Chapter 10
chapter
ten
Drake
I carried my unconscious wife into Castle Rock’s basement.
Hooding Izabel had been the last straw for her; I didn’t recognize the screeching banshee that cursed me behind the black fabric.
Not only that, she’d become violent, attacked me with her nails that I was left with no choice except to sedate her.
This was what my betrayal had done to our marriage.
Izabel possessed her mother’s fiery temper, but she’d never physically hurt me.
Although I’d seen her rant on more than one occasion, both of us treasured our time together, and we kept our drama to a minimum.
I found her annoyed outbursts at me cute, which infuriated her more. That was when I’d woo with sweetness.
This was not the same.
This was anger and grief and deep-rooted trauma all rolled into one.
I’d noticed the changes in her. A hardness about her and I couldn’t decide whether it was a good or a bad thing.
She’d become this way because of me.
Tim glanced up from his computer and winced. “We’ve got a cot behind those dividers.”
“Thanks.” I prowled to the area where the analyst had pointed.
“Where’s Harrelson?”
“They’re prepping him upstairs for interrogation.
” I lowered Izabel carefully to the bed, making sure she was in a comfortable position.
I crouched beside her, already having removed the hood, and took in her peaceful face.
Between us, I was the early riser and my favorite morning activity besides sex was watching her sleep.
My hand reached out to stroke her forehead. “I’m sorry, Iza.”
I stayed with her for a few more minutes until the unwelcome buzz of my phone let me know they needed me in the interrogation room. I hated leaving Izabel in a strange place, but she was secure here. Her trust in our marriage had evaporated, but I hope she still trusted me to keep her safe.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Tim offered.
I glanced at the bespectacled analyst who looked more like Clark Kent than the typical SF operator.
It was probably best my wife didn’t wake up to one of my rough-looking teammates.
Three years chasing terrorists across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa had left an indelible mark on all our faces.
It wasn’t just the beard or the unkempt hair; it was an overall stamp—almost visceral, yet the sharp edges were there… a feral glint in a hunter’s eye.
“Thanks.” Rising from my crouch, I headed to the elevator and took the car to the first floor.
I exited the elevator room and crossed the hallway to the room diagonally across from it.
It was the only other area in the building that Viktor had extensively renovated.
I entered the darkened space, lit by a lone light bulb strung out from the ceiling.
The windowless room was reinforced with soundproofed gray walls.
At that moment, Marcus Harrelson sat in a chair in front of a simple desk. His wet hair indicated he had a rude awakening. Brick stood in front of him while Edmunds was busy prepping the sensory dissonance equipment. A tall form stood in the shadows.
Marcus’s eyes tracked my arrival.
“Drake…? You’re alive?” he asked hoarsely. “Where’s Izabel?”
Fury scalded my insides. “Don’t ever mention her name, you motherfucker.”
His eyes flashed, equally furious. “Is this a game, Lieutenant? Why are you here? You’re fucking dead. Explain to me what the fuck is going on.”
I exchanged a glance with Brick, signaling that I was taking over the interrogation.
“I survived the massacre, but Izabel was in danger and I couldn’t return.”
“Dianne…the kids…” Marcus’s face crumpled. “It was because of Fire Team, wasn’t it? It wasn’t an accident.”
Though I believed Marcus wouldn’t put his family in jeopardy, it didn’t excuse his betrayal. “You should have known better than to make deals with terrorists!”
Harrelson struggled in his chair. “Would someone tell me what the fuck is going on?”
“Days before Fire Team shipped out, where were you?”
“I…I was in a hotel.”
“Dianne kicked you out.”
“We’d been separated for months,” Marcus gritted. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“There were calls between Hamza and a number in Virginia Beach. Cell cloud algorithms showed an intersection over the Marquis Hotel.”
“What—Are you saying I betrayed my own men?”
“How do you explain the cell phone records?”
“That proves nothing.”
“Doesn’t it?” I growled. “Tell me, Harrelson, what did Hamza offer you?”
“I’m telling you, Maddox! Your intel is wrong. What would I gain? I’ve washed out of rehab twice. Losing Fire Team, my family…does any of this make sense?”
“Guilt, Harrelson. Guilt that your treachery killed your wife and kids.”
“And yet, I would have died if you didn’t shield me.”
That was what bugged me about the entire thing. Marcus would have died, too.
“Get me out of these restraints.” Spittle flew and Marcus’s face mottled with fury as he shook in his chair again.
“The VP’s chief of staff. How well do you know her?” Viktor asked as he walked out from the shadows.
“Allison?”
“Allison Tierney,” Viktor said silkily. “Rumor has it Vice President Colbert is being groomed to run for president.”
“What does Ally have to do with anything?”
“She had operational knowledge of the mission.”
“She was present at the briefings, yes.”
“Do you know that some of Colbert’s biggest supporters are the oil companies operating in Africa?”
“Same for every other fucking politician.” Marcus squinted his eyes. “I know who you are, Baran. What you do. I heard rumors of a shadow force operating unplugged from the DoD and CIA. That’s you guys. Am I right?”
I stepped back, giving Viktor the floor. Apparently, there was a political angle none of the team was aware of.
“You mentioned Youssef Hamza,” Harrelson stated as the name of the terrorist registered. “Wasn’t he…?” He turned to me. “Sudan?”
“Yes.”
“This is about Sudan,” Marcus swallowed hard.
“He became the puppet master behind every modern terrorist network.”
Harrelson bowed his head, giving it a shake before he glanced back at me. “I gave the order that killed his family.” His lids slid shut and tears escaped the corners of his eyes. “Dianne, Adam, and Joe—they’re really dead because of me.” His shoulders shook as he was wracked with sobs.
Viktor and I exchanged glances.
What’s next?
Viktor gave Harrelson a few minutes to collect himself before he spread the photos on the table.
“These are pictures of Tierney and the CEO of Exetron Oil,” Viktor said. “Terrorist groups in Africa have been giving the company problems.”
Ignoring the photos on the table, Marcus glared at me. “Tell me Hamza is dead.”
I nodded, and it was only then that Marcus gave his attention to the photographs. “Ally mentioned their problems with the terrorists in passing.” He sniffed as a shudder rippled through him. The revelation had shocked his system and his lips were bloodless.
I leaned in closer as I picked up how my former commander used Tierney’s name with familiarity.
Apparently, so did Viktor. “What exactly is your relationship to Tierney?”
“When Dianne and I…” His shoulders pulled back as if in realization. “Jesus Christ, I’m such a fucking idiot. Ally and I had a brief affair…”
Viktor went in for the kill. “You had an affair with Tierney while you were separated from your wife? Can you give us a timeline?”
“Three months, on and off, but we were together the week up until we deployed.”
“Did she stay with you at the hotel?”
“Yeah…”
“Did she have access to your phone?”
“I’m so stupid,” Marcus muttered. “I never thought Ally…”
“Could the signal be coming from Tierney’s burner and not Marcus’s?” I asked. This could certainly be a game changer. Marcus didn’t have a motive; Tierney did.
“Possibly,” Viktor said. “The numbers are different, but she could have used different burners.”
“So, she already had operational information because of her position as Chief of Staff,” Brick interjected. “And she’s the one feeding information to Hamza? But why even bother with Marcus?”
“The Teams,” Marcus gave me a tortured expression.
“She was very interested in our personal stuff. Family life. I’m an idiot,” he repeated.
“She played me…I thought she was sympathetic to our lives…the challenge of getting deployed and coming home. Something Dianne had grown to resent and what tore our marriage apart. Jesus…she played me.”
“Hamza had a very detailed file on every single member of Fire Team,” Viktor said. “Granted, Tierney has access to every SEAL’s file, but this is personal to Hamza. He wanted to hit the SEALs where it hurt.”
“I’m gonna kill her,” Marcus whispered fiercely, eyes flaring. “I’m gonna kill that fucking bitch.” He shook his restraints again. “Let me go!”
“Not so fast,” Viktor said. “I’m not quite convinced you had no part in this.”
“Are you insane?” Marcus roared. “Get me out of this fucking chair.”
I had a surge of sympathy for Marcus, and the way his life was so fucked up spoke for itself, but there was still not enough evidence to eliminate him completely as a suspect.
“Maddox,” Viktor said. “Outside.”
I was ready for a break. Already raw from my situation with Izabel, it gutted me I’d misread Harrelson’s situation.
We were brothers. I should have trusted him.
These past three years had changed me in a fundamental way.
The concept of brotherhood had been erased since we’d operated sometimes on our own.
Marcus continued to lose his shit while we exited the room. After the door closed, Viktor crossed his arms and braced his legs.
“What do you think?”
I emitted a brief, derisive chuckle. “You’re asking me?”
“Do you trust Harrelson?”
“I did. Then I didn’t. Now? I’m not sure anymore.”
“Gut?”
I exhaled a heavy breath rife with uncertainty. “I knew he was having problems with Dianne, but I didn’t expect he would have an affair.”
“He was separated.”
I was being unfair. But if Izabel asked me for a separation, the last thing I’d do would be to jump in bed with another woman. I’d panic and pull everything from my arsenal to win her back, to find out where I’d failed and fix what was broken.
“Not everyone has what you have with Izabel, Maddox,” Viktor said. His uncanny ability to read the room was unnerving. “Don’t let that cloud your judgment on the matter at hand.”
“I trusted him with my life.”
“Would you trust him with your life now?”
“No.”
A blond brow shot up.
“Marcus isn’t in a good place. He just found out I’m alive. He’s only six months out of rehab and has got murder on his mind.” Not that I blamed the man. “Using him as an asset now is risky.”
“But?”
“It could also be an advantage. He’s got motivation.” And there was a fire in Marcus’s eyes the last time he demanded to be freed.
My phone buzzed with a text from Tim. Izabel was awake.
“I need to get back.” I had my own problems to deal with. “I’m the last person to make a decision about Marcus.”
“Agreed.” Viktor nodded toward the elevator room. “Go to Izabel. Spend time with her. Did you inject her with the BloodTrak serum?”
BloodTrak was a tracker created with nanotechnology that bound to the host’s blood cells and was untraceable by most tracker wands.
“Yes.”
“Good. Take her to see Carter or get her out of town.”
“How about her job? The police have to be looking for them.”
“We’ll handle it. For now, we’re putting the blame on the local chapter of Fuego.” Fuego was the notorious gang with ties to the Mexican cartel and had been known for violent executions.
“Will her abduction jeopardize the project? It might spook the bank and the foundation sponsoring the development.”
Viktor’s mouth turned up at one corner. “I think we’ve given the cops a reason to tighten the leash on the gang’s activities. I’d say we’ve done the development a favor.”
I chuckled despite my apprehension that Izabel wouldn’t see it the same way. “Better see how my wife is doing.”
“Good luck.”