Puppetmaster (Coastal Fury Book 8)

by Matt Lincoln

  Still, it didn’t stop me from worrying, and I added that to my ever-growing list of concerns as I turned my attention back to my dinner plate. Regardless of whatever else might be going on right now, I was determined to finish my steak.

  Chapter 20: Ethan

  Knowing that Alejandra would be as protected as possible helped to calm my nerves on at least one front, but after sitting on the couch for a couple of days, I was about to lose my mind. I needed to get up and go do something, anything, to help move this process forward. My shoulder was healing quite well, no doubt thanks to Tessa’s extra attention, and I was feeling ready to take a more active role in this situation.

  An idea had come to me while I was blankly staring through the television screen after one of my naps. There were some major flaws to the idea, so I would need to work out the details with the rest of my team.

  “No. Hell no.” After I had gathered everyone around the table and laid out my admittedly rough idea, Header had immediately responded with crossed arms and a harsh voice.

  “Why not?” I asked pointedly. “The bakery is the only lead we have. Let’s go back, but this time, we’ll be smarter and more well-prepared.”

  “They know we’re here,” Header replied as if that should have been obvious to me.

  “Well, I know that,” I argued. “Look, I didn’t work through the details. That’s why I asked you all to join me around the table. We need to take action here, and the bakery is the obvious place to go. There are definitely downsides, most notably that they already know who I am, and that they already know we are after them.”

  “Those are both huge downsides,” Tessa pointed out. It surprised me that she was speaking up, as she was usually content to just sit back and listen during our meetings, but she had a point.

  “They are definitely huge downsides,” I agreed before turning to the rest of the table. “So my question is, how can we mitigate this risk?”

  The table was silent for a moment until Warner spoke up.

  “I’ll do it,” he announced confidently.

  “No. Hell no,” I insisted, realizing that I sounded just like Header. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Why not?” Warner looked puzzled, but when I looked up at Header for support, I found none.

  “Oh, come on, Header,” I called out, tossing my hands up in exasperation. “Warner’s the softest target.”

  Header merely glanced over at Tessa, and I realized how wrong I was.

  “Warner is one of the softest targets,” I amended. “Regardless, he can’t go in alone. It’s suicide.”

  “Not if I do it right,” Warner chimed in, “and watch who you’re calling soft. I can do a lot from behind my computer screen.”

  “That makes you soft,” Header pointed out. “It’s not the negative word you may think it is. In this situation, though… Marston, I think you’re wrong.”

  “What?” I sat back in my chair in disbelief. “You really want to send the Cyber guy out onto the field instead of us?” I slammed my fists down onto the table, unwittingly sending a sharp pain up to my shoulder, which I ignored. “I almost got shot in the head last time. Twice! And that was before I actually got shot!”

  Header considered my words before he turned back to Warner. “You said you would do it right,” he repeated. “How would you do that?”

  Warner beamed, and I could tell he was about to overwhelm us with his tech skill set.

  “I can set my own tracker,” he announced. “I can set it under my skin so that no one can take it from me. If I do get caught, you can track me to wherever they are taking me, and that gives you a fresh lead.”

  “So, we are using you as bait?” I interjected. “I don’t like that at all. A lot of things can go wrong.”

  “I know,” he admitted, “but do you have any better ideas? This is for Holm. This is for our jobs. I’m not offering this lightly. I’m here, and I can help. So, let me help.”

  I pursed my lips as I considered his plan.

  “Also,” Warner continued, “no one knows who I am. I can go in during the day, plant a bug, and we can listen in on what goes on behind the scenes. So, we either get the bug planted, and we can hear their next moves, or I get caught, and my tracker shows you their next moves. Either way, it’s a win-win.”

  “Except for the fact that we may not be able to get you back,” I reminded him. “I wouldn’t toss that in the win column.”

  “Well, no,” he admitted, “but so far, that’s the only downside.”

  I looked over at Header, who shrugged. “You know, Marston, you and I are the ones with experience in the field, and we can both stand here and agree that our buddy TJ here is putting himself at severe risk by doing this, but this isn’t MBLIS. There’s no ranking system. We aren’t the bosses. We can’t tell him no. If he’s adamant and has a plan, I say let’s do it. I’ve heard worse ideas.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was a jab at me or not, but I opted to ignore it. “My only hesitation is that this is at the risk of his safety, and of his life. Put Warner in our shoes when we went into the bakery. The outcome would have been drastically different.”

  “Most likely, yes,” Header agreed. “Warner is going in during the day during normal business hours, right?” He turned back to Warner, who nodded enthusiastically.

  “I’ll blend in with the rest of the customers,” he reminded us. I sighed and looked back at Header.

  “Alright, fine,” I conceded, “but let it be on record that I don’t like it.”

  “It’s a good thing that there’s no record then,” Header teased. “Okay, TJ. We will get you to that bakery late tomorrow morning. Be ready to go then. Also, let’s do a few tests on this tracker tonight? I don’t want any technical issues tomorrow.”

  “You insult me,” Warner said with a chuckle. “Did you forget who you’re talking to? There won’t be any technical issues, but sure, I’m always up for a chance to show off. Besides, I want to give Bonnie an opportunity to mess with it firsthand before tomorrow. If I do get picked up, someone is going to need to access the tracker. Marston isn’t as bad as Holm is with technology, but I’d still like it in the most knowledgeable hands.”

  I held my hands up defensively. “You’ll get no argument from me there,” I admitted. “I don’t want that responsibility. I trust Bonnie.”

  “Me too,” Header agreed.

  With all of the details worked out, we spent the rest of the evening sending Warner out on long trips across the base while Bonnie showed us the computer screen. We watched him ride a borrowed bicycle around the perimeter of the base, and then we sent him walking to the front gate and back. Each time, Bonnie showed us exactly where Warner was on the map, along with how fast he was going. We could also see some of his stats, like his heart rate and oxygen saturation.

  “Why did he put that in there?” Tessa asked when she noticed that detail.

  Bonnie shrugged nonchalantly. “He said it might come in handy. It very well could, too. If they decide to try to torture some information out of him, we will be able to see his level of distress. It will also serve to reassure us that he is still alive.”

  I looked over at Tessa to find her face pale, and her expression shell shocked. Apparently, Bonnie took notice of that at the same time, because she immediately began to backpedal a bit to soften the impact of her words.

  “That wouldn’t happen, most likely,” Bonnie added in a reassuring tone. “We just want to take every precaution possible.”

  Tessa didn’t seem convinced. “This family seems ruthless,” she replied after she recovered. “I wouldn’t put any of that past them. I’m glad that TJ thought of this.”

  “Me too,” I added softly, offering Tessa a compassionate look. While the rest of us worked some gruesome cases through the years, Tessa was a civilian through and through, and I could see how Bonnie’s blunt delivery may have affected her more deeply than it had affected everyone else in the room.

  When Warner came b
ack from his last trip, he was breathing a bit heavy, and sweat was beading up at his hairline.

  “When I agreed to a dry run tonight, I didn’t think it would be this much work for me,” he breathed, collapsing onto the couch. Bonnie chuckled from her perch at the dining room table.

  “You did great!” she called out cheerfully. “Your heart rate is in a good range. Apparently, you’re in pretty good shape!”

  “Hooray,” he muttered unenthusiastically. “The real question here is, how did the dry run go?”

  “It went great,” I assured him truthfully. “We could track your every movement, your speed, your physical condition… It's pretty genius.”

  “Well, thank you,” he replied, his voice a bit more upbeat.

  “Yeah, we knew so much about you, it kind of weirded me out,” Header teased. “It’s definitely creepy from a conspiracy theory, tinfoil hat point of view.”

  “Oh, knock it off, Header,” I chuckled. “I’ve been to your house. You’re definitely prepared in case the world crumbles around you. I’ve known you to point out a conspiracy theory or two, yourself.”

  “Oh, absolutely!” he agreed, breaking out into laughter. “Just ask Rosa. She actually made me a tinfoil hat. It’s in my room, you know, in case of emergencies.”

  We were all laughing by now, and I could not picture Header actually wearing the hat. I made a mental note to request just that on my next trip to Puerto Rico.

  “In all seriousness though, Warner, this is all pretty damn impressive,” I called out, getting the conversation back on track. “I feel better knowing we can keep tabs on you the entire time.”

  “Good,” Warner replied, sitting up on the couch. “Hopefully, we won’t need it, but it’s nice to know that it’s there.”

  “Exactly,” Bonnie agreed.

  Somewhere in the pit of my stomach, though, something was telling me that we would definitely be needing this tracker, and it wasn’t a good feeling at all.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Warner announced suddenly. “I spoke to Farr, and he is swapping out our cars for an SUV. This way, we can all fit into one vehicle, and we can also pull up onto the scene without worrying about someone recognizing our car. So, if you hear a vehicle in the driveway later, that’s what it is. By morning, we will have the SUV waiting for us.”

  “You really did think of everything,” I chuckled. I had to be honest, the level of detail Warner had gone into while planning this event impressed me.

  Warner shrugged. “I tried to, anyway.”

  As we all began to unwind for the evening, I was at once anxious to move forward with our mission and terrified that something awful would happen to Warner. It was a battle that was raging in my mind, and I knew it wouldn’t lead to a solid night’s sleep. I was right, too. As I tossed and turned through the night, my mind raced with worry, and I had half a mind to cancel the entire plan.

  With Warner so adamant, however, I knew that wouldn’t work out in my favor, so all I could do was hope that tomorrow went as smoothly as we had planned.

  Chapter 21: Ethan

  Despite another breakfast surprise from Tessa the next day in the form of more bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, I was not having a good morning. A horrible night’s sleep hadn’t done me any favors, and I didn’t think that any amount of coffee would set my mind straight, at least not while Warner’s life was at risk. We gathered around the dining room table, the smell of bacon and melted cheese wafting past my nose as we all dug into our food. I took my time, savoring each bite while I tried my best to ignore the unsettled feeling in my chest.

  “So, Warner, are you nervous?” Header asked around a mouthful of food. He seemed to be in good spirits, though Warner seemed a bit more reserved.

  “Is it bad if I say yes?” Warner asked hesitantly.

  “Not at all,” Header assured him after he swallowed his food. “Nerves are good. You’ll be more aware of your surroundings. As long as you’re not too nervous, you’ll be fine.”

  “No.” Warner shook his head as he picked up his bagel. “I’m confident in my plan, but I am a bit on edge. I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m much more suited for a behind-the-scenes role.”

  “You can always back out,” I reminded him. “It’s not too late.”

  “Nah,” Warner chuckled. “I already injected a tracker beneath my skin. I have to see this through. Otherwise, I did all of that for no reason.” Bonnie laughed beside him, and even Tessa giggled.

  “That’s a fair point,” Header acknowledged, a playful smirk on his face.

  I quietly took a bite of my sandwich. Warner’s mind was made up, and I knew that there would be no talking him out of it. Honestly, other than the personal risk to Warner, it was a great plan. Even if it went poorly, we would still gain intel from it, and I decided to focus instead on that silver lining. Regardless of what happened, we would know more later today that would hopefully lead us to actionable intelligence.

  When we had all finished our sandwiches, it was time to get ready for our mission. This time, I was taking no chances. While a bulletproof vest would stand out far too much in a daytime crowd, I could very easily conceal-carry a pistol in case something went horribly wrong without drawing any unwanted attention to myself. Header and I both set our pistols up before tucking a knife into our respective boots as a backup, and then we all piled into the SUV. As Warner had promised, the big, black Suburban had been waiting for us in the driveway this morning, and as I walked past it, I noticed just how deep the window tint was. It was ideal for this mission, where we had to take as many stealth opportunities as possible.

  Driving through Brooklyn didn’t take long, and I saw the Parachute Jump looming over the neighborhood of Coney Island way sooner than I’d expected to. Being that it was late morning, the multicolored lights running the length of the tower were dark, but it still stood proudly over everything below it. As we maneuvered through the heavy crowds, most of which didn’t bother moving out of the way for us, I spotted the Mellen’s Bakery storefront from down the street and noticed the line that was spilling out the front door.

  “Wow,” I breathed, impressed at the length of the line. “They may be horrible people, but I guess I’m not the only one who loves their damn mini pies.”

  Header laughed from the driver’s seat. “Looks like Warner is in for a long visit.”

  “That’s good, right?” Warner asked, peering out the back window. “I’ll have more of a chance to scan the place in order to find the best spot to plant this thing.” He flipped a small coin-shaped device in his hand, admiring it thoughtfully.

  “That’s true,” I agreed. I didn’t bother pointing out that the more time he spent in there, the more time it gave the Mezzanottes to become suspicious. If they knew we were here in New York for them, they would certainly be on heightened alert for anyone acting suspiciously.

  Header found a spot to pull over, and he turned around to face Warner once he’d come to a full stop.

  “It’s just an errand,” he reminded him. “Don’t forget Marston’s mini pies.”

  Warner grinned excitedly. “It’s just an errand. See you in a few.” With that, he hopped out of the back seat and quickly shut the door behind him, tugged on the bottom hem of his t-shirt to straighten it out, and headed over to the end of the line.

  The row of people waiting outside Mellen’s was a diverse lot. A younger woman with braids in her hair kept checking her watch right outside the front door. Behind her, a dad held a little boy’s hand and tried to rein in the kid’s excitement. The boy was jumping up and down and shouting something with a huge smile planted on his face. The older woman behind them, her gray hair tinged with purple, laughed along with him, which only caused him to tug harder on his dad’s arm every time he jumped.

  I looked over at Warner. He stood there at the end of the line with his hands shoved into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. His t-shirt had Star Wars characters on it, and his expression looked almost bore
d. Considering what we knew about his excitement surrounding this mission, the bored expression was pretty damn impressive.

  “What do we do?” I asked, looking back at Bonnie. She’d been quiet for the entire trip, but now she sat there with her laptop open, presumably to track Warner’s movements.

  “We stay here,” Header decided, sitting back in his seat. “For all anyone knows, we are regular customers, and Warner drew the short straw and has to stand in line. You and I will keep an eye out for traffic and anything suspicious that would require us to move. Bonnie, you keep tabs on Warner. We are less conspicuous if we stay in place.”

  “Hiding in plain sight.” I felt uncomfortably exposed sitting right in front of the bakery, but Header was absolutely right. I would have said the same thing if the roles were reversed. Pulling away right now would only draw attention to us, and by association, to Warner as well. We couldn’t risk that, so we had no choice but to stay put.

  Time seemed to drag on as Warner inched forward in line, but when I looked to the clock on the dash, it had only been a couple of minutes. I sank down in my seat, scanning the side-view mirror and the street in front of me for any indication that something was wrong. So far, things seemed to be going smoothly.

  Warner rounded the corner and entered the bakery, and to his credit, he did not turn around to glance at us before entering. When he passed the doorway, we lost our visual, and I immediately turned to Bonnie.

  “It’s all on you now,” I pointed out, probably unnecessarily. “We can’t see him anymore.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” Bonnie nodded, her eyes fixated on her laptop screen. “I’ll let you know if anything weird happens. His heart rate is a bit high, but I’m sure his nerves are shot right now.”

  “That makes sense,” Header mumbled from the front seat. He focused his gaze on his side-view mirror, but whatever he’d seen must have moved on, because he snapped out of it and turned to face me.