9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  “Yes. Is there a threat, Intel, or anything they’d need my guy for?”

  “President Davis and President Gomez are meeting in two days in El Paso to discuss how to secure the border and help the Mexican economic situation.”

  Frank whistled. “That’s big.”

  “News won’t be released to the press until the evening before Davis leaves D.C..”

  “Security tight?”

  “Yes, it should be, since the Secret Service is completely and totally in charge. But I find it strange that VP Rafferty has told the CIA, NSA, and FBI to stand down.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “I agree. It’s almost as if someone is afraid of insulting the Mexican president by having too much of a presence at the meeting. Leave it to Rafferty to try to be politically correct.”

  “You talk to Doug Morgan?”

  “He’s gone to the mountains in Colorado with his family.”

  “And?”

  “I’ve done everything except send a Saint Bernard there to find him.”

  “So, Davis is going to be right by the Mexican border, and only the Secret Service is covering him? What about the El Paso PD? Are the two presidents making speeches in public?”

  “Of course, they will.”

  “Where? Chamizal National Park in El Paso?”

  “That’s my guess.”

  “Can we at least count on the Park Services?”

  “They haven’t even been advised officially the president is coming.”

  “That’s some serious shit, Vince.”

  “I don’t doubt a thing you’re saying. Problem is I don’t have anything to go on but a bad feeling. I’ve put a tail on Rafferty. I don’t trust the son of a bitch. He’s too power hungry.”

  “I don’t blame you. Never doubt your feelings.”

  “Frank, are your agents available?”

  “I’ve called in every man.”

  Silence hung heavy on Vince’s end.

  “Chavez is up to something, Frank. So is Rafferty. I have a meeting with the president this afternoon. Can you join me there?”

  “I’ll fly out now.”

  “I’ll get Doug out of Colorado if I have to go get him myself. He’s a man we can both trust with our lives and the life of the president of the United States.”

  ***

  Georgetown, D.C.

  Monique tossed her cell phone on her unmade bed and plopped onto the firm mattress. She’d removed her Bottega Veneta heels, picked them up by their straps, and flung them against the closet door.

  Anger nearly suffocated her. Of all the double crossers, Angel Diaz had been the worst. Not only had he taken her money, but if what he’d said earlier was true, he’d wrapped Oscar Chavez around his finger, also.

  That flat sucked.

  After her long day and most of the night, Monique stretched across the bed. She had to make sure Kate Stone never told what she knew. If she did, the whole thing would blow up in their faces.

  Not that she really cared. Yes, she did want to be first lady but no longer knew if she was willing to put up with all the stupid idiots required to make that possible. Ron was a royal pain in the ass. The thought of waking up next to him every morning nearly turned her stomach.

  And Ben Reed was the most obnoxious person breathing. Him, she could take care of. Once this all went down, Reed would become expendable. She might just destroy his whole career.

  But Angel Diaz was a dangerous man to the entire operation. And there was Kate Stone.

  Maybe it was time to call in the big guns.

  Chapter 16

  Two phone calls and three hours later Jake flew in to the village again. While waiting, Brody, Kate, and A.J. had stayed close. Not taking any chances with one of them getting captured. Frank had a plan, and Jake had brought them everything they needed to pull it off.

  Between Jake’s comings and goings, Brody had been relentlessly insisting Kate fly back with Jake, but she refused. She wanted to see the fight through. A.J. admired her for that, but it angered Brody.

  Few women, even CIA agents, would volunteer to stay in this hellhole. Few would demand the right to fight a battle in which their chances of winning were slim to none.

  It didn’t take long for Brody and Kate to unload the few supplies. Brody hated to see Jake leave, but he knew keeping him any longer would run the risk of Chavez’s men shooting down the plane.

  Brody shook Jake’s hand. “Thanks buddy. Tell Frank we’ll do our part.”

  “He knows he can trust you to get the job done.”

  Brody chuckled and brushed back his hair. His eyes sought out Kate. “This time’s no different.”

  Jake followed his gaze. “Looks like you and CIA lady made up.”

  Brody smiled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

  Jake looked worried. “I hope it works out, man.”

  “It doesn’t always end on a bad note, Jake” Brody grasped his shoulder. “Sometimes we actually win. I have to believe that. I wish you would too.”

  Jake’s dark, empty eyes stared at him. “I’ve heard that before, but I’ve personally experienced how bad it can hurt.”

  Jake climbed into the cockpit of the plane, waved good-bye, and coasted down the dirt road.

  Brody and every Falcon employee had been crushed by the murder of Jake’s wife and young daughter. No one could make sense of it, and though their search was unwavering, they had never brought the perpetrators to justice. Jake lived with that pain every day.

  A.J. went into the hut they’d been assigned and laid on the pallet. Padre Ayaaya came in and checked on him. “You are looking much better, my friend.”

  “I feel better. But it’s going to take a long time for me to get my strength back.”

  “I thought you’d leave with the airplane.”

  “No,” A.K. said, carefully eyeing the padre. “I’m too sick to travel right now.”

  “But the girl?”

  “Refuses to leave Brody.”

  “I am shocked by all this. I thought the three of you would be safely on your way home by now.”

  “We will be tomorrow. Tonight I have to get some rest.”

  “Rest well, my friend.”

  A.J. closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, his back to the door. He tried to fall asleep. He had to regain his strength. About the time his eyelids became heavy, footsteps approach and they didn’t belong to Kate or Brody.

  ***

  Frank stepped off Falcon’s private jet and Vince Colanglo greeted him with a powerful handshake and slap on the back. “Haven’t seen you in a while,” Frank said.

  “Too long.”

  “You know Tony Archuletta, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I’m glad to see you again, Tony.”

  The men shook hands and headed for the helicopter that would take them to the White House for their meeting with the President of the United States.

  Once inside, they didn’t say anything. The twenty-minute trip had them safely on the White House lawn right on time. Even though they were with the CIA Director, they all went through security.

  On their way to the West Wing, one of the president’s Secret Service agents, Scott Wheeler, joined them and escorted the trio into the oval office.

  Frank wasn’t a fan of Wheeler. Several years ago he’d applied for a job at Falcon, and the man looked good on paper. But during the interview process, Frank couldn’t connect with Wheeler on a personal level. That meant in a critical situation he couldn’t be sure how Wheeler would react. So Frank hadn’t hired him.

  The president nodded for the Secret Service agent to leave as he shook hands with his three visitors.

  “My God, Frank, you look like hell. You’re all way too serious for this time of day,” Colin Davis said with a chuckle.

  “We tend to take national security pretty seriously, Colin,” Frank replied.

  As Davis motioned for everyone to sit, he took his chair behind his desk and folded his hands
.

  “What are we looking at?” Davis asked.

  Vince started but paused and looked at Frank. “We think there might be something amiss with this meeting between you and President Gomez in El Paso.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I disagreed with you. However, my sources tell me they’ve covered everything.”

  Frank leaned forward. “Why only the Secret Service for protection? We all know they work closely with other federal agencies to make sure you’re safe.”

  Davis leaned back in his chair. “Rafferty and Wheeler thought it best if we didn’t make a big show of force. We don’t want the Mexican government to think we don’t trust them.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” Tony said. “But we don’t trust them. And with good reason. Our borders are a shambles. The El Paso police can’t possibly handle a situation alone if it arises. And you’ve taken the CIA completely out of the loop.”

  Frank added. “You’re breaking protocol, and it might cost you your life.”

  “You think there’s a valid threat out there, Frank?” Davis asked.

  “I hear a lot of things. I don’t have the restrictions on me most government agencies carry.

  “I understand that. That’s why you work for me and the DOD, exclusively. You have the ability to find out things long before they make the normal rounds”

  “So, when I hear you’re breaking protocol, and one of my agents has been captured by the same government you plan to meet with, I get worried,” Frank said.

  “These are two separate matters. And the first thing I intend to bring up is the release of your agent.”

  “Don’t you wonder why they aren’t doing that now? I mean, as a token of good will?” Vince asked.

  Tony cleared his throat before he spoke. “We know they kidnapped A.J. Roddio and held him prisoner. Agent Brody Hawke rescued A.J. from Chavez’s prison. So, everyone has been lying, and we can prove it.”

  Colin grew quiet, and his gaze dropped. When he looked at Frank, his concern obvious. He stood. “I’m ready to listen, gentlemen.”

  “Thank you, Mr. President,” Colanglo said. “First, since we don’t know exactly who we’re dealing with, let’s keep all this on the QT. Tell Wheeler that Frank is joining you. That’s not unusual. Falcon has helped with security several times in the past.”

  Vince lowered his voice. “We’ll bypass the Vice President and all Secret Service agents, except for Doug Morgan. I want Frank and his Falcon agents to control this whole operation.”

  “You thinking something might happen at the hotel or Chamizal Park? I’ll wear a bullet proof vest.”

  Tony said, “Sorry sir, but snipers don’t aim for the chest.”

  Colin’s eyes widened and he stared. “You’re right, Mr. Archuletta. I see your point.”

  Frank said, “I don’t know where something’s going to happen nor what it might be. I only know the Vice President and Benjamin Reed with the CIA sent my men into a trap. One agent was taken, and for some reason they didn’t want to let him go.”

  “I read that report,” Davis said. “I knew it would piss you off.”

  “After that went down, Rafferty and Reed crawled under a rock and left my man out in the cold. I couldn’t buy cooperation from either guy.”

  “You think they’re going to use him for something?” Davis asked.

  “I’m thinking Oscar Chavez had every opportunity to return my agent. I know he’s there and alive because my agent Brody Hawke found him. Now we’re working on a little plan of our own.”

  Vince said, “Rafferty came to me with the plan to send Falcon agents in to capture Chavez and destroy as much of his operation as possible. Reed backed him with all the Intel.”

  “My men hit the ground in a hail of gunfire.” Frank shook his head. “They were there less than an hour. Later I learned Chavez wasn’t at La Hacienda. The Mexican police we were promised for back up never showed.”

  Colin spread out his hands. “Okay, Frank. It’s all yours. I’ll do what you say.”

  “Tony’s going to cover security in El Paso. Mac will be our sniper, and Jake will cover Intel.”

  “I know I’m in good hands.” Davis nodded approval.

  “I’d like to bring in John O’Shea from the NSA. If there’s anything out there, he can find it,” Frank said.

  “You have my approval to do what is necessary. Vince will be traveling with me to El Paso and he’ll keep me apprised of your plans.”

  “Thanks Mr. President,” Frank said with satisfaction and relief.

  Colin Davis stood and shook hands. “If it comes to the point you save my life, I’ll be most thankful, Frank.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” Colanglo said confidently.

  ***

  An hour after A.J. had been sent to rest Kate came in to find him gone. Alarmed, she went to the door and called Brody. “A.J. is gone.”

  “Gone where,” Brody asked, his eyes already searching the interior of the hut.

  “I don’t know.”

  Together they ran outside and Brody shouted, “A.J. is gone. We need to find him.”

  The villagers scattered, searching every building, but A.J. wasn’t found.

  Father Ayaaya came out. “What is all the confusion about? What is wrong?”

  “A.J. is gone.”

  “But I just saw him. He was going to go to sleep and regain his strength.”

  “Doesn’t sound like that happened,” Brody said.

  “Oh my God, who could have taken him from under our noses? Who among you is lying...working for Oscar?” Kate screamed.

  Brody took her arm and pulled her aside. Kate tried to pull away. “Someone in this village is a traitor.”

  “We know,” Brody said. “We planned it that way. A.J. had to go back. Jake brought him the medicine he needs to keep him healthy.”

  “What?” She jerked free of his touch. “You did what?”

  “Frank, Tony, and Jake think there is something big going down, and A.J. plays into it somehow. We have to wait and see what happens next.”

  “How? We’re in this stinking little village waiting for Oscar’s men to come in and kill us.”

  Brody pulled out a laptop. “We have an unmanned drone watching La Hacienda. They move A.J., we follow. He’s also wired.” Brody tapped his ear.

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Neither do I, but A.J. agreed. He knows he plays a pivotal role somehow.”

  “I can’t believe you’d sacrifice your own friend.”

  Brody stood. “I won’t let anything else happen to A.J again. We were Rangers together. But this is how it works, Kate.”

  “They’ll hurt him.”

  “Possibly, but A.J.’s strong.”

  “You’d better hope so.” She started to walk away but stopped and turned back to face him. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive you or Falcon Securities.”

  Brody reached out and pulled her into his arms. He stared at her then sought her lips, kissing her hard.

  When he broke the kiss, he said, “I care about you, but I have to do whatever it takes to see the whole thing through for all of us. Do you think I don’t know what went down between you and Chavez?”

  She backed away. “No.”

  “Kate, you got so sucked in you thought you had real feelings for that scumbag. But it was only a job. You have to keep reminding yourself of that, or you’ll roll into a ball and die.”

  Chapter 17

  Washington D.C.

  The next morning, Monique showed for work with a slight hangover, but nothing to prevent her from keeping her cover protected and her job secure. All she had to do was convince that stupid Mexican to kill Kate Stone before the damn CIA bitch blew Monique’s cover.

  How fucking hard could that be, for Christ’s sakes?

  Her cell phone rang, and after looking at the caller ID, Monique groaned quietly before saying hello.

  “Meet me for lunch at the Daily Grill.

&nb
sp; “I’ll be there at twelve-thirty.”

  “Don’t be late.”

  “Are you deaf? I said twelve-thirty.”

  That said, she snapped her phone off and left her office. She had an errand to run, and then she wanted to stop and see if Ron was okay with her kicking his ass out last night.

  She barely made it two feet before she turned the corner and almost collided with the Vice President. “Hey,” he said, taking her arm. “I was just on my way to see you.”

  “I’m glad we bumped into each other.” She forced a smile to hide her surprise. Ron had never visited her workplace. The look on his face revealed she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  “Let’s go to your office, okay?”

  Monique went willingly and took the seat behind her desk, making sure her smile stayed in place. Ron eased down on an arm of the chair across from her. “What is it?” Monique asked.

  “I don’t think we should see each other until this all plays out.”

  Monique wanted to sound surprised, but didn’t dare. This was a blessing. She didn’t have to put up with his crude remarks and listen to him whine about the president. “You’re probably right.”

  “And I’m not sure about us getting married so soon after all this settles,” Ron said flatly.

  Now, that surprised the hell out of her. What a turn around. She’d allowed him to fuck her every way imaginable to get him close to agreeing to marry her, now this is how he returns the favor?

  “But together we’re so strong.”

  He stood, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at her. “The big question is how do you fit in all this? You don’t really play a part. Besides being my whore, and I can get one of those anytime I want.”

  She rose from her chair and moved around her desk. She reached up and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. “One as good as me?”

  He stepped out of her embrace, his gaze unfazed. Her stomach turn. This wasn’t that good-old-corn-fed-country bumpkin she’d dealt with before. “They’re all good.”

  Who did he think he was? She’d put in two years, and too much effort to let her opportunity fade away to nothing. She put her hands on her hips. “We had a deal, Rafferty.”