“What you’re doing is criminal,” Timmons said. “You leave my daughter out of this.”
“Should I leave out the sons of the men you had killed, too? I mean, I doubt they wanted to be brought into this deadly game of Cover Your Ass where you were the only one aware that you were playing. But here we are.”
“This coercion isn’t going to work on me.”
“Be stubborn, but Alayna will be disgraced by this time tomorrow,” Morgan said. “I’ve even got a reporter at The New York Times who’d love to share this story with her readers.”
“I’m gonna kill you,” Timmons said as he pointed at Morgan. “When I get out of here.”
“Oh, honey, you think you’re getting out of here?”
“If I’m not, why should I help you?”
Morgan templed her fingers and pressed them against her lips. “That is an excellent question. In fact, it’s the best one you’ve asked since I walked in the room. So, if you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’ll tell you why you should help me. It’s because I can help you. I can make what time you have left more enjoyable. I can also shield your loved ones from utter disgrace. It’s up to you how you want this to play out.”
For the first time during the interrogation, Timmons sat quietly. He remained still in his seat, his thin lips pressed together beneath his mustache.
“Well?” Morgan asked. “What do you think?”
Timmons drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly. “I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Morgan opened her arms wide, gesturing for him to begin. “The floor is yours.”
Timmons leaned back in his chair. “You want the full story or the abbreviated version?”
“Every detail,” she said.
“Okay, here’s what happened,” Timmons began. “There was a Special Forces unit in Afghanistan that was sent to flush out some Taliban leader in the hills just beyond Kandahar. He’d been responsible for roadside bombs that killed more than a dozen U.S. troops. So, the unit went in and got pinned down during a sandstorm. They requested help, but the top brass in the field told them they had to figure a way out on their own. Ultimately, three of the men died trying to escape, basically being hunted and used as target practice by the Taliban. But three men escaped—Guidry, Langston, and Taylor.”
“And you served with them on a mission?”
Timmons nodded. “It was a secret mission. We had to infiltrate a power plant and disable it, going against every agreement we’d made with the Afghani government. It was the only way to get some of our other men in position to take out a couple of Taliban enclaves.”
“What went wrong?”
“Nothing,” Timmons said, shaking his head. “In fact, the mission went off without a hitch. But on the way back, that was a different story. We had a vehicle malfunction and were stranded way outside the city near where Taliban forces were hiding out. Again, the unit requested extraction, but that was denied. We had to escape under the guise of night. But we started taking fire about three o’clock in the morning. Guidry got hit in the shoulder. Langston took one in the leg. We fought our way out of there, but that jaded the men—all of us, really. We were seen as expendable. And we made a pact to get revenge on our country.”
“That seems extreme.”
“You were never there, so you don’t know how awful it was. Our troops were pushed into a war that was never winnable. People needlessly died, all in the noble name of freedom. But every one of us understood that this was a sham and our country had betrayed us.”
“So, you decided to betray your country?”
Timmons shrugged. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“What happened next?”
“We all came home and returned to our lives. Most of the men were in some sort of private security, all suffering PTSD with varying degrees of severity. But I managed to wrangle a job with the DEA. And when I became deputy director, I hatched a plot, getting all three men jobs working as Border Patrol Agents. I’ll spare you all the gory details, but what we did was groom Diana Lorado to infiltrate Ambassador Brownfield’s inner circle, win his trust, and use her as a plant to provide a cover story.”
“You never really needed her, did you?”
Timmons shook his head. “She was collateral damage, a washed up actress and worthless junkie. Her life was devoid of purpose, so we gave her some while she was being detained.”
“And the Border Patrol Agent who arrested her?”
“We brought him in on it too.”
“Then something happened?”
“Taylor grew a conscience. He told Guidry that he wanted to expose what we’d done.”
“And what exactly was that?”
“That’s the kicker. They ushered in Russian spies.”
Morgan’s mouth fell agape as she narrowed her eyes. “They helped spies get into the country?”
Timmons nodded. “No idea how many. Maybe a dozen or so. They took out several port inspectors and then worked with hit men to eliminate some of the more meddlesome flies in the ointment, so to speak.”
“And Taylor was going to tell everyone what you’d done?”
“That’s what he said,” Timmons replied.
“So, instead of waiting for that to play out or anyone else to betray you, you decided to pick them off one by one?”
He nodded. “They had all returned to their normal lives having made plenty of money from the Russians. But I couldn’t take the chance that any of them would talk.”
“Yet, here you are,” Morgan said. “Things never work out the way you want them to, do they?”
Timmons kicked at the table, his hands still chained together. “You better leave Alayna out of it.”
“She’ll graduate on time and never be the wiser,” Morgan said.
“You’re just going to let me walk?” he asked.
She nodded. “You’re free to go. Just need you to fill out a little paperwork on your way out and visit our doctor.”
“Doctor? What for?”
“Standard procedure. We need to make sure you’re up to date on all your shots.”
Timmons narrowed his eyes and glared at her. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I’m done caring about what a traitor likes or doesn’t like. You have a nice rest of your life, Director Timmons.”
Morgan stood and snatched her briefcase off the table. She strode toward the door and stopped to bang on it.
“Guards!” she shouted.
The door opened and she turned back and looked at Timmons one final time. “You know the thing about conspiracies is that eventually the truth always comes out.”
CHAPTER 39
Dallas, Texas
TWO DAYS LATER, Hawk and Alex knocked on the door to Kayla Mitchell’s house. She opened the door and scooted a toy truck out of the way with her foot before she looked her guests in the eye. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing a faded Texas Rangers t-shirt.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
Alex went first. “Yeah, we were hoping we could talk with you for a few minutes.”
“I’m not interested in listening to any sales pitches,” Kayla said. “I’m a single mom and my life is kinda hectic.”
“I get it,” Alex said. “But we’re not here to sell you anything.”
John Daniel peeked around from behind Alex’s legs.
“We’re here to talk with you about Doug,” Hawk said.
Kayla sneered. “What’d that bastard do now? You’re not lawyers trying to serve me, are you?”
“Doug’s dead,” Hawk said.
Her anger gave way to sympathy. “What? How?”
“Can we come in and talk with you about it?” Alex asked. “We brought our son, John Daniel. Maybe he can play with Charlie while we chat.”
“Okay,” Kayla said as she opened the door all the way. “Watch your step.”
She called for Charlie and instructed him to go out back and play with John Da
niel. Then the adults sat down in the living room.
“Sorry about the mess,” Kayla said. “It’s just that—”
“No judgment from me,” Hawk said.
“I understand,” Alex said. “I’ve been there, though not as an official single mom. But I’ve been one as the wife of a federal agent who sometimes disappears around the world for days on end.”
Kayla nodded. “So, what happened to Doug?”
“He got caught up with the wrong people,” Hawk said.
“Story of his life.”
“I don’t think he ever intended to turn out the way that he did,” Hawk said. “Based on my conversations with him, I’m convinced he just wanted to do the right thing. He was just misguided.”
“You knew Doug?” Kayla asked.
Hawk nodded. “We were in the SEALs together, but between the time I got out and ran into him again, he’d gone way off the rails.”
“Tell me about it. He was never here for us. I had to beg him just to show up for Charlie’s birthdays until he started skipping them.”
“I can’t begin to imagine how hurtful that was,” Hawk said. “But I can tell you that he wasn’t as evil of a man as you make him out to be. Imperfect? Yes. Flawed? Absolutely. But evil? He was just trying to provide for himself and his family.”
“And in that order, too.”
“Well, you might be surprised to learn that he was thinking about you guys more than you could imagine,” Alex said.
“What do you mean?” Kayla asked.
“Before he died, he gave me the number to an offshore account he had,” Hawk said. “It’s got more than enough to pay for Charlie’s college. It’s set up as a trust fund for him when he turns 18. And trust me, there will be more than enough in there to pay for him wherever he decides to go.”
“Great,” she said, rolling her eyes. “A ton of money sitting around that doesn’t help us when we need it most. And not to mention the end of my alimony payments.”
“Not exactly,” Alex said. “You’re the beneficiary on his life insurance, which was worth over two million dollars.”
Kayla’s face brightened. “Wait. Did you say two million dollars?”
Alex nodded.
Kayla started crying and hugged Alex. After the tears stopped, Kayla tried to wipe up the mascara that had streaked down her face.
“I don’t want to make Doug into a patron saint because he was far from it,” Hawk said. “But he wasn’t the monster you built him up to be. Don’t forget that as you remember him.”
Kayla stood and hugged them both before Hawk and Alex retrieved John Daniel from the backyard.
“What is it, Mom?” Charlie asked as he walked in. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Not right now, but we’re going to be fine, Charlie. Don’t you worry.”
CHAPTER 40
Bridger, Montana
HAWK PULLED THE KNOT taut on his rope and stretched out the loop. He twirled it over his head before tossing it toward the wooden rocking horse he’d just finished building for John Daniel. As it landed around the horse’s neck, Hawk yanked on it, tightening the loop. John Daniel jumped in the air with a raised fist.
“Now your turn, son,” Hawk said as he loosened the rope. He gathered it together and walked over to John Daniel.
“I can’t do that, Dad,” he said.
“Sure you can,” Hawk said. “It just takes a little practice. Watch how I do it.”
Hawk demonstrated the method again before placing the rope in John Daniel’s hands.
“You try it,” Hawk said as he adjusted his sunglasses.
John Daniel whipped the rope around and hurled it toward the horse. It fell short by a few feet, so Hawk nudged his son closer.
“Do it again.”
This time, John Daniel’s toss landed around the neck of the horse.
“Way to go, son.”
Hawk was in the middle of giving John Daniel another tip when Alex walked up to them. She put her arm around Hawk before he stood upright. Then she kissed him.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“This is how it’s supposed to be,” she said. “Me, you, John Daniel—the perfect life on the ranch.”
“It’s only possible because of what we do with the rest of our time,” Hawk said.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Alex said. “There are other people who can do what we do.”
He looked over the top of his sunglasses at her. “Are you sure about that?”
She sighed. “Okay, so maybe they can’t do it as well as we do it, but they can get the job done.”
“That’s not enough,” he said. “What we do isn’t something you just get done. You know that.”
“Sure, but there are days when I’d rather just be here.”
“Me, too,” Hawk said.
She handed him his phone. “I guess I shouldn’t try to make that argument before handing you this.”
Hawk took it and squinted as he looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“You just got an email. You ought to take a look at it now.”
Hawk scrolled through his most recent messages until he found the one Alex was referring to.
Dear Agent Hawk,
I wanted to thank you for your efforts to help me recently. I wanted to apologize for leaving you in Seattle. Ever since Afghanistan, my life has been a mess. I’ve lost my will to interact with most people in society. Wandering from job to job and place to place has been the only thing that kept me sane. But I know it’s not healthy. I need to talk to people about what I’ve been through, and I appreciate you listening to me, even though I didn’t say as much as I should have.
However, you restored my faith in people. I’m going to try again, thanks to you.
And most of all, thanks for having the government list me as deceased. I’m starting over now with a new name and a new outlook on life. If it weren’t for you, I’m not sure how much longer I would’ve gone living the way that I did. I’m not proud of what I did, but I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t waste this second chance you’ve given me.
I know my dad is smiling as he’s watching me now.
Forever grateful,
Travis Taylor
When he finished, Alex looked at him.
“I didn’t know you had him reported as dead,” she said.
“He’d suffered enough,” Hawk said.
“You’re a good man,” she said.
Hawk’s phone rang, interrupting the moment. “This is Hawk.”
“Agent Hawk, this is Mia.”
“I’m with Alex,” he said. “I’m putting you on speaker. Go ahead.”
“I wanted to let both of you know that we’re still researching all these leads with The Alliance. But the more pressing matter at the moment is the Russian spies who’ve infiltrated our ranks.”
“Do you have a location on them yet?” Hawk asked.
“Not yet, but we’re working on it,” Mia said. “I think we’re close to cracking the code.”
“Thanks for keeping us posted,” Hawk said. “We’ll be ready to roll whenever you need us.”
“Roger that,” Mia said.
“And, Mia,” Alex chimed in, “maybe next time you can join us. I heard you and Big Earv had quite the adventure catching the mole.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Mia said. “And not at all how I would describe it.”
They both laughed before ending the call.
“They caught the mole?” Hawk asked.
“No,” Alex said. “That’s just part of the op. There’s still a mole out there, but if he doesn’t know he isn’t being hunted, he may not be so careful.”
They both watched John Daniel twirl the rope over his head again before flinging the loop in the direction of the rocking horse. When it fell around the horse’s neck, he ran and jumped in the air, screaming with delight.
“That’s how I feel right now,” Hawk said.
“Me, too,” Alex said
. “You sure we need to leave the ranch?”
Hawk shot her a sideways glance. “You sure you can stay?”
“Not a chance,” she said.
To continue reading in the Phoenix Chronicles series, order COVERT INVASION now. Or to read more novels on Brady Hawk, check out the Brady Hawk series also available on Kindle Unlimited.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to so many people who have helped with the creation of this project and the entire Titus Black series.
Brooke Turbyfill was a big help in editing this book.
I would also like to thank my advance reader team for all their input in improving this book along with all the other readers who have enthusiastically embraced the story of Brady Hawk. Stay tuned ... there's more Brady Hawk coming soon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.J. PATTERSON is an award-winning writer living in southeastern Idaho. He first began his illustrious writing career as a sports journalist, recording his exploits on the soccer fields in England as a young boy. Then when his father told him that people would pay him to watch sports if he would write about what he saw, he went all in. He landed his first writing job at age 15 as a sports writer for a daily newspaper in Orangeburg, S.C. He later attended earned a degree in newspaper journalism from the University of Georgia, where he took a job covering high school sports for the award-winning Athens Banner-Herald and Daily News.
He later became the sports editor of The Valdosta Daily Times before working in the magazine world as an editor and freelance journalist. He has won numerous writing awards, including a national award for his investigative reporting on a sordid tale surrounding an NCAA investigation over the University of Georgia football program.
R.J. enjoys the great outdoors of the Northwest while living there with his wife and four children. He still follows sports closely.
The Reaper (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 2) Page 19