Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (13 page)

ANDY
: Do
you even have to ask?

CAL
: So
what? Are you here to stop me?

ANDY
: Do
you not know me at all, Cal? I’m here to help, you
idiot.

Cal looked from his former platoon commander
over to his cousin.

CAL
: You
don’t look too surprised.

TRAVIS
: I
AM your cousin, Cal. Plus, you know how we take care of family
around here. Your dad started that.

CAL
(softly): Yeah.

TRAVIS
: So
what’s the plan, cuz? What do you need from the company?

CAL
: Trav,
I really don’t want to involve the company. Could you imagine what
would happen simply if the media finds out that I’m involved?
There’ll be a real shitstorm.

TRAVIS
: You
think this is our first rodeo, Cal? Look, I’ll give you the benefit
of the doubt because you’ve been off serving in the Corps for a
while, but S.S.I. has evolved. We’ve taken what your Dad started to
a whole new level.

CAL
: What
are you talking about?

TRAVIS
:
Corps Justice.

Now Cal was really confused. He knew the company had
gone off the reservation select times in the past, but now it
sounded like there’d been a lot more happening than he’d known.

CAL
: You
wanna explain or do I have to pry it out of you?

TRAVIS
:
We’ve been doing a lot more work under the radar in recent years.
Mostly domestic stuff against terrorist cells and organized crime,
but the calls keep coming. The shitheads are coming out of the
woodwork.

CAL
: The
calls keep coming from who?

TRAVIS
: You
name it. Your Dad had a whole network of contacts that I didn’t
even know about until they started calling me after your parents
were killed.

CAL
: I’m
still confused. Who are these people?

TRAVIS
:
Everyone from former presidents and CIA officials down to local law
enforcement. Shit, I had to have Neil build me a whole new secure
database so I could somehow track them all. And the list just keeps
growing.

Andy was suddenly intrigued.

ANDY
: Wait,
so these contacts hire you to do wet work or something?

TRAVIS
:
They don’t hire us, per se. It’s more like they inform us of
something they’ve caught wind of and let us do our
thing.

ANDY
: How
the hell haven’t you been caught?

TRAVIS
(laughing): Are you shitting me? I may be a SEAL but I’m not
an idiot. The team Cal’s dad built around here is more like family.
Haven’t you noticed that most of us are second-chancers? I don’t
know of any other corporation in the world that has employees that
would literally lay down their lives for the team.

ANDY
:
Sounds like the Marine Corps.

TRAVIS
:
Exactly. Uncle Calvin took an interest in people and treated them
right. He was always tough but always fair. The people he brought
onboard knew he would give his own life for them. We’ve lived by
the same rules since he left us. This company is as airtight as you
can get.

CAL
: So who
pays for this secret work?

TRAVIS
:
It’s a complicated combination of systems. We pay for most of it,
but we have other sources.

CAL
(disbelieving): We pay for it?

TRAVIS
:
Cuz, your dad setup a whole other division within the company to do
this stuff. With money coming in from our patents and fees, there’s
more than enough.

CAL
: So the
company is still financially sound?

TRAVIS
:
Listen to you. You sound like you’re thinking about taking
over.

CAL
: Shut
up, Trav. I’m just curious. Now than I’m officially out of the
Corps, I’m gonna need something to do.

Travis thought about it for a minute
wondering what his cousin was thinking.

TRAVIS
:
What did you have in mind?

CAL
: Well,
I sure as hell don’t want YOUR job. You can keep that. I was
thinking more along the lines of R&D but this other stuff
sounds like I could make a difference.

TRAVIS
:
Funny you should mention those two areas. I was talking with Neil
the other day and we thought that’s what you might like. In fact,
it works out perfectly. Our new division actually does a lot of the
initial trial work for R&D’s creations. Neil’s even been known
to get dressed up in black and join the teams.

CAL
: You’ve
gotta be shittin’ me! We can’t afford to lose him!

TRAVIS
:
Relax, Cal. Neil’s always hunkered down out of reach from the bad
guys. We get him just close enough so he can monitor the use of the
new gadgets and feel like he’s part of the crew. The field teams
love him.

CAL
: I’ll
bet they do.

TRAVIS
: So
back to the original question: what do you need from the
company?

Cal took a minute to think about it. Hell, before
this enlightening conversation, he thought he’d have to “borrow”
the tools he’d need.

CAL
: I’d
like access to some of Neil’s toys. Mainly surveillance stuff to
start. This Dante guy is probably hunkered down somewhere and I’ve
gotta dig him out.

TRAVIS
: I
think we can help with that. Neil has some hacking software we’ve
used in the past. This one program actually infiltrates a cell
phone and tracks all calls. Neil even figured out a way to listen
to the calls remotely. The damned thing is almost
flawless.

CAL
: Is it
something you have to load onto the cell phone?

TRAVIS
: Not
like you’d think. He actually accesses it with some kind of laser.
Literally you can sit on a rooftop a mile away with this thing,
paint the targeted cell phone, and then you’ve got it.

CAL
: It
doesn’t sound like you’re kidding.

TRAVIS
: I’m
not. Don’t ask me how the damn thing works. I just know it
does.

CAL
: Ok.
I’ll take one of those please.

TRAVIS
:
Alright. What else do you need?

+ + +

Dante’s calls to New Orleans had finally
paid off. Earlier in the day, a car arrived with four mean looking
bangers from down south. It was the first shipment of what would
eventually be nine new men. They were some of his cousin’s top
enforcers. He’d owe his cousin some serious cash after all was said
and done, but he knew with the added firepower he’d take care of
SSgt Cal Stokes.

B
rian entered Cal’s suite and glanced around at the new
visitors. All held a rocks glass quarter full of what looked to be
scotch. He recognized most of the attendees but didn’t know who the
huge black guy or the crew cut Marine were. He made his way over to
Cal.

BRIAN
: How
are you feeling, Cal?

CAL
: I’m a
little sore but better after that shower. Why didn’t you tell me I
smelled that bad?

BRIAN
(deadpan): I didn’t want to make you cry.

CAL
: Hey
doc, you know Travis and Neil, but let me introduce you to the rest
of this motley crew. This is Captain Bartholomew Andrews. We served
together in the fleet and I consider him one of my closest
friends.

Andy leaned over and shook Brian’s hand.

ANDY
: How
are you, doc?

BRIAN
: I’m
good, Sir. We talked over the phone at the hospital,
right?

ANDY
: That
was me. And you can cut the Sir crap. Just call me Andy.

BRIAN
: Got
it.

CAL
: Now
this other fine fellow is the amazing former Marine Master Sergeant
Willy Trent.

Brian looked up at the huge black man.

BRIAN
: Hey,
didn’t we see you at the chow hall?

Cal laughed and turned to Travis.

CAL
: I told
you he was sharp for a squid. Willy runs the mess hall when he’s
not kicking the crap out of the troops in the gym. Not only is he a
professionally trained chef from Johnson and Wales, he’s also one
of our martial arts and urban raid instructors.

Trent bent his hulking frame over and shook
Brian’s hand.

MSGT
TRENT
: Good to meet you,
doc.

BRIAN
: You
too, Top.

CAL
: When
you walked in, we were discussing our upcoming mission.

BRIAN
: I’m
sorry, what?

CAL
: Let’s
just say I’m about to start playing out of bounds and you need to
tell me right now whether you want out. You can still stick around
but we’ll politely ask you to leave whenever we’re talking
operationally.

BRIAN
: What
you’re talking about?

CAL
: Let’s
just say it has to do with finishing the job I started in that
downtown alley.

BRIAN
:
You’re talking about going after that West guy.

CAL
(smiling): What do you think?

BRIAN
: I’m
thinking you’re about to go WAY out of bounds.

CAL
:
Listen, doc, if you’re not up to this, just say so and we’ll come
get you in an hour or so.

BRIAN
: Can
I ask a couple questions?

CAL
:
Shoot.

BRIAN
:
First, can I have one of whatever you guys are drinking?

CAL
: It’s
Famous Grouse.

BRIAN
:
What’s that?

CAL
:
Scotch. My dad’s favorite and pretty much all I drink around here.
We’ve got pallets of it.

BRIAN
:
Sounds good.

Travis walked to the bar to get the drink
for Brian.

CAL
: Next
question?

BRIAN
: Why
not find the guy then alert the cops?

TRAVIS
:
I’ll answer that one. We’ve already been monitoring the situation
through discrete channels. Believe it or not, even with the
eyewitnesses, they don’t have enough evidence to pin it all on
West.

BRIAN
:
Really?

TRAVIS
(raising his glass): Welcome to our world, brother.

BRIAN
: How
are you planning on getting away with this?

Cal glanced at the other members of the
party with a conspiratorial look.

CAL
: Well,
apparently there’s a lot that this company can do that I had no
idea about until about an hour ago. Before we got here, I thought I
was going to borrow some of Neil’s toys and go do some snoopin’ and
poopin’ by myself. Thanks to these guys, it looks like I won’t have
to do that alone anymore.

Brian’s faced changed to a look of
disbelief.

BRIAN
: Cal,
you can’t go waging some kind of private war on the streets of
Nashville!

Cal scrutinized his new friend as if deciding
whether to go on.

CAL
: Look,
doc, I can’t promise things won’t get dirty, but the initial plan
is that we find this little shit and dump him in the laps of the
local cops. I’ve gotta say that part of me hopes he’ll fight
back.