking toward the back of the vehicle. Alex tapped Hawk, but he remained silent, instead just patting her on the hand in a gesture of reassurance. But he was anything but reassured. He tightened the grip on his Glock 19 and prayed he didn’t have to use it. If the doors flung open, he would know that Mansur had betrayed them. The locking mechanism on the gate squeaked as the guard rattled it. Then almost as soon as the lock jiggling started, it stopped. More deliberate footfalls pounded the pavement, each step growing fainter than the last. Hawk eased out a breath and clicked on his gun’s safety. A few seconds later, Hawk heard some unintelligible conversation before two quick slaps against the side of the cab. The engine sputtered before it turned over