Rick Mofina - Whirlwind

She finished her call and stood. “Our information from the RA in Lubbock and the DEA is good, Phil.”

“Yup,” he said, looking at a new text from the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “And the ASAC already cleared SWAT for immediate deployment. We’re going with them. Let’s get moving.”

Grogan drove.

They took the Stemmons Freeway south and within twenty minutes they were at Dallas Executive Airport, previously known as Redbird Airport. Flashing their credentials at the security gate, they drove directly to the hangar and the waiting jet.

It was a Gulfstream the Dallas Division had on a standby lease. The FBI’s Dallas SWAT team was already aboard with equipment.

As Grogan and Quinn climbed in, the pilot’s voice crackled through his headset over the intercom. “Got some rough weather in front of us-this could get bumpy, folks.”

Once Grogan and Quinn had buckled up, the jet lifted off.

The skyline unfurled and the Metroplex shrank under them.

During the one-hour flight, the jet shuddered several times as Grogan and Quinn reviewed with SWAT commander Steve Elling more details and the context of their target address for this arrest-and-rescue operation.

Two of the murdered men, Arlen Gribbley and Lamont Faulk, did time in Hightower Unit. According to the TDCJ and the DEA, both had dealings with Jesus Ramos Ramirez, aka DOA, a drug dealer and ex-member of an outlaw motorcycle gang. Ramirez had an affiliate with a meth lab in a place called Vickson’s Farm in Anton, just northwest of Lubbock.

“It all fits with Kate Page’s information from Brice Gribbley, the connection to DOA, to Vickson’s farm outside of Anton.”

After they’d briefed the SWAT commander, the captain announced that they’d be beginning their descent into Lubbock. The sky had darkened with broiling clouds. The SWAT team began pulling on their gear, and Quinn reviewed the supplementary information that had come in from TDCJ on Lamont Faulk, concerning other prisoners he was known to associate with. Among the list of those recently released was Mason Varno. But he’d had no ties to Lubbock, so they’d given him a lower priority.

Still, that name.

Mason .

Quinn blinked thoughtfully, flipping through her notes from Kate Page on the dying man’s words. “One of the things he said sounded like (and here Quinn spelled everything phonetically) May-SOO.”

Her notes indicated they’d taken May-SOO to mean “Ray’s Shop.”

Could it actually be Mason? Mason Varno?

She’d tell Grogan that after this operation she’d run Varno down, too.

At that instant, the jet yanked from under her, her seat belt cut into her thighs and several SWAT members crashed to the floor.

“Sorry, guys,” the captain said once the plane leveled. “Everybody stay in your seats and buckle up. The NWS just issued a tornado watch for the region and that could be upgraded to a tornado warning.”

Without warning, the jet was shoved up then down and up again. Then Quinn heard the staccato of stones hitting the fuselage as her window began blossoming with shattering ice balls.

Hail!

She saw lightning and rain before the nose of the jet dropped to an unbelievable angle. Her stomach churned as it rocketed down.

West of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas

Jenna and Blake’s SUV was driving westbound on the I-30 over Lake Ray Hubbard when Kate got a call from Dorothea Pick.

“Where are you?” The news editor’s tone barely restrained her anger.

“Heading to Lubbock-following the story there.”

“Mandy said you left the scene with Jenna and Blake Cooper after Chuck gave you instructions to return to the bureau.”

“Yes.”

“You disobeyed your supervisor.”

“I felt it was the right thing to do under the circumstances.”

“I’ll give you the circumstances-you went to a residence while not officially on shift and without authorization from a supervisor.”

“I thought Chuck already clarified procedure about following breaking news when off shift.”

“Kate, your actions clearly demonstrate your insubordination.”

“You’re criticizing me for breaking a story and being a crime victim?”

“You heard me, Kate.”

“I hear you, but I don’t understand you, Dorothea.”

“And you failed to pass on contact information, as I’d specifically requested. You’ve also demonstrated that you cannot take direction.”

“I don’t believe this. Ever since I broke this story you’ve tried to push me off of it. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m doing what any good reporter would do-I’m following the story I broke.”

“I’m sorry, Kate, but as of this moment you are no longer an interning employee with Newslead. You’re terminated and no longer have any association with our organization.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. Please return to the bureau and turn in your ID.”

“Only Chuck, the bureau chief, can dismiss staff, Dorothea.”

“He’s no longer chief of the Dallas Bureau. I am.”

The line went dead.

Numb with disbelief, Kate stared into the freeway traffic moving across the Metroplex, scarcely mindful of Blake, who’d cranked the volume on radio news stations. Jenna had her phone pressed to her ear and was getting updates from her sister, Holly, who was back in their hotel room watching TV news reports. Holly’s husband, Garrett, had taken Jenna’s daughter, Cassie, to the park.

“We need your help here, Kate!” Blake raised his voice as he keyed coordinates into the SUV’s GPS. “You said Anton, northwest of Lubbock?”

“Right. That’s what the wounded man said…Anton.”

“Where in Anton, Kate? Dyson’s Farm, was it?”

“No, I told the FBI it sounded like Vickson’s.”

Kate’s phone rang again, this time with a Canton, Ohio, number.

“Hang on. I have to take this.”

“Hi, Mom.”

Kate’s heart swelled with the sound of her daughter’s voice.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Good. My teacher told me that you wanted me to call you. I had to go to the office. Why did you need me to call you?”

“Because I miss you so much, honey. I just wanted to let you know that if you hear from your friends, or anyone, about a story in Texas with people getting hurt, that I’m okay.”

“You mean the tornado stuff?”

“No, it’ll be a new story from Dallas. I’m all right, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Don’t worry. I miss you tons, and I’ll be home in a few days.”

“Then can we go to the petting zoo for a pony ride?”

“You bet. So, everything’s good with you?”

“Oh yes, but-” Grace dropped her voice to a whisper “-my friend Ashley likes a boy, Tyler, but that’s a big secret.”

“Okay, I won’t tell. I’ll let you get back to class. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Bye, Mom.”

Kate stared at Grace’s face, blurring on her phone’s screen, and brushed her tears. As the freeway droned under them and the city vanished behind them, Kate tried to come to terms with all the surreal turns her life had taken. Despite all of her problems with Dorothea and Mandy, she’d desperately wanted to be a reporter with Newslead. Reporting was in her blood, and she’d dreamed of one day working in Newslead’s bureau in New York or Washington, of building a new life with Grace. But that dream was gone, and while she was bolstered by the fact she’d see Grace soon, she was pulled down by the reality that bills and unemployment also awaited her in Canton.

Kate forced herself to get a grip on what was real right now.

She shoved all of her concerns aside and focused on helping Jenna and Blake find Caleb.