The Enigma Series Boxed Set

by Tierney James

  “Please call me Tessa. And,” Tessa took her free hand and touched his arm, “thank you for everything you’ve done for me, letting me stay with you, not treating me like I’m a nut case when I told you about Azerbaijan, for trusting me and most of all for saving my life several times over the last few days.” She patted his arm before removing her touch from him, “Thank you for being nice to me this morning when I was so…” she paused.

  “Difficult?” Chase said as he opened the door with a chuckle.

  A light laugh floated in ahead of her as she nodded, then took a sip of her coffee only to choke on the liquid as Sam stood before them with her killer looks baring down on them. Her eyes went to Tessa with disdain and then to Chase.

  Even in jeans and a loose cotton blouse, Sam was stunningly beautiful. Long black hair, straight and shiny, fell down her back. Her skin, a lovely olive, had never seen a blemish or sunburn. The large round eyes were pools of green, maybe hazel. Thick black lashes and a wide, sinuous mouth gave her heart shaped face the look of a goddess. Toned and slim, Sam’s body left Tessa wishing she’d not eaten the Little Debbie cake or had sugar in her coffee.

  Sam stepped forward and slipped her long fingers into Chase’s hand and pulled him forward so that he was nearly touching her generous breasts. “I tried to call you last night, Chase.”

  “Tired. Went to bed early.”

  Sam smiled and cut her eyes over to Tessa who seemed to be feeling a little embarrassed by the attention the captain received. “I could have come over and helped you relax.”

  “Oh, I did that!” Tessa said with a fake smile and patted Sam on the back. “But, gee, thanks!”

  Sam jerked away from Tessa’s touch. “Ha! And where did you spend the night, Betty Crocker?”

  Tessa wrinkled her nose and smiled sarcastically as she walked away. “I spent the night in his bed,” in a ‘oops, you caught me’ voice.

  Chase removed Sam’s hands and started to laugh loudly from somewhere deep inside. “I think you’ve met your match, my beautiful Sam.” Walking away, Chase laughed again and in two strides he’d caught up with Tessa. “You really do have a death wish, don’t you?”

  Tessa looked up at him then over her shoulder at Sam, who glared murderous intent at her. “I have a feeling terrorists are the least of my worries.” She looked back at the captain whose mood had definitely improved. “Are you two…?” Tessa let her question fall incomplete.

  “No. Another rule of mine besides no married women is no Enigma women. Makes life too complicated.” Chase pulled out a chair with wheels for her to sit down at a table then he did the same. The windowless room seemed small compared to the one used two days ago. The soft purr of air conditioning and the smell of freshly brewed coffee permeated the room.

  Tessa smiled again at Sam who had taken a position across the table from her. “Guess I’ll have to double trust you now,” she said to Chase as her eyes locked with Sam’s.

  Women like Sam knew their power over the human race; whether it is a man or woman. Tessa figured Sam usually got her way with everyone, except for Chase, of course. That probably made him all the more desirable.

  The steel doors opened again as Vernon, Zoric and Carter strolled in casually, all carrying their own empty coffee mugs. Each poured an amount of hot brew into their cups before finding a seat at the table. While nods of greetings passed between the team, Benjamin Clark entered calm and stoic. His appearance caused a quiet attentiveness to take hold of his team. Sitting down at the head of the oblong table, Benjamin laid a plain file folder before him. He locked his hands into a fist atop the table as another woman entered the room carrying a stack of folders. She quickly began passing them out to the Enigma team, smiling at times when their eyes met hers, except for Sam who ignored her completely.

  “Tessa, this is my assistant, Ms. Coleman.” Benjamin’s voice, matter-of-fact, did not indicate whether she might be another team member. The two exchanged nods and a quick smile, before the assistant exited as quickly as she’d appeared. “It appears,” Benjamin spoke calmly as he opened his file folder which signaled everyone else to do likewise, “that Essid has been a very busy terrorist over these last few years.” Ben looked at Tessa with his eagle sharp eyes and smiled patiently. “Tessa correctly identified the mosque in Azerbaijan.”

  For some unknown reason, Tessa felt a surge of pride. Zoric, sitting across from her, gave her a wink with a bloodshot eye. “It seems there was indeed a woman involved. Again,” Benjamin raised a hand Tessa’s way, “our unwilling team member was correct about Essid’s motive for terror.”

  Sam narrowed her eyes at Tessa in contempt before swiveling her chair toward Benjamin Clark. With a slight straightening of her body, Ben’s focus temporarily left Tessa and fell on Dr. Samantha Cordova who met his eyes boldly, as if reminding him not to be so stupid as to forget her presence.

  ~ ~ ~

  Benjamin casually placed a pair of black glasses on his nose, adjusting his head slightly to bring things into focus. Frowning at Sam, he tore his eyes away to look back at the file.

  Sam irritated him on a regular basis, what with her sexy mind games she practiced on his people. The only one that appeared to be immune to her charms was Chase Hunter, and he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about him. Perhaps Chase felt confidence in knowing that he could have the beautiful Samantha Cordova whenever and however he chose. Ben noticed, on occasion, their eyes meeting with a kind of smoldering effect. Nothing beyond those glances indicated anything romantic might jeopardize the work at Enigma.

  Turning a couple of pages of information, Ben spoke so matter-of-factly that he could’ve been reading a stock market report. “Essid married a Chechen girl he’d met in Azerbaijan while he traveled throughout the region. He took her home to Libya where his wealthy and political family resided. In 1995 she returned to Chechnya to visit her family before the birth of their first child.”

  “Wasn’t that about the time the Russians came in with guns blazing?” asked Chase as he lifted his eyes from the information before him.

  “Correct. In February of 1995 the Russian forces eventually took the capital. Essid’s wife was raped by some drunken Russians days later. Both she and the unborn child died, along with her entire family. Essid possesses a deep hatred for the Russians. Anything he can do to cause Russia to forfeit their attempt at making themselves look like humanitarians…”

  Carter interjected with concern. “By Russia providing so much material to make isotopes for the medical community at large and the U.S.’s inability to provide the much needed protection would cause a great deal of friction between the two nations. The Russians could withhold the materials until another facility is built on foreign soil making another isotope shortage for several years. Thousands would be at risk.”

  Chase picked up a pencil and began rolling it between his fingers angrily. “Facilities that make medical and research isotopes don’t require the same kind of security as, say, military and utilities type plants. Homeland Security knows that these instillations are sitting ducks for terrorists groups.”

  Tessa felt sick to her stomach at the possibilities. “Why would terrorists want isotopes?”

  Carter took a deep breath and closed his folder. “Besides ruining the medical communities here and throughout the world’s chance to diagnose deadly cancers and heart disease, they would have access to weapons grade uranium.”

  “Dear God!” Tessa breathed incredulously.

  “The U.S. alone uses isotopes some 55,000 times a day for noninvasive scans.” Carter stood slowly and moved toward the coffee pot behind him. “Even if they never make a bomb, Essid can hold the world hostage by this.”

  Tessa frowned at her lack of comprehension. “I don’t understand.”

  Chase ran his calloused hand across his face. He rolled his shoulders to remove a kink as if he’d been sleeping the wrong way. “Essid tried to take out the reactor at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos where we’re able to produce medical iso
topes. Fifteen months ago there was a problem at the facility in Canada where a third of all isotopes are produced. They went off line until this past May. The shelf life of isotopes ranges from twenty-four hours to six months. It didn’t take long for there to be a six month waiting period for valuable isotopes in order to complete treatment of sick patients. Because they never came, in some instances, doctors were forced to do exploratory surgeries and just guess at possible solutions to treatment.”

  “I had no idea,” Tessa said despondently. “Why am I just now hearing about this? I’m a news junkie, I read all the news magazines and yet I knew none of this.”

  “Because, Betty Crocker,” Sam snipped, “people are more interested in how some drug induced celebrity is doing in rehab than the real life drama that is playing out every single day in this country. The news media downplays the characters that would harm us and the dedicated soldiers and civilians who are trying to make a difference.”

  Tessa met Sam’s hard stare head on. “I’m not one of those shallow people, Sam.”

  Sam rolled her eyes flippantly but kept further remarks to herself after noticing Chase glare at her angrily. Ben wondered once more what was it with him and this insignificant housewife? This keep the innocent civilian safe crap was beginning rub him the wrong way.

  “There’s another problem,” Sam said tearing her eyes away from Chase to look at her boss.

  “Sam?” Benjamin Clark arched one eyebrow in anticipation.

  “According to this intel,” Sam tapped her folder, “someone has been buying and stockpiling all the Molybedenum-99. It’s very possible that Essid’s primary goal is to corner this unusual market and be a powerhouse, the likes that OPEC has never seen.”

  Vernon let out a whistle. “Screw the Russians, the Americans and make a few bucks on the side. Gotta hand it to him, he’s one smart…” his eyes went to Tessa Scott before dropping one of his colorful nouns, “terrorist.”

  Benjamin nodded to Sam. “Thank you, Sam. As always your insight is refreshing.”

  Sam leaned back in her chair and smiled over at Tessa as if waiting for her contribution to the situation. “Any questions?” she said narrowing her large round eyes at Tessa in contempt.

  Meeting Sam’s eyes with bewilderment, Tessa didn’t dare ask anything. To ask might reveal t continue to show her ignorance of national security, terrorists, isotopes and the world of Enigma in general. They called this organization Enigma for a reason; no one was who they seemed, scenarios were riddled with mystery and complexity, and there always seemed to be more questions than answers.

  Ben peered over the top of his glasses when Tessa timidly spoke.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. Where are Mr. Crawley and Dr. Haskin’s boys? Have they been found?” Tessa was observant enough to take note of a sudden chill in the room. Something wasn’t right. “What’s wrong?”

  “Essid still has Dr. Crawley, Tessa. We are moving in on that even as we speak. As for Dr. Haskin’s boys, we’ve located them and have sent a team to Tahoe to extract them and will send them to the same safe house as their parents.” Ben’s forced smile was followed by his casual rise from his chair. “Now, Tessa, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d wait outside with Ms. Coleman while we go over a few items that doesn’t concern you.”

  “Of course,” Tessa said as she stood up, coffee cup in hand.

  ~ ~ ~

  Carter circled the table and refilled the cup. She thanked him, still in a little awe that here stood the famous astronaut she’d admired for so long. His charming personality, good looks and incredible brain power, appeared to make Tessa feel a little tongue tied. As hard as she fought the reaction, a warm blush began to spread across her neck and up her face. Carter took note and smiled wolfishly at her before opening the door for her retreat.

  “Didn’t know hot housewives lived in Grass Valley,” Carter chuckled as he poured the last of the coffee in Chase’s cup. “And where did she spend the night, oh honorable captain?”

  “With him,” Sam said tartly as she folded her arms across her chest.

  “Really?” Carter slapped Chase on the shoulder. “And how was that stuff?” Carter nudged Vernon as he returned to his own chair.

  The captain leveled a dangerous look at him. Frowning, Chase let his eyes cut to the entire group then addressed him sarcastically. “That ‘stuff’ as you call it, is married. You’d best remember that. Wouldn’t want another incident to tarnish that super hero reputation of yours.”

  Carter slapped his hand over his heart. “Oh, that hurt, Chase. Not my fault I’m popular with the ladies.”

  Zoric had remained quiet, carefully watching his friend Chase, from the time he’d sat down at the table until now when he appeared to be uneasy at the teasing. Normally, Chase ignored Carter’s jabs, but today Chase’s tone could be perceived as a feeling of guilt. “She stayed with you?” Zoric tried not to smile.

  Chase turned his head slightly to glance briefly at Zoric. “Yes. She stayed with me, everyone!” Hearing Ben clear his throat, Chase switched his focus to his boss who returned a disapproving glare. “I slept on the couch.”

  Everyone erupted into laughter except for Ben who rattled his papers a bit and nodded for everyone to settle down. “We have other business to attend. I thought it best if Tessa,” he seemed to catch himself, “I mean Mrs. Scott, not be privy to this next bit of information. After all she may still be of some use to us.” Ben glanced at Chase with controlled amusement. “If she knew everything I’m afraid she just might escape, go to the press, call the police or heaven forbid,” he smiled but for an instant, “injure the captain permanently this time.”

  Laughter again broke out at Chase’s expense. This time he smiled in spite of himself. You had to know when to lighten up. “I thought you were above this kind of harassment, Ben.”

  Ben raised his head and gazed down his nose at the entire group. Clearing his throat of a possible laugh, which no one had ever heard, Ben waved a hand, signaling an end to the joking. “I have my moments Chase. Now,” Ben reopened his folder, “unlike Mrs. Scott’s folder you have a few extra pages. It concerns Mr. Scott and the children. However impossible it sounds, the Haskin boys are indeed in the area where the Scotts are vacationing. They were spotted this morning hiking near the Ponderosa Ranch.”

  “So what are we waiting for?” Zoric said as he began cleaning his fingernails with a dangerous looking knife he’d pulled from his dark pants.

  “There’s an FBI team on the way. Helicopter experienced some problems and had to return to Sacramento twenty minutes ago.” Ben leaned back in his chair.

  “Didn’t you say we had someone in place to assist if necessary?” Zoric said returning his knife to his pocket.

  Ben took a second to survey his team calmly before speaking. “True. We’ve had the Scott family under surveillance since their arrival. It seemed prudent after the botched intrusion at the Scott house in Grass Valley. When the pieces started to fall into place it appeared our eyes on the ground needed to keep it close and personal.”

  Captain Chase Hunter stiffened with a gut feeling he was about to hear something to make his job harder. “Just who did you send, Ben? I assured Mrs. Scott her family was safe.”

  Ben reached into his folder and pulled out two pictures and shoved them out into the middle of the table. He hadn’t expected Sam to inhale so quickly or Chase to drop such a look of disdain on him.

  “Are you insane?” Sam questioned as she grabbed the picture, gave it a glance then passed it over to Zoric who motioned to have a look. “Honey Lynch is a psychotic killer and should never be around kids. For God’s sake, Ben, what were you thinking?” Sam stood and placed her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you’d use her. She can’t be trusted. How do we know she isn’t playing us? It wouldn’t be the first time.” She reached for the second picture. “Who’s he?”

  Captain Chase Hunter growled a response. “His name is Mansur. He’s Essid’s brother. G
od help us.”

  Chapter 17

  R obert Scott felt that terror grow in the pit of his stomach like a cancer eating him alive. His eyes narrowed as he shaded them against the morning sun all the while scanning the horizon for his sons. Gently he lowered Heather to the ground. He swallowed so hard one of the Missouri parents asked if there was something wrong.

  Although he tried to sound nonchalant, Robert’s heart beat rapidly as he explained that his boys had disappeared. Leaving Heather in the capable hands of the Missouri mom, several of the visitors volunteered to help him which he gladly accepted. Even the singing cowboy mounted his horse and joined in the search. Each chose a different area to begin and several were given walkie talkies the cook carried on his chuck wagon for emergencies. They all had cell phones and quickly took Robert’s number. The cook, Bill, said he’d ring the dinner bell for everyone to return if the boys were located or came wandering into camp.

  Robert quickly reached the tree line, pushing through until the forest opened up into another meadow. Stopping to catch his breath, he could hear the other visitors calling out the boys’ names in the distance. He now was living a nightmare that could very well destroy his life. In his heart he prayed so hard for his boys to be safe that he nearly missed seeing two small figures wave at him from some one hundred yards away. With his pounding heart in his throat, he could do nothing but wave back at his sons in large circular motions until he saw something black raise up behind them.

  “Dear, God! No!” he choked seeing the black bear sniff the air. Two small bears tried to stand with their mother. “Boys! Don’t move!”

  Robert pointed behind them and they turned to see the large bear nearby. Instinctively, the boys began to back away, holding to each other like a life line. Later, Robert thought he had heard Daniel cry out, but couldn’t be sure as the mother bear let out a growl that made his skin crawl. The boys panicked and began to run toward their father who screamed for them to stop. Sean Patrick tripped and fell, causing his little brother to fall over his sprawled body. The bear began running toward them, swinging her head and crunching sticks, and leaves beneath her feet.