“May I bring you something while you wait for Mr. Rasmussen?” the butler asked.
“I’d love some tea,” Eoin said in Ulster Gaelic.
“Sir?” the butler asked.
“He’d like some tea. I’d like some as well,” Cian said in English. “Preferably an Irish breakfast, a wee bit of cream, and a scone or two if you have them.”
Eoin smiled.
“As you wish,” the butler gave a little bow and retreated to the kitchen.
“Did you see that?” Eoin asked in Ulster Gaelic. “He bowed.”
Cian nodded to Eoin. They shared a look that celebrated their brilliance for taking Alex up on her request for their help.
“Gentlemen?” Raz asked. “Plotting?”
“We just ordered tea and scones,” Eoin said.
“And he went to get it,” Cian said.
“Do you think he’ll really get…?” Eoin started.
The butler appeared with a tray of scones, fresh fruit, a small thermos of coffee and a pot of tea.
“Shall I deliver this to your work area?” the butler asked Raz.
“Please,” Raz said.
Eoin and Cian watched in awe as the butler retreated down the hallway. With a hand on each of their shoulders, Raz pushed the men down the hallway.
“Thanks for coming,” Raz said. “I didn’t expect…”
“Miss Alex asked us to help,” Eoin said. “We’d do anything to help a friend.”
“Plus Eoin’s missus is a little ‘fragile’ right now,” Cian said.
“Fragile?” Raz asked.
“Not to defame her or anything,” Eoin said. “She’s really a lovely person but…”
“She’s a wee bit angry,” Cian said.
“Eight months up the pole and mean.” Eoin gave a dramatic shiver. “Had to get out of town before she castrated me in my sleep.”
“Who’s taking care of the bakery?” Raz asked.
“Colin hired some nice Yanks to help out,” Cian said. “They’re watching the shop for the day.”
“And Maggie?” Raz asked. “Alex will kill you in your sleep if you put her in a kennel.”
“Kennel?” Cian asked. “We’re not barbarians!”
They both looked shocked and misunderstood. They made a show of not looking at Raz while they completed the journey to the room he was working in. Used to their antics, Raz chuckled under his breath.
“Hey, Troy’s going to bring his boys home,” Raz said. “Will that be a problem?”
“We love boys!” Eoin said. “I’m hoping the missus has a boy!”
“So you’re all right with Troy bringing his boys home?” Raz asked.
“Sure,” Cian shrugged. “They can play with Fionn.”
“Fionn?” Raz asked.
“Fionn’s not so much of a boy, Cian,” Eoin said. “He’s seventeen. Passed his O-levels and everything. You forget.”
“Seems like a kid to me,” Cian said.
“Fionn who?” Raz asked.
Seeming to hear Raz for the first time, the men looked up at him and shook their heads in unison.
“No one,” Eoin said.
“Didn’t you have something for us to look at?” Cian smiled and patted Raz’s shoulder.
“Miss Alex said you needed our help,” Eoin puffed his chest out as if with pride.
“John’s sister Rita has a son named Fionn,” Raz said.
“She does?” Cian asked. “I can’t keep track of all the nieces and nephews.”
“Kellys breed like Australian bunnies,” Eoin said.
“Or McKinneys,” Cian said.
The men looked at each other and laughed. Raz glanced from Cian to Eoin. Seasoned IRA volunteers, Cian and Eoin retreated to this inane juvenile act when they didn’t want to be questioned too closely.
“Is there a video or something important you want us to do?” Cian asked.
“Over here,” Raz said. “Troy’s father is saying that Troy set the explosives.”
“Like Troy knows how to set explosives?” Cian laughed. “The boy can barely tie his shoes. He’d have blown his head off.”
“Like your da,” Eoin said in Ulster Gaelic.
Cian and Eoin laughed. Shaking his head to clear it of their nonsense, Raz looked into Cian and Eoin’s bright faces.
“We’re hoping we can find footage of someone setting the bombs,” Raz said. “The footage is…”
“Can we see the explosion first?” Cian asked. “Then we’ll know what we’re looking for.”
“Do you have a diagram of the house?” Eoin asked. “I can draw one up lickety split if you don’t.”
Raz held up a diagram.
“Did our protégé Hutchins take a look?” Cian asked.
“He went out with the FBI,” Raz said.
“Do you have his report?” Cian asked. “He’s very good.”
“Trained by the best,” Eoin said.
“That would be us, in case you wondered,” Cian said.
Not trusting himself to respond, Raz held up the report.
“Good,” Eoin said. “Show me how to work the controls and give us a few minutes. We have to sort what the explosion looked like first. Do you have one of those boards Alex uses?”
“A white board?” Raz asked.
“Right,” Cian said.
“I’ll ask,” Raz said. “Just so I’ve got this straight. You’re saying Rita’s son Fionn came to live with us.”
“I said no such thing,” Cian said.
“I don’t know where you come up with this stuff.” Eoin mimicked Raz’s tone.
“Americans,” Cian shook his head in mock disgust. “You all have such fantastic imaginations.”
“But Fionn is taking care of Alex’s puppy Maggie,” Raz said.
“Maggie would be very offended to hear you call her a puppy,” Cian said. “When do we get the white board?”
“We can’t start without it,” Eoin said.
“Are you supposed to be running…” Cian said.
“Pacing, he’s supposed to pace,” Eoin said. “Just one stage because of his bad back.”
“Yes, pacing my baby brother?” Cian asked. “We rushed all the way here so that you wouldn’t miss it.”
“Our Johnny will be crankier than the missus if you’re not there to help,” Eoin said.
“Just have the white board sent down on your way out,” Cian said.
Raz opened his mouth to say something, shook his head, and chuckled.
“Have fun,” Eoin raised his hand and waved to Raz on his way out of the room.
FFFFFF
Sunday morning
October 25 – 10:20 a.m. EDT
Over the Pentagon, Washington DC
“Alex, I thought you got permission to land at the Pentagon,” Zack said over the intercom.
Flying fast toward the Marine Marathon route, they had already picked up Troy and his lawyers on their way to the marathon. They’d planned a grand entrance. Once again, their plans fell through.
“I did,” Alex said.
“They’re being fussy today,” Zack said. “They said something about a new intern and something else about paperwork.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Alex repeated John’s favorite expression.
“What does Royce say?” Troy asked. “He was on permissions and paperwork duty.”
“Royce is running today,” Zack said.
“I patched him on the line,” Sergeant Dusty cut in on the line. “He’s just behind John, Max, Matthew and Raz at mile twenty-two.”
“Everything was cleared, and every piece of paper was filed, Olivas,” Chief Petty Officer Royce Tubman said. “And I’ve been running for a couple of hours.”
“What’s your point?” Zack laughed.
“All I’m saying is that everything was golden when I started this race,” Royce said. “And I’m not the one gallivanting around the country.”
“That’s a little insubordinate,” Trece growled.
; “You’d know,” Royce said.
“You wound me,” Trece sniffed. “I’d have thought you’d be grateful to your fitness trainer that you can walk, let alone run.”
“I worship you like a God, Andy!” Royce said. Trece laughed at him.
“Can we get back on track?” Alex asked. “Zack needs somewhere to land.”
“Who’d you piss off?” Royce asked.
“Piss off?” Alex laughed. “Me? I had breakfast with an old friend.”
Zack, Cliff and Trece laughed.
“Wasn’t me,” Troy said. “This time. I was with the police.”
“The rest of the team is either working on post or waiting for us at the finish,” Royce said. “Olivas was with the police. That leaves you, sir.”
They laughed.
“Alex?” Zack asked. “We’re not going to have time to land.”
“What about the cemetery?”
“The Army’s being cranky,” Zack said.
“The Army?” Alex asked.
“They don’t want to deal with our show boating at Arlington National cemetery,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Plus…”
“They’re squawking about an intern,” Zack said.
“What intern?” Alex asked.
“We have a new intern,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Two really. The Pentagon is playing hardball because they say you’re refusing another intern.”
“Am I?” Alex asked.
“I am,” Sergeant Dusty said. “These interns, sir. They…”
“Are they frat boys like Flagg?” Zack asked.
“No sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“Navy?” Alex asked.
“Hey!” Royce laughed.
“No sir, they’re from the 10th Special Forces. I’m to remind you that the Fey Special Forces Team was a part of the 10th,” Sergeant Dusty said. “My home team.”
“Oooh that does sound pissy,” Alex said. “Even for them.”
“They want us to take the interns,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“How bad can they be?” Trece asked.
“What does Joseph say?” Alex asked. “It’s really up to him and Mattie.”
“Major Walters said it’s up to you,” Sergeant Dusty said. “But sir…”
“Why don’t we test him out?” Alex said. “Tell him to meet us at mile twenty-four.”
“Them sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“Whatever,” Alex said. “We were ordered to make a grand display. Can’t do it if we can’t get there.”
“Uh oh,” Royce said. “I’m out before I hear whatever is coming next.”
“He’s so sensitive,” Troy laughed.
“What are their names, Sergeant Dusty?” Alex asked.
“Sergeant Pete Beetle and Master Sergeant Bill Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said. “But sir…”
“Beetle and Bailey?” Trece laughed. “Really?”
“Sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “I don’t think you’re going to want to…”
“I trust you completely,” Alex said. “But sounds like we don’t have a choice.”
“Again,” Trece said.
“The Army goes rolling along,” Alex began to sing the Army song.
“Oh no,” Trece shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no.”
Troy’s Army JAG lawyer, Captain Tyler, joined Alex’s song: “Proud of all we have done.”
“Fighting till the battle’s won,” Troy joined in.
“And the army goes rolling along,” they sang together.
Over the intercom, Zack blasted the Army Song in a loop while Trece moaned.
“When you’re done, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.
The song abruptly ended.
“I remind you that you have air clearance,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Slight wind out of the East, otherwise, you shouldn’t have much trouble.”
“What are you doing?” Hawkins Mac Alister asked Alex.
“We’re going down by wire,” Alex said. “We have clearance to fly but no clearance to land.”
“We plan for everything,” Trece said.
“You want to run with us?” Alex asked.
“Sure,” Hawkins Mac Alister said.
“You’ve got to wear the gear,” Alex said.
“You have shoes in there?” Army JAG Captain Tyler said.
“Of course,” Troy said.
Trece threw shorts and the light blue Fey shirts at the lawyers.
“You running?” Trece asked Troy.
“Sure,” Troy said.
“What about your feet?” Alex asked.
“What about them?” Troy asked.
“There’s shit storm coming in our direction,” Alex said. “I’d rather have you healthy.”
Troy gave a nod and continued dressing.
“That’s an order,” she said.
“I’ll meet you at the finish line,” Troy said. “Need my gear.”
Knowing the cost of giving up this run, Alex touched his shoulder. He smiled at her.
“The boys are at the finish line,” Troy said.
“They’re waiting for you, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Captain Blanco, Sergeant Scully and Sergeant Peaches are with them as well as Erin Hargreaves, the General and Mrs. Hargreaves.”
“Sounds like a party,” Alex said. “Everyone ready?”
“What does ‘going down by wire’ mean?” Hawkins Mac Alister asked.
“It’s pretty straight forward, Hawkins,” Captain Tyler said. “If you go first, you just clip in to the wire and get lowered. Remember to wear gloves – the wire’s a killer.”
“I’m going down with the Lieutenant Colonel,” Trece said. “Captain Tyler can go down with you or…”
Much to everyone’s surprise, Hawkins Mac Alister nodded. He got up and changed his clothing.
“You don’t have to do this,” Troy said.
“It sounds like fun,” Hawkins Mac Alister said. “I think you can understand this, Captain Olivas. I’ve never had a chance to do this kind of thing. I’ve always wondered what it would be like.”
“I wanted to do the action and not just plan it,” Troy said.
“Exactly,” Hawkins Mac Alister said. “My kids will be thrilled.”
“We tape from the helicopter,” Alex said. “I’ll send you a copy.”
“And it’s all right if we seem like we’re on the team?” Captain Tyler asked. “It feels kinda arrogant to pretend.”
“No one knows who’s on the Fey team,” Trece said. “It’s part of our gig.”
“Sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey are waiting for you at mile twenty-four.”
“How will I know them?” Alex asked. “Switching to satellite phone.”
She took off her headphones. She waited a moment for Sergeant Dusty to call. Once on the line, she waited through a series of clicks until she was connected to Zack’s feed.
“You won’t miss them,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“Who?” Alex asked.
“Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“We’re there,” Zack said.
“Glasses!” Alex said.
Trece tossed a pair of dark Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses to Hawkins and Captain Tyler. He opened the helicopter door and let out the wire line. He took care to hook Hawkins in while Troy hooked Captain Tyler on the other line. Hawkins Mac Alister looked terrified but never said a word. While the helicopter hovered, the men were lowered to the middle of South Rotary Road. Troy helped Alex hook onto the line. Trece took the other line.
“Ready?” Troy asked. Trece went down the line.
“You sure you can make it?” Troy asked. “The new hip has never been right.”
“It’s not the ball of the hip, it’s the entire joint socket,” Alex said. “The joint is inflamed.”
“Still,” Troy said. “I can go down with you.”
“Nah,” Alex said. “I got this. See you at the finish.”
With Trece holding the bo
ttom of the wire, Alex slid down.
“Do you see them?” Alex asked as she took off her gloves.
“Behind you,” Troy said over the feed.
Alex turned to look and waved to John, Max, Matthew and Raz.
“Why is there a dog on the course?” Alex asked. “Man, if I’d known we could bring dogs, I’d have brought Maggie. I hate that she has to stay home.”
“That’s Master Sergeant Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said.
“What is?” Alex asked.
“Our new intern is a real dog,” Trece laughed.
“Our new intern is a dog,” Alex said. “They want me to train a dog?”
“Technically, he’s a Belgian Shepherd, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Master Sergeant Bill Bailey is a decorated veteran. Sergeant Beetle is his handler.”
“We’ll straighten this out, right?” Alex asked. “What does Gordon say?”
“He was unaware of the assignment,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Something happened – I’m not sure what, but I’m tracking it down – and Sergeant Beetle was assigned to our team.”
“The dog is coming over,” Alex said. “The Sergeant is saluting the civilian lawyer Hawkins.”
Trece laughed. John, Raz, and Matthew came up behind them.
“That was quite an entrance,” John said as he ran up.
“Create a memory,” Alex said. “That’s me.”
“Yes, my love,” John said. “Shall we?”
Alex began running beside him. Max ran on his other side. The rest of the men fell in around them.
“Who’s the dog?” Matthew asked.
“Our new intern,” Alex said.
“No fucking way,” Matthew said.
“Way,” Trece said. “Better go talk to the boy. He’s saluting the lawyers.”
Matthew jogged to Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey. The Sergeant saluted Matthew. Matthew pointed to the group, and the new interns fell in. The entire group ran as a unit toward the finish. John, Max and Matthew picked up speed in the last half mile and finished fast. Amid wild cheers from men and women who recognized them, Alex and the motley crew followed them through the finish.
Trece and White Boy shuttled Alex and Max through the crowd. Alex took the wire up to the helicopter, followed by Trece and White Boy. Within minutes of crossing the finish line, they were settled into the passenger compartment.
Lean on Me Page 10
