Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (15 page)

CAL
: So how
do we deal with this guy?

TRAVIS
: Let
me think about it. I may just put The Hammer on it.

BRIAN
: The
Hammer?

TRAVIS
:
Yeah, The Hammer. Marjorie Haines. She’s our lead attorney. Don’t
call her Hammer or she’ll kick your ass.

Cal thought about the problem for a
minute.

CAL
: What
if I give him an interview over the phone? What could that
hurt?

Travis shook his head.

TRAVIS
: No
way, Cal. This prick will find some way to twist your words. He’s
already suggesting that you should be arrested for the murder of
those guys in the alley.

Cal’s anger boiled over.

CAL
(through gritted teeth): Any idiot can see that my actions
were in self-defense. What’s he trying to prove?

His cousin answered by pointing his finger
at Cal.

TRAVIS
:
That’s what he’s trying to prove: you’re some kind of animal that
should be caged. He hates the military and would love to get a
juicy story on the Killer Marine. I’m saying that if you get on the
hook with this guy he’ll make that famous short fuse of yours to
burn out really quick.

Taking a labored calming breath Cal nodded
to his cousin.

CAL
:
Touché. Guess it’s pretty easy to hit my hot spot
sometimes.

TRAVIS
:
Yeah, well, even your dad wasn’t perfect there either. He had a
killer temper on that rare occasion he got riled.

CAL
: Tell
me about it. Alright, I’ll stay away from this reporter and let you
handle him. You guys ready to go?

Everybody nodded and headed for the
door.

+ + +

Dante drove by the home without turning his
head, but instead used his peripheral vision to take in the
details. The property was probably a couple of acres and far
removed from any neighbors. It was situated in the Leipers Fork
area in the city of Franklin, TN. The area was known for the
mansions of some of country’s oldest and brightest stars.

This home was nothing like the homes of the
stars. It was a modest one level with a three car garage. No
frills. The driveway was lined with neatly spaced trees and the
lawn was well maintained. Basic.

Dante drove a little way past the property
and looked back. There didn’t seem to be any activity outside. He
decided to take a chance and pull into the vacant land adjacent to
the target property. A densely wooded entryway gave him a perfect
opportunity to conceal the late model Honda Civic he was
driving.

Carefully slipping out of the car, he pulled
down his ball cap and checked his aviator sunglasses to make sure
his face was properly hidden.

He didn’t have to go far to find a decent
spot behind a tree that afforded him a clear view of the whole
property. From the distance he couldn’t see any movement. He pulled
out a pair of small sport binoculars he’d purchased for cash at a
nearby gas station. His eyes adjusted and focused onto the side
window that seemed to be part of the living area. All he wanted at
this point was to confirm that the owners still lived at the
location and were alone. The last thing he wanted this go-around
was more surprises.

He waited ten, twenty,
thirty minutes. Nothing. Just about the time he’d decided to leave
and come back, Dante caught a flicker of activity in the back of
the house.
Please don’t have a big fucking
dog.
Dante thought.

A middle-aged man walked
out the back door onto a wooden deck trailed by a tiny Chihuahua.
Dante watched as the man waited for the dog to relieve itself.
Finished, the small dog ran happily back into the house and man
followed.
One here. Now I’ve gotta make
sure Mama’s home too.

He shifted his gaze and, minutes later, saw
what he’d waited for. The man’s wife walked into view after opening
the garage door. Dante focused on the two modest vehicles and
didn’t find the telltale signs of a family trip or impending
visitors. It looked like the couple would be at home tomorrow,
alone.

He took his time walking back to the car. He
ran the details of the upcoming assault through his head. This time
he’d be the one leading the way just like the old days. Things
wouldn’t go wrong this time.

B
rian pulled his car up to Cal’s condo building and the three
companions exited and headed for the front door. Through the glass
Cal could see Irene sitting at the welcome desk. A deep breath and
he passed through the doorway.

Irene looked up with her courtesy smile and
yelped in surprise as she recognized Cal.

IRENE
: Oh,
Cal! How are you?!

Cal noticed that the look of shock mingled
with a hint of guilt on Irene’s face. This girl was hiding
something. Years of learning when junior Marines were lying to his
face had honed Cal’s bullshit detector. He put on the nicest smile
he could muster and pushed forward.

CAL
: Hey,
Irene. How are things around here?

IRENE
: You
know, occasionally busy, boring the rest of the time. You look
great! How are you feeling?

CAL
: A lot
better thanks. Just wanted to stop by and get some of my stuff. Oh,
my fault. You’ve met my buddy Brian here and this is my friend
Andy. Andy’s a buddy of mine from the Marine Corps. They’re doing
the heavy lifting while I just point to things.

Irene laughed dutifully as did the others.
The strain on Irene’s face intensified as she processed the
trio.

IRENE
: Are
you moving out or something?

CAL
: Nope.
Just gonna stay with some friends for a few days. Anybody been in
my place since the last time I was here?

IRENE
(shaking her head): No, just your friend Brian the other day.
I’ve got a bunch of mail for you. I can go get it for you and you
can pick it up on your way out.

CAL
: Andy,
can you go with Irene and get my mail? We’ll be back down in five
minutes.

ANDY
: No
problem.

As Irene turned to head to the mailroom, and
Cal touched his right temple and glanced at Irene’s desk. Andy
followed his gaze, saw the cell phone, and nodded back to Cal. It
would be Andy’s job to use Neil’s laser gadget to tap Irene’s
phone. Not a problem.

Cal and Brian headed to the bank of
elevators and boarded the first to appear. As the doors closed,
Brian turned to Cal.

BRIAN
: You
think it’ll be as easy to do as Neil said?

CAL
:
Probably easier. By the time we get the mail, Neil should have her
whole system tapped.

They were both anxious to hear from Neil and
continued the rest of the way up to Cal’s floor in silence, each
wondering quietly what the cell phone hack would lead to.

As Cal was entering his pass code, his cell
phone buzzed.

CAL
:
Yeah.

NEIL
: Hey,
Cal, we just got a positive connection and we’re starting to
download all her recent activity.

CAL
: OK.
Call me back when you have a better idea of what we’re dealing
with.

NEIL
: You
got it.

Cal slipped his phone back in his pocket and
walked towards the master bedroom. He came back a minute later with
a small rolling suitcase.

CAL
: You
ready?

BRIAN
: Do
you need to get anything else?

CAL
: Nope.
Just got some extra pieces from the locker and some clothes. The
rest I can borrow from the company.

Brian grabbed the suitcase and followed Cal
back to the elevator. As they exited on the ground level they found
Andy waiting with a thin stack of junk mail. Irene was once again
sitting behind the welcome desk and appeared to be texting on her
cell phone. She looked up as they walked towards Andy.

IRENE
: Did
you get everything you needed, Cal?

CAL
: I did.
Hey, Irene, has anyone been here recently looking for
me?

She did her best to keep the fake smile
plastered on her face, but Cal noticed her face drop slightly at
his questioning.

IRENE
: Just
the police. They came by the day after your…incident.

CAL
:
Anybody else that you can remember?

IRENE
:
Nope. I see everyone that comes in during the day. You know that
the doors are locked after-hours and on the weekend.

CAL
: Yeah.
I was just curious. Thanks again for keeping an eye on things,
Irene.

IRENE
: No
problem. Let me know if we can do anything for you.

He started to leave, then paused and turned
back.

CAL
: Oh,
forgot to mention one thing. Give the staff a heads-up that I
installed a video surveillance system a few weeks ago. Nothing to
worry about. I haven’t had a chance to review any footage since
getting out of the hospital yet. Just thought you guys should
know.

Without waiting for a response from the
open-mouthed Irene, he exited through the front door trailed by his
two friends.

Andy waited until they’d reached Brian’s car
before saying anything.

ANDY
: Real
discreet, Cal. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a heart
attack.

CAL
: Serves
her right. I’m tired of sitting back and doing nothing. I guarantee
she’ll be on the phone with whoever she’s been talking to as soon
as we take off. In ten minutes, we’ll know where West is
hiding.

Without a good response, the other two
climbed into the car and they were soon back on the road to Camp
Spartan.

+ + +

Dante strolled into the dark room, shedding
his layers of disguise as he went. The twelve men waiting were in
various states of relaxation. Some were slumped on one of the
couches smoking; others were playing video games, or snacking on a
huge bag of Popeyes takeout.

DANTE
:
Alright, listen up. I just took a look at the house we’re hitting
tomorrow. I figure we can get in and out pretty quickly. I don’t
want to be there more than five minutes in case some hillbilly
decides to stop by with his shotgun. No shooting unless we can help
it. Everybody got that?

A chorus of mumbled agreements answered
West.

DANTE
: Now,
I want all of you to get some good rest tonight. I don’t want
anybody draggin’ ass tomorrow night. That means limit the booze and
weed.

One of the huge men from New Orleans raised
his head and spoke up in a bored southern drawl.

THUG
: This
ain’t our first rodeo, Dante.

DANTE
: I
know, I know. I just don’t want any fuckups this time.

THUG
#2
: You mean not like the way Shorty
went down?

The comment was followed by snickers from
the rest of the hired crew.

DANTE
(growling): You trying to challenge me? If you’ve got a
problem, I’ll take care of it right now.

THUG #2
(still smiling): Relax, Dante, I was just messin’ with
you.

Dante turned and headed for the back room.
The sooner he could send the New Orleans bangers back home, the
better. The walls of the small house were starting to close in on
everyone. Just the day before, one of his original crew had gotten
into it with one of the newcomers. It would’ve come to blows if
Dante hadn’t happened to walk in.

He was tired of babysitting. Tomorrow would
be the night it would all end.

C
al, Andy and Brian arrived back at Camp Spartan to find Neil
helping himself to the liquor in Cal’s suite. On the bar, he’d
arrayed an assortment of laptops, high tech headphones and speakers
and half-eaten room service. As Cal walked in the door, he watched
as Neil listened intently into one side of the set of headphones
perched on his head. His concentration was so deep that he didn’t
even acknowledge the trio’s entrance. Neil remained this way for
another minute, then his eyes shot open and he ran his fingers
deftly over the keyboard, apparently making notes from what he’d
just listened to.