Out of the Shadows (Falcon) (13 page)

Frank brushed her compliment away with a wave of his hand.
“I owed your father that much.”

They both grew silent. Frank and her father had bee
n with the CIA together and grown to be friends. When her mother died, Zoe had become a little spaced out. The next thing she knew she had a pimp and track marks up and down her arms.

When Frank
located her and brought her the news her father had been killed in Iraq, Zoe was shattered. Her heart ached for not being there when her father needed her most. Even to this day she wondered how she’d allowed herself to spiral so out of control.

That day a
s Frank turned to leave, she’d whispered, “Help me.”

Apparently, t
hat’s all he’d needed to hear.

Within hours
her pimp had been arrested and she was in rehab with Frank or one of the Falcon agents at her side around the clock. They washed her face, cleaned up her puke, and rocked her for hours.

Never once did she see a hint of judgment or condemnation in their tender looks. Only compassion and acceptance.

After she finished her stint in rehab, Frank handed her a ticket to attend a weekend seminar featuring a world-renowned life coach. When she returned, Frank offered her a job, and she’d been devoted to Falcon Securities and the agents ever since.

Wit
hout her work family, Zoe probably would have ended up in a back alley dumpster somewhere on the south side of town.

“I’m simply
grateful I’m where I belong. Good things happen to people who do the right thing.”

Frank gave her that
can’t-fool-me
smile that made Zoe chuckle.

In his early fifties
, Frank had a head full of mostly silver hair, yet he could still catch a woman’s eye. His light blue eyes and strong jaw gave him a much younger look. And look women did...a lot. The guy had more dates than most of his agents. In his arsenal of weapons, Frank had a look that could raise a person’s sprits to the moon or slash one’s hopes to dirt.

H
is intensity and devotion to America never left his demeanor. Single with no children, Frank lived and breathed his job and would lay his life on the line for any agent he employed.

The door opened
, and Tony Archuletta walked into the office carrying his own cup of coffee. “Hello, Zoe.”

Zoe
mentally referred to Tony as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsomely Dressed. One could easily say agent 007 had nothing on that guy. The man literally oozed sexy masculinity. She loved all the agents from afar. But she could never seriously love a man in their line of work. No sir, she’d take a nice boring teacher or tax accountant any day of the week.

“So what do you know?”

“Brody kidnapped a CIA agent. Then Jake flew them over the border to Mexico. He’s due to pick them up at 2100 hours tonight.”

Tony dropped
into the chair next to Zoe.

“Brody went after Chavez?”
Frank asked.

“No,
” Zoe corrected. “Brody went after A.J.”

Frank stood and paced
, his hands behind his back. “I knew he was getting frustrated because I couldn’t get anywhere with my connections.” Frank paused and looked out the large window in his office overlooking the Dallas skyline. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Are you?”

Tony shook his head. “
Zoe’s right. Brody won’t leave anyone behind. And he and A.J. were in the same outfit. Blood runs deep.”

“I’d better get Cola
nglo on the phone and let him know his agent is probably okay. I’ll see if he’s willing to hold off doing anything until we see how this all pans out.”

“Good thing
the Director of the CIA is your friend and that you’ve been tight for a long time. Let’s hope your influence holds.” Tony sipped his coffee

“It will
.” Zoe said. “Brody is only doing what he thinks is right.”

“He’s doing exactly what I told him not to do.”

“I’m not sure,” Tony said. “But I heard a few rumblings that could mean trouble.”

That didn’t sound good
.

Frank moved to his desk and leaned down. “What?”

“A confidential informant named Carlos with the CIA met me yesterday about some info he’d picked off the streets. According to the CI, it appears Brody might have been given bad information to intentionally draw him to La Hacienda.”

“So how’d the CIA agent get involved?”
Zoe asked.

“It’s Kate Stone.”

“I remember her,” she said. “Didn’t you help get her and her team out of Iraq?”

“
Yes, we did. Still, something isn’t right.”

“I agree
,” Tony said. “I called Jake in. Maybe he’ll give us more to go on.”

“He’s going to get a boot up his ass, is what he’s going to get. Brody, I might just hang.”

Zoe stood to go to her desk. Just outside Frank’s office she turned and said, “Brody is a good man doing a good deed.”

“I hope you’re right, Zoe
. If not, maybe you’ll take his place.”

She
smiled. “I just hope he’s alive, and Miss Stone and A.J. comeback safely.”

She closed
the door and smiled at the sound of Frank banging his fist on his desk.

While Falcon Securities was a wonderful place to work, she constantly worried
about her hunky agents and so did Frank. He had been going crazy trying to get A.J. released. She looked out at the bluest sky she’d ever seen and sent up a prayer for all the agents. She prayed they would remain safe and good things would come their way.

With a sigh, Zoe
sat behind her desk and pulled up her secure screen. This no doubt, would be a very long night.
 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Brody drove the old junker i
nto the sweltering desert and sand dunes. While Kate, he, and six others had piled into the car and headed in the direction of La Hacienda, Brody counted on someone tipping Chavez to their arrival.

The
heat from the sun scorched Brody’s left arm braced on the open window ledge. Blazing wind blew like a blast furnace in a steel mill.

They were as visible as the
nearby mountain range. Their exposure sent annoyance surging thorough Brody’s body and kept him alert to a possible attack.

With no place to hid
e, they stood a good chance of being ambushed long before reaching their destination. But Brody had to risk getting to the south side of the compound, where a smaller village sat closer to La Hacienda.

Rumor had it a man from the
nearby rural community worked for Chavez. That informant also said the man hated his boss. Brody wanted that person on their side. No one knew better than him that hating and a willingness to betray, and possibly kill, created a whole different attitude. They didn’t need someone not fully committed to bringing down Chavez’s reign.

H
e hoped the car would stand up under the blistering heat as it cut a wide path in the sand. It surprised the hell out of him that the eighty-nine Olds had lasted this long. In all honesty, it belonged in a junk yard, but he couldn’t be choosey. These were the only wheels within miles that didn’t belong to Chavez.

Off to the right
, Brody saw two vehicles approaching fast. He slammed on the brakes, and the car spun sideways before coming to a halt. “Get out and take cover.”

All eight were armed. Four with nothing more than peashooters, but a carefully pla
ced bullet could take out a giant.

In
no time the Jeep with four men charged them. The rear end fishtailed and the wheels flinging sand skyward. A man behind the 50mm pulled back the charging handle and, from twenty yards away, the gun came to life. Bullets sprayed wilder than water gushing from a broken pipe. Brody stood, took aim, and fired. The shooter slumped over the weapon. Kate took out the driver, and the Jeep careened to the right. The two lone men jumped out of the vehicle firing their weapons. Brody didn’t know whose bullet found the mark, but both men dropped. Silence resonated in the bleak desert with the quietness of a funeral procession.

Brody stepped from behind cover, his weapon
leading the way. The two men beside the armored car and the two shot earlier were dead.

Brody turned toward the
members of his posse. “We got ‘em.”

Shouts went up,
and Kate stood grinning as they celebrated their first real victory against Chavez. Brody’s chest swelled with pride, knowing they had taken out the threat of four guns. He laughed aloud. They’d also gained more weapons. The confiscated Jeep would come in handy, too, but he coveted the 50mm.

“Okay, Manuel
, you drive the Olds. Kate and I are in the Jeep. Manny, come with us and man the gun.”

Manny’s eyes widen
ed, and he lifted his shoulders. Even though he walked with a limp, pride flushed his face, and his steps were sure and purposeful.

Ka
te stepped in and closed the door while Manny latched onto the gun faster than a newborn to a teat. Brody came up behind him. “This is the trigger, and that’s all you need to know.”

With that said
, he slipped into the driver’s seat, and they took off for the other village. In no time Brody saw a group of huts. When they pulled into the center of the little town, no one came out. Fear kept them inside probably because he drove the drug lord’s Jeep.

Soon the other car arrived
, and the residents spilled into the courtyard. “I am so glad you made it, Alberto,” a pregnant woman cried out as she ran into the man’s arms.

“We are all fine. We killed four of Chavez’s men. They can no longer control our lives.”

A cheer rose from the crowd. Kate stepped next to Brody. “You’re going to tell them this is a very small victory, aren’t you?”
“Not just yet.” Brody waved his hand. “Let them enjoy it while they can.”

Brody and Kate walked over to Alberto. “We need to move these vehicles out of sight.”

“There is a place on the other side of the village, near a dry creek bed. I will show you.”

Brody and Alberto
hid the vehicles and walked back into the village carrying Brody’s bag and the weapons they’d taken off the dead men.

No bigger than the village they’
d come from, the only thing this community was missing was a church. Same ragged clothes hung out to dry. Same scrawny chickens pecked at the dirt near mangy dogs.

He noticed
Kate kept a 9mm tucked into the pocket of the dark green pants she must’ve taken from her guards. The material was so thin and worn that fabric clung to her sweet ass like paper on a kitchen wall. It surprised Brody to realize he didn’t want other men seeing that much of Kate. Where the hell had that thought come from?

“Manny,” Bro
dy called out. The teenager ran to him, his eyes expectant. “Can you find Kate a pair of pants and a shirt?”

“S
í. I will do it right away.”

“Thank you,
” Brody shouted to Manny’s retreating back. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

How that kid’s attitude had changed
.

Brody turned and walked into the small
, bare-to-the bone hut Kate had entered earlier. She sat at the table sipping what smelled similar to coffee. Dirty, with a swollen black eye, and a busted lip, she was the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. And probably the bravest.

She kicked out a
rickety chair for him and scooted it away from the table. With a smile he accepted the offered cup from the pregnant woman.

“This is Katarina. She’s married to Alberto and
they’re expecting their first child.”

Ducking her head, Katarina giggled and
refused to meet his gaze. She moved back to the stove and stirred something that smelled spicy in a pot.

“How long do you think we have until Oscar retaliates?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a few hours.”

“When I was at La Hacienda I not
iced several vehicles like the Jeep. Two trucks with canvased stretched across the back, and two cars.”

“How many men?”

“I didn’t see everyone. So I can only guess.”

“What’s your guess?”

“On the generous side, I’d say maybe a hundred.”

Brody swallowed
at the news but refused to allow his heart rate to accelerate. Taking out bad guys was what he did. He considered the odds, but they never deterred him. For him it was just another day at the office.

He couldn’t forget
they’d only eliminated four of that hundred, and time ticked on for A.J. He tilted his head and smiled. “I figure that makes us about even.”

She laughed
, and Brody’s spirit felt lighter. He almost believed his own lie. It was her laughter that held him mesmerized and intrigued. With all the chaos around them, her smile lit up his world.