Wounded Falcon: Brotherhood Protectors World Read online

  Andrews let out a deep breath and shook his head, “No. I wasn’t. Was the investigator Agent Julie Love?”

  “Yes, and also with Director Rice and Chief of Staff Kelsey,” she added.

  “Rice and Kelsey were both there, too?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m sorry they dragged you and Lindsay into this,” Andrews said. “How did Lindsay handle it?”

  “She handled it well, Agent Andrews . . .” she began.

  “Please, call me Jim,” Andrews interrupted.

  Summer Rose smiled for the first time, “And please call me Summer Rose.”

  “I’m sorry, go ahead.”

  “Lindsay handled the interview well,” Summer Rose continued. “She has developed into quite a mature woman, you know.”

  “I’m aware,” Andrews assured. “Listen, thank you for coming here to warn me, but I’m aware of the investigation and I can handle it.”

  “So, you already know why they’re investigating you?” Summer Rose asked.

  “Yes, among other things, they believe I conspired to allow a Federal prisoner to escape.”

  Summer Rose nodded, “Rainhorse. Do you know why they are coming after you after all this time?”

  “My guess is that Rice wanted to wait until the shine came off the apple before coming after me,” Andrews said.

  “Shine off the apple?”

  “Yeah, Rice fired me and then hired me back because the media had latched onto me as the hero of the Barnabas Quince case. He felt like it would make the FBI look bad to can me so soon after Quince had been stopped.”

  “I think it goes deeper than that, Jim,” Summer Rose confessed.

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Jim, do you really believe that you were hired back for the reasons you just stated?”

  “Well, yes. I thought it odd at the time, but . . . I guess I was so pleased to get my job back I didn’t give the ‘why’ all that much thought.”

  “Listen to me, Jim,” Summer Rose said. “You may remember I was sitting out in the waiting area right after you left Rice’s office, remember?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You told me you got fired,” she continued.

  “I remember.”

  “Afterward, I went into see Director Rice and Chief of Staff Kelsey. They told me they were reneging on Rainhorse’s agreement because he broke free from FBI custody and went off on his own.”

  “I know. That’s why I got fired,” Andrews said. “They ordered me to hunt him down with extreme prejudice. They wanted me to kill him. I refused.”

  “Here’s what you don’t know,” Summer Rose said. “Rainhorse expected that Director Rice would violate the agreement and try to apprehend him, so he had to use a little insurance to protect himself.”

  “Insurance? What kind of insurance?”

  “Rainhorse gave me a thumb drive with data on it,” Summer Rose said.

  “What kind of data?” Andrews asked.

  “I don’t know. He made me promise to not read it. Said it was for my own protection. It was encrypted anyway. What he told me was, if Rice refused to honor the agreement, that I was to hand him the thumb drive and tell him that the data was regarding an operation called . . . Wounded Falcon.”

  “Operation Wounded Falcon?” Andrews repeated.

  “That’s right. Does it ring a bell?”

  “No. What happened then?”

  “As soon as I told him about the thumb drive and mentioned Operation Wounded Falcon, he agreed to honor the agreement and allow Rainhorse to go free. That’s when I hedged my bet and told him that Rainhorse also demanded that you be hired back.”

  Andrews gasped, “It was Rainhorse who got me reinstated?”

  “Actually, it was me,” Summer Rose said. “To this day, Rainhorse has no idea I threw the condition of your release at the last-minute. I knew what you’d done for Lindsay and Rainhorse, so I thought I’d see what I could do.”

  “Well . . . thank you,” he said. “I owe you a great debt.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “And this data was about an operation called Wounded Falcon? You’re sure that was the name?”

  Summer Rose nodded, “I’ll never forget it.”

  “Summer Rose, why are you telling me all this now?” Andrews asked.

  “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I left the interview,” Summer Rose replied, “and then it hit me.”

  “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “I think Wounded Falcon was an operation that went very bad, so bad it made Rice and Kelsey nervous to think of the data somehow being exposed. I think they decided they needed to kill Rainhorse to cover up details of the operation they could not afford to become public.”

  “What’s that have to do with me?”

  “I’m not completely sure. Perhaps they believe you and he are buddies, and are in contact somehow,” Summer Rose continued.

  “Why would they involve Lindsay?”

  “Because they know you care for Lindsay, too,” Summer Rose said. “They all but threatened Lindsay when she wouldn’t give them the name of the person who ambushed your detail the day you escorted Rainhorse out of prison. I think they believe if they bring charges against Lindsay for obstruction, it will put pressure on you . . . or her . . . to contact Rainhorse and lead them to him.”

  Andrews nodded, “And once Rainhorse steps forward . . .”

  “They’ll kill him,” Summer Rose finished. “Rainhorse knows about Wounded Falcon. Something has gone wrong and now they need to cover it up. That means tying up the loose ends. Rainhorse is a damn big loose end.”

  “We need to warn him,” Andrews said. “Let’s have Lindsay call him.”

  “Can’t,” said Summer Rose.

  “Why not?”

  “When Rainhorse decides to go radio silent, even Lindsay can’t reach him.”

  “Really, Rainhorse won’t even take a call from Lindsay? Why would that be?”

  “Rainhorse may have been the most dangerous assassin on the planet, but when it comes to Lindsay, he’s a quivering tower of goo. He left without explanation or saying goodbye. When she finally catches up to him, she’s going to let him have it.”

  Andrews shrugged, “I get it. Has she even tried?”

  “She’s tried, and failed. Look, I don’t want to unduly alarm her. It’s just a theory of mine . . .”

  “And a pretty damn good one,” Andrews interjected. “I’m sold.”

  “Even so, it’s a theory and there’s nothing Lindsay could actually do about it. I was hoping you might have an idea. You worked with him on eliminating the sex trade operation on the res, and on the Barnabas Quince case. You must know a way to contact him.”

  Andrews shook his head, “Not offhand, but I may have an idea. We’re at the airport. I have to go. Thanks for reaching out to me. Let me see what I can do. I’ll let you know if I come up with something. The driver will take you back to your car.”

  “Thank you, Jim,” Summer Rose said. “Be careful. Rice and Kelsey are up to something, and it’s not good news for you. I feel it.”

  “I share your feeling. Be careful. Assume that the FBI is tapping your phone. . . Lindsay’s too. Get yourselves a burner phone.”

  Twenty minutes later, Andrews was on an FBI jet. He pulled his cell and made a call. The call was answered on the first ring.

  “Hank Patterson here,” the voice greeted.

  “Hank, it’s FBI Special Agent Jim Andrews.”

  “Jim, it’s been a while. What can I do for you?”

  Hank Patterson was a former Navy SEAL who now owned and operated a private company called the Brotherhood Protectors. The Brotherhood provided protective services for people in need. Patterson hired only ex-military men and women who needed jobs and possessed a skill set to get the job done. Lindsay’s step-father, Sam Steele, was a member of the Brotherhood Protectors, and so was Rainhorse.

  “Hank, I need a favor.”


  “Name it,” Patterson replied.

  “I need to speak to Rainhorse.”

  He heard Patterson sigh, “I can’t help you, my friend. He’s off the grid.”

  “Even for you?”

  “Even for me. Why do you need him, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I have reason to believe . . . there are parties interested in finding him—dangerous parties.”

  “Are there any other kind?”

  “I supposed not,” Andrews admitted.

  “If there’s one thing I’ve come to know, it’s that Rainhorse can take care of himself.”

  “I know, but this may be different.”

  “How so?”

  “I . . . I can’t say.”

  “Does it involve the full might of the FBI?”

  “I’ve said too much,” Andrews answered. “Hank, it was good talking to you. I’m leaving for Houston. I’ll be there for a few days. If Rainhorse does happen to call you and check in, please let him know I’m looking to speak to him . . . and soon.”

  “You really do need him, huh?”

  “I do.”

  “Let me see what I can do. Take care, Jim.”

  Chapter 9

  FBI Chief of Staff James Kelsey hung up the phone and stood. He looked at his watch. It was just three o’clock in the afternoon. He picked up a manila file from his desk. He said nothing to anyone and left his office, walking briskly toward the office of the Director.

  He walked into the outer office and past the Director’s secretary without a word. She’d seen this particular look on Kelsey’s face before and decided to remain silent, even though Rice had someone in his office.

  Kelsey saw one of the lower level department heads, Paul Sandoval, sitting across the desk from Rice.

  “Leave,” he said to Sandoval.

  The man said nothing back, just flipped his notebook closed, stood and left.

  “What’s up?” Rice asked, sensing the urgency.

  “Just got off the phone with Greg Alt?”

  Greg Alt was the FBI’s Chief of Internal Security. He now led an elite team of specially trained FBI agents, a group hand-picked and specifically assigned to him and him only. He was ex-Marine, a Force Recon hero, and was perfect for Rice’s needs. Alt was a monster of a man, physically imposing, with a record of getting things done through brutal force. He followed orders without question and executed orders without mercy. He served at the pleasure of the Director, but reported to Chief of Staff, Kelsey.

  “You spoke with Alt?” Rice exclaimed. “What’d he say?”

  “It’s about Julie Love.”

  “Dammit. What’d she do?”

  “I received an electronic flag involving a security breech. Love’s been trying to access information about Wounded Falcon from the company server.”

  “Wounded Falcon? That’s off the books.”

  “I know.”

  Rice slammed both hands on his desk, “Goddammit! If it’s off the books, how do we know she is searching for it?”

  “Because Alt did a smart thing. He created a safeguard so that if someone executed a search for it, it would flag the system. That happened. An alert was sent to Alt. Alt called me.”

  “How long ago did you find this out?”

  “This morning.”

  “This morning? It’s after three. Why did you wait so long?” Rice demanded to know.

  “I asked Alt to gather more information,” Kelsey replied. “I wanted to be sure.”

  “And?”

  “She’s been digging for information. She spoke to Mueller.”

  “Mueller? How’d she know about Mueller?”

  “She’s the best investigator we have, remember? It’s a safe bet that she’s getting close. And this gets worse, sir. Julie Love left for Houston last night.”

  “Houston? What’s in Houston?”

  “It’s who’s in Houston that matters. Jim Andrews is in Houston.”

  “I don’t remember seeing a trip to Houston to interview Andrews on her reports or her travel itinerary,” Rice said. “In fact, isn’t she supposed to be back in Montana right now interviewing Agent Carter?”

  “It’s Carlisle. Yes. That’s where she is supposed to be,” Kelsey said, “but she isn’t, and get this. She called the internal travel agent and canceled her flight to Montana. She then booked her own flight to Houston on a commercial airline using a personal credit card, not her FBI issued travel card.”

  Kelsey sighed, “She covered up her flight to Texas. She doesn’t want us to know she’s in Houston.”

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” Rice yelled. “I knew she was getting too cozy with Andrews. She’s flipped. She’s working with him, now.”

  “That’s the only explanation,” Kelsey said. “There is more, too. In that file I handed you are emails from her personal email, not her fbi.gov email. When our server wouldn’t allow her access to Wounded Falcon files, she started emailing her former I.T. colleagues in Seattle, trying to get them to see if they could access information on the operation.”

  “Jesus! She’s spreading this around? To Seattle?”

  “This is bad,” Kelsey barked. “She’s been defending him to us the whole fucking time.”

  “I know,” Rice admitted. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was screwing her already.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Kelsey agreed.

  “I’ve been worried about this. She admires the man. She hasn’t been on our team from the beginning.”

  “There’s one more thing,” Kelsey interjected.

  Kelsey handed the manila file to Rice, “Greg Alt pulled Love’s phone records for the past week. Here’s the list of people she spoke to and for how long. Take a look.”

  Rice opened the file and began to read, “Jesus H. Christ! She’s getting close to Wounded Falcon. I can’t believe she has the balls to conduct an investigation like this without our fucking knowledge or permission. Did you speak to Mueller?”

  “I did,” Kelsey affirmed. “She spoke to him yesterday by phone. He told her nothing relevant, of course, and then called me immediately. In his opinion, she doesn’t know the details about Wounded Falcon, but is getting close.”

  “Hell, this is Julie Love we’re talking about,” Rice spat. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “Should we pull her off the Andrews case?” Kelsey asked.

  “It’s too late for that,” Rice exclaimed. “She’s a pit bull. That’s why we brought her in. She won’t let up. She’ll see us taking her off the case as a sign that she is on the right track.”

  “You’re right. Even if we pull her off the case, she’ll work it behind the scenes,” Kelsey agreed.

  “We can’t let that happen,” Rice exclaimed. “Damn that bitch. All she had to do was play ball. She could have gone places.”

  “What’ll we do? Gag order? Lean on her? Fire her?”

  Rice shook his head, “It’s too late now. This thing is spinning out of control. First, that dumbass Cassidy assigns Andrews to the Jamal Davis case, and now Julie Love has gone rogue. If Wounded Falcon gets exposed, this will be a complete nightmare. We’ll both go to prison. There’s only one thing left to do.”

  Kelsey took in a deep breath and paused, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “I am.”

  “Jesus, Randall . . . do you really think . . .?”

  “Give me a better option,” Rice snapped.

  Kelsey thought for a moment and shook his head, “I don’t have one.”

  “Then call Alt. Give him the order. Love and Andrews are both in Houston. Hell, they’re probably fucking in some motel as we speak.”

  “Randall . . . I don’t know about this. These are our own people,” Kelsey protested.

  “Do you want to end up in prison?” Rice bellowed.

  “No, of course not,” Kelsey said.

  “Will Alt get the job done?”

  “Of course, he’ll do anything I say—no questions asked.�
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  “Then fucking do it. Do it now.”

  Chapter 10

  Agent Jim Andrews looked at his watch. It was close to midnight. His eyes were beginning to glaze; he needed sleep. He pulled into the parking lot of the Omni Houston Hotel at Westside.

  It had been a frustrating day for him. He’d made no progress on the Jamal Davis case. He didn’t know what he would put on his report.

  He stopped at the desk and used the house phone to order a quick bite from room service and headed to his room, a suite, complete with a desk, refrigerator and couch. He dumped his bag on the bed and headed straight for the bathroom, pausing long enough to remove his suit and hang it in the closet. He stripped naked and turned on the shower, allowing the water to get warm.

  He stepped into the shower and placed his hands under the showerhead, turning his head downward, allowing the hot water to flow over his head and down his back. He stood there for the longest time, allowing the water to wash away the frustrations of the day. Finally, he shampooed his hair and soaped himself thoroughly. By the time he finished, he felt better.

  He decided he was too tired to write a report. He’d wait until morning when his head was clearer. He emerged from the bathroom wearing only a white towel wrapped around his waist.

  “Damn,” he heard a female voice say. “Nice abs. You must work out.”

  He spun toward the sound of the voice, ready to take action against an intruder. He saw Agent Julie Love, sitting on a chair in the corner, looking at him with a wry grin.

  “How the hell did you get in here?” Andrews demanded to know. His voice was harsh. He was not at all amused at the intrusion.

  Love’s smile did not wane. She merely motioned toward the cart that contained Andrews’ meal, “I met the room service gal in the hall. She was bringing your dinner to you. I arrived at the same time. I told her I was your girlfriend and forgot my key and offered to take the cart in for you.”

  “Remind me to speak to the manager and have her fired.”

  “Nah, don’t do that. She was sweet and I can be very convincing, or hadn’t you noticed?”

  Andrews glared at Love. His adrenaline was now surging. Her breaking into his room was a tactic, he thought. She was trying to exert some power over him, to let him know she could access him any time she chose to. She wanted to shock him, and she succeeded. He decided he was not going to allow her to maintain an upper hand.