by Allie Adams
“He can't hear you,” she practically cried. “Someone's mic is keyed up and picking up our subject. Your transmission isn't getting through. What if this guy is sick? What if he doesn't know what he's doing?” She bit her lip and held her breath.
“They know I'm here now because of you. If you bring me back, they'll kill me!”
“Sir, put the gun down.”
“Spencer!” Kat reached for him, but her fingers clutched nothing but air and the breath left her chest.
He was already gone.
TWENTY
This was not going to happen. The two men from TREX Team One were going to be fine. He would reach them in time. Spencer repeated his chant and glanced at the map he'd ripped off the wall as he raced away from the Com Van.
“This way,” he told Gessler as the other team lead caught up to him. They both raced out of basecamp toward the PLS of the team. They couldn't use their lip mics to communicate since one of the TREX agents had his keyed up so they could zero in on his location, as well as hear the play-by-play. Smart. Very smart.
“It's McKenzie and Blaylock,” Gessler pointed out. “Not the brightest bulbs in the box, but even they aren't stupid enough to let a guy give them frontal lobotomies.” He stiffened and gave Spencer a solemn look. “My bad. Seriously, dude. I didn't mean anything by it. Lyons was one of the best.”
“Let's just find them and get their asses out.” Spencer didn't want to talk about Lyons. He'd have time to mourn the loss of his friend and mentor later. Right now, he had a team of TREX agents to rescue.
Something caught his eye off to the left.
He nodded for Gessler to follow him. Making no sound at all, they ran in the direction of the movement.
Small trees as thick as dog hair swallowed he and Gessler. They had a hard time moving through them in silence. Little branches grabbed at them, trying to hold them back from their destination. More than once a branch snapped, giving away their position. They'd both freeze and listen. Once they confirmed no one picked up on it, they continued on.
The static from the mic increased in volume. They had to be close. Kathryn had used a scenario like this once during a mock search. With a keyed up mic, keying up another within fifty feet would cause an ear-piercing pitch to feed through the lines. It worked like the ELT on a downed plane.
At least it had during the training. Spencer only hoped it would work that same way this time. On that mock, they used K-SAR's radios, not TREX's receivers.
A man's voice resonated through the dense trees. Spencer and Gessler sped up their pace, breaking into a sprint by the time the feedback started. Small branches whipped at their faces and pulled at their clothes. Spencer ignored the stinging as the branches ripped at his flesh. The safety of those men consumed his thoughts.
His radio screamed, the screech piercing his ears. He spun around in all directions, looking anywhere and everywhere for them. Gessler did the same. They had to be here. But the trees were so thick he couldn't see a goddamn thing. Fear tore through him. Why the hell couldn't he find them?
“Please. You don't need to do this.”
At once, they both twisted to face the direction of the voice. Spencer stepped through another wall of trees and spotted them first. The TREX agents both reached toward a man with a gun against his temple. But that didn't have Spencer stunned into slowing his movement.
It wasn't Salazar.
“Who the hell is that?” Gessler whispered behind him.
Spencer turned his radio down. He and Gessler communicated with the hand signals every TREX agent knew in their sleep. Deftly, Spencer moved to the left, Gessler to the right, to approach the subject from his backside. Slowly, carefully, they crept closer. Spencer stood within a few feet when the subject cocked his gun and pointed it at the agents.
And he saw red.
I will not lose another TREX agent on this find.
Spencer jumped onto the man's back and wrestled the gun out of his hand once he had him on the ground. The man shouted something about how he couldn't go back, but Spencer ignored him as he zip-tied him and pulled him to his feet, grateful he reached the team in time.
“Son of a bitch,” Gessler said as he joined them. “I wanted to get the jump on the bastard.”
“Next time get here first.” Spencer grabbed the man by the collar and pushed him forward.
Gessler turned to his team. “What the fuck is the matter with you two? You know better than to play games.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Turn off your radio and get your asses back to base camp.” Gessler stormed ahead, clearly pissed that he had to retrieve his own team. He then slowed and turned to them. “Smart move on keeping your mic keyed up, Blaylock. You're presenting that on the next drill.”
Blaylock shut off his mic, killing the dizzying squelch. “Yes, sir.”
“I can't go back!” the subject screamed. “I can't. Give me my gun. I'll shoot you all and put you out of your misery. You've seen me now. You are all dead. Don't you get that? They know.”
Not in the mood to deal with the man's psychotic ramblings, Spencer tightened his grip. “Shut up.”
“I know my Miranda rights. You can't restrain me.” And yet he didn't even attempt to struggle.
“We're not cops.”
“Then why am I restrained?”
“For your own safety. Now, if you know your rights so well, how about you remain silent?” Spencer turned to Gessler. “Where's the nearest rig?”
“Base camp.”
Although Spencer didn't want this maniac anywhere near Kathryn, he had to get him to the SUV so TREX could transport him to HQ for questioning. He thrust him toward the direction of base camp.
“As soon as I'm back, I'm dead. We're all dead. Dead!”
“Remaining silent wasn't a request. Now shut the fuck up.” Spencer grabbed the man by the arm and lifted him so his feet barely touched the ground, dragging him with such fury the man didn't say another word.
“Whoa, Allen.” Gessler grabbed the man's other side and slowed them down. “You're going to rip his arm out of his socket.”
Before Spencer could answer, the suspect spoke. “Allen?” Spencer threw him a vicious glare. “Spencer Allen?”
Spencer answered by dragging him faster. He didn't want to give this man information about any of the TREX agents. This asshole had already proven he'd snapped. Acid hit the back of Spencer's throat. To think, if he had been any later, those two TREX agents would have been on the wrong end of a gun, just like McKoy and Lyons. He shuddered.
“The squelch died. Did you find them? Are they okay?” Kathryn. Her voice shook. He wanted to reach through the line to touch her. But they had to get the subject to HQ. It would be his final act for TREX.
And then Spencer would tell Kathryn his role in the Haynes search before anyone else could. He'd never leave her side again.
“Not after I get through with them,” Gessler stated into the lip mic. He then gave the signal for radio silence. The men switched off their radios before Gessler turned to Spencer. “Jesus Christ, man. Have you lost your goddamn mind? You gave her a radio? We don't need her listening in on our frequency.”
Spencer gave him a single nod in agreement. He then dug his fingers into the subject's arm when the man tried to jerk it out of Spencer's grip. “Don't be fucking stupid. You're not going anywhere.”
“You are Spencer Allen, aren't you? The TREX agent. You're all TREX agents.”
Screw his question. Spencer had a few questions of his own. “What did you think you were doing, pointing your gun at those guys like that?”
“It's all part of my training. If I'm caught by the enemy, I put a bullet in my head to avoid capture.”
“You weren't pointing it at your head,” Gessler pointed out. “You were pointing it at my guys, you son of a bitch.”
Spencer spiked his brow. Did this guy think he was some James Bond? “No cyanide pill, huh? It seems your plan didn't quite work then, did it?
You've been captured anyway.”
The man shuddered and closed his eyes. “You have no idea what you've done, what your involvement has done. Now...” The man opened his eyes and met Spencer's. “...and then.”
Spencer and Gessler exchanged knowing glances. A powerful vise clamped across his chest, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. “What are you talking about?”
“What comes around goes around. I'm sure Emery Haynes would say the same. How far are you willing to go to keep me quiet? We know what you did to ensure Emery's silence.”
Spencer skidded to a stop. Gessler did the same, a shocked look on his face. Only two people outside of the man that gave him the order knew the details of that find. Weber and Spencer. Not even the SAC's best friend knew Spencer's role on that find. Fuck. Fuck. Who was this guy and how did he know anything about that find?
He nodded for Gessler to hold the subject then whipped around to face him. “Tell me how you know about that.” When the man didn't answer and instead spread a sly smile across his lips, Spencer connected his fist with the man's jaw, knocking both him and Gessler back. “Tell me, goddamn it!”
“Let's just say it is a small world after all.”
“Wrong answer, fucknut.” Gessler pushed him forward. “Let's get this lunatic back to HQ. Any other conversation could be hazardous to his health.”
Spencer's insides clamped down. If this man knew about the details of that find, that meant others did, too. If he didn't tell Kathryn what really happened, if she found out from someone other than him about his involvement, all hell would break loose. She would never forgive him. There's a chance she wouldn't forgive him even if she heard it from him.
Regardless, she needed to know the truth. The death of that man wasn't her fault.
It was his.
TWENTY-ONE
Kat paced in front of the Com Van as she waited for the TREX team to return. She had a few questions for them. Not that they'd answer her, but she had to at least try.
She thought about trying the radio Spencer gave her. The TREX team hadn't said a thing since they found the subject. Maybe they didn't talk once they completed a find. More than likely, they'd switched off their radios so she wouldn't be able to hear them.
Kat took a breath to see if any TREX agent had their radio on when another voice sounded over the line.
“Switch to the key of B.”
What did that even mean? She pulled the receiver out of her ear and looked for any type of switch. Not finding one, she let out a frustrated sigh and went to drop the earpiece in her pocket when she felt it. A tiny little wheel on the very back. She moved it a click, listened, then repeated until voices sounded.
“The next time you decide on radio silence, give me a heads up.” Weber. She recognized his growly tone.
“Sorry, sir.” That one was definitely Gessler.
“What's the situation?”
Spencer's deep voice came across the line and warmed Kat, despite the situation. “We have the subject in custody. Gessler said there's a rig at base camp we'll use to transport him to HQ.”
“Allen? What the hell are you doing?”
“Assisting Gessler.”
“Once you're at the rendezvous point, you will turn in all audio. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly.”
“There's something else,” Gessler pointed out.
“And that is?”
“This guy says he knows about TREX and definitely knows Allen.”
“Of course he does,” Weber retorted sharply. “He was in the wall tent with us during the find for Tommy Miller.”
“Oh, no. This isn't Damon Salazar. It's—what the fuck is your name?” A pause. “Sam Green.”
They were out looking for Damon Salazar? The same man who'd called her and gave her all the information on the formerly missing Sam Green? The same man who had asked her to keep his contact with her a secret from TREX? Now she knew why. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the numbers, making sure she still had his in her most recently received calls. There. Making a mental note to tell Spencer about it later, she went back to eavesdropping on their radio traffic.
Gessler continued. “And he knows something about Emery Haynes. Wasn't that the name of the guy we found dead up here last year?”
“Shut up,” Spencer barked.
“What was Allen's role on the Haynes search, Weber?”
“That's none of your goddamn business, Gessler.” Weber did not sound happy.
Kat listened, her heart in her throat. Spencer had a role in that fateful search that almost ended her career? She clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palms. As much as she didn't want to continue listening, she had to know.
“This guy has diarrhea of the mouth,” Spencer said. “He's just talking shit.”
“Whoa! Say what?” Gessler exclaimed. “Weber, you've got to hear what this guy is saying. I'm switching over to VOX. Okay, asshole, say that again, the part about Salazar.”
Another voice sounded. He sounded like the same man screaming for the team to leave him alone, but now seemed awfully calm for having been caught by them. “Damon Salazar is a part of a group called the Order. It's a powerful group and its power stretches across the globe. The Order is very persuasive and if they want something done it gets done. Period.”
“Is that how you know him?” Gessler asked. “Are you a member of this cult?”
“It isn't a cult. Cults are harmless. Trust me when I say that this group is not harmless.”
“Why the fuck should we care about some cult—sorry, group—with delusional thoughts of grandeur?” Spencer sounded annoyed and way too tense.
“Because the Order has a far reach. TREX hunts down threats, right? I can list at least a dozen of them you don't even know about, yet.”
“What were you hired for?”
“If I tell you, they'll know you know.”
“Your answers really suck ass,” Gessler pointed out. “Talk or I'll make you talk.”
“I was sent to finish a job started one year ago. There is a very powerful man trying to shift the balance within the Order. He's been steadily gaining support from men just like him. Collectively they have enough power to take over and then the shit will really hit the proverbial fan. You think the dozen threats you don't know about are bad enough? Try hundreds. That's what these men want to do.”
Spencer ground out a sigh. “And what, exactly, are these men wanting to do?”
“Start a war,” Sam Green stated matter-of-factly. “When I heard what they had planned to set everything in motion, I stepped in.”
The TREX agents appeared out of the woods and stopped next to the giant SUV Dan Weber stood next to. Spencer pushed a man she assumed to be Sam Green toward the vehicle. He looked exactly as Damon Salazar described him. Dark hair, wearing all black. The only difference between Sam Green and Damon Salazar was a missing goatee on Mr. Green. That aside, they could have been from the same gene pool.
“Explain how you stepped in.” Weber prodded.
“I saved Tommy Miller's life.”
Kat gasped and covered her mouth, hoping they didn't hear that. She quickly jumped into the Com Van to stay out of sight of the TREX agents so she could spy on them through the window.
“How so?” Weber asked.
“When Salazar confided in me that he planned to have that little boy killed and his body dumped up here, I went into action. I draw the line at hurting an innocent child.”
“You're all heart,” Gessler mused. “Why kill the kid?”
Spencer made the connection with a quick nod. “Because Martin Miller wouldn't go along with the plan. He's the shift. Miller is part of the Order. That's why the ransom demand was too damn low. Salazar isn't after the money. He wants Miller to join his party and was using Tommy as leverage.”
“You were always so perceptive,” Green said.
“Keep singing,” Spencer barked in retort.
“I convinced Salaz
ar to put me on the team to kidnap the boy. It was my job to kill Tommy. I made sure the other mercs on the team knew the kid was mine. That was the only way I could protect him. We were up at the cabin where I was supposed to shoot him and leave his body for TREX to find. Instead, I turned my gun on one of the mercs and shot him. The other two took off with Tommy. I caught up to them, took them both out, and escaped with the boy.”
“We found Tommy's blood at the scene,” Gessler pointed out.
“On purpose. I had to have Salazar think he'd been shot. I hid out with Tommy until I heard someone coming. Once I confirmed it wasn't Salazar or any other member of the Order, I hid and let them find the kid.”
Dear God. Kat didn't know whether to scream at the man or hug him. He'd saved Tommy Miller's life. How could a bad guy be good at the same time?
“So then you helped Salazar escape,” Spencer pointed out. “What happened?”
“He shot at me and I knew he figured out that I double-crossed him. I risked my ass saving him and he repays me by trying to kill me. So I took off.”
This sounded like a weird spy movie. Kat stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
Spencer grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him against the SUV. “Did you shoot at my men? Did you kill Lyons? Answer me!”
“I have no idea what you're talking about! I swear!”
Weber pushed Spencer off the subject and opened the door to the SUV. “This interview is over.”
“Question,” Gessler spoke up and blocked the way. “What does this have anything to do with the Haynes search?”
“Fine,” Weber growled. “Just tell him, Allen. Let's get it over with or Gessler will just keep annoying the shit out of me until I snap and either tell him or kill him.”
“Talk,” Gessler ordered. Silence answered him as Spencer crossed his arms in front of him. Gessler then turned to Green. “Fine. You talk.”
Kat couldn't breathe. She'd waited for these answers for a year. Now as they were about to be revealed, deep down she knew she didn't want to know the truth behind that search. Ignorance was bliss. As stupid as that sounded, she debated turning off the receiver instead of learning what really happened at that search.