His eyes don’t leave mine as he speaks to his mother, his stare intense as well as captivating, leaving me helpless to look away.
“Very well.”
Meredith adjusts her position and pulls a file from the oversized purse I failed to notice on her shoulder. The bag is expensive, the same as her shoes and the watch on Weston’s wrist.
“I’m going to assume by your lack of incoherency, you have no idea who we are outside of being Logan’s parents?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Good,” she smiles. “This will go so much better then.”
Placing the file on the glass table, she reaches back into her purse and pulls out a set of reading glasses.
“Logan has brought to our attention your involvement in various charities, including the packages you send to single soldiers. I’ve been in contact with Earnest Woods, your adviser for the foundation.”
Her glasses rest on the end of her nose, the gold frames contrasting against her skin, making the blue in her eyes come to life.
“I’ve seen pictures of your facility and am impressed by what you have been able to do with so little. According to my son, you are open to taking the next step by making Horizons available for anyone in need?”
“I’m open to discussion, yes.” My words have bite, although I don’t mean them to. Logan has somehow conjured up something in me, some hidden warrior I didn’t know existed.
Her smile gets a little wider. “Very good, Harper, you do have a fire in you.” As she opens the folder, I can’t help but glance down and see photos of a building with a for sale sign in front. “You’re going to need that fire in order to survive this business. Mona Jackson has already shown you how ruthless people can be.” I’m surprised by her words, assuming this community has been forgotten by the rest of the world. I’m not certain I want to know her affiliation with Mona Jackson.
“Harper, for generations my family has been in the business of helping those who cannot help themselves. Weston is a physician who has traveled the world over, rendering aid where it is needed. My focus is on literacy and the education of those who want it. With what you have started, and I hope you will allow us to help, we can make it into something many more people can benefit from.”
Lifting the photo from the stack of papers, she pushes what appears to be a contract in front of me. “Reese International would like to purchase, and maintain, the building Mr. Woods spoke highly of, as the new location of Horizons. Furthermore, we would like to award you a grant for all operating costs, including employee wages, taxes and insurance. At the end of five years, Reese International will evaluate the continuing need and any improvements the board deems necessary.”
Using the tip of her high-quality pen, she ticks off the requirements her foundation will insist upon. It’s nothing drastic, no selling of souls or pacts with the devil. From the brief period of time I’ve spent with her, I get the impression she doesn’t hear the word no very often.
As she speaks of paint colors, placement of computers, holiday pay and Christmas parties. Much like her son, she assumes I’m onboard.
“You make it all sound so simple. Just a snap of your fingers and my little shop gets to stay open.”
“More like three snaps,” she teases, but I find no humor in this conversation. “Yes, we’ve done this long enough to have ironed out all the wrinkles.”
“Yes, well, Meredith, you will have to excuse me and my narrow way of thinking. While all of this sounds perfect, it’s my experience great romances have a honeymoon phase, where hearts and flowers camouflage the imperfections. It’s when the blinders come off and the sourness of life opens our eyes, we see each other for who we really are.”
She studies my face and I wait for her to protest my unwillingness to fall at her feet and thank her for being the mighty savior who rescues me from certain doom.
“You chose well, Logan.” Her eyes are calculating and I can’t put a label on the feeling I get as I hear his laughter at her comment.
“You’re a smart woman, Harper. I’m glad to see you stand your ground, willing to let your ship sink rather than be overthrown by pirates. The offer is good for thirty days, you have my contact information here.”
Rising to her full height, smoothing down the material of her skirt, Weston is there to take her hand, a knowing smile touching his lips. Reaching over, she extends her hand, “Harper, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to hear from you soon. I do wish to leave you with one piece of free advice.”
Rising to meet her, our height is relatively similar, but the heels on her shoes gives her an advantage. “The Forbes men have a fierce fight in them and Logan has been given more spirit than any of his ancestors. Every time he’s set his sights on something: class valedictorian, getting into medical school, joining the SEALs, he had done everything in his power to achieve it. Do yourself a favor,” glancing at Weston.
“Don’t give him reason to make you his next challenge. Let him show you how right you are for each other.” Turning to the screen, placing the wide strap of her purse on her shoulder.
“Logan, you were missed at brunch this morning. Hopefully next year we can have you both at our Easter celebration.”
“No guarantees, Mom. I still have time on my contract.”
“You know—”
“Yes, Mother, I know I could get out of it. If I did, then I couldn’t look myself in the mirror or expect Harper to view me the same.”
Meredith and Weston look around my shop, complimenting on the beautiful wedding gown in the front window. I keep to myself who the gown belonged to. With a final wave, they both duck into the back of a limo and drive off down the street.
“Harper, we’ve been called up for a mission, one you know I can’t talk about.” Nodding my head, I keep my back to him, watching the people on the street as they gossiped about who was in the back of the car that just pulled away.
“I’d like to ask you a question, but I want you to think about it and give me your answer when I get back.”
Turning my body in his direction, I walk with purpose back to stand in front of the television. The silence remained and I questioned if the signal had been lost.
“Go on.”
“When you broke up with Lance, what was the one thing you regretted? Think about it. When I get back you can tell me, and yourself, the truth.”
Chapter Eleven
Logan
TO: AlexGrl17
FROM: Logan. Forbes.LT@ OPS
CC:
SUBJECT: tomorrow
Harper,
Tomorrow you are going to wake up and try to convince yourself the last few days never happened. How you hit your head or dreamed the whole conversation we had earlier. Trust me when I say my mother was right in how persistent I am.
Logan
I hadn’t meant to send an email, feeling it was better to leave her alone with her thoughts. As I packed my gear, Kincaid came in, telling me it was to my advantage to give her something she can view over and over. Since I couldn’t get on a plane and tell her myself, this would have to suffice.
I hated last minute missions to check out intel, stepping close to the enemy to listen in on his conversations. This one, in particular, would be the hardest, as it was to be our last as a group.
When we met for briefing, the message had come in halfway through the CO’s speech on rules of engagement. Reaper and Chief would be going home in a few weeks, Havoc received orders to begin his discharge process. I would be advanced to Senior Medical Officer, in charge of overseeing every aspect of the medical department.
Recent monitoring of radio chatter hinted at a possible meeting between Aarash and a known member of organized crime, Pavel Kumarin. According to conversations, the pair is in talks to move a lot of product from here to Russia, where Kumarin will disperse it to various sources. The agreement isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it does involve a Mafia Family, one who has been skirting the line of boundaries even crimina
ls consider taboo. The location of the meeting was sketchy at best, but our team had enough of a history with Aarash, we knew where the bastard would be.
Sitting in the back of the Blackhawk, I scanned the faces of my team. Memories of celebrations and a few arguments flooded my head. The time Reaper found a little girl buried under the rubble of a blast. How she clung to him for hours, refusing to let anyone else touch her.
Havoc and the moments after he was shot, when I didn’t know if I would be able to save him. Aiden, when he helped me deliver a baby for the family we discovered as we took refuge from a storm. How his eyes teared up as he handed the baby to the father, and then went outside and took out the men who had been tracking the family.
Red lights at the edge of the open door turned to green indicating it was time for us to jump. The area where we suspect Aarash to be was surrounded by hills filled with loyal villagers. We would use the cover of darkness to drop in and put an end to this meeting. Reaper would go in first, his keen eye and accuracy with his gun would benefit us the most on the ground.
Havoc and Chief would go together, increasing boots on the ground without attracting unwanted attention. Ghost and I would go last, his priority would be keeping his ear on the radio, checking for any changes or reports of our sighting.
I’d always enjoyed the feeling of free-fall, the wind rush past you as you descend into the pitch-black darkness. My mother would faint if she ever saw me do this. The first time I went home to visit after training, I stumbled into a situation where a construction worker lost his footing and was dangling by a safety line. The company had called the fire department, but with the traffic in the city, his chances didn’t look good. I had climbed up the rig, used my belt to pull him up and had him on the ground when the ambulance pulled up. My poor mother watched from the restaurant window, her hand covering her mouth. My father made her sit and have a stiff drink.
Climbing the edge of the ridge line, a few flickering lights from the burning fires reveal the location of Aarash’s hiding spot. Using the cover of an overhanging rock, we tucked in so Ghost could have a listen.
Havoc and Reaper scan the area with night vision. “I’ve got movement at three o’clock.” My eyes automatically find the coordinates he called, watching as five bodies get out of a truck.
“Aarash is moving up in the world, got himself a Hummer.” Chief joked, his knowledge of what was going on, even in the dark, astounds me.
“Wonder if this was a gift from Kumarin, or if he has been swinging on the pole?” I’d laugh at his attempt at humor later, when we were back at base.
“Doc, we’ve got chatter about Ecnal again.” Ghost called into my ear, the edge to his voice unsettling. He had scanned every channel he knew since the first time he heard the name, but nothing had surfaced except how much he had pissed off Aarash by failing to do something. Maybe the bastard knew his days were numbered and went into hiding.
“Anything relevant?”
“Depends. He’s the one who sent Aarash the Hummer.”
“Chief?”
“I’m on it.” Aiden would be able to search any shipping records, narrowing down who this Ecnal is and what business he has with Aarash.
Two more trucks pull in stopping short behind the hummer.
“Doc?” Reaper calls, his rifle pointed at the men standing around the Hummer.
“I see them, let’s see what they have to say.” Ghost pulls a cord from his gear bag, the end looks like a tiny suction cup. Pointing at the men by the truck, he pressed several buttons but can’t get the conversation to come in.
“Motherfucker got smarter,” Ghost complains through clenched teeth. “He found a way to block me.” By the tone of his voice, it's more than the inability to give us what we need, it’s the result of a long-standing game between Aarash and us. For all the ways we have to stop him, he figures out how to get around us. Sometimes I wondered how he managed to get the information he did, who he found desperate enough to sell out their own country?
“All right boys, let’s go kick some Hummer tires.”
We have at least three hours before the sun will take away our cover and we are going to need the time to get in and out of this place. Villagers around here profit greatly from Aarash and will kill us without a second thought.
Skirting the edge of the ridge, Reaper and Havoc silence a few guards who were focused more on the game they played than the men they needed to protect. Our plan was to come in from the top and ease our way into the cave Aarash had carved out for himself. We knew where it was, but what rested inside remained a mystery.
Keeping Aarash and his guests on the left, and the rocks on the right, it didn’t take as long as I thought to get around to the other side. Chief had one of his many gadgets out, searching for anything he could use to help get us inside. Just as Ghost was pulling out his listening device, Chief held up his fist, silently telling us to stop.
Getting low to the ground, “Every cave needs ventilation.” Holding up one of his meters, the green numbers going wild. He takes two steps over, pulling away some dead brush revealing what looks to be a metal cylinder.
“Bingo,” he celebrates, taking his own sense of pride from narrowing the playing field between Aarash and us. The hole is big enough for a grown man to crawl through, a way for Aarash to escape if things ever went wrong. Knowing the rat-bastard, he told the people who dug it he would use it as Chief said, for ventilation.
Chief is the first one down, his reward for finding our way in. This tiny win is enough to wet his appetite and make him search for more. As I lower myself into the hole, my nerves grip me as I fall a few feet into a room, landing on solid rock. I do a mental check of my extremities before standing to my full height. Havoc is searching for a door, while Ghost tries to check the radio. Reaper finds the exit, motioning for the rest of us to follow.
Just outside, the escape hatch is at the top of an intricate system of steps, each going off into various rooms. The astounding part, and one I didn’t consider, is the interior looks more like the inside of a warehouse instead of a mountain. Industrial looking sconces are attached to the wall every few feet. With the amount of light they are giving, there must be a massive generator around here somewhere.
“No wonder I couldn’t hear him,” Ghost taps the metal of the walls. “Reinforced titanium-alloy.” It’s the combination of the two metals which cut our ability to listen. The capability to get past one or the other is easy, but combined creates a new problem, one Ghost will figure out if I know the man at all.
“You have strange accommodations, Comrade.” A chuckling voice drifts from below, the Russian accent bounces off the walls and confirms what intel rumored to be true. We each hold our position as Havoc edges over to investigate.
“Strange it may be, Kumarin, but safe and well protected as well. No American has ever taken a breath behind these walls and lived to tell about it.”
“So, it is true then, what they say about your capabilities?”
“My abilities to trick the American military is one of many talents I possess. But this isn’t why you are here my friend.”
“You are correct. Shall we see to an arrangement?”
“Are we waiting for Andrey?’
“My son won’t be joining us.”
“Forgive me, I misunderstood.”
“No, my son is a weak man who would rather meet old enemies than build new relationships. He does not have a strong business mind like yourself.”
“Shall we get started then.”
Their conversation lingered, fading into the shadows as they moved into another room. With the all clear, Chief has another gauge in his hand, hovering it under one of the sconces. Turning over his shoulder, he motioned for us to go down the steps for two measures. Keeping our shoulders to the wall, we followed the stone steps as they descended deeper and deeper into the fortress. As we step on the second landing, Chief raised his closed hand for us to stop. Leaning his ear against the metal door, he
listens for a second, and then pushes the door open.
Deep inside this mountain, walls giving him more protection than the vaults in Fort Knox, the room behind the door looks to have been stolen from NASA. Multiple television screens cover three of the walls, the height of each seemed to touch the clouds. Several rows of long tables hold computers and monitors, each alive with color and a multitude of activity.
Ghost’s face lights up as he rushed over to one of the monitors, staring wide-eyed at the information scrolling across the screen. On the wall behind us are more televisions with the news broadcasts: American, British and a few Arabic.
“This motherfucker has his hands in everything.” Chief had found a port to plug into, his fingers flying across the keys as his eyes followed the screen. “Banks, insurance companies. No wonder Kumarin wants to dance with him.”
As I walk around the room, Reaper maintains his post at the door, his gun ready to silence anyone who comes through.
“Doc, how the hell does your family own a fucking private jet?” Turning back to Ghost, his face looking back at me over his shoulder. Crossing the space between, I look to the screen where I find what looks to be my sealed file with the government. Most of my credit accounts and expired driver's license are there for everyone to see.
“Look, he has a file on all of us: school records, where we grew up. Hey, Reaper, your taxes on your house are due. You might want to send in a check before Aarash adds your shit to his vast property holdings.”
“Fuck!” Havoc comes around the corner of the table, his tone abrupt as if he had remembered he left the coffee pot on. “That’s how he knew about Viper and how his brother hurt his knee playing pro-ball.”
Last year, on one of the last times we went out with Viper as the leader, we had been given the task of escorting a medical team across a valley. Aarash and his men were there, we exchanged a little gunfire and Aarash said some things he shouldn’t have known about Viper.
Operation SEAL: Book Two Trident Brotherhood Series Page 12