The general answered in his tired voice. “Sorenson here.”
“Colonel Danker here, reporting on Major Steel, sir.” He paused, but Sorenson didn’t respond. “I’m sure Steel researched the Komodo Op. He has to be dirty. There’s no reason why two men would try to kill him if he wasn’t. And he’s not living at home anymore. He’s on the run.”
Sorenson’s weary voice held only apathy. “Keep me updated, colonel.”
Danker’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s it? This is a Blackhood operative we’re talking about, sir. We should bring him in immediately for questioning. Arrest him before he disappears for good. For all we know he’s a traitor. He shouldn’t be involved in any more Ops until he’s cleared.” He imagined slamming his big fists into Steel’s face during the arrest.
“That’s not necessary, colonel.” Sorenson’s voice sounded like he barely had enough energy for those four words. “He’s already been cleared on the Komodo Op, and General Morris wants him.”
Danker’s neck grew hot. Maybe Sorenson just didn’t care anymore. Too washed out, ready to retire. He looked through his office door at the water cooler down the hallway. It was a mile away. His mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow.
“Sir,” he continued, “I strongly recommend we take action. I can do the interrogation alone if you’re too busy. I’m certain Steel will crack. His wife left him so he’s probably a mess. It could work in our favor.”
“Just keep him under surveillance for now.”
Danker bunched his free hand into a fist. Sorenson was an idiot. “We have to proceed with the act of treason.”
“What act of treason?”
Sorenson must be senile. “Steel has to be the one that attacked me on the Komodo Op. He needs to be held accountable.”
“We have no proof. All in due time, colonel.”
The line went dead.
Danker swore and slammed the receiver down. What a joke. If it was up to him, he would pull Steel in and tear him apart with a week of interrogation.
Christie was the key. Instinct and the desire for revenge told him to keep her around Steel. Steel was a ship with a hole in its side, and Danker wanted to add a little more cargo to sink him. If Sorenson didn’t move on the treason charge against Steel, he would do it himself. Go over Sorenson’s head. That calmed his racing pulse a little.
Steel was close to a court-martial and he didn’t even know it. The great, careful Steel was acting sloppy enough to make a junior prosecutor smirk. He smiled. It made up for his limp, at least a little.
His thirst finally won out. He needed both of his arms to push out of the chair. Then it was an awkward hobble to the water cooler. He cursed the knee. He cursed Steel. At least his neck was better. The chiropractor had helped that, but he still moved like an old man with the injuries. Disabled.
He could see it coming. Put out to pasture with a pension. They just hadn’t talked to him about it yet. Administration would wait a year and then bring it up casually, like it was a new idea. Budget cuts, they would say.
He limped back to his desk chair and sipped water, suddenly bleak about all the years he had followed orders. Just to end up like this. He believed in rigid obedience. The army demanded it. Needed it. But it had done nothing for him personally. He didn’t even have any money to travel, to meet all the eligible women out there who wanted a healthy man his age.
The Army was his wife, mistress, and family. Thirty years. His marriage hadn’t even survived that long. He had a kid in college in Florida, an elderly mother in Kansas, and an ex who took monthly checks from him. It seemed a grim summary for his life.
Someone wanted Steel dead. The most likely explanation was that Steel was involved with something illegal. Most crime involved money, and Steel had a lot of debt and was mortgaged up to his ears.
Maybe Steel was hiding something of value in his house. If there was something worthwhile there, Danker didn’t want Christie finding it. She would report it. And it would be too much of a risk for him to go there.
He looked at his knee and fury welled up inside him. To hell with Steel and all of them. It was time to take care of himself.
CHAPTER 28
Steel peered over the cliff edge and watched Carol and Rachel fall. They didn’t call for help and something about their calm expressions told him that maybe they were flying. Not falling. He watched, sensing he was going to fall too. And he knew he couldn’t fly.
When he woke from the nightmare, he sat upright. Late afternoon. It was dark in the lower level. He checked the cameras and sensors. All operating, nothing unusual.
His burner phone beeped. Christie texting him.
I need you to analyze another Op in the Paktika caves.
Meeting her at all could put her at risk. Just like Carol. He sent a text. Not a good time.
We’re running this Op soon and soldiers’ lives are on the line. Your advice could minimize risk. We need your help.
He hesitated.
Did the Tom Bellue report help you?
She was saying he owed her. And she was right. He also didn’t want men dying because he hadn’t looked at the Op ahead of time. Another thing he couldn’t deny was that he wanted to see her. To have an affair? No. He didn’t have an answer to it.
Meeting her at a café or her place, or anyplace other than his, posed more risk because he couldn’t control the situation.
He sent her a text. Same truck stop. Three p.m. Watch your six.
He showered, pulled on black jeans and a dark blue cotton shirt, and exited via the forest tunnel. From there he walked to the LLC shed. A dark line of clouds was moving in and he didn’t think Christie would want to get soaked on the motorcycle.
Flicker woodpeckers were hammering trees and cardinals were singing. It was times like these that he missed Rachel the most. She always loved to hike with him.
By the time he met Christie it was pouring. In forty minutes they ran into the barn.
Christie was bright-eyed, with damp hair and green jogging pants. She went into the shower room to get a towel to dry off her face and limbs. When she came out he was sitting at the computer station. She walked right up to him. Her blouse was damp, clinging to her body. He looked away.
“Everything okay, Steel?”
He glanced into her eyes, seeing sincerity behind the question. She wasn’t probing for information. It felt good to have someone care. He took a deep breath. “Yeah. What can I do for you?”
She handed him a flash drive. “We’re not going into the first cave system based on your recommendations. However, the target has moved and we have another cave system in Paktika we want you to evaluate. It has the same issues of close proximity to Pakistan, resulting in our inability to drop large bombs.”
He swiveled his chair, pulled it up on the monitor, and began examining it. After an hour he gave her recommendations, as well as concluding they could successfully go after the target in the new location. She posed questions and ideas, always insightful, and again he found working with her enjoyable. He had never been able to share this part of his life with Carol.
He ran a VR simulation for her to see the proposed Op firsthand.
Afterward she said, “Love it. Good job.”
“You helped.”
“Coming from you that means something.”
He checked his watch. “I’m going to have something quick to eat. Last meal here, if you’re hungry.”
“Sure, why not?” She smiled at him, looking slightly awkward.
He felt the same way. Again he wasn’t sure why he was doing this. Maybe just to have some normal companionship, something other than death and violence.
Later in the kitchen he found himself gazing at her slender legs and toned arms. He hadn’t had touch in a long time and he missed it. Missed having someone to share things with. Her back was to him at the
counter, but she glanced over her shoulder and caught him.
He looked away, wondering if that was how it started with Carol and her friend. A look. One idea that caught her off guard. Or maybe it was more planned than that. More deliberate.
“Where’s Spinner? Chasing rabbits?” She turned, a glass of water in her hand.
“She’s at the vet. Someone shot her.”
Her smile disappeared. “Someone tried to murder your dog?”
He shrugged. “A stray bullet. I was walking her somewhere else.”
She walked up to him and rested a soft hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Steel. I really am. She’s a beautiful dog. A good friend. I hope she’ll be okay.”
“The vet said she would recover. Spinner meant a lot to Rachel and I want her here in case…” He didn’t finish.
“You love your daughter very much, Jack, and that’s the best thing a father can do.”
He looked at the table. “I didn’t keep her safe.”
“No one can keep anyone safe twenty-four-seven. You’re too hard on yourself.”
Her empathy touched him. And in two sentences she had given him more absolution and understanding than Carol had done in a year’s time.
“Look, Steel, you lost your daughter and wife, someone is after you, and your dog was shot. That would be a nightmare scenario for anyone. Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Maybe.”
Her voice softened. “I’ll help if I can.”
“Right now it’s handled. Thanks for the offer though.” He didn’t want her targeted like Carol. And he doubted there was anything she could do for him anyway.
Her hand slid off his shoulder and she set down her glass and turned to leave. He followed her out.
At the door she turned. He almost bumped into her. Her eyes were inches from his, her thighs against his. She looked into his eyes a few moments, and then leaned up to kiss him. He found himself wanting that kiss, yearning for it.
At the last moment he backed up, his hand between them.
She tried to smile, saying softly, “Oh, well.”
He couldn’t even try to smile. If he kissed her, he was no better than Carol—still married and looking for something outside. If he was still married. He felt a deep ache inside.
He drove her back to the truck stop and watched her leave, making sure no one followed her. Christie reminded him of Carol. She wouldn’t want to hear that. But she was stronger in ways that appealed to him. Maybe he should have asked her to stay.
It was still raining so he drove the Jeep to his front gate, locked it after he drove past, and parked in front of his house. He was tired of hiding. Kergan was right. He didn’t want to live like this. Someone was going to pay for all this hell.
CHAPTER 29
Christie’s lips pursed and her jaw tightened. Based on Danker’s description of the situation, she had expected that everything with Steel would be simple and straightforward. But Danker didn’t know what was going on if the CIA was involved too.
She called Danker, telling him that someone had shot Steel’s dog. “I doubt they came for his dog. There might be a body buried somewhere on his property or elsewhere.”
“Excellent,” said Danker. “Excellent.”
“How much longer do you need me to work Steel?”
“He’s dirty. Stay on him. We need a confession.”
“What Op was he on when he disobeyed orders?”
“Classified.”
“Then give me something else to work with.”
“I told you, he botched a classified Op and allowed a terrorist to go free, which cost taxpayers a fortune.” Danker hung up.
The music on the radio distracted her and she turned it off. The problem was, in-between wanting to expose Steel, she felt empathy for him. She had noticed the marker for his daughter near the rope swing in front of the house.
She called Hulm. After briefing him, she asked the same questions she had asked Danker.
Silence. Then, “Keep assisting Steel’s efforts. He’s close to breaking.” Hulm hung up.
Her hands tightened on the wheel. Hulm and Danker were both hiding things.
Her thoughts returned to Steel. He had sounded like a little boy when he told her that someone had shot his dog. It had taken all she had not to hug him.
Yet during all her years in the armed services she had remained professional with men. She didn’t want to change that with Steel. She had to keep her feelings out of it.
Yet Steel’s values resonated with her. His loyalty to his daughter. His concern for his dog. Even his misplaced loyalty to his absent wife. He seemed dependable and trustworthy, and that touched a part of her that had given up on ever finding a great relationship. She knew her attraction to Steel was in part influenced by the fact that she hadn’t been interested in a man in a long time.
Still something else tugged at her when she was around him. She searched for what that was but couldn’t find it, and decided it wasn’t important. Do the job, get a confession, and let Steel hang himself, if that’s what it came to. She wasn’t responsible for his sins or his sorrow. And she didn’t want his problems to become hers.
She wanted the promotion. Lieutenant colonel. It was the carrot that kept her around Steel.
When she had tried to kiss him, she had told herself she was doing it to make it easier for him to confide in her. Yet part of her had desired that kiss. She felt letdown when he rejected it. That made no sense to her. The last thing she wanted was to cozy up to someone on the rebound. And Steel was hiding things too.
It all came down to trust.
The way Steel tried to hang onto his wife suggested he considered himself one of the True Blue. Someone who lived out promises—made and kept them forever. But in the real world even people close to you sometimes betrayed you. Her mouth turned down when she realized she would be the one to teach him that lesson again.
Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. She opened her glove compartment and pulled out her SIG Sauer P320 compact, setting it on the passenger seat.
Steel had somehow brought hell into his life and she didn’t want it in hers.
CHAPTER 30
Flaut couldn’t distinguish reality from his dreams. And wasn’t sure what he enjoyed more. He drifted in and out of a shallow sleep. The TV showed blue on the video channel.
It was mid-afternoon, but he had stayed up late the night before. The ringing phone wouldn’t let him drift away again. He grunted and sat up. His naked, pale skin was cool. He reached over and answered. It was Torr.
“Someone got access to the Spirax system last night.”
“So?” Flaut knew what was coming.
“I’m concerned that Janet Bellue told Steel something useful.”
“You want me to talk to her.”
“Tonight. In your special way.”
“What about Steel?” Flaut allowed an edge to his voice.
“Patience.”
“I’m tired of waiting. I want him.”
“I know you do.”
“You owe me that and promised it. I take promises seriously.”
“Of course. Don’t worry. You’ll have your chance.”
***
Torr hung up and stared at the phone. Flaut reminded him of a bulldog who wouldn’t let go. He had a terrible headache that had begun when he learned the men he had sent after Steel’s wife had failed. Not one of his better decisions. It was time to let others handle Steel.
He put in a call to Hulm, who answered on the first ring. “There’s been a security break at Spirax.” He paused. “There was a download.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Hulm’s voice had a rare edge to it. “You’re making a mess of things.”
Torr pressed his palms harder into the edge of his desk. Hulm must have found out about th
e attempted kidnapping of Steel’s wife. He doubted Hulm knew about the botched hired killer too. Still the CIA hadn’t done any better. “I hope you can finally put an end to all of this.” It was as much of an apology as he would give Hulm. “How are you going to find Steel?”
“We know where he’s going to be.”
“Flaut wants Steel.” Torr wondered what would happen when Flaut discovered that someone else would be handling Steel.
“You know you’re going to have to do something about Flaut eventually, don’t you?”
Torr hung up. It was probably for the best, in that respect. Flaut would do what he was best at, and so would Hulm. But he couldn’t take his eyes off the phone. He decided bulldog wasn’t an accurate description. Flaut seemed more like an unpredictable, rabid dog that could turn on him at any moment. A dangerous flunky.
Hulm was right. Eventually something would have to be done. But in the meantime, Flaut was useful. Like all good flunkies.
CHAPTER 31
Rachel stood in front of him, a wide grin on her freckled face. Her red hair was in the beam of his flashlight. Steel’s throat tightened. They were in a cave, one of the first he had explored with her.
“Come on, Dad!”
He moved forward. Rachel waved, urging him on. They went around a corner and the darkened tunnel narrowed and sloped down. His eager daughter’s flashlight led him along another smaller tunnel.
Rachel lowered to her knees and turned to smile at him, blowing a bubble with her gum. “We can do it, Dad. We can do it.”
***
He ripped the VR goggles off his head and took deep breaths. Two years ago he had taken the video of Rachel in the cave, and then downloaded it into the program for her.
He didn’t understand why he had done this to himself. Maybe he needed a reminder of the pain, afraid that without it he would forget Rachel. Or perhaps he wanted to break free of the past, see it in a fresh light. What he really needed, and what the computer couldn’t give him, was to hold his daughter again.
He put the equipment away, turned off the system, and used the lower level tunnel to return to the house, hustling upstairs to his bedroom walk-in closet.
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