Hallowed Ground

by Mary Alford

  Blake shook his head. “Nothing. I don’t know. Like I said, I can’t explain it. At least promise me if anything happens to me, you’ll take care of Erin.”

  Jax couldn’t make out Blake’s expression in the moonless night. He’d tried to dismiss Blake’s misgivings as pre-mission jitters. They all had them. “There’s nothing going to happen to you. We’ve gone over the details. All the possible scenarios. We’ve got this.”

  Still, Blake didn’t let it go. “I’m serious, Jax. I’m asking you as my friend. You’re the only one I can trust. Make sure you look after her. Don’t let anything bad happen to Erin, but don’t let her know what you’re doing. You know how hardheaded she is. She’ll fight you every step of the way if she knows.”

  At a loss for what to say, Jax gave his word. He didn’t like the direction the conversation had taken. It was bad luck to talk about such things the day before a mission. “You know I will, but nothing’s going to happen to you. You’ve got a case of the jitters is all.”

  Blake whirled to face Jax. Fear in his eyes. A thousand times since that night, Jax wished he’d asked more questions. “Maybe. Still, I’m counting on you. And if something does happen to me, get her out of this mess. Get Erin out of the Agency. She deserves a life outside of all this.”

  He’d willingly agreed, and yet a month passed and he hadn’t done a thing to fulfill his promises to Blake. He hadn’t had a serious conversation with Erin since planning Blake’s memorial service.

  Truth was, he was having his own crisis because of work. He’d lost his drive. And worse still, he wasn’t sure he believed in the cause anymore.

  The phone on the desk buzzed, startling him out of the disturbing memory. He glanced at his watch, remembering the time. The debriefing. This one would be the hardest, because it was the first one Erin would be attending. She’d be forced to relive those gut-wrenching details, and they were no closer to bringing in Al Hasan than they had been that night.

  Jax grabbed the receiver, said hello, and listened to Director Dean’s assistant Phyllis as she informed him the director would like a word with Jax in his office before the debriefing.

  “Did he say what this is about?” Jax asked, surprised by the request. It was foolish of him to try to glean intel from the director’s assistant.

  “No, but he’s expecting you right away.”

  This wasn’t good. Coleman Dean was a legend in the field in his day. He’d been part of the first wave of CIA agents to infiltrate Afghanistan when the War on Terror began following 9/11. Now, since he’d taken over as director, he was all about following procedure. He went through the proper channels to requisition a pencil. His orders always trickled down through the assistant director. An entourage of agents had surrounded Coleman at Blake’s funeral. Which brought Jax back to his original assumption. Whatever Dean had to say wouldn’t be good.

  Jax took the elevator two floors up. The whole atmosphere on this floor exuded grandeur.

  The director’s personal assistant was waiting for him when he got off the elevator. “This way, Agent Murphy.” She didn’t wait for his answer as she spun, and he scrambled to keep up. Phyllis didn’t stop until she stood in front of the double doors leading to the man whom some said held the future peace in Afghanistan, if not the entire Middle East, in his hands.

  Phyllis opened the doors, stepped inside, and expected Jax to do the same. He followed her more slowly and waited while she closed the door once more. “Agent Murphy, sir.”

  Jax’s attention locked on the man seated behind the opulent ash wooden desk. To say Coleman Dean could be intimidating was like saying summers were hot in Texas. The man wore his power like a very expensive suit.

  Director Dean hadn’t moved a muscle, and Jax wasn’t sure what was expected of him. Before he could do anything, he realized the director wasn’t alone. Peter Martin, the Assistant Director, and Jax’s immediate superior, sat across from Dean. Another man stood at the window with his back to them.

  “Thank you, Phyllis. That will be all,” Director Dean commanded. Without a word, his assistant disappeared through the doors once more.

  “Agent Murphy, have a seat.” An order, not a request. While Jax walked the distance to the desk and sat, the man at the window turned toward them. It was the secretary of defense, Royce Kirkpatrick. Jax’s previous misgivings kicked up another level.

  Director Dean didn’t bother with introductions. “You understand whatever is discussed within these walls stays within these walls. And I don’t have to tell you what you are about to hear requires more than the utmost of confidentiality. It’s a matter of national security.”

  Jax gave the director a nod in agreement then answered as an afterthought. “Yes sir, I understand.”

  Satisfied with Jax’s answer, Director Dean nodded to the secretary of defense.

  The gravity of the meeting was reflected in Kirkpatrick’s stone-cold tone. “Agent Murphy, we have reason to believe the recent . . . happening in Afghanistan might not be the result of the enemy insurgents as first believed.”

  Jax tried to discern something from the SOD’s expression, but the man seemed to have perfected the give-nothing-away stare.

  “I’m afraid I’m not following you, sir.”

  Kirkpatrick glanced at the director before answering. “I’m saying someone on our side is responsible for what happened in Belzadah. Someone with very high clearance.” He paused a moment as if to gauge Jax’s reaction. “Someone from your team, Agent Murphy.”

  Someone from your team . . . It took a moment for the gravity of that accusation to sink in. Someone from his team a traitor? Impossible.

  Jax bolted to his feet. His outrage wouldn’t allow him to remain seated any longer. If he could have, he’d have walked out of the office and slammed the door. The one thing holding him back was the need to understand how the secretary of defense had come to such a drastic conclusion. There had to be some evidence to back his allegation.

  Keeping his anger in check became a next-to-impossible feat. He gritted his teeth when he spoke. “With all due respect, Secretary Kirkpatrick, that’s ridiculous. There’s no way anyone from my team is a traitor. I vetted them myself personally. They are all patriots.”

  “Agent Murphy, you’d be well served to watch your tone,” Director Dean barked out the rebuke, anger flushing his neck.

  The SOD held up a hand. “It’s okay, Coleman. I’m sure this is all coming as quite a shock.”

  “Jax, have a seat,” his close friend Peter Martin urged under his breath.

  Jax’s first instinct was to leave the room and his superiors behind. Yet he sat back down because he needed to know the source of their suspicions. And that niggling in the back of his thoughts had him coming to the same conclusion. He endured the uncomfortable glances exchanged by the three men.

  “I realize this has to be . . . difficult to hear, Agent Murphy. Learning that one of your comrades, and I dare say friends, might be working for our enemies abroad can’t be easy, but I’m sorry to say there is no misunderstanding. Someone from your team is dirty. We aren’t accusing anyone yet, but ferreting out the traitor is of utmost urgency. We can’t afford to have one of our own betraying us.” Kirkpatrick moved away from the window and took the remaining vacant seat. His sigh held the weight of the world on it.

  “As you know, things have not gone as expected in Afghanistan. The loss of our troops and our agents is great. We can’t afford any more disasters like the ambush in Belzadah, or the people of this country will demand someone be held accountable. The safe house in Belzadah was deemed secure less than twenty-four hours before that ambush. No one but your team knew about it. Which leads us to believe someone with intimate knowledge of the raid tipped off the insurgents that we were going to be there. It’s imperative that we find the mole and bring that person to justice, if that hasn’t already been accomplished.”

  If that hasn’t already been accomplished?

  It finally clicked what the sec
retary of defense was implying. “Wait, are you saying that you think Blake Robertson was the mole? That’s preposterous. I knew the man well. He was my friend and one of the best agents the CIA ever produced. He wasn’t the mole.”

  “Maybe not, but someone from your team is.” Director Dean interjected with a hard edge to his tone.

  Jax faced the director head on. “How do you know it isn’t me? Or Peter, or even you, Director Dean?”

  “Jax . . .” Peter’s warning tone was easy to pick up on.

  Jax knew he was treading on dangerous ground, yet he couldn’t help it. What was being suggested was absurd.

  The secretary of defense tried to smooth the waters. “It’s okay, Peter. Agent Murphy has asked a legitimate question that needs to be addressed. The reason everyone in this room has been ruled out is because each of you has been handpicked by each other . . .”

  “And my team was handpicked by me. I trust them with my life. You’re looking in the wrong direction.”

  “You didn’t let me finish,” Kirkpatrick said. “Director Dean and Assistant Director Martin were in position long before these . . . incidents began to take place. You’ve been in the field since before Assistant Director Martin took over. The loyalty of the people in this room is not in question. So, with all due respect, Agent Murphy, someone from your team, Agent Robertson included, is a traitor, and we need your help to bring this person to light as quickly as possible.”

  “You want me to snitch on one of my own?” Jax asked in disbelief.

  “That’s not what he’s saying at all. Don’t you see that we have to figure out who did this? Lives are at stake. Our people are dying. We can’t afford any more mistakes out there,” Peter said.

  Jax blew out a breath. He understood what Peter was saying, and he was right. The price in lives sacrificed for the war was already tremendous. If someone on his team was dirty, he wanted to know. If not, he wanted to clear their names.

  “All right, I agree with you. What do you want me to do?” Jax had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  The secretary of defense actually smiled. “Good. I appreciate what you have invested in your team, and I know this is hard. To start with, there will be a series of subterfuge missions taking place over the next few weeks. You’ll give the orders, and you’ll let one member of your team know the exact location we are targeting each time. Your team will perform the missions as if they were real. We’ll need every member deployed. That means Agent Sandoval will return to active duty abroad immediately. Assistant Director Martin will be heading up today’s briefing. He’ll announce the first upcoming mission, keeping the details as brief as possible. As always, the location of the attack will not be disclosed to the rest of the team until they arrive.”

  Jax dismissed the idea of Erin going out in the field immediately. “Agent Sandoval isn’t fit for active duty yet. It’s too soon. She still has injuries, and she lost someone close to her. That takes its toll.”

  “We’ve all lost someone close to us.” Director Dean made his disapproval crystal clear.

  The secretary of defense arched a brow at the director before reining in the direction of the meeting to the point at hand. “I understand your concern—we all do—but in the interest of national security, I don’t believe this can’t wait.”

  “She’ll be ready,” Peter answered without sparing Jax a second glance. Jax would have argued, but his friend didn’t give him the opportunity. “Secretary Kirkpatrick is right. This can’t wait. Erin’s a professional and a patriot. She’ll do what she needs to do.”

  Jax got to his feet and headed for the door. “I hope you’re right, Peter, because the battlefield is not the place to discover you’re wrong.”

  Chapter Three

  The moment Jax stepped into the debriefing room Erin could tell he had news about Blake’s case. She scraped back her chair and got up. Before she reached his side, Assistant Director Peter Martin stepped into the room. Now was not the time. She returned to her chair and watched as Peter scanned the faces there until he spotted Jax’s rigid frame leaning against one of the walls, arms crossed. Residual anger simmered between the two friends. She could see it from where she sat. Further emphasizing her belief that something big had happened.

  Peter moved to the head of the room. “Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started,” Peter said. “We have a lot to cover. First, I appreciate how hard everyone’s working to find Blake’s killers, so I’ll be brief.”

  Peter was taking the lead when normally briefings were all Jax’s. Something was clearly off.

  “There’s important news. Blake’s contact reached out to me recently. He wants to keep working with us,” Peter announced, the information snapping Erin’s head toward the front of the room. She recalled something Blake had said once about the asset. He told her the man trusted no one. He’d refused to speak with anyone but Blake. What changed his mind?

  “Our asset has given us what we believe to be the current location of Al Hasan, the man behind the attack at Belzadah according to the asset. I don’t need to tell any of you that we have to act quickly on this.”

  Peter brought up drone photos showing a desert area some distance from Kabul. The location appeared close to the Mendiu Pass, a porous gateway into Pakistan and a known Al Qaeda passageway.

  The photos showed an unusual amount of activity around a village, but there was no sign of the training camp that had previously been their target.

  “This was the last known location of the camp. It has since moved, but our asset assures me it is close, as is Al Hasan.”

  Erin studied her teammates’ reactions. Dylan Gaines and Sam Herring had both been part of the team since its inception. Their doubt was evident in their expressions. Tyler Barrett, another agent, had joined the debriefing. No doubt he’d be taking Blake’s place.

  “You leave for Afghanistan tomorrow at 0200 hours. As you know, the journey will be difficult. You’ll be heading into some dangerous territory where enemies of the US are everywhere. Taliban, Al Qaeda, unfriendly tribesmen, not to mention a few desert creatures that could be as lethal as any carefully placed bomb. Most locals have no idea about the friendly agreement between the US and the Afghan nation.” Peter glanced around at the people seated there.

  “I suggest you all get some rest. It’s going to be a rough couple of days. Since the team is a man short, we’ll be adding Tyler Barrett to this mission. Tyler, get with Jax. He’ll bring you up to speed on what you need to know. More details will be made available once the team is in the country, and as needed. In light of what happened to Blake, details will be made available on a need-to-know basis only. I’m sure you can appreciate the necessity of confidentiality. Lives are at stake here, people. We can’t afford another death.”

  Peter paused for a second. “Questions?” he asked the shocked room. No one spoke up. “Good. Then, I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” Without another word, Peter left the room.

  After the initial shock wore off, voices jumbled together asking questions. “How does Peter know this is the same guy that Blake trusted?” Dylan asked with skepticism before he turned to Erin. “Did Blake ever mention the asset’s name to you?”

  She shook her head. “No, never. As far as I know, the man trusted no one but Blake.” She looked to Jax. “What if this guy isn’t Blake’s contact at all? We could be walking into another setup.”

  Jax held up his hands. “It’s legit and that’s all I can say. You heard Peter. We’re a go. I suggest you prepare for this assignment because it’s going to be a difficult one.” Without looking at her, Jax left the room, leaving stunned silence in his wake.

  “Well, I, for one, don’t like it.” Sam was the first to speak. “Something feels off about this.” Several of the others nodded, Erin among them. But what choice did they have? If there was even the slightest chance this man was Blake’s contact, and they could capture Al Hasan and bring him to justice for taking Blake’s life and the lives of
others, they had to take it.

  Promise me, if anything happens to me, you’ll get out of this. You’ll leave the CIA. I don’t want you to do this without me. Reality dawned hard. She was going back into the field. Could she handle it without Blake?

  Erin glanced around the room and realized it was empty. An uneasy chill sped down her spine. This new mission—being back here without Blake—sent her emotions into turmoil.

  She rose to her feet and headed past Jax’s office. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

  The door stood open. Jax spotted her.

  “Erin, hang on a second,” he said.

  The last thing she wanted was another emotional conversation with him. She struggled to recapture her composure. Thinking of Blake brought back so many painful feelings. At times, she could almost see him smiling. Hear his laughter.

  Jax stood in the doorway of his office watching her. A moment later, he retreated inside, and she reluctantly followed. He held something in his hand. She realized it was a photo she knew by heart.

  He saw her looking at the photo and shook his head before placing it back on his desk. “Are you sure you’re up to going back there?” he asked, not unexpectedly. He was worried about her. He’d seen how emotionally shattered she’d been. Still was.

  All she could do was be honest with him. “I have no idea, but I want to be part of it. If we have the chance to bring Al Hasan down, I’m not missing out.”

  His gaze dropped to the desk. He didn’t like her answer. “It won’t be easy. We’re heading into some bad country.”

  Erin knew all his concerns by heart because she shared them. “Don’t worry. I can carry my weight.”

  His face twisted as if in pain. “I’m not concerned about that. You’re one of the best agents I’ve ever worked with, but you’ve been through a lot lately. I’m worried about you.”