9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  It wasn’t personal. He wouldn’t know the name of his target until a day before the strike. He’d simply get a picture and set up shop. Shortly afterwards, information about where and when would be sent to a prepaid phone. Once he’d done his part, the money would be wired to an off shore account.

  After that, he would go to the airport and fly back to Sweden. Being away from home too long made him lonely and depressed. Now that they were expecting their third child, Albin wanted to be there for the delivery. Perhaps this would be his last job. They’d saved a lot, and it was time to retire and stay home with his family in peace.

  His wife, Olga, had no idea what he did to make so much money and she was too good a wife to ask. Only his mother made up stupid lies she told friends, about him working for some computer company. While he never asked her to create another life for him, he never told her the truth, either.

  Burr thought that, like his wife, she didn’t want to know. Most women preferred to be in the dark about such matters as money, especially the kind he made. Men didn’t care so much. They didn’t need to make up lies and tell stories that only grew bigger and bigger.

  Men knew to keep their mouths shut and their thoughts to themselves. They were rarely burdened with a guilty conscience or a need to confide in another person. Like him, they wanted a simple, uncomplicated life.

  The gate attendant called his flight number. After showing the necessary papers, he fell in line with the other passengers. All of them were oblivious that amongst them stood a man who had well over a hundred kills under his belt.

  So much for safety.

  ***

  Brody pulled his gun when he heard footsteps. “What are you doing, padre?”

  As an innocent gesture, the padre spread out his arms. “I am simply walking around the village. Making sure all is well.”

  Brody placed his gun at his side and covered Kate, who rested on the blanket. “You ever see Chavez?”

  “What?”

  Squinting, he looked up at Father Ayaaya. “Chavez, have you seen him before?”

  The padre shook his head. “No, no. Never up close.”

  “Guess he doesn’t come to church.”

  “No.”

  “So, when I walked into the trap in the village, you didn’t know Chavez was waiting for me?”

  “No, I did not know. Had I known I would have warned you.”

  Brody stood and walked away from Kate. The padre followed. “I don’t know where he and all his men are today.” Brody said. “It’s kind of quiet around here.”

  The padre put his hands together. “Praise God.”

  “Maybe they’re planning a big attack?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “I’m going to have to go to La Hacienda and rescue my friend. I don’t care who gets killed in the process.”

  “Won’t you wait for nightfall?”

  Brody scratched his chin. “I’m not exactly sure what to do. What do you suggest?”

  The padre’s eyes grew large, and he stepped back. “Me?” With his hands against his chest, he said. “I have no use for violence. It is a sin against God.”

  “To bring the guilty to justice?”

  “All of this, the killing, the suffering. I pray it will end soon.”

  “You’re praying for a miracle.”

  “You are such a man of war, Brody Hawke.” The padre’s tone sounded insolent to Brody.

  “So were Joshua, David, and Gideon. God has used men of war since the beginning.”

  The priest raised his eyebrows. “You know your Bible well.”

  “Southern Baptist, remember?”

  The padre nodded. “Ah, the true believers.”

  “You’re a believer, right?”

  Father Ayaaya clutched the cross hanging from a long chain around his neck and kissed it. “I am, Brody. I am a dedicated man of God.”

  “So am I. We just show it in different ways, perhaps.”

  “I pray for you, my friend.”

  Eyes narrowed, Brody watched as the padre turned and walked toward his church. The priest swiftly crossed the dusty courtyard with long, confident strides.

  Brody stood near Alberto’s home and stared at the church and thought of the padre. While he claimed to be a man of the cloth, Brody saw little evidence of his devotion to his flock. Since arriving in the village, Brody couldn’t recall ever seeing Father Ayaaya conversing with any member of his congregation other than Manny.

  Nor had he seen anyone besides the padre enter the church. Brody didn’t claim to know a lot about the Catholic religion, but he knew many went to church daily to light candles for loved ones. He wondered who lit these candles.

  Something didn’t add up.

  Chapter 20

  Lying in the shade, Kate wondered what was missing about the report sent to Langley. A reporter who’d gained information while imprisoned in Iraq had called last month. Kate had been at her desk that day trying to write up a report.

  The caller had been frantic, scared, and refused to identify himself except to say he used to work for a foreign newspaper. He told her that a woman in Washington, D.C. whose brother had ties to Youssef el Jibar wanted to destroy America.

  Also, this woman worked in the White House and went by the name of Monique, but he had no last name. She’d been in the middle of investigating further when Brody had kidnapped her.

  Something else bothered her. The caller said Grimes and Parker were part of an American sleeper cell for the terrorist organization run by Youssef el Jibar. For months she’d thought they were two murdered heroes. Now, thinking back, their behavior during the mission had been strange, almost bizarre.

  Kate had racked her brain trying to come up with more information, but couldn’t find a thread to follow. She’d written a report detailing the anonymous call and turned it into her supervisor who forwarded it to the CIA’s main office.

  Hopefully they could investigate further. Kate had spent days waiting for the guy to call back with additional information she could send down the pipeline. So far nothing.

  Something made her think about that whole incident. What if a woman had been planted and was somehow wrapped up in the whole A.J. being kidnapped thing? Kate shook her head. That didn’t make sense at all. Did it?

  Still, she wondered who in Washington stood to gain if anything happened to the country’s leadership. How could anyone pull off something so complicated and with so many players?

  Washington D.C.

  “Come in gentlemen,” the president called out. “I want to go over the trip to El Paso.”

  “We’re making certain everything is ready,” Scott Wheeler said. “I have men at the hotel seeing that everything is checked and rechecked.” Scott looked over at Doug Morgan and patted him on the back. “And guess who cut his vacation short to make sure everything went off like clockwork.”

  Doug frowned. “I don’t like this, sir. This is far too risky. Perhaps you can convince President Gomez to come here to Washington, where we can provide proper security.”

  “We could do that.” President Davis put his hand on Doug’s shoulder. “But I think President Gomez will feel more comfortable near his own border. And it shows we’re not afraid of the drug cartels.”

  “We’d be foolish not to be cautious. Those are dangerous people,” Doug said. “They kill indiscriminately. And they have no respect for the police or their government.”

  Davis sat behind his desk. “We must show them that they can’t reach across our border and harm Americans. That includes the president of this great country.”

  “I think you’re right, sir.” Scott said. “Now is not the time to cower from criminal activity.”

  Davis caught the hard glare Doug shot Scott. He wondered which of these men he could trust.

  Morgan, without a doubt.

  Doug had been tested time and again. Six months ago, if the Secret Service agent hadn’t shoved him into a bullet proof vehicle and taken a round in the shoulder, the
vice president would be sitting in the Oval Office right now. Doug’s loyalty couldn’t be questioned by anyone, and that included him.

  Wheeler, on the other hand, seemed imbedded in Ron’s camp. Everyone on Capitol Hill knew Ron planned to be the man in the Oval Office one day. Davis wondered how far Ron would go to make that possible. Davis didn’t want to think those thoughts.

  He said, “Regardless, Frank Hamilton, and the agents with Falcon Securities are going to be in El Paso to help with security.”

  “What?” Scott asked. “Why would they be there?”

  “I think it’s a great idea, sir.” Doug smiled. “Hamilton has the best agents in the business.”

  “Thank you, Doug.”

  “Sir, do you have a reason to think something could go wrong? Is there a problem with our security?” Scott’s features turned hard and malicious.

  “No. But Falcon Securities does work for my office, and I simply asked for Mr. Hamilton’s help. They’ll take a lot off you and your men’s shoulders.”

  With a frown, Scott asked, “Who’s lead, sir?”

  “They are.”

  Scott Wheeler’s jaws tightened, and his brown eyes narrowed. “I just want to make that clear should anything happen.”

  “Falcon is there to make sure nothing happens. I have complete confidence in the Secret Service, as well as you and Doug. We’re just taking extra precautions. Vince Colanglo is more comfortable with Frank on board.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Doug said. “Frank has earned his good reputation the hard way.”

  “Yes, he’s never let me down.”

  ***

  “It just pisses me off,” Wheeler said. “That goddamn Falcon Securities is always sticking their noses where it doesn’t belong.”

  Scott and Ron sat in the vice president’s office, both enjoying a glass of scotch and a cigar.

  “Don’t worry.” Ron said, looking at the glowing end of his Cuban. “No one can stop us from achieving our goal. Kill the president and put me in his chair.”

  “I don’t know.” Scott downed his drink in one gulp. “Frank Hamilton’s guys bring a different element to the table. They could cause problems.”

  “Not when it’s revealed that one of their own agents assassinated the US and Mexican presidents.” Ron took a pull on his cigar and blew out several smoke rings. “Once I’m in office, I’ll make sure Frank Hamilton doesn’t have the nerve to show his faces again.”

  “I’d like to see them all six feet under.”

  While Scott sat tense on the edge of his seat, Ron leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the large oak desk. “Don’t worry. Once we get to El Paso, you contain those Falcon agents anyway you have to. Put them in a room and keep their asses locked up tight. Take control. Fuck the president. He won’t be around to reprimand you later.”

  “Doug Morgan is the president’s man, and he’s all for Falcon coming in.”

  “Well, maybe something needs to happen to Doug while he’s in El Paso.”

  Scott smiled, leaned back, and relaxed his shoulders for the first time in days.

  Dallas, TX

  Frank sat at his desk and looked over the list of everything they’d need for their trip to El Paso. Zoe took the chair across from him and smiled. Hell, when didn’t she smile?

  It would break her heart if she knew the guys often referred to her as Pollyanna. And he didn’t like it either, but she never saw anything in a negative light. And in his business, the whole fucking world was dark.

  Because he loved her like a daughter, those words would never cross his lips. She’d had a rough life for a while, but he was proud of the way Zoe had completely turned her life around. “Make sure we have everything on the list.”

  “I always do.”

  “And get Lucas in here to cover my office while I’m with the president.”

  iPad in hand and her fingers flying like magic, Zoe paused, looked up, and asked, “Not Tony?”

  “I have a better use for him. This assignment is right up his alley.”

  “Just you, Mac and Tony?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, you’ll be staying at the Camino Real Hotel. You and Tony will be on the fifth floor.”

  “After picking up Brody and Kate Stone, Jake will be with us as well.

  “So Brody and Miss Stone are going to be there?”

  “Yes. Send a credit card to the hotel for Kate and Brody. I don’t want anyone to know they’ve left Mexico.”

  “I’ll set them up in the Radisson nearby.” Zoe’s brow wrinkled. “Do you suspect something will happen?”

  “There’s a sleeper in that area somewhere.”

  “One of Chavez’s men?”

  “I don’t know, but Brody will flush him out.”

  Taking the pencil from the knot on top of her head, Zoe said, “I have you and Tony in rooms on each side of the presidential suite. Mac is one floor down.”

  “What about President Gomez?” Frank asked.

  She waved the pencil around like a wand. “The hotel hasn’t confirmed what room they plan to put President Gomez in, but the manager said it would be on the fourth floor where we have Mac staying.”

  Becoming dizzy, Frank forced his eyeballs away from following the damn pencil. “Okay, we can all switch around if we need to.”

  “Brody, Kate, and Jake are staying at the Radisson near Fort Bliss. I’ve notified the base to stand by should we require their assistance. The Commandant assured me we have his full cooperation.”

  Frank chuckled. “You’re really good at this.”

  Zoe blushed and smiled. “Thank you, boss.”

  Before it could get mushy, Tony walked in, much to Frank’s relief. “I’ve got us a closed circuit security link to the hotel.” He went to the laptop, typed in several codes, and up came a live feed of the hotel’s halls. “These are the three floors we’ll be covering. This is the door to the president’s room.”

  “You have the front door?”

  “I have that and the back alleyway, the kitchen and the front desk.” Tony bent over the computer. “Also several places in the Convention Center.”

  “Good work, Tony.”

  “Once they sweep the president’s room I’ll bug the others.”

  Frank shook his head. “I wish we could sync all this with the Secret Service.”

  “We could with Doug, but not Scott. I don’t trust him,” Tony said.

  “I want you to put ears on Scott’s room before he gets there. Zoe knows where everyone is except President Gomez, and we should know that later today.”

  “Okay.”

  “Be careful. Scott’s a smart guy. He’ll know where to look.”

  “Yeah, but I know places he’ll never consider, much less find,” Tony said, grinning.

  “Wish Doug was in on all this. He’s put in a lot of good years with the Secret Service.”

  “I’ll brief him at the hotel. Also, I can arm him with one of our feed lines to keep him in the loop.”

  “Where’s Mac?” Frank asked.

  “Gearing up. He left for El Paso this morning. He’s gone to hunt out the most likely spot the sniper will be. If indeed a sniper is used. He’ll also check out Chamizal National Park.” Tony looked at Frank. “If there is an assassination planned, that’s the most likely place. Mac will know that place like the back of his hand in less than six hours.”

  “Yeah, we need to find out exactly how they plan to pull this off, because if the sniper isn’t in the Park, Mac will have to extend his search,” Frank said.

  Tony’s cell phone rang. He answered it, listened for a moment, and then put the phone back in his pocket. “I have a guy running down a lead. I’ll let you know how it pans out.”

  “I’m concerned about the vice president. God only knows what’s going on in his head.”

  “I learned his regular bed partner is a Monique Sutherland who works in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs,” Tony offered.
<
br />   “We know anything about her?”

  “Not much. She’s also sleeping with the Assistant Director of the CIA.”

  “Well, that connects Ron Rafferty and Benjamin Reed. You think they both know?”

  Tony Shrugged. “If the two are in on anything, why share the same woman? Unless one knows and the other is in the dark.”

  “Reed knows everything. He’s a stickler for putting his nose in other people’s business,” Frank said.

  “I have John O’Shea tracing down everything the NSA knows about Monique Sutherland. If we can find out her agenda, we might get a better hold on what’s going on.”

  “Everything ready?”

  “Jake will pick up Brody and Kate and fly them to El Paso.”

  “What about Chavez?”

  “I think he’ll be at the conference. He has a valid passport and a private plane.”

  “So, I wonder what’s going on in Mexico,” Frank said, quietly.

  “I’m not sure. But one of my sources claims Angel Diaz is encamped with Chavez. I don’t know if he has a dog in this fight or if he’s just an opportunist.”

  “Isn’t he a confidential informant for the FBI?”

  “I heard he got greedy and they cut him, but I know he’s good friends with Reed. They did some work in Columbia.”

  Frank moved to his laptop and sent several emails to people he’d need to be on their toes. He also notified El Paso PD that the president was coming and they’d need an escort and some security help.

  “Is Diaz dirty?”

  “Filthy...and mean.”

  Frank looked up. “The player list is getting longer.”

  “It always does.”

  “I’ll see you in El Paso.”

  “Will do,” Tony said.

  “Oh, by the way, Tony, I want you and every agent on this mission to be extra careful. I don’t want carnage, but nothing, absolutely nothing, happens to the president.”

  “Roger that.”

  Chapter 21

  “It’s kind of sad to be leaving, isn’t it?” Kate asked, looking around the village.