Learning to Stand (24 page)

“
Mac Clenaghan and Walter, I
want to see you,” Alex said.

Joseph and Matthew followed her to the
hallway.

“
I need a full report on
each of these men,” Alex said.

“
I can get that for you,”
Joseph said. “Half hour?”

“
That’ll be fine,” Alex
said. “I’ve spoken with command. Major Walter has been assigned one
hundred percent time under my command. I need to know what you have
worked out as far as leading this team.”

“
I will manage the team,”
Matthew said. “This includes all disciplinary action. Most
immediate, I will attend to Sergeant Flagg’s disciplinary hearings
as well as his civilian DUI requirements.”

“
My first priority is to
complete the assessment of each team member,” Joseph said. “We are
required by command to add at least two Marines and one more Navy.
With Ben retiring, we’ll be obligated to hire an additional
Homeland Security agent assuming Rasmussen stays. We need at least
one medic. Further, with Flagg going to Iraq in a couple months,
we’ll be required to add a green intelligence officer.”

“
Ah fuck, really?” Alex
asked.

“
The Admiral wants a legion
of Fey trained intelligence officers,” Joseph said. “We’ll choose
our newbie this time.”

“
There’s an idea,” Alex
said.

“
We’ve chosen to not add
team members until the team has stabilized,” Matthew said. “We
believe new members will disrupt the order at this point in
time.”

“
What about the work? We
can’t keep doing all these bullshit projects.”

“
I’m in charge of managing
the workload,” Joseph said. “At the moment, Joiner is our only
project.”

“
You got out of everything
else?” Alex asked.

“
With the help of your
Sergeant,” Joseph said. “He’s exemplary and absolutely dedicated to
you. Who hired him?”

“
The Admiral,” Alex said.
“He was hand selected from hundreds of applicants.”

“
Charlie would have killed
for a loyal dedicated Sergeant like yours,” Joseph said.
“Especially in the beginning.”

“
I’m very lucky,” Alex
nodded.

“
We think you’ll find you
have superior talent in the team as well,” Matthew said. “We only
have recommendations for the Lieutenant Colonel, however we believe
these talented men can form a superior team.”

“
Oh?”

“
I will have a report for
you in a half hour,” Joseph said.

“
Where are we on the missing
Cee Cee Joiner?” Alex asked.

“
We postponed our morning
meeting because the Lieutenant Colonel was detained,” Matthew said.
“We are available to meet on this topic when you’re
available.”

“
After I see the personnel
report,” Alex said. “I will be in my office.”

“
Yes sir,” Matthew
said.

“
May I have a minute?”
Joseph asked.

“
Yes, but just a minute,”
Alex said.

Joseph followed her into her office. He
waited for the door to slide closed before he spoke. When the door
closed, Alex sagged.

“
Hard?”

“
Horrible,” she
said.

“
It was for Charlie too,”
Joseph said. “Did the journal have his speech in it?”

“
Steve told you about the
journal?”

Joseph nodded.

“
The journal had his notes,
his thoughts.” Alex slipped Charlie’s ring from under her cast. She
held it up for Joseph to see before she tucked it back in the safe.
“I felt like he was right there with me.”

“
I’m sure he was,” Joseph
said. “You know, you’re allowed to retire, Alex.”

“
So are you,” she said. “Is
Nancy moving back? The kids?”

With the CIA’s assistance Joseph and his
family had moved to Crested Butte, Colorado after the attack on the
Fey Special Forces Team. They lived under new identities until
early this last year when Joseph’s wife, Nancy, decided she would
no longer live in fear. Her brave determination bolstered her
mourning husband into action. He contacted Alex and she immediately
requested his assistance.

“
She should be here
tonight,” Joseph said. “She’s not bothering to pack the house yet.
She quit her job and is coming to Denver. You were right about her
boss.”

“
He’s a cretin,” Alex
said.

“
She’s put up with a lot
over the last few years,” he said. “As always, I hope to make it up
to her. I never seem to...”

“
What does Nancy
say?”

“
Oh you know.” His face
flushed. They said together, “We’re lucky to have each other. Let’s
live the time we have left.”

“
So why are you back to this
crap?”

“
Because I’m good at it and
you need my help,” Joseph said.

“
You don’t have
to...”

“
I was about your age when
Charlie asked if I would help him build a team to retrieve
hostages,” Joseph said. “I wanted to help Charlie and hoped we
could build a decent life. We lived a great life, Alex. I’d like a
chance at that life again.”

Alex nodded.

“
You could retire,” he
repeated.

“
Not really,” she replied.
“Not until I find out who killed the team.”

He nodded.

“
Your family is welcome
here, Joseph but you can see...”

“
Nancy wants to be here to
help evaluate the team. You don’t mind the kids?”

“
They’re welcome additions,”
Alex said. “John and I can move upstairs to give you more
room.”

“
That’ll work,” he said.
“Erin’s here with Matthew. Does anyone else...?”

“
Emily,” Alex said. “Vince
is back with Emily. They have a daughter, Amelia. She’s thirteen or
fourteen, I think.”

“
Would she...?”

“
I don’t know,” Alex said.
“We can ask her. Nancy will like Emmy.”

“
Josh has requested a
conversation with you,” Joseph said.

“
Raz, you have to remember
to call him Raz or Rasmussen,” Alex said. “Samantha doesn’t even
know his real name.”

“
He wants to talk to you,”
Joseph said.

“
Fifteen minutes?” Alex
nodded.

“
I’ll send him in,” Joseph
said. “Then we meet?”

Alex nodded.

Joseph squeezed her arm then left the
office. Alex let the door slide closed behind him. Rubbing her
face, she filled up her water bottle from the water filter in the
corner then set up the espresso maker. While the dark fabulous
liquid dropped into a small cup, she retrieved a bottle of milk
from her small refrigerator. She warmed the milk with the steam
attachment to the machine. Taking the espresso from the machine,
she added milk and sat down in a leather arm chair near the window.
The light from the gas fireplace danced on the antique map hanging
on the wall. She closed her eyes and, for a moment, found peace,
quiet, and safety.

“
I thought you were
brilliant,” Jesse said. He appeared in the matching leather chair
next to her. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Alex held out her hand. Jesse placed his
palm over hers. Feeling the slight electric tingling of his hand,
she closed her eyes again to enjoy the quiet peace afforded by a
best-friend, a macchiato, and the world’s best security.

FFF

“
Joiner’s on vacation.”
Seated in the leather chair next to Alex, Raz took a sip of his
latte. “Or in hiding.”

He pulled a packet of Thin Mint Girl Scout
cookies from the inner pocket of his coat jacket. He opened the
plastic then waved the chocolate mint wafers under Alex’s nose.
Laughing, she snatched them from his hand. She took a few cookies
then gave the packet back to him.

“
Why wouldn’t he tell his
buddy the President?” Alex asked. “Why wouldn’t he take his latest
wife? Even pregnant, she’s pretty. And we both know he likes the
pregnant action.”

“
Exactly. Why wouldn’t he?”
Raz asked.

“
Is that a
question?”

“
If anyone knows the answer,
it would be you,” Raz nodded.

“
Shouldn’t we talk about
this at the meeting?” Not wanting to answer his question, she
stalled.

“
Because I wanted to talk to
you about something else,” Raz held the cookies out to her. She
shook her head. “Why don’t you want to answer the
question?”

Alex shrugged.

Raz raised his eyebrows to Alex. Ever since
he started working with Ben, he had been in her confidence. They
were partners and close friends. He usually listened while she
talked her way through theories and ideas.

Not this time.

“
With Ben retiring, Homeland
Security is talking about giving us a new supervisor,” he said. “I
wondered if you might apply for the job.”

“
Ben said Joseph wants to
retire me from my Homeland contract but when I called, I’m still
under contract,” she said. “I was told you and I need to complete a
laundry list of partner exercises. Ben waived those for us. With
him gone, we have… a lot to do.”

“
Partner
exercises?”

“
We need to get to know each
other,” she said.

“
What?”

“
I’m responsible for knowing
about at least one event from each year of your life. You’re
responsible for the same.”

“
You mean you’d have to tell
me why you’re mad at Zack? Why you broke his nose?”

Crossing her arms over her heart, she shook
her head.

“
I’ve always wondered,” Raz
said.

“
I think we should
quit.”

“
Quit?” Raz asked. “I can’t
really afford to quit, Alex.”

“
You have your wife’s 9/11
Comp money.”

“
I don’t spend that money,”
he said. “You don’t spend your trust fund.”

She shrugged.

“
Why won’t you talk to me
about Joiner?”

“
It’s not you,” Alex said.
“I’m tired… sad and don’t want to talk about him.”

“
Maybe you’d feel
better.”

Alex held out her hand for the cookies. He
gave her his hand instead. For a moment, their eyes held. Breaking
off, her eyes searched his eyes and face for her safe, loving
friend. He smiled and kissed her hand. Closing her eyes, she
sighed.

“
Cee Cee Joiner is motivated
by one thing and one thing only – his own self gain. If he’s in
hiding and didn’t take his money, he believes his life is in
danger. Pure and simple, Cee Cee is hiding from the big bad
wolf.”

“
Who would go against a
wealthy, white American male who happens to be the President’s
best-friend?”

“
Who exactly,” Alex said.
“Or what...”

She got up from the leather armchair to make
another cup of espresso. She made another macchiato for herself and
a latte for Raz before saying anything else.

“
What would make Joiner this
frightened? What could he be involved in?”

“
Any gut feelings?” Raz
asked.

Alex shook her head.

“
Jesse doesn’t know anything
either,” she said. “It’s like Joiner was transported to outer
space.”

Her face lit up with joy at the very idea of
Cee Cee Joiner vaporized.

“
He’s not a hostage,” Raz
said. “Not even a hostage of some alien culture.”

Alex’s bright smile fell.

“
I don’t think so,” she
said. “What I can’t figure out...”

Lost in thought, she fell silent. He
squeezed her hand after a few moments.

“
Sorry,” she said. “What I
don’t get is this: What could someone have on Cee Cee Joiner that
would send him into hiding? And who has it? That’s the question we
have to answer.”

Raz nodded.

F

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Five hours later

Friday evening
March 28 - 6:00 P.M. MDT

Denver, CO

Alex cringed when she heard her mother’s
voice upstairs. Looking up, she heard her father’s footsteps then
the designer stiletto patter of Samantha. Outside her basement
office, she heard the men moving upstairs toward the growing dinner
party.

Alex sighed.

She loved her mother. But at this moment,
she’d rather hide in a hole, even in a Cee Cee Joiner filled hole,
than spend time with her mother. She was about to close her office
door when she realized they would find her in her office. Luckily
only five people knew this rooming house and only three people had
all the keys. She smiled.

Locking her office, she crept past the
basement bedrooms to what appeared to be a closet. She unlocked the
door to a small stairwell. Locking the door behind her, she made
her way past the first floor to the second. From there, she took
the main stairwell to her master bedroom. Grabbing a down jacket
against the possibility of March snow, she went through their room
to the deck off their bedroom.

Alex laughed.

Max sat on his side of the deck next to his
lit chimenea. Expecting her, he held two glasses of wine.