Decoy Zero

by Jack Mars

  Sara had taken the couch, giving Maya the twin bed in the spare room. But when Maya reached the bathroom she was surprised to see her sister already up, brushing her teeth.

  She leaned against the door frame. “Huh. Nine thirty is kind of early for you, isn’t it?”

  Sara spit before replying. “Huh. Nine thirty is kind of late for you, isn’t it?” She pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail. “I’m heading down to the community center this morning.”

  “You have an art class?” Maya asked.

  “Something like that,” Sara said cryptically as she relinquished the bathroom.

  Five minutes later Maya had her sweats on, sneakers laced, earbuds around her neck and sweat band on her forehead as she prepared to go for a run. She thought about skipping a day, but then decided to just do five quick miles so she didn’t feel lazy. After all, she’d slept in—

  Her phone buzzed from the nightstand. Maya frowned; the number displayed was a familiar one. It was the office of Brigadier General Joanne Hunt.

  The call she’d been delaying for more than a month now was making itself to her.

  She hesitated for the slightest moment before answering. “Good morning, Dean Hunt.”

  “Ms. Lawson,” said the authoritative voice crisply. “I had expected to hear from you by now.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry. I… I’ve been busy.” She winced at the lame excuse.

  “I’m well aware, Ms. Lawson.”

  Uh-oh.

  “Just as you are well aware that I am very good acquaintances with the Director of National Intelligence,” the dean continued.

  Oh no.

  Maya was indeed well aware that Joanne Hunt and DNI David Barren had a professional relationship; she’d been in a meeting with the both of them before.

  “So it should come as no surprise,” said Dean Hunt, “that I am equally aware that a number of rather impressive charges were recently levied against your record. Considering that you are still enrolled in West Point despite your leave of absence, those charges were remitted to my office.”

  Maya’s heart sank. The decision she’d been putting off had been made for her—she was being expelled. “Ma’am, I can explain—”

  “I’m sure you can,” the dean interjected. “However, what I am more interested in is why those charges suddenly vanished from your record this morning.”

  Maya blinked.

  “Vanished as if they never existed,” said Hunt, “though I am certain as the earth is round that I saw them with my own eyes. Care to explain that?”

  “I, um…” Ordinarily Maya was very good at coming up with excuses, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Hunt—especially considering that the dean might have been aware of what had happened and wanted to see what she’d say. “I’m afraid it’s classified, ma’am.”

  “Hm. I’m sure it is.” She could hear the smirk in the dean’s voice before the authority returned in full force. “You will be returning to the academy in March.”

  It wasn’t a question; it was an order.

  “Uh, yes. Yes, ma’am. I’d like that. If you’ll have me back.”

  “I refuse to let a talent like yours fall by the wayside. You will make up for the time you’ve missed before the summer. And when you arrive, my office will be your first stop. I want to personally lay eyes on you and make sure you’re present. Is that clear, cadet?”

  “Very clear, ma’am. Thank you.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your time off, Ms. Lawson.” Dean Hunt hung up, leaving Maya bewildered at the one-eighty the conversation had taken.

  But her future was clear. She was going back to school.

  *

  The community center still smelled like cedar chips, but this time it had an undertone of lavender and linseed oil on account of the floors recently being mopped. Sara made her way down the hall, forcing herself forward with each step.

  You’ve come this far. Can’t turn back now.

  She reached the door with the sheet of white paper scotch-taped to it, the sign that read:

  Common Bonds

  Sharing Trauma, Sharing Hope

  The door was ajar just a few inches and she peered inside. It was nearly ten a.m. and several somber-faced women were present, preparing for the meeting that was about to start, stirring instant coffee and arranging their chairs in a semicircle as they chatted quietly amongst themselves.

  I can’t do this.

  She turned back and nearly ran headlong into a brunette woman.

  “Oh! Excuse me,” the woman chuckled. It was the pleasant-faced soccer mom, Maddie, carrying a box of donuts. “Hi, Sara. It’s nice to see you again. Please, come inside.”

  “Um… okay.” She couldn’t flee now. She followed her into the room.

  “Good morning, everyone!” Maddie announced brightly. “We have someone new joining us today. This is Sara.”

  “Hi, Sara,” the group of seven women said in unison.

  “I think Sara is just going to sit and listen today.” Maddie gave her a reassuring smile. “I hope we can make her feel welcome.”

  Sara’s throat felt dry as she grabbed a folded metal chair from a rack and joined the semicircle. Beside her, a woman in her thirties who had certainly seen better days gave her a shy smile and a nod.

  “Hi,” Sara murmured.

  Maddie took a seat and put her purse at her feet. “Let’s get started. Does anyone want to begin?” She looked around the circle. “Gail. I’m sensing you have something you’d like to talk about.”

  Sara looked over at the woman named Gail. Her hair was going gray and she had a noticeable bruise beneath her left eye.

  The woman nodded. “I do. Um…” She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes before she could even begin.

  “Take as much time as you need,” Maddie assured her.

  Camilla was in rehab now, and had promised to stay there as long as Sara visited her twice a week. The drug dealer Rex was in jail, along with his friend Brody. Despite her injured hand, Sara should have felt victorious.

  But as Gail slowly began her story, a tale of an abusive ex paying her an unexpected drunken visit late last night, Sara did not feel triumphant. She did not feel fulfilled.

  She felt infuriated.

  Common bonds and sharing hope might be cathartic, but it was not enough.

  She remembered vividly the feel of the revolver in her now-broken hand, and an idea began to form in her head.

  *

  Zero scrolled on his tablet, looking for the perfect recipe for that evening but coming up short. Maybe we’ll just go out, he thought. He hadn’t exactly had time to plan anything.

  Maria swept into the living room, affixing the stud of an earring as she looked for her shoes. “Hey,” she said quickly, “I’m heading out for a little bit. Just a couple of hours, I promise.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is it paperwork?”

  She paused with one foot in a sneaker. “I’m going to visit Mischa. Which I’ve been doing for the last few months. And I’m going to light a fire under Shaw about releasing her. And I know we should have talked about that first, and I’m sorry, but—”

  He held up a hand to stop her. “Hey. The only thing we need to talk about is the logistics. It’s the right decision. I’m not going to argue that.”

  She smiled and scoffed at herself. “It’s going to be hard. I don’t think I’ve really thought it through at all.”

  Zero set the tablet down and stood, crossing the room and wrapping her in a hug. “In my experience, some of the very best decisions come from not thinking too hard about it. Follow your instincts and roll with the punches.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’ve got some experience raising screwed-up girls…”

  “I heard that,” Maya called from the kitchen.

  Maria laughed shortly, but her smile faded. “Stay.”

  He frowned. “Where would I go?”

  “No, I mean stay here. Move back in. Don’t go back to the apartment. The girls
too. We have the space, and—maybe we can finish the basement, make it a living area or another bedroom…”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “You don’t need to sell me on it.” He squeezed her again. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “Oh shit,” she groaned. “I’m so sorry, I totally forgot.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll all go out for a nice dinner together tonight.”

  “You’ll never get a reservation!” Maria insisted.

  “Just call up your pal the president,” Maya called out. “He could probably pull some strings—”

  “Quit eavesdropping,” Zero called back.

  “It’s a small house!”

  “Go visit Mischa,” he told Maria. “By the time you’re back I’ll have a plan for tonight.”

  “Sounds great.” She kissed him, slipped on her other sneaker, and whisked out the door. “Hey, Sara,” she said in passing as Zero’s younger daughter came in.

  “Where were you?” he asked.

  Sara shrugged. “Paperwork.”

  “Uh-uh, you’re not stealing my line!” he protested.

  She headed to the kitchen and Zero followed, finding Maya snacking on a can of mixed nuts that Sara dug a fist into.

  There was one more thing, and now seemed like as good a time as any.

  “While I have you both here,” he started, “there’s something I need to ask you.”

  The girls exchanged a wary glance.

  “While I was away,” he told them, “there was a point when I… well, I was pretty sure I was going to die, to be honest, and in the moment I sort of… I sort of proposed to Maria.”

  Sara shook her head. “Oh, man.”

  Maya snorted. “Just what every woman wants. The empty gesture of an imminent-death proposal.”

  “That’s not—it wasn’t empty!” This wasn’t going very well. “What I’m trying to say is that I meant it then and I mean it now. I want to do it right. But before I do that, I want to make sure that it’s okay with you. Both of you.”

  “So you’re asking our permission to ask Maria to marry you?” Maya clarified.

  Sara wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure she’ll say yes? You come with a lot of baggage.”

  “Yes, and probably yes,” he answered in turn.

  Maya smiled. “Dad, you don’t need our permission to be happy.”

  “But since you’re asking,” Sara said pensively, “I’ll have to give it some thought…”

  Smartasses, he thought with a grin. I’ve raised a couple of smartasses.

  “Bigger problem,” Maya said around a mouthful of cashews and almonds, “is what you’re going to do about getting a table for four on Valentine’s Day.”

  “That’s true. Will you help me?”

  They both pulled out their phones and got to work, swapping notes as they did. Zero just watched for a little while, marveling at how they’d grown and how far they’d all come.

  He had realized, after yet another brush with death, he had too much to lose. His brain was still going to continue its slow deterioration. There was no avoiding that, at least not for the time being. But he could still make the most of whatever time he had left. There would be a new living arrangement. A new wedding. A new addition to their odd little family. A new division, with possibly a new team member.

  He could put the past behind him. There was a lot to look forward to.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  CHASING ZERO

  (An Agent Zero Spy Thriller—Book #9)

  “You will not sleep until you are finished with AGENT ZERO. A superb job creating a set of characters who are fully developed and very much enjoyable. The description of the action scenes transport us into a reality that is almost like sitting in a movie theater with surround sound and 3D (it would make an incredible Hollywood movie). I can hardly wait for the sequel.”

  --Roberto Mattos, Books and Movie Reviews

  CHASING ZERO is book #9 in the #1 bestselling AGENT ZERO series, which begins with AGENT ZERO (Book #1), a free download with nearly 300 five-star reviews.

  The Palestinians decide they want to make peace with Israel—and they want the U.S. President to broker the historic treaty on their territory. Agent Zero advises the President against the dangerous trip, but he insists on going. After a series of dramatic and shocking twists, the most dangerous 48 hours of Zero’s life ensue, forcing him into an impossible mission: save the President at all costs.

  CHASING ZERO (Book #9) is an un-putdownable espionage thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

  “Thriller writing at its best.”

  --Midwest Book Review (re Any Means Necessary)

  “One of the best thrillers I have read this year.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews (re Any Means Necessary)

  Also available is Jack Mars’ #1 bestselling LUKE STONE THRILLER series (7 books), which begins with Any Means Necessary (Book #1), a free download with over 800 five star reviews!

  CHASING ZERO

  (An Agent Zero Spy Thriller—Book #9)

  Jack Mars

  Jack Mars is the USA Today bestselling author of the LUKE STONE thriller series, which includes seven books. He is also the author of the new FORGING OF LUKE STONE prequel series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the AGENT ZERO spy thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting).

  Jack loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.Jackmarsauthor.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

  BOOKS BY JACK MARS

  LUKE STONE THRILLER SERIES

  ANY MEANS NECESSARY (Book #1)

  OATH OF OFFICE (Book #2)

  SITUATION ROOM (Book #3)

  OPPOSE ANY FOE (Book #4)

  PRESIDENT ELECT (Book #5)

  OUR SACRED HONOR (Book #6)

  HOUSE DIVIDED (Book #7)

  FORGING OF LUKE STONE PREQUEL SERIES

  PRIMARY TARGET (Book #1)

  PRIMARY COMMAND (Book #2)

  PRIMARY THREAT (Book #3)

  PRIMARY GLORY (Book #4)

  AN AGENT ZERO SPY THRILLER SERIES

  AGENT ZERO (Book #1)

  TARGET ZERO (Book #2)

  HUNTING ZERO (Book #3)

  TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4)

  FILE ZERO (Book #5)

  RECALL ZERO (Book #6)

  ASSASSIN ZERO (Book #7)

  DECOY ZERO (Book #8)

  CHASING ZERO (Book #9)

  VENGEANCE ZERO (Book #10)

  ZERO ZERO (Book #11)