Out of the Shadows (Falcon) (20 page)

Frank wasn’t a fan of Wheeler.
Several years ago he’d applied for a job at Falcon, and the man looked good on paper. But during the interview process, Frank couldn’t connect with Wheeler on a personal level. That meant in a critical situation he couldn’t be sure how Wheeler would react. So Frank hadn’t hired him.

The
president nodded for the Secret Service agent to leave as he shook hands with his three visitors.

“
My God, Frank, you look like hell. You’re all way too serious for this time of day,” Colin Davis said with a chuckle.

“We tend to take national security pretty serious
ly, Colin,” Frank replied.

As Davis motioned for everyone to sit, he took his c
hair behind his desk and folded his hands.

“What are we looking at?”
Davis asked.

Vince started
but paused and looked at Frank. “We think there might be something amiss with this meeting between you and President Gomez in El Paso.”

“I’d be lying if I
said I disagreed with you. However, my sources tell me they’ve covered everything.”

Fr
ank leaned forward. “Why only the Secret Service for protection? We all know they work closely  with other federal agencies to make sure you’re safe.”

Davis leaned back in his chair.
“Rafferty and Wheeler thought it best if we didn’t make a big show of force. We don’t want the Mexican government to think we don’t trust them.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Tony said. “But we
don’t
trust them. And with good reason. Our borders are a shambles. The El Paso police can’t possibly handle a situation alone if it arises. And you’ve taken the CIA completely out of the loop.”

Frank added. “You’re breaking protocol
, and it might cost you your life.”

“You think there’s a valid threat out there, Frank?”
Davis asked.

“I hear a lot of things. I don’t have the restrictions on me most government agencies carry.

“I understand that. That’s why you work for me and the DOD, exclusively. You have the ability to find out things long before they make the normal rounds”

“So, when I hear
you’re breaking protocol, and one of my agents has been captured by the same government you plan to meet with, I get worried,” Frank said.

“These are two separate matters. And the first thing I intend to bring up is the release of your agent.”

“Don’t you wonder why they aren’t doing that now? I mean, as a token of good will?” Vince asked.

Tony cleared his throat before he spoke. “We
know they kidnapped A.J. Roddio and held him prisoner. Agent Brody Hawke rescued A.J. from Chavez’s prison. So, everyone has been lying, and we can prove it.”

Colin
grew quiet, and his gaze dropped. When he looked at Frank, his concern obvious. He stood. “I’m ready to listen, gentlemen.”

“Thank you, Mr.
President,” Colanglo said. “First, since we don’t know exactly who we’re dealing with, let’s keep all this on the QT. Tell Wheeler that Frank is joining you. That’s not unusual. Falcon has helped with security several times in the past.”

Vince lowered his voice.
“We’ll bypass the Vice President and all Secret Service agents, except for Doug Morgan. I want Frank and his Falcon agents to control this whole operation.”

“You thinking something might happen at the hotel
or Chamizal Park? I’ll wear a bullet proof vest.”

Tony said, “Sorry sir, but snipers don’t aim for the chest.”

Colin’s eyes widened and he stared. “You’re right, Mr. Archuletta. I see your point.”

Frank said, “I don’t know where
something’s going to happen nor what it might be. I only know the Vice President and Benjamin Reed with the CIA sent my men into a trap. One agent was taken, and for some reason they didn’t want to let him go.”

“I
read that report,” Davis said. “I knew it would piss you off.”

“After that
went down, Rafferty and Reed crawled under a rock and left my man out in the cold. I couldn’t buy cooperation from either guy.”

“You think they’re
going to use him for something?” Davis asked.

“I’m thinking Oscar Chavez
had every opportunity to return my agent. I know he’s there and alive because my agent Brody Hawke found him. Now we’re working on a little plan of our own.”

Vince said,
“Rafferty came to me with the plan to send Falcon agents in to capture Chavez and destroy as much of his operation as possible. Reed backed him with all the Intel.”

“My men hit the ground in a hail of gunfire.” Frank shook his head. “They were there less than an hour. Later I l
earned Chavez wasn’t at La Hacienda. The Mexican police we were promised for back up never showed.”

Colin spread out his hands.
“Okay, Frank. It’s all yours. I’ll do what you say.”

“Tony’
s going to cover security in El Paso. Mac will be our sniper, and Jake will cover Intel.”

“I know I’m in good hands.”
Davis nodded approval.

“I’d like to bring in John O’Shea from the NSA. If there’s any
thing out there, he can find it,” Frank said.

“You have my a
pproval to do what is necessary. Vince will be traveling with me to El Paso and he’ll keep me apprised of your plans.”

“Thanks Mr.
President,” Frank said with satisfaction and relief.

Colin Davis
stood and shook hands. “If it comes to the point you save my life, I’ll be most thankful, Frank.”

“It wouldn’t
be the first time,” Colanglo said confidently.

***

An hour after A.J. had been sent to rest Kate came in to find him gone. Alarmed, she went to the door and called Brody. “A.J. is gone.”

“Gone where,” Bro
dy asked, his eyes already searching the interior of the hut.

“I don’t know.”

Together they ran outside and Brody shouted, “A.J. is gone. We need to find him.”

The villagers scattered, searching every building, but
A.J. wasn’t found.

Father Ayaaya came out. “What is all the confusion about? What is wrong?”

“A.J. is gone.”

“But I just saw him. He was going to go to sleep and regain his strength.”

“Doesn’t so
und like that happened,” Brody said.

“Oh my G
od, who could have taken him from under our noses? Who among you is lying...working for Oscar?” Kate screamed.

Brody
took her arm and pulled her aside. Kate tried to pull away. “Someone in this village is a traitor.”

“We
know,” Brody said. “We planned it that way. A.J. had to go back. Jake brought him the medicine he needs to keep him healthy.”

“What?”
She jerked free of his touch. “You did what?”

“Frank, Tony
, and Jake think there is something big going down, and A.J. plays into it somehow. We have to wait and see what happens next.”

“How? We’re in this stinking little village waiting for Oscar’s men to come in and kill us.”

Brody pulled out a laptop. “We have an unmanned drone watching La Hacienda. They move A.J., we follow. He’s also wired.” Brody tapped his ear.

“I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, but A.J. agreed. He knows he plays a pivotal role somehow.”

“I can’t believe you’d sacrifice your own friend.”

Brody stood. “I won’t let anything else happen to A.J again. We were Rangers together. But this is how it works, Kate.”

“They’ll hurt him.”

“Possibly, but A.J.’s strong.”

“You’d better hope so.
” She started to walk away but stopped and turned back to face him. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive you or Falcon Securities.”

Br
ody reached out and pulled her into his arms. He stared at her then sought her lips, kissing her hard.

When he broke the kiss, he said, “I care about you
, but I have to do whatever it takes to see the whole thing through for all of us. Do you think I don’t know what went down between you and Chavez?”

She backed away. “No.”

“Kate, you got so sucked in you thought you had real feelings for that scumbag. But it was only a job. You have to keep reminding yourself of that, or you’ll roll into a ball and die.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Wash
ington D.C.

The next morning,
Monique showed for work with a slight hangover, but nothing to prevent her from keeping her cover protected and her job secure. All she had to do was convince that stupid Mexican to kill Kate Stone before the damn CIA bitch blew Monique’s cover.

How fucking hard could that be
, for Christ’s sakes?

Her cell phone rang
, and after looking at the caller ID, Monique groaned quietly before saying hello.

“Meet me for lunch at the Daily Grill.

“I’ll be there at twelve-thirty.”

“Don’t be late.”

“Are you deaf? I said twelve-thirty.”

That said, she snapped her phone off and left her office. She had an errand
to run, and then she wanted to stop and see if Ron was okay with her kicking his ass out last night.

She barely made it two feet before
she turned the corner and almost collided with the Vice President. “Hey,” he said, taking her arm. “I was just on my way to see you.”

“I’m glad we bumped into each other.”
She forced a smile to hide her surprise. Ron had never visited her workplace. The look on his face revealed she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“Let’s go to your office, okay?”

Monique went willingly and took the seat behind her desk, making sure her smile stayed in place. Ron eased down on an arm of the chair across from her. “What is it?” Monique asked.

“I don’t think we should see each other until this all plays out.”

Monique wanted to sound surprised, but didn’t dare. This was a blessing. She didn’t have to put up with his crude remarks and listen to him whine about the president. “You’re probably right.”

“And
I’m not sure about us getting married so soon after all this settles,” Ron said flatly.

Now
, that surprised the hell out of her. What a turn around. She’d allowed him to fuck her every way imaginable to get him close to agreeing to marry her, now this is how he returns the favor?

“
But together we’re so strong.”

He
stood, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at her. “The big question is how do you fit in all this? You don’t really play a part. Besides being my whore, and I can get one of those anytime I want.”

She rose
from her chair and moved around her desk. She reached up and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. “One as good as me?”

He stepped
out of her embrace, his gaze unfazed. Her stomach turn. This wasn’t that good-old-corn-fed-country bumpkin she’d dealt with before. “They’re all good.”

Who did h
e think he was? She’d put in two years, and too much effort to let her opportunity fade away to nothing. She put her hands on her hips. “We had a deal, Rafferty.”

“No, you had a plan to become first l
ady. That was all you. Not my idea.”

“But
it’s for your own good. You have to look stable. Like presidential material. I’m well known in the political arena.”

“I agree
. Now I wonder how a young intern got that popular.”

“I remained faithful to the party.”

He chuckled. “I know where your talents lie, Monique, and that could be a serious liability to my position.”

“Ron, you and I are a team. Together we plan
ned this whole thing. I pulled in the Assistant Director of the CIA. I set up the attack on Chavez’s compound. This has always been my idea.”

“You still don’t get it. I played you. I’m the puppeteer, not you, sweet cheeks.”
He thought for a moment and then he smiled and kissed her lips. He turned to walk away, but paused to look over his shoulder at her. “But, like I said, we’re going to cool it for a while. I don’t want anyone connecting us until after I take office.”

Think whatever you want
,
you fucking pig
. “Of course, darling. Whatever you say.” She squared her shoulders and smiled. “We’ll make this work out where we both benefit.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ron Rafferty met Scott Wheeler on the second floor of the White House. Yesterday they had watched as Frank Hamilton, and Tony Archuletta and the Director of the CIA walked out of the Oval Office after visiting the president.