Learning to Stand (33 page)

“
MPs are waiting for you.
They’re going to arrest you for assaulting the Boy Scout. While you
were getting pungent in the mine, the Denver Police went looking
for you. When they didn’t find you, they assumed you skipped town.
Of course, Gordon wouldn’t tell them your location. Samantha didn’t
know. You’re a fugitive from justice, Alex!”

The co-pilot laughed. Alex sneered at
him.

“
That doesn’t make any
sense,” she said. “I was just with the Texas Rangers. They could
have arrested me.”

“
What would you like us to
do, Lieutenant Colonel?” the co-pilot asked.

“
Do you still have the beach
house in the Saint John?” Alex asked.

Zack laughed. Hoping to impress her, he told
a twelve-year-old Alex he had a beach house on the island of Saint
John.

“
You may as well land,” Alex
said.

“
We gain nothing by avoiding
the inevitable,” Zack gave her a Patrick Hargreaves
quote.

Alex laughed. She turned back to the
passenger compartment when Zack said, “Hey.”

Turning back to him, the co-pilot had taken
over flying. Zack flipped his visor up and shut off his mike. He
gestured for her to come close to him.

“
Back there? Those last
bombs? They were designed to kill you, Alex. Texas Rangers believe
the captors were collecting on your contract. More money they could
bleed from Joiner.”

“
Nice to be popular. How did
you find out?”

“
Your Sergeant passed it
along before the MPs shut him down. I think they arrested
him.”

“
I’ll take Trece and White
Boy. They have badges that will make the MPs sweat.”

“
You’ll be safe?” Zack
asked.

She nodded. Walking back to the passenger
compartment, Alex prepared for what was to come.

“
Ah fuck no,” Troy said.
Peering through the window at the MPs, he said, “There’s only one
person they’re coming for.”

Before she could say ‘boo,’ the men had
grabbed machine guns and jumped from the landing helicopter. She
reached her hand out to Max.

“
I can take your place,” Max
said. “Who would know?”

“
We gain nothing
by…”

“
Avoiding the inevitable,”
Alex, Max and Colin said together.

“
Can you stay with Raz,
Colin?” she asked. “He’s terrified of this surgery.”

“
Of course,” Colin said.
“Julie’s mother is throwing another baby shower tonight. I’m happy
to miss out on another shower! How much ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ does
one guy have to do?”

“
You’ll take care of the
Homeland thing, Max? Please. For me?”

Smiling, Max nodded. They pressed their
foreheads together. She hugged Colin and stepped out of the
helicopter.

“
Captain Ramirez? Captain
Blanco? With me,” she said.

Trece and White Boy moved to either side of
her.

“
Stand down,” Alex called.
“This is a paperwork snafu. I need you to continue our
investigation while I get some rest.”

“
Yes sir,” the men
called.

Between Trece and White Boy, Alex met the
Air Force MPs. She smiled when they attempted to handcuff her hands
behind her back. Colonel Gordon batted them away.

“
I’m sorry, Lieutenant
Colonel Hargreaves,” Colonel Gordon said. “This was the best I can
do.”

“
No civilians?”

“
You’ll stay in the Buckley
jail until we get this resolved,” he said.

“
I need to get my arm looked
at,” she said.

She watched Trece and White Boy flash their
black ops security badges. The MPs saluted the men.

“
Shit, Lieutenant Colonel,
your arm needs surgery. I’ll have the Medics look at it but you’re
going to have to go to the VA in town,” Colonel Gordon
said.

“
I’d prefer to go to
Anschutz with Agent Rasmussen?” Alex asked. “Please.”

Colonel Gordon looked away from her for a
moment then nodded.

“
You still have that fancy
insurance?” he asked.

“
Yes sir.”

“
We’ll send you to Anschutz.
A surgical team, including one Dr. Drayson, is set to work on him
first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll have your Sergeant place the
call. You’ll have to hang out here tonight.”

“
Thank you, sir,” she
said.

“
We need to get her
processed, sir,” the MP said.

“
There was no way to avoid
this,” Colonel Gordon said.

“
I’m certain that’s true.
Someone is pulling the strings.” Alex looked up into the face of
her old friend. Under her breath, she asked, “Who is
Geppetto?”

“
I asked the same question,”
Colonel Gordon said.

“
And the King?”

“
The Army is my King, Queen,
my life,” Colonel Gordon said.

Alex startled. She watched his face harden,
and then saw a smile creep across his face until it settled in his
eyes.

“
Enjoy your rest.” Leaning
close to her, he added, “I’ll tell your Sergeant to leak your video
to the ED at Anschutz. You’ll get star treatment.”

“
Yes sir.” Alex
laughed.

Walking between Trece and White Boy, Alex
was almost to the MPs car when she heard the Black Hawk’s engine
rise. She turned to see the helicopter take off.

“
Where are they going?” Alex
asked Trece.

“
The men have a little
business to attend to,” Trece said.

“
Do I want to know?” Alex
asked.

“
About what?” Trece asked.
He scooted in beside her in the back of the MPs car. “Did you know
this base gives early warning for the entire theater?”

“
I always wondered what that
meant,” White Boy said.

“
I’m not exactly sure, but I
think they mean the entire United States,” Trece said. “I wouldn’t
mind if one of those hot lady techs came to help me install my
theater.”

“
What theater...
WAIT.”

“
I’m glad you asked, Alex.
This White Boy and I have purchased a home here in
Denver.”

“
A house,” White Boy said.
“A swanky remodeled house.”

“
A swanky house in the old
Officer’s Quarters,” Trece said. “It’s called the Gallantry after
some dead officer. I’m not quite sure who. We are sharing a SWEET
bachelor pad. And...”

Alex shook her head. There was no way to
stem the flow of words coming out of Captain Andrew ‘Trece’
Ramirez’s mouth. Never was, never will be.

“
Damn Alex, you stink. What
the hell?” Trece broke into her silence with a jostle of his
shoulders.

“
Wood smoke, sweat, panic,
dirt, mercury mine, garbage,” she said.

“
HEY.” Trece pushed on the
MPs seat. “Can you open the windows back here?”

“
She won’t escape?” the MP
in the passenger seat asked.

“
Nah, but at this rate we’ll
die of stinkation back here.”

The MPs unrolled the window.

“
Like I was saying, we
bought a fine home on the old Air Force base.”

“
Lowry,” White Boy
added.

Alex sighed. The fresh air was wonderful.
She rested her head against the seat and fell asleep to the droning
noise of Trece’s chatter. She woke when they arrived at the jail.
She fell asleep the moment the cell door closed.

FFFFFF

Five hours later
Sunday morning

March 30 – 6:30 A.M. EDT
Over Washington DC

“
This is a test to see if
you’re qualified for a position on the new Fey Team,” Joseph
shouted over the Black Hawk’s engine. “In waves, I want twenty
pushups. Everyone except Mac Clenaghan.”

Three at a time, the men pumped out push
ups.

“
Remove all but your tank
tops,” Joseph ordered.

“
Sir, no disrespect meant,
but what are we doing?” Larry asked.

“
We are going to pay a visit
to a certain Homeland Security Assistant Director. I’m asking you
to play the part of the new Fey Team,” Joseph said.

“
And that means?”

“
Vince? What does it
mean?”

“
You’re pumped, glistening
but do not smell of body order, sir,” Vince said.

“
Matthew?”

“
You’re cool, distant and
tougher than anyone else,” Matthew said.

“
You don’t smile. You don’t
speak to anyone other than a team member,” Joseph said. “No matter
what, you’re tough and cool.”

“
Max,” Zack asked over the
intercom. “You’re sure of the address?”

“
Yep,” Max said. “Google
satellite shows enough room to land on the golf course.”

“
How’s Alex
doing?”

“
She’s asleep,” Max
said.

“
Get dressed Max,” Joseph
said.

Max changed into a pair of digital fatigues
and a tank top.

“
Where’s our glasses?” Troy
asked.

Joseph opened his backpack. He passed out
pairs of dark Ray Ban Wayfarer glasses.

“
You wore Oakleys before,”
Matthew said.

“
New team, new glasses,”
Joseph said. “Matthew, I want you to stay with the chopper. You
don’t need the excitement and he’ll know you’re not one hundred
percent.”

“
Machine gun?” Troy began
passing out Uzi machine guns. “Check that they are loaded, safeties
off.”

“
How do you know all of
this?” Larry asked.

“
Alex’s team dropped her off
every time we’d get together,” Troy said.

“
Me too,” Matthew
said.

“
Yep,” Vince said. “They
dropped in once while I was on ship. Scared the crap out of
everyone.”

“
For good reason,” Joseph
said. “Our image precedes us. This is our first ‘How do you do’ for
the new Fey Team. We have to do this well.”

The helicopter descended onto a golf
course.

“
Your orders: You will not
speak. You will not look at anyone. You will not smile. You are
silent and deadly,” Joseph said. “You gain access to the building
then hold the space for Hargreaves. This twin is your practice. Do.
NOT. Fuck this up.”

The helicopter landed.

“
Go.”

Throwing open the door to the helicopter,
Troy led the wave. At the point of a V formation, Troy moved with
practiced ease across the golf course to the home’s back
entrance.

“
What the fuck?” A man came
to the entrance of the house. “You can’t land there. Who the fuck
are you?”

While the men stood like silent pillars,
Joseph walked from the helicopter.

“
We have a confidential
message for you, sir,” Joseph said.

Turning, he motioned Max across the golf
course.

“
Good God, Hargreaves? What
the fuck is this about?” the Homeland Security Assistant Director
asked. As Max drew near, the man realized he wasn’t Alex. “Who the
fuck are you?”

“
Max Hargreaves, sir. I’m
here on behalf of Alexandra Hargreaves and Arthur J Rasmussen,” Max
said. He gave the man two letters. “They are terminating their
positions with Homeland Security. The letters have been emailed to
the Secretary.”

Max turned in place to walk back to the
helicopter. He did not respond to the Assistant Directors calls to
him. The men followed him. Larry was the last man into the chopper.
He closed the door before the men started laughing.

“
Very well done!” Joseph
said. “Jakker, get us home!”

The helicopter began its flight over
Washington DC to Bolling Air Force Base when they caught a shuttle
home.

FFFFFF

Seven hours later

Sunday mid-day
March 30 – 12:04 P.M. MDT

Anschutz Medical Center

John had no idea why he was called out of
Raz’s surgery.

Sure, surgery was going well.

And he wasn’t really needed.

But attending Raz’s back surgery was his way
of being involved. In some small way, he was connected with his
Alex.

No one would tell him where she was. Last he
heard, she’d been arrested for assaulting the cretin Boy Scout. The
very idea made his blood boil. Following the nurse into a private
recovery room, he had to focus on the floor to keep from screaming:
“What the fuck is wrong with people?”

He looked up when a woman cleared her
throat.

“
Planning our trip some
place warm?” Alex asked.

In a breath, she was in his arms. In a
moment, he was kissing her. He set her down and stepped back.

“
I TOLD you,” Trece said.
“You stink Alex.”

John had been so focused on the ground he’d
walked right past Trece and White Boy.

“
Sorry.” Alex wrinkled her
nose.

“
What IS that?” John
asked.

“
Fire smoke, bombs,
mercury,” she said.

“
And GARBAGE! I told her you
were going to spurn her because of the stench. But she wouldn’t
listen to me.”

John kissed Alex’s lips. With his mouth in
her ear, he whispered that he loved her. He was glad she was safe.
She kissed him then whispered how much she missed him in the dark.
When they broke off, Trece was still talking.