The heat is oppressive in the Southeast Asian jungle. Belligerent Cambodians under orders to locate and kill all traitors have invaded Angkor Wat. The spy, evading capture, hides out in the control tower of an old airport. In a moment of misguided heroism, he steps outside to study the action in the trenches. Suddenly, an enemy bullet slices the air a few inches above his head. In a barrage of gunfire, the spy manages to escape unharmed.

     It sounds like a scene from a James Bond movie, but it was an all-too-real experience for former CIA officer and West Palm Beach resident Fred Rustmann. After 24 years of “living in a womb” of clandestine operations that took him from Addis Ababa to Saigon, Rustmann retired from the agency with such high-profile accomplishments as helping deflect an Arab hijack operation and rescuing a fellow spy from captivity - and torture - in Ethiopia.

     But what’s a spy to do when he comes in from the cold? The retired lifestyle seemed a tad tame after his heart-in-mouth capers so, recognizing his information gathering expertise was a valuable commodity, Rustmann started CTC International Group, a business-intelligence company based on Clematis Street.

     “Corporations that want to compete better overseas need introductions to key people and access to hard-to-get information,” Rustmann says, explaining that getting information from rival firms is no different than getting it from enemy governments. “We obtain that information through the same techniques the CIA uses.” 

     That means using a network of ex-CIA and KGB officers around the world, all of whom have access to top decision makers. The spies themselves don’t get their hands dirty. The recruit locals to work undercover, enticing them with such motivators as money, recognition or revenge. “Every problem on earth can be solved with information,” he says. “Our job is to figure out who has that information and target that individual.”

     Though it’s tempting to label this work as “industrial espionage,” it isn’t that at all. “The difference is a legal one,” Rustmann says. “Industrial espionage employs techniques that are illegal, like bugging or bribing. We draw the line there. We trick people a lot into giving us the information, but we don’t break any laws. I won’t go to jail for anybody.”

     Since CTC’s inception in 1990, Rustmann and his spy-net have provided sophisticated intelligence guidance on environmental issues, international law, risk analysis and internal leak identification.

     And just who are CTC’s clients? We could tell you, but then we’d have to kill you.