Out of the Shadows (Falcon) (19 page)

Chavez sn
orted two lines, raised his head, and shook his whole body. The cocaine had already hit his blood stream, and he was light as the stars.

Diaz took his turn and afterwards they went to the vehicle that would drive them into town. “Feel better, Oscar?”

“Fuck, I feel so good.”

“Good and horny?”
“Oh yeah, I want some pussy tonight.”

At last, Oscar had something on his mind besides Kate Stone

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Over the loud music
in the popular bar, Angel Diaz heard his cellphone ring and then immediately searched for Oscar before looking at the screen. Removing it from the front pocket of his dress pants, he noticed the caller ID and cringed.

In the middle of the light
ed dance floor Oscar openly fondled a young girl barely out of her teens. Before Oscar could spot him, Angel slipped into the men’s room. “What are you doing? I don’t want you calling me.”

“You sound out of breath
, Angel,” Monique Sutherland’s sultry voice carried through the connection. Angel knew it was late in D.C.. Well past the hour for anyone to be calling him with anything legitimate. At this late hour, Angel was reluctant to talk, except in person.

“I want to make sur
e everything is going as we discussed.”

“If you are
asking me if Kate Stone is dead then, the answer is no.” Why was this bitch so hot and bothered about Kate Stone? Obviously the idea of murdering the CIA agent kept Monique up late at night.

Her breathin
g grew harsh, and she said in a strangled voice, “Why not? I told you what I wanted all along.”

He chuckled. Women were
so stupid. Here they were preparing to change the world, and she worried about one fucking bitch. “That was your plan, Monique.”

Footsteps sounded from the other side of the door. Diaz
held the phone against his chest and listened to make sure no one could over hear him.

The room smelled of disinfectant and
cheap floral air spray. Toilet paper cluttered the floor, and the sink hadn’t been scrubbed in months. So much for this being a
high-class
joint. They had paid a hundred dollars each to get in the fucking door of this dive.

“
If Kate Stone stays, that could blow up in our faces.”

“No, that’s the part that would expose
you
.”

“I paid
good money to get that bitch killed.”

He heard the ugliness
in her voice. The fear, the worry. “I will see to it. Right now, the Falcon agent, Roddio, has been rescued by the other one-the one we set up to bring Stone to us.”

“
Jesus Christ, what happened? How can just one man do that?”

Angel
shrugged and said, “I don’t know. But I think Chavez has feelings for the woman. He may intervene.”

“Then kill him
, and you run his empire. You would be a very rich man.”

“If that had
been my goal all along, why would I kill the woman for you? I’m going to be rich anyway.”

“Be careful, Angel
. One phone call from me and Chavez will cut your throat.”

“
Fuck you, bitch. You’re throat isn’t safe either.”

Dallas, TX

Frank picked up the phone and speed dialed the Director of th
e CIA. “I called to ask if you know one of your agents has gone missing.”

“Hello
, Frank. No I didn’t know that. Who are we talking about?”

“My guy Brody Hawke
kidnapped Kate Stone.”

“Why in the hell would Brody do that?”

Frank raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m trying to figure that out. So far, we know he was fed some bad information and acted on it.”

“Stone is one of my better agents. She got set up pretty good in Iraq
, if you remember.”

“I do remember going in after her and her team. I’m only sorry we had to leave two behind. But you and I found out those men weren’t left behind. They were just going back home.”

“I never figured Howard or Grimes for being a part of that trouble over there. I heard they got the raw end of the deal with Youssef el Jibar.”

“They were both traitors
.”

“We can’t prove
that.”

“I didn’t call you about Iraq
. I called about Brody and your agent. But I need to know you’re behind me if this gets too big to handle.”

“
I’m behind you 100 percent. I’m the man you were partners with for twenty years. I haven’t changed.”

“I never thought you had.
” Frank paused and blew out a tired breath. “Vince, I need to know what’s coming down the pike.”

A reluctant silence had him
wondering if he’d asked too much from an old friend. “The next big thing?” Vince finally asked.

“Yes. Is there a threat,
Intel, or anything they’d need my guy for?”

“
President Davis and President Gomez are meeting in two days in El Paso to discuss how to secure the border and help the Mexican economic situation.”

Frank whistled.
“That’s big.”

“News won’t be released to the press until the evening before Davis leaves
D.C..”

“Security tight?”

“Yes, it should be, since the Secret Service is completely and totally in charge. But I find it strange that VP Rafferty has told the CIA, NSA, and FBI to stand down.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I agree. It’s almost as if someone is afraid of insulting the Mexican president by having too much of a presence at the meeting. Leave it to Rafferty to try to be politically correct.”

“You tal
k to Doug Morgan?”

“He’s g
one to the mountains in Colorado with his family.”

“And?
”

“I’ve done everything except
send a Saint Bernard there to find him.”

“So, Davis is going to be right by the Mexican border
, and only the Secret Service is covering him? What about the El Paso PD? Are the two presidents making speeches in public?”

“Of course, they will.”

“Where? Chamizal National Park in El Paso?”

“That’s my guess.”

“Can we at least count on the Park Services?”

“They haven’t even been advised
officially the president is coming.”

“
That’s some serious shit, Vince.”

“I don’t doubt a thing you’re saying. Problem is
I don’t have anything to go on but a bad feeling. I’ve put a tail on Rafferty. I don’t trust the son of a bitch. He’s too power hungry.”

“I don’t blame you. Never doubt your
feelings.”

“
Frank, are your agents available?”

“I’ve called
in every man.”

Silence
hung heavy on Vince’s end.

“Chavez is u
p to something, Frank. So is Rafferty. I have a meeting with the president this afternoon. Can you join me there?”

“I’ll fly out
now.”

“I’ll get Doug out of Colorado if I have to go get him myself. He’s a man we can both trust with our lives and the life of the
president of the United States.”

***

Georgetown, D.C.

Monique tossed her cell
phone on her unmade bed and plopped onto the firm mattress. She’d removed her Bottega Veneta heels, picked them up by their straps, and flung them against the closet door.

Anger nearly
suffocated her. Of all the double crossers, Angel Diaz had been the worst. Not only had he taken her money, but if what he’d said earlier was true, he’d wrapped Oscar Chavez around his finger, also.

That flat sucked.

After her long day and most of the night, Monique stretched across the bed. She had to make sure Kate Stone never told what she knew. If she did, the whole thing would blow up in their faces.

Not that she really
cared. Yes, she did want to be first lady but no longer knew if she was willing to put up with all the stupid idiots required to make that possible. Ron was a royal pain in the ass. The thought of waking up next to him every morning nearly turned her stomach.

And Ben Reed was the most obnoxious person breathing.
Him, she could take care of. Once this all went down, Reed would become expendable. She might just destroy his whole career.

But Angel Diaz was a dange
rous man to the entire operation. And there was Kate Stone.

Maybe it was time to call in the big guns.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Two phone calls and three hours later Jake flew in to the village again. While waiting, Brody, Kate, and A.J. had stayed close. Not taking any chances with one of them getting captured. Frank had a plan, and Jake had brought them everything they needed to pull it off.

Between Jake’s comings and goings,
Brody had been relentlessly insisting Kate fly back with Jake, but she refused. She wanted to see the fight through. A.J. admired her for that, but it angered Brody.

Few women, even CIA agents, would
volunteer to stay in this hellhole. Few would demand the right to fight a battle in which their chances of winning were slim to none.

It didn’t take long for Brody and Kate
to unload the few supplies. Brody hated to see Jake leave, but he knew keeping him any longer would run the risk of Chavez’s men shooting down the plane.

Brody
shook Jake’s hand. “Thanks buddy. Tell Frank we’ll do our part.”

“He knows
he can trust you to get the job done.”

Brody chuckled and brushed back his hair. His eye
s sought out Kate. “This time’s no different.”

Jake followed his gaze. “
Looks like you and CIA lady made up.”

Brody
smiled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Jake looked worried. “I hope it works out
, man.”

“I
t doesn’t always end on a bad note, Jake” Brody grasped his shoulder. “Sometimes we actually win. I have to believe that. I wish you would too.”

Jake’s dark
, empty eyes stared at him. “I’ve heard that before, but I’ve personally experienced how bad it can hurt.”

Jake climbed into the cockpit of the plane, waved good-bye
, and coasted down the dirt road.

Brody and every Falcon employee had been crushed by the murder of Jake’s wife and young da
ughter. No one could make sense of it, and though their search was unwavering, they had never brought the perpetrators to justice. Jake lived with that pain every day.

A.J. went into the hut they’d been assigned and laid on the pallet. Padre Ayaaya came in and checked on him. “You are looking much better, my friend.”

“I feel better. But it’s going to take a long time for me to get my strength back.”

“I though
t you’d leave with the airplane.”

“No,” A.K. said, carefully eyeing the padre.
“I’m too sick to travel right now.”

“But the girl?”

“Refuses to leave Brody.”

“I am shocked by all this. I thought the three of you would be safely on your way home by now.”

“We will be tomorrow. Tonight I have to get some rest.”

“Rest well, my friend.”

A.J. closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, his back to the door. He tried to fall asleep. He had to regain his strength. About the time his eyelids became heavy, footsteps approach and they didn’t belong to Kate or Brody.

***

Frank stepped off Falcon’s private jet and Vince Colanglo greeted him with a powerful handshake and slap on the back. “Haven’t seen you in a while,” Frank said.

“Too long.”

“You know Tony Archuletta, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m glad to see you
again, Tony.”

The men shook hands and headed for the helicopter that would take them to the White House for their meeting with the
President of the United States.

Once inside
, they didn’t say anything. The twenty-minute trip had them safely on the White House lawn right on time. Even though they were with the CIA Director, they all went through security.

On the
ir way to the West Wing, one of the president’s Secret Service agents, Scott Wheeler, joined them and escorted the trio into the oval office.