Fire Defender

by Rodney Hartman

  “Drive,” she told the man.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Mick buckled his seatbelt and placed the car in gear. “Where to Cap—uh, Boss?”

  “Were you able to get a safe house?” Cynthia asked, anxious to find out if the man had completed his mission. If he can’t handle a simple task like that, then I don’t want him on my team, she thought.

  “Yeah, I got one,” said Mick as he weaved his way through Covington, in the direction of the mountains. “I rented us a farmhouse ten miles outside of town. It’s well off the road. The closest neighbor is a mile away. The realty company assured me it had enough room for a group of twenty or more. It’s fully furnished. I used our cover story about the company retreat.”

  Cynthia was semi-impressed but kept her face stern. “Head there. The first of the others will be arriving at the airport at six tonight. Our team leader, Harrison, should arrive tomorrow. Once you drop me off at the house, you can head back to Seattle to start shuttling the other teams to the safe house.”

  The man nodded his head. “Fine by me. Did you find anything out about our mission? The message you showed me mentioned old ladies.”

  Slightly irritated by the man’s impertinence, Cynthia almost didn’t answer. No, she thought. He’s new. He doesn’t know the lay of the land yet. He’ll learn soon enough.

  Eyeing the man, Cynthia said, “Our good Mr. Thomas knows something. When I mentioned the sisters’ names, he became evasive.” She spied a two-story building with a sign declaring it as the Covington library. After glancing at the time on her cellphone, she pointed at the building. “Change of plan. Drop me off there. I want to check on something. It’s a little after two. Give me an hour. While I’m there, I want you to find out where Mr. Thomas lives. Once you get back from the airport this evening, you can stake the place out. In the meantime, I’ll get our techs to monitor his cellphone. He mentioned a son. Check him out as well. Unless I miss my guess, our Mr. Thomas will be trying to make contact with our mysterious Mamie and Myiata before the day is out.”

  Mick pulled into the drive and parked behind a blue pickup. He frowned. “What are you going to do at a library?”

  “That is no concern of yours. Just do what you’ve been told. Meet me back here in an hour. We’ll go to the safe house then. After that, you can leave for the airport.”

  Cynthia saw a flash of red come over the man’s face, but he merely nodded his head. Hmm, she thought. Maybe he’s not as stupid as he looks. At least he knows when to keep his mouth shut.

  Remembering how eager she was to know things when she first started working for the Council, she decided to ease up on her new partner a bit. She gave him her smile. “I’ve found that libraries in smaller places like Covington still have copies of archive material that isn’t available on the internet. While you’re making inquiries about Mr. Thomas and his son, I’m going to see if I can find any references to our mysterious Mamie and Myiata.”

  The red left Mick’s face. “Smart. Uh, how forceful do you want me to get in my uh…inquiries? The realtor at the rental company told me the people in town are pretty closemouthed.”

  Cynthia dropped her smile. “We need to be discreet. Burn that word into your brain. For the moment, our mission is to locate the two sisters. That’s all.”

  Mick glanced at her, then grinned. “And if discreet don’t work so good for us?”

  Turning in her seat, Cynthia grabbed a briefcase the man had given to her earlier. She opened it and removed a silencer for the .380 caliber automatic. Screwing on the silencer, she placed the .380 in a specially-designed pocket on the inside of her jacket. “If discreet doesn’t work, then we’ll just have to be a little more insistent, won’t we?”

  Mick patted a bulge under the left side of his own jacket and smiled. “Yeah. I guess we will.”

  Chapter 7 – The Library

  _______________________

  At two o’clock on the dot, Alec walked through the front door of the Covington library. The motorcycle helmet on the study table farthest from the receptionist’s desk was the first thing to draw his attention. The second thing was a dark blouse with one bare shoulder sticking out from underneath a mass of dirty-blonde hair.

  Looking around, Alec noticed the library was semi-crowded. He nodded at a few of his friends who were apparently getting in some extra studying before mid-terms. The library had five other study tables strategically positioned around the first floor’s rows of bookshelves. Unlike Tess’s table where she sat alone, the other tables were full.

  As he walked past the receptionist desk, he waved at Shirley MacAfee, Aunt Mamie’s assistant. Somewhere in her mid-forties, she was a younger version of Aunt Mamie. “I see you’re busy today.”

  Shirley looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. “Happens every time the principal gives you seniors an early release day.” She pointed at the stairs located next to the receptionist area. “There are even more of your classmates in the archive rooms upstairs.”

  Alec glanced upward. The second floor was more of a half-floor than anything, and the doors to the four research rooms were visible over the balcony. As Shirley had said, half a dozen students were visible in two of the rooms. Glancing back at Tess’s table, he wove his way past the other study tables and headed in her direction. At his approach, she looked up. Surprisingly, she actually gave a half-smile before waving at an empty chair on the opposite side of the table.

  She does look a little hot, Alec thought trying to keep his eyes on her face but failing miserably. The bare shoulder and low cut of her blouse kept drawing his attention. A heated feeling worked its way into the pit of his stomach as he drew closer to the table.

  Hurriedly taking a seat, Alec looked at the stack of books next to the one Tess had been reading. He gestured at the pile with his left hand and said, “Hmm. Discrete mathematics and advanced calculus. Not exactly the light reading I’d expect from a waitress at Big Jack’s.”

  He halfway expected the bad-girl to take affront or throw back an insult, but again she surprised him by laughing. She’s a lot less intimidating when she laughs, he thought. It makes her eyes sparkle.

  “Yeah, well, for all you know, we waitresses spend our spare time in the back of the kitchen discussing quantum physics and solving world problems.” She laughed again. “Besides, I don’t plan on working at Big Jack’s the rest of my life. I’m good at math and the sciences, so college will be my chance to break the cycle. I’m just trying to get ahead of the game.”

  “The cycle?”

  Tess grew a little pink. She stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Never mind. Slip of the tongue. The end result is that I need to keep my grade-point average high to have any hope of getting a scholarship. I’ve got my sights set on a full-paid tuition. Maybe rich boys— Err…sorry.”

  Alec noticed her cheeks turn even more pinkish.

  “What I mean is that I can’t take a chance with my grades,” said Tess as her cheeks returned to a more normal color. “That’s why it’s probably best to just let me do the project. I’ll slap your name on the paper when I’m done. You can just go throw your little football around and take your A when I turn the project in. Simple.”

  Drumming his fingers on the table, Alec shook his head. Her attitude irritated him more than he cared to admit. “That’s not the way I operate, so forget it. Now, we can either keep arguing about it, or we can split the project tasks up between us and get it done.”

  He noticed her frown before staring hard at him. He locked eyes with her, refusing to be the first to blink. I don’t care how pretty she is, he thought. I don’t back down from anyone. Somewhere in the staring contest, he noticed her eyes were golden in color. No, he thought. They look more yellow than gold.

  Whether a trick of the light or something else, the yellow left her irises and he found himself staring into two perfectly golden eyes.

  “All right,” said Tess giving in. “Then divide it is, but the first time I catch you n
ot pulling your share of the load, I’m doing it myself.”

  “Deal,” Alec said. “So let’s get started. My coach is having a team meeting later this afternoon.”

  Despite the girl’s choices in wardrobe, Alec found Tess well-organized. She’d already gone over the project specs and labeled them in descending order of difficulty. When she tried to give him the easier sections, he had to set his foot down and demand a more equal division of duties. He could tell she was irritated, but it passed quick enough. It didn’t take him long to notice that whenever Tess became irritated, her golden eyes took on flashes of yellow. Since it was a little disconcerting, he tried to keep her irritation to a minimum.

  As they were talking, Alec noticed a nice-looking redheaded woman in a dark pantsuit approach the receptionist desk. As he watched, Shirley pointed at the stairs leading up to the rooms devoted to the research archives. The redheaded woman nodded and headed for the stairs. Alec watched as she walked up the stairs, his eyes drawn to the curves he could see through her tight-fitting suit. Once again, a warm feeling began working its way into the pit of his stomach.

  “You done studying?”

  Alec hastily looked away from the stairs. Tess was staring at him. Her eyes had more than a few yellow flashes.

  “Uh, I was just looking at that woman. She’s, uh… I think she’s new around here.”

  “I know what you are looking at, Mr. Johnson. You made it more than obvious. Now, can we get back to the project? I’ve got to leave soon.”

  Alec wasted no time in returning to the project specs. During the course of dividing up their duties, he noticed Tess twisting at the ring finger of her right hand while studying a page of her notebook. “Why do you do that?”

  Tess looked up. “Do what?”

  “I was just noticing you have a habit of rubbing or twisting at your right ring finger sometimes. My grandmother tends to do the same thing. I was just curious.”

  Taking her left hand away, Tess said, “Like you said, it’s just a nervous habit.” She glanced at the clock on the wall near the receptionist’s desk. “It’s past three. We’re not going to finish this now. Do you think you can meet me tomorrow, so we can finish figuring out the best way to approach the project? I’d like to get started on my part of the assignment.”

  Alec surprised himself by asking, “Do you like pot roast?”

  Tess had started to put her stuff away but stopped and looked at him. “Pot roast? That’s a strange question. I don’t think I—”

  “Sorry. I guess that does sound a little weird,” Alec said feeling his face grow warm. “What I mean is that my grandmother is fixing pot roast for supper tomorrow. There’s only the two of us, but she still fixes food for an army of twelve. I was just thinking if you wanted to come over early, we could finish doing our thing with the project before supper.”

  Tess raised her eyebrows.

  Noticing the irises of her eyes flash specks of yellow, Alec decided to beat a hasty retreat. “Hey, it was just a thought. No press—”

  “I have to be at Big Jack’s by six tomorrow,” said Tess sounding like she was trying to think of a way to make it work.

  “Perfect. Grandma usually has supper at five. I’ll tell her to bump it back to a quarter ’til. I don’t have practice tomorrow, so I’ll be there around four-thirty or so. If you want to come, come. If you don’t—”

  “I’ll think about it,” Tess said shoving the last of her books into her bag. “What’s the address?”

  Alec started to grab a paper and pen out of his notebook but changed his mind at the last second. “I’ll text it to you. What’s your number?”

  Tess looked at him out the corner of her eye for a second before smiling. “Now that’s a new way to get a girl’s phone number. Invite her to your grandma’s for supper.”

  Face reddening, Alec opened his notebook and started to pull out a pen.

  Tess’s smile grew wider. “It was a joke. I can see you’re way too serious sometimes.” She gave him her cell number, threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her helmet, and turned to leave. “See you later, rich boy.”

  Alec watched her go. His eyes involuntarily took in her slim figure and the movement of her hips. The heated feeling in his stomach returned. He noticed several other guys in the library watching her leave as well. Their stares irritated him for some reason.

  Gathering his things, Alec headed towards the front door. As he approached the receptionist station, he noticed the redheaded woman was back talking to Shirley.

  “Did you find what you needed?” Shirley asked the redhead.

  The woman shook her head. “Not really. Perhaps you can help me. I have a friend who used to have some relatives living in the area. He’s lost contact. Their first names were Mamie and Myiata. That’s about all I know. Do you have any suggestions how I might locate them?”

  Alec noticed Shirley frown. He wasn’t sure why. Walking over to the desk, he said, “My grandma’s name is Myiata. And my—”

  “Alec,” said Shirley, her voice terse. “Your aunt’s off today. Perhaps you should head on home.”

  The redheaded woman turned to Alec and smiled. Alec thought her smile made the woman look even prettier.

  “Your grandma?” said the woman. “Myiata’s an unusual name. Perhaps she’s my friend’s relative. I don’t suppose you’d mind telling me where she lives. I’m sure my friend would appreciate it.” She smiled a smile that made Alec’s legs grow weak. “I would be most appreciative as well.”

  Alec blushed bright red. “Uh, Grandma’s got a farm in the Gray Gables subdivision. I could—”

  “Do you mind if I ask your name?” said Shirley, her voice growing strangely harsh. “Maybe you could leave your name and number. If Alec’s grandmother’s interested in long-lost relatives, she can give you a call.”

  The woman’s smile dropped, but it reappeared almost immediately. “Of course.” She pulled something small and white out of her pocket and handed it to Shirley. “Here’s my card.” She turned to Alec and gave him another one of those knee-weakening smiles. “I’ll be in town for a few days. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” With that, the redheaded woman turned and left the library.

  Turning to Shirley, Alec said, “What was that all about? You know Grandma’s the only Myiata in town. Grandma has to be the one she’s looking for.”

  Frowning, Shirley waved a finger at Alec. “Typical teenager. You’re too trusting. You don’t know the first thing about someone and you’re ready to tell them your life story.” She looked down at the card in her hand. “Cynthia Jager. World Wide Enterprises. There’s a cellphone number but no address.” She handed the card to Alec. “Give this to your grandmother. And don’t be talking to strangers.”

  Alec repressed a smile. Grownups in town are way too suspicious, he thought. To Shirley, he nodded and said, “All right, but I think you’re overreacting. She seemed nice enough.”

  Shirley laughed. “You mean she seemed pretty enough. You just make sure you give that card to your grandma.”

  Alec stuck the card in his back pocket, gave Shirley another nod, and exited the front door. He looked around hoping to see red hair but saw no one. He glanced at his watch, then headed for his truck pushing thoughts of the redheaded woman from his mind.

  The coach will kill me if I’m late to another meeting, he thought. I’ve got to keep my priorities in order. Nothing’s more important than getting my football scholarship.

  Chapter 8 – The Safe House

  _______________________________________

  It was well after ten that night before Mick got back with the last of the surveillance teams. Colonel Harrison had caught an earlier flight than expected and taken charge the moment he arrived at the safe house. Cynthia wasn’t disappointed. While she could and had handled the administrative aspects of past missions, she much preferred the hands-on actions required of field agents.

  “That’s the last of the crates from the rental t
ruck,” said Mick as he hefted a two-meter-long metal box onto a folding table. “The driver wants to know if he can head back to Seattle now. He told me he’s supposed to bring out another load tomorrow.”

  Cynthia looked around the bustling first floor of the safe house. All the furniture in the extra-large living and dining rooms were piled to one side to make room for tables loaded down with computers and other electronic equipment. She could just see two field agents sorting weapons on a table in the kitchen. Past them was a screened porch containing aluminum cans filled with ammunition. Several rocket-propelled grenade launchers leaned against the wall in one corner of the porch.

  Overkill, Cynthia thought. Way too much for a simple M4 surveillance mission.

  “Uh, what shall I tell him?” asked Mick sounding a little impatient.

  Making a command decision, Cynthia looked at her driver. “Tell him to go. Then I want you to find us a couple of cots. Get yourself some sleep. I’ve got a feeling tomorrow’s going to be busy.”

  Mick yawned. “Fine by me. I’ve earned my pay for the day.”

  After her teammate headed for the front door, Cynthia made her way to the kitchen. She spotted Colonel Harrison. He was a lean, gray-haired man in his sixties wearing a black jumpsuit. He was looking over the shoulder of one of the techs at a large computer monitor that displayed a map of Covington and the surrounding area. A dot to the south of town flashed red. She could just make out the words Gray Gables on the screen.

  Colonel Harrison fixed her with a hard stare and waved her over. “You sure about this location?”

  Cynthia nodded. “Positive. A Myiata Johnson lives there with her grandson. The farm’s next door to that Taylor guy I told you about. Whether she’s the Myiata we’re looking for, I can’t say.”

  The colonel glanced at another computer screen before turning his gaze back on her. “I need you to be sure,” he snapped. “Three of the colors are coming with one of the major assets. They won’t be pleased if they arrive and all we can say is that we’re not sure.”