Learning to Stand Read online

  The kitchen was the first room completed in their remodel. Alex checked to make sure the electric kettle was plugged in for John’s morning tea then poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Hallo brother!” Cian Kelly walked through the kitchen. “You’re here tonight, right? I understand there’s something called ‘March Madness.’ Thought we might get a pint at the Hound.”

  Cian was now a part of their family after having appeared in the middle of last fall’s drama. He and his friend Eoin Mac Kinney opened a bakery near the end of last year. Thanks to good looks, thick Irish accents and great baked goods, the bakery was a success. Alex hugged Cian good-morning.

  “I think that’s American football,” John said.

  “Basketball.” Alex’s identical twin Max corrected. He and Alex pressed their foreheads together in their usual greeting. “You’re sport-free since Manchester United is out.”

  “Don’t remind me,” John said.

  “Manchester United! Where’s your loyalty to the Boys in Green?” Cian protested before moving toward the front door.

  “Lost somewhere in the past,” John replied.

  Cian opened his mouth to say something, and then laughed.

  “Then a pint with me and the boys tonight? You in, Max?”

  “Of course.”

  “Wait! What boys?” John asked.

  Laughing, Cian went out the door.

  “See,” Alex said. “You already have fun plans.”

  John gave her a curt nod.

  “You’ll watch some b-ball and hang with the boys and…” Walking to the top of the basement stairs, she yelled, “RAZ, WE HAVE TO GO!”

  “Ten minutes,” came from downstairs.

  Raz and a woman’s muffled conversation moved closer to the stairs. Alex was closing the basement door when a woman dressed in crumpled clothing appeared on the basement landing. She wagged her eyebrows at Alex then turned to kiss a mostly naked Raz. His broad, caramel-colored muscular shoulders engulfed the woman in a hug. Stepping back, the woman stroked his taut abdomen then ran her hand along the waist band of his Levi jeans.

  “Ten minutes,” Alex said.

  Raz raised an eyebrow to Alex then opened the side door. He followed the woman out the basement door.

  “I think …” Max started.

  Alex looked at Max. Seeing she needed a moment, he stopped talking. She walked John to the front door.

  “You’re late for class,” she said.

  “Not quite. I love you Alexandra. Will you...” He looked away from her. “Please, say it.”

  “I love you, John Kelly Drayson.” Alex touched his cheek. “Today and every other day for the rest of this life and any other I’m blessed with. Now you.”

  “I love you, Alexandra Hargreaves Drayson, today and every other day for the rest of this life and every other I’m blessed with.”

  He held her tight, kissed her cheek, and he walked out the door to his rental car. She went out onto the porch to wave goodbye. Feeling movement, she reached for Max’s hand when he stood beside her. He took her hand.

  “Leaving?”

  “I’m in court all week. Messy contract stuff.” Max held up his briefcase as if all the mess was locked inside. “I have to get in early to meet with the client. You’ll be home Wednesday?”

  She nodded.

  Max’s eyes scanned her face. He nodded then set off down the street to catch the bus downtown.

  Turning into the house, she watched the construction workers stream into the house from the back. To escape the noise and chaos, she took the stairs two at a time to their bedroom. She belly flopped onto the bed.

  For most of their marriage, Alex traveled with the Fey Special Forces Team rescuing hostages around the world. She was home at least once every five weeks and six weeks in the summer. Even when she was home, there were times when John was busy with school or surgery. They spent most of their time away from each other.

  Everything changed when her team was slaughtered in the storage vault under Paris and Alex was gravely wounded. After six months at Walter Reed Hospital, Alex came home to Denver. Limping, crutching until finally walking erect on a new hip, Alex and John lived together for the first time in their twelve years of marriage. Then everything fell apart last fall and...

  Alex rubbed her face and sighed. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. They would be together in a few days.

  A few days.

  Maybe she’d figure out how to tell him about the baby.

  FFFFF

  Twenty-two hours later

  Tuesday early-morning

  March 25 – 2:40 A.M. MDT

  Somewhere over Central Colorado

  “Alex, we’re almost there.”

  Alex was sleeping with her head on Raz’s shoulder. Shifting to upright, she shook her head in an attempt to wake up.

  “Sorry. Green Beret habit.” She smiled at him. “I sit down in a helicopter and bam, I’m out.”

  “I know,” He smiled.

  Standing to stretch his back, Raz’s Homeland Security identification badge fell from his waist band. When Alex leaned forward to get it for him, he snatched it off the floor.

  “I know, I know, I’ll get it for the old man,” Raz said. “I’m only nine years older than you are.”

  “It’s not my issue. I was encouraged to ass-ist you in those classes we had the pleasure of taking last month.” She cleared her throat. “A Homeland Security partner ass-ists his partner in tasks.”

  “Very funny.”

  “How is your back?”

  “I’ll live. Would you like to go over your questions for the Weasel again?” Raz scowled then looked away. Turning back, his face softened at her smile. He winked. “Par’ner.”

  “I think I’m ready. Thanks, Duke,” she replied.

  He laughed.

  They were flying in a Black Hawk helicopter over a remote region of Colorado. Alex was meeting with the Secret Service agent who shot Max, John and teammate Captain Joseph Walter at the two year memorial ceremony for the Fey Special Forces Team. The ex-agent agreed to share what he knew in exchange for a reduction in his sentence.

  So far, the little weasel refused to speak to anyone except the Fey.

  The male Fey, that is.

  Like most people, the ex-agent believed the Fey was a male Special Forces Intelligence officer. The Fey could only be identified by a bright blue fairy tattoo under his left arm and the cursive green F’s that formed the tattoo band around his right arm.

  The Weasel didn’t expect a tall, thin, bleach blonde haired woman with fake blue eyes. Alex snorted. He didn’t expect a dark haired, dark eyed woman either.

  “Are you laughing at you own jokes?” Raz asked.

  “I think I’m very funny,” she replied.

  Raz smiled.

  Colonel Gordon, Alex’s Military Intelligence boss, christened the Secret Service agent with the name ‘the Weasel’ and the name stuck. He was ‘the Weasel’ to everyone involved. At this point, his renaming was the only reason he was still alive.

  And in a few minutes, she would find out what he knew about the murder of the Fey Special Forces Team.

  It had been a full day: drive to Fort Carson to pick up Sergeant Larry ‘G.I. Joe’ Flagg; a three hour briefing; working through a molehill of Department of Corrections paperwork to discover a mountain of Military Intelligence paperwork; twenty phone calls looking for her men only to learn they were already en route to the meeting site; another push-the-food-around-her-plate meal; and finally a nap on the helicopter. Pulling on her T-shirt, she stood and stretched.

  She felt filthy.

  At least she looked reasonably clean. Rubbing her dry eyes, she walked forward to the cockpit. His head covered in a silver-blue helmet, Zack ‘the Jakker’ Jakkman leaned forward to click on the speaker.

  “Welcome back,” Zack said.

  The co-pilot nodded to Alex. He had been assigned as the Jakker’s personal slave in retribution for being nasty to
Alex last fall. He detailed Zack’s car weekly, babysat his kids, cleaned his house, washed his laundry, made breakfast, lunch and dinner, and stayed up all night to ride co-pilot. For someone so mistreated, the co-pilot seemed very happy to be with the Jakker and the Fey. Alex curled her lip at co-pilot then turned to Zack.

  “Thanks for the nap, Zack. Can we see where we’re going?”

  “It’s right in front of us,” Sergeant Larry Flagg said walking from the back. “You can see the lights. Right there. We’re about ten minutes out.”

  “That’s very helpful, G.I. Joe,” Zack said.

  “Will you fucking call me Larry? God damn it,” the young man said.

  Alex coughed into her hand to keep from laughing

  “Is the Weasel there?”

  “He was moved from Super Max to Cañon City Maximum Security this morning,” Raz said. “He left Cañon City about an hour ago. They landed with him about fifteen minutes ago.”

  Through a pair of binoculars, she looked across the tops of dense pine trees to a clearing ahead. Five diesel fueled flood light towers creating a fifty foot circle of light in the center of a forest meadow. Deep black diesel smoke wafted into the cold mountain air.

  “Are you wearing body armor?” Alex asked Larry.

  Larry nodded.

  She turned and looked at Raz. “Body armor?”

  “Always,” Raz said.

  Her face pinched at the uncomfortable feeling growing in her gut. Rubbing her stomach, she closed her eyes and opened them again.

  Something was very wrong.

  Or maybe she hadn’t eaten in a while.

  Her insecurity and intuition fought a staccato drum beat in her head.

  “Shouldn’t land,” her intuition said.

  “Don’t blow it,” her mind spit out in response.

  “Need to get out of here.”

  “Chicken.”

  Around and around the thoughts went until they reached their conclusion:

  “If Charlie was here, he would know what to do.“

  Shaking her head, she walked back to the passenger cabin. She strapped herself into a seat then closed her eyes.

  “Sleeping?” Raz slipped his arm over her shoulder.

  “Just thinking,” she said. “This whole thing… It doesn’t feel right.”

  He nodded.

  As the helicopter began to descend into the meadow, Larry dropped into the seat next to Alex.

  “Would you mind going through it again?” Alex asked.

  “We are meeting with the Weasel in an undisclosed, unmonitored location in order to get information regarding the Fey Special Forces Team murder,” Raz said. “As far as we know, there is an active threat to your life and to his life.”

  “The brass said stay alive, spare no expense,” Alex said. “That’s why we’re meeting here and not at Super Max.”

  “Right. We’re meeting in the most remote wilderness in the continental US.”

  “Weminuche Wilderness.”

  “Exactly. This entire region is set as a no-fly zone. Cheyenne Mountain is monitoring all activity. The area is only accessible by military helicopter or...”

  “By hiking in a hundred miles,” Alex continued. “It’s too rugged for motorized vehicles or even civilian helicopters. And I selected this location less than eight hours ago.”

  “Yes.” Raz smiled at the growing confidence in Alex’s voice. “The entire region was swept two days ago. It’s been locked down since then. The last sweep was...”

  He looked at his watch.

  “An hour ago. The Weasel, three prison guards, and a team from Homeland Security are waiting to speak with the Fey. They are expecting to meet with a thirty-year-old...”

  “Thirty-three,” she said.

  “Yes, thirty-three-year-old male Special Forces Intelligence Officer. You and I will be dressed in Homeland Security gear. They won’t know it’s you until we confirm safety. The guys were dropped about a mile from here. They should be on scene within the next five minutes. Your Sergeant is our communication point.”

  Alex nodded her head.

  “You have your pocket computer?”

  Alex pulled the device from the back pocket of her jeans.

  “Our ear buds?”

  She nodded and gave him an ear bud communicator. Slipping the communicators into their ears, they were treated to the men’s assessment of women’s pubic hair. She took her ear bud out.

  “And I’m going to pretend to be the Fey,” Larry said. “I would make a great Fey. I mean it’s a role, right? I have the walk down. I’m male. And...”

  Seeing the looks on Alex and Raz’s faces, Larry shut his mouth.

  “Never mind.”

  “Where is Ben?” Alex asked.

  “In route,” Raz replied. “He wanted to stay connected until the meeting starts. Just in case there’s late intel.”

  “You mean in case someone calls to say I’m dead?” Alex asked.

  “Something like that. Zack will switch choppers as soon as we land. The co-pilot will take this helicopter back to base with Larry. If something happens, Zack will get you out of here. Stick with Zack.”

  Alex nodded. Zack dropped the helicopter onto an open space near the circle of lights. The bright lights filled the meadow with dazzling light and deep shadow. The diesel smoke blew in white clouds to obscure the helicopters. No one would be able to see who got out of this chopper.

  “Promise me. You will leave without me,” Raz said into her ear.

  “No,” she said.

  Standing, she pulled on an oversized dark blue jacket with HOMELAND SECURITY printed in white letters across the back. Raz stuck a Homeland Security baseball cap on her fake blonde hair. When she looked up, Raz was dressed in a matching jacket and hat. She took a pair of brown rimmed glasses from his hand.

  The helicopter door opened to two Homeland Security officers. Raz and Alex followed Larry out of the helicopter. On the way to the clearing, the senior Homeland Security officer updated Larry. Reaching the edge of the lit area, Larry glanced back at Alex and Raz. His smile faded and his eyes flicked back and forth with anxiety.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Alex smiled to comfort the young man.

  Larry nodded his head and entered the circle of light. Alex and Raz stood about a foot from the lit space almost hidden by dark shadow and smoke.

  Seated in the middle of the circle, the Weasel’s orange jumpsuit the bright white light like a lighthouse. His hands were cuffed behind him and his legs shackled. Three Federal prison guards stood behind him. Two Homeland Security agents stood next to him. The Weasel watched Larry move across the lit area.

  Zack hopped out of the Black Hawk. He swaggered over to a group of Homeland Security agents. After making a lewd joke, he moved off into the forest.

  So far so good.

  They stood in the shadows listening to Larry bluff his way through the preliminaries of the interview. A half hour in, one of the Weasel’s Department of Corrections guards came out of the lit circle.

  “You with the Fey?” the man asked.

  His voice was loud enough for the other Homeland Security Agents to look up. Surprised, Alex nodded.

  “You need to come with me.”

  F

  CHAPTER THREE

  Raz hesitated. Alex reassured him by putting her hand on his elbow. He looked into her face then nodded. They followed the man toward the forest.

  “That’s Perses.”

  The apparition of Alex’s best-friend Sergeant Jesse Abreu appeared beside her. Alex nodded her head slightly. As usual, Jesse continued in Spanish:

  “The Weasel is completely freaked out, Alex.”

  Alex glanced in his direction.

  “Something weird is going on, but I can’t tell what. Ever since those Homeland agents arrived, he’s become more and more anxious. Perses has been with him the whole time. I think he’s guarding the Weasel. Funny thing for a no fingerprint, no name assassin to do.” />
  Alex raised her eyebrows. Used to speaking out loud with Jesse, Alex could only communicate with facial gestures. She signed ‘the guys’ in American Sign Language.

  “The guys are following you in the forest,” Jesse said. “They’re tracking the GPS signal in your hip. In this forest, they could be six feet away and you wouldn’t see them. But I can.”

  Alex smiled at his ‘so-there’ laugh. Jesse had been her best-friend since the first week of basic training. Their lives intertwined, they had been each other’s constant companion through Bosnia, Special Forces training, and the Fey Special Forces Team. In the doorway to the vault in Paris, he died with his head on her lap. His reappearance in her life was a gift. Especially now.

  “Larry’s a little prick,” Jesse continued his update. “He’s bossing people around, making them get him coffee. But I guess you can hear him on your ear bud.”

  Alex nodded.

  “Anyway, Zack’s ready to go. I’m going back to the Weasel.”

  Jessie disappeared.

  “Any idea of how far we are going?” Raz asked.

  Perses turned to look at him. He nodded his head to Alex. He gave Raz an eerie smile then continued hiking.

  “There’s a bunker a quarter mile from the location,” she said. “It’s not marked on any map, but is the reason this is a no-fly zone. I think that’s where we’re going.”

  Raz knew better than to be surprised. Every plan had three or four side journeys. When he started working with Alex, he’d tell her she was wasting time on these side ventures. She’d smile and nod. But time and time again, the simple complexity of her plans saved them.

  The farther away from the circle of light, the noisier the men became. Through their ear buds, Alex’s second in command, Captain Matthew Mac Clenaghan, asked if they should take out the man they were following. She made no indication she heard them.

  They slowed at a slight hillside. A clear dirt path continued in front of them. But Perses turned to the right into the dense forest. He went about six feet then stopped.

  “Take them inside,” Perses said to Alex. His voice was straight out of British ruled Africa. “I’ll get the prisoner. We’ll talk when I get back?”