“Okay, Scalon is a desk pilot but Tim Bryan is a decorated Spec Ops man.” Rich scratched at his freshly healed facial wound.
“That’s why I dismissed them at first, but my gut said one of them had to be the one.”
“I love my baby’s gut.” J. J. gave her a squeeze.
“Still, Kinkaid gets the credit.”
“Nonsense,” Kinkaid said. “When you chose those two, I figured you had lost your mind.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“He was alone, Tess. He brought me the names and rejected the whole notion,” Mac said. “Had the suggestion come from anyone else, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But I did, and I called the president. He had the FBI do a background check. Captain Bryan had recently come into some money, much of which he put in an offshore account. A little deeper look and we found a connection to Green Zone. We checked their bank accounts—don’t ask—and they received a big hunk of cash from Bryan’s offshore account.”
“Wait,” J. J. said. “The Chinese paid Captain Bryan for information on Angel-12, then paid Green Zone through him?”
“Yes.” Mac leaned on the table. “Army CID in Nebraska collared him. He’s been interviewed by several organizations including intel groups. He’s confessed to everything. It seems he holds a grudge because he has received no recognition for the missions he did. He thinks he should have received more credit for being wounded in action. In his mind, the Air Force just stuck him in a desk job in Nebraska.”
“So he sold out,” Moyer said.
“Yes.”
“I think I know the answer to this,” Moyer began, “but how did the president arrange for the Russian military to extract us and deliver us to the Michael Monsoor?”
“He told me he just laid out the truth, asked for help, and turned over the location of Egonov’s group and one of his men.”
“Dr. Igor,” Jose said. “Man had skills. He said something to Captain Masters that puzzles me. He said, ‘My father would be proud.’ Masters seemed to understand.”
Moyer turned to J. J. “You ready for your new role?”
“Nope. Were you?”
“Never felt ready.” Moyer looked at his wife, daughter, and son laughing. “I am, however, ready for what comes next.”
He rose from the table and walked to his family.
Fallen Angel Page 30