Sudden Threat (61 page)

“Hey, Alvin,” he said, rolling down his window. Jessup, a hulking man dressed in a black overcoat, looked every bit the former collegiate fullback. He walked up to Matt’s window with a dour face.

“Finally coming out of your hole, Garrett?” Jessup asked.

“Just following orders, Alvin. What are you complaining about? Last time I saw you, I ended up with all your money,” Matt said.

“Ain’t playing poker with you anymore. That’s for damn sure. Whoever heard of giving all the money to a homeless shelter, anyway?”

“Well, didn’t feel right keeping your life’s savings,” Matt said. “What’s going on?”

“Not sure, but the man’s been on the phone with Fort Bragg a lot.”

“Okay, Alvin, let me get in here and see what’s happening.”

“All right, my friend. There’s another land mine over there, so watch out.” Jessup motioned with a turn of his head to the airplane.

Matt drove through the open gate and steered toward a U.S. Air Force Gulfstream airplane parked about a hundred meters away. He stopped next to a car that was parked against the chain-link fence. He could see the vice president’s armored Suburban next to the airplane.

Matt stepped from his Porsche and walked to the folded down steps of the Gulfstream, wondering what Jessup could have meant.
A land mine?
He saw the vice president walking down the small step ladder from the jet.

Then he saw the land mine: Meredith Morris, her blond hair bouncing off her shoulders as she followed the vice president down the jet stairway.

My Virginian
, Matt wanted to say, but he didn’t dare utter those words. Still, he waited for Meredith to lift her eyes and notice him. Though he knew he should look away, it was impossible. He could not deny the flutter in his chest. As recently as four months ago, she had been his fiancée.

“Matt,” Vice President Hellerman said. “Join me for a few seconds if you can, son.”

Hellerman was motioning Matt into the back seat of his Suburban for a private chat.

“Yes, sir,” Matt said without moving his eyes from Meredith’s face. She looked up at him as she reached the tarmac, lifted her face slowly and smiled. His heart leapt, but his mind locked tighter than a vault door.

“Hi, Matt,” she said. “Good to see you.”

“Meredith,” he said.

The vice president’s hand pulled at his shoulder, breaking the spell. He slid into the Suburban, watching as Meredith climbed into the back seat on the opposite side. Interesting that she would be with the vice president, Matt thought, because she worked for the national security adviser, Dave Palmer.

Matt had taken the time to grab a sport coat and pulled it over his black Underarmor shirt that looked painted onto his muscular frame. He wore khaki cargo pants and lightweight brown Belleview boots. Not a typically snappy dresser, Matt figured the blazer concealed his weapon relatively well.

“Matt, glad you could make it,” Hellerman said, closing the door of his vehicle. “We’ve got some leads on a terrorist named Ballantine, former Iraqi general.”

Matt paused, thinking.

“I know the name.” There was no escaping Zach’s death, Matt thought. He remembered talking to Zach after his brother had returned from Desert Storm back in 1991. The detail with which Zach had described the fight that led to the capture of Ballantine was incredible. Zach, most likely the best story teller Matt knew, had painted such a clear picture that Matt had long savored the pride he felt for his older brother in securing perhaps the most prized capture of Operation Desert Storm.

“Yes, Ballantine,” Hellerman continued. “I thought you might recognize the name. We think he’s established a fishing guide service up in Quebec and that he uses a lightweight float plane to ferry supplies, deadly attack materials, into the United States. He may even be part of a supply chain that has funneled the WMD out of Iraq.”

Matt considered what the vice president was saying. He remembered that Hellerman had served in the army reserves as a military intelligence officer, which caused Matt to place some credence in Hellerman’s analysis.

“My team in Middleburg is running our own operation with limited support,” Hellerman said. “We had a CIA agent have a small world moment with this guy when he was actually on leave doing some muskie fishing in Canada. Seems Ballantine opened this small enterprise a few years back and called it Moncrief Fishing Company. Flies a Sherpa into a small airport outside Burlington, Vermont, where he picks up his customers, and, we suspect, a few other things.”

“We got anybody working this?” Matt asked. His mind continued to drift back to the day Zach had returned from Desert Storm. Their small hometown just north of Charlottesville, Virginia, had thrown Zachary a huge welcome home party. After the festivities, Matt and Zachary, both in their early twenties then, had sat by the river that framed their property. They drank a six pack of Budweiser while Zachary discussed the details of capturing Ballantine and then delivering him to military intelligence for interrogation. As the laundry bag full of beer, anchored to a rock next to Matt, shifted with the subtle currents of the river, Zach conveyed that he believed that Ballantine had been released in a prisoner exchange and then had mysteriously gone missing. Now, when Ballantine wasn’t found in Iraq after the Americans had seized Baghdad in Gulf War II, the intelligence community dismissed his absence in favor of their vaunted deck of playing cards. Matt, though, was intrigued by Hellerman’s assessment. Ballantine was more dangerous than either Hussein or Bin Laden because he not only had means, motive, and the courage of his convictions, but he was on nobody’s screen. The intelligence world dismissed him in favor of rounding up the deck of cards.

Hellerman stared at Matt a minute and said, “Yes, we’re about to get an agent in there. Canada doesn’t want us making a mess up there, but they also don’t want to get involved.”

“Screw a bunch of Canadians. Anybody I know?”

“There aren’t many you don’t know, but you know I can’t answer that, Matt.”

“Right, so what am I doing here?”

“I want you to head down to Joint Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg and talk to some of the special ops command down there. You’ll be a presidential envoy. You know all those guys anyway,” Hellerman said.

“Presidential envoy?” Matt chuckled. “I’ll get laughed out of there. Now, maybe if I’m part of a take-down team, they’ll believe
that
.”

Matt’s thoughts trailed off as his mind reeled with the possibilities. As an operator in the most elite counterterrorist outfit in the CIA, he was already visualizing the enemy situation. Then, as it always did, his mind spun back to that day in December 2001 when he had his sniper rifle, his team, and a good radio with communications to about a thousand airplanes all wanting to drop a bomb on bin Laden and claim victory. As he had radioed in, he received, “Kill chain denied. Say again, kill chain denied. Return to base.”

Matt looked at Hellerman, letting his thoughts play out on his face.

“I had nothing to do with that, Matt. I’m one of the good guys here and I’m bringing you into this thing to get you back into the action. That’s what you want right? While you can’t go on the eventual raid you can work with me on this thing in my command post. Advise me.” Hellerman continued, “With your injuries, you’d be no good anyway. Plus, the president would have my ass if I sent you on a tactical mission while he wants you to be preparing for this job advising the director.”

“I’d much prefer to go after Ballantine.” Matt’s voice was stone cold.

“I’ve talked to the president and your director, Houghton, already.” Hellerman ignored Matt’s comment. “They both want you on this mission.”

Matt waited a moment with his eyes fixed on the vice president, then spoke. “I’m an operator, sir. That’s what I do.”

“I know you’re an operator. Hell, the entire world knows you’re an operator, and that’s part of the problem. Everyone knows you. Anyway, you’ll be representing the president. Our Department of Homeland Security isn’t even an agency yet. It’s just some people looking for office space. You know how to wade into the middle of chaos and sort it out.”

“That I do,” Matt said. “What do you want me to talk to them about?”

Matt had never turned down an interesting assignment in his life, and now was not the time to start. If terrorists were coming after the country again, he wanted in on the hunt. He had made his case, so now he would just see where the situation led him.

Hellerman smiled. “Look at their plan. It’s called Maple Thunder. Then see what they’ve got on the missing Predators while you’re at it.”

Matt stared at Hellerman, wondering,
Why is there so much interest in these Predators all of a sudden?

Ignoring his thought, Matt said, “Right, so my mission is to get down to Bragg and be a spy for you, is that it?”

“Exactly. Here’s a satellite phone. Keep in touch. I’ll be at Middleburg, which of course is top secret. And tell Peyton everything you know about those Predators, too. That’s at least as important as Ballantine.” Hellerman handed Matt a small black object, which Matt promptly put in his shirt pocket.

“One thing,” Matt said, returning to his personal albatross.

“What’s that?”

“No Rolling Stones? No Fox and Diamond type antics? No bullshit, right?”

“We’ve cleaned that mess up, Matt,” Hellerman said. “President Davis understands your sacrifice and appreciates your service.”

“Then why does Stone still have a job as Secretary of Defense?” Matt’s voice was like granite. “And where the hell is Lantini? You telling me you guys can’t find a former CIA director?”

“I’ve got nothing to do with Lantini. Matt, get over yourself. We’ve got a war going on in Iraq. We need as little turbulence as possible after last year’s nightmare in the Philippines, so the president decided to keep Stone in place; keep the momentum going.”

Matt looked at Hellerman and then Meredith. “I made a promise to Stone,” Matt said, “that if he ever came after me because of what I know
I
would know about it. And then I would execute what I believe you people term ‘preemptive actions.’ I know you and Stone are close. I need you to look me in the eye with Meredith as our witness that this is a legitimate mission directed by the President of the United States.”

Matt kept his cold gaze locked onto Hellerman’s gray eyes, which never fluttered.

“I know you’re not making a threat against the Secretary of Defense, which would be illegal. So, I’ll ignore the comment and interpret ‘preemptive actions’ as meaning actions that are nonthreatening, in particular, nonlethal.”

Matt shrugged and ran his hand along his blazer beneath which his Glock was holstered.

“This is legit, Matt. We’re trying to get you back in the game. This is the first step,” Hellerman said. “Trust me.”

“You had me until you said, ‘Trust me.’ I don’t trust many these days,” Matt said, his eyes shifting to Meredith, who looked away, a tear possibly sneaking out of her right eye. “Produce Lantini, Ronnie Wood, for me, and then maybe we can build on our relationship.”

Hellerman stared at Matt a moment and said, “I don’t think we’ll be seeing anymore of Ronnie Wood or the Rolling Stones. Only a select few people know about that, so let’s just leave it be.”

Matt shook his head, then looked at Meredith. There was something about her countenance that rang hollow, sort of a vacuous gaze.

“Then don’t trust me. Trust your instincts. I’m giving you a jet to fly to Fort Bragg to get back into the game here. You can’t be in Iraq right now where all of the action is and I know it’s killing you.” That much was true, Matt thought, returning to Hellerman.

“Okay, if you’re getting me back into the game, then
I’m
game.” Matt said.

“Good,” Hellerman said, then leaned back, shaking his head, as if to move on to other pressing issues. “Maybe one day this country will wake up,” Hellerman added as Matt was opening the door.

Matt stopped and looked over his shoulder at Hellerman, catching the sour look on the vice president’s face.
What was he talking about?

“Excuse me, sir?”

Hellerman looked at Matt. “Just talking to myself. Damn people in this country are so complacent, take everything for granted. Not even two years removed from 9-11 and we’re back to our old ways. Political infighting, stupid debates about the Iraq war, and everyone’s so consumed with themselves. No sacrifice, except the military.” Hellerman stopped a moment and then looked at Matt.

“You know the other day I was at Fort Bragg talking to a soldier who told me, ‘Sir, the military’s at war, the country’s at the mall.’ Pretty insightful.” Matt shrugged. Privates usually had a pretty good perspective on life, he thought. Rang true. Still, he kept his mouth shut as he watched the smoke clear off the vice president for a moment and then turned toward the Gulfstream.

“You ever read Rostow?” Hellerman’s question caught Matt off guard.

“Maybe once,” Matt said, lifting his duffel bag, and looking over his shoulder.

“Think about the term, ‘secular spiritual stagnation.’ Then we’ll talk later.”

Matt nodded, barely interested, then leaned back into the Suburban and said to Meredith, “Nice to see you. You look good.” It was all he could allow himself.

He saw a brief flash of the woman he had once known. It was a moment of recognition in her face. He didn’t know if her eyes were wistful … or pleading. He knew full well, though, that heady politics had vaulted her into a new circle that perhaps she had been gunning for all along. Or perhaps she was operating in a realm for which she was unprepared. Either way, she had broken off the engagement four months ago and had become aloof. Not fully understanding what had happened between them hurt the most. The moment was an awkward one, with the vice president between them. Matt felt the pluck of a banjo string in his heart and then did the only thing he could do.

He turned and walked up the steps, ducking as he entered the small airplane and nodded to the two Air Force officers who would fly him to Fort Bragg. One was blond with blue eyes and looked like he had just graduated from the academy the day before. He wore lieutenant’s bars. The other was a bit older, more ethnic-looking and, with eyes staring at his cockpit instruments, focused on his preflight routine. He was a captain, and, Matt presumed, in charge of the flight. He noticed a cell phone sitting in the pilot’s lap and a Bluetooth headset in his ear like some Star Trek device.