Mark Young - Off the grid

Gerrit stood and turned off the television, just as Joe came into the room, Redneck trailing behind. Gerrit looked at the rest of the group in his motel room. “Well, Kane has just put a target on my back. Every law enforcement agency in the country will be looking to get their hands on me. I would imagine a BOLO is already out.”

They looked at Joe. Alena spoke first. “Do we call off this trip to Albuquerque and lay low until we can find out what this is all about?”

Joe raised himself up on his toes, as if exercising a cramp. “Nah, we keep pushing ahead. Laying low is just what Kane wants-to force us into hiding while he tries to clean up his mess. In the meantime, he will be doing everything he can to find us and squash that recording between Gerrit and the senator. Kane’s running scared.”

“While he is doing all that,” Gerrit said, “I’ll try to stay out of jail.”

Redneck bumped his shoulder. “Hey, Mr. G, jail’s not that bad. Three straight meals a day and all the sleep you want.” He winked at Gerrit. “You might learn to like it.”

Gerrit grimaced. “If I land in jail…if any of us land in jail, we’ll be dead. Kane wants to terminate us. And he’ll do whatever it takes to hunt us down.”

Joe smiled. “I finally made a believer out of you.”

Gerrit shrugged. “I’ve just seen how far Kane will go.”

An uneasy silence settled on the group. Joe jerked his thumb toward the doorway. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

Gerrit watched them solemnly wander out of his room, Joe giving Gerrit a nod before shutting the door.

Joe had placed Gerrit in charge of this operation. It felt like he was back in the military, preparing to go behind enemy lines once again. But now he was leading a group of civilians who seemed to have no training for this kind of challenge.

He hoped they’d make it back alive.

Joe watched his team board the jet bound for Albuquerque. As the stairs retracted, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a preprogrammed number. A moment later Beck Malloy’s voice came on the line.

“Beck, they’re just leaving for the lab in New Mexico. I am on my way to check out the jackal’s den in Harrogate. I’ll keep in touch.”

“You going solo?” Concern crept into Beck’s voice. “At least let me set up a contact to cover your backside overseas.”

“I’ll be okay. And I have a contact there if I run into trouble. I’m more worried about our boy and the crew heading for New Mexico. The target had to have heard Gerrit’s conversation with the senator. I would bet he already put a hit team together to intercept them once they land.”

“That’s a high probability, Joe. Our agents found wiretaps in the senator’s house. What do you want to do about it?”

A jet roared overhead, drowning out any conversation. Joe waited until the aircraft passed and its blast abated. “Contact our guy at SOCOM. Tell him his favorite Marine is heading into trouble. He and his crew need eyes on their backs without raising any flags with the brass. Keep this covert. Can’t let the public know the military is involved.”

“Communications will be a one-way street with our contact, Joe. Gerrit cannot be given access to military data. His security clearance with Special Operations Command became inactive when he decommissioned.”

“Yeah, but his clearance can be reactivated quickly by the Bureau if people like yourself push it. Besides, our contact would never let a security clearance get in the way of protecting Gerrit. They go way back.”

Beck hesitated. “With Gerrit being a person of interest in connection to the Seattle murders and now the senator’s death, I couldn’t get that through the Bureau even with the president’s help. At least not without raising a lot of eyebrows.”

“Okay. Then let our friend with Special Ops handle it from his end like all the others.”

“Off the grid?”

“Exactly. It’s the safest way for all of us to function right now.”

“Consider it done.”

Joe killed the connection and tossed the phone after making sure its memory had been wiped clean. Time to pack a bag and visit the enemy’s lair.

Richard Kane heard the backblast of jet engines as Collette came on the phone line. “You in Albuquerque?”

“Just arrived, Richard. Any updates?”

“I just learned that the team split up. Joe O’Rourke has designated Gerrit to take the rest of the team to your location and find the lab.”

“And Joe?”

“He’ll be heading to my location in Harrogate. I’ll handle him on my end. You just find and kill that team. I don’t want them getting anywhere near that lab. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly,” Collette said with confidence. “They won’t leave the city.”

He cut the connection. His informant came through again. And if Collette failed, he had a backup. The informant would kill everyone on the team.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dry winds and high altitude cleared Gerrit’s head as the team exited the plane. A burly man hailed him from across the tarmac. Officer Geronimo Sanchez. Joe’s description of Geronimo was dead on. Alena, Willy, and Redneck hung back near the plane while Gerrit approached the cop.

Gerrit stuck out a hand. Geronimo, leaning against his car, arms folded, seemed to ignore the gesture.

“Thought you guys would never get here. You ready?”

Taken aback, Gerrit nodded and motioned for the others to join.

Geronimo reached into his car and popped open the trunk. “Throw your things in the back and let’s get a move on.” The man was all business. “I’ve set up everything, just the way Joe asked.”

Willy was the first to arrive. “So, Geronimo, how did you get that name?”

Gerrit hunched his shoulders. “Leave the man alone, Willy. He’s trying to help us.”

Geronimo whirled around to face Gerrit. “Stop right there, partner.” The cop held up a hand. “No names. Understood? What I don’t know, I can’t be expected to give up. I’m doing a favor for an old friend. No questions asked. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Gerrit nodded and the others piled into the car.

Geronimo waited until everyone was settled, then punched the accelerator. He wheeled around a terminal and shot away from the airport as if he could not wait to get rid of them. A five-minute ride found them in a large public parking lot. “Here’s your new ride.” He screeched to a stop alongside a white van with tinted windows.

Willy groaned as they piled out of the car. A magnetized decal slapped on the side of the van read Phil’s Plumbing: Let us flush your problems away-Cheap and Fast.

“You gotta be kidding,” Willy said. “We’re going to run around town pretending to be a bunch of plumbers? This is sooo uncool. Fly in on a fancy business jet and drive out in a plumbing rig that promises to flush our problems away. Give me a break. The ad sucks.”

“Well, excuse me, pal.” Geronimo glowered at Willy before turning to Gerrit. “It was the only undercover I could snag at a moment’s notice. Only the hookers working our hotels know about this vehicle. We used it for a sting operation a few weeks back. I suspect your targets are a step above hookers, so this ride should work.”

Geronimo leaned out the driver’s window. “Give me a call when you’re ready to blow town. Park it right here, and leave the keys in the ignition.” He handed Gerrit a sealed business envelope. Gerrit grasped it and felt metal objects inside.

“Keys to a safe house and the address are inside.” Geronimo started to roll up the window, then stopped. “You’ve got my number. Give me a jingle if you run into any trouble. Otherwise-we never met.”