Brothers In Arms (Matt Drake 5) (29 page)

“That’s why we hung around so long. It’s a sleeper operation. They kidnap down-and-outs, transform them, and bury some kind of ‘wake’ command deep inside their subconscious. A doctor here says it can be triggered by some guy—General Kwang Yong—verbally, or by a machine at this end. And don’t worry. The machine’s about to get some Mai-time.”

Drake grinned. Fucking Wells’ legacy would never die. “And the down-and-outs
who are there now?”

“We’ll take them with us.”

A good outcome,
Drake thought. Romero and he had destroyed the body. Mai had chopped off the head. And SPEAR had caught both ringleaders.

“And that general?” Mai went on. “Kwang Yong. The doc says he was always scared, always paranoid. He was acting without permission. He needed to cover his tracks somehow and used the sleepers. That’s all I know.”

Drake couldn’t stop thinking about her face. “It’s enough. Be safe, Mai. It’ll be good to see you again.”

Drake ended the call and gave the cell back to Hayden. When he looked around, Dahl was grinning at him. So was Komodo. Even Alicia had stopped texting her biker boyfriend for a minute to stick her finger down her throat.

“C’mon, Drakey. It’s not like you haven’t been there before.”

Then, the Gulfstream’s forward hatch burst open and out stepped a nightmare—Shaun Kingston, outfitted in all his advanced weaponry: his prototype “killproof” full-body armor, his bulletproof weapons-synced, computerized helmet and goggles, and toting two of the craziest, meanest, most radical guns Drake had ever seen.

“Crap!”
Hayden dove for the concrete.

With no cover, they were all exposed. And they weren’t wearing their Kevlar anymore. Not even Torsten Dahl could cover enough ground to prevent Kingston from opening fire and they all knew it.

Kingston screamed as he jumped out and managed a textbook landing. “This is what I can do!” he yelled. “I am the future.”

Drake ran straight at the guns. So did Dahl. Komodo followed a second later. Kinimaka stepped in front of Hayden.

Kingston’s fingers tightened on his triggers, the sound of manic laughter fitting for this futuristic figure so decked out in all his advanced weaponry, his cutting-edge hardware with its electric-blue and blood-red lights flickering all over the killproof vest.

He waited an extra second.
“Time to shred me some Goddamn pork!” he bellowed and opened fire.

The knife, the primitive shaft of sharpened steel, thunked loudly as it slammed through the lower half of his face—the only exposed part of him—just below the nose and around the mouth. In the millisecond it took for his brain to register death, the force of the blow sent him reeling backward, his weapons shooting at nothing but sky.

The last words he ever spoke were in shock. “A knife?”

Drake slowed and turned. Dahl followed suit. Alicia knelt on one knee, still poised in a throwing stance, eyes narrowed.

“A knife,” Drake echoed. “All that bloody technology. All the money they spent. And he gets taken down by a biker chick with a blade.”

Alicia shrugged. “I want that back. Lomas gave it to me as a keepsake.”

“Whatever you say, Myles.” Hayden used Kinimaka’s proffered hand to pull herself upright. With a quick scan, she inventoried the assorted machinery scattered around the airfield.

“Now, who’s driving
what
back?”

Days later, Jonathan Gates prowled around his office as night pressed implacably against his uncovered windows. He preferred exposed, unadorned casements and skylights—it helped him see clearly in more ways than one.

The new agency had pulled off a great accomplishment but there still remained a few man-eating sharks on the Hill, their cold eyes examining and their bloody teeth bared, ready to swoop in for the kill. Gates knew it didn’t matter how many times you were successful; it just took that one bad day or unlucky decision to wipe it all out. The sharks would always circle. It was their nature.

His plans were afoot. SPEAR was about to get a new HQ courtesy of Hayden Jaye’s old agency, the CIA, one better equipped and more clandestine this time. That damn reporter, Sarah Moxley, continued to bug them, and with more clout behind her now. Gates felt that both he and the agency owed her some kind of an explanation.

But that problem would save for another day. Now, Gates walked around to the front of his desk and picked up the photograph he kept there. It showed his wife, Sarah, and he in better times. He held on to the frame as he clicked a button.

“Show Miss Fox in.”

The door opened almost immediately. Gates replaced the picture and turned around. Lauren Fox closed the door and stood with her hands folded across her breasts. “I really don’t know why I’ve been brought here, sir. Or
summoned
, I guess you could say.”

Gates gave her a wry smile, sensing her discomfort. “Don’t worry. I don’t wish to engage your services.” He gestured to a chair. “Sit.”

“I’m fine.”

“Please?”

Gates settled himself as she finally perched on a chair opposite him. “I grant you, it’s unusual for a Secretary of Defense to
summon
an expensive hooker to his office. We could have met in secret, or in public, but for what I have to propose”—he met her eyes—“this seemed more appropriate.
Official.”

“Won’t people wonder?” Lauren was clearly thinking of the staff.

“They’re my people. They know me. Now, Miss Fox, I liked the way you handled yourself.”

“Excuse me?”

“First—you saved lives during the attack on our HQ. You showed amazing bravery. Second—the assassin. You beat him, and that was no mean feat. The man was well-trained as we’re starting to understand from General Kwang Yong.”

“Are there more of them?”

Gates gripped the bridge of his nose. “Undoubtedly. We don’t yet know how many. We’ll most likely never know who they are. But the head has been cut off that particular snake. Now we wait for the next one to rise. And, Miss Fox, we need all the. . .” He paused.
“Specialist
help we can get.”

“Call me Lauren. Now what the hell are you saying? Sir.”

“You’ll fit right in,” Gates said to her and then proceeded to outline his proposal. When he’d clarified the dangers and then secured her acceptance, he watched her walk out of the room.

Damn.

Quickly he occupied his mind with picking up the phone and dialing Hayden’s cell. It was around eight o‘clock in the evening, but his second in command needed to know about his newest recruit and the parameters he’d set for her.

*****

Hayden took the call as she and Kinimaka sat down to dinner. The restaurant was crowded and noisy, but her Hawaiian partner gawked in happiness. Hayden had brought him to Washington DC’s one and only Hard Rock Cafe.

“I’ll get us cocktails.” Kinimaka’s huge fist almost fully concealed the drinks menu. Hayden heard her boss out, at first shocked but then seeing the usefulness of an expensive asset like Lauren Fox. At least now she knew why Gates had been asking all the odd questions. Time would tell if she was up to the job.

Hayden thanked Gates and then told Kinimaka. “Good move,” he said. “She sure can get into places we can’t.”

“We’ll see.” Hayden was more worried about how many times they’d have to go in and save Fox’s ass. But for now, she focused on Kinimaka.

“I kinda brought you here for a reason,” she said a little nervously. “Other than to buy you a shot glass.”

“To get me drunk?”

“Maybe. So Mano—” She touched the top of his hand where it rested lightly on the table. “You got something to say to me?”

The misgivings rose like a castle wall before his mind’s eye. “You’re my boss. I respect you for being my boss. A
nd if it doesn’t work out—how could we work together?”

“Geez, Mano, nothing’s ever gonna be that predictable. And wouldn’t life just get damn boring if it was?”

“We’ve known each other a long time. . .”

“I can’t promise we’ll always be friends.” Hayden thought about real life and how it always took away those you loved. “Whether we hook up or not.”

Big cocktail glasses full of mixed spirits, gaudy umbrellas and slices of pineapple were placed on the table. Hayden had known her oldest friend would try the Hawaiian-based drink, just to compare it to the island offerings. She also knew he’d go with the island. He always did.

Friendship. Trust. An almost psychic intuition for what each other would do next. That’s what they had. Why risk it?

“There’s always another level,” she told Mano, though she’d never found it with Ben or any other of her past boyfriends. “There has to be.”

“Hayden Jaye.” Kinimaka took her
hand and squeezed gently. “Will you be my date tonight?”

The atmosphere at the table suddenly changed. The dynamics shifted sideways and a thrill shot
through Hayden’s body. “Sure will,” she said with a grin. “But first things first—I have to pass on the information Gates just gave me. Actually, I’ll tell Dahl to do it. He’s reliable.”

Kinimaka waited patiently. He’d waited for Hayden so long he couldn’t even remember when he fell for her. Another five minutes wouldn’t hurt.

*****

Dahl took the call without feeling an iota of surprise. He trusted Jonathan Gates now. The man had a plan, and a bloody good one at that. Dahl’s only continuing concern was the distance this job put between his family and himself. Johanna would not pack up and move to the United States, nor would he ever as
k her too. And it wasn’t fair on the kids. Their early youth was an impressionable, grounding experience. He wanted familiarity and stability for them.

But how grounded would they be with a father figure who only flitted in and out of their lives?

Dahl checked his watch. It would be mid-afternoon in Sweden. The kids would be at school but at least he could talk to Johanna. But first, he’d make a call to his newest comrade, Komodo. The Delta boy had taken it all the way in that final battle. A quality Dahl appreciated. He trusted the man to pass along Hayden’s information.

After that, Johanna would be eager to hear his voice. And he hers. Already, a wide grin was spreading across his entire face and making his dark eyes sh
ine. He set up the video link on his laptop and crossed to the window. The dome of the White House glowed in the distance. Johanna would love to see it.

*****

Komodo seemed agitated to Karin by the time he’d finished talking to Dahl. The soldier was standing completely naked at the window, seemingly oblivious, and no doubt making some passerby’s day. The street was only three floors below. The lights were on. Karin studied the width of his shoulders and the play of the muscles down his back.

“Is Torsten okay?”

“Yeah. He just called to tell us the hooker has been made part of the team.”

Karin let it run through her quick mind. “The idea is a good one, T-vor.” It was her private name for him.

“He wants me to pass it on to the team.”

Karin raised a wicked eyebrow. “Well, you probably needed the break anyway. Felt like you were about to peak early.”

Komodo looked a bit self-conscious. “It’s been a long week.”

“Just ring Drake. He’s reliable. I need to try Ben anyway. Haven’t spoken to him since he left.”

Karin wrapped her body in the soft bed sheets right up to her neck. “You can stay naked, soldier boy. That’s your punishment.” The connection whirred and clicked and then the ringtone began. Ben’s phone was one of those annoying ones that played a preset tune in the caller’s ear.

She heard Komodo talking to Drake.

Ben didn’t answer.

Without further ado she jumped up on the bed, letting the sheets fall away. Komodo fell at her feet so that she landed perfectly on top of him. His hands grabbed her hips.

“And since you’ve
done nothin’ but sit on
this
for the last week, let’s give it some exercise.”

*****

Drake listened to Komodo. The appointment of Lauren Fox would raise some issues, not to mention some eyebrows, but now was not the time to address them. Although Mai had been back for days, this was the first time they had been alone, totally alone, since they had hit the island.

Neither of them was
the kind to make small talk. Neither were they the kind to emphasize how much they’d missed or thought about each other. Drake knew all he had to do was sit next to her. “I’m supposed to contact Alicia.”

Mai studied her hands in her lap, almost coming across as shy. Almost.

Drake yawned, stretched and put an arm across her shoulders. It was intended as a joke, but went straight over the Japanese woman’s head. She snuggled in.

“Glad to see you didn’t fall for Smyth, then.”

“He takes some getting used to but he’s a good man.”

“Romero too. He helped finish off the Spanish side of the
trafficking ring. Almost single-handedly I hear.”