Daniel said a prayer for Bethany’s safety since he was no longer able to keep an eye on her. Yet, he was cognizant of the fact that she had already been undercover with this group for over a year, so she was probably safer than he was in his current situation. He followed Flannel into a building that was behind the carousel, quite aware that the Rays fan was still armed and following him from behind.
The room they entered was bare except for a long table and six folding chairs. There were no windows, and the room only had one door in or out. It was probably normally used for storage and was dusty and smelled like stale cleaning supplies and paper goods. The Rays fan motioned toward one of the chairs.
“Sit.”
Daniel picked the chair farthest from the door so he could be the first to see anyone coming or going from the room. He eased himself down, keeping an eye on Flannel and the Rays fan as he did so. Both of the men stationed themselves by the door, almost like sentries. He wasn’t sure why he had been brought here, and neither man seemed ready to volunteer any information. After about ten minutes of waiting, impatience finally got the best of him.
“We waiting for someone?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah. Just hang tight,” Flannel answered.
Suddenly, the door opened and a bull of a man barreled in and tackled Daniel, even though he was still sitting in the chair. Both men ended up on the floor and the chair Daniel had been sitting in went flying. It was all Daniel could do to keep from getting his nose bashed against the floor again as both men landed hard on the concrete. Daniel struggled to free his arms and once he did, he hit the aggressor’s head against the wall as they rolled and wrestled for supremacy. Daniel knocked the man hard in the chin with his elbow and the attacker loosened his grip just enough so Daniel was able to roll him over, gain the upper hand and end up on top. He straddled the larger man and hit him hard in the mouth, drawing blood with the blow. A second punch drew blood from the man’s nose, but before he could throw a third, Flannel and the Rays fan joined the fray and pulled the two apart. The one Daniel had nicknamed “the Bull” spat blood on the floor and tried to pull away, his face contorted by the mess Daniel had made with his fists.
“Filthy cop!” the Bull roared. “Because of you, my cousin is dead!” He tried again to pull loose from the Rays fan but the bigger man held him fast.
“I don’t know your cousin, and I don’t know you,” Daniel answered, also jerking against Flannel’s grip. He’d had enough of these guys. Maybe they would respect him more if he showed them some fire, but either way, he was done getting attacked without provocation. He was going to defend himself. He felt blood trickling down his face and realized he hadn’t successfully protected his nose after all. The rush of adrenaline kept him from feeling the pain for now, but he was sure his face would start throbbing again once this episode was over. The way his week was going, he figured his nose would never heal normally again.
* * *
“So tell me about your boyfriend,” Bishop said as he leaned back and crossed his legs. His phone beeped and he looked at the screen, then silenced it and put it in his pocket. Bishop and Bethany were alone in the room, sitting across a rickety table from each other in a small building not far from the carousel. Another man had frisked her and taken her cell phone and sidearm when she was brought in. He gave both items to Bishop, then slipped outside and was probably guarding the door.
Bethany shrugged. “His name is Daniel Morley. We dated a bit in college, then went our own ways. I ran across him again during the bank robbery. He saved my life.”
“He’s a cop?” Bishop asked.
Bethany smiled. She was having trouble reading Bishop, but she could tell he already knew the answer to the question before he even asked. She had met him a couple of times before, but didn’t really know him, or what role he played in the organization beyond the basics. Justin had started to dig into his background, but they still knew little besides the fact that he owned and operated a mid-size rental car company. She did know he was powerful within the Guard, and she needed him to trust her if her mission was going to be a success. He was a distinguished looking man in his early fifties, with weathered skin and dark intelligent eyes. He had shortly cropped dark hair that was just starting to gray and a silver mustache. She could tell by his demeanor that he was used to being in charge and not having his orders questioned. Now he seemed to be testing her, but she wasn’t sure what he was looking for. The direct approach always seemed to work best for her. She tried it now. “Let’s quit playing games, Mr. Jacobs. I’m sure you already know his full history and have done a thorough background check. Is there something specific you want to know?”
“Fair enough,” Bishop answered. “Let’s cut to the chase. I want to know why he came with you today when I specifically told you not to bring him.”
She raised an eyebrow and tried to act calm and collected, even though her heart was beating through her chest. If they had found Daniel in the park, then he was probably in danger. They’d thought if he stayed far enough back, he wouldn’t be seen by any of the Guard. Obviously, they had been wrong. Was he hurt? Had their mistake jeopardized the mission? Questions fluttered across her mind, along with a healthy dose of fear. Still, she kept her emotions well below the surface and answered in a nonchalant voice. “He wasn’t close enough to get in the way,” she said quietly. “But since I almost got killed at the bank just a couple of days ago, Daniel was worried about my safety.”
“We take care of our own. You should know that.”
“I do,” Bethany answered. “But I just lost my entire team, and I still don’t know why. Something went terribly wrong at the bank, and until I know the reasons for their deaths, I’m being extra cautious, and so is he.”
“Cautious is good,” Bishop agreed. He steepled his fingers as he considered her words. “Defiance is not. I’m inclined to assign you to a new team, but I need to know that you are still loyal to the Guard. I need to know that you will follow orders in the future without question.”
Bethany tightened her fists. “The Guard is my family. I lost everything and everyone I cared about in that bank job. I’m still loyal, but now I’m also on fire for the cause even more than before. The police killed my family! They have to pay for that. It’s time for the Heritage Guard to take their rightful place in society and lead this nation. That’s the only way our future will be secure.”
Bishop’s eyes lit up as he heard the enthusiasm in her voice. She pushed on, knowing she was on the right track and that her passionate words were fanning the flames of his zealousness. “I brought you Daniel as a new recruit, as well. He proved his loyalty at the bank by saving my life and getting me out of there without getting caught, even if he is law enforcement. He’s a well-respected detective with the local police department, and can be very helpful to the Guard with our future projects, especially Operation Battlefield.”
Bishop narrowed his eyes. “What do you know about that?”
“Not enough,” she said forcefully. “Jackson only told me he needed me to get some C-4 explosives to help with the project. I’m working on that, but since he is dead, I need to know if you still want it and how much to get. He was only starting to share the plans with me before the bank job.”
“Does your cop know?”
“No,” she answered, her tone firm. “But he can help. Both of us can. Jackson said Operation Battlefield was going to bring more glory to the Heritage Guard than anything else we’ve ever done. I want to be a part of that, and I’m sure Daniel will too if you decide to bring him on board.” She leaned forward. “Of course, that decision is totally up to you.”
Bishop considered her plea and was silent for a few moments. Finally, he spoke. “I will consider your request, but you have to realize Daniel is untested. You’ve proven your loyalty by participating at the bank, but Daniel will have to show us his loyalty before he can be trusted. I’m willing
to give him a chance, but he starts as a level one and has to earn his way up the ladder, just like everyone else.”
Bethany was relieved by his words. “I understand, and I’m sure he will. Thank you.” If Bishop was considering letting Daniel join the Guard, then even though they’d found him in the park, they wouldn’t hurt him. He was probably with Guard members right now who were already sizing him up.
Bishop smiled. “I know you can get your hands on things, and we need a few items besides the C-4 for Operation Battlefield. Can you help us out?”
Bethany nodded. “Give me the list. I’ll let you know what I can get and when.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Our immediate problem is funding. Since the bank robbery didn’t yield any cash, we’ve had to come up with alternative methods to fund our operation. I’m going to put you with a new group, and your first assignment will be to help us obtain some of the money we need. After we get the money, we’ll sit down and go over the Battlefield plans. Are you ready?”
Bethany nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Good. Let’s go meet your new family.” He pushed her cell phone and gun back to her across the table and stood. She surreptitiously pushed a select number on her phone, then put it in her pocket. It only took a few short minutes to clone a phone, and then she would be able to access all of Bishop’s contacts and listen in on his cell phone conversations. Things were looking up.
She said a short but heartfelt prayer of thanks. God had helped her get this mission back on track, and she was immensely grateful.
TWELVE
Bethany followed Bishop into a nearby room, and her eyes widened when she saw the scene. Daniel and Derek, a man she had only met a couple of times before, had obviously been fighting, and were being held apart by two large, bulky men who were strangers to her. Daniel’s nose was bleeding again, and Derek was sporting an eye that was starting to swell and a fat lip. Furniture was strewn about and blood had been smeared on the floor and walls. It was a huge mess. Daniel’s expression was angry and he pulled against the larger man’s grip.
“What’s going on?” she asked incredulously.
“This man is responsible for Terrell’s death!” Derek cried, his eyes shooting fire. Again, he tried to free himself from a man wearing a Tampa Bay Rays hat, but the bigger man held fast.
Bethany couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She’d thought that working with J.P. was difficult because he was such a hothead, but Derek was apparently just as much of a firebrand as the man they’d visited in the hospital the day before. This was her new cell? A wave of dread swept over her. Working with this man was going to be challenging to say the least. She marched up to Derek and got right in his face. “I was at that bank. I was with Terrell. He was like a brother to me. This man had nothing to do with Terrell’s death. Yes, he’s a cop, but he’s on our side. He saved my life, and he would have saved Terrell’s too if it would have been possible.”
“You’re just saying that because he’s your man, Hailey,” Derek spat.
She moved so quickly that Derek didn’t have time to react. In seconds, her automatic weapon was pressed tightly against his forehead. When she spoke, her voice was low and lethal. “Are you calling me a liar, Derek?”
The entire room got quiet and everyone was still, waiting for the scene to play out. Bethany was one of the few women in this organization, and she knew strength was valued. It was a gamble to pull her weapon when she was meeting new members of the Guard, but she wouldn’t get another opportunity to make a first impression. She rolled the dice.
The man restraining Derek looked over to Bishop for guidance, and for a moment, Bethany wondered what he would do. Then she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the older man shake his head and hold up his hand, keeping the man in the Rays baseball cap from intervening.
“Well?” She increased the pressure of the barrel of the gun on Derek’s forehead.
“Fine!” he finally said under his breath.
“Fine what, Derek?” she asked, her eyes still boring into him.
“I believe you, Hailey, okay? If you say he didn’t kill Terrell, then I believe you. Come on, put the gun away. Like you said. We’re all on the same side.”
She slowly lowered her weapon, but her eyes were narrowed. “Don’t ever question my loyalty again, Derek, or Daniel’s either. I trust this man with my life.”
“Sure, Hailey. Whatever you say.” The guy in the Rays hat released Derek and the guy wearing a flannel shirt released Daniel and handed him a bandanna that he had in his pocket. Daniel used it to staunch the blood that was running out of his nose. Daniel’s poor nose! He was going to be hurting tonight. She made a mental note to buy some pain reliever for him on the way home once they got out of this meeting. He still had bruising under both of his eyes and swelling around his nose from his initial injury, and this latest knock was only going to make it worse. Just like at the bank, she had to stop herself from going to his side and fussing over his injury. This wasn’t the time or place; nor would he appreciate her interference. Here, she was Hailey Weber, a tough woman who lived on the fringes, knew how to get things and fought for the Heritage Guard.
“So if we’re done posturing,” Bishop said, “I’d like to get down to business.” He righted one of the chairs that had been knocked over during the fray, took a seat and motioned for everyone else to sit except for the man in the Rays baseball cap, who stood guard by the door. “As most of you know, my name is Bishop Jacobs. We’ve suffered a major setback with the loss of Jackson and his team, but thankfully, Hailey survived and is still here to help us fight the cause. We also have some new help. You’ve all met Derek. As you now know, he’s Terrell’s cousin who just moved here from Alabama. Liam—” he nodded to the man wearing the flannel shirt “—and his brother, Ethan—” he motioned to the man wearing the Rays cap “—round out the rest of the team. We’ve been assigned a new project with a quick turnaround. It’s going to take some planning and a lot of teamwork. We don’t have time for fighting among ourselves. The timeline for Operation Battlefield has been moved up, so everything we’re doing has to happen faster than we expected.” He looked at Derek. “If you can’t handle working with a cop, say so now and we’ll find you another team.”
Derek gave Daniel a look of derision but stopped when he noticed Bethany’s glare. Finally, he looked back at Bishop. “If you vetted him, Bishop, that’s good enough for me.”
Bishop nodded. “Then the subject is closed. I don’t want to hear about it again.”
“So what’s the job?” Liam asked, leaning forward.
Bishop pulled out some documents from a pocket inside his jacket. “We’ve got a friend who works inside a bank.” He glanced at Bethany as if to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Hailey. It’s not the same one we tried to rob last week. They receive half a million dollars by armored car every month that then gets distributed to their various ATMs around town. There won’t be any tracking devices or dye packs because those don’t get added until after the money gets distributed.” He leaned back and smiled. “We need that money for Operation Battlefield. We’re going to rob that armored car when it comes to the bank to make the delivery.”
* * *
“Bethany, Daniel, I’m David Hooker, your new contact at the FBI. I’ll be in charge of the Heritage Guard case going forward.” Bethany had an eerie sense of déjà vu as she shook hands with the large, middle-aged man before taking a seat across from him at the small restaurant in Chattanooga. The mom-and-pop place was a local favorite and was amazingly similar to the diner they had been sitting in right before Justin Harper was killed in the parking lot. This time though, Max Westfield was with them, sitting next to Hooker with his laptop, taking notes as usual. Daniel also shook hands with Hooker, then nodded at Westfield before taking the seat next to Bethany.
Bethany surveilled the small diner, looking for anything suspici
ous or out of place. Nothing seemed overtly dangerous, so her eye strayed to a Christmas tree that was standing in the corner that was flashing with strands of red-and-green mini lights. Several homemade ornaments that looked like they had been made from a homemade clay recipe of flour, salt and water were in the size and shape of sugar cookies and decorated the tree. It was a charming piece of nostalgia that brought back happy memories. She’d made many of the same type of ornaments with her mom when she had been growing up.
She pulled herself back from her recollections and studied the new man before her. She had never seen Special Agent Hooker before, and she was not impressed with her new handler. She couldn’t put her finger on the problem. He seemed normal enough. His suit was dark and appeared like the normal FBI style the agency was known for wearing, and he was fit and clean-cut. If anything, her gut was just telling her that David Hooker was too distracted to take her and the job she was doing seriously. And why was Max Westfield, a low man on the organizational ladder, even here at this meeting? Granted, she had been away from the FBI offices for quite a while, but something just seemed off.
“So you drew the short straw?” she asked Hooker, partially joking, but also partly hoping that he would contradict her and reassure her concerns.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Hooker said in a business tone, “but I admit I haven’t been able to get completely up to speed on this case yet. It’s only been temporarily assigned to me during the investigation into Justin’s murder. Then the top brass will reevaluate the case in its entirety and determine the wisest course of action during the next few days.”
Bethany’s gut tightened, her fears confirmed. They were reevaluating her case? This was the first she’d heard of it, and she wondered if she’d even be consulted before the decision would be made to continue the investigation or pull the plug completely. That irked her. She needed to be a part of any conversation the FBI had about the Heritage Guard case, and she should certainly be consulted before anyone tried to shut it down. She was about to let the agent have a piece of her mind when she felt Daniel’s hand squeeze her thigh under the table. He undoubtedly wanted to remind her to proceed cautiously. She ignored him.
Undercover Jeopardy Page 10