by C. G. Cooper
It sounded like a good plan to Trent. “I call dibs on one of the real beds.”
Cal was always glad to have the crusty Master Sergeant around on ops like this. He had a way of keeping things light even in the face of imminent danger.
“You got it. The new place has six bedrooms, so you can take your pick when you get here.”
Cal gave him the new address, and Trent relayed the information to Ramirez to plug into the vehicle’s GPS.
“See you in thirty, Cal.”
+++
Just under thirty minutes later the two SUVs pulled into the driveway of the vacation home.
“Cal sure likes to travel in style,” Brian commented as he looked up at the huge single-family home.
“I think he finally realized that not spending his money wasn’t an option. Besides, you know he likes to take care of his troops.”
The former Corpsman nodded. It was one of the main reasons he’d accepted the invitation to join SSI. The place was like home. SSI was a group of warriors that took care of each other no matter what. That philosophy came from the very top starting with Travis Haden and Cal Stokes. They would die before seeing one of their men suffer. Their approach ensured absolute loyalty amongst SSI employees. Staff and operators were taken care of and expected to perform at the highest levels. They were an elite team dedicated to making America safer while at the same time taking care of their brothers on their left and right.
Cal lived frugally by habit. His father had done the same. Both Marines spent their time and money ensuring the well-being of their troops. One of the perks of having a highly profitable company was that Cal could fly his people first-class when appropriate and put them up in the nicest accommodations. He figured it was a very small price to pay for men who’d put their lives on the line for years and continued to do so. He could finally give back to the men who meant so much to him.
As they piled out of the vehicles, Stokes and Briggs walked out onto the second story patio.
“You guys need a hand?” Cal asked.
“You kidding? Did you not see all the shit you requested?” Trent answered in mock indignation.
Stokes grinned and headed down to the first floor to help their second group of guests unload the cold weather, hiking and mountaineering gear he’d ordered from SSI’s logistics division. There wasn’t much a grunt liked more than a new piece of gear.
Chapter 5
Grand Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming
11:55am, September 27th
Nick Ponder had yet to visit his prized guest. There was too much else to do. Coordinating his buyer’s arrival had been a real pain. His contact was starting to get a little attitude about the pending acquisition. They were starting to balk at the rising purchase price. During their last conversation he’d stretched the truth by telling the guy that he had two more buyers waiting with offers. It wasn’t true, but after thinking about it for a while Ponder was starting to realize the possibilities. What communist country or terror organization didn’t want the brilliant mind of a resource like Neil Patel?
As he continued to mull over his options, he pulled up the latest weather report on his desktop. Shit. The updated report was calling for a huge snowstorm. He’d only been in the area for one other early winter, and it’d made the normally unflappable mercenary more than a bit uncomfortable. The remoteness of his property had its advantages, but a heavy snowfall could easily hinder his plans. If he didn’t get the buyer in and out in the next day or two, they might have to wait another week. He needed to buy some time. Luckily, he had a couple contingency plans.
He logged into one of his many email accounts and composed a message that would remain waiting in the drafts folder for the only other person who knew of the account’s existence.
+++
Terrence Zheng took another gulp from his Diet Red Bull. The higher ups at SSI had him doing triple work since Neil’s disappearance. He had barely stopped for the last two days.
Taking a quick break from the background check he knew would be fruitless, Zheng got up from his chair and walked to the restroom. He stepped into the large handicap stall, sat down on the toilet and pulled out his smart phone. Tapping on the appropriate application, he opened the browser and clicked on a bookmark labeled ‘Vacation.’ The email provider’s website popped up a second later and he logged in.
There was a message waiting for him in the Draft folder.
Chapter 6
Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
12:17pm, September 27th
They now had three quarters of their sixteen-man team sitting around the large dining room table. Cal had ordered pizza and everyone was eating their fill. Briggs had just run them through the plan he’d devised to flush out the bad guys.
The last team arriving was led by one of Cal’s new go-to guys. He was a short Hispanic who everyone called Gaucho. Eccentric in his own way, the small Mexican-American wore a braided goatee and commanded his men with flair and daring. As a former Delta commando, Gaucho was no novice to covert operations. He was the first man to volunteer to accompany the expedition despite his dislike of the cold environment.
Gaucho’s group of four was even now pulling into the quiet ski village. They’d be at the rental house any minute.
“Hey, Cal, make sure we save a couple pieces of that jalapeño pizza for Gaucho. You know what’ll happen if you don’t,” MSgt Trent joked to the room. The men laughed because they knew it was true. Gaucho was the first one to make fun of himself and his ancestry, but beware to the person that got in the way of him and spicy food. Despite the gravity of the situation, Stokes always enjoyed being with these men. There wasn’t a guy present that wouldn’t give his life for another. It was a hard thing to find outside of the military.
“So, is everyone good with Daniel’s plan?” Cal asked.
Everyone nodded. Briggs knew what he was doing. Besides, the plan only entailed finding and possibly capturing two guys. It was a stroll in the park for these operators.
+++
Gaucho and the last three team members pulled into the long driveway twenty minutes later. It didn’t take Cal long to brief the newcomers and get them something to eat.
“Thanks for saving me some jalapeños, Boss,” Gaucho said through a mouthful of greasy pizza.
“You’re just lucky I didn’t put Top in charge of the pizza,” Cal quipped.
“You messin’ with my pizza, Willy?”
Trent waived his hands in mock fright. “No way, hombre! You know I wouldn’t get in between a Mexican and his hot peppers.”
“Very funny, Top. I could say the same thing about you and some fried chicken,” the small Hispanic smiled.
“Now don’t be talkin’ about Mama’s fried chicken. Besides, I don’t just eat fried chicken, I eat HOT chicken,” Trent added, rubbing his six pack abs.
“That’s right I forgot about that. Some spicy shit, right? You sure you don’t have some Mexican in you, Top?”
“Not that I know of, brother. But who knows, maybe you’re a brother from another mother.” Trent smiled wide, walked over to Gaucho and gave him a big bear hug.
The tough little Hispanic wiggled out of the giant’s arms and just managed to save his slice of pizza from falling on the ground. “Okay, Willy. I know how you boys in the Marine Corps like to hug but save that for Doc over there.”
Looking up from his bag, Brian Ramirez gave Gaucho the finger.
“Whoa, whoa, watch where you stick that thing, Doc. I’m here for business not a medical exam.” Gaucho was now snickering along with some of the other men.
“All right, ladies,” Cal raised his hands in surrender. “As much as I’d love to see where this thing ends up, let’s get all the gear staged. I just got a weather update from HQ and it looks like we’ve got a big snowstorm moving in. The cold weather gear we brought along might be coming in handy sooner than we thought.”
Gaucho groaned. “You’re kidding me right, Boss? You know how muc
h us Mexicans hate the cold.”
“Really? Why don’t you just hitch a ride on Top’s back? I’m sure he can keep you warm,” Cal offered innocently.
The remark elicited a middle-fingered salute from the former Delta man and MSgt Trent.
+++
“What have you got for me?” Nick Ponder asked Trapper.
“They haven’t left the hotel. I’m thinking they gave us the slip.”
Ponder’s temper flared. The last thing he needed right now was an enemy force snooping around in his territory.
“So what are you doing to find them?”
“We got their room number from our contact at the hotel. We’re about to go take a look inside.”
“Call me as soon as you know.”
Ponder slammed the phone down. He was losing precious time. The snowstorm was really constricting his timeline. Pretty soon he’d have to recall his men. He only had a handful of contractors working security at his home base. He’d need the full contingent for the buyer’s arrival and to deal with any possible incursion from the SSI team. Maybe it was time to trigger his back-up plan.
After consulting his small journal, he picked up the secure phone again and dialed a number. It connected after one ring.
“Yeah?”
“Jack, I need a favor.”
Chapter 7
Camp Spartan, Arrington, TN
3:46pm CST, September 27th
Travis Haden was on the phone when Marjorie “The Hammer” Haines, SSI’s lead attorney, walked into his office. Wearing her usual form-fitting office attire, Haines was always impeccably dressed in clothing that enhanced her already attractive form. Most people underestimated the beautiful brunette. Not only was she a lion in the courtroom, The Hammer was also an accomplished martial artist. She’d bested many of the toughest of SSI’s operators in practice sessions or wager-inspired sparring.
She motioned for him to end the call. After apologizing to the caller, he hung up the phone.
“What’s up?” Haden asked with concern. It wasn’t often that Haines came into his office unannounced.
“We’ve got a little…situation. I just got a call from my source at the FBI. It looks like they’re about to conduct a little unofficial investigation on us.”
Travis frowned. It’s wasn’t that he’d never expected the request. Hell, after the Black Knight affair a few years ago most of the security contracting companies had been investigated in some form or fashion. SSI had thus far avoided the FBI’s scrutiny by maintaining the proper transparency and cultivating the relationships needed to keep the company out of hot water.
What concerned Travis was SSI’s covert wing. They’d operated outside the laws for years, protecting a country that still seemed unaware of their presence. Living and breathing their founder’s concept of Corps Justice, SSI quietly intercepted threats that normal law enforcement couldn’t handle. Each operation could only be sanctioned by Travis or Cal. Secrecy was key.
Had someone tipped-off the FBI? Cal had only recently saved the President’s life in an operation in Las Vegas. They’d worked directly with the President and the Secret Service to keep the entire affair quiet but that didn’t mean anything. Somehow secrets always got out. It was directly proportional to how many people actually knew the secret. The Vegas incident was still fresh. Did the President have a turn of conscience?
“Do you have any details?”
Haines shook her head. “Nothing yet. My contact says we should be getting the subpoena within the hour.”
“Shit. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Where will they start?”
“From what I heard from some friends, they’ll start digging into finances and operations. They want to make sure income and expenses match.”
“Is there any way they can trace us back to any of our clandestine ops?”
“I don’t think so…at least not on paper.” The look on Haines’ face told Travis she was holding something back. He gave her a ‘give it to me’ hand gesture.
“I didn’t want to say anything until I had a chance to think about it more, but I’m concerned that we’ve got a mole.” She let the comment sink in. Marge could see by the look on Haden’s face that he found the idea pretty far-fetched.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Think about, Travis. Neil gets kidnapped then not days later we have the FBI breathing down our necks. That can’t just be coincidence.”
Travis didn’t know what to think. Ninety plus percent of the employees at SSI were former Military personnel. They’d each been exhaustively vetted mentally, physically, financially and through intense background checks.
“Okay. Let’s assume you’re right. What do we do now?”
“While I deal with the FBI, have Higgins and Dunn start doing an internal search.”
Dr. Alvin Higgins was a former CIA employee and psychologist. Despite his chubby appearance and jolly charisma, the good doctor was a master interrogator. He’d revolutionized the techniques used by American personnel (both physical and chemical) that now produced tomes of vital intelligence for the American government. Although he abhorred most physical violence, Higgins marveled at the capacity and the inner workings of the human mind. If there was a man that could extract information without laying a finger on a captive, it was Dr. Higgins.
Todd Dunn was SSI’s head of security. Where Higgins was outgoing and genial, Dunn was introspective and serious. A former Army Ranger, Dunn was all about business and always vigilant.
Travis nodded. If anyone knew how to be discrete it was Higgins. Tag teaming with the burly Dunn, the two would find the mole soon. “What are you gonna tell the FBI about where Neil, Cal and the rest of his team are?”
Haines shrugged and smiled. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”
+++
Within twenty minutes Dr. Higgins was executing his plan. They’d talked about the possibility of having a traitor in their midst before. Luckily, thanks to Higgins’s experience in the federal government where mole hunts seemed all too common, SSI had a plan in place for just such a scenario.
“I’ll take care of it, Travis,” Higgins said in his fatherly tone.
“You’ll let me know what you find out right, Doc?”
“Certainly, my boy. Just give me little bit of time. These things have a way of working themselves out.”
Travis wasn’t too sure. Since his time with the SEALs he’d become accustomed to working in an elite environment. Amongst warriors it was absolutely unspeakable to betray your brother’s trust. That gave Haden an idea.
“Hey, Doc, how about you start with the support staff. Most of our operators don’t even have a clue about what’s going on outside their current mission. Might save us some time and heartache.”
Even though he’d already come to the same conclusion, Dr. Higgins was never one to take credit or condescend. “Good idea, Travis. I’ll start there.”
As Travis left the doctor to his craft and went to find Dunn, he could only hope that the internal investigation wouldn’t tear his company apart.
Chapter 8
Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
3:15pm, September 27th
Cal walked into the garage where his men were busy staging their equipment. Some checked weapons as others ensured their cold weather gear fit properly.
“Top, you got a minute?”
MSgt Trent looked up from his conversation. By the look on Cal’s face he knew another wrinkle had just been added. Trent nodded and followed Stokes upstairs.
Ramirez, Briggs and Gaucho were already seated around the dining room table. Trent took a seat while Cal remained standing.
“I just got a call from Travis. It looks like they’re having their own little party back at headquarters. The FBI’s about to investigate SSI.”
To their credit, the men seated around the table remained silent. They knew it wasn’t time for questions.
“Travis and The Hammer aren’t sure wha
t they’re looking for but I agree with them that it’s mighty convenient considering Neil’s disappearance. What makes things worse is it also looks like there might be a mole at SSI.”
Now the gathered warriors looked shocked. Could it be? Could one of their own actually be conspiring to destroy a company they’d all fought hard to build?
Trent was the first to interject. “How sure are we about this, Cal? I mean, this could be bad for all of us.”
“I know. Trav has Higgins and Dunn on it. If anyone can ferret this guy out it’s them.”
They all nodded solemly. Each man was well aware of Higgins’s expertise.
“So how does this affect what we’re doing out here?” Gaucho asked, seeming almost nonplussed about the situation back home.
“As usual we’ll have to make sure we stay under the radar. I’ve also recommended to Travis that he keep all updates I send him to his immediate leadership team. No one else really needs to know about what we’re doing,” Cal explained.
“What if we need more firepower, Cal?” asked Ramirez.
“I think we need to try and get this done without asking for more people. Besides, if what they’re saying about this snowstorm is true, we wouldn’t be able to fly anything in anyway.”
These men were all used to working on their own. They knew the risks involved. Not having the ability to call in support would not hinder them from seeing the mission through. They would make do.
“Cal, I know we shouldn’t be thinking this,” Trent started, “but have you considered that maybe Neil isn’t even here? I mean, what if they flew him out of here the second they picked him up?”