“Tex sent it. I forgot we even had a fax machine until Ivy brought the report to me,” Zane answered.
Declan and I stopped going over the reports we had spread over the conference room table and waited for Zane to go over the document.
“Christ Almighty. Either of you familiar with Omni?”
“Yeah. It’s a cross between the Freemasons and Skull and Bones,” Declan answered.
“Only the most powerful players get invited to join. Most people think Skull and Bones are the ones behind the CIA, but Omni is a few more rungs up the ladder,” I interjected. “Why?”
“Greenwold is a member,” Zane informed us.
“How the fuck did Tex find that out? No one has ever been able to confirm the club’s members.”
“Seriously? I don’t question how Tex finds anything out. You know who else is a member?”
“Warren?” I asked.
“Fuck no! That rat didn’t have the clout to play with the big boys. Stephan Perkins.”
“Vice President Perkins?” Declan inquired.
None of us were fond of the vice president. He was a yes man. Why Tom ever chose him as a running mate I’d never understand. They were opposites—polar opposites to be exact. Perkins is interested in power, Tom is not. With his second term coming to an end, and the oval office up for grabs, Perkins was running. He was pushing his own agenda hard, even going against some of Tom’s policies. Seems Perkins was pulling out all the stops on his bid for the Oval Office.
“One more reason not to like the man,” I announced. “But it’s not all that surprising.”
“No, but what it is, is Perkins, Greenwold, and eight other men all belonging to Omni, own shares in Militrix, parent company to several smaller companies. One being—”
“Camio-Telecomm,” I interrupted Zane.
“That’s illegal,” Declan added.
“Sure as fuck is, but considering Tex had to dig to find the intel, I’d say no one else knows.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “And the other 229 million? Where’s that?”
“Earmarked for a transoceanic cabling in the Gulf of Bahrain. The scope of work follows the King Fahd Causeway.”
“Sea mines?” Declan surmised.
“Don’t know. Don’t fucking care at the moment. I’m more concerned with Perkins and Greenwold’s ties to the Omni and how they fit into the Angel program. I don’t think Tom knows how deep this runs.”
“What time is he due back?” I checked my watch. Tom should be landing at Camp David any minute now.
“He said his meeting should run about three hours.”
“He’s gonna go thermonuclear when he finds out.”
“That’s a goddamn understatement.”
Zane’s phone rang, and his brows pulled together as he studied the number.
“Goddamn telemarketers and their unknown numbers.” He moved to reject the call but at the last minute answered. “What?”
There was a pause before Zane’s body went rigid, and his face went white. Declan must’ve seen the look as well because he jumped out of his seat and ran to the door. After a sharp whistle and a hand gesture, he ran back into the room.
“Repeat that?” Zane requested and placed the phone on speaker.
“I repeat,” Tex’s voice boomed throughout the room, “we’ve lost contact with the pilot.”
“Where?”
“I sent the coordinates to your phone. Wolf and his team are on the tarmac. ETA five hours. Rocco and his team are in Virginia training and en route. Ghost and the rest of the guys are in the air, they’ll be here in three hours.”
“Who else knows?”
“Gerard. President’s orders are no one else is to be notified.”
“Orders? He fucking knew?”
“He had his suspicions and left instructions regarding who was to be called in. Just you four teams, he doesn’t trust anyone else.”
“Fuck! Goddamn it!” Zane stopped and looked at the ceiling before grabbing a pen and paper off the table. “Codes and mission specifics?”
“Color of the day, white. Password, sparrow. Countersign, red. Mission name, marriage. They’ve got ten minutes on you, Zane. Stay dangerous.”
Tex disconnected, and the room was silent.
“Wheels up in five.” Zane jogged out of the room, and the rest of us took a moment to allow the gravity of the situation to settle over us.
The President of the United States was MIA.
I didn’t know which I was more concerned about, the search and rescue or how Erin was going to react.
Goddamn clusterfuck!
Chapter 27
I couldn’t get the last words Colin had said to me out of my head.
I promise we’ll find him.
Find him.
My dad was missing.
I couldn’t stop pacing. Jasmin, Olivia, Violet, and Ivy had all come into the office to stay with me while their husbands had gone out to find my dad.
The door to the conference room opened, and Jasmin had her pistol out of the holster on her hip and pointed in that direction before I could blink.
“Jasmin.” My mother’s smooth voice carried. “I don’t believe that’s a proper greeting for your auntie, is it?”
My mother’s brow raised, and Jasmin lowered her weapon. “You can never be too careful.”
Gerard was standing behind my mom, looking angry. Angrier than I’d ever seen him before. And that was saying something because I’d pushed the man to his limits with all my sneaking off.
“Come here, little rabbit.” My mother opened her arms, and I lost it. Her arms tightened around me, and she let me cry on her shoulder. After a few moments, she murmured, “That’s enough, Erin.”
“What?” I raised my head so I could look into my mother’s face.
“Dry your eyes. That’s enough crying.”
How could she say that? My dad was out there somewhere with a target on his back. If something happened to him, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stop crying.
“Dad is missing,” I said unnecessarily.
“Your father is the strongest man I know. And he’s smart. He’s also surrounded himself with men who will stop at nothing to find him. Right now, our job is to not fall apart. He needs us to be positive.”
“But what if—”
“What if, nothing. Dry your eyes, sweet girl, your dad will be fine.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because the man I married is a tough son of a bitch. A UDT. A sailor who fought and won in the most horrific of conditions. He will not break. He will not give in. The man I married will hold his own until the Calvary comes for him. And, this time, the Calvary is your future husband. Don’t you have faith in the man you’re going to marry? Don’t you trust in his ability to bring your father home safely?”
I’d never heard my mom speak so strongly or with such conviction. Her confidence in my dad made me feel a fraction better about the situation.
“Of course, I do.”
I was affronted my mom would suggest I didn’t believe in Colin. I knew he was more than capable. I’d seen it with my very own eyes how deadly he could be.
“Good. Then you hold onto that trust. Don’t allow anything else to creep into your mind. There is no other possible outcome. Your father and his men will be home safe and sound before the day is out. You can bet on it.”
My mother stood tall, with her chin tilted in defiance. She believed what she’d said, believed in my dad. I needed to follow her lead and believe in Colin and the rest of the team to do their jobs.
“You’re right, Mama.”
“Damn straight, I am.” I cracked a smile, not used to hearing my mother curse. “This isn’t my first rodeo, little rabbit. Back when your dad was sent overseas to the war, we didn’t have the luxuries the wives have now. There was no email, no cell phone, no skype, or messaging. We had letters, and very few of those actually made their way to the battlefield. There were months a
nd months I was left to wonder how your dad was. I couldn’t allow a sliver of doubt into my heart. I always knew he was coming home to me. Just like I know he’s coming home this time.”
I looked around the room, and all the other women had the same strength behind their stare as my mom did. She was right, I had to be the strongest I’d ever been. Not only for my dad and Colin, but for my friends. We were a team, these women and I, we had to stand together in a united front.
“So what now?” I asked.
“Now we wait. We keep ourselves busy and our minds occupied.”
“Miss Erin, there’s a Mrs. Doyle here to see you,” Gerard said from the doorway.
Shit. Colin’s mom. How in the world could I have forgotten her?
“Um. Can I go down and get her? Will someone bring her up? I don’t know how to get through the security.” My mom placed her hand on my shoulder and gently patted.
“Gerard. Would you please go down and get Mrs. Doyle? And if it isn’t too much to ask, would you please see if there is something in the kitchen? Water? Anything.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
When Gerard disappeared, I whispered, “That’s Colin’s mom, and I look like a total mess.”
“You look stunning. Everything will be fine.”
“I’m so happy you’re here.”
“There is nowhere else I would be. We’ll get through this together. As a family. Right, ladies?”
My mom glanced around the room, smiling at each of my friends. Three yeses echoed and one goddamn right we will. One guess who uttered that wonderful statement just as Colin’s mother happened through the door.
Thankfully, the beautiful woman smiled at Jasmin. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Jasmin.”
“Mrs. D. Excuse my outburst. The guys keep telling me I need to stop cursing so much or the boys’ first words will be shit and damn.”
My mom groaned from beside me, and Jasmin shrugged her shoulders.
Mrs. Doyle’s gaze landed on me, and her smile faded. She looked me over from top to toe before her eyes met mine once more. Oh, no, this was not how I thought my first meeting with Colin’s mother would go. I tried not to fidget but I was shrinking under her scrutiny. What if after her examination she found me lacking? Would Colin change his mind?
“You’re even more beautiful than your pictures. I can see why my Colin is so taken with you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Doyle.” The other woman cleared her throat and shook her head, reminding me she’d requested I call her by her first name. “Alice. Thank you, Alice. This is my mother, Clarissa Anderson.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson.” Alice stepped forward to shake my mother’s hand.
“Please call me Rissa.” The two older women clasped hands. “I was just telling the girls here, that we are all family. There’s no need for formalities.” Before my mom let go of Alice’s hand she spoke again. “I want to tell you, you and your husband have raised an exceptional man. We adore him, and he’s one of my husband’s most trusted men.”
Alice blushed before tears pooled. “Thank you for that. We worry about him.”
“We always worry about our children, don’t we? It doesn’t matter how old they are. Let’s sit. We have a lot to plan.”
Gerard came back with water and set it on the table before retaking his post by the door.
“Is Colin here?” Alice asked.
“No. He’s—” I stopped myself, not knowing what I should say.
“Out looking for my husband,” my mom said.
Gerard coughed and sputtered from the doorway. “Ma’am?”
“Alice has just as much right to know where her son is as these women deserve to know where their husbands are. We’re in a secure location. Besides, she’s my daughter’s mother-in-law and Erin needs the support.” Gerard didn’t seem happy my mom was going to tell Alice what was considered top secret information, however, he didn’t argue further. “Tom’s helicopter lost radio transmission and GPS signal while en route to Camp David. There’s concern an attempt has been made on his life. Colin and the rest of the teams have gone to retrieve him. They’ll be back in a few hours.”
Alice gasped, and I eyed my mom suspiciously, her tone was flat and matter of fact. I was beginning to wonder how much of my mother’s confidence was a put on.
Alice’s gaze slid to mine before she reached her hand out to me. “Yes. We have a lot to plan. And dresses to find. And flowers to order.”
When Colin’s mother pulled me into her embrace and wrapped her mom arms around me, they felt almost as good as my own mother’s—almost.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Erin. You’ll see,” she whispered.
“I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 28
“Alpha team, this is bravo team coming in hot from your south at five o’clock,” Rocco’s voice came over the comm in my ear.
“Copy that, bravo team. Last known . . .” I tuned out Zane while I relayed the last known GPS coordinates. “We’re headed west. Eyes peeled.”
“Roger,” Rocco replied.
“I can’t see a motherfucking thing through the tree canopy,” Jax complained.
“Keep fucking looking,” Zane barked. “Colin. Call in our location to Tex.”
“Copy.” I switched my radio to Tex’s frequency. “Tex, this is Breeze, you copy?”
“Go for Tex.” It was hard to hear him over the rotor blades even with ear-pro on over my comms.
“We’re at last known. No sight. Do you have anything for us?”
“Has Rocco’s team arrived?”
“Affirmative.”
“I’m going to activate the subcutaneous tracking device. You’ll be on a fast-moving clock. Once it’s active, the hacks will be able to locate him, too.” Fucking hell. I didn’t want to ask when the president had gotten a tracker implanted under his skin. “Twenty-four kilometers. North 39-39. West 77-27. Your time has started. I’ll direct traffic your way when the rest of the guys land. Good luck.”
“Copy that. Out.” I switched back to the teams’ comms and repeated what Tex had said.
“Roger,” came from Rocco.
“Clusterfucking hell. Six minutes,” Zane grumbled.
We had six minutes to get to the location Tex had given us. I took that time to check my weapons and extra ammo mags. I hoped to God when we got to Tom he was still breathing. It had been almost two hours since Tex had lost communication with the pilot. I didn’t know how Tex had pulled off keeping this under wraps and I was a little afraid to find out. I always knew Tex was a whole lot of dangerous behind a computer but now, with a hundred percent certainty, I knew he could fuck some shit up and leave the US in shambles if he wanted to.
“I have visual on Marine One,” Rocco said. “No movement. Switching to thermal. Three down. I repeat there are three down.”
Shit. Three dead and cooling bodies. The helicopter Rocco and his team were in hovered over the downed Marine One.
It wasn’t but a minute later a black rope dangled out of the side of the open door. “Cover,” Gumby, one of the SEALs from Rocco’s team said as the helicopter started to lower.
“Roger,” I called back.
Pulling my FNH SCAR rifle up and to the ready, I watched the six men from the other team fast rope down. Once each of their feet hit the ground, we continued north and circled the location Tex had given us.
“Still can’t see a motherfucking thing,” Leo griped.
“Head five klicks north. We need to unload,” Zane called to the pilot.
“Pilot down. Two SSAs down. He’s not here,” Bubba called in. “Repeat, not at this location.”
It was a relief Tom wasn’t among the dead, but both of the secret service agents were, which meant he was unprotected.
“Marine One took no fire. Fully functional,” Rex called in.
“Repeat that?” Linc asked.
“No fire. Marine One was not hit.”
Zane looked at me, a
nd, in all the years I’ve known him, I’d only ever seen fear on his face one other time. When Ivy was missing, he was terrified. Now, he was a mix of red hot pissed and worried. The emotions didn’t sit well with me.
“How they’d get into the box?” Zane asked.
He was asking about the bulletproof box in the cabin that the president sits in.
“Undamaged.”
So either Tom let himself out or one of the agents unlocked it. Neither was good. The box being destroyed would’ve been the best case.
“We have blood—motherfucker,” Phantom cut out.
“Rocco?” Zane called.
“Taking fire,” he panted.
“Do you need backup?”
“Fuck no. We can handle this in our sleep. Out.”
“Tex is in my ear,” the pilot announced. “Both follow helicopters have been downed in a Pennsylvania field. No survivors. He said you have an hour tops before it’s all over the news. He’s doing what he can.”
Marine One never flew without two follow helicopters. All the aircrafts were equipped with anti-missile and radar countermeasures. The fleet was guarded by eight hundred Marines, no one touched those helicopters unless they had special clearance. How in the fuck had someone taken down all three of them? Before today, I’d have said it would be impossible.
“How sure are we Gerard’s clean?” Declan asked.
“He’s clean,” Zane answered.
“You willing to bet your life on it?”
“He’s at HQ with my wife. I’ve already bet my life. He’s solid.”
Dec nodded and dropped the rope. The helicopter slowly lowered and finally came to a stop and hovered.
“Something’s not right!” I shouted to Zane.
“You fucking think? The goddamn president is missing. There’s not a damn thing right about this.”
“What are the chances all three helicopters malfunctioned at the same fucking time?”
“None.”
“Ready?” Dec asked.
Rescuing Erin (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Red Team Book 5) Page 19