Operation: Healing Angel

by Margaret Kay

  Shepherd waited; his aim trained on the opening. After a few silent minutes there was a scraping sound and then a dark figure suddenly appeared, swinging into the boathouse, firing a handgun as he came. Shepherd returned fire, striking him in the arm. He dropped the gun into the water. It landed with a small splash. Then his body dropped in with a louder, bigger splash. By the time Shepherd crept over to the far side of the boathouse, he saw the unknown assailant swimming to the east, towards the shoreline. He cut in beside the dock and was out of view.

  He wanted to exit the boathouse and engage, but he had no way of knowing how many more Tangos were out there with their aim on the boathouse, just waiting for him to be dumb enough to stick his head out. And he couldn’t leave Diana unprotected. Disgusted with the situation, he pressed his back more firmly against the wood wall.

  Shepherd remained where he was. He heard a chopper come in, close. He sure as hell hoped that was the team. If the Tangos were being replenished via chopper, he doubted he’d be able to hold them off for long. He slipped his phone from his pocket and viewed the new text message that was there. It was the sweetest three words he’d ever read. Team is onsite.

  He knew they would have the handheld tracker locater. They would know right where he was. He replied to the text. Roger. He glanced up at the pontoon boat. Diana had to be freaking out. She had remained still and silent. He was impressed by that.

  “Coming in,” Cooper’s voice yelled from the other side of the door.

  “Affirmative,” Shepherd replied. “Stay where you are, Diana,” he called up to the boat.

  The door opened and Cooper’s blond head poked in. “The dock is clear.”

  “Clear in here,” Shepherd confirmed.

  Cooper tossed him a bulletproof vest. “Where’s Diana?”

  “It’s clear, Diana. You can come down,” Shepherd said.

  Diana forced herself to come to her knees. She was almost too afraid to move. She peered down at Sam and Cooper. Cooper held an assault rifle. Sam was putting a black vest on.

  “Come on, Diana. It’s okay now,” Shepherd said. He saw the fear written over her face. He held a hand out towards her as Doc and Madison entered.

  “Is everyone okay in here?” Doc asked.

  “Yeah, one Tango fatality. I clipped another one. He fell into the water and I saw him swim under the dock to the east,” Shepherd reported.

  “No one is in the water now,” Doc reported.

  Cooper transmitted the report on the one who got away. “Delta Team is onsite, sweeping the house and the trees nearby. If he’s out there, they’ll get him.”

  Shepherd helped Diana climb down. She trembled in his arms.

  “Here, slide this on,” Madison said, handing a bulletproof vest to her.

  “Madison?” Diana murmured, giving her the once over. She too wore a bulletproof vest and carried an assault rifle in her gloved hands. Her hair was in one long braid down the back of her head and she wore a black ball cap. She looked tough.

  “It’s okay now,” Madison said.

  Cooper handed Shepherd a set of comms. “Big Bear is getting on comms,” Cooper announced to the team.

  “Watch your sixes, not sure how many Tangos are out there,” Shepherd said. “The two I’ve had contact with had handguns only. Try to take one alive, we need to know who sent these motherfuckers.” Then he bent down and went through the dead man’s pockets. “There’s no ID.” Not that he expected any. “Doc, get in here and capture his fingerprints.” He stood and moved over close to Diana. He held onto her firmly.

  Diana stood watching. Too numb to do anything else.

  A few quiet moments went by before the sound of gunfire in the distance broke the silence of the night, making Diana jump. She clutched Sam’s arm harder.

  “Tango down, north side of the house,” Mother broadcast.

  “On my way,” Sloan’s voice replied.

  “Me too,” Doc said, and then he rushed from the boathouse.

  “Let’s move out, back up to the house,” Shepherd ordered. “Diana, stay close to me.” He took hold of her upper arm.

  Diana was too afraid to go out and into the open. She didn’t move.

  “We’ll stay close and protect you. Don’t worry,” Madison said, coming in behind Diana.

  When they stepped outside, Jackson stood guard just steps away on the dock, his AR firmly in his grip, his eyes sweeping the area. Diana recognized him and immediately thought about Angel. Did she know what her husband, and the others did? Did she know where he was and what he was doing this very minute?

  The five of them made their way through the trees and to the house. Near the house, Doc and another man worked on a man who laid on the ground. Two other men had their guns pointed in opposite directions, covering the area. The big black man Diana had seen a few times at the office came up to them.

  “He’ll make it,” he reported.

  “Is he wet?” Shepherd asked.

  “No,” Lambchop answered.

  “He’s not the one I wounded then. I hit one in the arm. He fell into the water.”

  “There’s no ID on him,” Lambchop advised, pointing back at the man on the ground.

  “I’m calling in the helo. Lambchop you and Delta, take him to the Silo,” Shepherd ordered. “And tell the Undertaker I authorize any measures to get the information out of him of who sent him and why. Make sure you keep him alive.”

  “Roger,” Lambchop acknowledged.

  Diana was shocked by Sam’s statement. The tone of his voice was that same controlled, calm he had when Angel had nearly passed out at her desk. It sent a chill through her. The muscular black man rushed back to the men who were working on the downed man. Her eyes followed him.

  “Alpha Team, you’ll escort us back to HQ,” Shepherd then ordered.

  Sherman threw his keys to Cooper. “Take good care of her. If there is even a scratch on her when I get back, someone’s ass is mine.”

  Shepherd chuckled.

  Diana watched the four men carry the wounded and unknown assailant to the end of the pier. A helicopter dropped down from the sky and hovered at the end of it. They loaded him in and then the helicopter took back off seconds later. She saw that two of the men leaned out an open door, weapons trained on the ground below. Sam took her by the hand and led her back towards the screened in porch, but she watched the helicopter until it was gone from sight.

  Then she realized they stood near the firepit. The embers were all but out now but a smokey smell still hung in the air. She gazed at the five of them who were now in a half circle around her and Sam. They were all dressed in dark clothing, wearing black bullet-proof vests. They were on alert with assault rifles pointed off into the trees.

  “What’s Jax doing here?” Shepherd asked Cooper. “I said he was TA to HQ till after the baby comes.”

  “OB says that won’t happen for a few weeks. She’s fine and would kill me if I didn’t come and something happened to you,” Jackson answered for Cooper.

  Cooper shrugged.

  “Diana,” Sam said, grasping her upper arm. “We need to go pack up our things. We evac in five minutes.”

  She gazed into his steady, dark eyes. She noticed he still held his pistol in his hand, ready. Her eyes traveled down his neck and landed on the black bulletproof vest that he wore. Her eyes dropped to the bulletproof vest that covered her own chest. Her only reaction was to nod silently and go with him into the house. She watched as he placed the two items from the bathroom back into his backpack. Everything else he’d brought was still in it, including the sweatpants he’d slid on that morning.

  Shepherd noticed Diana stood watching him. She hadn’t packed a single item. He came in front of her and gently grasped both of her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Diana, we need to pack up.”

  She nodded again.

  “I’ll get your things from the bathroom,” Shepherd said. When he came back into the room, she was gathering her things up. She folded
the last of her clothes and stuffed them into the bag. He glanced around the room. It looked like they had everything. “It’s going to be okay,” he said confidently. “Come on.” He nodded towards the door. He grabbed both of their backpacks and carried them from the room.

  She stopped in the kitchen. “What about the perishable food?”

  “We’ll get it later.”

  “Will it be safe here for my brother to come next weekend?”

  “We’ll know more in a few days,” Shepherd said.

  Diana grabbed her purse from the table. She pulled her keys from it and locked up on the way out. Shepherd held his hand out after the screen door was locked. She handed them over. He then handed them to Doc.

  “The agency SUV is armor plated and has bulletproof windows,” Shepherd said. “We’ll ride in it.” He led her to it and opened the back door. She noticed a little red sports car parked beside the big, black SUV. She’d seen it in the parking garage. The contrast was comical. She climbed into the car. He slid in beside her and placed the bags onto the floor and seat.

  Diana watched Cooper and Madison enter the car and sit in the front. Looking out the window, she saw Doc open her car door and get into the driver’s seat. Jackson and the other man got into the little red sports car. The small caravan of cars pulled away from the cabin. Waves of uneasiness, dread, and confusion washed through her.

  Shepherd watched the emotions play over Diana’s face. He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm. “It’s going to be okay.” His voice was confident.

  Madison turned in her seat, gazing back at them. “Trust us, Diana. Shepherd built an effective team. We’re heading back to HQ and that place is a fortress. You’re safe.”

  “I don’t understand,” Diana finally admitted. “Any of this. Who were those men and why did they come after us?” Her gaze went to Sam. “Your team has a helicopter?”

  Shepherd saw Cooper’s eyes flash to him in the rear-view mirror. He gave Cooper the slightest head nod. His lips pulled into a compassionate grin as his eyes re-affixed on Diana’s. He nodded. “Yes, several military helicopters are part of our fleet. We can also call on our D.O.D. contacts and use actual military aircraft and personnel whenever we need to. I still hold the rank of Colonel in the Army. I’m retired on paper only. My team’s official standing is complicated.”

  “Complicated?” She repeated. “What does that mean?”

  “Every Operator was military personnel. Most of us were active duty when we transferred to Shepherd’s unit,” Madison said. “I’d been out for a few years, but retook the oath when Shepherd recruited me.”

  “Operator?” Diana repeated. “As in special forces, like SEALs?”

  “I spent my entire career in the special forces community,” Shepherd said.

  “I was with Delta before I transferred to military intelligence for a stint before joining Shepherd Security,” Cooper piped up.

  “The other members of my team were SEALs, Green Berets, Army Rangers, and Marine Raiders,” Shepherd said.

  “Doc?” She asked, not believing he was one of them.

  “He was an Army Ranger,” Shepherd said.

  “One of the best damn medics in the Sandbox,” Cooper added.

  “Jackson?” She asked.

  “Green Beret,” Cooper answered. “A hell of a sniper.”

  Diana was silent until the car pulled back onto the main road. Her thoughts raced. “Why did those men come after us?”

  Shepherd ran his fingers through his hair and frowned. “I don’t know yet, but I will. I have enemies, Diana, and I’m sorry that happened while I was with you. We will use all governmental and intelligence community resources at our disposal to get to the bottom of this.” As soon as they got back to HQ, he would place calls to every intelligence head that was his contact, after Diana was safely tucked away in his penthouse.

  “Where did they take that man? I heard you, Sam, you told that man to keep him alive but get answers from him by any means necessary.”

  Shepherd gazed into her face. She didn’t look repulsed, just confused. “We have an isolation site where we can protect someone in trouble or break suspects,” Shepherd said.

  Diana took a moment to digest that. She was sure she knew what that meant. “What about that dead man in my boathouse?”

  The corner of Shepherd’s lips pulled into a smirk as Cooper spoke. “I called it in to the authorities. A CUT Team is en route.”

  “A CUT Team?” Diana asked.

  “A multi-agency Clean Up Team,” Shepherd said. “They will secure the area and remove the body. They will also fingerprint and take DNA samples and run it through every available database.”

  Diana rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. She let out a trembling breath. She wondered if her brother, Mark, knew about the existence of CUT Teams. Were these things common in his world?

  “Diana?” Shepherd whispered, his lips to her ear.

  She opened her eyes and angled her head to look at him. “I’m okay, Sam.” Her voice was soft.

  Victor

  The drive back was quiet. Diana’s thoughts were overwhelming. Shepherd received a text message from Lambchop. After the helicopter lifted off, Sloan reported that the assailant’s injuries were too severe to bring him to the Silo. He required surgery and intensive care before he could be questioned. They were diverting to the military hospital facilities at Naval Station Great Lakes.

  Shepherd tapped out a text reply. He would have an agency car delivered to them at the base. He wanted them to remain and question the suspect once he was conscious. This changed nothing. Answers were needed.

  The car pulled up alongside the elevator in the private parking garage. Shepherd got out and grabbed their bags, handing Diana’s backpack to her as he prompted her to get out of the car as well. She numbly followed him to the elevator. Cooper and Madison trailed a few steps behind them.

  “Madison, will you get Diana settled in the penthouse, please?” Shepherd asked as he pressed the call button on the elevator after doing the keypad and palm press thing to gain entry.

  “Give me your rifle, babe,” Cooper said, his hand out to Madison. “I’ll secure it.”

  Diana watched Sam and Cooper disappear through the door as the elevator door opened.

  Madison motioned her in. “I could use a drink. How about you?”

  Diana laughed a disbelieving huff. “If anything justifies a drink, it’s this.” She nodded while she did the keypad entry with her code and pressed her hand to the scan pad before pressing ten. “So, will you stay with me and talk for a while? I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

  Madison smiled compassionately. “I’ll stay till Shepherd joins us or you want me to leave.”

  “Does this kind of thing happen often?”

  “No,” Madison replied flatly.

  The elevator ascended.

  When they stepped through the door to Shepherd’s apartment, relief flooded Diana.

  Madison pealed her vest off. “Here, let me help you take that off.” She reached out and unfastened the Velcro to help Diana remove her bulletproof vest, too.

  Diana sat her backpack onto the couch and then pulled the vest the rest of the way off. She had forgotten she wore it. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Madison said. “You’re still trembling. Are you afraid or cold?”

  “Maybe a little bit of both. I think it’s just the adrenalin leaving my system,” Diana said, wrapping her arms around her chest.

  Madison pointed to the couch. “Why don’t you wrap up in the throw blanket there and I’ll get us a drink.”

  Diana wrapped the soft, gray blanket around her shoulders and then took a seat, her gaze focused on Madison as she moved around the kitchen. When Madison returned to the living room, she took the lowball glass that Madison handed her. “Thank you.”

  “Shepherd’s good bourbon. I know he won’t mind.”

 
Diana sipped it. It was smooth. It burned all the way down, in a good way.

  “You are perfectly safe now. You know that, don’t you?” Madison asked.

  Diana nodded. “I don’t think I have ever been that afraid,” she admitted.

  “That’s a very normal reaction,” Madison said. “If you hadn’t been, I’d be worried about you.”

  “No one has tried to kill me before. That’s what they were trying to do.” She shook her head. “Sam detected them and moved so quickly to get us away from the fire before they could do anything. He didn’t hesitate for even a second.”