Chapter 6 #3
"It's not like that. I'm a lot of things, but I have lines I won't cross.
That's one of them." Doyle turned his cup, something Sterling had noticed years ago that Doyle did when he was under pressure.
"My client crawled out of the pipeline six months after we pulled out…
" Doyle let his words trail off, avoiding the name, Sterling supposed.
"There were some big players left on the board after that mission.
Our target only took out so many, and the rest scattered and rebuilt.
" Doyle ran a hand over his face. "My client lost nearly everything when he came here. But he was lucky. He was legal back then and he still is. However, he believes, and I have to agree, that the people with power who remained from that corridor have surfaced and they’re coming after those they believe turned on them. "
Sterling pushed his mind back past the day of the mission. He went all the way back to the moment his boss pulled him into the office and handed him a piece of paper with two sets of names. One side listed those who were dirty. The other side listed those who were forced to pay.
Granger Frost wasn't on either side of that paper. Nor was his company. There were a couple dozen people like Granger Frost. Small freight and shipping companies forced to pay passage fees to illegitimate holding companies for the right to move legal product.
The worst part was the foreign government did nothing. Some of them helped and took a cut. Sterling had spent a year trying to take down the operation.
And then there were the names that only appeared in one place—Sterling's mind. Granger didn't show up there, either.
Sterling glanced between the folder and Doyle. "How deep have you looked into this Granger guy and his company?"
"My boss used every contact we have to make sure we wouldn't be making a catastrophic mistake," Doyle said. "Granger's clean. The threat is real. And it's from the corridor we interrupted."
"Was it your idea to bring in me and the Aegis network? Or was it your boss'?" Sterling asked.
"I floated it, but he was already looking at different security companies. There's a big one that has branches between Idaho, Utah, and Tennessee, but my boss wasn't thrilled with some changes they were making."
Sterling nodded. "Neither were some of the men and women working for that organization. Some of them have moved over to our network."
"That's one of the reasons my boss liked this partnership," Doyle said. "He's heard nothing but good things about Aegis. And you."
"And what does he know about me?"
"He worked JSOC before he went private," Doyle said. "Maybe you've heard of him. He was a Ranger. Name's Nolan Rutgers. Code name: Mr. Rogers, and he knew about The Librarian."
"I've never worked with him, but I've heard about him." The world of covert operations was a small one. "Is he like how everyone described him?"
"Let's just say I wouldn't want to be interrogated by him," Doyle said. "I've never seen anyone use politeness as a psychological weapon like he does. And it works. I've watched him break targets just by offering them tea and asking about their families. It's weird."
"I heard he used to say let's go say hello to the neighbors before an ambush."
"He still says strange shit like that." Doyle nodded. "He'd really like for you to consider teaming up with us for this job."
"Can I take this?"
"Of course." Doyle pushed aside his coffee. "Talk it over with your team. Poke as many holes in it as you want." He leaned back and smiled. "You always did like to poke holes in everything."
Sterling chuckled because that was still a true statement. "If I decided I want to take it on, I'd have to run it past my boss, Buddy." Sterling picked up his sandwich. "But he's on his honeymoon another full day. Nothing happens without his sign-off."
"The job's not until next week. Take your time," Doyle said. "Anything else?"
"Not right now."
Doyle stood as Heather appeared at the end of the booth with a paper bag and a fresh coffee. He took both.
Sterling cocked his head. "You ordered to go."
Doyle shrugged. "Hot date before the airboat ride. Sorry, man. You know me—I can't say no to a pretty woman who tells me she's going to be naked in my cabin for the next two hours."
"Be nice to Tara." Sterling waved a finger at Doyle. "Don't break her heart. She's a good person. And she happens to be my girlfriend's day manager."
"Girlfriend." Doyle's grin spread wide. "One date, and she's your girlfriend?
Look at you, all grown up, finally developing moves at—what are you now, pushing forty?
Took you long enough." He clapped Sterling on the shoulder, hard.
"I'll text you when I'm on my way over." And then he was gone, out the slapping screen door and into the bright wet morning, paper bag in one hand and coffee in the other, just like the old days.
Sterling sat in the front booth and stared down the street.
He played the conversation over in his brain, searching for what didn't fit.
But everything snuggled together like spoons and that was worse than the thing that stuck out like a big fat thumb where fingers were supposed to be. It was too neat. Too perfect. Too easy.
He finished the coffee, left cash under the cup, and stood.
Nothing he could do about the job until he got more information on the client.
However, the second he got to the office, he and the team were going to run a full background check on Doyle Malone, Meridian Tactical, Granger Frost, and Ashbourne Holdings.
Because Doyle was right about one thing.
Sterling enjoyed poking holes.