Zero Hour: Brotherhood Protectors World

by Holt, Desiree

  “All right. Then we’ll get rid of her.”

  “Arrange for some kind of accident for this bitch.” Beckett’s voice was harsh and inflexible. “One that won’t look suspicious to the cops. Or to whoever is behind her. You know how to do this. Get her out of this building. Tell her you have something to show her that deals with the phone call you got last night. You said she already acted suspicious of it. Then get to some isolated area and get the job done. And do it yourself. We can’t afford any more hands in this than yours and mine.”

  “All right.”

  “One more thing,” Beckett said.

  “What else, for fuck’s sake?” Morgan asked.

  “I know you don’t like much about me except my money. Just don’t think you’re gonna put a bullet in me like Gooding did to Vanetta. I’m a lot richer and a lot more bulletproof and can do you a lot more damage, dead or alive.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” But Morgan’s voice had a strange sound to it.

  “Good. We need to focus our energy on finding and eliminating that broad.”

  Terry couldn’t listen to any more of the conversation. She had to leave now. Her heart was already racing, and she could feel her blood pressure spike. She turned to leave the office and nearly ran into Morgan’s admin, Daria, nearly knocking a coffee mug out of her hand.

  “Oh!”

  “Sorry, sorry.”

  They spoke simultaneously.

  “Not leaving, are you?” Daria asked. “Mr. Morgan has you down for nine o’clock.”

  Terry shook her head. “Just taking a quick trip to the ladies’ room. Be right back.”

  She raced from the office, feeling Daria’s eyes on her, and took the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator. On her previous visits she’d noted the abundance of security cameras everywhere. She couldn’t avoid them. The best she could do when she fled Morgan’s office was to get the hell out of there before someone grabbed her and get to where she could lose herself in traffic.

  In minutes, she was in her rental car and speeding away from Morgan Arms Manufacturing. When she’d put space between her and the manufacturing facility, she stuck her phone in the cupholder and punched the code for Max Jaeger

  “Problem,” she spit out the moment he answered.

  “Okay. Let’s have it.”

  She repeated everything she’d heard.

  “You need to come back to D.C. right now,” he told her. “We’ll put you in protective custody until this is resolved.”

  “But we still don’t know what he has planned,” she pointed out. “Not even a sniff. Only that the launching pad, so to speak, is in Montana”

  “I’ll take it from here,” Jaeger insisted. “You work in enough dangerous situations. I don’t want you walking around with a big target on your back. Especially not someplace where he’s got his own little private army together. Besides, I’m not surprised it was Beckett he was having the conversation with.”

  “What did you find out?”

  “He’s quietly funded radical groups before. He’s had his own problems with government regulation, which is why he keeps most of his assets offshore. The government is after him right now on a number of issues. He could easily fund whatever Morgan has in mind and do it gladly. And Terry? He’s known to make people disappear. This is not good. You need a team there with you.”

  “A team will stick out like a sore thumb. I’m a trained agent. This isn’t my first crisis. You gave me this assignment because you have faith in me to do it. Then let me do it.”

  “I just don’t want you coming home in a body bag. No, I can’t let you do it.”

  “Max, I can find things out,” she protested. “If they’re moving everyone to Montana, apparently ahead of schedule, something’s about to happen. Let me go there and see what I can find out. I have a good friend who’s a county sheriff in the Crazy Mountains not far from where Morgan has his spread. He’s familiar with the area, he probably knows as much about Morgan as we do, and he can help me. He’s been keeping an eye on the man because he said he’s had a bad feeling about him since he bought the land.”

  “Terry…” Max began.

  “It’s fine. He understands what to do, and I’d place my life in his hands. As a matter of fact, he‘s a former SEAL. He can help me and protect me if I need that. Max, you put me on this to find out what the hell was going on and I won’t quit until I do. Going to Montana may give us our best clue because Morgan sure as hell isn’t opening his mouth. And if you send a team out there, no matter what you do, they’ll stick out like a sore thumb. We won’t get anything, and it may put their lives at risk.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line.

  “I don’t like it,” Jaeger said at last.

  “Listen, I’m going whether you like it or not. I’m doing this. That’s all.”

  "I can’t control you when you’re out there rogue, you know that. I know that. Are you sure I can’t talk you into just coming back here where we can keep you safe and put a plan together? I don’t like this.”

  “I understand. You keep saying that. I’m sorry you have so little faith in my abilities.”

  “Damn it,” he swore. “It’s not that. Just do me one favor.

  Terry swallowed a sigh. “Let’s have it.”

  “I want the name of this sheriff and his direct number. If you’re off the books with just him, I want to talk to him myself. I’m going to find out everything about your sheriff friend including the color of his socks. If one thing turns up wrong, you’re done, and so is he.”

  Terry gave it to him. “What else?”

  “Report in each day. Call me on my unlisted personal phone You still have the number?”

  “I do.”

  We’ll work it from this end. I can’t deny the advantage of having someone on the ground, unfettered, to scope things out. But once you find out what’s going on, I’m sending in a full team. Do not try to take this asshole down yourself or with people whose training may not be up to it.”

  Terry swallowed a laugh. She could just imagine Alex Rossi’s reaction to that comment.

  “Max, I told you. He’s a former SEAL. The men on his staff are all former SEALs.”

  Although she wasn’t sure how many he actually had right now.

  “Just to repeat, in case you missed it, if one thing turns up wrong, you’re done and so is he. Bad enough you’re going rogue on me. I can’t have some unknown fucking things up.”

  “That it?”

  “No. You’ll need a car. It’s a long drive, but I don’t want to take the chance of you flying out there. Morgan has eyes and ears all over the country, and there are too many chances at airports for him to spot you. It’s highly likely a man with his resources and outlook could even have someone hack into airlines databases. Then all he has to do is send someone your picture and you could be dead meat.”

  “I can handle the drive,” she assured him.

  “Second. You check in by phone twice a day. That’s an order. And keep that phone with you at all times. We’ll be digging for information from this end, and we need to keep each other informed.”

  “Got it. Oh, by the way, I had to leave all my stuff in the room. I wasn’t sure if they’d try to find me there. I’ve got my purse and all my electronics, but that’s it. I need to make a stop at a big box store to replenish.”

  “I’ll take care of everything in your room. And I’ll arrange to get cash to you. Hold on.” He was back in seconds. “You on Interstate 10?”

  “Headed there.” And fast, she told herself, because sure as hell someone would be on her tail any second now.

  “Okay. Once you’re on it, stay on IH-10 East and take the IH-35 Interchange. Call me when you’re on IH-35 and you’re sure you’ve lost them. I’ll work on getting a clean vehicle for you and let you know where to pick it up.”

  The connection went dead.

  Oh well. Max Jaeger was a great boss but not much of a one for niceties. Of
course, in their business there wasn’t necessarily time for them. She cranked the engine on her car and headed to the interstate again, still a little shaken from the conversation she’d overheard. She hadn’t drawn a full breath since she’d pulled out of the parking lot. She needed a strong coffee to go to make a call on her burner phone.

  But then she looked in her rearview mirror and realized they’d both have to wait. A brown SUV was coming up in her rearview mirror. Good thing the interstate entrance was seconds away.

  Chapter 4

  Three years and he hadn’t been able to outrun his demons.

  Thirty-six months.

  One thousand and ninety-five days.

  He couldn’t even count the number of miles he’d covered in all that time. But no matter how far he went and how fast, he couldn’t seem to outrun the devils perched on his shoulder.

  Once he thought he’d found the answer. But then he discovered that to benefit from another person you had to relate to them. That a relationship was give and take, and he seemed to be all about take. Even when he thought he’d found temporary comfort, the eruption of the nightmares chased anyone away.

  Work of any kind had been sporadic, mostly because he wasn’t sure when an episode would grab him and render him less efficient. Construction seemed to be the best solution. Hammering nails helped to drive away flashbacks and allowed him to vent his anger and distress. At night he could fall into bed exhausted and hope he’d worn himself out too much for the dreams to come back.

  What he really wanted was someplace in the wide open spaces. He’d grown up on a ranch in Colorado where his father had been the foreman, but he hadn’t tried to go back to it. The fear of an episode grabbing him in the middle of working with horses or cattle or other people kept him away from it. He’d heard about a ranch that specialized in working with people who had PTSD, but he’d had enough of people trying to pick his brain apart. What bothered him the most was that he, the quintessential big bad SEAL, who had been a solid member of his team, had lost his shit and couldn’t find it.

  He’d had a brief period right after his separation when he thought he was creating a new life for himself. That was when he met Terry with the silky brown hair, the mouthwatering curves, the ocean-blue eyes, and the great sense of humor. Not to mention the off-the-charts sex they couldn’t seem to get enough of. For two weeks—a very intense two weeks—he thought he’d actually found someone. But then the nightmares came back and he knew he had to get the hell out of there while he still had some dignity left.

  And that was when everything went to shit. The nightmares came back full force. The anger. The resentment. The self-deprecation. And most of all the pain that attacked both his brain and his heart. Oh, he’d wanted to make this work, more than anything, but he wasn’t about to inflict himself on a woman like Terry Fordice. She deserved much more than he could give her. So, he’d packed up his crap, left her a note, and taken off to figure out how to handle his life.

  He couldn’t count the times he thought about her, or the nights he dreamed about her. Or the cold showers he took so his hard-as-concrete dick didn’t hit something and break off. For three years he’d done his best to forget her, an impossible task. Maybe, if he could figure out how to do it without destroying himself, it was time to get some help and see if by some slim chance she’d let him back into her life.

  Maybe.

  Maybe it was time to get his fucking act together.

  Two days ago he’d finished his most recent construction job and needed a change of scenery. Maybe that would help. Although it hadn’t before. He was about to check out of the No Name Motel in Anytown, USA and jump on his motorcycle when his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and didn’t recognize the number so was tempted to ignore it. Then he thought, What the hell, and punched the Accept button.

  “Yeah?”

  “You still lying around some fleabag hotel with your head up your ass?”

  The voice took him back to his SEAL team and, for a moment, Jesse was startled. What the fuck? Zane Halstead? No. Impossible. Someone was pranking him.

  “Cat got your tongue, Waterboy?”

  Damn! It really was Zane. He was the one who’d given Jesse that nickname after a particular mission. When Jesse left the teams, Zane hadn’t shown an interest in getting out. But he kept his ear to the ground, and scuttlebutt had it the self-isolated warrior had gone through hell with his injuries and loss of identity when injuries forced him out. Jesse was long gone by then but through the grapevine he learned the hell the guy had gone through.

  The man on the other end of the conversation, however, sounded a far cry from what he, Jesse, had been told.

  “Uh, just kind of shocked to hear from you after all this time.”

  Just the thought of it sent a sour taste surging through Jesse’s mouth. Why had he ever thought he’d love civilian life? But he’d been burned out and needed to leave before he made a mistake that endangered someone else.

  There was a slight pause.

  “I probably would be if some asshole hadn’t shot me up and damaged my shoulder and hip.”

  “Well, damn!” Jesse knew that, just from scuttlebutt he’d picked up here and there, and could feel the man’s pain. “So how long you been out?”

  “Almost eighteen months now, and you wouldn’t believe how good my life is now. After a rocky start, I might add.”

  Jesse was glad for the man, but he hated that green wave of jealousy that raced through him.

  “That right? Doing what?”

  “Well, see, that’s kind of what I called about.” Another pause. “I been tracking down SEALs I knew who aren’t active duty any longer and telling them about this.”

  Jesse shifted on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. He figured he might as well get comfortable because Zane didn’t seem to be in any hurry to hang up. And he wanted to know exactly what this was.

  “Okay, let’s have it.”

  “You aren’t hooked up with anything at the moment, right?”

  Jesse grunted. “If you went to all the trouble of tracking me down, then you already know that. How the hell did you find me, anyway?”

  Zane laughed. “I’ve got someone who could find the Invisible Man, and he’s doing a good job of it. I figured you might be through wandering the world and interesting in trying something that utilized your special skills. He’s got just the setup for that but without all that stress.”

  “And just who is this talented person?”

  “His name is Alex Rossi.” One second of silence. “Sheriff Alex Rossi. In Montana. In the Crazy Mountains.”

  “Yeah? And what makes him so good?”

  “For one thing,” Zane answered, “he’s a former SEAL. That ought to be enough to spark your interest”

  “Hooyah.” But he uttered the battle cry in a skeptical tone.

  “I’m not blowing smoke here, Waterboy. The former sheriff here went to prison, and Rossi was hired to take over and clean up the mess. A job that required a lot of skills, including toughness and dedication. Long story, which I’ll tell you when I see you, because I do plan on that happening.”

  Jesse shifted on the bed. “Okay, what’s the situation now that prompted this phone call.? Out of the blue, I might add.”

  “I’d say we might have gotten together sooner if I’d known where you were keeping your ass,” Zane pointed out. “But one of my extracurricular activities is helping Alex track down former SEALs who would be an asset to this sheriff’s office.”

  “And just why is he doing that?”

  “I told you, he’s cleaning house here,” Zane reminded him. “He’s only kept one former deputy. A woman, by the way, who can easily put the rest of us to shame. He wants to replace everyone else with former SEALs.” He paused. “That’s his goal.”

  Jesse frowned at something he sensed in the tone of Zane’s voice.

  “What about that aren’t you telling me?”

  Silence.

&nb
sp; ”Jesse?” he prodded.

  “Give it up.”

  “Okay, but look at this as a positive thing. Alex had some, uh, challenges when he left the SEALs. He got his act together and became a top-notch lawman. Now he wants to hire those of us who also had challenges to deal with assimilating back into civilian life, either from physical or psychological situations. I was skeptical as hell when he first contacted me, but so far it’s working very well.” The sound of his throat clearing bubbled over the connection. “I think this could be just what you need, Jesse.”

  Jesse gripped the cell phone so hard he almost cracked the case.

  “So, someone told this Alex that I’m looney tunes and need a place to get my act together?”

  “Jesus, Jesse.” Zane barked a short laugh. “No. It means I spoke to Rossi and made him aware of your skills. He wants you to come talk to him. Check it out for yourself. And if it works, it can benefit both you and the sheriff.”

  “What exactly is he doing with a bunch of misfits, and what do you want of me?”

  “Hey.” Zane gave a short laugh. “Watch it with the misfits stuff. Some of us may have a lot of adjusting to do, but our skills are still top drawer.”

  “Okay, okay, okay. So, what’s the deal?”

  “Alex—Sheriff Rossi—asked me to help him find people who would be good candidates for deputy slots. I knew you’d left the Teams, thought maybe you were managing to get your shit together, and passed along your name. He’d like you to come out here, meet him, check out the setup, and see if you think you ‘d like to give this a shot.”

  Jesse wasn’t sure what to say. This was an avenue he hadn’t even thought of, although he knew a lot of SEALs as well as other Special Forces guys had gone into security. He didn’t know how many had actually picked law enforcement for the next stage of their lives. Should he do this? Take a chance? He could always say no, right?

  “I just don’t want him to look at me as some psychological mess because I’m not.”

  Zane’s laugh echoed across the connection.