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  Admiral Ingram shook his head.

  “The entire Black Skeleton thing is complete bullshit created by a delusional mind,” Admiral Ingram said. “No one will say it to your face what everyone says know is true — the Fey never returned from Paris.”

  “We’re still working,” Alex said. “This year alone we’ve saved . . .”

  “You’ve done what any mediocre Spec Ops team can do,” Admiral Ingram said. His voice rose in fever. His eyes glistened with rage. “But you, rather than just doing your Goddamned job, you choose to sling this bullshit that there’s a . . . what did you call it? A dangerous coalition?”

  Admiral Ingram gave a derisive snort.

  “Bullshit,” Admiral Ingram said. He leaned back and crossed his arms. “We are a real country, with real enemies. If you’re going to work under me, you need to focus on reality, not some hocus pocus bullshit.”

  “We don’t work for you,” Raz said before Alex could stop him. “We work for the President.”

  Raz’s voice was calm, but Alex knew he was furious. Admiral Ingram gave him a mild look.

  “No one works for the President, Agent Rasmussen,” Admiral Ingram said in an annoyed voice. “What you do has to come through my office. And that means me. You work for me, first.”

  “Can we push him out of the chopper?” Zack’s voice asked in Alex’s ear.

  Alex’s eyes flicked to Raz and then to the Admiral. Neither man gave any indication that they’d heard him.

  “And what if it’s true?” Alex asked. “What if we’re correct? What if we have proof?”

  Admiral Ingram looked at Alex as if she was insane. After a moment, a dawning understanding came into his eyes.

  “So that’s what the French have been talking about,” Admiral Ingram hissed.

  Alex didn’t respond.

  “Zack?” Alex asked. “Can you take us back to Bolling? Admiral Ingram would like to return to his office.”

  “Yes, sir,” Zack said quickly.

  “How far out are we?” Alex asked.

  “Fifteen minutes,” Zack said. “No more than seventeen.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said.

  She got up from her seat and went to the restroom. When she returned, she saw that Raz and Admiral Ingram had continued their staring contest.

  “If you’d like to speak to us about the number of hostages we’ve rescued or kidnappings we’ve diverted or plots we’ve intervened in or . . .” Alex started.

  “I have withdrawn your assignment,” Admiral Ingram said. His tone was mild but one of his eyebrows rose to betray his rage. “As of yesterday.”

  Admiral Ingram gave Alex a cruel smile.

  “Times have changed. The Fey is dead,” Admiral Ingram said. “US Spec Ops has plenty of SEALs ready and willing to do their job. And it is, in fact, their job. Whatever intel we don’t already have, we can easily get from the CIA.”

  “You’d risk the lives of the hostages just to vent some grudge with me?” Alex asked.

  “What am I risking?” Admiral Ingram asked. “As far as I’m concerned, I have an out-of-control leader of a rogue team. This is the US military, not some superhero cartoon, Ms. Hargreaves. We don’t have rogue teams or out-of-control leaders. Certainly, not on my watch.”

  Alex and Raz instinctively leaned back in their chairs. Admiral Ingram’s face flushed, and his mouth screwed up with rage. He looked like a caricature of an evil villain from a comic book.

  “Consider yourself on notice,” Admiral Ingram said. “You have until the end of the year to reassign your team and retire. Come the new year, if a Fey Team still exists, I will court martial the lot of you and save the citizens of our great nation the cost of your pensions.”

  “As for the Archipelago of the Jakker,” Admiral Ingram said with a self-satisfied smile. “All of the equipment you think you earned or owned will be returned to the US military. So you’d better take a good look at it. It won’t be yours in a month’s time.”

  Admiral Ingram’s face shifted as he packed his rage away behind a placid face. His mouth turned up, and his eyes went cruel.

  “Now, I will take another one of those coffees, young lady.” Admiral Ingram gave her a particularly misogynistic smile. “To go.”

  Alex was so surprised that she gawked at him.

  “Now, little missy,” Admiral Ingram said. He gave her an exaggerated wink. “I’m a busy man.”

  Raz started to get up, but Alex gestured for him to sit down. Without saying a word, she made Admiral Ingram’s cup of coffee. Zack was in pre-landing when she returned to the table.

  “Now tell me, how many men does this sleep?” Admiral Ingram asked. “Will I have space for my administrative team or just a few men?”

  “I’m not certain, sir,” Alex said.

  “It is nice,” Admiral Ingram said. He sighed and looked around. “Thank you. I know we’re going to enjoy this vehicle. I’ve heard that you have a C-130 and a couple of Black Hawks. Are they as nice as this one?”

  Alex waited for him to laugh or indicate that he was joking or wink or in some way humanize this entire ridiculous interaction. But Admiral Ingram kept upping the ante on his misogyny. He started whistling a toneless tune.

  They sat at the table in silence until the Chinook was on the ground and the tail was starting its descent to the tarmac. Admiral Ingram picked up his coffee and started out of the helicopter. Alex and Raz stood to escort him out.

  “By the way, regulations state that being male is a requirement of US Army Special Forces,” Admiral Ingram said. “Your Special Forces tab has been withdrawn as well as the step in pay.”

  “You’re saying I’m no longer a Green Beret,” Alex said.

  “I’m a Southern gentleman. I just can’t be so cruel to a lady,” Admiral Ingram said. “If you want to wear a nice little green beret as a fashion statement, who am I to argue? But if you’re caught with a piece of US military gear, you will be charged with conduct unbecoming of an officer. Then again, we’re already investigating how you managed all those rank increases.”

  “You’re disbanding the Fey Team and removing me from Special Forces,” Alex said. “And looking into how to get away with demoting me.”

  “I’m correcting more than one egregious error,” Admiral Ingram said.

  “Your brother, Nathan, believed in our mission,” Alex couldn’t stop herself from saying. “He believed in me! He was my dear friend!”

  “My so-called ‘brother’ was the negro son of an uneducated housekeeper,” Admiral Ingram said. His eyes flicked to Raz’s caramel-colored skin. “Nathan was never very bright. You didn’t honestly think he and I were close, did you?”

  “We were,” Alex whispered. Her hands went to cover her heart where she was sure a sharp blade had sliced right through.

  The Admiral gave a derisive snort.

  “Tell me this: how can a blind man lead a black ops team?” Admiral Ingram asked. “Won’t they get lost in the dark? Oh, wait a minute — everything is dark to Steve Pershing.”

  Shaking his head, the nasty man leaned back in an exaggerated gale of cruel laughter. He sniffed, wiped his eye, and pulled a cigar from his pocket. Alex and Raz gawked at him when he clipped the cigar and lit it.

  “My biggest problem is where to put you,” Admiral Ingram said. He pointed at Alex with his cigar hand. “Frankly, I’m under a lot of pressure to let you retire. But I don’t respond well to that kind of pressure. I mean, what do they know, anyway?”

  He gave Alex a nod and started down the ramp. Halfway down, he turned to look at them.

  “Oh, and I need that book,” Admiral Ingram said. “The one you’ve translated. I’ve heard it’s a page-turner.”

  He gave them a “Gotcha” look and a snide laugh. He continued down to the tarmac. Zack raised the tail of the Chinook.

  “Did you get all of that on the tape?” Raz asked Zack.

  “Done,” Zack said.

  Alex stood still for a moment with her hands sti
ll on her heart. A part of her was afraid if she moved her hands, blood would pour from the wound. She looked up to see Raz’s grey eyes staring at her.

  “Where to?” Zack asked.

  Alex was so overwhelmed that she wasn’t sure how to respond.

  “I need a quiet place to think,” Alex said.

  Only then did she dare to let her hands fall. To her surprise, nothing happened. Her hands touched her heart again. Her chest wasn’t even wet. Somehow, her heart continued to beat.

  “I need a safe place. Where no one will . . . watch us,” Alex said.

  “Done,” Zack said.

  “Can you fly off radar?” Alex said.

  Zack laughed. The Chinook rose off the tarmac.

  Alex felt like a bubble had formed in her brain. She had no idea how to respond to any of this. She gave Raz a desperate look, and he put his arms around her. He negotiated them to a row of seats and settled her on the end. He got up for a couple of water bottles and returned to sit next to her. He put his arm around her. She pressed her face against his shoulder.

  “You can talk to me,” Raz said.

  “I don’t have words,” Alex said. She leaned back to look into his face. “It’s like my brain froze. I can’t . . .”

  He pressed her head against his shoulder. They had been in the air for a half-hour before Alex sat up.

  “Where are we going?” Alex asked.

  “Harkers Island,” Zack said. “I called ahead. They’re expecting us.”

  Alex looked at Raz, and he nodded. His simple, kind nod broke the wall she’d built around her emotions. Tears began to stream down her face. He held her close, and she wept.

  F

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Monday evening

  October 10 — 7:37 p.m. EST

  Harkers Island, North Carolina

  They had flown low and slow. Almost three hours after Admiral Ingram left the Chinook, they were hovering over a private airport on Harkers Island. On the flight, Alex had allowed her sorrow, anger, and grief to overcome her. She was weak and wobbly when they landed. Raz helped her to her feet.

  “We should take everything,” Alex said. “He’s going to . . .”

  “We’ve worked it out,” Zack said, coming from the back. “Remember, we have a plan.”

  “I never paid that much attention to . . .” Alex shrugged. She lifted her hands to make quotes in the air. “THE PLAN”

  “It’s our life now,” Raz said.

  “Hey, the full force of the US military isn’t here to greet us,” Zack said. “Let’s celebrate small victories.”

  Cliff went to the tail of the plane and flicked the manual switch. The tail opened to two young men were standing next to a jeep. The taller of the two looked the spitting image of his mother, the retired intelligence officer who went by “Mammy.” He had worked in intelligence for the US Army through two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. Although Alex didn’t know his given name, he went by the name “Grady.” He gave Alex a white-toothed grin.

  The other man was smaller, built like a bird. He’d been Grady’s best friend since they were children. He went by the name “Hal.” Given that the names came straight out of a 1970s sitcom, Alex was pretty sure they weren’t their birth names.

  “Strip it,” Zack said.

  “Everything?” Grady asked. They looked at Alex, and she nodded.

  “To regulations,” Alex said.

  “Leave it to us,” Grady said. “You want it done to the rest of them?”

  “Probably a good idea,” Alex said. “Can you do it? One Black Hawk is at Buckley; the other is at Pendleton. I have no idea where we left the C-130.”

  “Paris,” Zack said.

  “We’ll take care of it,” Grady said.

  “Thank you,” Alex said.

  “We put them together as modules. They’ll be easy to take apart,” Grady said.

  “How long will it take?” Zack asked.

  “Couple hours,” Grady said. “Did you fly over Cherry Point?”

  Harkers Island was less than forty miles from Marine Air Station Cherry Point.

  “Not even close,” Zack said.

  “That doesn’t mean they’re not coming,” Alex said.

  They walked toward the jeep Grady and Hal had stepped out of.

  “Are they looking for you yet?” Grady said.

  “Probably,” Raz said.

  “They’ll definitely get around to missing us by tomorrow morning,” Alex said.

  “Good to know,” Grady said. He nodded toward the jeep. “Go on. Mammy’s waiting dinner on you. We can get back when we’re done.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said at the same time Cliff said, “Thank God.”

  Laughing, Zack clapped Cliff’s back, and they walked to the jeep. Zack got in the driver’s seat.

  “Alex?” Grady asked.

  Getting in the back of the jeep, Alex turned to look at him.

  “I was sorry to hear about your death, Alexander,” Grady said.

  “You’re very hot to be some dead guy,” Hal said with a snort.

  Alex smiled because Grady and Hal deserved it. But she felt only defeat. She turned back as Zack drove away. The young men were already focused on the task at hand. Grady pushed a switch, and a metal barn like structure moved to cover the plane. Alex watched them close the barn doors. If anyone decided to look, they would only see the metal barn.

  Zack drove like a madman over the mixture of ancient asphalt, concrete, and dirt roads. The vehicle came to rest in front of an old plantation house. Even in October, Mammy’s rose bushes were covered in a burst of color. Mammy’s youngest son met them on the walk. He escorted them into the warm, golden-lit kitchen. Mammy took one look at Alex and told her daughter to escort Alex to bed. Before Alex could protest, Mammy’s daughter was pushing her up the wide stairway.

  “You’re smaller than I am,” she said. “Do you mind wearing my clothes?”

  “I should . . .” Alex shook her head.

  The young woman hugged Alex. She left Alex standing in the middle of the room. She returned with a cotton nightshirt.

  “Would you like some help?” Mammy’s daughter asked.

  “I’ll get it,” Alex said.

  “Bathroom,” the young woman said with a smile.

  Alex blinked at her.

  “Dad used to get like this,” the young woman laughed. “He didn’t know where he was half the time.”

  Alex shook her head.

  “Use the toilet,” the young woman ordered in imitation of her mother. “There’s no bath in here. But you can shower. Lather up real good. Wash off all of that shit they tried to stick on you. I’ll leave you something comfortable to wear. Get into bed. We’ll bring up food for you. Right now, you need safety and comfort.”

  Alex smiled, and the young woman grinned.

  “A lot of us admire you, Alex,” the young woman said. “You’ll get through this. I just know it.”

  With a nod, the young woman left the room. Alex stood in place for a moment before doing what she was told — toilet, shower, change, bed. She pulled the covers over her head. Staring at the underside of the sheet, she tried to meditate.

  Breathe in. What am I going to do now?

  Breathe out. How am I going to fix this?

  Breathe in. I CAN’T fix this!

  Breathe out. I have no idea how.

  Breathe in. Everyone is depending on me!

  Breathe out. What am I going to do?

  The thoughts circled her brain like a laurel wreath. Breathe in, worry. Breathe out, panic.

  Her mind chatter continued until she heard the door open. She lay very still.

  “Alex?” Raz asked. “What are you doing?”

  “Meditating,” she said as she flipped off the covers.

  He laughed so hard that she couldn’t help but smirk.

  “I brought dinner,” Raz said. “Or what Mammy would give me for you.”

  “What is it?” Alex asked. />
  “Comfort food. Heaven.” He shrugged. “Both are adequate descriptions. Mac and Cheese. Biscuits. Pot pie. Honey butter. Peppermint tea.”

  He set the tray next to her on the bedside table. He took off his shoes and joined her in bed. He leaned up against the headboard.

  “Wanna fuck?” he asked.

  Alex burst out laughing. He chuckled.

  “Share a biscuit?” he asked. “Did I mention the honey butter? Holy Christ, it’s so good.”

  “You should go,” Alex said. “Have dinner with the others.”

  “You get that fine ass of yours up to that bedroom and take care of our girl,” Raz said in imitation of Mammy. He gave her a soft look. “Frankly, I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  Tears came to Alex’s eyes. Raz put his arm around her, and she laid her head on his lap. He smoothed her short hair.

  “You need to grieve,” Raz said.

  “Why?” Alex said. Sitting up, she threw her arms up into the air in frustration. “After last year, you should have expected this, Alex! What the fuck did you think would happen? We told you! We told you! We told you!”

  She hiccupped a kind of sob. She bit her lip to keep from wailing.

  “And?” Raz said in a low tone.

  “I didn’t believe them,” Alex said.

  “Why?”

  “How do you go from desperately needed to rotten, stinking garbage?” Alex asked.

  She’d cried so much in the last few hours that her words slurred as if she were drunk. He tugged on her and she dropped her head into his lap.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s eat and rest. There will be plenty of time for scolding tomorrow.”

  “I need to follow the plan!” Alex said.

  “Tomorrow,” Raz said. “All the pieces are in play tonight. Let them do their part.”

  “Zack quit?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Raz said. “Cliff, too. It was . . .”

  “Epic,” Alex and Raz said together in an imitation of Captain Troy Olivas’s eldest son, Hector James. They grinned.

  “The commander at Pendleton has agreed to house the team,” Raz said. “They’ve moved to one of the unused outer buildings. No one’s been out there for at least a decade. The buildings are filthy and in disrepair, but the team has set to work. They are safe, at least for a while. All of our families are in private residences, so they aren’t likely to be found.”