“Screw you, Agent Courtney,” she snapped back, standing in order to pace away her irritation.
“Is that an offer? Because I’d gladly take you up on it,” he replied smoothly. “Only can we do it later? Here and now is not exactly the time and place for getting naked.”
She turned her most withering expression in his direction. John held her gaze, which was something of a surprise as men usually wilted under this particular stare. But he did swallow a time or two, so she considered that a victory.
“Look, you know as well as I do that the general is a very busy man,” John went on. “Our popping in on him unannounced and without an appointment isn’t likely to win us any favors.”
“Well if my being here was so damn important, then he can rearrange his schedule in order to see us whether we’ve got an appointment or not,” Billie retorted. “You know, I was perfectly happy with my life before he threw you into it. I can easily go back to it and he can deal with this mess on his own.”
John stood then and stepped up to her, close enough that any other woman would have taken a step back to regain some of her personal space. But Billie stood her ground, meeting his gaze with her chin held high.
“Perfectly happy, were you?” he queried softly. “Were you seeing or speaking to your family—your father? The brothers you have by blood or the ones you claim by choice? Did you have a man to share your bed at night, to hold you close as you slept or to set your soul on fire as he fucked you into mindless oblivion? Because from what I saw, all you had was a two-bit Russian gangster for a friend and paranoia that ran so rampant you dug an escape tunnel under your bar.”
White-hot fury blazed through her veins, and of all the times she’d wanted to hurt the man standing in front of her, none compared to how much she really wished she could beat the living daylights out of him for what he’d just said…
…because it sure as hell would be a lot easier than admitting he was right.
She was saved from having to respond with words or with fists when they were approached by a young Marine with close-cropped hair and a ready smile. “Agent Courtney, Miss Ryan? If you will come with me, I will be showing you to the brigadier’s office now.”
John nodded and turned to follow. Billie took a deep, steadying breath and joined them.
“Thank you, Private Malone, that will be all—unless either of you would care for coffee, tea, or water?”
Billie shook her head at Brigadier General Sterling Wainright, who looked to John next. When he got the same response, he nodded at the private who’d shown them to his office, who then promptly did a sharp about-face and left.
“Please, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable,” Wainright said, indicating the comfortable-looking upholstered chairs across from him. “I cannot thank you enough, Captain Ryan, for agreeing to come back to assist me.”
Billie raised her eyebrow. “Begging the general’s pardon,” she began as she sat gracefully in the chair on his right, “but I’ve not been a captain in a good five years. And I’m not here to assist you. I’m here to locate my missing teammates and get them the medical attention they require. I’m also here to ensure that Maj. Lamacek receives the hero’s burial he is due, and that his family is paid the benefits he earned over the span of his career.”
Wainright settled into his wingback desk chair. “You earned your officer’s bars, yet you do not wish to be addressed by your Marine Corps rank. Why is that?”
“I should think it quite obvious,” she replied. “As I am no longer an active duty officer, what right have I to claim it?”
“You would prefer Agent Ryan, in reference to your tenure with the CIA?”
She felt John’s eyes on her, but refused to meet them. Instead, she kept her own focused on the man across from her. “I think Miss Ryan will suffice.”
For a moment, Wainright merely held her gaze, and then he nodded. “Very well. Now, you say the men from your unit require medical attention. How do you know that?”
“I merely make a logical conclusion based on the few facts I have at hand, General,” Billie replied. “My men were—foolishly, I might add—under the influence of a potentially narcotic substance at the time of their disappearance. It affected their physical condition and quite possibly their psychological condition as well. As such, this so-called ‘serum’ is likely what caused the unfortunate incident for which Maj. Lamacek now rests in the morgue at Bolling.”
“How did you know he was at Bolling?” the general pressed.
Billie felt the first twitch of her temper, and took a moment to study the man before her while she reined it in. From what she could see of him, he was probably not much taller than her father, who stood six feet. His hair was mostly gray with some signs of the black it once had been, and like most generals his age—at least in her experience—he’d become so comfortable with manipulating war from behind his desk that he’d started to thicken around his middle.
His eyes, however, were bright and sharp, and engaged in studying her as she was him. Billie felt confident in believing that Wainright was either baiting her or testing her, but knowing that the first was foolhardy and the second unnecessary served to grate on her nerves.
Having become a master at maintaining an outward appearance of calm, she merely lifted and eyebrow, saying in a neutral tone of voice, “You are based here at the Pentagon. Bolling Air Force Base is the closest facility of its kind at which such a clandestine study might be conducted—you certainly aren’t going to be doing it in E-Ring. Now, if your time is as precious as Agent Courtney here has previously indicated and you are as anxious for the safe return of my teammates as he has led me to believe, then I suggest you refrain from further thinly veiled insults to my intelligence and let’s get down to it. Shall we?”
After a brief moment of silence, Wainright laughed. “Your dossier was definitely on the mark, Miss Ryan. You are a tough one. Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, right? Very well then… Yes, I want Lt. Col. Scofield and Majors Lincoln and Peck located and returned, safe and unharmed—and preferably before the worst happens and innocent lives are put at risk.”
“Do I take it then that you believe the serum you were testing on the unit to be at fault for Maj. Lamacek’s breakdown?” Billie asked. “Did you continue the testing on my men even after Eddie’s death?”
“Your men?” Wainright asked.
“Yes,” she replied matter-of-factly.
The general didn’t press her to elaborate, though in her mind she responded as if he had. She hadn’t been the unit commander—that was always Wayne’s job—but she had been on the team for five years. She’d shed sweat, blood, and tears with each one of them, and maybe it was some ridiculous latent motherly instinct, but he, Gabe, Darren, and Eddie were hers as much as if she had been. They were bachelors, and they’d needed looking after. She often reminded them of important events, to keep their apartments clean, keep the dishes done, the laundry… She’d been a regular mother hen to those guys, and while some of her female Marine friends would have balked at it, she’d loved every minute of it because it was no different than how she was with her brothers.
Wainright sighed. “I did, in fact, initially try keep the experiment going. But that was because I couldn’t be sure the serum was the cause of Maj. Lamacek’s breakdown. Further testing would’ve told us for sure.”
Billie tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. “I can see where that might make sense to you, General, but I have to say that it was fucking stupid. You were playing with three mens’ lives unnecessarily. I knew Eddie Lamacek. The other men in the unit knew him. I’ve no doubt that they told you his behavior immediately prior to the breakdown, as you call it, was uncharacteristic in comparison to his behavior prior to going into this program of yours. Insisting that they continue in light of what happened not only put their lives at risk, but also the lives of everyone in that facility and also the public at large.”
Wainright s
coffed. “Don’t you think that’s being just a tad overly dramatic?”
“If it were, General, I wouldn’t be sitting here, now would I?”
He pursed his lips, then said, “You have me there. And as I am sure you’ve assumed by now, I requested your former comrades in the CIA locate you because I recognize that you are probably the only person who knows these men as well as or better than they know themselves. Your unit was among the very best in recon—it’s why I wanted them for the program to begin with. Unfortunately, the very reason I wanted to utilize them is the very damn reason I can’t find them. As such, Miss Ryan, you are the one person most qualified to help us locate these men and bring them back to a secure location, where they can be treated if necessary.”
Billie contemplated that for a moment, then asked a question that had been burning in the back of her mind since her encounter with Gabe last night. “What is so special about this serum, General?”
“IQ-56 is a specialized peptide compound developed by Dr. Robert Hernandez, one of our leading biochemists,” Wainright began. “It’s a highly sophisticated amino acid chain that Dr. Hernandez found increased the overall physical makeup of lab animals. All their senses were heightened, they got stronger, faster… And then he realized it also made them smarter. They learned at an exponential rate compared to the norm for each species. Hernandez called it IQ-56 after the projected minimal increase of a person’s intelligence quotient, which was fifty-six points.”
“When did the serum get approved for human testing trials?” she asked.
“I believe it was just a few weeks before we began them at Bolling. It was decided that soldiers made the best candidates for initial testing so that potential military applications could be determined.”
Billie only just refrained from snorting out loud. “You mean the potential for super soldiers,” she retorted. “Knowing how to kill the enemy with weapons and brute strength isn’t enough anymore—we have to be able to kill them with our brains, too.”
“Mock it if you will, Miss Ryan, but you know as well as I do that outsmarting the other side is what keeps us one step ahead of them,” the general insisted. “Being that much smarter than they are could help us get two, even three steps ahead.”
“Yeah, and then we’ll be predicting the future next. Am I right?”
“Billie,” John admonished her quietly, speaking up for the first time since they’d entered the room.
She ignored him. “So now I know why you wanted my team. You wanted to make the best better. I get that. Now I want to know what you plan to do to make it up to Eddie.”
“I don’t think I’m following you, Miss Ryan,” Wainright told her.
“Sure you are,” she countered. “You used him for your experiment. That experiment failed. As Maj. Lamacek himself can no longer be compensated for his trouble, what compensation he would have earned should be paid to his family, as should his earned benefits—in full. And he should be given a proper burial with full military honors.”
“Miss Ryan, I am sure Agent Courtney has made you aware of the fact that in the process of his breakdown, the Major ended two lives?” asked Wainright with one eyebrow raised. “Murderers don’t get full honors. They don’t get any honors at all.”
“Oh, I’m aware. I’m also aware that Maj. Lamacek was an active duty Marine performing a service to his country at the time of those deaths and his own,” Billie said firmly, her temper snapping again. “As tragic as it was that he took those lives, they are—as bureaucrats like yourself often say—casualties of war. Unfortunately, the war was only in Eddie’s mind.”
Wainright had frowned at her reference to his being a bureaucrat, and John had fidgeted in his seat. Billie didn’t give a damn if the general was pissed or the spy was uncomfortable. Wainright’s attempts to smear Eddie’s name only proved her point—he was looking for someone else to blame for his failure, and who better than the first victim?
“Miss Ryan, you cannot be certain that IQ-56 is to blame for Maj. Lamacek’s breakdown,” her host said with a sigh.
“Actually, I can,” Billie retorted. “Even you have recognized that I know these men as well as or better than they know themselves—that includes Eddie Lamacek. Three other people, none of whom is you, can also claim that same certainty in regard to Maj. Lamacek.”
“Those three men were traumatized by the circumstances of their friend’s death,” Wainright claimed. “Their opinions cannot be considered objective.”
“Neither can mine, if you’re going to look at it that way, but I’m still the person you called for help,” she snapped back, her control reaching the end of its short leash. “And if you want that help, General, you’ll pay Eddie’s benefits to his family and ensure he receives a full honors burial. Or I walk, and you take your chances with three potential madmen on the loose, trained to kill by the government you serve.”
A full-on scowl appeared on Wainright’s face. “Young lady, I could make sure you don’t leave this building,” he said darkly.
Billie laughed mirthlessly. “Now that would be counterproductive. I can’t very well go out and clean up your mess if I’m being detained, now can I? Wouldn’t be very much in the best interest of the public safety you claim to be so concerned about.”
This time John turned to her, leaning over to say, “Billie, I really don’t think insulting the general and issuing ultimatums is in anyone’s best interest.”
Her eyes were on Wainright’s rigid façade as she said, “The general should have thought of that before he insulted a man who’s done the government’s dirty work and asked for nothing in return but to be recognized for his service when his duty was done.”
“Just how did I insult Maj. Lamacek, Miss Ryan?” Wainright asked.
“You called him a murderer. He’s not. While the last two lives taken are regrettable for the circumstances, not one death at Eddie’s hands was carried out with malice aforethought,” Billie replied. “Not even on the battlefield.”
Wainright’s features relaxed and he sighed a second time. “I think you’ve made your point, Miss Ryan. I will see to it that Maj. Lamacek receives his due. But I’ll need you to deliver on your end first. Your team will have to return to Bolling for treatment before I make one phone call on Eddie’s behalf.”
Billie nodded and stood. “Agreed.”
She turned and stepped around her chair and headed for the door, taking the knob in hand before John had even gotten out of his seat. Looking over her shoulder she said, “Let’s go, Mr. Manners. We’re already losing daylight.”
John shook his head as he stood. After bidding General Wainright goodbye, he fell into step behind her as she walked out of the office. Private Malone immediately jumped up from his seat on a sofa and approached them. “Miss Ryan, allow me to escort you and Mr. Courtney to the lobby.”
“Don’t you have to do that anyway?” John asked before she could reply.
Malone’s eyes flicked in his direction, then he cracked a smile. “Technically speaking, yes I do.”
Billie elbowed John in the ribs. “Give the kid a break, he’s being polite. Let cynicism settle in on its own sweet time, Agent Courtney. Lead on, Private.”
Nodding, Malone nodded and turned around, leading them past Wainright’s secretary and out into the corridor.
John leaned close, saying under his breath, “You’re one to talk about cynicism, Billie.”
She snorted. “I earned my cynicism, thank you very much. Jackass morons like General Wainright are among the reasons I have a hate-on for the world in general. Why do you think I ran off to the Caribbean and made a new life for myself?”
“I think you ran away to escape the pain of losing someone you loved.”
Hating how right he was—again—Billie ignored the comment. They fell into silence as they made their way through the building to the lobby. As they were passing the last office, a woman in a Marine uniform stepped out of it, stopping at the sight of them.
; “Captain Ryan?” she queried.
Billie stopped and turned to her. The 1st Lieutenant was not much younger than she was, probably not far off from a promotion to Captain herself. There was something familiar about her that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and that was unnerving.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Have we met?”
The lieutenant shifted the folders in her arms nervously. “Um, only once, I think. Not long before you left the Corps. You served with my brother, Eddie Lamacek.”
Holy shitballs! Billie thought, her eyes widening. She glanced down at the girl’s nametag and frowned. It said Stevens.
“You’re Eddie’s sister?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes, ma’am—his half-sister, actually. I’m Rebecca. Eddie and I have the same mom. She married my dad when Eddie was nine, and they moved out to California, where I was born.”
Billie felt herself nodding. “I remember now. Eddie talked about having a kid sister, and how he wished he could see you more often but it was difficult due to distance and frequent deployments. And he introduced us at my going-away party at Wayne’s. He was proud of you for joining the Marines like he did.”
Rebecca grinned. “And exceedingly pleased I didn’t join the Navy or the Army. I’m not really sailor or soldier material, anyway. Office work seems to be my specialty.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Billie said. “We need people on the inside to keep things organized.”
“At least to try, Captain,” the younger woman said with a laugh. “Say, have you heard from Eddie recently? Last I knew he was in North Carolina awaiting another deployment, but that was a little more than a month ago.”
Feeling her blood run both hot and cold at the same time—rage and sorrow each fighting for control of her—Billie could only shake her head. “Sorry, I haven’t,” she said, surprised at the evenness of her voice. She felt the warmth of John’s body as he stepped closer to her, and for the first time she felt grateful for his presence. It was a reminder that she couldn’t just lose her head, especially in front of this poor kid who hadn’t a fucking clue as to what was going on.
Two Evils Page 10
