Puppetmaster (Coastal Fury Book 8)

by Matt Lincoln

  Chapter 5: Ethan

  Mike’s Tropical Tango Hut was pretty packed when I walked in, but I spotted Header immediately at the bar talking to Mike. He sat perched on the edge of one of the bar stools with one heel propped up on the brace and an elbow resting on the edge of the bar. He absentmindedly swirled what I presumed to be whiskey in his glass as he spoke and looked for all intents and purposes like just another regular. I worked my way over to them, giving Mike a curt nod when he noticed me. Without a word, he grabbed a glass and the bottle of Mango Fest, the Barbados rum I’d come to love. By the time I reached them, my glass was waiting for me.

  “I see you come here pretty regularly,” Header announced lightheartedly, tapping the rim of his glass against mine. I picked it up and took a sip as I sat down on the barstool beside him.

  “You can say that,” I replied vaguely, exchanging a meaningful look with Mike. We’d come a long way since I had first stepped foot inside Mike’s bar, and now I couldn’t imagine becoming a regular anywhere else. “Is Warner here yet?” I scanned the room for TJ Warner but didn’t spot him.

  “Not yet,” Header replied, shaking his head slightly. “I haven’t seen Bonnie, either.”

  Rosa “Bonnie” Bonci was our Lab tech at MBLIS, and ever since they had sent Warner back to Cyber, she’d helped fill his shoes on multiple occasions. The woman was smart and unafraid to speak her mind. She received her nickname after she started working with our other Lab tech, Joe “Clyde” Clime. It was a name that stuck so well that I had forgotten her actual first name once or twice.

  “Bonnie will be here,” I assured him, taking another sip out of my glass. Header nodded confidently.

  “I don’t doubt it,” he replied. “She spent a lot of time with Xavier down in Puerto Rico. I was paying attention. She’s smart, picks new things up quickly, and doesn’t back down easily. She’s perfect for a mission like this.”

  A mission. I was so used to working by-the-books cases with MBLIS that going rogue seemed wholly unnatural to me. I wasn’t willing to admit how nervous I was to Header, but damn, if I hadn’t felt this nervous since my early days with the SEALs.

  Header and I made small talk while Mike excused himself to tend to the rest of the crowd that kept drawing close to the bar like magnets. I listened intently as Header detailed his friend’s adjustment to her position as Commanding Officer on her ship, and I filled him in on Holm’s situation with his parents. Linda and Ben Holm were struggling with the fact that they had to uproot their entire lives to move to South Florida in the name of safety, all because of Holm and his sister Ronnie’s run-in with the Mezzanotte crew not too long ago.

  Most of the details had been kept from Mr. and Mrs. Holm in the interest of keeping them safe, which made it all the more difficult for them to accept. Knowing how close Holm and I were, and how much I considered Linda and Ben to be my own family, Header acknowledged the personal stakes that this trip to New York held for me. I wanted the Mezzanotte crew gone so that my friend and his family… my family… could feel safe again.

  Header looked up past my shoulder as the conversation began to shift once more, and the slight change in his expression told me that someone had arrived.

  “Looks like they found each other in the parking lot,” he announced, and I knew before turning around that both Warner and Bonnie had arrived.

  “Hey, Jake!” Bonnie called out as she worked her way over to us. With her lab coat left behind at the office, her floral button-down shirt was that much brighter, and so was her smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

  Header stood up to give her a hug and then pulled back and flashed her a smile of his own. “It’s great to see you again!”

  “Likewise!” she beamed. Mike came over to greet Bonnie and Warner, and they quickly placed their orders.

  “Coming right up!” His response was cheerful as he turned to get their orders together, never slowing his movements.

  I watched him intently for a moment. Something about the casual way he was addressing us all left me with the impression that he had been expecting this meeting, and probably even knew what it was about. He’d never admit it though, at least not until the mission was complete.

  “Shall we get this show on the road?” Header asked, looking at each of us in turn.

  Mike came back with the drinks, and after handing one each to Bonnie and Warner, he turned to me silently with a set of keys. I immediately recognized the keys as belonging to the secure room in the back, and being that I hadn’t asked him in advance for access to the room, that only confirmed my suspicions. As usual, Mike Birch knew way more than he let on.

  I led the way through the kitchen to the back room. It wasn’t fancy. A handful of rusty folding chairs sat around a scratched-up plastic folding table. In the center of the table was a short stack of legal pads next to an old metal coffee tin with several pens resting inside of it. We sat around the table, but no one reached for a pen. This wasn’t something that we could take notes on, and Bonnie picked up on that vibe immediately.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, looking around hesitantly at each of us. “I thought I was meeting Marston for drinks, and now I’m in a back room on a rusty chair, and all three of you look like you’re harboring a secret.”

  “How do you feel about moonlighting?” I asked pointedly, getting the obvious out of the way. Bonnie didn’t answer right away. Instead, she began reading between the lines, and her eyes widened as she realized just exactly what I was asking.

  “Marston, if you’re breaking the rules, it must be serious. What’s going on?” She leaned forward in anticipation, and I looked pointedly over at Header. Bonnie followed my gaze. “Jake?”

  “Do you know the name Mezzanotte?” Header asked. Bonnie thought for a moment before responding.

  “The mafia family from New York,” she announced, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded slightly as she continued. “They’re the ones threatening Holm’s family.”

  “For lack of a better word, yes,” I confirmed. “There’s more, though.”

  “I don’t need to know more,” she interjected, holding a hand up. “If we’re going after the freaking Mezzanottes, I’m in. For Holm.”

  My heart warmed at her commitment, but I felt obliged to remind her of the obvious risks.

  “Moonlighting, if caught, could cost you your job,” I pointed out, not so subtly.

  “Holm has done too much for us for me to be able to sit this one out,” she reminded me. “I know my job would be at risk, but let’s be honest here, Marston. It’s already at risk. Does MBLIS really need two Lab techs, especially since we are working a single case at a time now? Who do you think they will get rid of first? Us, or you?” She swung her head toward Warner and jabbed her finger in his direction. “Warner is crazy smart and already works for multiple departments. With all of these funding issues, my ass could see the other side of that door any day now. At least let me go out with a bang.”

  “Well, the objective is to not let you go out at all,” Header contradicted. “So long as we don’t get caught, or at the very least if we do, someone is willing to overlook the rule-breaking, the end goal is to have all of you secure in your job and as busy as ever.”

  Bonnie paused again as she read into his statement. “You’re planning on fixing these funding issues?”

  “Not me,” Header clarified. “Us.”

  Bonnie’s head whipped toward me. “You want my help to save MBLIS?” The excitement in her voice was damn near palpable. “I’m helping Holm and saving MBLIS all at once?”

  “That’s right,” I confirmed, taking over the conversation. I quickly explained the connections between the Florida senator Bradley Whittington and the Mezzanotte mafia family, along with Farr’s involvement and Warner’s help thus far. I ended with Header gathering the last bit of information and bringing us all together.

  “We need you, though.” I sat back in the chair, and the metal squeaked against my weigh
t. “We need a Lab tech, someone with forensics knowledge, and you are the best person we know.”

  “You had me at helping Holm,” she shrugged. “I’m in.”

  “Can you keep a secret?” Header asked bluntly. When Bonnie met his gaze, she found him completely serious. “This room is completely secure. We don’t know who is listening or when. We must be completely on guard all the time.”

  “Of course,” she nodded, an excited grin plastered across her face. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  I watched Header’s demeanor crack as he chuckled in response.

  “So, what now?” Bonnie asked, looking between us. “What’s the plan?”

  “Well, you and I need to cash in some vacation time,” I informed her. “Then Farr is setting us up with a ride to New York City. We won’t have protection from the law since we aren’t with MBLIS on this one.”

  “I’ve got connections,” Header interjected. “So does Farr. It’s not as good as flashing a badge and walking away, but it helps if anything goes south.”

  “This mission is dangerous.” That was a point I wanted to drive home to Bonnie. “Very dangerous. But it’s Holm. And it’s our job. We’re duty-bound to help.”

  “I agree.” Bonnie nodded intently. “I’m all in.”

  “Alright.” Header clapped and grinned at the three of us. “I’ll reach out to Farr. You three file your vacation time. I want to leave tomorrow.”

  The four of us filed out of the backroom and over to the bar to drop off our glasses. My adrenaline was running too high to be able to sit still and make small talk with Mike, so I closed my tab and headed out. It wasn’t until I was back home and settled in that I picked up the phone to call our boss with the news of my sudden absence.

  “Marston.” Diane’s voice was sharp with a hit of disdain. “Are you about to put in for some vacation time, too?”

  “Wow, how d'you know?” I teased, knowing damn well that I was the last person to call. “I do need to take the time, though. I have a friend that needs my help.” It wasn’t a lie, at least.

  Diane sighed dramatically. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told the other two. Take all of your vacation time if you need to. Either that or cash it in because if you wait too long, you might lose both options. Poor Clyde will be carrying the team for Bonnie and Warner, though. At least with you, I don’t have to worry. I see the glazed eyes and slumped shoulders on the two of you. Any idea if Holm is going to call in for time off, too?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” I muttered. I wouldn’t be surprised if Diane strongly suggested Holm take time off anyway, but I hoped she wouldn’t. I knew Holm would be calling me as soon as he found out I’d taken the time without telling him and sending him home to stew over it and worry wouldn’t help me at all. She didn’t know any of that, though, and I wasn’t about to tell her.

  “I know you’re up to something, Marston,” she informed me. “Somehow, you’ve roped two of my most squeaky clean employees into whatever it is you’re doing.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied as innocently as possible.

  “Okay,” she muttered, sounding unconvinced. “Keep them safe, Marston. I want you all back in one piece and preferably out of jail.”

  “Jail? None of us are ending up in jail. I’m just helping a friend.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that,” Diane quipped. “Alright, Marston. Let me know when you’re done and ready to return to work.”

  “Thanks, Diane,” I replied cheerfully. I was genuinely grateful for her understanding and flexibility. I was sure that had the situation been different, getting the time off wouldn’t have been so easy, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have needed the time, to begin with.

  I hung up the phone and sat back in my chair, catching my breath for what was probably the last time before the whirlwind started the next morning. We were taking on a huge task, but for Holm and for MBLIS, it was sure as hell worth it.

  Chapter 6: Ethan

  Farr had sent a car early the next morning to pick me up and bring me to the airport, and it stopped to pick up Header on the way. We didn’t say much in the car. The only thing on either of our minds was the mission before us, and it wasn’t something we felt comfortable discussing in the presence of a stranger. I was confident that the driver had been well-vetted by Farr, but I wasn’t willing to take the chance.

  The Bombardier Challenger 350 that awaited us on the tarmac seemed a bit over the top for a simple trip to New York, but I should have expected as much from Farr. A short man with a goatee and slicked-back graying hair stood outside the plane, and when our car slowed to a stop, he greeted us with a smile and a booming voice.

  “Welcome!” he announced, enthusiastic and energetic for the early hour. “You must be Mr. Marston and Mr. Header.”

  “That’s us,” Header replied as he yanked his bag out of the trunk and walked up to the man. He shook his hand firmly. “And you are?”

  “My name is Charlie Evans,” the man announced loudly. “I’ll be your pilot today.”

  I stepped up to shake Charlie’s hand. “Great to meet you,” I assured him. “Has the rest of our group arrived yet?”

  “We are still waiting for Ms. Bonci and Mr. Warner.” He smoothed out his uniform and ushered us toward the plane.

  “What about Farr?” Header asked, scanning the tarmac for his answer.

  “Oh, I took Mr. Farr back to New York yesterday,” Charlie informed us nonchalantly. “He needed to get back to work.”

  Header grunted noncommittally, but I understood everything he was thinking within that one grunt. There was no way that Farr was running back to his editor position at the National EcoStar. No, he either got a head start on this mission for us, or he had something else going on that was equally secretive. Knowing Farr, it really could have gone either way.

  Header and I had both brought our bags on board when we heard another car pull up. When I peered around the corner and out onto the tarmac, I saw Bonnie stepping out of the back seat. She had abandoned her signature floral patterns for some sort of black and white geometric pattern, and a dark pair of oversized sunglasses sat perched on the edge of her nose. Warner, on the other hand, was in jeans and a comfortably worn-in and faded red t-shirt that bore the words “Nuka Cola.” It contrasted his unusually pale skin, and I remembered that he’d never been fond of flying. Bonnie, on the other hand, looked chipper and enthusiastic, and her voice confirmed it.

  “Good morning, you two!” she shouted with glee as she pulled her bag out of the car and headed over to the steps leading up into the plane. “Are you ready to kick some ass?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Yeah, this mission was probably going to be stressful and risky as hell, but I had to appreciate her positive attitude. It’d get us farther than strategy alone.

  “Are you alright there, Warner?” I asked, eyeing our Cyber friend warily. He nodded a bit, but his eyes looked nervous as he made his way up to the plane.

  “There are sick bags on board, right?” he asked shakily, which did nothing to quell my concerns.

  “I don’t know. I think so.” I peered around the corner but caught Charlie the pilot’s eyes instead. He waved a few of the disposable single-use bags in the air, and I gave Warner a gentle nudge as I pointed over in Charlie’s direction.

  “Oh, thank you.” Warner looked relieved as he reached over and took the stack from Charlie’s hand. Concern flitted across Charlie’s face, but I wordlessly assured him I had a handle on things. Looking over at the mess that was TJ Warner, I had my doubts about that assurance, but I’d do my best.

  Charlie looked a bit skeptical, but he pressed forward regardless. “Now that we’re all on board, I was told that there was some sort of technology screening being put into place. I’m not to put the plane into the air until it is completed.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Warner muttered. It made sense for Warner to be the one to handle anything tech-related but now didn’
t seem like the best time. “I need to collect all of the electronics. Phones, tablets, laptops. I will be turning off the GPS trackers and installing a jamming signal into each of them to ensure that we cannot be tracked from this point forward.”

  “That’s smart,” Bonnie nodded, pulling out her laptop and her phone. “What about the rest of my lab equipment?”

  “How did you get your lab equipment out of MBLIS headquarters without raising any eyebrows?” I asked, surprised that it had even been possible.

  Bonnie shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve learned that if you act as if you’re supposed to be doing something, you’re not often questioned about it. Also, I went later in the day. The place was empty, and no one even saw me.”

  I lifted an impressed brow. I was sure that someone would notice the missing equipment at some point, but there would be little they could do at this point.

  “I’d scanned all of your equipment quite a ways back,” Warner replied as he took Bonnie’s laptop and phone from her. “That’s all been secure for a while. I’m more concerned about personal electronics. You will all still be able to reach out to friends and family at home, but I strongly encourage you all to avoid it. We need to assume people are listening at all times, and we know how friends and family can be when it comes to sensitive information.”

  It was true. Some friends and family were more aware of operational security than others, so the best rule to follow would be to keep everyone out of the loop. People can’t talk if they weren’t given the information, to begin with.