Armed Response

by Janie Crouch

  Damien grinned. One thing Fawkes had was exuberance. “Sounds like a perfect plan to me.”

  Chapter Two

  Jace Eakin stretched his long legs out in front of him in an office chair that probably hadn’t been comfortable even when it was new. Now that it was ratty and at least a dozen years past that, it was even less so. His knee was stiff from too many hours cramped in a plane, his shoulder vaguely ached from a bullet he’d taken years ago in Afghanistan. Thirty-two was too young to feel this old.

  He was in an office that looked like it was out of some old gumshoe movie, complete with dirty windows and low ceilings. The man sitting behind a desk looked almost as rumpled as the office itself.

  Jace knew Ren McClement was anything but.

  Jace had first met him ten years ago when they served together in the US Army Rangers in the Middle East. Working side by side with someone in daily life-or-death situations showed that person’s true colors. Ren McClement was one of the few people in the world Jace trusted without restriction. He knew the feeling was mutual. Which was why he was here now in this godforsaken seat in some out-of-the-way office in Washington, DC, rather than putting the finishing touches on his ranch in Colorado.

  “Ren, seriously, dude, you’ve got to get some chairs not built for midgets.”

  Both Ren and the other man in the room, Steve Drackett, chuckled. Ren had gotten out of the army not long after the time he spent in Afghanistan with Jace. Because of his skills and security clearance, Ren had immediately been brought into Omega Sector, a joint task force made up of the best agents the United States had to offer.

  Jace knew Ren was one of the highest-ranking members of Omega, and that he worked mostly in covert missions.

  Nothing surprising about that. Ren had had the ability to blend in with almost any situation even back in his Ranger days. That the government was smart enough to use him for clandestine work wasn’t surprising to Jace.

  What was a mystery to him was why Ren had asked him here to begin with. Although always happy to see his old friend, Jace was not an Omega Sector agent. He wasn’t an agent at all.

  “Yeah, budget for this place wasn’t very big,” Ren said. “Not that I’m in here enough to worry about that anyway.”

  Ren could probably have a very high-end government office with a million-dollar view of DC, but chose not to. Jace knew for a fact that Ren never entered a government building unless he had to, and even then it wasn’t through the front door. The undercover nature of his job prohibited it.

  “I can see why you wouldn’t want to be here often. And speaking of, why am I here? I’m assuming there’s a reason other than reliving old times.”

  Ren nodded. “We have a situation in the Omega Critical Response Division out in Colorado Springs. A mole who is leaking information to a terrorist named Damien Freihof. We know the mole is someone inside the SWAT team. Steve—” he gestured to the other man, who was leaning with one shoulder against the wall “—has requested that I send in someone I trust to help find the mole.”

  Steve pushed himself away from the wall and handed Jace a thin file with some papers inside. “We found this Manifesto of Change document hidden in one of our Omega computer servers.”

  On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character or the public trust.

  I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions.

  I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve.

  Jace looked over at Ren, then Steve. “This looks like some sort of law-enforcement creed.”

  Steve nodded. “It’s the oath of honor that law enforcement officers take at their swearing-in ceremony. But keep reading.”

  We all took an oath to uphold the law, but instead we have allowed the public to make a mockery of it. Where is the honor, the integrity, the character in not using the privilege and power given to us by our training and station to wipe clean those who would infect our society? We were meant to rise up, to be an example to the people, to control them when needed in order to make a more perfect civilization.

  But we are weak. Afraid of popular opinion whenever force must be used. So now we have changed the configuration of law enforcement forever.

  And now, only now, will you truly understand what it means to hold yourselves accountable for your actions. Only with death is life truly appreciated. Only with violence can true change be propagated. As we build anew, let us not make the same mistakes. Let the badge mean something again.

  Let the badge rule as it was meant to do.

  Jace shifted slightly in his chair. “Okay, I’ll admit, this is scary. And I sympathize, I really do, that this has come from within your own organization, but I’m not an agent. There’s got to be other people you trust who could do a better job than I could.”

  Ren glanced over at Steve and then back at Jace. “We’re not looking for someone long-term. This is a time-sensitive op.”

  Steve nodded. “I would’ve bet my life that the traitor was not one of my SWAT team members. I’ve known most of those people for years. But intel has suggested that not only is the mole a member of SWAT, but also has a plan that will involve a massive loss of life.”

  “Do you have details about how? When?” Jace asked.

  Steve nodded. “Within the next two weeks. Our strong suspicions are that it has to do with a law-enforcement summit scheduled in Denver next week. It will have police chiefs and politicians in attendance from all over the country.”

  “That would definitely make a good target.” Jace looked back at Ren. “And if you need an extra hand with a rifle, I’m more than willing to help out, especially since I’m headed out to Colorado anyway.”

  “Still planning on breeding and raising dogs?” Ren asked. “Horses? Opening your ranch?”

  “Hey, don’t mock my dream.” Jace had always wanted to own a small parcel of land where he could raise animals, particularly dogs, that could be trained for service members and veterans who suffered from PTSD. Maybe even make it into a place where vets could come and enjoy space and quiet for a temporary stay when they needed it.

  Jace had made some savvy financial investments in his twenties that had given him the means to make this dream a reality now. He’d be able to cover himself financially until he was able to make a living from his business. He was looking forward to working outside, with the land and animals. He also looked forward to not having to be constantly worried about being in danger.

  Although risk cognizance had been a part of his life for so long it was second nature to him now.

  “I wouldn’t dream of mocking it.” Ren smiled. “Hell, I may be joining you before this is all over. But I was hoping you would help me out before you got out of the game for good.”

  “We don’t need an agent,” Steve said. “We just need someone who can come in and pass for a SWAT team member. Somebody who has the qualifications and physical prowess to join the team. Because of attacks by Damien Freihof, we’re down a couple of members, so bringing in someone from the outside wouldn’t be unheard of.”

  “And then once I’m in there?”

  “Then there’s one person particularly under suspicion who we need you to get close to.” Ren leaned forward on his desk, watching Jace closely. “Lillian Muir.”

  The name had Jace actually rising from his seat before he even knew it.

  “Lillian Muir?” He looked from Ren to Steve. “Lillian Muir is a member of the Omega Sector SWAT team?”

  “Not only a member, one of the best members. One of the most gifted SWAT personnel I’ve ever known,” Steve said.

  Jace began pacing back and forth behind the chair he’d just vacated.

  Lillian Muir.

  He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t wondered what had happened to her over the years. He hadn’t seen her in twelve y
ears, since he was twenty and she was eighteen. The day they were supposed to leave to join the army together, to get out of a pretty rotten living situation in Tulsa. To figure out their future together, which for Jace had always meant marriage as soon as he could talk her into it.

  He hadn’t seen her since the day he’d found her in his brother’s arms.

  Jace looked at Ren. “You know, of course, that Lillian and I have a history.”

  Ren nodded. “You and I talked about a woman you cared about a great deal back when we served together. And you’d mentioned her name was Lillian. When I found out the Omega Lillian was the same as your Lillian, I thought we could kill two birds with one trusted stone.”

  Jace shook his head. “You also know things didn’t end well between the two of us. I’m probably not the most neutral person. She decided she’d rather have my brother than me.”

  Daryl had died in a fire not long after Jace joined the army, but that didn’t change the fact that Lillian had chosen Daryl, not him.

  “I just want to say officially and on the record that I do not think Lillian is the mole,” Steve said, conviction clear in his voice. “As a matter of fact, I’m hoping you’ll be able to come in and clear her.”

  “Clear her? Why me? There’s got to be someone better.”

  “It’s a perfect storm of problems,” Ren said. “We need someone we can trust. We need someone who has the skills to infiltrate a SWAT team. And we need someone Lillian may be willing to get close to.”

  Jace shrugged. “The first two I might fit. But Lillian won’t get close to me. There’s got to be someone else. Friend. Boyfriend. Somebody.”

  “I recruited Lillian basically off the streets nine years ago.” Steve shook his head. “She’s got a tactical awareness and physical control of her body that has only improved over the years with training and education. But, despite being an excellent team member, Lillian has never gotten close to anyone since I’ve known her.”

  Jace scrubbed a hand over his face. “Even more reason why she’s not going to get close to me. Some people are just lone wolves.”

  Jace knew enough about Lillian’s upbringing to not be surprised that she kept to herself. She wasn’t ever going to be the life of the party. But never having gotten close to anyone? The two of them had been plenty close at one time. Or so he’d thought.

  “Our division psychiatrist was killed by Freihof two weeks ago,” Steve continued. “Her case files are confidential, even with her death. But I do know for a fact that Lillian was seeing Dr. Parker regularly. And Dr. Parker believed there was a sexual trauma of some kind in Lillian’s history.”

  Ren leaned back in his chair. “Honestly, we were hoping maybe you knew something about that and could use it to foster a closeness between the two of you.”

  “I don’t. If that happened, it happened after she and I...separated.” Jace grimaced, tension creeping through his body. Despite her leaving him for his brother, Jace would never have wished something like that on her. Couldn’t stand the thought of someone hurting her that way.

  “Like I said, I don’t have any details. And it may not even be accurate. But I know Dr. Parker had suggested that finding someone from her past, someone she knew before the trauma, might be the key to helping her overcome it.” Steve gestured toward Jace. “Maybe you could be that person. Help us find the real mole. Help her work through whatever is in her history.”

  “What if she is the real mole?” Jace asked. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t believe it. But it could still be the truth. He’d known her twelve years ago and she cheated on him. Had that developed into even darker tendencies as she’d gotten older?

  Steve took a step forward. “She’s not.”

  Ren held his hands out in front of him in a soothing gesture. “Steve, you’re too close to this. You know you are.”

  Jace jerked his chin at Steve. “You involved with Lillian?”

  “No, happily married and a new father.” Steve’s eyes narrowed. “Plus, did you not just hear what I said about her not getting close to people? That particularly goes for men.”

  Jace shrugged, studying Steve with hooded eyes. “Thought maybe you might be the exception to that.”

  “Steve cares about the entire team,” Ren insisted. “He wants to catch Freihof and the mole more than anyone else, especially given the people they’ve lost. And the mole doesn’t know that we’re on to him. Or her, as it may be. So we want to use that to our advantage. Steve poking around will draw attention. Not to mention he’s not neutral.”

  Jace sat back down in the uncomfortable chair. “And you think I am?”

  Ren stared him down. “I think I would trust you with my life—and have—multiple times over. I think you have an innate situational awareness that was only honed in your years as a Ranger. I think you will be fresh eyes and able to pinpoint specifics others may have missed.”

  Ren leaned back in his chair but didn’t lose eye contact as he continued. “And I think this is a chance for you to finally put your history with Lillian to rest and move on. She’s not the only one who hasn’t gotten close to anyone else in the last twelve years.”

  Jace was also a loner. Lillian hadn’t had anything to do with his choice not to settle down with anyone. But that was irrelevant to the situation at hand.

  Ren was right—it was time to leave Lillian Muir behind for good.

  “Fine. I’ll do it. Another couple of weeks isn’t going to change my plans for the ranch. I just hope I’m able to do what you guys think I can.”

  Ren nodded. “Your best has never once not been good enough.”

  Jace just shrugged. That wasn’t true. They’d lost men in the line of duty whom Jace wished he could bring back. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

  Steve stepped up and shook his hand. “Welcome to the team.”

  Chapter Three

  Lillian had been quick and wiry her whole life. Not just fast with running, although she could average a six-minute mile for ten miles in a row, but swift with everything. Her hand movements, her body movements, how she processed info.

  A lot of it probably came from early in her life, when if she wanted to eat, she’d had to steal food from the grocery store or local market. And if she wanted to sleep safely, away from her mother’s drunken wrath or boyfriends’ wandering hands, she’d learned how to move quickly and silently out the window.

  Those lessons might have been hard to come by, but each of them had made her into the woman—the warrior—she was today.

  Whatever didn’t kill her had better start running.

  The SWAT team was sparring and doing some general workouts in the training area until the new guy got there. Another new guy. Evidently this one had a little more experience than Saul, the friendly yet trigger-happy newbie who had been filling in for the last couple of weeks. Or anybody was better than Philip Carnell, the computer whiz who had been working with them as an analyst in hostile situations for the last two months.

  Carnell had a mind like a steel trap, but the personality of a horse’s ass. Which was probably an insult to the hind end of a horse. Nobody liked Philip and he had a bone to pick with everybody about seemingly every damn thing. Lillian avoided him whenever possible. Hell, everybody avoided him whenever possible, unless he was acting as Tactical Command, as he had been a couple of days ago. Carnell was great at finding fast solutions in dangerous tactical situations, but he wasn’t physically adept enough to be a part of the tactical team.

  He’d only sulked about that fact and gave his opinion about “the unfairness of elitist practices” of the SWAT team about once every hour. Lillian was glad to not have to deal with him in training or in the field.

  Saul wasn’t so bad. He tried to get a little too friendly, and grinned a little too much for her taste. But at least Surfer Boy didn’t make her want to lock him in a trunk, like she
did with Carnell.

  Right now she brought her leg around in a vicious roundhouse kick and hit the punching bag. Roman Weber, her teammate holding the bag for her, took a quick step back.

  “Trying to take out all your aggression on one poor defenseless piece of canvas?” He chuckled as he grabbed the bag more firmly.

  “Too many new people, Roman. I don’t like change.”

  “Oh, yeah? Try finding out you’re about to be a dad. Now, that’s change.”

  Lillian grinned at him. “Yeah, every time that happens to me I swear it’s not gonna happen again.”

  Despite his wounds from an explosion two months ago, she knew Roman couldn’t be happier about Keira being back in his life and the baby they had on the way. Hell, it seemed like just about everybody on the SWAT team had found romance-novel-type true love within the last year.

  Lillian was thrilled for them, she really was. She liked each and every one of the women her teammates had fallen for. But love and marriage weren’t in the cards for her. She’d long since accepted that. Emotional attachment just wasn’t her thing.

  But she had a career she savored and kicked ass at. That was enough.

  “I hear this new guy is actually qualified to be on the team. An Army Ranger. Steve Drackett vouches for him personally,” Roman said.

  Lillian punched the bag again. “I just wish Liam was back in action.” Their teammate had almost been killed by a biological weapon three weeks ago.

  “He’s alive and going to recover. That’s what matters.”

  Omega Sector’s casualty list at Damien Freihof’s hand was getting too damn long.

  Liam Goetz, SWAT team member: seriously injured via chemical inhalation. Hospitalized two weeks.

  Roman Weber, SWAT team member: seriously injured via explosion. In a coma for more than a week.

  Tyrone Marcus, SWAT team member-in-training: killed in action via explosion.