Chapter 5 #2
“Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed she got involved in the shipment.
She’s there to represent the company and ensure we meet the governmental requirements for exporting the rare earth minerals we have agreements to extract.
Treaties our government has ratified and contracts given to us to extract, ship, and process them.
Not to do inspections of cargo.” There was a knock in the background.
“Enter,” Shoemaker barked. “Ah, here is my corporate lawyer, Julius Williams. Did you bring the folder?”
“I brought a copy of all the agreements.”
“I take it you’ve had requests for this information before?”
“I have. What specifically did you need?”
“All of it,” Elliot said calmly.
“Then I’ll need a warrant. I’m sure you understand we don’t give information of this nature out without the direction of the court.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Elliot said. There was a moment of silence before he heard Elliot’s voice again. “I need to speak to Gabrielle Alexander, please.”
Well, going straight to the top. Gabby and his Uncle Jason ran the show now, and Charley was knee deep in corporate headquarters, too, although Talon wasn’t sure what she did up there other than drive her sister and Jason insane.
“Gabby, we need a warrant, federal, for all records concerning the Shoemaker extraction, processing, logistics, and sale of all rare earth minerals, please. This is regarding the MV Calypso Queen, which we liberated from pirates yesterday. There are specific questions regarding the cargo’s legality and the amount of time it took to report that yellowcake uranium had been stolen. ”
He couldn’t see Shoemaker, but Talon would bet money the man was pissed. He heard Elliot chuckle.
“Of course, and thank you.”
Talon heard Elliot stand up.
“The warrant will be processed, and a representative from my office will be here to pick up the information when it is served, probably within the hour.”
There was a sound of shuffling. “Ah, sir, just one more thing,” Marcus said.
“What?” The man’s voice was like a whip.
“You said something that concerns me. We didn’t tell you she was on the ship to inspect the cargo. For all we know, she could’ve been kidnapped from the shore and transported to the ship. How did you know she was doing an inspection?”
“Mr. Shoemaker is obviously distraught that his daughter was involved in any way in this incident.” The lawyer’s voice was cool and collected. “Is there anything else, gentlemen?”
“Not at this time,” Elliot said.
“That’s the end of the recording,” Dude said when silence came over the comms. “Elliot did put a note on this file. Let’s see …
yeah, Marcus is working on the investigation, and a warrant has been issued.
They’ve been file bombed, and he believes the excessive amount of documentation provided is an attempt to bury anything useful. ”
“CCS should be able to sort through that information quickly.” Talon frowned at the floor as he took a sip.
“Only if they know what they’re looking for.” Dude sighed. “It isn’t as easy as one would think. You have to know you're looking for a needle in the haystack, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Talon took another swig of his drink. “What else do you have?”
“Tell the guys to get their bags in order. We’ve been tapped to move locals.”
“When?”
“As early as tomorrow or a month from now. Depends on the circumstances, but we’ve gotten the nod.”
“I’m not going to be sorry to be out of Satan’s crotch.”
“Dude, that’s disgusting,” Dude groaned. “Stop saying that.”
“You’re the second person to tell me that today.”
“Then get the drift. I’m clear.”
Talon smiled and reached over for his phone. He swiped the phone and then had a realization. Riley couldn’t text him if she lost his number. She was still in a bad way when he saw her. He sucked at this communication thing, didn’t he? He thumbed in a short message.
Talon: Checking in. How are you doing?
Bubbles formed almost immediately.
Riley: Okay.
He glanced at the single word and replied.
Talon: Really?
Riley: No. Talked with dad. Going back to the States.
Talon: Is that something you want?
There was no answer. He checked for a response before he showered and after.
Perhaps she fell asleep or the doctor had arrived.
He checked before he met with his team, letting them know to get bug-out ready and then again after the meeting.
Still nothing. Maybe she didn’t see his last question, and if she did and didn’t want to respond, it was fine.
Annoying, true, but it wasn’t like they were friends.
He didn’t have many of those. Besides, it was for the best. He lived a nomadic life and didn’t need a texting buddy.
He had his family and his team. They were enough for him.
He frowned as he walked to the mess hall for dinner.
Jug looked up at him when he sat down with his meal.
“Who pissed in your Wheaties?”
Talon snapped his attention to his second in command and then glanced at the rest of the team. “What are you talking about?”
Hammer lifted his hand. “Oh, I know. I know the answer.”
Talon slowly turned his attention to Hammer and lifted an eyebrow.
The man was hilarious most of the time, but …
“Ever since we got back from the last mission, you’ve been acting weird.
Like you did when we came back from the mission in the Sudan, which means your mind is telling you to forget the suffering you saw, and your gut is telling you that you can’t. ”
“Yep. That,” Wolf said as he dipped his bread into the gravy that was sitting in a pool of instant mashed potatoes.
“She’s going to be okay, Skipper,” Stryker said softly.
“I know,” Talon growled, kind of hating that his team could read him so damn well. He nodded. “She texted me and told me her father is sending someone to take her back to the States.”
“That’s good. Right?” Jug asked. “I mean, she’ll have friends and people to support her at home, wouldn’t you think?”
“I should think so,” Dude said over the comms. “What’s for dinner?”
Talon mentally thanked Dude for changing the subject. He laughed as his team described the food before them. It had become a contest of who could do the best job adequately describing the lack of taste, texture, or desirability.
Stryker answered, “The main entrée is a beige mystery loaf, its texture somewhere between recycled packing peanuts and rubber. It has the faint odor of overcooked regret and a hint of something that might once have been beef.”
Jug interjected, “Yeah, if beef had given up on life and taken residence in a government surplus storage facility.”
“True,” Hammer agreed.
Stryker continued, “Next to it, the instant mashed potatoes have been plopped into a lumpy, gluey pile.”
Wolf laughed. “I think they've been stirred with a shoe, not a masher.”
“True, and for reference, Dude, they don’t so much sit on the tray as kind of ooze sideways.”
Dude laughed. “It can’t be as bad as you guys say it is.”
“No, it’s true,” Jug added, “and the gravy, or sludge on top of the potatoes and mystery meat, has the color of murky dishwater.”
“No way.” Dude laughed hardily.
“It’s true,” Stryker agreed. “We can’t forget the greasy film clinging to the surface like a bad decision.”
Hammer nodded. “Yeah, our bad decisions.”
Talon shook his head and filled up on the tasteless calories. Yeah, it was bad, but they’d had worse, and they’d lasted on nothing but determination and water, too. So, even though the shit was questionable, it kept their bellies from rumbling.
“Would you rather have an MRE?” Dude asked.
“No.” Every man at the table replied at the same time, drawing eyes from the other tables. “Well, when you get back to the States, I’ll take you out for some of the best food in the world,” Dude offered.
“Deal,” Hammer said before anyone else could. “Tomahawk steak for me.”
“Oh, man, or prime rib,” Wolf said. “I love me some prime rib with strong horseradish sauce.”
“No man, with au jus, not that white shit,” Jug stated firmly. “And some creamy, cheesy potatoes. Fresh bread, too.”
Talon listened to his team talk about nothing until they all finished. Then they left together, separating at their assigned rooms.
Finally, just before he went to bed, the response to his text came through, catching him off guard. He’d settled on the fact that she’d decided it was none of his business. Which was true.
Riley: No, it isn’t what I want.
He stared at the screen and debated for a nanosecond about how to respond.
Talon: You’re an adult. You don’t have to go.
Riley: I need help dealing.
Talon: You mean counseling?
Riley: Yeah. The men.
Talon blinked at the screen. He pushed the call button and listened to the phone ring. “Come on, pick up.”
“Hello?” Riley’s voice was still scratchy but stronger.
“About being choked and beaten?” he asked without any pleasantries or preamble.
There was silence, but finally, she said, “That and …”
“Did they …” How did he ask if they’d fucking raped her? Jesus, was it even his business?
“Yeah,” she acknowledged. “My dad doesn’t know. Please, he’d think that I …”
“I’m not telling your father anything,” he added. “Counseling isn’t a sign of weakness.” He’d seen so many people recover stronger after counseling.
“To him, it is.”
Talon didn’t know how to respond to that. From what he’d heard of her father that day, he didn’t doubt it for a second.
He stared at the floor, unsure of how to make her feel better. Maybe, like his mom had told him after the Siege, just having his dad and her boys there to remind her she wasn’t still in the situation was all he could do.
So, he said the words. “I’m here. If you find yourself in a dark place. Reach out.”
“Thank you, but why?”
He could hear the tears in her voice. “When I was about to graduate high school, my mom and aunt were taken captive. They were physically abused. Horribly abused. And I couldn’t help them.
I swore that no other person would go through what they went through.
Not if I could help it.” He knew she could hear the emotion in his voice, his throat tightening as he remembered.
“They overcame the situation. It’s a lot more than I can go into now, but know that I understand your pain.
I can’t feel it, but God … I understand it, and I want you to know that you have someone. You have me.”
“I should hang up now. I’m really tired. And confused, emotional, and hurting for the women you loved who were hurt. So … yeah. Thank you.”
“Good night, Riley.”
“Good night,” she whispered before disconnecting.
Talon wanted to reach through the phone and hold her like his dad had held his mom when she was hurting after the attack, but that didn’t make much sense.
He was just the guy who found her during a mission.
The … well … connection he felt with her was an emotional response to the condition he found her in and the assholeness of her father.
He’d bet when she got back to the States, he’d never hear from her again.
Which was the best course of action for everyone concerned.
He had his team to look after. A woman on the other side of the world was a liability.