Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset

by C. G. Cooper

  “Thought so. I’ll bet you tore it up on the field. Linebacker?”

  “Running back,” Upshaw said with a grin.

  “Really? You’re a pretty big dude to be dodging tackles.”

  “I’m fast, and I can run over most guys.”

  Briggs whistled in admiration. He would honestly love to see the man in action.

  “You play college ball?” Daniel asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Nah. Didn’t have the grades.”

  “So you went in the Corps instead.”

  Upshaw nodded his head. Although it’d taken some studying with his recruiter, he’d finally passed the military aptitude test and was allowed to go to Parris Island.

  “So when did you get out of the Corps?”

  Lance scrunched his face thinking. Numbers and timelines sometimes got jumbled in his head. His mother always said that God could only give a person so many gifts and that Lance had gotten a lion’s share of physical ability. In exchange, God couldn’t give him as much intelligence as other kids his age.

  “I think a couple years ago.”

  “What did you do after you got out?” Daniel asked.

  Upshaw hesitated again. His mind tried to process whether answering would be right or wrong. It was hard to keep it straight.

  “Went home for a little bit.”

  “Just hung out with your family?”

  “My ma raised me as a single mom. I hadn’t seen her in, like, a year. Stayed with her for a while.”

  Briggs could feel the walls coming down. “Did you get a job down in Dallas?”

  Upshaw shook his head. “No. I just helped Ma and some of her friends. Got free food and a place to sleep.”

  Daniel nodded thoughtfully. He didn’t want to have the guy clam up again. It was important to get him to keep answering questions. Briggs said a silent prayer that God would guide him to the answer.

  “Your mom still live down in Dallas?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You still see her?”

  “I fly down one or two times every year.”

  “She pay for your flight?”

  It was another one of those funny questions Lance wasn’t sure about. Why was he asking?

  “Um…no. I pay for my tickets.”

  “Oh! So do you have a job up here?”

  “Yeah.”

  Briggs noticed the drop in Upshaw’s demeanor. He had to keep it light.

  “Cool. It must be pretty awesome living up here. It’s beautiful.”

  Lance nodded as enthusiastically as a little kid. “You should see it when the leaves change. It’s really pretty. All the moose and bears come out too. I like the bears.”

  “You ever see one?” Briggs asked with eyes wide open.

  “All the time! Right now they’re really coming out. People are saying they’re more hungry than other years.”

  “That’s what I heard too. You ever get charged by a bear?”

  Upshaw was suddenly serious. Briggs thought that maybe he’d gone too far and delved into a memory that would end the man’s cooperation.

  “Just one time. Damn grizzly was huge. We were hiking back down to Phelps Lake and all of a sudden this bear was just sitting in the middle of the path soaking up some rays. I tried to scare it away, but it got up and roared at us. Before we knew it the thing was charging.”

  “Holy crap! Was your buddy in the next room with you?”

  “Nah. Trapper was back at HQ. I was with some of the other guys.”

  “So what did you guys do?”

  “The only thing we could do. We shot the fucking thing!”

  Daniel whistled again. “Wow. Did you kill it?”

  “Damn right. It was him or us.”

  “Can’t you get in trouble for killing a grizzly around here?”

  “Yeah, but we didn’t stick around. Would’ve moved it but those things weigh a ton.”

  “I’ll bet. So you work with some other guys at one of the ranches around here?”

  “Yeah, sort of,” Lance answered quietly.

  “So you do guided hikes, trail rides, that sort of thing?”

  Upshaw hesitated again. He’d already made one decision in his mind: that this guy asking him questions was actually a nice guy. Lance didn’t think he’d tell his boss if he said anything.

  “No, we do some security work.”

  “Really, that’s cool. I kinda do the same thing. Who’d you say you worked for?”

  “I…uh…didn’t.”

  “Yeah, but wouldn’t it be easier if I talked to your boss about all this instead of bugging you? The sooner you tell me where you work, the sooner I can give them a call and get his whole thing straightened out. You seem like a good guy, Lance. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  Trouble was the last thing that Lance wanted. What could it hurt? As long as they didn’t say anything about him telling.

  “You promise you won’t tell them I told you?”

  “I give you my word as a Marine, Lance.”

  That was good enough for Upshaw. “I work for The Ponder Group.”

  Chapter 11

  Camp Spartan, Arrington, TN

  8:37pm CST, September 27th

  Travis hadn’t left the office since Neil disappeared. He’d commandeered one of the large suites at The Lodge so he could stay close by. The phone on the bedside table rang just as he dozed off for a quick nap.

  “Haden.”

  “Sir, I have a call for you from Mr. Stokes,” the operator said.

  “Patch him through, please.”

  Luckily, all the phones at The Lodge were highly encrypted and therefore highly secure. With the number of VIPs SSI courted, it was important to have a way for guests to communicate with their offices while away. It was one of the many improvements Neil Patel had instituted over the years.

  “You there, Trav?”

  “Yeah. What’s going on?”

  “You ever heard of some company called The Ponder Group?”

  Haden sat up in bed. “Yeah, why?”

  “We’ve had a tail since we got here, and we just found out that they work for this Ponder Group.”

  “How do you know?”

  Cal hesitated. Even though the line was supposedly secure, he still wanted to be careful just in case someone was listening.

  “Let’s just say we have two more guests at the house.”

  “Invited or uninvited?” Travis asked.

  “They were…invited. Daniel made it a…personal invitation.”

  Travis correctly deduced that they’d somehow apprehended the men.

  “Tell me you’ve used kid gloves on the guys.”

  “You know me, cuz, always trying to do things the right way.”

  “I’m not messing around here, Cal. Tell me you didn’t put the screws to these guys.”

  Cal laughed at his cousin’s unease. “Of course not. Briggs just had a little chat with one of our new buddies. So you wanna tell me who this Ponder Group is?”

  Travis swept his hand back through his dirty blonde hair. Where to start?

  “SSI has a little history with The Ponder Group,” Travis started disgustedly.

  “What kind of history?”

  “The CEO of The Ponder Group is a prick named Nick Ponder. The guy is former Army. Mean son-of-a-bitch. He’s as crooked as they come. So anyway, back in the nineties, he and your dad…”

  Travis told Cal the story of the conflict between Cal Sr. and Nick Ponder.

  “How come you never told me about this?” Cal asked indignantly.

  “There was never a need to. It happened a long time ago. I’ve heard rumors about him over the years, but he knows to stay clear of us.”

  “Looks like that’s not the case anymore.”

  “Yeah. The only good thing I can think of in this whole situation is that Ponder is just a thug. He likes money and inflicting pain and not much else.”

  Cal was fuming. He didn’t know how his cousin could stay
so calm. “I’m having a hard time understanding what in the hell you’re talking about. While we’re sitting here chatting about this asshole, he’s probably torturing or even killing Neil!”

  Travis took a slow breath. “Look, now that we know WHO has Neil, we can actually do something.”

  Cal knew his cousin was right. A couple hours ago they had nothing. Now they had a name.

  “How can we find out where this guy lives?” Cal asked.

  “Let me call you back. With a possible leak here at home I’d rather take care of this myself. I’ll do some digging and get you the details in a few minutes.”

  It wasn’t good enough for Cal, but he wisely held his tongue. Venting his frustration on Travis wouldn’t accomplish a thing. He needed to focus on one thing: Nick Ponder.

  +++

  Travis hung up the phone and stared at the wall. Where to start? He hesitated using any of the computer guys until he knew where the leak was. There was always the Council of Patriots, an ultra-secret group of retired (and one active) politicians. Typically, the Council came to SSI for help in going operational on intel. This was a different story. Travis had never contacted the Council for help. He’d put that on hold for now.

  He picked up his cell phone and speed-dialed his head of security, Todd Dunn.

  “Dunn,” answered the former Ranger in his gruff tone.

  “Todd, I need to talk to you in person.”

  Travis could hear Dunn getting up from whatever chair he’d just been sitting in. Once set in motion, Todd Dunn was never moved off track.

  “What’s up?”

  “Cal just found out that Neil might have been taken by an old friend.”

  “Who?”

  “Nick Ponder.”

  “I’ll be right up.”

  Travis placed his phone back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. It was going to be a very long night.

  Chapter 12

  Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  9:55pm, September 27th

  Daniel hadn’t gotten anything else out of Lance. It had probably finally sunk in the large man’s brain that he’d divulged a little too much information.

  “You want me to go talk to the other guy?” Briggs asked Cal.

  Cal had already told the rest of the team to get some rest. They might have to leave soon, and he wanted them to get any sleep they could. It was one of the many things he’d learned in the Marine Corps: sleep whenever and wherever you can.

  “Let me go see if I can get anything out of him. I’m starting to think you were right, though. Looks like a tough nut. Wish we had Doctor Higgins with us. He can make anyone talk.”

  “Just be careful, Cal. He’s tied up pretty good but don’t take any chances. You want me to come in with you?”

  “Nah. Why don’t you just watch the monitor. If anything happens, you can come to my rescue.” It was meant as a joke, but neither man was laughing. As men of action, they felt stifled. Better to be moving than to remain static. Without the information on Ponder’s whereabouts, they couldn’t do a damn thing.

  Daniel took a seat in front of the video display and settled in to watch.

  +++

  Cal stepped into the second holding room and closed the door. He looked at his captive. The man looked bored.

  Ignoring the look, Cal grabbed a chair, positioned it six feet from his prisoner and sat down.

  “So, Trapper, you wanna tell me what your deal is?”

  Trapper seethed inside. Apparently Lance had opened his big fucking mouth. He’d have a little talk with the dumb shit soon.

  Instead of answering the question, Trapper started laughing. It started off as a chuckle and escalated from there. Soon, the man was almost convulsing with laughter.

  This guy’s a lunatic, Cal thought. He glanced up to the camera and shrugged at Briggs.

  Soon, Trapper settled down and sat taking in brief breaths of air between giggles.

  “What’s so funny, Trapper?” Cal asked, not amused.

  “Ha…ha…ha!...You…you’re…funny…” Trapper spit out in the middle of girlish snickering.

  His patience already thin, Cal stood up from his chair. “How about you shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you,” he growled.

  The order fell on deaf ears. Trapper went back to howling like a madman. Cal just stood and watched. He couldn’t do anything with this guy. Hopefully Travis would call back soon with something they could act on.

  “Have it your way, buddy. Laugh all you want. You’ve got two choices: either help us out or get thrown in a deep dark cell somewhere.”

  This caused another riotous uproar from the beak-nosed man.

  Cal shook his head and turned to leave.

  “Wait…wait…I want to…tell you something,” Trapper just managed to get out.

  Cal turned back. “What do you want to tell me?”

  “A…a secret.”

  Wary, Cal stepped closer to the man but still kept his distance. He would’ve felt better with a baseball bat in his hand. “What is it?”

  “Come…closer…hee hee,” Trapper coughed as he threw his head back again.

  “No way. Tell me your secret.”

  Trapper’s head snapped down and his gaze steadied on Cal.

  “There’s a third option,” Trapper responded clearly.

  Cal’s blood froze and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Just as he reached for his pistol, Trapper somehow, impossibly, spread his legs that were no longer tied, and hoisted the chair over his head. Cal went to block the coming swing but instead of hitting him, Trapper continued his swing and launched the heavy chair at the oversized bedroom window. The skinny man followed the chair’s trajectory. With hands and feet now free, he ran the short distance to the window and jumped.

  Instead of shooting with his drawn pistol, Cal stood shocked. He didn’t really want to fire his pistol in the small residential community. The cops would come running. A split second later, Cal was jumping out the window too.

  +++

  Daniel had been watching the interaction closely. He knew something was up Trapper’s sleeve, but the man hid it well. Almost the same instant that the crafty captive stood up from his chair, Daniel was doing the same thing. With his pistol extended, he bolted for the bedroom door.

  +++

  Trapper hit the yard with his feet and immediately went into a roll to lessen the impact. His teeth still rattled as he sprang up and sprinted away from the house. He needed to get in touch with Nick Ponder.

  +++

  Cal landed less gracefully than his quarry. He thudded painfully and fell forward. Luckily they’d jumped onto the grassy yard instead of the concrete driveway barely four feet away.

  Only steps ahead, Trapper was moving in high gear as Cal struggled to regain his balance. The guy was moving incredibly fast. Cal chided himself for not checking the man’s restraints. It was a basic rule in handling prisoners.

  Pocketing his pistol in case they encountered neighbors, Cal ran after Trapper.

  +++

  Daniel skidded to a halt at the bedroom window and stuck his head out. He could see Cal running into the darkness. Without another thought, Daniel avoided the broken glass, climbed onto the window frame and jumped. Hitting the grass, he rolled out gracefully and hopped into a sprint. He took off after the two men hoping he wouldn’t be too late.

  +++

  There weren’t many places for Trapper to go. The terrain was pretty open. Luckily it was pitch black out. He was free, but for how long? He’d chased countless criminals on foot so he knew the pursuit was all about tenacity and the wits of the man being chased. His mind processed the landscape and alternative routes. The neighborhood would end soon.

  Trapper turned left on McCollister Drive, running up the incline. The only chance he had was using the clumps of trees on the slopes as cover. He knew exactly where to go.

  +++

  Cal was lagging behind. Not a bad athlete in his own right, Cal wa
s no match for Trapper’s speed. The only reason he could still see his former detainee was because the guy had stayed on the well lit road. Cal was sure that wouldn’t last long. He’d glimpsed Daniel coming up from behind but couldn’t wait for his friend.

  He pushed his legs and lungs to their limit. Neil’s life depended on it.

  +++

  Trapper hit the tree line and smiled. Unless his pursuer had somehow managed to grab a set of night vision goggles or a hound dog to sniff him out, there was no way he was getting caught.

  Trapper looked back once, then disappeared into the woods.

  +++

  Cal saw Trapper glance back just as Daniel caught up. Both men extracted their pistols and rushed forward. They ran in silence knowing that their chances of catching the man had just decreased exponentially.

  Daniel stopped Cal as they approached the tree line. “Let me go first,” the sniper ordered.

  Cal would’ve ignored most other men but knew Daniel’s skills outweighed his own when it came to the cat and mouse game they were playing with Trapper.

  Without waiting for his employer to reply, Daniel melted into the wooded area.

  +++

  After thirty minutes of looking, the two Marines emerged. The only thing Cal had to mark the occasion was a slightly sprained ankle and a variety of scrapes on his face. Daniel, on the other hand, looked clean and composed. How was it that he never seemed to get scathed?

  “Thanks for coming after me,” Cal offered.

  “Sorry we didn’t get the guy.”

  “It’s my fault. I should’ve checked him,” grumbled Cal.