Survive The Fall (Dark Eagle Book 1)

by Julia Bright

  With his buddy on the ranch, the place seemed even more like his home. Jackson was brash and vulgar, but he didn't disrespect Kelsey. Since Kelsey had purchased the land next to her property, they went over to look at the place.

  “There's a hell of a lot to clean up here,” Jackson said.

  “Yeah. I think I need to rent a dumpster and toss everything I can. It looks like Mitch worked on it but stopped once I bought the place.”

  “Fucking bastard,” Adam said.

  “I take it you don't like this Mitch character?” Jackson asked.

  “I think he's bad news. He's been lurking. Kelsey had someone on her property walking around when I was away on business. I think it was him.”

  “He's being overprotective. Whoever it was hasn't come back,” Kelsey said.

  Anger rose, but Adam pushed it down. “You know, if that guy shows up, here again, I'm going to run him off.”

  Kelsey lifted her brows and shook her head. “He's an idiot and not worth your effort.”

  Adam squared his shoulders, anger high. “The guy could have hurt you.”

  “He didn't. I think he was maybe a little jealous of you. Like I'd give him a chance. Please. I'd rather be single than with a jerk like him.” Kelsey laughed and turned away, heading to the area that used to be the barn. She had to pick her way over trees and broken pieces of the housetrees.

  Adam turned to look at Jackson who only gave a short nod which he took to mean Jackson would stand behind him on running the guy off. After another hour of assessing, they headed back to the main house. Christmas Eve was the next day, and they'd chopped down a tree to decorate. Kelsey was getting excited, but Jackson looked a little off.

  Before they pulled up at the house, he noticed a car sitting in the yard. At first, he wondered if it was Jackson's dad, then real fear took over. It was the FBI dude, Agent Hardy.

  “Fuck,” Kelsey said.

  Jackson's eyes bugged out. He sat forward, his expression blank. “Is that Mitch?”

  “No, worse. He's an FBI agent,” Kelsey said.

  “Why is a suit out here?” Jackson asked.

  “He's a dick,” Adam said.

  He stopped the car, wishing they were anywhere but here. If Agent dickhead wanted to arrest them, he had shitty timing. The day before Christmas Eve, what was up with that. Didn't the man take a holiday?

  Kelsey got out, and he opened the door, moving fast. Jackson was right behind him and moved to stand on the other side of Kelsey.

  “Ms. Brantley, Mr. Whitney, and you are?” Hardy lifted his brows as he stared at Jackson.

  “I'm Jackson. I served with Whitney in the Army.”

  “So do you know why Mr. Whitney took Ms. Brantley to Algeria via Spain?”

  Adam wanted to deck this little pipsqueak. The fucker wouldn't leave well enough alone.

  “Sure do,” Jackson said. “Sometimes you gotta get an earworm out before it drives you crazy. Were you ever in the military? I'm sorry I didn't catch your name.” Jackson moved fast and threw his arm over Hardy's shoulder, leading him into the house.

  “I'm Agent Hardy. And no, I've never been in the military. I went to college and then joined the Bureau.”

  “Well, let me tell you,” Jackson said. “When you've been pinned in, bombs going off all around you, you remember a place. Now then, no bombs went off in Spain, but I gotta tell you when we were in Algeria—”

  “The US hasn't participated in any military action in Algeria recently,” Hardy interrupted.

  “Ah, that's where you're wrong. Deep in the southern part of Algeria, close to the Nigerian border, we saw heavy firefight. Adam couldn’t take Kelsey there, but he needed to see the land, feel it again to overcome the pain. You know, the pain of war causes a lot of problems. I'm not sure if you FBI types get PTSD, that's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if you didn't know. Happens a lot in the military. Kelsey here has been helping Adam get over some of his PTSD.”

  “How is she helping him get over PTSD,” Agent Hardy asked.

  “Well, I gotta tell you, having your dick sucked helps,” Jackson said with a straight face.

  He was amazed Kelsey only missed a step at Jackson's words. Adam almost lost it, and Agent Hardy was having a hard time maintaining his composure.

  “Now then, Agent Hardy, I'm not opposed to having mine sucked by a guy, I mean I haven't ever, but hey I'm open.”

  Agent Hardy moved away fast, his cheeks red. “I'm not...what are you getting at.”

  “Well, why else are you here? It's the day before Christmas Eve. You aren't with your family, so I guess you don't have one.”

  “You're an ass,” Hardy spit out.

  “That's what my dad tells me. Colonel Jackson at the Pentagon. I'm guessing you've met him. He's a real son of a bitch.”

  Adam noticed how Hardy's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. “I'm not sure if I've met Colonel Jackson.”

  “Well, if you think I'm an ass, he'll light you on fire. Trust me, you don't want to get into it with him. How about a drink?”

  Adam watched as Jackson grabbed two glasses and the scotch. He poured a little for himself and some for Hardy and put it in his hand.

  “Cheers,” Jackson said.

  Hardy waited a second then took a swig. Jackson lifted the glass to his mouth but didn't drink. Relief filled Adam as he moved to the cabinet where the glasses were stored and poured himself a little scotch. He watched as Kelsey grabbed tea from the refrigerator.

  “So Hardy, tell me about your family, are they as much fun as mine?” Jackson asked.

  Adam wasn't sure where Jackson was going with this, and it looked like he'd almost lost Hardy with that question, but the guy's lips curled up and his nose twisted in a sneer.

  “The FBI isn't good enough for dear ol' dad,” Hardy said before he took another sip.

  Adam was about to open his mouth to say something when Hardy blinked and then narrowed his eyes. He spun and stared at Kelsey who lifted her glass and smiled.

  “This is wrong.” Hardy set down his half-drunk glass and took a step away. “I can't be drinking.”

  He turned to leave, but Kelsey intercepted him. She hooked her arm with his and shook her head.

  “Agent Hardy, you've had too much to drink. Why don't you eat with us, give yourself time for the alcohol to leave your system? I bet you haven't had dinner? I made chili and cornbread muffins. It'll be delicious. Also, if you stay, you'll have time to see that your investigation is pointless.”

  “It is,” Jackson said. “Have you looked into why the Army discharged Adam?”

  Hardy whipped his head around to stare first at Jackson then at Adam. His lips twisted up in a wry smile before he drank down the last of his scotch and placed the glass on the table.

  “Why?” Hardy asked in a whisper.

  “After I saw Jenkins blown to bits, his body scattered, I couldn't go into battle. We were in the middle of a firefight, and I froze. Damn near got men killed. I went to my CO and told him. That was it. I was sent home, put behind a desk then given an honorable discharge.”

  Jackson came over and wrapped his arm around Adam's shoulder, giving him a tight hug. “You see, Agent Hardy, what we have is a man suffering from PTSD. Couldn't kill another—”

  Adam's whole body shook, and Jackson hugged him tighter. He met Kelsey's gaze, and she gave him a watery smile before she stretched out her hand and went to him. With Kelsey hugging him on one side, Jackson with his arm around the other, he felt whole again. It was funny how war took pieces, scraping away at your insides so you're hollowed out, just a shell. That's how he'd felt when Kelsey had approached him at that bar. Now, with her love, the empty parts were less. Maybe he was as close to whole as he'd ever be.

  “Adam couldn't even pull the trigger when his life depended on it. If you think he went over to some foreign country to do whatever you think he did, have you looked into his medical history and seen if he is psychologically capable? He's hiding out here in Wyoming where
there are more cows than people for a reason.”

  Hardy stood still, his eyes narrowed before he glanced away and shook his head. “My boss keeps pushing me. That's the only reason I'm out here tonight, that and I don't really want to spend that much time with my family.”

  “Hey, we understand that,” Jackson said.

  Relief filled Adam, and he chanced a glance at Kelsey when Jackson moved to stand beside Hardy, blocking his view. She squeezed him a little tighter.

  Maybe they weren't out of the woods yet, but they'd scored a victory. Agent Hardy would go back to work and tell his boss Adam hadn't killed Zaeim, thanks to a little acting on Jackson's part. And if Hardy dug, he'd find the truth, that Adam had been discharged because of PTSD and his inability to perform in combat.

  His heart squeezed as his mind churned over his failings. He'd fucked up when his guys had needed him. Thank God no one had been shot.

  Kelsey lifted on her toes and gave him a peck on his cheek. “You're my hero,” she whispered in his ear.

  The gaping wound caused by his past where his soul leaked out closed a little. When it had counted, he'd done what was necessary to rid the world of Zaeim and take care of Kelsey.

  “Hey, you two lovebirds, want to eat?” Jackson called out.

  He gave Kelsey another gentle kiss then chuckled as he stepped back. “Watch it, Jackson. Just wait until you find someone.”

  “Ha, no one wants my mangy ass.” Jackson laughed, but Adam saw the hurt behind his bravado.

  Dinner with Agent Hardy was weird. The man talked a little about his life in the Bureau but zipped his lips closed when Kelsey asked about how cases worked.

  After they finished eating, Hardy took off. Jackson followed him down to the gate to lock up. Adam had said he would, but Jackson insisted on it. Since he stayed behind, he checked the house for bugs, making sure Hardy didn't leave anything behind again.

  When his buddy got back, Kelsey was in the bedroom. Jackson held his gaze for a long moment. Adam didn't doubt he knew the truth, but Kelsey came in with a huge box in her arms, interrupting them.

  “Who's ready to decorate the tree?” Kelsey called out.

  Jackson's smile stretched wide. “I sure am. Especially if you got hot cocoa coming up.”

  “I can make some hot cocoa.” Kelsey winked as she left the room.

  Jackson came close, his head down before he lifted his gaze, pinning Adam with a serious look.

  “The bastard deserved to die.” Jackson stuck out his hand like he wanted to shake.

  Adam looked from Jackson's hand to his gaze. When their hands clasped together, a pulse of relief went through him. Jackson's words echoed in his mind. He'd wanted to shake the man's hand who had killed Zaeim, and that's what this shake was about.

  Kelsey came back in, unaware of the silent communication passing between him and Jackson. His buddy had saved them. He must have known the minute Hardy started asking questions but decided to tell a story full of half-truths. He hadn't been able to fire a gun, but he could kill. No question, he could easily kill when the situation demanded.

  23

  The new year had arrived bringing snow. It had been a while since Kelsey had seen this much powder on the ground. She worried about the cattle, but the land gave a natural block, and there were areas without any snow so the animals could graze.

  Jackson had adjusted to working on the ranch. He and Adam were talking about rebuilding the house on the other property. There were issues, like where to place the house. Certainly not on the hill, but they weren't sure of the best location.

  While they were out, she was searching the old chat rooms she used to visit when she stumbled across a site with children for sale. She couldn't believe what she saw. The door was open, and she didn't hear Jackson stepped in. The sight of his reflection in the computer startled her, and she jumped.

  “So this is how you did it?”

  She glanced up, shock filling her. “Did what?”

  “I knew you all had to have some sort of computer network, something other than just a laptop to figure out where the bastard had been.” Jackson moved his gaze to her computer screen just as Adam stepped in. “What's that?” Jackson's question threw her, and she turned back to the screen.

  “I was looking at our normal sites when I found this. She's been put up for sale.” Kelsey stared in horror at the photo. The girl looked terrified. “I'd done a Google search on her photo. I think she's this girl, but I don't know for sure.”

  Adam sat down beside her and started up one of the other computers. Jackson grabbed a chair from the kitchen and sat on her other side. They worked for over an hour searching for the location where this young girl was being kept.

  “I think she's outside Denver,” Adam said.

  “We should go rescue her,” Jackson said.

  Kelsey shook her head. “We can't take a girl.”

  “We can't let her stay there,” Jackson demanded.

  “What do you suggest we do?” Adam asked.

  Kelsey buried her head in her hands as stress filled her. She wanted to help that girl, but she wasn't sure how.

  “Are you sure this is the person who has her? This guy in Fort Carson, you're sure he's the one?”

  “Yes,” Adam said. “Look through my notes. See, this is where the guy is. I've searched and searched, and this is who it has to be.”

  “How did you two learn how to do this hacking stuff?” Jackson asked.

  “My background is in computers,” Kelsey said as she back traced everything Adam had done.

  “And I guess I'm just a natural,” Adam said.

  “So what do we do?” Jackson asked.

  “We gas up here in Cheyenne, take all the food we need, leave no trace, and go knock these assholes out then call the police,” Kelsey said.

  “How do we not leave a trace?” Jackson asked.

  “Cell phone, we need to stop by Walmart and buy burner phones,” Adam said.

  “There's a junkyard not too far on the other side of town. You two go find a license plate, and we'll tape it to our truck,” Kelsey said.

  Jackson shook his head. “This shit is serious.”

  “Yeah, we learned that from Agent Hardy,” Adam said.

  “Fucker.” Jackson left the room then came back in with gloves. “Do you think these gloves would be good?”

  Kelsey turned around and shook her head. “We should buy neoprene gloves at Walmart. No fibers. We want this to be clean.”

  They took the better part of the night to plan the raid. They slept late the next day then headed into town to buy supplies, none of them talking much as they waited for darkness. There was no guilt inside her as they drove south to Fort Carson.

  They hid their features with low ball caps and then once they were in the neighborhood where the jerks holding the kids lived, they covered up with ski masks which weren't out of place given it was only ten degrees outside.

  She had parked two streets over, and Adam and Jackson were going in. She wanted to be part of the raid, but she wasn't trained in combat, and they needed someone to drive. As Adam and Jackson snuck away, relief washed over her. She'd found a man who wasn't afraid to stand for what was right even if it meant danger. She didn’t want to get in trouble for doing this, but she couldn’t allow this child to keep suffering.

  24

  Jackson followed him to the house. His heart beat so hard he thought his ribs would crack. They were breaking and entering on US soil. This wasn't some military mission, this was the United States, and if they were caught, they'd face harsh consequences.

  It only took Jackson a few seconds to pick the lock. Once in the house, they moved silently like they'd learned in the Rangers. The house was quiet, and he wondered for a moment if this was the right place when they came to a room with the door only partially closed. He saw a guy on the computer, the photos displayed making him want to puke.

  Adam moved fast, jerking the guy out of his chair and tossing him to the gr
ound before he made a noise. With this guy knocked out, he zip-stripped him. He almost turned off the computer, but he wanted the cops to know what the man had been looking at.

  Jackson gave him a nod, and they went in search of the other asshole who lived here. They tried one door but found it locked. He moved deeper down the hall when the door at the end opened, light spilling out into the hallway.

  “Hey Dewy, we gotta get another—”

  The man looked up, his eyes wide. A yelp escaped, but that was all the noise the person made before Jackson one punched him, knocking him to the ground.

  “That hurt, glad we have these cool gloves though,” Jackson said as he rubbed his hands.

  “Let's clear the rest of the house.”

  They made their way through the rooms, searching for other adults. The locked door worried him. What if this wasn't the house? But he knew it was. No question these were the assholes who'd posted the sale of that girl.

  He motioned for Jackson to follow him. On his way down the hall, he grabbed the phone off the guy who Jackson had knocked out. He used the man's limp hand to unlock his cell phone then dial 911. It was difficult using the man’s limp hand, but it worked.

  The operator answered. He realized he couldn't say anything because he didn't want his voice recorded. He covered his mouth and made a noise like he was gagged or something and couldn't speak.

  While he was on the phone, Jackson used a pick and opened the door at the end of the hall. Adam glanced in, seeing a lump in the bed. The person sat up and scrambled into a ball. He saw the manacle on her ankle. Anger pulsed through him. He wanted to break her free, but before they'd come here, they'd decided to let the cops do the rescuing.

  Adam tossed the phone on the bed and turned, forcing himself to walk out. Disgust filled him as he made his way down the hall. On his way past, he gave the guy a swift kick in the gut, liking the grunt he drew with the kick.

  When they stepped out the back door, sirens split the air. They only had a moment to race away, no time for celebrations. He and Jackson didn't slow until they were at their truck. They both ducked in, glad Kelsey had turned off the dome light inside.