Hostile Home Front [Black Ops Brotherhood 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

“Well, the Department of Homeland Security recognized this problem and decided to create a task force using the FBI. They started sending guys like me to places like Victoria, Texas. The task force has agents all over Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and small towns in fly-over country. Especially where these crime syndicates are strong, mostly border states,” Gavin informed.

“Rock, how’s that new Joint Cyber Command coming along? Can we get eyes and ears on some of this?” Captain O’Conner asked.

“They won’t be of any use for a while. Special Warfare Group Five will be operational before Cyber Command,” Rock answered.

“Who was that Marine major, Chief Walsh?” Dixie asked.

“Reese Thompson, he was the deputy commander of ForceRecon out at Quantico. Last I heard he’s at the Pentagon and working with Langley,” Gavin said.

“I think we need to have a chat with him again. We got a lot to do boys. JJ, Rock, come with me. The rest of you start combing through that pile of shit on the table here. Since this started with Special Warfare, our mission is to come up with some kind of plan that we can
advise
the Department of Homeland Security on and not be
directly
involved in,” Dixie said.

The men in the room all understood what was being expected of them. They would not only come up with the plan but would be expected in some way, shape, or form to execute said plan, without getting caught. They gathered around the table and started breaking into smaller teams of two, each gathering a small pile of documents and breaking them down. After a few hours, Rock and JJ returned. JJ joined Gavin and Captain O’Conner as they were going over information regarding the theft of US aid to Pakistan.

“Where are we?” JJ asked as he took the empty seat next to Gavin.

“It seems as if Bakri and Mummar are related. Somehow Mummar’s company in Virginia was getting infusions of cash. The company never had a bank loan. It looks like the deposits were wire transfers from Pakistan. We figured out it was probably Bakri who was sending him the money,” Shane said.

“We didn’t know that before?” JJ asked.

“Well, we kind of did, but that wasn’t the focus of the case. We had what seemed like bigger evidence when we put them in jail,” Gavin said.

“We got a hold of that Marine major and he had some interesting developments. He’ll be spending the day with us tomorrow. I guess we missed something, big,” JJ said.

“What?” Shane asked.

“There was a flash drive left in a computer at the personnel office. The desk it was left at dealt with ForceRecon personnel records. The guy sitting at the desk never noticed it. It launched a computer virus. When they lifted prints off the drive, one of the prints was traced to one of your buddies down in Beaumont. NCIS has been working the case. They’re not sure what’s been compromised. That’s what our Marine at the Pentagon has been working to clean up. By the way, he’s a lieutenant colonel now,” JJ said.

“Shit!” Gavin said.

“What?” Captain O’Conner asked.

“Some of the intel we got from the Fallujah raid laid out a cyberattack. That’s how that sneaky rat Ramirez-Merles fits into this. I thought maybe it was money laundering.” Gavin stood.

“Ramirez-Merles? The hacker from Panama?” Captain O’Conner questioned.

“He goes by Marco Lima now. The last time I dealt with these guys it was like this. Fucking tangled-ass mess! I had more information than I knew what to do with, just no proof. I backed my way into this to figure it out the last time.”

“What the hell? If it worked once maybe it will work again,” JJ said.

The three men started with Barki’s most recent movements. It took them the better part of two days to get all the way back to when Gavin arrested Omar and Krazi in Virginia. Midway through their second day, Lieutenant Colonel Reese Thompson joined them and brought them up to speed on the virus that had apparently compromised ForceRecon personnel records.

The long days paid off by late Wednesday night. Everyone was drained, but they had a plan. Dixie was briefed and he, Captain O’Malley, and JJ promptly tore it apart. The admiral very colorfully informed his men there was no way he would brief something until it was airtight. The holes were patched and strategies improved. When Dixie was briefed again on Thursday afternoon, he was pleased.

“Good work, men! It’s Miller time…” Dixie said.

The men left and made their way to the NCO Club at Little Creek. Gavin was constantly checking his watch because Amy was coming in from Corpus Christi to spend the rest of the weekend with him. Time seemed to drag that evening. Her flight was coming in at 9:00 p.m. from Houston. Of course his little nervous habit was picked up on immediately.

“What the fuck’s wrong with you? You got an appointment?” JJ demanded.

“Yes, I do.” Gavin finished his second beer.

“Oh? Where do you need to be at seven thirty in the evening?” JJ asked.

“My girlfriend is coming in at nine. We’re going to Williamsburg for the weekend.”

“Say what?” JJ asked, catching the attention of Rock and Mac.

“You have a girlfriend? And she’s coming here? This sounds serious,” Rock said, looking at JJ.

“She must be something,” Mac said with a wide grin.

“She is,” Gavin confirmed.

“Another one, Chief?” the bartender asked as he cleared away the bottle Gavin had set on the bar.

“No. Get me a Sprite,” Gavin said.

“Put a couple of shots of vodka in it,” Chief Jones ordered.

“No. Just Sprite and ice,” Gavin corrected.

“Are you serious?” Captain O’Malley demanded.

“What the fuck is this? What happened to you?” Chief Jones demanded.

Gavin felt like a bleeding swimmer who had just been thrown in with a bunch of sharks.

“So…Is she a cop, too?” Mac asked, trying to defuse the tension.

“No,” Gavin said.

“What does she do?” Captain O’Malley asked.

Gavin took an internal deep breath and braced himself before answering. His next announcement would be worse than not having another beer.

“She runs the library system for the City of Victoria,” Gavin said.

It was as if a bomb went off in the middle of the bar they were standing in. The look on the three men’s faces was absolute shock. For a few seconds they were stunned speechless. Rock was the first to recover.

“
You’re fucking a librarian
?” Rock asked loudly.

“
Shut the fuck up
!” JJ yelled.

“No shit?” Mac asked.

“Fuck me! That’s hot! Does she wear glasses?” Rock asked.

“Hey! Don’t talk about my lady that way. She’s a very nice girl,” Gavin said defensively.

“What the hell is she doing with you?” JJ demanded.

“I’ve got to see this! When can we meet her?” Rock asked.

“Yeah, why don’t you bring her back here after you pick her up?” JJ said with an evil grin.

“Oh hell no! You guys will really be getting started then. No, we’re going back to billeting,” Gavin said.

“You tell her you’re taking your balls back and coming back here. You pussy-whipped bastard!” JJ said.

“Fuck you, JJ! It isn’t her! It’s me! You guys would scare the shit out of her,” Gavin said.

“You’re doing right, Gavin. Go and have a nice evening with your girl. Don’t let these guys fuck you up,” Mac said.

“Shut up, Mac, you don’t even know what a pair of balls feels like anymore. That Dragon Lady has had your testicles locked up for years!” JJ said.

“Jealous?” Mac grinned.

“Fuck you!” JJ snapped.

Eight thirty couldn’t come fast enough.

Finally, when it came, Gavin left the NCO Club for Norfolk Airport. When he arrived he found that Amy’s plane was arriving. It was a few minutes early. He leaned against a rail that led passengers from the terminals to the baggage check. He spotted Amy immediately. She looked lost as she slowly walked through the sea of other travelers. She glanced at the signs indicating directions to get her bearings.

“Hey! Hottie! How about spending the night with a sailor?” Gavin called out.

Amy turned and looked Gavin’s direction. It took her a few minutes to recognize him because he was in a green camouflage uniform. She smiled and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him as he lifted her off the ground.

“Hello, hottie.” Gavin growled in her ear before kissing her.

“Gavin! What is this?” Amy asked as she took a step backward.

“I’ll explain in the car. Did you check any baggage?” Gavin asked.

“I had to. I hadn’t flown anywhere since 9-11 and I guess I didn’t know the new rules.”

“Okay, let’s go get your bag.”

They retrieved Amy’s bag and left the airport for Little Creek. She informed Gavin that she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. They found a place and were seated. He sat across from her and took her hand as they waited for their food.

“I missed you,” Gavin said.

Amy smiled her warm, contented smile. Gavin couldn’t help but smile back.
I missed you
meant so many things to him when he said those words to her. It meant,
I missed being home, I missed touching you, I couldn’t sleep without you next to me, I missed seeing you smile because it makes my day.
But most of all it meant
I felt empty without you.
It never ceased to amaze him how strongly his feelings for her had developed in such a short time. She reached across the small table and touched the patch that was above the pocket on his uniform.

“What is this?” Amy asked.

“It’s the SEAL Trident. It’s what every SEAL gets after we finish our training.”

“What do these things mean?” Amy traced it with her fingertip.

“The anchor and the trident represent the sea and the Navy, the eagle represents the air, and the pistol represents land. The anchor and the trident mean the courage and strength that make a SEAL. The eagle also means that SEALs are held to higher standards
than any other force. Normally, when you see the eagle in the military, it’s shown with its head held high. Here, the eagle’s head is lowered to remind each of us that humility is the true extent of a SEAL’s strength
and the pistol means we’re always ready.”

“I thought you were retired from the military.”

“I was. When you leave the military, they put you in an inactive reserve status for a few years. At any time during that status, if they need you to come back they can call you back. A month ago they called me back.”

“But you’ve been working as a police officer since then,” Amy said.

“I’m in the active Navy Reserves. It means I’m part-time military unless they tell me different, and it’s possible that I could be asked to return to active duty. Amy, honey, you can’t tell anybody about this. It would compromise my safety as a police officer if you do. No one can know, not even David and Irene, okay?” Gavin said.

“I don’t understand.”

“Honey, just like I can’t tell you about the cases I’m working on, I can’t tell you about what I do with these guys. I’m sorry, baby, I hate having to ask you to keep secrets like this. I don’t like keeping things from you, so I’m trusting you with this. No one can know I’m back in the military. Do you understand and will you promise me you won’t say anything?” Gavin asked.

“I understand, and I won’t tell anybody.”

Their food arrived and they ate in relative quiet. Gavin picked at the food in front of him. Amy ate and looked out the window at the passing cars. They were both deep in thought. Midway through the meal, she reached for him.

“Thank you for sharing this with me. I won’t tell anyone anything, not even David and Irene,” Amy said reassuringly.

Gavin’s tension dissolved. “I’ve got a lot planned for this weekend,” he said with a smile.

“Are you finished with your business?”

“For now.”

“What’s the plan?”

“We’ll go back to billeting at Little Creek and then we’re going to Colonial Williamsburg.”

“Billeting?”

“It’s a military hotel.”

“We’re going to a Navy base
and
Colonial Williamsburg…sounds cool.”

“I thought maybe we’d go to DC, too, to the Smithsonian,” Gavin said.

“This sounds like so much fun. The last time I went on vacation, I was a freshman in high school. David and Irene took me to Disney World. This whole week seemed to drag. I couldn’t wait for today.” Amy beamed.

They arrived at Little Creek and went up to Gavin’s room. It was late so they changed and got into bed. He could tell Amy was dead tired. He pulled her close while they lay together and held her as she slept. He hadn’t been able to sleep very well since he had arrived. Having her near him again made him feel like he could exhale. He was sleeping contently almost as fast as Amy.

* * * *

“You checked out?” Rock asked Mac.

“Working on it,” Mac said as he set down his bag in a chair.

Mac was checking out of NCO billeting. He and Rock were scheduled to fly back to San Antonio together at noon. Mac was digging papers out of his briefcase when he heard Rock.

“Well, look at that,” Rock said lowly.

Mac turned to see Gavin and a really pretty woman walk through the lobby. She waited by a chair with Gavin’s bag as he went to the front desk to check out.

“She’s…” Rock started, not being able to find the words.

“A sweetheart. That little girl looks like sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth,” Mac said with a grin.

“She’s really pretty…and…classy. Damn!” Rock exclaimed.

“Let’s go and meet her!” Mac said with mischief written all over his face.

“Let’s!” Rock agreed with the same mischief in his eyes.

* * * *

Gavin turned in time to see Mac and Rock making a beeline for Amy. Luckily, he was closer to her than they were. She turned to him and asked him about their first stop. Before he could answer, Rock and Mac had descended on them like birds of prey descending on their next meal.