Chapter Ten
The Jet
Arrival
Damascus
Airfield
Now, for the two men, their only focus was Elizabeth, and both Ethan and Callen had to ensure that she was holding it together. Losing Jet, and being notified of Vivian’s death was going to be a damn difficult thing for their wife.
If anything, she loved with her whole heart, and they were well aware that Vivian had been one of her favorite people here at FBI West.
They’d bonded pretty quickly.
When they arrived, Vivian had been kind, and helpful. She’d endeared herself to them.
At some point, they were going to have to do the notify to her parents, and NO ONE was looking forward to that.
As of yet, they were keeping it under wraps for one reason.
They didn’t want to give Devon Slater a reason to celebrate.
Fuck.
That.
The man could kick rocks off the side of a steep cliff. The less the media got hold of regarding them, the better off they all were.
At that moment, Vivian had been washed off, and she was being autopsied.
They knew Chris was likely handling it, using protocols to keep them all safe. While she wasn’t evidence, the roses and that card were.
Because he could have hidden a clue in them, Chrissy was handling them carefully, but already, they were worried what they’d find.
Or not find.
They needed a way to track the man, to end this game.
The asshole was just too careful, and it was looking like possibly too clever, too.
As they were parked at the field, they saw the jet coming in, streaking through the skies in all of its black glory. It had no marking and was officially her jet.
Not the FBI’s.
Not Callen’s.
Not Chris’.
But hers.
Normally, it sat in a hanger, never used. It was unmarked and untraceable for a reason.
Official FBI duty.
They kept it in case they needed a backup way to leave an area, or if she needed it. Despite not wanting one, they were grateful she had it.
The big, luxury bird was safe, and that was the most important thing. Next to Air Force One, this jet was the next best thing. With MATE onboard and all the luxuries they’d need if they had to stay up in the air for an extended amount of time, it was a flying fortress.
Of sorts.
Leonard Industries had made sure of that.
As it landed and rolled to a stop not far away, the door only opened when Ivan got out of the front seat. Then, and only then, did the stairs descend.
That’s when Uriel popped out. He was in body armor, and his hand was on a gun as he scanned the area.
“We checked,” Ivan said. “We’re good. This location is off the radar and clear.”
Well, that was good.
It took a lot of money to get something this big removed off of online searches and maps.
But it was worth it.
An unmarked bird.
An unknown flight plan.
Oh, and a specially built field.
For this one, they were ahead, but they didn’t know for how long. It was essential to get Elizabeth inside, where she’d be safe.
Where they’d all be safe.
Uriel headed down the stairs, and following him were Gunny, Gideon, and Johnny.
The gang was all here—minus the security with Wyler and the kids.
“Is she ready?” Ethan asked.
Uriel nodded.
“Yeah, but she’s ready to blow. May I suggest that no one else die? She’s one death away from going nuclear. She cried for about five minutes, and now, I think she’s planning nuclear fallout.”
Ethan lifted a brow.
“That bad?”
He nodded.
“Yeah, that bad. You can see it in her eyes. She’s about to go rogue. I can feel it. We wanted her angry, and not feeling guilt, and she’s definitely there. She was silent the last hour on the way here. The lady is planning something big. You can feel it.”
Yeah, no shock there.
When you poked the momma bear, you got the claws.
Ethan warned them.
“The Hunters are coming at some point,” Ethan stated, and now, he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad idea. The last thing he wanted was his wife in danger, but what if she didn’t recover from this?
Uriel was to the point.
“Don’t let her go out with them,” he stated. “She’s ready to take unnecessary risks,” he added. “That’s how pissed she is. When you’re that angry, you make mistakes.”
Well, that didn’t sound good to them either. They’d wanted her focused, not blowing shit up, willy-nilly.
“A second vehicle is coming,” Ivan stated. “We rented a car.”
Uriel stared at him.
“Uh, is that safe?” he inquired. “Asking for someone who doesn’t want to get blown to kingdom come. I finally have a lady, and I’d like to see her again.”
He nodded and reassured the man.
“The Director of the FBI had some random agent from the Salt Lake City office get one, and it’s being driven to FBI West, and then transported here. There’s no way to trace it back to us. He’d have to be a fucking mind reader.”
That calmed them down.
No one wanted a twitchy Marine.
“We’ve been shot at once, and it was close,” Uriel stated. “I don’t want any Russian bullets in my skull.”
Yeah, well, Ivan was doing everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen.
They didn’t know where the Russian assassin was, and as long as no one had confirmation that Elizabeth was here, that would give them time. They just had to hope and pray that the other spy didn’t go to the Dark Web to find information from Slater to fuck them good.
Taking a bullet to the melon was not on his wish list either.
“We’ll get the cargo,” he stated.
Uriel watched Ethan and Callen head up the stairs to go get to their wife.
“How bad is she really?” he asked the man.
Uriel didn’t mince words.
“She’s at a twenty for rage on a scale of one to ten. Coming after innocent people didn’t do what he wanted. It didn’t make her break. It pissed her the fuck off. I’ve never seen her this angry, or like this before.”
Oh, boy.
“Where is Jet?” he asked.
He was to the point.
“She wouldn’t let him ride in the cargo. She has him in a body bag INSIDE the main cabin. She stood guard over him like a Marine most of the flight. It took all we had to get her to take a goddamn nap.”
Jesus.
“Really?” he asked.
He nodded.
“Yeah. She pitched a fucking fit when the pilot suggested the cargo area. She told him it was cold down there, and it wasn’t happening unless he wanted her down there too. Jim backed down at that.”
There was no shock about any of that. Elizabeth was the most loyal person in the world.
In her mind, it was her duty to stay with Jet until someone else could. The problem with Elizabeth was that she’d spent too much fucking time around them. She had the same code they did now.
Of course, she’d stay with him.
“And the bones?” he asked.
“They are not far from him. They are in clear plexi-boxes. The eyeballs are still in the skull. She wouldn’t touch them, and none of us were doing that. They are under a blanket because it’s weird to be watched by them.”
That he got.
“Let’s get them off,” he stated, wanting to get out of the open and somewhere protected. “Jet and the boxes with us.”
That worked for them.
Following Callen and Ethan, they went to go retrieve their brother, and the mystery remains.
It was time to bring their brother and friend home.
One.
Last.
Time.
Meanwhile…
Inside, Ethan and Callen found Raphael standing in front of the door. He was a hot mess, about the same as Uriel. There were cuts and scratches all over his face.
Oh, and he was babying his arm.
When they approached, he let his guard down, momentarily.
“We told the pilots to park the jet in the hanger, and head to the hotel together. They’re being sequestered there so they are safe. They’re on call,” Callen said. “You’re off duty for a bit. I suggest you get a nap. You look like shit.”
Oh, well, he felt like it.
The last three days had been a marathon, and it was culminating with nothing that made him feel sunshine-y and happy.
In fact, it was the opposite.
He wanted to rage over a lot of things, and it took a great deal for Raphael to lose his cool.
But he was there.
As was Uriel.
And Elizabeth.
“Is she in there?” Ethan asked.
His best friend nodded.
“Yeah, I got her to calm down, but she’s in need of some food, some rest, and a break. In that order. She hasn’t eaten much. On day one, we were able to get a rare sandwich or so into her, but now…nothing.”
Callen pointed to the pink elephant in the room.
Or black one.
“I’m going to assume that’s Jet,” he said, pointing at the body bag on the bench seating.
He nodded.
“Yeah,” he said, his heart hurting just looking at it.
Heading over to it, Ethan put his hand on the bag and could feel his chest beneath the material.
“I’m sorry, Jet,” he said.
Callen approached.
While their wife was not there, he wanted to see the man. He wanted to say his goodbyes. If they did this at the FBI office, she’d want to do it again.
And again.
And again.
He didn’t want her to relive this. If Callen could wipe her memory of this, he would.
Opening the bag, they saw the man they called family. He was gray, and the vicious exit and entry wounds made them so angry.
Security stood back, and for one reason. Raphael couldn’t look at him anymore.
If he did, he was crying again.
It took a lot to break them, and he and Uriel had taken turns sitting by Jet, giving him the honor he deserved.
Marines left no one behind.
NO.
ONE.
With gentle fingers, Callen touched his forehead and closed his eyes.
He said a little prayer, asking Timothy to look over him in the Happy Hunting Grounds. When he opened his eyes, he saw the tear drip from Ethan’s cheek onto the man’s cold flesh.
“Thank you for coming into our lives,” Ethan said, touching Jet’s cheek. “We will never forget you, and I promise that we will make this right. You’re getting justice.”
That’s when they heard her.
“You’d better fucking believe he is,” Elizabeth said, after opening the door behind Raphael.
They all turned.
They saw their wife, and she looked…bad. She’d aged the last three days, and the news footage didn’t do that justice.
“How’s the burial plans going?” she asked, moving past Raphael in time for the other members of their security to reach the main part of the jet.
They were all watching her.
And she wasn’t crying.
Why?