Rising Hope by Edie James
30
“You guys needanything before we talk?”
The operational head of Knight Tactical Protection, Jack Reese, eyed Enzo and Sarah from the far side of the massive table in the impressive conference room above the luxurious two-story hangar. Lean and fit, with a sharp gaze that belied his mellow tone, Jack was clearly sizing up his new clients.
Exactly the same way Enzo was eying the man and his team. Enzo appreciated the lift on the dazzling state-of-the art helo, but the smooth ride didn’t make up for a day that had already gone from bad to complete disaster.
And now they were two hundred miles from The Cove, safely tucked into Knight Tactical’s base of operations high in the granite-peaked Sierra Nevada.
Enough to make anyone’s head spin, and he was used to rocketing through the air at a couple hundred miles an hour, battling everything the Pacific Ocean could throw at him.
He turned to Sarah. “You good?”
Her fingers tightened around the bottle of water in front of her, but she nodded.
Jack and Austin Daggett, his the second in command, took the head of the table, flanked by two teammates, Star and Ethan Hernandez, the team’s cyber-specialists. If Reese looked intimidating, Daggett was flat-out scary. The former SEAL had thirty pounds on his friend, all of it rock hard muscle. Slender and average height, Hernandez didn’t appear physically intimidating, but Enzo wasn’t fooled. Anyone who’d made it through a decade or so as a SEAL operative had skills. Not to mention, the guy was some kind of computer genius. So was his cute, perky wife. Enzo had to keep reminding himself there was a massive brain behind the pixie-like features, though the bright pink streak running through her dark hair suggested she had a good sense of humor.
He could use one of those about now.
Jack ran through the introductions quickly, then pinned him and Sarah with that dark gaze. “Care to explain how you ended up on the run with a fortune’s worth of spiffy designer drugs in your possession? Emmie gave us the broad strokes, but we need to hear the details from you.”
Star spoke up first. “I looked you two up after Emmie called us.” She tucked a strand of bright pink hair behind her ear, her focus on Sarah. “You’re DEA.”
Sarah nodded.
Star’s husband, Ethan, pointed his water bottle at Enzo. “You’re the one we can’t figure out. Why would the DEA use a Coast Guard aviator for an undercover mission?”
Not an unreasonable question. Enzo had been wondering the same thing from the minute his CO called him into his office. He squeezed the back of his neck. Where to start?
Sarah saved him from having to figure it out. “We’re part of an interagency mission.” She put a hand to her chest. “I’m undercover as the buyer. There are—were…” She paused, swallowing hard. “There were two other field agents who took delivery of the purchased drugs. One is FBI. I was told the other was NSA, but not by anyone I’d trust.”
Austin caught Jack’s eye and held up a hand, stopping Sarah. “Wait. What do you mean, ‘was’?”
Sarah ducked her chin. “He’s dead. The FBI guy, Panetta, shot him right in front of us.”
“Meaning Sarah,” Enzo clarified. He figured the team needed the exact details. “I missed the whole thing. The dead agent, Munson, knocked me out cold before Panetta killed him.”
That got their attention. “So this Panetta killed Munson because the guy clocked you?” Jack asked.
“We’re not sure,” Sarah admitted. “But I don’t think so. We think the original plan was for Munson and Panetta to kill us both and take off with the drugs. This last order alone would sell for ten million, at least.”
Enzo squeezed his neck again. The pain in his head was wearing off. The chill of learning he and Sarah had been so close to being murdered was too, only to be replaced by a simmering fury. “Best we could figure, they planned to dump our bodies somewhere we’d never be found.”
Sarah nodded in agreement. “My guess is Panetta saw an opportunity to cut his partner out of the deal. He planned to kill us anyway. Why not frame us for stealing the drugs and killing Munson?”
Jack scooted his chair back and rose, pacing quietly, his gaze on the floor. “That all tracks.” He paused scratching his chin. “Only you two failed to cooperate. Now you’re on the hook for stealing the merchandise and murdering some kind of federal agent.”
“Looks that way.” Enzo shuddered inside. To have the facts laid out so flatly chilled him to the bone.
Sarah’s face paled. He could see her swallowing over and over.
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “I’ve got a bigger concern. Two, actually.” He raised a finger. “How do we know these agents don’t work for someone higher up?”
Everyone around the table nodded. Exactly what Enzo and Sarah had already discussed. Neither Panetta nor Munson struck Enzo as the brightest, most motivated bulbs. There had to be someone smarter calling the shots.
“What’s your other concern?” Jack asked Ethan.
The slim agent looked ill for a second, or maybe it was just Enzo projecting his own fears.
Ethan raised a second finger. “Lots of folks are gonna want those drugs.”
One of the other men groaned softly. The sound hit Enzo like the thunder of a wave building overhead, ready to wipe them out.
Star made a face and turned to him. “Emmie said you joined the mission late. What happened to the original pilot?”
Sarah took that one. “The original pilot was also a Coast Guard aviator. My immediate supervisor is an FBI agent I’ve worked with before. He told me the Coast Guard had been read in on the mission for some reason. Enzo’s CO chose Wenmark, the first guy, and then Enzo to replace him.” She shot Enzo a questioning look.
He nodded to the group. “That’s about right. The Tambov Roka insisted the deals went down in remote areas. Definitely helo missions.”
“Plus, we wanted to get the cartel’s attention,” Sarah added. “I was playing the part of a big spender. Arriving by helicopter added to the mystique.”
Jack looked skeptical. “The DEA and FBI have helicopter pilots. The NSA too, I’m sure. Why such a convoluted deal?”
Enzo agreed. “No idea. But I’m not the expert.” He gestured at Sarah.
She looked exhausted. “It’s been like this from the beginning. Really a weird set up, but you know how it is with government agencies. Way above my pay grade.”
The Knight Tactical team traded knowing looks.
“It gets worse,” she added in a low monotone.
Austin stared up at the ceiling. “Of course, it does. Why am I not surprised?”
“Panetta killed Munson with my service weapon,” she told them.
A couple of the men winced. Star looked horrified.
Enzo sat quietly, watching the team while Sarah filled in more of the details of the past few hours, and the complicated background story, adding her concerns about the previous aviator. “I’ve been working the suppliers, building up my orders until we were able to meet with a higher-up. This last buy was it. We wired the helo with surveillance cameras. There should be enough evidence from the footage to arrest everyone there. The hope is one of them’ll roll over on the high-level guys.”
Star pointed at the screen of her laptop. “Sarah’s right about the other pilot, Wenmark. He’s literally gone. I can’t get a recent ping on a cell phone. No indication he ever reported for duty again. And no hospital records anywhere, including military hospitals in the area. It looks like he’s got parents in New Jersey. I can think up a reason to contact them, see if we get a lead.”
“Hold off on that for now,” Jack ordered. “We’ll probably get a lead on the guy other ways. I hate to put his parents through any unnecessary stress.”
Sarah nodded. “Agreed.”
Austin rose. “I’ll secure the drugs in the armory and double check that the Admiral’s baby is tucked in for the night.” He winked and headed down the stairs.
Jack cut his eyes to the railing overlooking the hangar space. “Admiral Knight just bought that Agusta. We’ve barely got a hundred flight hours on her.”
Despite the living nightmare they’d just been plunged into, Enzo whistled. An airframe that new would go for eight figures, minimum. “She’s a beauty.”
“Right?” Jack grinned. “Nothing but the best for Knight Tactical.”
No joke. These folks were well-funded and obviously sharp. He and Sarah couldn’t be in better hands. The realization eased the tightness in his neck. Emmie was right, as usual. If they were going to get out of this mess alive, they couldn’t do any better than Jack and his team.
Jack checked the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late. You two are toast. Probably best if we regroup first thing in the morning. Better if we hit this again fresh. This is gonna take a while to untangle.”
No doubt. He was grateful for the assistance, as long as they could take advantage of it. Once the FBI issued arrest warrants for him and Sarah, they’d have to disappear.
“We’ve got crew quarters on the premises,” Jack said. “Austin and I’ll stay, too.” He smiled wryly. “I’ve got a two-year-old at home. I could use the peace and quiet.”
Sarah protested. “We don’t want to keep you from your family.”
“Rollo’s like family. That means you’re close enough.” Jack made eye contact with both of them. “We’re happy to help. Got that?”
“Yes, sir, Captain.” Enzo saluted the man.
But Sarah was obviously having a harder time accepting help. She shot Jack a pleading look. “We can’t stay. We should—”
Star cut her off. “It’s what we do. You two rest. Let Ethan and I do some digging.” She addressed Jack. “We should bring Tamra and Angela in on this. Maybe Dale, too.”
“Copy that.” Jack agreed instantly. “Tamra Bosch is a former FBI field agent. Angela was an FBI analyst. They might even know some of the players.” He looked at Star and Ethan. “How about the four of you look into Panetta, Munson, Enzo’s Commanding Officer, and that other guy. What’s his name?” He snapped his fingers, as if the movement would spark the memory.
“Halliburton. Nels Halliburton.” Sarah supplied the name in that tight, flat tone she always used when referring to her temporary supervisor.
Ethan pulled his computer close, ready to dive into the project. “On it.” He glanced up at the clock. “We’ll give it some time, see how far Star and I get before we pull Tamra and Angie into things. Right, babe?” He checked with his wife.
Star was already focused on her own glowing screen. “Sounds good. We’re going to need to dig up some background before we have any leads for them to pursue anyway.”
The team’s efficiency was like a balm, easing Enzo’s stress considerably. The future was still murky, but the Lord had delivered them into the right hands. As always.
Sarah seemed to sense it, too. Her eyes widened, in a good way, this time. “Looks like we’re in the right place.”
Jack grinned. “Let’s hope so. Have you met this guy’s twin?” he asked her, pointing at Enzo.
She shook her head.
Jack grinned even harder. “She makes Austin look like a teddy bear. I wouldn’t want to get on that woman’s bad side.”
No kidding. Enzo massaged the thin scar on the back of his wrist. They were eight. He’d grabbed the book Emmie was reading and held it overhead, dancing away as he taunted her. Instead of chasing him, begging or pleading with him to give it back, Emmie gave him one warning, then hurled their mother’s letter opener straight at him.
She’d gotten her book back, along with an apology. He’d gone to bed with a gauze bandage around his wrist and no supper.
Easy to predict even then that Emmie would become a legal eagle, standing up for the little guys. The woman didn’t know the meaning of the words, “back down.”
“Well hello now!” Austin’s deep voice carried up from the hangar below.
Jack headed for the edge of the balcony. “Whatcha got there?”
Enzo hurried to Jack’s side and stared down at the big SEAL two stories below. Austin had a duffle bag open at his feet, packets of drugs spread out in front of him and a metal case open in his hand.
He lifted the case toward them. Jewelry sparkled in the light. A mound of gold chains studded with diamonds and other gems, like a real-life manifestation of pirate treasure.
Enzo blinked down, willing his tired brain to process what he was seeing. Drugs, a dead agent, and now treasure? This mission was sliding from bad to nightmarish.
Heart hammering, he swung around, searching for Sarah. Did she know?
She slid to the rail between him and Reese. The expression on her face told him everything.
She had no idea.
Mouth agape, Jack stared from the box in his friend’s hand, to the two of them, and back again, before backing away from the railing. “Well this complicates things.”