by Tracy Brody
Inside, chairs at three rows of long tables faced a whiteboard. A setup similar to an aviation briefing room, except there were no maps on the walls. Nothing detailing any missions. The sterile vibe pricked at her like hundreds of tiny needles tap-dancing on her arms.
Mack and Tony’s voices carried down the hallway. Mack ambled to her side, but Tony beelined to Ray.
“How’d you sleep?” Mack asked.
“Barely.”
He gave a sympathetic humph. “Same here.” He reached to pull her to him, but she drew back, nodding her head in Tony’s direction. “He’s, uh, already on to us. He’s perceptive that way. You don’t need to worry about him. I promise,” he added in response to her you-didn’t look.
She acquiesced and let him pull her against his solid chest. In the safety of his arms, the tension drained from her body as she soaked in his strength for a few precious seconds. Though Ray and Tony ignored them, as far as she knew, she couldn’t stay cocooned here forever. She eased back.
“Where are the girls?”
“I dropped them off at the Shuler’s this morning. Tammy’ll take them to church and keep them until we’re through.”
“I’m sorry you’re missing out on time with them.”
“Don’t be.” His words came out with surprising force. “It’s not your fault. This impacts them, too.”
Yes, it did, and that reality kept her awake last night. If Herrera killed Josué’s family, what would keep him from going after Mack’s daughters? After Stephanie and Alexis?
Voices in the hallway stopped her mind from going back to dark places. The Bad Karma team rolled in over the next few minutes. One man literally rolled into the room.
Kristie didn’t recognize his face, but his leg was encased in a halo brace and extended out from the wheelchair. The smiles as the men greeted him by name left no doubt that he was their teammate wounded in Colombia. Playing a part in this happy reunion gave her a small sense of satisfaction.
Hunter did a double take from his wheelchair when he noticed her, then spoke discreetly to the team.
“Nobody told you we replaced you with a chick?” Juan said to him.
“What? No way. I heard he might be gay, but …” Hunter checked her out more thoroughly.
“I’m the new medic,” Devin informed Hunter, then stared Juan down. “You the one spreading that rumor? Would it make a difference if I was gay?”
“Guess you’d make a good wingman at Jumpy’s Place since we wouldn’t be competing for the same women.”
“You’re going to be disappointed then.”
Ray rolled his eyes at his team’s antics, but their teasing brought the stress level down a notch.
“Staff Sergeant Devin Grant, our new medic.” Ray made introductions. “Staff Sergeant Andrew Hunter. And this is Chief Kristie Donovan. She’s the Black Hawk pilot who flew the extraction in Colombia.”
She stepped forward. “Nice to see you conscious and on your way to recovery.” While she was truly thankful that he’d survived, a voice inside her head lamented again that no one had gotten to Eric in time to save him. Life never promised to be fair, but it sure seemed determined to shovel crap at her feet lately.
“Thanks for saving my life,” Hunter said.
“Credit for that goes to your team.”
“Don’t let her downplay it. She flies even better than Hanlon shoots,” Tony said. “You missed all the action, being unconscious.”
“I would have traded places with you,” Hunter said dryly.
A brief silence enveloped the room. It could have been any one of them who took the brunt of the IED and crash. Mack. Ray. If that had been the case, how different would things be today? She studied Mack’s profile. The idea of him not being in her life brought on an ache almost equal to the one left by Eric’s death.
“Does this meeting have something to do with Operation Sparrow?” Hunter asked.
“We may have fallout, which is why we wanted everyone here who was involved,” Ray answered.
“Grant wasn’t on the team yet,” Hunter said.
“He is now, though. Guilty by association. He’s need-to-know.” Ray ended that discussion without elaborating. “Colonel texted he’s on his way over from the meeting with Intel.”
Kristie didn’t speak up, either. She didn’t want to believe the likes of Baltazar Herrera would be aware of her existence, but the pieces added up to his being very aware of her and her part in rescuing the girl.
A dark-haired man strode in. He studied the gathered personnel with a hawk-like gaze. He appeared to be in his early forties, his tanned skin had the texture of mortar-blasted concrete, and his ramrod posture commanded attention even though he wore civilian clothes. “Everyone here?”
“Liu’s out of town. The rest of the team’s here, sir,” Ray reported. He motioned Kristie over. “Colonel John Mahinis, Chief Kristie Donovan.”
The colonel shook her hand. “Thanks for being here, and for giving us the heads-up.”
She took a seat at the front table across the aisle from Mack, with Ray by her side.
“We’re still collecting data, but it’s been difficult getting thorough intel on a Saturday night and Sunday morning, especially from foreign partners. However, thanks to Chief Donovan, we’re now aware of threats against the team as a result of Operation Sparrow and have enough intel to determine there is a verifiable threat.” Mahinis made eye contact with the men in the room.
“Intel got confirmation from the Colombians after your mission that three wounded locals were brought into the area hospital. One of those men died shortly thereafter. And here’s where it gets interesting, none other than Baltazar Herrera showed up at the hospital and identified the KIA as his son, Juan Pablo.”
“Please tell me they arrested Herrera,” Tony interjected.
“Hospitals there don’t have security. Though I’m sure Herrera had his own security team,” Ray pointed out.
“Exactly. Someone at the hospital made a call to the authorities. By the time they arrived, Herrera’s bodyguards had herded him out.” Colonel Mahinis sounded pissed but not surprised. “According to Intel, Herrera lost his shit when he found out his remaining son was dead. Swore vengeance against anyone and everyone responsible in Juan Pablo’s death.”
“Good luck with that. It’s not like Herrera knows who the hell we are. And if he did, does he really think he could deal with Bad Karma?” Walt Shuler sounded cocky, but Kristie realized Juan Pablo’s death gave Herrera killer motivation for wanting payback. Made more sense than torturing Josué and his family because they’d rescued the judge’s daughter.
“Chief Donovan’s name would be in the Colombian pilot’s report, which Herrera’s sources must have gotten hold of. I did review her report, which only refers to you as ‘the package,’” the colonel assured the team.
“I spoke with Kristie after we landed. The co-pilot could have told Herrera’s thugs we knew each other.” Ray’s comment changed the mood to downright oppressive in the room as the men took that in. “Why was this information about the Herreras not passed on to us?”
“Guess our Colombian allies didn’t feel it was pertinent.” Deep disdain draped the colonel’s last word. “If it weren’t for Chief Donovan—and I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Chief—but we would be unaware of this threat.”
“No apologies required.” She couldn’t blame them for any of this.
“How the hell did Aviation get information on this threat?” Juan sounded indignant.
“One of the guys in my old unit talked with another of the Colombian pilots we were training. He told Paul that my co-pilot that day went MIA. He and his family were found. They’d been tortured—and killed.”
“Sonofabitch,” someone muttered when she paused.
“Clearly, the cartel,” Devin mused. “How do you know it’s related, though?”
“We had suspicions Chief Donovan was being followed on more than one occasion after she got here,” Ra
y filled in the team, “but we attributed it to an insubordination issue with a former co-worker she encountered. This weekend, her neighbor in Savannah told her about a delivery attempt made after she transferred to Bragg. Not only was it suspicious, but the timing fit, and the Colombian pilot knew where she was based. After she learned about her co-pilot … easy to connect the dots to Herrera since the neighbor told the delivery guy she’d transferred here.”
“Shit!” Tony looked wide-eyed from her to Mack.
“She did get eyes on the two men who followed her the second time,” Ray said.
Colonel Mahinis nodded in agreement. “Hunter, your name may be accessible through hospital records. That’s why I wanted you here today. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?”
“No, but I haven’t been out much, other than rehab.”
“I want to get you and your family someplace safe until this threat is contained. You have any place to go?”
Hunter paused to think, then shook his head.
“What about Master Sergeant Boswell’s fishing cabin? It’s close, and no one would think to look for you there,” AJ suggested.
“That’d work,” Hunter said.
“See if you can set that up.” The colonel motioned between them. “Chief Donovan has been staying with you, Chief?”
“I moved into a hotel last night,” Kristie clarified.
“I’d like to have you someplace even more secure,” the colonel said.
Crap. If they wanted to isolate her to the point she couldn’t work, it wasn’t going to sit well with Colonel Ball.
“If you’re on post that will add another layer of security. I’ll arrange for you to get a room at the Landmark Inn. What about your phone and social media?”
She could live with staying on post. “I rechecked everything last night. Privacy settings on my social media were restricted to my friends only. I haven’t been tagged in any photos since I got here. No one but me can view my location history. I’ve now deactivated my accounts.” Hopefully, that wasn’t too little, too late.
The colonel nodded, seemingly impressed.
“Can you talk to my fiancée and get her to understand the importance of privacy regarding military security?” AJ sounded so serious she turned around and saw his expression matched his tone.
Part of her awareness was Eric’s influence, combined with not having an active social life recently—other than Mack, which neither of them was sharing.
“Her phone’s”—Mack hesitated—“GPS locator is off as well. Even if they did get her number, they shouldn’t be able to track it.”
“I’d rather err on the side of caution. Porter, check it for shadow programs. You’ll need to get a new phone and number. Only give that number to the chief, as needed for work, and absolutely necessary family members.”
She breathed easier when no one questioned Mack over knowing about her phone.
“What do we know about her being followed?”
“Both times, it was around the airfield, and she was able to lose them.” Mack spoke up when Kristie didn’t answer right away. “She’s been following evasive security protocol, so we don’t think they’ve tracked her to the Chief’s or had access to her car, which Vincenti and I dissected already. It’s clean.”
Scumbag Sheehan following her that day may have saved her life. She might have to send him a thank-you—if she could think of the perfect thanks-for-being-an-asshat gift.
“Herrera is rich enough and crazy enough to think he can take out a Spec Ops team, but this isn’t Colombia. His men are on our turf. His problem is he’s got to find out who you are.” The colonel studied the assembled men.
“We can’t rule out that they’ve used another vehicle or that there could be more than the two men she’s seen,” Ray added.
“We do know they would recognize her vehicle, though,” Mack brought up.
“If we want to change out vehicles, she can drive my SUV. I can ride my Harley,” Tony offered.
“We could keep switching it up. She can use my car or my Jeep in the rotation,” Devin chimed in.
“How many vehicles do you have, Grant?” Juan asked so loudly that everyone looked in Devin’s direction.
Devin shrugged, though he dropped his gaze to the table.
“He also rides that sweet Ducati.” Tony stared at Devin with narrowed eyes. “Trust fund, or you hit the lottery? Don’t make me think you’re linked to some cartel.”
“I … got a little inheritance,” Devin mumbled. “Can we, uh …?”
“Boy Scout, you buy beer for the next team get-together. The good stuff.” Ray grinned. “Now, let’s get back to business.
“We could take turns being her Uber,” Juan suggested. “Different person, different car every day. That’d make it tough to pick her out.”
“Even if we put her in a different vehicle, they could recognize her, and it could tip them off we’re aware they’re following her,” Mack countered, playing devil’s advocate.
Kristie felt the walls starting to close in on her freedom. Worse, these guys tended to think they were invincible and didn’t see the flaw in their plan. “He’s right. Having me spotted with any of you will put the entire team at risk.”
“You have a point,” the colonel agreed. “We don’t want to make you a target, but we need to stick to the status quo to have a shot at intercepting Herrera’s men.”
“I’ll install a security camera in her car that’s motion-activated,” Tony said. “Run it manually while you’re driving or if you see anything suspicious. If anyone approaches your car when it’s parked, we’ll get an automatic notification and pictures to work from. Probably a good idea to put cameras on your street, too, Chief—in case they did follow her there.”
Heads bobbed as the plan began to come together.
The colonel fixed his gaze on her. “I want you armed at all times, and it wouldn’t hurt to spend time on the shooting range. While you’ve been through SERE school, it would be a good idea for refreshers with the team. Start with defensive driving. The chief can make a list and come up with a schedule that works with yours.”
She didn’t see how this would put an end to the threat. “If you do catch them, what then? What’s to keep Herrera from sending more people to try to get to me, then get to you?”
“We use them to find out where Herrera is,” Ray declared.
These guys were boots on the ground. Used to taking the fight to the enemy. If they were Air Force and could determine the right location to call in an airstrike, that’d be one thing, but Ray meant the team going down to take out Herrera. Despite their skills and training, the lopsided battle sent an unsettling feeling straight through Kristie’s body into her bones.
She tried to pull back to view the situation from a different angle. There had to be another way to keep Herrera from getting to her to learn the identities of these men without putting their lives in jeopardy.
Thirty-Two
Kristie hesitated. With Colonel Ball’s head down, it wasn’t too late for her to keep walking past his office. Instead, she raised a leaden arm and knocked on the open door, committing herself.
“Donovan, come on in. Colonel Mahinis brought me up to speed on your situation.” He shook his head in a disbelieving manner. “Whatever you need, time off, set your own schedule, you let me know.”
His accommodation made this harder. “I’d like to run something past you. Get perspective from someone not personally involved in, um, this mess.”
“Of course.” He pointed to the chairs across from his desk and assumed an authoritative posture.
“The current plan is for Bravo Team to escort me to and from post to the airfield. Keep me safe until they identify my tails. Then turn the tables on them.”
“Mahinis shared that.”
“We know Herrera has two men here, but it could easily be more, as well as vehicles that I’m unaware of. These guys pose a risk to my team.”
“Or anyone at the
airfield, if they tried something here,” Colonel Ball stated in a mundanely matter-of-fact manner.
Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. She’d been fixated on Ray’s team. Their families. Herself. But Colonel Ball was right. There was nothing to keep Herrera’s men from trying to get to her here. It was the one place they knew she’d be. “If you’d prefer not to take the risk of my reporting for duty, I can use my accrued leave …”
“I’ve already planned to increase security, but I’ll run it past Mahinis. He’s confident they can protect you. Now, if you have concerns about your safety, we’ll reevaluate, but if we do that, it’ll disrupt the Special Ops team’s plan. Hopefully, they’ll identify and intercept your tail. If their plan works, it could lead them to Herrera.”
“I’m concerned the men tailing me might catch on and be able to identify the team—who are their main target. Herrera could send more people.” Then came the part she didn’t like. “If any of his guys went MIA, it gives Herrera a heads-up they may be coming.”
“And he’ll have the home-field advantage if our guys go there,” the colonel agreed.
“Bravo Team knows they aren’t invincible, but this threat extends to their families. They won’t play it safe to keep them safe.” Which is why she needed someone unbiased to reaffirm her decision. “They’re still gathering intel, but right now, it looks like Herrera doesn’t know about the injured operator. Which means I’m the only connection he can make to them.”
“What are you thinking?”
“If I’m not in the equation, Herrera has nothing.”
Colonel Ball leaned back in his chair. His brows furrowed as he studied her.
“I’m asking for a transfer.”
“But—”
“I know I just got here. If I join a unit that’s deployed though, Herrera can’t get to me or get any useful information from me.”
His eyes widened. “True. It’d be next to impossible to find you or access a base there. You can’t stay deployed forever, though.”
“No, but it would give us all more time to come up with options for security. Herrera would have to find where I’m based next—since I wouldn’t come back here.” As hard as she tried to sound committed, her voice quivered.