Andrew Peterson - Forced to Kill

Nathan didn’t respond.

“I’ve arranged with Lansing to secure both of your homes. Several FBI agents will be assigned to watch them until this situation is resolved.”

“Thank you, Stone,” Harvey said. “My family’s already secure. General Hawthorne has them in a safe house back east.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“If Hawthorne was given an order to stop actively supporting us, it came from the of the navy, which probably means the secretary of defense gave the order. There’s no telling how far up this Montez business goes.”

“That’s quite a development. I know both of those men well. You want me to make contact?”

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Domestic Terrorism, his father had unfettered 24-7 access to ranking members of the intelligence community.

“We’re on our own unless you’re willing to help.”

“Of course I’ll help,” said Stone.

“I don’t want you to jeopardize your Senate seat over this.”

“Nonsense. I have the president’s ear. If I have to, I’ll go straight to him.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Four armed mercenaries just tried to kill my son and the special agent in charge of Sacramento’s field office. Yes, I’m sure.”

“Montez has proven to be a resourceful man. He discovered where I live, not an easy trick. I don’t want him going after you and Mom.”

“I have two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Medal of Honor. Do I look worried? I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. I don’t need to say this, but you two need to be extra careful from now on. Trust no one except me and Cantrell. Don’t forget to call your mother. She’s worried sick.” His dad winked. “SAC Simpson seems equally concerned.”

Harv cleared his throat.

“I take it this isn’t a subject you want to discuss further?”

“You take it correctly. I’d like to spend a few minutes alone with her.”

“She’s just outside, along with several SDPD officers and FBI agents. This hospital looks like the president himself is taking a tour. Be careful how much you share with her, Nathan. Information of this nature is dangerous.”

Holly entered his hospital room, no doubt having been fully grilled by Lansing. Her bandaged forearm-suspended in a sling-looked serious. As if walking with a cane wasn’t bad enough.

She sat on the edge of his bed, leaned over, and hugged him. He smelled a trace of her favorite perfume, Light Blue.“You okay?” he asked.

“When I said I had vacation time coming, I hadn’t thought it would involve a gunfight to the death. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“It’ll be with you for a long time.”

“Your first time?”

“Yeah, I lost some sleep. Harv too. It was our first mission in Nicaragua. We took out a vicious sadist who deserved to die, and I thought that would make it easier, but it didn’t. I can still see his chest explode when the bullet struck. It was a twelve-hundred-yard shot with a Barrett M eighty-two, fifty-caliber. I felt it deeper than I wanted to. Last night was different, Holly. There’s no way to know whose bullets did the actual killing, yours or mine. It doesn’t matter.”

She didn’t say anything.

“I’m convinced those mercs were there to take us prisoner. If we hadn’t fought back, Montez would be torturing us right now. We’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I am right. Your mind will go through slideshows of last night’s action. It’s normal, don’t fight it. You’ll relive it many times. The visuals, the sounds and smells. Let them work through.”

They remained quiet for a few moments.

“How’s your head?” she asked at last.

“Truthfully, I’ve got a blinding headache, but otherwise, not too bad. How’s the arm?”

“What’s one more scar?”

“I said the same thing to Harv. Did you get a chance to talk to my dad?”

“At length.”

“I’m in trouble.”

She smiled. “I’m not sure what I expected, but he’s really quite charming.”

“Stone McBride has a friendly smile when he wants something and an unfriendly smile when he doesn’t get it.”

“Don’t all politicians?”

“Amen to that.”

“What did Lansing and Cantrell say?”

Nathan decided to tell her the truth. “They wanted to be sure Harv and I knew that Montez is full of potentially damaging information that could smear the country if he’s killed. Sleeper measures. They want him alive.”

“So they can do their own interrogation on him?”

“That was the gist. Cantrell wants to stay in the loop with everything we do. I didn’t mention our knowledge of the Hungarian clean coal business. What would be the point? She probably wouldn’t confirm or deny it anyway. She wasn’t telling me much, that’s for sure.”

“Doesn’t this attack on us change everything?” she asked. “Montez knows you’re after him now. Do you think he knows it’s you? I mean, you personally, from your time in Nicaragua?”

“That’s a good question. I suppose if he knew it was me, he’d be quite concerned.”

“Because he’d think you’d want revenge?”

“People like Montez live their lives looking over their shoulders.”

“He must have lots of enemies.”

“He does. Lansing thinks he found me because Harv and I were blown in Bullfrog Bay. I hate to admit it, but I agree. There was a guy on the dock, fishing near Stiegler’s houseboat. He wasn’t that close, maybe twenty yards, but I think Montez left him there to keep an eye on things. If that guy got a zoomed photo of me, all bets are off. He’ll recognize me for sure. But since I never gave him my real identity down there, I’m hoping that Nathan McBride is just another name to him.”

“So what’s next?”

“Have you come up with anything new about Nichole Dalton and her contacts? Husband, boyfriends, coworkers?”

“Actually, the only thing interesting about Nichole Dalton is what we haven’t found.”

“How’s that?”

“It’s been kind of tricky looking into her background. I was worried that sooner or later, Lansing would order me to back off, like what happened to Hawthorne. So now I’m wondering why he hasn’t.”

“Three words.”

“Three words?

“Senator Stone McBride.”

“You’re thinking they had a chat on the flight out here?”

“Count on it.”

“I know your father’s an influential man, but is he that influential?”

“He’s chair of the CDT. His group oversees all matters related to domestic terrorism, and the FBI is primarily a domestic organization. He’s also a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance. So yeah, he’s that influential. Now what haven’t you found on Nichole Dalton?”

“A husband. Or even a father of her daughters.”

“No one?”

“There are no public records on a Mr. Dalton at all. Of course, we don’t know if that would be his last name. So we decided to go right to the source. My San Diego counterpart sent agents over to Nichole Dalton’s residence to comb the place, but they found nothing. And I mean nothing . No wedding pictures, no birth certificates for their kids, no wedding or divorce papers. No files or documents of any kind indicating a father for her children. Nothing.”

“ Somebody impregnated Nichole Dalton,” said Nathan. “Twice. It sounds to me like he’s a spook. Since Ms. Dalton works for the NSA, it seems reasonable she’d cross paths with them now and then. She could’ve hit it off with one. If so, why is Montez going to all this trouble to get his hands on him, assuming the father’s the real target? If we’re right, then Montez wants the father alive to wring info out of him. He’s an interrogator, not an assassin.”