9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  The fact that his favorite fuck was only four years older than his own child didn’t bother him. Young women loved power, and he would have a lot more in the coming days.

  His wife, Janet, came in his study and announced lunch was ready. Mother and daughter were going shopping this afternoon, and Ben decided he’d meet with Monique for a little slice of heaven.

  He chuckled as he thought about him and Monique fucking while the president of the United States and the president of Mexico were being mowed down. Made him hard as a fucking rock. And that little spitfire Monique knew how to handle a stiff dick.

  But things had gone wrong. The whole while he thought he was just fucking a ditzy broad who yearned to be first lady. According to Angel Diaz that was a lie. She was actually a fucking Al-Queda bitch. In all truthfulness, Ben didn’t think she had enough balls to pull that off. Surprising how some people can fool even a smart man.

  From reaching inside his desk drawer, he took out a coil of piano wire, wrapped it around his palm, and then shoved it in his pocket. After he screwed her senseless, he’d do his country a favor and kill the whore.

  He didn’t honestly know what excited him more, sex or murder.

  Adjusting his pants, he left his study and walked toward the kitchen. The doorbell rang, and he stopped to answer it. Hopefully it would be a courier from Scott Wheeler informing him that everything was right on schedule.

  He opened the door to three men dressed in green FBI jackets, their faces a mask of determination. “Can I help you?” Ben asked.

  “Assistant Director, Ben Reed, you are under arrest for an attempt to assassinate the President of the United States.”

  Before Ben could reply, they spun him around and clasped his hands in cuffs. With one man on each side, they stepped down the first step of his porch. His wife, Janet, ran out. “Ben, what’s going on?”

  His daughter joined in. “Daddy, what are these men doing?”

  “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” Ben offered quickly. “It’s just a mistake. I’ll be home for dinner.”

  The agent in front of him said, “Don’t count on it, Reed. My guess is you’re going away for a very long time.”

  “I don’t believe you. I insist you release me this minute. I’m the Assistant Director of the CIA.”

  “Not anymore, you’re not.”

  “But, you’re making a terrible mistake.”

  A hand was placed on top of Ben’s head to fold him into the car. The FBI agent buckled the seatbelt around his waist and said, “Monique Sutherland is in custody also.”

  Ben knew he was screwed, but not in the way he’d hoped.

  ***

  Jake shot past the vehicle, got twenty yards ahead of it, and pulled a 180-degree turn in front of the SUV. The driver instinctively slammed on the brakes. Brody hit the ground running, his automatic rifle leading the way. Through the lightly shaded windshield, he shot the man in the back seat with Kate. She immediately leaned away and ducked.

  With a gun pointed on each side of his head, the driver held up his hands.

  “Get out of the vehicle now,” Jake shouted.

  Brody unlocked the door, reached in, took Kate by the hand, and pulled her to safety.

  Blood splattered her clothes, but he had her now. He pulled her against his chest and inhaled her clean scent. He’d missed her more than imaginable. Knowing she was safely in his arms, snuggled against his body brought a sense of indescribable relief.

  Jake came up and tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go. The driver is tied up, and I called the locals.” Jake smiled at Kate before continuing, “Frank and Tony have Rafferty, and Wheeler contained.”

  Brody and Kate ran to the vehicle. Brody handed her a .32 Magnum. “A.J.’s signal says he’s close by,” Brody said. “You stay in the car. We’re getting A.J., and then Chavez is going down.”

  “Do we have confirmation A.J. is still alive?” Kate asked.

  Brody shook his head.

  Jake pulled over two doors down from the residence where they knew A.J. was being held. “From what I’m reading, A.J. may not be in the house,” Jake said. “What if he’s in the trunk of one of those three cars?”

  “Makes sense. Let’s get closer.”

  Approaching from the left side of the building, they were closest to the driveway where an SUV, a BMW, and a Cadillac sat parked. “My guess is he’s in the Cadillac,” Brody said. “In an SUV, A.J. could kick out a window, and who wants to mess up a Beemer?”

  “I agree,” Jake said. “When’s the last time you picked a trunk lock?”

  “It’s been awhile.” Brody turned to Jake and smiled. “But a master never loses his touch.”

  Reaching in his pocket for his lock picking tools, Brody pulled out a piece of wire. In three seconds the trunk popped. Brody and Jake exchanged grins.

  Slowly, Brody peeked inside the trunk and saw A.J. curled into a ball. Panic dashed through his heart, and he reached to find a pulse.

  A slow but steady thump, thump, thump pressed against his fingers. “He’s alive.”

  Together Brody and Jake pulled A.J. from the trunk and sat down behind the car. Brody slapped him several times, until A.J. mumbled something. “A.J., it’s me Brody. Wake up.”

  “About damn time,” A.J. mumbled. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot.

  “Let’s get you the hell out of here,” Jake said, taking A.J.’s right arm. With Brody on his left, they started toward the car. Kate stood outside and ran to help them.

  As they reached the car, two armed men ran toward them, bullets flying. Chavez’s men had caught them. Brody spun and returned fire, taking out the two shooters.

  As they tried to get A.J. to safety, three more men ran out of the house with Chavez.

  “Stop where you are or you are all dead,” Chavez shouted.

  Brody and Jake held their guns pointed toward Chavez and his advancing men. When they were within twenty feet, Brody and Jake opened fire. Chavez managed to duck behind the rear end of the SUV for cover. They continued to pellet the SUV, so Chavez wouldn’t have a chance to strike.

  Kate helped A.J. into the vehicle, shut the door and then joined Brody and Jake at keeping Chavez at bay.

  As they continued to shoot at the rear of the car, Chavez suddenly ducked around near the garage door. Brody swung his weapon, but Chavez got off two rounds.

  Both bullets struck Kate.

  Chapter 27

  Brody turned as Kate grabbed her chest. She glanced at him, and then slowly fell backwards. In slow motion, she crumpled to the ground. He roared as he reached for her. In the distance another bullet cut through the air.

  Brody slid to the ground as he grabbed Kate. Gently he raised her shoulders off the driveway and cradled her face. Jake called 911 and A.J. crawled out of the vehicle, sat beside him, and stroked Kate’s damp hair.

  “Brody,” A.J. said. “I don’t think she’s going to ...”

  “Shut up. Shut the fuck up. She’ll be alright.” Brody patted Kate’s cheek. “Come on, sweetheart. Wake up.” Tears clouded his vision as sorrow cut a gash across his heart.

  So much blood. It covered his lap, coursed down the concrete driveway and ran into the street. Kate’s face was white as a summer cloud. She looked small, fragile, and lifeless.

  He put his fingers to her carotid artery and felt around until he found a soft pulse. It was slow and erratic. But she was still alive.

  In the distance the sound of sirens screamed, and people cautiously trickled out of their homes to check the disturbance. Brody held up his hand and Kate’s blood dripped from his palm. He’d been hoping to stop the bleeding, but she had already lost too much.

  Within seconds, A.J. pulled him away as the paramedics crowded around Kate. A gurney appeared, IV lines were shoved into her veins, and an oxygen mask covered her face. Brody staggered to stand. “I want to go with her,” he shouted as they put her in the back of the ambulance.

  “No, Brody,” A.J. said, holding onto
his arm. “Let them do their jobs. You can’t do anything. Let’s meet them at the hospital.”

  Brody’s throat closed, and he nearly choked, before managing to drag in a shallow breath.

  Kate.

  All this damn violence had cost Kate dearly. Brody loved her, but he wasn’t a fool. She didn’t stand a chance in hell. How could he go on without her? How could he live with what he’d done?

  He turned to see Jake holding Chavez. From the looks of things, Jake had put a slug in the drug lord’s right shoulder, but other than that Chavez looked pretty good. He even had a smile on his face.

  Brody charged him. “You son of a bitch, I’m going to kill you.”

  It took all Jake and A.J. could do to stop Brody from killing Chavez with his bare hands. Brody broke loose from A.J.’s grip. “Put him in the car.”

  Jake nodded as he took in Brody’s silent message.

  “You cannot harm me,” Chavez said, nervously. “I have diplomatic immunity. I made sure of that before I ever stepped over the border. You can’t touch me.”

  Jake backed the car out of the driveway and away from watching eyes. Brody sat in the passenger side. A.J. sat in the back seat next to Chavez whose hands were cuffed behind his back with zip ties.

  They drove for ten minutes while Chavez ranted and screamed about their injustice to him.

  Jake pulled over in a secluded area and turned off the engine. A.J. stepped out of the vehicle while Jake grabbed Chavez and took him around to Brody’s side of the car.

  “Cut the ties on his hands,” Brody commanded.

  “Stop this,” Chavez screamed. “You cannot murder me in cold blood.”

  “You’ve killed thousands in cold blood. Why should I treat you any differently?”

  “You American’s don’t work this way.”

  “Bullshit.” Brody stepped closer. “You think I’m going to let you slip through diplomatic immunity to go back and terrorize the villagers again? To steal their children, rob them of common decency?” Brody slipped a bullet into the chamber. “Not a chance, Chavez.”

  Brody raised his pistol and shot Chavez between the eyes. Chavez flew backward and lay sprawled on the ground. A.J. kicked him over and said, “Good riddance, you scum.”

  They got back in the car and headed for the hospital Kate had been taken to. Jake called Frank and told him what had gone down so arrangements could be made for someone to dispose of the body.

  ***

  Frank, Vince, Brody and A.J. waited at the hospital. All were thankful A.J. only suffered from the effects of a tranquilizer. Mac, Tony, Doug, and Jake were cleaning up the mess at the hotel and making sure the reception between the two presidents went off perfectly.

  They had waited over three hours when Kate’s father entered the waiting room. “What’s her condition?” he asked, tossing his suit jacket in the chair next to Frank. “Have they said anything yet?”

  Vince stepped over and put his hand on Retired Admiral Carl Stone’s shoulder to comfort him. “She’s in surgery. That’s all we know.”

  “How bad is it, Vince?”

  The Director of the CIA lowered his head and scrubbed his hand down his face. “Not good.”

  Carl staggered until A.J. helped him to a nearby plastic chair. “I can’t believe it.” Carl’s voice cracked with emotion. “I never wanted her in this business. I wanted her married, safe at home producing grandchildren.” He lifted his head and let it rest against the wall behind him.

  “That’s not the career path she chose,” Vince said. “And she’s damn good at what she does.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute. She doesn’t know how to be less than the very best.”

  “Maybe that’s something she got from you, sir,” Brody said. “She’s your only child. My guess is she wanted you to be proud of her in some way.”

  “Proud, my God. I just wanted her to be my daughter. I didn’t want her to save the world.”

  Brody shrugged. “Do you think Kate knows that?”

  “If she makes it out of this, I swear she’ll never touch another gun.”

  Still covered in blood and half crazy, Brody fought to keep from busting into the operating room and demanding someone tell him what the hell was going on. However, he knew that wouldn’t be smart. Patience had never been his strong suit.

  In the lobby of the hospital, neither Frank nor Vince had said anything to him about disciplinary actions. But it was sure to come up. His career was over with Falcon, and the CIA could easily put him before a Judicial Council for kidnapping a federal agent.

  Brody felt numb to all that. He didn’t care. If Kate walked out of this hospital, the rest of this shit didn’t mean anything.

  Just as he stood to stretch his back, the doctor walked through the double doors. As he swiped off his surgical cap he stopped and stared at those waiting.

  By his sober expression it didn’t look good.

  “She’s out of surgery,” he began. “But she’s not out of danger.”

  “Can I see her,” Carl asked, eagerly approaching the doctor. “I’m her father.”

  “No, not until she’s stable. It’s too risky right now. They’re taking her to ICU on the third floor. There’s a waiting room there. You can see her through a glass partition. Only one person at a time. Hospital policy.”

  Carl reached out his hand to the doctor. “Thank you very much. I’m sure you did everything you could.”

  “She took two bullets. One to the left lung, the other directly to the heart. So she’s far from out of the woods yet, gentlemen. If you’re people of faith, now is the time to start praying.”

  Brody hadn’t stopped since the first bullet had pieced her flesh.

  ***

  Nine hours later, Brody had the chance to see Kate. Even through the glass, he felt her energy calling to him. He longed to cradle her in his arms, to brush her hair and rock her softly so she’d sleep better.

  Tears of sadness coursed down his face and he leaned his forehead against the hard, cold glass. She was so close and yet far, far away. He wanted her. He needed her. His heart cried out for her touch.

  He wouldn’t get the chance. Her father had said that after the five minute visitation limit everyone had to leave. She was his daughter, and he controlled what happened from here on out.

  Brody had vehemently complained, but her father’s angry words had targeted him the strongest. He accused them all of being violent men and responsible for Kate’s injuries, perhaps her death. Carl Stone’s words shredded Brody’s insides. Kate’s dad didn’t know Brody was the real reason she lay in the hospital with a very fragile hold on life.

  Chavez’s bullets had done a brutal job on Kate’s small body, and there was no one to blame but him. Had he left her alone, she’d be home safe and sound, instead of barely clinging to life.

  The nurse touched his arm. “I’m sorry, sir. Your time is up.”

  Brody pressed against the glass in an effort to imprint her face forever in his memory. He’d never forget what she looked like as long as he lived. Brody walked to the waiting room where Carl stood in the corner alone. Of medium height and weight, the admiral still looked like a formidable guy. What he said, he meant.

  Brody wanted to go to him and drop to his knees and beg to stay. To wait and see if Kate was going to be okay, to have a chance to tell her how much he loved her. But the stubborn mask on Stone’s face told Brody that would be a waste of time.

  Frank put his hand on Brody’s shoulder, and they all stepped into the elevator, leaving Kate alone to fight for her life.

  “I bribed the nurse,” Frank said, gruffly. “I gave her a thousand dollars to call with updates.”

  Vince raised his head. “Which nurse? The cute black one?”

  Frank and Vince exchanged surprised glances. “I gave her fourteen hundred dollars to keep me updated,” Vince said.

  A.J. snorted. “Well, at least we’ll know what’s going on.” A.J. rubbed his arm and said, “Am I the onl
y one who thinks Carl Stone is a dickhead.”

  A unanimous no filled the elevator.

  They reached the hospital lobby and Vince spoke first. “I don’t intend to file charges against you, Brody. I don’t like your methods, but you saved a lot of lives.”

  “Maybe,” Brody said, looking at the elevator door. “Kate may not make it.”

  “Let’s all hope and pray she does. We’ll all keep in touch so we can share information.”

  Vince left, and Brody watched him step through the revolving door to the outside. “Brody,” Frank said. “Of all my agents you’re the least patient, the most hair-brained and the most unpredictable.”

  Brody lowered his head. Firing time. “I know, and I understand.”

  “You understand what?” Frank asked. His normal scowl deepened.

  “I don’t blame you for firing me.”

  “I’m not going to fire you. I know Kate is seriously injured, and she might not make it. But A.J. is alive. The presidents of both the US and Mexico are alive, and a lot of dirty people were taken down.”

  “All I know is Kate...”

  “I know that’s where your heart is. But let’s wait and see. You have to believe she’ll make it. Take one step at a time, Brody.”

  Chapter 28

  Three Months Later

  Kate sat at her nice but boring desk job and sorted papers. She was close to exploding. She’d been out of the hospital over two months and heard nothing from Brody.

  Her father had taken on the persona of a mother hen and insisted she move back home with him until she was better. She’d been cleared for work a month ago, but sitting at the office wasn’t her idea of real work.

  When she woke up at the hospital, she’d expected Brody to be there waiting, but he wasn’t. Only her father greeted her. The disappointment had stunned her. All this time she thought she and Brody had something special.

  Apparently not.

  She’d tried calling him, but he wasn’t taking her calls. So, after numerous attempts she gave up and decided to immerse herself in her work.

  That didn’t help because a desk job bored her to death. She’d just met with her supervisor and insisted he either put her back on assignment, or she’d quit. He finally agreed to return her weapon and badge.