“You said you’d left the artifacts with someone you trusted.”
Flash grew watchful. Gilbert was working himself up to making a move, telegraphing it loud and clear.
“There wasn’t anyone, Gilbert. I was hiding out on a boat waiting for your men to come after me. What did you expect me to say?”
Ballard reached the building, grabbed the handle on the garage door and tugged it open. Armed agents poured out of the doorway, overwhelming the two men and taking them down. Their shouts of ‘on the ground’ overlapped into gibberish.
Gilbert turned to run while at the same time trying to draw his weapon. Flash grabbed his arm and shoved him backward, taking him down. He jammed his knee into Gilbert’s groin and clubbed him in the face with his Sig. The man cried out as his nose broke with a pop. Flash jerked Gilbert’s sidearm from his shoulder holster and tossed it out of reach. Gripping his pistol two-handed, he thrust his Sig in Gilbert’s face. Four well-armed agents swarmed around them.
Blood from his broken nose poured down Gilbert’s face. His eyes widened with panic and pain. “Go ahead and pull the trigger. I’m a dead man anyway.”
Flash spoke between gritted teeth. His arms trembled as he suppressed the urge to shoot the bastard. “You’ve lived ten months longer than Rick Dobson. If you die tomorrow it wouldn’t be too soon to suit me. But you deserve to have to look over your shoulder every day for the rest of your life. Just as I’ve done for the last ten months.”
Flash handed the Sig to one of the agents butt first, then staggered to his feet. He looked down at Gilbert one last time. “I’ve been taping everything going on in your apartment for months. And just guess who I taped sitting in your apartment last week?”
Gilbert’s color faded and he stared at him as the agents dragged him, none too gently, to his feet.
The adrenaline had leached away leaving Flash shaky. His emotions uncertain, he turned away.
He needed to see and hold Sam for as long as they’d let him.
As the coroner’s van holding Will’s body pulled away, Sam pressed close to Tim’s side and tightened her grip around his waist. His clothes had a chemical smell like burnt firecrackers. She ignored it and homed in on the natural smell of him beneath it.
Crime scene technicians carried their cases out of the house and loaded them into a van. FBI agents stood watch over the scene. Pitt and Russell sat on the hood of their car waiting for things to wrap up.
“Your Captain seemed like a nice man. He said he’d help.” Her arms tightened for a moment. “He called you Flash. Is that what your teammates call you?”
“Yeah. You don’t need to know why just now, Sam.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “Where’s Joy?”
Her breath hitched. “She’s on her way. Officer Davis and his partner went to pick her up and bring her home.” She drew a deep breath. “What does it say about your life when you know officers on the police department by name?”
“Most of the time it means you know the right people.” His arms tightened and he brushed her forehead with his lips. “Travis and ‘Nita will be here tomorrow. Javier, too. They’ll help you put the house back in order and fix the doors.”
She nodded.
“You’ll need to stay in the apartment. It’ll be safer until the back door is fixed.”
“Don’t.” She turned her face against his chest and fought against the tears, but they came anyway. How would she and Joy bear being without him?
“I don’t know what’s going to happen Sam.”
“Nobody ever does. You just take it one day at a time and hold on with both hands. Like we’re doing now.” Her fists clutched his shirt as she clung to him. “Don’t give up on us. We’re never going to give up on you.”
He shuddered, the tension in his body so taut it felt as if his bones were fighting free of his skin. “I’m not.” His voice broke. “I love you so much.”
A police car pulled into the drive. Officer Davis got out of the front passenger seat and opened the back door. One of the day-care workers stepped out of the car holding Joy’s hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Joy tugged free. She darted through the people and ran to them. Sam eased away from Tim to catch her as Joy threw herself into her arms.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“Nothing.” Sam held her close and fought back tears. “Everything’s fine. We just had a little bit of trouble, but it’s over now.” But it wasn’t. How was she to tell her daughter that her father was dead? She lifted Joy onto her lap and held her close.
Tim put his arms around them both.
Agent Pitt approached them. “It’s time to go, Lieutenant.”
Sam wanted, with all her being, to scream No! Not yet, please.
“Where are you going, Mr. Tim?” Joy asked.
“I have to go away for a little while.”
Joy’s attention shifted from one to the other of them, and her face settled into an anxious frown. “No. I don’t want you to go,” she protested. She leaned across her mother and reached for him.
Tim took her into his arms and held her small body close. Though he shut his eyes, the pain seemed locked into his features, making them appear gaunt.
“I don’t want to leave you either, baby, but I promise I’ll call you, as much as I can. Okay?” his voice shook.
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know, sweet tart.”
He reached for Sam and she leaned into his side. He bent his head and kissed her lips, her forehead, then turned his lips against Joy’s cheek.
“I love you, Mr. Tim. I don’t want you to go.” Joy began to cry. As hard as Sam fought for composure, she couldn’t control her own tears.
“I love you too, sweet tart. I love you and your mommy more than anything. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Sam forced herself to reach for Joy and pulled her from his arms. She clung to her child as tightly as Joy clung to her, both seeking comfort where there was none.
Tim scooped up the duffle he’d packed and strode to the car. Each step tore another strip from his composure and his heart. By the time he reached the vehicle, tears flowed down his face and his breathing hitched. Agent Russell opened the back door. Tim tossed the duffle in and braced a hand on the door, fighting for composure. He blinked to clear his vision and looked back one last time at Sam and Joy, taking in his final glimpse of them, both crying, both raising hands to wave and calling out their love.
“I love you,” he called out one more time then slid into the car.
EPILOGUE
Flash folded his hands to keep them from shaking. Every muscle in his body seemed poised for action, though there was nothing he could do. He had never felt more helpless in his life.
He glanced at Frank Luttrell, his Naval JAG lawyer. “What kind of chance do you think I have?”
The man adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “I don’t like to speculate”
Did that mean he thought they were going to lose?
Every courtroom, whether it was military, federal, or criminal was basically the same. He had seen the inside of more of them than he ever hoped to see again. If they lost, could he appeal?
NCIS had closed the books on their investigation into Flash’s disappearance and had never arrested him for AWOL. Instead, he’d turned himself in. While he’d been in FBI custody it been like a vacation compared to the six weeks he’d spent in the brig while charges were filed and the legal wheels turned.
And now it all came down to this moment. He tugged a cloth handkerchief from his back pocket, blotted his forehead, and tucked it neatly back into place.
Desperate for something else to focus on, he turned to look over his shoulder at the gallery. In military courts the only people, allowed to attend trials were those directly related to the case or close family. He’d told Travis he needed him with ‘Nita and Sam should the verdict go against him. If he couldn’t be there to comfort them himself, he wanted Travis to do it.
NCIS
Agents Barnett and Cooper sat two seats back from the defense table. Cooper offered him a smile and Barnett a thumbs up. He nodded back. They had both testified on his behalf, as had FBI Agents Pitt and Russell. Even Captain Jackson had testified to his conduct, skill, and value as a member of his team. And though his team members had volunteered to add their weight to the testimony, his lawyer had deemed it unnecessary. He hoped the man’s decision had been the right one.
It was both a blessing and a curse Sam and Joy couldn’t attend the proceedings. A blessing they wouldn’t have to witness his conviction if they found him guilty. A curse he wouldn’t be there to comfort Sam when she got the news. His chest tightened just thinking of the two of them.
The bailiff called the court to attention and everyone rose.
The judge, Colonel Ronald T. Sheraton, USMC, took his seat. The five-man jury filed into the courtroom and sat down.
The bailiff read off the trial number, his name and the charge, then called the room to order.
Sheraton got down to business. “As to the charges of desertion filed against Lieutenant Junior Grade Harold Timothy Carney, have the members of the jury reached a verdict?”
The jury foreman, a Marine Corps Major rose from his seat, a piece of paper in his hand. “Yes, sir, a verdict has been reached.”
“The defendant will rise,” Sheraton ordered.
Flash rose to his feet, as did his defense attorney. Luttrell had done everything in his power to prove Flash’s intent had never been to leave his unit or avoid deployment, but to get back to them as soon as possible. But had he done a good enough job? Flash’s heart beat high in his throat, his palms sweated, and he felt as though he were drawing breath through a straw.
“You may read the verdict,” Sheraton instructed, his gray brows knit in a frown.
The foreman glanced at Flash, then turned his attention to the paper in his hand. “As to the charge of desertion, we find the defendant…not guilty.”
Relief rolled over Flash in a rush, but he kept his spine stiff with an effort. His legs shook with the release of tension. He braced his fingertips on the table to steady himself. His attorney maintained his composure as well, but his grin stretched so wide it looked painful.
“Gentlemen of the jury, the Navy and this court thank you for your service in these proceedings. You are dismissed.”
After the jury had filed out, Colonel Sheraton turned his attention to Flash. “Lieutenant Junior Grade Carney, I want to address you before we end these proceedings.”
Sheraton couldn’t change the not guilty verdict, but he could tear into him, if he had an opposing view. “Yes, sir.”
“In my twenty-five years of sitting on the bench, this has been one of the most interesting and legally complicated desertion trials I have ever presided over. You’re actions in going into hiding may or may not have been the right thing to do, Lieutenant. That you were badly injured when the first call came in tilted things in your favor. Having no contact with your command when the second deployment call went through wouldn’t have carried as much weight had you not been neck-deep in feeding NCIS evidence against a terrorist. That spoke to the jury’s sense of duty and justice.”
Was the guy working his way up to telling him he should be put back in a cell?
Sheraton continued. “In the course of the trial, the diverse range of skills you brought to the FBI investigation you assisted in were mentioned time and time again. Those skills and your drive to see justice done, despite the dangers and cost to yourself, are qualities the Navy needs to retain. I noticed your enlistment is ending in four weeks. I just wondered what you planned to do now you’ve been cleared.”
Flash smiled as the last of the thousand pound weight lifted from his shoulders. “I haven’t decided yet, sir. My circumstances have changed since the last time I re-enlisted. I need to talk to my family.”
“I hope you’ll make the right decision, Lieutenant. You are free to go.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Flash pumped Luttrell’s hand and even looped an arm around him and pounded him on the back. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You caught a break. Had the jury decided to stick to the letter of the law, you would be sitting in a jail cell right now. I’m pleased it worked out.”
“Thanks.” Flash shook his hand again.
“Stay out of trouble. And good luck with your decision,” Luttrell said, picking up his briefcase. “Keep me posted on what you decide.”
Agents Cooper and Barnett approached him as Luttrell left. “Congratulations, Lieutenant,” Barnett said and offered his hand.
“Thanks. I appreciate your help.”
“If you decide not to re-up, NCIS might be interested in you,” Barnett said. “You have a month to explore your options.”
Riding the wave of relief and victory, Flash grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He was ready to see his two girls and have some face time with them. Talking on the phone and seeing them twice in four months wasn’t nearly enough.
Cooper flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. It was longer than it had been when he’d seen her last. And she had a softer edge to her as well. What was going on there? “We’ve been designated as your official transport to Master Chief Marks’s house. Samantha and Joy are there, along with the rest of your family.”
“I’m ready. But I have to take care of some paperwork, first.” He grabbed his cover and tucked it under his arm.
Half an hour later, having signed all the forms to finalize his release, Flash climbed into the back of their nondescript sedan. He attempted to lean back and enjoy breathing the air of freedom, but he couldn’t keep still. He wanted to see Sam and Joy. Didn’t they have lights and sirens on these damn vehicles?
“Did you call ahead to let Sam know the verdict?” he asked.
“Done,” Cooper said over her shoulder. “She was…more than elated.”
“Are you done with the FBI as well?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah. I suppose it will take the Navy a few weeks to cut orders. I know I’ve lost my slot on my team. I’ll probably be training to get back up to fighting form.”
“You look pretty fit,” Cooper said.
Though he’d exercised while confined, the rigorous training he’d have to do to get back in fighting form… “Not even close. They’ll probably send me back to BUD/S and make me train with the recruits.” He was tempted to groan aloud.
“How do you think Sam will feel about you returning to your SEAL career?”
They’d have a lot to talk about. She’d never been around anyone in the military before. And the life was so different than anything she’d experienced. Concern cut its way into his bubble of happiness. This four-month separation had been tougher for him than he’d ever dreamed it could be. He’d missed her and Joy so much. If she asked him to give up his career—“I don’t know.”
He was almost grateful when Barnett said, “Gilbert was really working his way to becoming a terrorist. Murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, smuggling, and finally terrorism. What was driving him?”
Flash had thought about this more than he ever wanted to again. “I think he did a few smuggling deals on his own, mixed in with the ones he was doing for the FBI. Maybe he was dumb enough to use the same contacts. Someone in their organization found out about it. Once they got their claws into him, he had no choice. When you have someone on your ass who’ll behead you and go after your family—what choice would you have? That last day I checked the cameras and saw Caesar Vargas sitting in his living room like he’d come over for a beer, I knew I had him, and I called you. But of course the FBI already knew and had stepped in.”
Cooper turned to look over her shoulder at him. “How the hell did you even know who Vargas was? It isn’t as though they put their picture up on social media sites.”
“I can’t tell you the particulars, but we’ve done work against the cartels in South America and Africa. They’re all attached to terrorist organizations
one way or another. There’s too much money involved for them not to be. I almost felt sorry for Gilbert when I saw him sitting there. He wasn’t smart enough to be involved with them. But he did do me a favor. He was afraid they’d find out he’d screwed up and kill him. He never told them about me. Otherwise, I’d probably be dead.” And Sam and Joy, Travis and ‘Nita, Josh and Javier…everyone he was attached to. Jesus!
To have come out of all this and still have his freedom, his life, and his family—he was the luckiest man alive. But what would happen to him and Sam if he went back to the teams?
They’d both broken away from things holding them back, standing in their way. Sam had stood up to a man twice her size. She was strong. They could make this work. He hoped.
James stretched his legs out before him and pretended to be paying attention to the conversation bouncing back and forth among the team members. His gaze strayed to Marsha as she pushed Alex around in the pool in a donut-shaped floatation device. From this angle he could see Alex’s legs beneath the water stuck through the support on the bottom of the float, pumping away as if he was walking through the water. He was growing stronger and just plain growing. He laughed out loud at everything.
He studied the contrast of Marsha’s lightly tanned skin to her hair and smiled. She had come so far. They had come so far—together. Now they were in the new house, she swam a little each day. And played with Alex in the pool to help him build his muscle coordination. Marsha was toned, fit and gorgeous. Just looking at her—
“Can I get you a beer, Captain?” Trish Marks asked.
James switched his attention to Trish. Saved from getting a boner right in the midst of a group of guys. He had it bad. “Point the way and I’ll get it myself, Trish,” he said, rising.
She turned and gestured toward the deck. “They’re on the right side in the red cooler up against the house in the shade.”
“Thanks.”
He took his time getting the beer, allowing the residual effects of ogling his wife to subside. He wandered over to join Langley Marks. Langley fancied himself a master at grilling, but Trish wandered by quite often to check on the meat’s progress. Langley pointed the tongs he held at her. “Begone, woman! I’m not burning anything.”
Breaking Away (Military Romantic Suspense) (Book 3 of the SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers) Page 35