Aspiring good-for-nothing who enjoys writing and living in a fantasy land more than my own life sometimes. :) AO3: AnnaCooper1994 Wattpad: AnnaPhoenix1994 📍Montana 💜🌄
About me: I live in the great state of Montana. I have three horses, two dogs, and a cat named Johnny. Yes, I say his name because he thinks he owns the world. I love writing and drawing, but you'll likely see my writing before you see my artwork. My only other links for my fiction novels are here:
Wattpad: 🪶𝒜𝓃𝓃𝒶🪶 (@AnnaPhoenix1994) - Wattpad
Ao3: AnnaCooper1994 | Archive of Our Own
Current work(s)/Masterlists:
Special Ops: Tigress - Prequel to "It Goes On" as Kiera's career in the CIA (Lioness x Call of Duty Crossover) - COMPLETED!
It Goes On; Masterlist 2 (Part 1) COMPLETED! - Simon Riley x OC Female Character (Yellowstone x Call of Duty Crossover)
It Goes On (Part 2) ON-GOING! - Simon Riley x OC Female Character (Yellowstone x Call of Duty Crossover)
Simon "Ghost" Riley One-Shots
RDR2 - The Album - A collection of photos I've taken while in story mode and online since I'm figuring out photo mode :)
Scars (ON-GOING!) - Simon Riley x OC Female Character
Previous work(s):
The Course of True Love (Book 1) COMPLETED! - Arthur Morgan x OC Female Character
Never an Absolution (Book 2) COMPLETED! - Arthur Morgan x OC Female Character (Titanic x Red Dead Redemption 2 Crossover)
Redemption (Book 3) ON-GOING/ON BREAK! - Arthur Morgan x OC Female Character
The Devil Walks Among Us (Book 1) COMPLETED -Michael Myers x OC Female Character
Sound of Madness (Book 2) COMPLETED - Michael Myers x OC Female Character
The hangar was quiet as the chaos subsided, Kiera picking away at an MRE as she sat in the lounge, sighing when she read her watch to be a few minutes past 4am.
"Looks like I'm not the only one with insomnia." she heard a voice say from the doorway, nearly jumping out of her skin.
"Yeah, well, sometimes it takes a toll on me." she sighed, relieved to see that it was Ghost and not someone she didn't know too well.
"I'm with you on that one," he shook his head, standing in front of the fridge before getting out a bottle of water, holding the bottle against the back of his neck as he stood in a pair of black cargo pants and a gray T-shirt, and Kiera couldn't help but look at the tattoos that laced his left arm, watching how his muscles flexed every time he moved his arms, how his chest heaved with every breath he took. Fuck, this is just a man - no different than any man I've worked with before, why is he different? she thought, forcing the thoughts from her mind. She concluded that he only covered his face when he was on the field. "In the mood for whiskey?" he asked her after he found a bottle of it in the cabinet.
"I'll never turn it down," she sighed, watching him get two glasses from the cabinet before setting one down in front of her, pouring enough for a shot glass into the cup. "I'll need more than that."
"More than a shot's worth?"
"Fucking fill it to the brim."
He breathed a laugh, "Then I won't have enough for me."
"Hey, you asked me if I wanted whiskey, you didn't say anything about having some for yourself."
"Well, I was trying to be polite. Would've been selfish to get the bottle for myself when someone else was in here."
"Polite? I didn't think that existed around here."
"It does with me, love."
"Isn't that such a luxury?"
"It is when you don't see much politeness with what you do." he shrugged before he took a seat at the table across from her, knowing that his presence alone was enough to not intimidate her, but to attract her. He knew what thoughts ran behind those eyes of hers when she looked at him, and fuck, he wanted to do something about it, but it wasn't in the cards for him. He could want all he wanted, but he couldn't have.
"Ain't that the truth," she sighed, bringing the glass up to her lips and downing the whiskey in a few gulps before reaching towards the bottle that sat in the middle of the table before pouring another glass for herself. "I wouldn't know how to act when I'm in a normal setting."
"You and I both." he huffed before taking a drink of his whiskey, his tongue peeking out to lick his bottom lip, watching Kiera in his peripheral vision, studying her body language. "How's your eye?"
"Luckily, my eye wasn't injured, just my cheek. Might be a good scar once it heals," she replied, pointing at the bandage that covered the sutures on her cheek. "Gotta make up a cool story to go with it."
"Getting grazed by a bullet is a pretty good story."
"You're probably right. Be a good one to tell my kids one day."
You have kids? he thought, his heart sinking to his stomach at her words. You have a husband at home waiting on you? Someone taking care of you? Fuck, who am I kidding? I'm nowhere near to being in your league.
"It'll be a good story." he replied, refraining from prying into her life that he felt he had no business knowing.
"Probably, but one day. Don't have any crotch goblins running around. I can't with this job." she sighed.
Oh, thank God, she doesn't have any kids. I mean, if she were to have my kids... Fuck, Simon! Stop getting your hopes up! You don't even know her outside of work.
"I can say the same," he sighed. "Couldn't imagine."
"It's a nice thought, right?" she giggled.
Oh, fuck yes it's a nice thought. Me being the father of the kids you and I made? Absolutely. I don't know you personally, but I'd let you have my kids.
"Maybe to you, but that's not in the cards for me."
"Why not?" she dared to ask, knowing that it was likely that he was reluctant to answer as he seemed like a reserved person in general.
"Be afraid to bring a kid into this shite world we live in."
"Now that I can agree to! Though I am grateful to know that I wouldn't be like some of the parents I've seen throughout my career and how they treat their children. I wouldn't be nowhere near that."
"Yeah, that's something you and I have in common, I guess." he shrugged. "I can't explain the level of anger I get to when I see stuff like that. Sticks with you longer."
"Oh, I know," she frowned, shaking her head before taking another shot of whiskey. "A mission I went on recently still sticks with me. Keeps me up at night."
"I won't ask."
"I don't want you to ask, but I want to tell because if I talk about it, it might help get it out of my mind for a bit longer. I've been so used to keeping things about this job to myself, and sometimes it takes a bigger toll on me."
"Then I'm all ears."
"Not too long ago, me and my QRF were helping a DEA agent involving a drug cartel that we thought was housing drugs. We found the warehouse and breached it. We didn't find drugs, but it was full of kids, the zip codes of where they were going written on their hands. I locked eyes with this little girl holding a stuffed animal, and I didn't want to leave her and the kids behind, but there was no way we could get them out of there that night because it was supposed to look like a rival cartel. Anyway, I put a tracker in her shoe. We ended up getting there to intercept to rescue them, and I was rushing to close the gap between me and the kids because that instinct of me just kicked in, and it was a wrong move. Next thing I know, this man rushes up, says a prayer, and detonates a suicide vest," she explained, fighting the tears threatening to leave her eyes. "I can't get that out of my head, and I can't help but blame myself for being the reason why she lost her life. Maybe she still would've been alive if I didn't make the decision to try to rescue her and those kids."
He sighed, "It's hard to say where she would've ended up if you didn't try."
"Oh, I know exactly where she would've ended up. Someone's sex toy." she scoffed, shaking her head, reaching over the table to get the bottle of whiskey to refill her glass.
"If it were me, sounds like how things went was a better option unfortunately."
"I guess you're right. I just can't get it out of my head. She looked at me like a savior and I let her down."
"You probably did save her from what they had planned."
"As much as I hate to agree, you're right."
"One thing I hate being right about, love."
"Yeah," she sighed, shaking her head when she saw her SAT phone ringing, the conversation being brief and to the point.
"On to the next one?" he asked after she hung up.
"No rest for the wicked, Lieutenant."
"Believe me, I'm well aware."
"I don't leave until 0600."
"Better get some rest then, love. 0600 isn't too far away."
"Yeah," she sighed, looking at her watch before standing to her feet and putting her empty glass into the sink, rinsing it out before putting it off to the side. "Until next time, Lieutenant."
Kiera sighed when she realized that Tex was choosing to stay behind the gunner shield where he could still fire his .50 caliber machine gun towards the enemy, admiring not only his bravery, but his commitment to his team. "POP SMOKE!" she shouted, Alex nodding as his deployed the gas launcher between them and enemy fire.
"Gunner stayed behind." Cody said to Trace from their overwatch point.
"A lot of balls on that motherfucker, I tell ya." Trace smirked. "How many rockets do you have left?"
"Four."
"Hit 'em with one."
"You want to mark 500?" Cody asked.
"What do you got?"
"Edge of smoke is 500."
"Alright, let's get on 'em."
Kiera was the first to the crashed Blackhawk in search of Farah and Michelle. Seeing no sign of life, she panted as she turned to look towards the rocky hillside, seeing Farah crouched down nearby. "Over there!"
Once the team got behind cover, a brief moment of silence fell in the valley, "You are one crazy motherfucker, Tex!" Billie laughed.
"Is she hurt bad?" Kiera asked Farah, seeing that Michelle's left leg was covered in blood.
"She's not walking for a while."
"Fuck, that's disappointing."
"Boss, your 1 o'clock! Trace and Cody are inbound!" Jay yelled.
"Covering fire!" Kiera ordered, moving from her position and shooting at the enemies that were coming over the hillside.
"It's the whole fucking outpost!" Tex groaned.
"Police your ammo! Let them get close!" Kiera shouted, realizing that she wasn't the only one running low.
"We need to move fast," Ghost said, reloading his rifle before firing again. "Up the hill!"
"RPG! Incoming!" Soap shouted, taking cover.
"More vics approaching!" Gaz shouted.
"Bloody fucking hell!"
Kiera panted as she came to realization that she may not make it out alive, feeling like she got her team into this compromised mess. He'll never forgive me if this fails, she thought, thinking about her deep friendship with Captain Price, knowing that they were at each other's backing call when things went south. Firing her last magazine, she moved to where she was taking cover behind a rock next to Michelle, looking over at her to see her completely helpless, dried blood under her nose and streaming past her chin, her hair ajar, her eyes full of fear as she too was thinking the same thing. "Do you have your pistol on you?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Michelle nodded, her voice hoarse.
"Save it for us. Do you know what I mean?"
Michelle's chin quivered, "I do."
She nodded before closing her eyes, shedding a few tears within the few seconds she had before she looked up at the cloudy sky, thinking of her mother and father, the ranch, her horse that she loved so much, and a life she knew she couldn't live peacefully. "I love you." she whispered before checking her last magazine that she was just shooting, the weight of it alone telling her that she only had a few bullets left.
"I'm hit!" Tex shouted, crawling back into cover with his left thigh bleeding.
"Tex!"
"I'm solid! Reloading!"
Kiera aimed her rifle towards the closest enemy, firing twice before the bullet from his gun clipped the rock she was hiding behind, knocking her backwards with an intense burn on her cheek close to her eye.
"Kiera!" Billie shouted. "I got you!"
Enemy fire kept growing closer, Michelle screaming in terror as she knew she was going to have to make a decision soon. Kiera tried to hold her composure as she cried, realizing that she and Michelle were thinking the same thing from their brief conversation previously, the screams and gunfire fading into a faint hum as she looked around her, watching Price's arm bleed from a stray bullet, but he was still holding his ground, Soap dragging Dale to safety as Dale had been struck in the shoulder, Soap ignoring the shot he took to his thigh as his main priority was covering his teammates. Needless to say, there were more members of the team injured than not, and Kiera felt helpless, even when firing her pistol.
They were closing in, and she knew they were going to die.
With her last bullet in the chamber, she pressed her back against a rock as she mentally prepared herself for taking her own life, knowing it was better than getting caught in enemy hands.
That was, until she heard the sound of the one person she always loathed, but fuck, was she grateful to hear his voice.
She panted as she watched the Little Bird fire upon the mass group of Iranian soldiers before hearing covering gunfire from Shadow Company coming across the hill, wiping out the remaining soldiers.
Price took notice of Kiera's distress and kneeled in front of her, seeing the pistol on her lap before he gently took it, knowing what she was put in the position to do if the enemy kept closing in. "Hey, you're okay, love. Can you hear me?" he asked, his face holding a frown as he looked at the injury to her cheek and eye.
She sobbed as she nodded, watching him holster her pistol before he wrapped his arms underneath hers, pulling her up to her feet. "Can you walk?"
"Yes."
"Let's go and get back to base. Ghost, Gaz, cover me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Once back to base, chaos erupted as the medic team swarmed the Humvees once they were informed that they had multiple GSW wounds to tend to, unloading every soldier who took a hit in the field. Kiera stumbled as she walked, looking around at her team before she decided to do anything for herself. I got them into this mess, she frowned. "You good, Alex?"
"Yeah, I think I broke my fucking finger, though I can't figure out how I did that."
She nodded before turning to look at Billie, "Shit, boss, you need to see a doctor-"
"No. Not until everyone else is taken care of."
She knew there was no point in trying to convince Kiera into seeing a doctor, knowing she was as stubborn as a mule, "Well, it got pretty skinny out there. Just in the nick of time, huh?"
"Nick of time still counts, I guess." she sighed before seeing Trace and Cody walking up to her. "We have to stop meeting this way."
He chuckled, "That would be refreshing. Got a little nutty out there. Don't worry. Stay with your people. I'll start the debrief."
"Thank you." she nodded, watching him walk away and leaving her to stare out into the open desert, contemplating on if she wanted to see a doctor sooner than later.
Farah approached her, "If I had a family and kids... I would've sent a missile."
"No, you wouldn't have." Kiera breathed a chuckle.
The women looked at each other, both with tears welling in their eyes. "Thank you, Kiera. Until next time."
She gulped, "Until next time." she repeated with a nod, watching Farah wipe the tear that left her eye before she walked away to check on Michelle.
Taking a final look at the chaos before her, she decided to walk outside to sob to herself, the adrenaline wearing off and leaving her with what she felt to be undeserved relief.
Unbeknownst to her, Ghost had been watching her, wondering why she had broken down emotionally as it was something he didn't understand. He was so used to being emotionally locked down, ignoring his feelings and pushing forward, but there was one thing he could understand - the feeling of things failing on their watch, the relief of the team surviving through what shouldn't have been, and wondering how one could move on once that adrenaline wore off.
He saw a vulnerable side to her, and in that moment, he shared that vulnerability with her.
"Shadow 4-1, you are green lit!" Shepherd shouted from the hangar.
Michelle and Farah were the first to leave the base to get eyes on the target before the ground team made their way to the convoy, Kiera strapping her vest to her torso before she continued to load her rifle magazines, her hands nearly shaking with adrenaline as she had a gut feeling that this wasn't going to go smoothly.
"You alright, love?" Price asked, seeing that Kiera was visibly nervous, which wasn't like her.
"Something doesn't feel right," she shook her head. "I'm not like this before a gunfight, ever. I can't put my finger on it."
"Hey, we're going to keep this tight, eh? You've got the best of the best under your command, and we're proud to serve under you."
She grinned, "Thank you, Price."
"Do I need to do that bloody pinky promise rubbish to make you feel better?"
"Actually, yeah." she giggled, watching him curl his hand towards her, leaving his pinky finger exposed.
"Good. Bloody pinky promise everything will be just fine."
"You better not break it."
"Then what's the point of a pinky promise, hm?" she arched her brows at him, watching him chuckle before she released his hand before they walked back towards the hangar where Shepherd staged his command.
"They already made contact?" Kiera asked Shepherd.
"Yes. Convoy has been hit. Going back for round two."
Kiera nodded as she stayed close by to listen to the live comms.
"Fuck!" Kiera shouted, putting on her helmet and grabbing her rifle before running out of the hangar towards her team, who were staged and ready at the Humvees. "The bird is down!"
"Shit, let's fucking roll!" Dale shouted, fist bumping Soap as he was the first one to get in a Humvee alongside Dale while Gaz and Alex got in the same Humvee, leaving Billie, Kiera, Ghost, and Price to ride in the next one while the rest of the team loaded into another one.
"It's like déjà vu all over again." Billie said to Kiera from the driver's seat, referring to the last time they were in a Humvee convoy, they got ambushed.
"Yeah," Kiera sighed. "It's popping off soon."
"Sooner it starts, the sooner we can go home." Billie assured her.
"Sooner it starts, the sooner I can down a glass of whiskey and sleep for a fucking day."
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"Boss, how are you feeling? I can see it all over you. Something is wrong."
"Something isn't right, Billie. I'll be fine."
"Shit, they're wanting us to come back to base." Kiera sighed.
"Want me to turn us around up here?" Billie asked.
"No, I didn't say we were going to do it. Get us there first."
"Boss, what're we going to do? There's only ten of us."
"We're going to make it 18 minutes."
"I don't know if we can make it 18 minutes." Billie replied.
"The job isn't to make it, it's to try."
"There's the Kiera I know!" Price said from the backseat.
"Yes, ma'am."
The valley erupted with overlapping gunfire as the Humvees stopped completely, the ground team rapidly getting out and using the Humvees for cover as they took on fire from the Iranian soldiers, Kiera took her position towards the front of the vehicle to take out enemies to her right while Billie positioned herself just a bit ahead of her while Price and Ghost took the rear of the car, each yelling amongst each other when they were reloading or throwing a hand grenade.
"Billie! APC!" Kiera shouted as Billie got into place with the AT4 and aiming it towards the incoming APC.
"APC down!"
At the crash site of the Blackhawk, Farah helped Michelle out of the cockpit as she had appeared to break her ankle during the crash, using her body as a crutch as she helped move her to safety. "Doesn't sound like a fair fight out there." she cried.
"No, but the fight is coming our way. We have to move!"
"They sure don't put this in the recruitment brochure, do they?"
"I don't know, but it's probably in the fine print. Let's go."
"Kiera! Incoming APC!" Price shouted, but it was too late as the APC fired towards them, landing just in front of the side of the Humvee and launching them a few feet backwards. Kiera panted as she got her bearings, feeling a pair of strong hands lifting her up effortlessly and back to where they were behind the Humvee.
She had fallen into exposure, and Ghost was the first one to pull her to safety as the impact didn't alter him as much as it did her and Billie.
"Get your gun up!" Ghost said to her. "They're closing in!"
Once Kiera and her team arrived on the base, Graves was the first one to walk towards the Humvees as he was initially walking towards Michelle, "Look who's back."
"My gear arrive?"
"It's in the warehouse. 141 is in there waiting."
"Great. Have some food and coffee, send some to my office."
"Oh, shit!" Dale laughed, recognizing Seargeant MacTavish as he was the first one to enter the hangar. "How you doing, buddy?"
"I'm great!" Soap smiled as he shook Dale's hand. "Looks like it's a party!"
"It's always a party when we get here, hoss. Where's the food? You eat it already?"
"You should know I don't share!" the men laughed. "How y'all doing?" Dale asked Price, Gaz, and Ghost as he reached out to shake their hands.
"Doing good, mate."
"You British bastards," he teased. "You know, I'm still mad at y'all for making us pay taxes!"
Price laughed, "And I'm still mad at the U.S. for dumping our bloody tea in the harbor!"
"Yeah, just like you Brits, rewriting history, huh?" Kiera teased as she entered the hangar.
"Be on your best behavior, Ghost, you're not wearing your mask to hide your face when she's around." Dale teased, clearly seeing that Ghost was attracted to her, and just like Soap, he loved to get under people's skin when he had leverage.
He didn't respond but definitely shook his head as he now had to worry about being called out by someone else aside from Soap. Bloody fucking hell, he sighed to himself, giving himself permission to look her way only once as he knew that the longer he looked, the longer he compromised himself with his inner thoughts. Keep your mind right, Simon. You and her are not here to seek a relationship, and it's not going to happen. Keep it tactical, appreciate how beautiful she is, then move on. It's nothing more than that. Well, I don't know, she looks at me the same way I look at her? She doesn't look at anyone else like she does me. She's stern with everyone else, but soft spoken with me. Fuck it, leave it alone, Lieutenant.
"If we're sitting on a hot exfil, what's our ride?" Tex asked, setting his gear aside.
"Depends on the timeline and the location," Shepherd answered. "We got Little Birds in route right now. If they're ready, they'll provide air support until we know it's safe to put you in. If not, you'll just take Humvees in."
"Alright," Billie said as she opened the shipping container that housed all of their gear. "Tex, you got the Stinger. Jay, you got overwatch. Who wants the 240?"
"I'll take it, Billie." Alex volunteered.
"Alright. Dale, you'll pack the 32. Is there armor at this outpost?" she asked Shepherd.
"If you're wondering where all the shit we left in Kabul went, look no further."
She sighed, "Great. Who's got the AT4?"
Silence.
"Anybody?"
"I can't carry everything. My back is fucked." Dale said, he and Soap snickering.
"Fuck it, I'll take it."
"I'll take it, Billie." Kiera said.
"No, you're on observe and advise, boss."
"I'm on observe and advise unless one of my assets goes down, then it's all hands on deck." she raised her brows.
Billie ignored her statement before looking at Shepherd, "Hey, G.I. Joe, you want it?"
He scoffed, "Are you out of your fucking mind? I'll be watching this shit from my computer and if it goes south, I'll scramble you some jets."
"Fine, I'll take it."
"Give it to me, Billie."
"No! You got the asset, I got the armor, boss."
Kiera sighed in defeat as she took off her gloves, looking outside towards the Blackhawk that Michelle was going to be flying, taking the short window of spare time she had to go and talk to her.
"Someone's been flying my helicopter, Graves." Michelle frowned.
"Soldier, it's not your helicopter, it's the United States Army's helicopter. You need a copilot, two crew chiefs, and a gunner."
"All I need is a gunner."
"Army regulations exist for a reason, Captain. Surely, you have not forgotten that in a month. Submit me your flight plan and your op plan, and I'll pick a crew for you."
"I don't have a flight plan, sir."
"If you don't, then who the fuck does?" he scoffed before turning to see Kiera walking up.
"Do we have to do this again?" she asked softly, her tone sounding defeated.
"The mission is classified. One pilot, one door gunner. This has "winging it" written all over it."
"Yeah? Isn't that what Shadow Company does? Winging it?" she scoffed.
He ignored her question before he turned to look at Farah, "Do you have a rating as a door gunner? You know, these guys here, they aim when they shoot."
"So do I." Farah shrugged.
"You tell me where I need to send my Shadows when she crashes this fucking thing?" he asked Kiera.
"We have everything handled, Commander. All you need to worry about is being Johnny-on-the-spot with that coffee, would you?"
He sighed, "I'll have my Shadows on standby, anyway."
Kiera stood in silence before she turned to speak to Farah, "Up for it?"
"Yes, ma'am. I can do everything on the bird except fly it. Any idea when?"
"Soon. Sitrep in five."
Kate and Maria sat in the back of the SUV as their convoy led towards the gates of Antonio Garza's mansion in the heart of Las Almas, Kate remembering how Maria mentioned that he hosted parties every year on October 31st, the day of the dead, which housed all VIPs in Las Almas.
"I need everyone to step out of the vehicle." a guard said to her.
"They are with me."
"Still need to search them."
Nate sighed as he exited the car, looking back at Kate as he motioned for her to stay inside for her safety, showing his badge to the head of security. "That badge don't mean shit to me."
"Contracted through a firm or independent?" Nate scoffed. "Executive outcomes?"
"I ask the questions, eh?"
"South African, Australian, so I just figured."
"This one is good."
Nate chuckled, "Barry still run it? You should ask him about me."
Silence.
"Today, preferably."
"Why?" he growled.
"I'm a senior official for the United States of America, that's why. We're here to see Antonio Garza."
The head of security scoffed before his phone rang, "You should answer that." Nate shrugged.
"Yeah?" he questioned before handing the phone to Maria.
"Le dije que venía con alguien. (I told him that I was coming with someone.)" Maria sighed into the phone. "Y el cabrón no me tomó en serio. (And the bastard didn't take me seriously.)"
The conversation was cut short before Maria handed the phone back to the head of security, "I told you." she said, watching him hold the phone up to his ear before the phone call was ended, sighing before he gestured for the guards to open the gate.
"Call your boss. Tell them Nate said hey!"
Once inside the gate, Kate took a look around the house as it screamed luxury. Marble floors, plants that added color to contrast the walls, an indoor fountain, gold-plated wall accents, soft music playing in the background, the low tone of people speaking amongst themselves as they had a glass of champagne in their hands, all turning to look towards the gang of strangers walking through the main floor of the house and to the back patio, seeing Antonio standing and admiring the view with a cigar between his lips.
"Maria," he smiled at her. "¿Todo bien? (All good?)"
"Sí, llegué aquí sin problemas, excepto por seguridad. (Yes, I got here with no problems except for security.)"
"No puedes culparme después de que reciba una llamada sobre personas de la CIA que quieren hablar conmigo. (You can't blame me after I get a call about people from the CIA wanting to speak with me.)"
"No te quieren a ti, querida, quieren al hombre chino. (They don't want you, dear, they want the Chinese man.)"
"Está allá en la silla. ¿Van a pagar como lo ofrecieron? (He's over there in the chair. Are they going to pay like they offered?)"
"Sí, mucho más de lo que incluso puedes imaginar, querido. (Yes, much more than you can imagine, dear.)"
"¿Algo mucho más que el dinero? No pensé que algo así existiera. (Something much more than money? I didn't think such a thing existed.)" Antonio scoffed.
"Libertad, Antonio. (Freedom, Antonio.)"
He smiled before he pulled Maria in for an embrace, grinning when he felt her kiss his cheek before she pulled away, "Libertad para mí. (Freedom for me.)" she said before taking the snub-nosed revolver that Kate had given her in the car out of her cardigan pocket before pressing it underneath his jaw and pulling the trigger, not hesitating to shoot the closest guard next to him before she shouted. "¡Tienes un nuevo jefe! ¿Hay algún problema? Piensa bien en esa pregunta porque yo sigo siendo quien firma tus cheques. (You have a new boss! Is there an issue? Think long and hard about that question because I am still the one who signs your checks!)"
"No, señora. No hay problema. (No, ma'am. No problem.)" he shook his head, keeping his hands up and palms facing her, knowing that if he chose to engage, he was outnumbered.
"El chino les pertenece. (The Chinese man belongs to them.)"
He nodded, " Sígueme. Él está aquí. (Follow me. He's over here.)"
"We'll be in touch." Kate smiled at Maria in assurance, watching her nod before they were escorted out of the gate with their prisoner.
Kiera was exhausted by the time she arrived at the White House, not surprised that this wasn't the first time they had a late-night/early-morning meeting in the Situation Room to discuss the mission at hand. She felt like the entire world was closing in on her operation, and she wasn't sure just how much she could take anymore.
"We still being iced when they called us in for this "urgent meeting?" Kiera scoffed as she saw Kate sitting in the area outside, her legs crossed as she toyed with the loose fabric of her pants.
"No, they're expecting you," Kate sighed. "Nate is in there with them now."
"Why aren't you in there?"
"I needed to speak to you one-on-one. We need to get on the same page, Kiera."
"I know."
"You could've taken a round on that mission on the border. You're up against superior forces. It was reckless-"
"Kate, they were trafficking children-"
"Treating them worse than they did in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria?"
"I can't wage war against a culture. Children are cash crops to these people."
"Stopping a human smuggling ring was not the mission. Eradicating foreign intelligence influence over cartels was the mission, and we failed. In every way. San Antonio was a disaster. You had a Tigress that was unprepared and oversight from an operator with zero experience."
"Didn't I say this was going to happen? I asked for months, and I got weeks. I was fed an asset, I was forced to work with outside agencies who have no experience and were the ones who set us up."
"Romero isn't, but you and I arguing over it isn't going to solve anything. Do you remember how many migrants were in the group?"
"Dozen, maybe."
"How many in the detail?"
"At least twice that."
"Ambush?"
"One team hitting a rendezvous point to link to another? With overwatch? The drones were the last to hit us. In an ambush, they hit first. If we were the target of the bomber, why not let us get in close? The bomber wasn't there for us, he was there to contain - to keep us from an asset. Their version of a cruise missile."
"We've been reactive from the start, and I think we're proceeding with taking action. They're wanting you to oversee from Langley."
Kiera's brows furrowed, "That's not what I do, that's your job. My job is on the ground."
"They're going to argue that you have Farah on the ground and can direct her."
"But Farah is not a Case Officer."
"She doesn't need to be. She has you for that."
"I'll be there, and I will decide which members of my team are deployed where." Kiera warned.
Kate sighed, "They are not your team, they are Nate's team, which is to say they are the United States government's team, and they are, to a man, expendable. They will be missed, they will be mourned, but you cannot be replaced. They see them as a force and you as a force multiplier. That's what they're going to say, Kiera."
"That's what they're going to say, but it doesn't mean that's what I'm going to do."
Kate couldn't help but smirk, "Well, let's get this over with, shall we?"
"We shall. It's fucking 3am and I'm exhausted. This coffee isn't helping much."
"I can't remember a time where it helped."
"I need that Brazilian Blend from a gas station. I swear, it's the same shit that ISIS drinks or something because those bastards are always popping up everywhere."
"Oh, Kiera, you and your jokes." Kate chuckled before opening the door for her that led into the Situation Room, seeing that Nate didn't seem too happy that she was there.
"What is she doing here, Kate?"
"I asked her to be here."
"So did I." Mr. Morgan commented.
"This is our deal now." Commander Dixon scoffed.
"It's a joint deal, need I remind you. Play nicely and play together." Kate said.
"Daiu Suen," U.S. Army Major Olivia Homan presented, showing Daiu's identification. "She's Cantonese. Undergrad at MIT, PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Tsinghua University in Bejing. This is Jun ho Xiong. He's actually an American citizen born in Philadelphia. Undergrad at MIT. You might be noticing a theme, here. He received his PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. They both arrived two days ago, and they were transported to Diyarbakir Air Base. It's a known transshipment point to Iran for assets and equipment. Typically, they would be transported to Arklov Nuclear Facility. We do have Predators in place to strike should that happen, however, the window for Iraqi airspace is very narrow."
"Suppose we wanted the strike in Iran." Nate suggested.
Olivia sighed, "I don't know why you would want that, but that does increase our tactical opportunities as well as assistance from allies as well without them risking getting compromised by their government."
"Price is on a recon mission on the border of Iran and Urzikstan as we speak..." Kate whispered to Kiera, the pair smirking.
"How do they transport?" Commander Dixon asked.
"Land and air for both, depending on the situation on the ground. Our presence not far from there as well as enhanced Kurdish militia elements, guarantees they the transport will probably be by helo. Air traffic from Diyarbakir is heavily monitored by IDF and Jordan, not to mention us, so they will have to stay below the radar."
"Strike options?" Nate questioned.
"Outside of a drone, I don't really know, unless you're comfortable with invading Iranian airspace, you could call in jets, but then at that point, the whole world is watching."
"Can I-" Kiera spoke up, seeing that Nate seemed to act like he didn't want her to be intervening. "I need mission clarity. I thought this was related to our operation along the border."
"You said yourself that the suicide bomber on the border was most likely Iranian and his detonation was to eliminate an asset that he was escorting." Nate scoffed. "And you also said yourself that a number of them were Chinese."
"I did not say Chinese, but I did say that they appeared to be Asian."
"Are we having an issue with Japanese or Korean nationals bypassing immigration?"
"We do not, but I don't understand the mission here."
"The mission is to show Iran and China that we aren't the only nation with an open border. Got it?"
"Got it. What about Garza? Are we discussing that here?"
"We'll talk about that later. For right now, let's just worry about this." Kate assured her.
"Strike options beyond a drone."
"We can get a team on the ground if you have a flight path. We could use a Javelin or Stinger."
"How do we get the team in and out?"
"There's a Kurdish Peshmerga outpost outside Sulaymaniyah," General Shepherd commented. "You can fly helos in or out."
"Well, if that's the case, and they do move by vehicle, you can helo a team in right here along this highway," Olivia pointed on the satellite map. "Execute a VI right on that bridge."
"Are you sure you want boots on the ground? Because boots on the ground means it's out of our hands." Kate sighed.
"What about a DAP from Sykes?" Kiera asked. "Assuming it's a transport helicopter with no escort. Move them from Sykes to Sulaymaniyah with a helo. After that, it doesn't really matter if you move them by helo or convoy."
"With that, you'll have to bring in the 160th and get birds to Sykes." Shepherd shrugged.
"Well, Sykes has the bird, and I have the pilot."
"You have a pilot?" Shepherd scoffed.
"Yeah, the one everyone chose for me. The one who flies for Graves. Now I can finally do something that she is trained for."
"Walk me through worst cases, Commander." Nate nodded.
"Worst case is the bird gets shot down, then you'd need more than Kiera's QRF to get her out of there."
"What do I need on the ground?"
"Two Delta teams, at least. The teams who have worked closely with Kurdish militia. Armor, MRAP at least, some jets on alert that they can scramble from Al-Asad. I'd love another helo for exfil, and an Apache."
"You can get me that?" Kiera asked. "Task Force 141 is there running recon on the ground as we speak."
"Want me to get her that?" Dixon asked Nate.
"I want these targets eliminated in Iran. Do not hit them in Iraq, even if given the opportunity. They need to know just how far we can reach."
"I can get you everything but the Apache. Your CAS is coming from Al-Asad. 30 minutes away, you put them in the air when the mission launches." Dixon nodded.
"Shadow Company can be your CAS," Shepherd advised. "I have more Shadows than Delta, and by the sounds of it, you're going to need Graves' CAS."
Kiera scoffed, "I'd like this mission to go smoothly, thank you."
"Kiera." Nate warned. "If you give clearance, we'll take Shadow Company for CAS."
"Yeah, you can run it under his flag," Dixon nodded. "Makes air support a lot simpler with PMCs."
"Not a problem." Shepherd nodded.
"TFO runs intelligence and logistics. Who has tactical?"
"I can do it." Kiera said.
"Don't wish for what you don't want." Nate sighed.
"I want it," Kiera shook her head. "I need it. I can't walk away on a loss. You can't ask that of me."
Nate sighed before he looked over at Kate, studying her face as if he was making a bad decision to keep her in the States, but when she subtly nodded, knowing that Kiera could handle it, Nate made his decision, "You observe and advise only. Understood?"
"Got it."
"No, do you fucking understand me, Kiera? You get shot in Iran, you better bleed out. Because if they get their hands on you, they will parade you through the streets and run you up a fucking pole, and God knows what they'll do to your corpse after the fact. I'm saying this to you as a father, you stay on base no matter what happens."
Kiera gulped, "Understood."
"Let's do it."
"Let's get approval." Dixon nodded.
"No, you have approval."
"It's not yours to give?"
"They need deniability if this bellies up. They don't want to know. Got me?"
"Understood, sir."
"Shepherd, you have logistics and intel. You pull your team, loop in AF and keep it quiet."
"Yes, sir. Yee-fucking-haw."
Kiera and Kate exited the Situation Room first, "Always makes me nervous how happy they get. Promise me something, you know your limits and your boundaries. Don't exceed them for your pride, because your pride can get you killed. Don't become a liability."
"You're not coming with me?"
"No, Nate and I have to go to Mexico to finish cleaning up the mess with Garza. We made a deal with the wife. Good luck, Kiera. Contact Price on the plane. He's waiting for your call."
Kiera smirked, "It's like you know when he has to get involved."
"Of course. Alert your team. Have them meet you on the tarmac at Bliss. I want you in route today."
"Yes, ma'am."
It was now 9am, and Kiera stood at the stairs leading up into the plane as she watched her team arrive, proud to see them again as well as working with them. This is the best team in the world, and the best teams are always the smallest.
"They load an ISU for us?" Alex asked with excitement as he was the first one to close the gap between the team and Kiera.
"They're loading three. We're meeting up with two more teams in country."
"Is it gonna get spicy?" Billie asked, her backpack draped over her shoulder.
"As spicy as you can imagine."
"Oh, I love it when things get spicy!" Dale chuckled.
"How spicy?" Farah asked.
"Oh, this one is right up your alley, Farah."
The last one to board the plane stood in front of her, a look of concern and confusion all over her face, "Am-Am I a part of this?"
"You are the part. You get to save the day."
"How am I going to do that?"
"We get to see how well you fly."
She scoffed, "You're not going to make me fly this fucking thing, are you?"
Alex and Dean nursed on a bottle of beer while they kept an eye on Maria, who was sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room, the quiet night being interrupted by the ringing of Alex's SAT phone. "Yeah?"
"We're outside." Kate replied before Alex got up to open the door for her.
"Dean, wake her up and bring her in the living room, will ya?"
"Sure thing."
Kate and Nate walked into the room, the pair jetlagged and exhausted as they sat down on the couch. "So, we got a plan?" Alex asked.
"Oh, we have a plan. I'm going to clue everyone in on it." Nate sighed.
Maria yawned as Dean escorted her to the couch, ensuring she sat down before he moved to stand next to Alex. "You look important." she said to Nate.
"I am. We've frozen your bank accounts. Not just the ones in San Antonio, but the ones in Nassau, Berlin, London, the ones under your 22 different LLCs and trusts that you've established in the States that your "ex-husband" is a co-owner of. All $379 million dollars of it. And we've just started looking."
"That's illegal. I'm not under indictment." she scoffed.
"We don't need indictments or warrants," Kate commented. "We just need congressional approval to act against known terrorist organizations. And as of May 17th, your organization was listed as such."
"It's not my organization."
"It is when your name is on the LLCs and trusts," Kate scoffed. "It is when your husband's name is a co-owner for all of your bank accounts. All you were, aside from being an asset to him, was a safe haven for all of his money, and the only agreement you two came upon was he was to keep giving you x amount of dollars to keep you quiet about the cartel he operates. So yes, this is a prime example of "guilty by association" as well as greed."
"You don't have any evidence-"
"We don't need that, either. All we need is the belief. You kept your husband's last name, and though it's on record that you divorced, you're still legally married to him in Mexico and that puts you as legally, his wife. So, your name being placed on a terrorist watch list suspends your protections under the Fourth Amendment, your right to an attorney, any Miranda protections." Nate explained. "We don't prosecute criminal cases, we eliminate threats to the national security of the United States of America, and when your organization began working with enemies of the United States to transport their agents into our country, to attack that security, a threat is exactly what you became."
"I-I didn't know about this. So, you bring me all the way here to eliminate me?"
"You're not the threat; your husband is the threat. He's the one that's fostered these relationships that threaten us." Kate said.
"Every problem has a solution and here's ours, Mrs. Camargo. We can't control the relationships that an organization makes unless we have a measure of trust with the leader of those organizations."
"You want their trust?"
"We want your trust."
"What else do you want?"
"If we have your trust, that's all we need."
"Trust to do what?"
"Refrain from working with our enemies. Informing us when they reach out. Work to eliminate their influence anywhere you can find it." Kate said.
"That trust would be very valuable to us. Valuable enough that we will work tirelessly to protect it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Maria sighed, "I do. But what power do you have here? You can control men in Iraq, the Middle East because you have soldiers there, but not here."
"We think it's best that your organization is ran from the States." Nate said.
"Is that possible? Is that something that can be done?"
"In Mexico, they are free from prosecution."
"That's not freedom, though. You can't travel, your children can't, either. Nothing is safe there."
"You sacrifice freedom for security. It's a prison of luxury. I mean, it's a prison of your choosing, but it's a prison, nonetheless." Kate added.
"What if you could have the security you had in Mexico with the freedom you have in the United States? What would you say to that?"
"What about my family?"
"They'll get the same. All but one." Kate answered.
Maria nodded hesitantly, knowing her decision was a good one, watching Nate retrieve her phone from Alex before handing it to her. "We'd like to see Antonio Garza tomorrow, first thing."
"My husband values trust like he does money."
"We'll give him his $300 million to start, how's that?"
"He'll want more."
"More can be arranged."
"Who do I tell him you are?"
"You know who we are."
"You want me to tell him that?"
"There can be no trust with secrets, Maria." Kate said.
She nodded before dialing Antonio's phone number, "Necesitamos hablar. (We need to talk.)"
"¿Está todo bien? (Is everything okay?)"
"Todo está bien. (Everything is fine.)" Maria sighed. "Tengo a dos personas de la CIA que quieren reunirse contigo. Sobre tu negocio. Están ofreciendo inmunidad y 300 millones de dólares. Más, si aceptas. (I have two people from the CIA who want to meet with you. About your business. They're offering immunity and $300 million. More, if you agree.)"
They heard Antonio sigh deeply on the other end, "Enviaré a mi chófer a recogerte al aeropuerto por la mañana. Nada de tonterías. No dudaré en matarte si me cuelgas, ¿entiendes? (I will send my driver to pick you up at the airport in the morning. No funny business. I will not hesitate to kill you if you hang me out, understand?)"
Kiera sat on the couch in the sitting room of her hotel room in San Antonio, waiting for confirmation that Maria was awake before she made her way to the safehouse where they had her so that she could proceed with questioning her herself. Her brows furrowing when she heard a soft knock on the door, "Mr. Morgan?" she asked, baffled that the Secretary of State took time out of his schedule to be standing in front of her. "Um, come in."
The old man smiled, "How are you, Kiera?"
"I'm okay, but I won't lie and say I'm not nervous that you're standing in front of me."
He chuckled as he took a seat on the chair across from the couch where she was sitting on, "We have a problem, Kiera."
She sighed before she took a seat across from him, "We're trying to contain it, sir. We've isolated all the elements that risk our exposure."
"It seems to me that when our strike team gets ambushed on U.S. soil, the exposure is already beyond containment."
"I agree."
"I want you to explain something to me. Explain suicide bombers along the border."
"It definitely doesn't benefit the cartels. Probably had no knowledge of it. The drone strikes reek of Russian or Iranian counterintelligence, and the fact that the bomber himself shouted a prayer before he detonated, I have reason to believe that it's Iranian counterintelligence through a proxy at the behest of Chinese intelligence."
"To what end? I mean, they're stirring a hornet's nest, and then there's kicking it."
"I think it's for destabilizing the border and the other reason is that it could be a mask to shift our intelligence focus to stateside. Sir, we have information from Jordanian intelligence that two Chinese nuclear scientists are stationed in Verdansk with plans to transport sometime next week."
A wall of silence fell between them before Mr. Morgan spoke, "Where were you on 9/11?"
"New York, sir," she sighed. "My uncle is a police chief for the city, and we always went to visit him for his birthday that's on September 9th. I remember waking up that morning to my dad staring out the window from the penthouse my uncle lived in. I got up around the time the second plane hit."
"Is that when you joined the Marine Corps?"
"Yes, sir. My first deployment was in 2003."
"Operation Enduring Freedom," Mr. Morgan mused. "I was in my third term in the House. At the time, there was some concern about the legitimacy of the election of our 43rd President. So much so that we decided that his first term would be his only term. So, to that end we stonewalled every appointment, and I'm not just talking about the Cabinet, I'm talking about bench appointments, U.S. attorney appointments. If he tried to get a kid into the Naval Academy, we figured out a way to block it. Then 9/11 happened. And instantly, the press, Congress, and everybody in the United States turned to him as our commander in chief. We relied on him to lead us, just like you in the armed forces relied on him to give the order, we relied on him to speak and act on our behalf, and he did. When he spoke to Congress on September 20th, he scared the shit out of every leader in the world. Terrified them into behaving for the next decade. Say what you want about what he did after, but you can't say anything about a man who stood before Congress and emboldened the nation to come together. We needed a leader, and a leader he sure made of himself. We trusted him to rise, but over time, what eroded that trust? What got us to where we are today?"
Kiera listened to how soft-spoken Mr. Morgan was, wondering how he was outside of work, how he was someone's grandfather and how he told stories. She found comfort in the tone of his voice, realizing that in some way, the old man reminded her of her own father. I could sit and listen to him tell stories and reminisce for hours, she thought.
"Now, I don't know all of the ingredients to that soup, but I know some. Nobody is innocent. Not one President, not one member of Congress, not the press, nobody," he sighed. "2,977 people died on 9/11, and I'm not including the fucking hijackers in my count. Americans came together. I can remember how patriotic everyone became at the fucking baseball game. People crying when they saw our bald eagle, tears streaming down their face when they saw our flag, how bonded we all became, and that wasn't because of a President or any politician, none of them. Americans have so much pride in their hearts, and that pride was seen when it was almost torn apart. The enemy is at the gate, and we left it wide open. Slamming it shut now would end careers. Could end yours or mine," he shrugged. "But we have to do it. They found a way in. I'm not talking about starving families seeking a better life. The cartels earned over $13 billion dollars last year on human trafficking alone. Starving families don't have $13 billion to spend."
She sighed, "I'm aware."
"We're not the only country with open borders, but maybe it's time we reminded our adversaries of that."
"We can do that."
"Good," he nodded before he stood up. "You, uh, you keep us informed, okay? But only after the mission has begun."
"What? You don't - I mean, the committee doesn't need to give approval, sir?"
"Oh, hell, it will absolutely need approval," he chuckled. "That's how we stop you, but don't ask." he said, his tone low as he studied Kiera's face.
"Sir, I don't have much to lose, but I don't know if I could jump on that grenade-"
"No, no, I'm only asking you to throw it. I'll jump on it." he assured her. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to go back to Washington. You keep this tight, Kiera."
"I will, sir."
"There's a briefing at the White House tomorrow. I'd like you to be there instead of dialing in." he said from the door.
"I'll be there."
The old man smiled, "I'll see you then."
An hour later, Kiera got notified that the maid and Maria both have woken up from their sleep, and she was quick to get in the car and drive from her hotel to the safehouse where she would be interrogating them. "What am I walking into?" she asked Billie when she answered the door.
"I have the maid and Maria down the hall. Romero is upstairs doing the polygraph."
"Bring me the maid." Kiera nodded.
When the maid was brought into the room, she was visibly nervous, especially when she laid eyes on Kiera, who had a terrifying, yet welcoming look on her face. "¿Hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?)"
"Yes."
"Thirsty?"
"Yes." she nodded.
"Bring us some water, please." she asked Billie as her continued to study the maid's face. "You're not in any danger. You've done nothing wrong. I just need you to answer some questions for me truthfully. Can you do that?"
"Yes. I will tell you the truth."
"¿Cuánto tiempo llevas trabajando aquí? (How long have you been working here?)" Kiera asked, knowing that it was likely difficult for the maid to speak English comfortably as it was her second language.
"Ocho años. (Eight years.)"
"¿A qué se dedica ella? (What does she do?)"
"Ella es abogada de inmigración. (She's an immigration attorney.)"
"¿Con qué frecuencia va ella a la oficina? (How often does she go to the office?)"
"Todos los días de 10 a.m. a cuatro. (Every day from 10 a.m. to four.)"
"¿Cómo conoces a Jorge Romero? (How do you know Jorge Romero?)"
"Fui niñera de su hijo. (I was a nanny for his son.)"
"¿Y ahora te paga para que le informes sobre los negocios de la señora Camargo con su exesposo? (And now he pays you to inform him on Mrs. Camargo's business dealings with her ex-husband?)"
"No puedo discutir. Es muy peligroso. (I can't argue. It's very dangerous.)"
"La señora Camargo no puede hacerte daño y su esposo tampoco. No tienen recursos y nunca los tendrán. (Mrs. Camargo can't hurt you and neither can her husband. They have no recourse and never will.)" Kiera assured her. "Vas a tener que elegir bando. El de ellos o el nuestro. (You're going to have to choose sides. Theirs or ours.)"
"Ya he elegido tu lado. (I've already chosen your side.)"
"Vamos a ponerlo bajo custodia protectora, ¿de acuerdo? (We are going to put you into protective custody, okay?)"
She nodded hesitantly before Kiera's name was called by Alex from the kitchen. "Well?"
"He's a Boy Scout."
"The maid cooperates. Her story matches."
"That's good at least."
"What's the play here? This is clearly blown."
"Clean up the mess. I'm going to go back to Washington and plan our next move from there."
"Okay, though I do think we need to get Maria to a black site overseas immediately. San Antonio PD is already all over the Camargo estate and the house next door where their security was staged, and not to mention we have a DEA agent who's over 24 hours away from his desk with a family that's probably ready to start asking questions. This is a ticking time bomb."
"We have a safe site in Costa Rica. No need to notify MI6. We don't need any partners in on this. Use the site in San José and I'm going to have a chat with our Special Agent."
"Yes, ma'am." Alex nodded before Kiera made her way upstairs.
"Can I have a moment with him, please?" Kiera asked Dale.
"I'd rather you not be in here alone with him, ma'am."
"I can assure you, I'm not the one you need to be worried about."
Dale chuckled, "Fair enough. We'll be right outside."
She watched as Romero's breathing haltered, truly scared of Kiera's presence now that he knew just how much power she held. "Surely, you can understand our suspicion. You begin with following me in my home city, then you bring us to a raid across the border, and then really top it by almost getting us all killed in an ambush. You have an informant in the target's residence that you never informed us about-"
"I know what it looked like."
"How do we move on from this?"
"What is your play with Garza?"
"Well, the original plan is obviously not an option, so, you've come this far. Want to see it through and put all of this behind you?"
"There's one thing I could take from all of this."
"Hm?"
"Is that when you pin someone as your enemy, you don't hold back."
She smirked, "No, I don't."
"You know, Garza's organization knows. They know the wife is gone. They know something happened. They were in contact several times a day, every day. She was his laundering partner. They're all on edge-"
"We could use that to our advantage."
"I don't see how."
"They've lost their initiative, and it's their turn to react. You see how well that's working out for them."
"Yeah."
Kiera studied his face for a lie, looking for any reason to not believe his intentions, but she certainly couldn't find any evidence of that. "Dale?"
"Ma'am?" he replied, opening the door.
"Give him his service weapon and his phone. We're on the same page. No hard feelings."
"Oh, there's a mountain of hard feelings, Kiera."
She scoffed a laugh, "The feeling is mutual, buddy, but just remember, just because we're on the same page does not mean we are partners. You give me or any of my team a reason to believe you're pulling your shit again, I'll hold up to my word. Understand?"
He hesitated, knowing what she was referring to, "Yes, ma'am."
Kiera's heels clicked against the concrete as she entered the hangar at Fort Bliss, fresh off of her flight from her meeting at the White House, knowing exactly what it meant when she pulled up to hear heavy metal music blaring from the speakers outside.
And to those who don't know, blaring insanely loud music from outside a hangar meant that someone was being heavily beaten within the walls - the music drowning out the sound of their screams.
"Interesting music choice this time, huh boys?" she smirked as the two Military Police officers stood outside the gate.
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. "Though I'm a big Rammstein fan, so I'm enjoying it."
She smirked, "Yeah, me too."
Funny enough, the song they chose to play was Feuer frei!, which was one of her favorites on her playlist.
Kiera knocked on the bathroom door before Billie opened it for her, the sound of her echoing heels against the concrete as she looked at Romero's beaten body, soaking wet from the waterboarding her QRF did, blood drenching his cuffed wrists and his body lying in a fetal position. "Take that off of him." she asked, referring to the bandana blinding his vision. "Sit up against the wall, you'll feel better."
Once Romero laid eyes on her, his face fell into both anger and fear, knowing that she was a high-ranking official and that she was intimidating to be around anyway. "Oh, you're so fucked. You know what these fuckers will get done to them in prison? Hm?"
She huffed, "You take one pistol course at Thunder Ranch, and you think you're some special operations unit. How long have you had the maid wired?"
"Fuck you."
She smirked before she held two files up in her hand, "You know what this is? It's your file. Every case you're working, every request for surveillance, every CI. Everything. NSA is a beautiful thing, isn't it? What's funny is that the files don't mention anything about the maid at Camargo's house. In fact, it doesn't even mention Camargo. You don't have an open investigation on her or Garza!"
"The fuck we don't!"
"I'm not talking about the agency, I'm talking about you. This is the DEA file on Camargo and Garza, and it's pretty fucking thin. No wiretap requests, no bank searches, no data mining of any kind. You know what's in here? A known associate designation and it's fucking tax returns. But you put a wire on the maid and no record of it. There's a federal statute, 2381. It details our nation's definition of treason, which is knowingly aiding an enemy of the state, which Garza and Camargo clearly are, and withholding information from a federal agent or agency that results in harm to a federal agent or agency is considered aiding an enemy of the state. To make it simple, this is an act of war, Romero. This falls under AUMF, the authorized use of military force to protect the state against both foreign and U.S. nationals. AUMF number 107-40, statute 224. That means, Romero, I can kill you for what you did to us yesterday, and I can kill you for what you won't tell us." she explained, watching Romero's breathing stutter, his fear consuming him when he realized just how much trouble he was in. "Has it sunk in yet?"
He hesitated to nod.
"I don't think it has yet, Kiera." Tex growled, towering over Romero.
"So, your wife is Natalie. Maiden name is Smith and she's a therapist. Your son Michael, who you call Mikey, he's 17. Daniel is 9 and your daughter, Kimberly, is 4. The first thing we're going to do is release your home address and then the name and location of their schools and Daniel's hockey class and Kimberly's equestrian class, the home address of your parents, your in-laws, because killing you isn't going to satiate our appetite to do you harm for what you've done to us. Your only option to spare your family of this fate and any hint you might have on drawing breath again on this planet is complete surrender. Surrender everything, and I mean everything. Every connection, every link to the cartel and yourself."
"Y-You don't understand."
"Oh, I understand everything."
"If I made a file of it, then they would know! Then everybody would fucking know! Do you think I planned yesterday? Half of my team is dead. The best man at my fucking wedding got killed. I almost got killed!"
"How did you get the maid?!"
He took a deep breath, "She nannied my oldest son. I've always had her in my back pocket. I didn't wire her until you guys showed up. You don't trust me? Right back at you."
"What did she give you?"
"Nothing. Garza does no business at the house where Camargo lives. No phone calls, computers, nothing. No friends of his, nothing. Eight years she's been in that house and all I got was shit for it. All he does is finance her to keep her quiet. All bank accounts are in her name, but he has access to them as a secondary. Never more than $10k in the checking. $400k in the savings. Now, how'd she buy that house? She didn't. A guy named Simon Everhart built it, then he died. Guess what? He left it to Camargo in his will. Why? Because she was fucking him when she and Garza divorced. How's that for laundering money? It's so fucking clean, they could write a book. No proof or evidence exists."
Kiera nodded before looking at Dale and Jay, "30 milligrams of methylphenidate. Polygraph him."
"And if he fails?" Dale asked.
"Dump him in the fucking river."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Alright, Billie and Tex, you're coming with me. We have to clean up a mess in San Antonio."
Billie sighed with frustration when she ended her call with Dale, feeling betrayed that Special Agent Romero failed to inform them of the asset he had of his own in San Antonio. "Where's Graves and Dean?" Billie asked Tex.
"Said Shepherd called them back to the Pentagon." Tex answered.
"Good. Romero is looking like a mole."
Alex scoffed, "Why doesn't that fucking surprise me."
"What do you want to do?" Tex asked.
"I want to get him in a vehicle with us and back to base, then I want to beat the truth out of that motherfucker," Billie huffed. "I'm going to go get him. Stow our shit."
"Does Kiera know?"
"Oh, yes she does." Billie chuckled before walking over towards Romero. "Well, you hit the big time now. Suits flying in from Langley. They want to have a big talk with you."
Romero shrugged, "I'd like to have a big talk with them."
"Today's your lucky day. Let's go."
"I haven't been cleared to vacate the scene yet. I need clearance from my senior."
"He just cleared you."
"Your boss isn't my boss."
"The President of the United States isn't your boss?" Billie questioned. "Let's go."
Romero hesitantly followed her, watching her get in the front seat of the SUV while Alex sat behind the passenger seat, Romero in the middle, and Tex beside him, waiting until they left the scene before Tex and Alex started beating on him and removing his pistol from him. "You know, in law enforcement, when they catch someone flipping, maybe they go to prison or maybe they cut a deal and then flip again, but when you get caught flipping in our game, we are going to wring every lie out of you and then we're going to kill you." Billie said.
"The fuck are you talking about?" Romero panted before Tex and Alex began beating on him again.
"It's a three-hour drive back to base. That's how long you have to accept. You can't lie to us, because lying is our fucking game and we are the best at what we do."
"What am I walking into here?" Kiera asked nervously as the look on Nate's face was enough to kill.
"A fucking shit show, Kiera. Lead story on a Monday kind of thing."
"Is the cover holding?" Kate asked.
Nate sighed, "So far."
"Well, I have something for your back pockets." Kiera said.
"I'm listening."
"The agent DEA sent over - he was working a member of the Camargo-Garza household. He had the maid wired. Took us on two suicide missions and never divulged his informant in the house. So, if he had the maid, he knew security was staged across the street and he didn't share any of it. He knew it was wired into security."
"You know this how?"
"Things are falling apart everywhere. Dale informed me from the house."
"We turn this on them, Nate." Kate suggested. "They were the ones who told us to work with them. They were the ones who authorized the follow detail on Kiera in the first place."
"Oh, I'm going to do a lot more than turn it on 'em. I'm gonna beat them over the head with it." Nate scoffed before taking the lead on walking into the Situation Room in the White House.
Here we go, Kiera sighed as she and Kate shared a look before they too walked into the Situation Room.
"Let me start by saying that I am very fucking pissed about-"
"Hold on, Nate," Mr. Morgan said before turning on the TV to show the news broadcast.
"A joint statement from the FBI, DOJ and the DEA highlights the extremely sensitive nature of the operation and deep concerns that discussing it would jeopardize the lives of undercover agents still in the field, but what we do know is this is the largest loss of life for a federal agency since the ill-fated raid on the Branch Davidian compound some 30 years ago."
"Your fucking handiwork, Kiera," Ms. Edwards glared at her. "To this point, you have violated every assurance you gave us when we authorized this operation!"
"The operation we are on now is so far from the operation that you initially requested!" Kiera scoffed.
"Whose fault is that?"
"Not ours!"
"Did the CIA appoint a different Case Officer since our last meeting?" Mr. McGill scoffed. "Did Special Activities, your program in particular, mysteriously find itself under the control of people not standing in this room?!"
"We were given a mission: return the Senator, which we did! Then you gave us the task of infiltrating the largest criminal organization inside our closest neighbor with an asset not of our choosing with agencies that we specifically warned against working with!" Kiera shouted.
"You were given a blank fucking check for resources and assets, and all you've done is commit our Army to its first battle in Iraq in a fucking decade and then run a nighttime raid in Mexico on a human smuggling operation and don't bother rescuing the smuggled humans when you fucking find them!" Mr. McGill shouted.
"We were sent in with a small team and intel from a stateside law enforcement agency that was mandated by you!" she shouted, pointing her finger at Ms. Edwards.
"We never mandated any parameters to the execution of your missions, apart from avoidance of collateral damage and maintaining your cover, both of which you have entirely violated!" Ms. Edwards shouted.
"Okay, everybody sit down!" Mr. Morgan intervened. "How do we move on from this? We're so far off the original purpose of this mission that I can hardly remember what the fuck it is. Ms. Dutton, what happens when your Tigress is in Mexico, a place where there is no rule of law, what happens when your QRF is outnumbered a hundred to one, in a nation that will see your actions as a crime and an act of war?"
"We are a clandestine organization, sir." Kiera replied. "We have Mexican Special Forces as an ally in Mexico after we helped with intelligence when they did the raid on the La Araña Cartel."
"I don't know if you can make that claim anymore." Ms. Edwards scoffed.
"Oh, go fuck yourself!"
"Ms. Dutton! Are you aware of the chain of command in this room?" Mr. McGill defended. You are at the fucking bottom of it! Show some respect!"
"I show respect when it's earned."
"Alright, everyone calm down," Mr. Morgan said, trying to keep the peace. "Now, we have a series of catastrophes that need to be contained, and I need to fully understand if this operation is executable and exactly what the future risks are."
"If I may," Kate spoke up, preventing Kiera's already-lit fuse from erupting even further, though she would be lying if she said she wasn't proud of her for standing up for not only herself, but her team. "We have made contact with Camargo-Garza in San Antonio. We have a Tigress and a shadow. They're embedded. Once inside, they were compromised by security personnel unknown to the operation."
"Why were they unknown?" Ms. Edwards asked, her tone calmer.
"Two reasons: we were given a timeline of days to insert, giving us no time to mine proper intel. And two, the DEA agent that was assigned to our task force has an informant working in the Camargo-Garza estate. This information was withheld from us intentionally. So, this renders everything we have done to this point as compromised and every future operation is compromised as well." Kate explained.
"Define compromised."
"Camargo physically assaulted our Tigress and our shadow had to step in, which mandated QRF to have to take control of the scene. QRF-1 has removed Camargo and the informant to a safe location and QRF-2 has taken the compromised agent Romero into custody at Bliss-"
"We are not authorized to detain a federal agent, Mrs. Laswell." Ms. Edwards sighed.
"Under U.S. Code 2381, our officers are authorized to detain anyone who gives aid to our enemies abroad or within the United States." Nate added.
"TFO is assisting in cleaning up the scene in San Antonio. Meanwhile, we have to decide whether or not we're going to act with the information we possess or whether we're going to shut the operation down."
Mr. Morgan sighed, leaning back in his chair, "A successful mission would send a strong message to the Chinese, but would have no value from a public perspective standpoint, because we must publicly deny that a mission took place. This feels like a punt. Slow down, and find another way in. With less risk and a lot less collateral damage."
"Unfortunately, sir, I don't think we're in a stopping place," Kiera sighed. "We are currently holding number two in the Las Almas Cartel, which will not go unnoticed. We are also holding the agent with the DEA. He either needs to be released or handed over to the DOJ."
"I don't see a plan to move forward, Ms. Dutton." Mr. Morgan shook his head.
"We shift our mission focus, sir. We shift from an insertion to a hard target hit. We transport Camargo back to Mexico. We focus on the senior leadership within that cartel. And we hope that MSS is embedded with that leadership." she suggested.
"How does that solve the issue that we're still detaining a U.S. citizen with no authority to do so, and a federal officer?"
"The QRF will ensure that neither return once the operation is complete." Nate answered.
The room fell in silence before Mr. McGill spoke, "That's a black op. We cannot and will not authorize one. Though I'm not saying it shouldn't happen, but what I'm saying is that we can't authorize it. Understood?" he asked, looking at Kiera, glad that she was reading between the lines, especially when he watched her smirk.
"Understood, sir."
"We need this entire thing to disappear, Kiera. Make the entire thing go away."
"We will."
"Good. You're dismissed."
Kate, Kiera, and Nate all walked out of the Situation Room before Nate gently grasped Kiera's arm, "Get to Bliss, then to San Antonio to find us a way out of this fucking tornado."
"How bad do you want the target?"
"I don't give a shit about the target. I want out. If the target is the way out, then so be it. If not, just get me containment."
Kiera sat on a log just along the perimeter of where the explosion took place, the stuffed horse plushie, hanging lazily from her fingers, her ears still ringing and her gaze blank. That little girl and those kids died on my watch. All because of me.
She ignored the sirens from the Border Patrol vehicles and the noise going on around her, oblivious to the fact that she had tears streaming down her face.
"Kiera?" she heard Billie's concerned tone ask, her body language indicating that she was nervous to approach her. "You run this up the flagpole?"
"Hm? Oh, I, I'm about to." she sighed.
"CBP arrived. They want a statement."
"I'm sure."
"What's our position on this?"
"Everyone uses their FBI credentials. We had intel on a smuggling ring that overlapped with a DEA investigation, and we're unable to speak on that for risk of jeopardizing undercover agents still in the field. Just get Romero on the same page." she answered, fighting more tears. "No statement."
Billie nodded before she slowly sat down next to Kiera on the log. "It's not your fault."
She sniffled, "Would she still be alive if we hadn't tried to save her?"
"You know the answer to that, Kiera."
She nodded, "I know. Yet I can't help but blame myself." she cried before looking down at the plushie that she still had a grasp on, seeing that it was caked in dirt with rips and tears. "I can't get the look on her face out of my mind. She saw us as a savior, Billie, and I couldn't save her or the rest of the kids. She was so scared, and the last moments of her life were seeing guns pointed towards her."
"Come here." Billie frowned, opening her arms for Kiera to confide into her, knowing just how much this mission bothered her. As women in this field, they were always expected to "turn their hearts off," but that's simply impossible as women naturally were more empathetic than men. No matter what, they still found a way to sympathize with every situation, trying to find the good in the bad, trying to decipher right from wrong. Billie held her close, crying with her before Kiera went to stand to her feet. "I-I need to get out of here."
"I'll hold it from here." she nodded, watching Kiera take the plushie towards the beautifully bloomed tree, setting it at the base of the trunk before wiping away more tears, looking to her left when she heard branches rustling and seeing a grey/white bird perched there. Is that you coming to let me know you're in a safe place? she thought before she walked away towards Tex, seeing that he stepped aside from Graves, Dale, and Alex, waving his hand to get her attention.
"They strapped C-4 to drones and dive bombed them like aircraft carriers." Tex said.
"We have to get our story straight, alright?" Graves said before seeing Agent Alan Thompson with Homeland Security walking towards them. "Shit, it's too late."
"Way to fucking go, guys," Alan scoffed. "I've seen some messes in my day, but this certainly makes the top five."
"It wasn't our idea to lay IEDs on the migrant trail, Alan." Kiera scoffed.
"If you would've asked us, we would've told you that the whole place is mined! That's why we don't fuck around here."
"This is the United States, there's no place where we don't fuck around, Alan. Had you assholes been doing your job, we wouldn't have to be here in the first place." Kiera retorted.
Alan scoffed, "Yeah, like sitting on our hands was our fucking idea. You'd better be ready to mesmerize the world with the story that explains this."
"There is no story and there won't be a statement. We have agents working undercover, and statements endanger their lives and hinder the investigation."
"Right," Alan huffed a laugh of disbelief. "Let's see how far you can kick that fucking ball."
"We're going to have to fire all of the flares we got. You know what I mean?" she asked Tex after Alan walked away.
"I'll start calling in my list of favors." Tex said before Kiera walked away towards Agent Romero, who had been previously bandaged up and sipping on a bottle of water. "You knew, motherfucker. You knew this is how they play."
"It's how they've always played. Technology got better. Used to be trip wires and pipe bombs."
"Now it's suicide vests on the fucking cargo."
"That one's new for me, too." Romero sighed, looking down at his lap before his attention went towards the incoming helicopter. "Looks like medivac is a day late and a dollar short."
"It's not medivac. It's for me." she sighed before making her way to where the bird was landing.
On her way to the helicopter, she stopped in her tracks when she passed by girl's clothing that was still scattered all along the riverbank, taking a deep breath to prevent herself from bursting into tears again that this mission failed on her watch.
The same morning, Farah stayed in the bedroom she and Michelle shared while Michelle met her mother for breakfast at the table next to the pool. "You know, mom, you could read those articles on a computer. Think of all the trees you'd save." she teased.
"Nobody has ever killed a tree to make a newspaper, they use the scraps from the trees that were already cut for logs and boards," Maria hummed. "Newspapers are the hotdogs of the lumber business, Chiquita."
"I guess you're right."
"So, who is this girl you brought? The student?"
"Fatima?"
"Yes, "Fatima." Maria raised her brows. "Let me ask you something, Chiquita."
"Hm?"
"¿Qué tan tonto crees que soy? (How stupid do you think I am?)"
"No creo que seas estúpido. (I don't think you're stupid.)"
"Creo que todavía estás metido en esto. ¿Crees que no veo lo rígido que estás desde que llegaste? ¿Como si supieras algo que necesitas decirme? Oh, querido, debes rogarme por un tonto. Tu padre siempre me enseñó en qué tener cuidado. (I think you're still in it. You think I don't see how stiff you are since you've been here? Like you know something that you need to tell me? Oh, my dear, you must beg me for a fool. Your father always taught me on what to look out for.)"
Michelle sighed, "They know, mom. There's no need to speak Spanish like you're trying to keep secrets."
"Who's they?"
"They know, momma. They know why you have a burner phone, why you have a separate bank account with your maiden name, but you keep daddy's last name, they know how you afford this house or this staff-"
"WHO IS THEY?" Maria shouted, standing up from her chair and walking over to her daughter. "Nobody asks me questions. I ask the questions!"
"The CIA, momma."
"Who?"
"The CIA Special Activities. They came to see me in Iraq."
"What do they want?"
"Your help."
"With what?"
"Daddy."
Maria scoffed, " Antonio."
"I know what he is, mom-"
Michelle scoffed when her mother slapped her across the face out of anger, which was completely out of character for her as her mom always was the "fragile" member of the family. "Let me tell you about the CIA. In July of 2000, heroin was almost completely eradicated from the U.S. It was impossible to find. Then 9/11 happened. Then your CIA funded every militia in Afghanistan and every poppy field they could plant, and they brought back a drug that had been dormant for a decade! That's your CIA. They don't care about drugs, and they don't care about some Senator living in a $6 million dollar house a half hour from the border. So, they wreck your career, and I bet they really wrecked it, too and gave you no options! And now you're here and you don't tell me what you want!"
"You're completely aware of all of this?" Michelle asked, her voice trembling.
"I always have been. Just because I separated from your father doesn't mean I don't talk to him. You're forgetting about your sister."
Michelle scoffed, "Yeah, Valeria is going to be just like him. Like father, like daughter."
Maria huffed before slapping her again, leaving a red mark on Michelle's cheek. "You and Valeria both have always made us proud. You, however, have betrayed me. Come into my house with some "exchange student" saying you just needed to see me. You know what happened when you called your father in tears asking to see him? He called me right after and told me what he thinks is going to happen. As always, he was right. Why do you think he didn't show, hm? He steered you and your CIA away from him to change their plan to target me. Do you think I'm this stupid to take the bait?"
"I do." Farah said from behind Maria, pressing the tip of her pistol against her lower back. "I suggest you sit down right now before this gets out of hand."
Maria gulped before following her orders, watching Farah move to stand in front of her. "Your husband is Antonio Garza, leader of the Las Almas Cartel. You help launder his money, which seems to be a pretty good business," she sighed as she looked around at the extravagant exterior of the house. You have two options. Option one: we arrest you right now and start seizing your assets and place you in county jail, which you won't survive through the night. Option two: a foreign operative either funded or planned or both the killing and kidnapping - we want him. You're right, we don't care about drugs, that's a different agency. Your husband can stay compliant and keep doing exactly what he's doing. We don't care, but he'll never trust you again, so we will place you in witness protection, help you sell this house and funnel all of your money into new accounts under a new name and you can keep living this extravagant life you have in some mansion far away from here, but be prepared for mountains and a lot of snow," Farah explained, her gaze following the rustling she heard from the back gate, knowing it was Jay. "You have about 30 seconds to make a decision before one is made for you."
"Got two down in front. What am I doing here?" Jay asked, his gun drawn.
Maria shook her head, "N-No, I hate the cold."
"You had two security guards in the house across the street. When is their shift relieved?" Jay questioned.
"Shifts are 6:00 - 6:00."
"How many kids do you have?"
"Two."
"What's the birthdate of the other one?"
"J-July 19, 1987!"
Jay nodded before he looked to Dale, thankful that he and Tex were sent back from their mission on the border to meet up with him at the surveillance house as he couldn't imagine how things would've turned out if they weren't there. "Find the maid. Get her phone. Hold her in the living room."
"On it." Dale nodded.
Dale entered the kitchen with his pistol drawn, seeing the maid standing in front of the stove as she was cleaning it. When she felt a presence and saw an unfamiliar man, she began to run for cover, but Dale was too quick. He grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the ground, beginning to search her pockets and seizing her phone in the process. He took off her rings and jewelry, inspecting them for any listening devices as he continued to search her. "You're okay. Stay quiet." he assured her as he felt a hard device latched to her waistband. "What the fuck is this?" he said to himself aloud before he followed the cord and ripping it off of her. "What the fuck is this?" he seethed before forcing her to her feet and holding the cord in front of her face.
"No, no, no hablo-"
"No, don't do that no hablo bullshit with me! I've been watching you!" he shouted. "¡Te he estado vigilando toda la puta semana! (I've been watching you all fucking week!)"
Her face fell in shock when she realized he spoke Spanish. "¿Quién está escuchando? (Who is listening?)" he asked.
"¿Eres un oficial de policía? (Are you a police officer?)"
"Sí, sí, soy un oficial de policía. (Yes, yes, I am a police officer.)" Dale nodded sarcastically.
"Ustedes. (You all.)" she cried. "¡Estás escuchando! (You are listening!)
"¿Quién te dio esto? (Who gave you this?)"
"Ustedes!" she stammered.
"¿Qué departamento? (What department?)"
"DEA." she stammered.
"¡El nombre del hombre! (The man's name!)" he demanded.
"R-Romero." she panted.
Dale's face dropped when he realized, "Oh, fuck me. Move. To the living room!" he shouted, escorting her to the living room and making her sit next to Maria.
"We need to keep this tight," Jay sighed when Dale pulled him to the side. "Second security shift starts after 6:00."
"We have bigger problems, Jay," Dale sighed before holding up the cord he pulled off of the maid. "The maid was wired. Has a DEA contact. Guess who."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"I'm calling Kiera."
"Okay. I'll keep an eye on things here."
Dale stepped outside before calling Kiera's SAT phone, unaware that she was on a plane back to Washington, D.C. to meet up with Kate and Nate, knowing she was in a world of trouble as likely, her meeting with them would also be joined by Mr. Morgan, Ms. Edwards, and Mr. McGill.
"Yeah?"
"We got problems on this deal in San Antonio. Real big problems."
"1 to 10?"
"Oh, this is a fucking 20, ma'am. Cover is exposed. We had to engage. The site is secured, but we can't hold it. We've got a 9-hour clock to make a revision and then execute off of that."
"Revise or reinvent?"
"Reinvent. We need a whole new deal."
"Any ideas?"
Dale sighed, "That's above my pay grade, ma'am. Want I want to do is move them to a secure location, but here's the kicker, the maid was wired. She's an asset for another group - a group you were just with, and her contact is your new friend."
"Start with an R?"
"Okay. Get to a safe place and let me know. Fill in Billie on everything. They're still at the border. Do not tell Graves."
"Got it, ma'am. I'm sorry, it went to shit real fast."
"Wine?" Maria, Michelle's mother asked from across the table.
"No, thank you." both Farah and Michelle waved their hands.
"You two don't drink wine?"
"It's against my religion." Farah answered.
"I don't drink at all, mom."
"Since when?"
"Since I became a pilot."
"Oh, wow," Maria nodded before looking at Farah. "You know, in high school this one, every weekend was Cinco de Mayo, Cinco de Agosto, Cinco de Octubre. All the time, there was a Cinco de something. And she was always with the boys. She ran in a pack of them."
"I've outgrown that, mom."
"So, they didn't take your license?" Maria asked, ignorant of how military operations worked.
"No, military pilots aren't issued licenses, only civilian aviators."
"So you can get one?"
"I mean, I-I guess, if I pass the test. I don't know how dishonorable discharge affects the process."
"What did you do that was dishonorable?"
"I didn't do anything dishonorable."
"Then why were you discharged? Hm?"
"Ustedes vieron la noticia. (You all saw the news.)" she answered before looking at Farah and whispering, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say here." she said, making it look like she was asking a friend for advice.
"Tell her the truth, Michelle." Farah replied supportively.
"State Department sent officials to our base through known enemy territory without notifying the base for proper escort. I was sent to provide cover, which I did, but rather than they take the blame themselves, they decided to say that I initiated the assault, but what happened was that I saved their lives. Now here I am."
Maria shook her head, "How many pilots are women in the military?"
"I don't know."
"I do. Your father told me. 82 out of 1,500. He says the Army does sensitivity training now."
"Y-You still talk to dad?" Michelle asked.
"Of course. Valeria lives with him," she nodded after chewing her food. "We talk regularly. Without your father's help, I wouldn't have this house for you to come home to when you weren't working."
"I thought you didn't talk to him because of what... he does."
"No me relaciono, pero tomo lo que puedo conseguir. Él ofrece pagos mensuales a cambio de que guarde mis pensamientos para mí misma. En este mundo, tienes que complacer a los hombres porque ellos proveen. (I don't associate, but I take what I can get. He offers monthly payments in exchange for me keeping my thoughts to myself. In this world, you have to cater to men because they provide.)"
"Pero siempre dijiste que si le das a un hombre el poder de alimentarte, le estás dando el poder de dejarte morir de hambre... (But you always said that if you gave a man the power to feed you, you're giving him the power to starve you...)" Michelle questioned.
"He decidido no morirme de hambre, Michelle. (I'm choosing not to starve, Michelle.)" Maria said. "They should have given you a medal."
"They should, but they didn't." Michelle scoffed.
Maria sighed before changing the subject, "Eat the soup first, it cleanses the palette. The spice helps your immune system."
Kiera and her team, along with Graves and Dean, sat around a screen as they were getting geared up to rescue the children that were being smuggled across the border, Kiera anxious as she was hoping everything was going to go smoothly, hopeful that it would as she had her QRF by her side, all except for Jay, who was running surveillance in San Antonio.
"Hey, do we have control over the satellite?" Dean asked, breaking the silence. "Can we zoom in on the image?"
"What for?" Billie asked him.
"Because I'd like to get a sense of how many bandits are trucking this group across."
"The bandits are on our side. They join up on the cross." Billie scoffed.
"And you know this from your vast experience working with Mexican smugglers?"
"You think this border is any different than Syria, Iran, or fucking Turkey?"
"Yes, I do!" Dean scoffed before turning to look at Special Agent Romero. "Hey, how big is this group bringing them across?"
"Two. Maybe three."
"That's it?"
"Until they cross. So the detail that's set to intercept, they're already here." Romero sighed.
"Listen to that, it's like a fucking echo in here." Billie sighed.
"I bet you two were one hell of a crazy couple." Graves chuckled.
"God," Billie sighed. "He's the reason why I switched sides."
Dean rolled his eyes before asking Romero, "How big is the group over here?"
"Depends on the value of the cargo. If it's a hot load, three or four spotters. Half dozen to escort, another half dozen to intercept."
"Okay, so, walk me through a hot load." Dean said, ignoring Billie's laugh.
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?"
"You know what? Fuck you, Billie."
"Been there, done that, peewee. Not worth the fucking ride!"
"Little mission focus here?" Kiera sighed, unable to hold the smirk that was smearing on her face, loving how Billie didn't take any shit from anybody. "Are we ready?"
"Yes, thank God. Anything to get these two to shut the fuck up." Tex teased. "I'd rather get into a motherfucking gunfight than to listen to any more of this horseshit."
"You know you love it, Tex." Billie giggled.
"Romero, where's your team?" Kiera asked, breathing a laugh.
"Idling outside."
"Alright, let's go."
The team's steps were silent as they approached the crossing point, Kiera keeping an eye on the live location from the tracker she put in the child's shoe. "Tex, get high ground and tell me what you see."
"On it. I'll be on comms."
"Where the fuck are you going?" Romero whispered harshly.
"Stay here!" she retorted.
"They're crossing the fucking river!"
"No shit? I thought they were going to jump over it!" she scoffed.
Graves was the first to fire on the armed personnel once they got closer to the river. "GET TO COVER NOW!" Kiera shouted, getting behind a tree and covering Billie as she was taking cover behind a rock nearby, the team taking out the six patrolmen with no issues.
"They're moving towards us." Billie whispered. "Coming across the river."
"Take point. I'm on your six." Kiera nodded, seeing that Romero and his team were already pushing forward. "Billie, wait!"
"Ma'am?"
"They're pushing forward. I have a bad feeling about this-"
Her body jolted when an explosion went off. One of Romero's men had stepped on a trip mine.
They knew they were to expect resistance.
"Man down!" Romero shouted over the gunfire.
Gunfire overlapped from both sides as the team continued to provide resistant fire from their enemy, Kiera panting as she took cover to check on the location of the tracker. "Billie, I got her. 3 o'clock!"
Billie nodded before she and Kiera started making their way in that direction.
Tex heard a low hum in the distance, looking to his left before looking through his thermal scope. Oh, shit, he thought before he opened fire on one of them, not surprised that these drones had explosives.
The team were on the shoreline by the time Kiera heard Tex's warning, immediately looking for a place to take cover as they were all out in the open. "TAKE COVER NOW! THE DRONES ARE ARMED!" She shouted, her and Billie sprinting as they watched an incoming drone fly right towards the DEA team, the quiet shoreline looking like an active war zone. She counted four explosions as her QRF team put space between them and the DEA team.
"Fuck!" Kiera sighed before she started running towards the children that had made it across the river. "There she is!"
"I don't see her!" Billie said.
"Right there!"
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the moon lighting up the sand on the shoreline, Kiera could see that little girl with anxiety in her eyes, still clutching onto her horse plushie as she kept it close to her chest. "¡Hola! ¡Niña pequeña! ¡Estamos aquí para salvarte! (Hey! Little girl! We're here to save you!)" Kiera shouted, turning on her flashlight that was mounted to her rifle as she and her team proceeded to get closer to the migrants. "¡Alto! ¡Policía! ¡Alto! (Stop! Police! Stop!)" Billie shouted.
"¡Manos arriba! (Hands up!)" Kiera ordered, watching the military-aged men start rushing towards them.
Tex's warning didn't transfer through the headset in time before the man detonated himself.
Kiera sat on the jet with her computer in front of her, typing away in her email inbox while sipping from her mug of coffee, her head throbbing from the combination of stress, jetlag, and lack of sleep. That year and a half off from doing this is really taking its toll.
Sighing, Farah sat down in front of her when she noticed that Kiera decided to take a break from her computer. "I've formed an opinion on your Tigress."
"Yeah?"
"She doesn't want to be here."
"I've concluded that since her first assignment."
"It's a pretty brittle foundation to build on. What I did with my mission still haunts me, but I begged you for the chance, but I'm grateful for it. But, I don't know how you can trust someone who made it clear she doesn't want it from the start." Farah said, referring to Michelle.
"I don't. That's why you're here. I need her to believe that her mother isn't the target, which is true, but she knows her father is who we're after. She needs to think he has a chance."
"Why don't you turn him?" Farah suggested. "Offer him immunity and get him on our side?"
"What would you fear more? 30 years in a federal prison or your wife disemboweled in front of you before your face is removed from your own skull? Nobody has ever made an informant out of a top-ter cartel member, ever."
"Maybe not, but if anyone can do it, it's you," Farah sighed. "Have you ever had one of their daughters try?"
Kiera shook her head, "No. I've always specialized in the war on terror, not on drugs. This is my first Tigress operation dealing with cartels."
"But you've dealt with cartels before, right?"
"Before the program, yes."
"So, then why don't you see if Michelle could get her mother to become an informant? Her ex-husband isn't a terrorist. Not laundering money for a cause he believes in. He's doing it to get rich and the only money laundering he's doing is sending it to his ex-wife to keep her quiet and happy. My guess is that he agreed to do that because they agreed to terms. Can't the DOJ just give her a new identity and park her in some mansion in Idaho somewhere and let her be rich when all of this happens? Then we're not laying out bait and hoping she takes it. He's going to know something is going on when his daughter, who he hasn't seen in God knows how long, calls and wants to visit him after she gets discharged from military service, especially when his ex-wife is involved when she hasn't talked to him in years likely."
"There's no way to pin him down, Farah. She's not going to rat him out. Assume they have eyes on his house and everywhere he goes. Everyone in his life is a spy. His maid, his cook, his driver. Cartels don't use surveillance equipment, they use people. And his people are everywhere."
"Let her believe that her family has a chance and then give him one."
Kiera smirked, "You've always been smart, Farah."
"Smart enough that even Ms. CIA didn't notice." she teased.
"That's a first," Kiera chuckled, pulling out her SAT phone from her bag. "I need to make a call."
"Hey!"
"There's something I want to talk to you about in person. Can you meet me at Bliss?"
"I can be there by eight, wait," Kate sighed. "I can meet you in the morning. I have to be at the Medal of Freedom dinner tonight."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll see you then!"
"Well done, babe." Lila encouraged from across the table as she and Kate were out eating breakfast.
"Thank you."
"All seems quiet on the Western Front..." Caroline, a U.S. Senator said from across the table.
"Things take time, Caroline." Kate replied.
"It's a bad time for surprises, Kate. We have an election coming up. August is a bad time for surprises." Caroline sighed, referring to the upcoming House of Representatives elections coming up in November.
Kate shrugged, "We aren't planning any surprises."
"We haven't seen any plans with foreign intelligence, Kate. None."
Kate smirked, "Plans are better after the fact."
"When we have no say?" Caroline raised her brows.
"When there is no risk for operational security being breached."
"If you can't trust a Senate subcommittee to keep a secret-"
"Come on, Caroline, it's too early to insult either of our intelligence." Kate scoffed.
"Interesting story coming out of Del Rio. Cartels have helicopters now? Who's insulting you, Kate?" Caroline scoffed before getting up and walking away.
Lila sighed, "Skirmishes with cartels is its own Vietnam, Kate."
"They are pawns in the game."
"Mm-hm. Everyone can call China the enemy, and they can say the same thing about us, but don't forget, 40% of our imports come from there."
"Mm-hm." Kate nodded.
"We're married, darling. It's best we stay that way. Nobody survives the divorce-"
"Nobody is talking about divorce. They moved the castle a little too close to our queen and that is all. So, we take a few chess pieces to remind them of the rules."
"Oh? What rules this time?"
"Just don't fuck with our queen."
Back on the plane, Kiera asked Michelle to come back to where she was sitting to offer the idea given to her from Farah, "I understand the position you're in. I respect it. I have a family of my own. And the notion of betraying them is no notion if you know what I mean. It's a tough spot to be in and I'm sorry you're in it. Maybe there's a way to achieve our goal and limit risk to your family."
"What would that be?"
"You tell your mother the truth. If she cooperates, then your family is moved, then they'll be placed in protective custody. We'll move them, needless to say, but the lifestyle they're accustomed to will continue."
"Where will you move them?"
"Aspen, Telluride, Upstate New York. We've had good success there."
Michelle shook her head, "My parents don't like the cold."
Kiera shrugged her shoulders, "Then she'll have to buy a coat. What the fuck? I'm not negotiating with you, I'm making an offer. The alternative to that offer is why you cried when we met."
"If she says no?"
"At this point, I have no faith in you. I don't know her, so we'll raid her house, take her into custody, freeze all of her assets that I know your father is providing, confiscate all of her personal property. Who do you think they're going to go after first? Your family? Your mother in a county jail? Fuck, I don't know. It'll be out of my hands at that point."
"You said my father was the mission."
"Your mother is the mission now."
"Why?"
"Because he is how she survives, and I can trust her to do that."
"So, you pick her up and present her the options-"
"I'm not presenting shit to her, you are. She's your mother and this gives her a chance. She'll know that. Just present the choice."
Michelle breathed heavily, "Say if she agrees, then what?"
"Mission stays the same. You bring us closer to your father. We identify his contact with MSS. That's it. Then we'll take it from there. Do you think you can sell that?"
"I-I can sell that."
Once the plane landed in San Antonio, Kiera pulled Farah to the side as well as Graves while the rest got off the plane. "Farah, like we discussed before, your mission is still the same. You're a foreign exchange student who met Michelle in town. What is your name?"
"Fatima Ushad." Farah replied.
"Good. You have free rein on your identity, but you just have to sell it and remember every lie you tell. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"We're putting her straight in?" Jay asked, referring to Michelle and Farah.
"There's a separate rental under her last name. Pay with her card."
"You want me to put this on my credit card?" Farah asked, knowing she had a pre-paid credit card that was provided once she landed, wondering why she was issued one.
"Well, mine goes back to the federal government, so what do you think?" Kiera asked, her tone sarcastic. "Don't take your eyes off of our Tigress."
"I won't, ma'am."
"Good. Get to work. I'll be back tomorrow. Jay, if it gets a little squirrelly, just pull her."
"Got it."
Kiera stayed behind on the plane, watching her team from the window as they loaded their equipment into the rental cars. "We're good on fuel. Do you want to stretch your legs?"
"No. Let's go." Kiera shook her head.
"Yes, ma'am."
Once in the sky, Kiera pulled out her personal phone to call her mom and dad's home phone, giggling at the fact that they still had a landline. "Oh, sweetheart, I like this stateside gig you have going on. Means you call at decent hours!" Bud laughed after picking up on the second ring.
"I'm surprised you picked up so fast."
"Sweetheart, this landline only rings when you call it."
"Fair point. I think I found my way out."
"A way out?"
"A window to spending more time with you and mom."
"Well, you know what? That's a conversation worth having when you're here and we can share a cigarette and a bottle of whiskey on the porch after we took a long ride on the horses."
Kiera smiled at the idea, "Sounds like a plan. Any plans for tonight?"
"Big plans. Double date. Me, your mother, and her friend and husband all at the Livestock Association dinner tonight. Your mother is going to kill me when I tell her that her friend's husband is an absolute asshole."
"Oh, Ben?" she scoffed. "I wish we could just... drown him in the river. I hate that guy."
"Well, we could, but it would test your relationship with the DOJ, and I have that oath I swore in when I became Commissioner, but it might be worth it." Bud chuckled.
"Sounds like a good plan," she smiled, truly missing her mother and father, hating that her SAT phone was ringing from the table, knowing that she had to conversation got cut short. "Duty calls, I have to go. I love you and mom so much."
"We love you too, sweetheart."
"I'm going to call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay. Stay safe. Bye."
"Bye."
"Kate." Kiera answered.
"How's our Tigress?"
"She's in San Antonio. Goes in today."
"Good. Where are you?"
"Back to El Paso. I'm chasing it from the other direction."
"Who's putting her in?"
"Farah."
"That's a lot of trust, but I know it's a good decision."
"No more than you gave me when I was a Tigress."
"You had more experience, Kiera."
"She's better at this than I was, Kate. She's faster on her feet. Doesn't have to work so hard to get an answer. If it's okay with you, I'm going to give her a lot of rein on this."
"Alright," Kate nodded. "She has to go to the Farm, Kiera. Be on a desk and work from an embassy."
"I didn't."
"You're different, Kiera."
"Not much difference between Farah and I. She's just like me, except she doesn't have a family."
"Okay, just don't give her too much rein. We're already improvising this operation too much as it is."
"Thank you."
"God, I'm so nervous." Michelle sighed to Farah, wiping away the stray tears of stress that left her eyes during their drive over.
"Take a deep breath and get your shit together or you'll get us both killed." Farah whispered as they walked up the stairs to the front door.
"¡Te ves muy hermosa! ¿Quién es tu amiga? (You look so beautiful! Who's your friend?)" Michelle's mom smiled, greeting them both with a warm hug.
"Mom, this is Fatima. She's an exchange student. She and I met just outside of town and she doesn't know anybody." Michelle forced a smile.
"Oh, well it's very nice to meet you, Fatima," she smiled before turning her gaze back onto her daughter, "You are so skinny! Are you sick?"
"I'm not skinny, mom. I'm fit. I've been in the desert for the last two years."
"Well, we will fix that at dinner. Please, come in!" she smiled, stepping aside to let them into her house. It smelled clean, almost too clean for just one person to be living in it. It looks like they stage this house for a realtor or something, Farah thought as she looked around at the molding on the baseboards and ceiling, the chandeliers, and floor so clean that she could see her reflection in. "I have to get on a meeting, but your room is upstairs - last door on the right!" she pointed.
"Thank you, ma'am." Farah nodded, clutching her bag before she followed Michelle upstairs into their shared room, seeing two separate twin-sized beds against the wall.
"This used to be my room as a kid. Looks like mom got tired of keeping it looking like I'd come home..." Michelle sighed before setting her bag on her bed.
"How serious does your mom take dinner?"
"She dresses like she's dining with royals if that answers your question. With all the shit she buys, she has to wear all of that somewhere."
"She never goes out?"
"No. Only to work and back home. I have no idea what they do now. I left home when I was 18. So, how do I do this?"
"When we have dinner, you tell her the truth. Well, most of the truth. You can make up whatever you want, but all you need to remember is that we met in town and I'm an exchange student and you are my only friend. Just remember that whatever you come up with, you have to remember, but so will I. At some point, ask if you and her could speak alone."
"Okay, so I ask to speak alone. Then what? When do you come in?"
"I don't come in. Once you tell her, you can't let her out of your sight once you've made her the offer. Got it?"
"Y-Yes." she nodded hesitantly.
"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to us. Not here, anyway," Farah assured her before pointing up to the vent, showing Michelle the subtle flashing of a red recording light. "There's eyes everywhere in here. If things go south, Kiera and her team will be here. Let me ask you something: if you found out your mother and father were involved with funding terrorists, would you hesitate for one second to turn them in?"
"No."
"You love them?"
"I love my mother, but I love who my father was. I love memories."
Kiera was in emotional shambles by the time she and her team returned to base the next morning, her eyes dry and her anger boiling. She couldn't get the image of every single child's face she saw last night, and especially that little girl. She looked to her like a safe haven, but her safe haven ended up leaving her behind.
They left her behind.
"What the fuck was that?!" Kiera shouted. "What in the absolute fuck was that?!"
"Don't worry, Kiera, the adrenaline is going to wear off in an hour-"
"Fuck you, Graves. Fuck you! Don't you come at me with that bullshit!" she shouted before turning to look at Special Agent Romero. "And you. I didn't see many drugs with all the fucking children they're trafficking."
"My intel said that that warehouse was a transshipment station!"
"IT IS A FUCKING TRANSSHIPMENT STATION! What fucking intel did you get? You don't have shit!"
"Kiera!" Graves shouted, getting her attention.
"WHAT!"
He nodded his head towards the other way, asking her to follow him. No matter how much they disagreed and even hated each other, Graves knew that their discovery last night really bothered her, especially when he knew that she couldn't do anything about it. "Hey, cartels are bad. I mean, really fucking bad, but this bullshit is a detour. We need to stay on our road."
"Those are children, Graves. Children. And in two weeks, they're someone's fucking sex toy." she frowned before walking away when she felt her SAT phone vibrating.
"Kiera? Help me understand what I'm looking at here." Nate asked, he and Kate watching the satellite footage from the situation room in the White House.
"The warehouse appears to be a holding station for individuals being prepped across the border. Ages range from... from 8 to 18. Some women appearing to be in their mid 20's."
"No narcotics?"
"No."
"Contraband of any kind?"
"Only the human kind, sir."
"Certainly difficult to confiscate that kind."
"We'd like to try, sir."
"Rescue missions don't give the illusion of a rival cartel." Kate added.
"Why does it need to be an illusion? That illusion only needs to exist for my Tigress and then only for her, at this point, anyway."
"There seems to be about 400 of them, and they are on the move, Kiera. This isn't surgical, this is 82nd Airborne. It's not what we do. Right now, it still appears to be an attack by a rival cartel, so let's just keep it that way for now."
"Easy for you to say. You aren't the one leaving them behind." Kiera scoffed at her.
"I'm the one giving orders here. I am the one leaving them behind. It's hard for me to say because I am a mother, and you will understand truly one day when you have kids of your own based on how you're treating this."
"Turn your heart off and your brain back on, Kiera. Get your Tigress to San Antonio and insert her. Farah landed this morning on base. She's meeting you in the hangar in ten. Make sure you get with her."
"May I suggest no more tandem missions with DEA?"
"Noted."
Kiera wiped the stray tears from her eyes before she walked back into the hangar, Billie meeting her halfway. "Back in the game, boss?"
"Negative."
"We're not going after them?" Tex asked.
"And blow our op on day one? No. CBP and DEA will intercept when they reach the border." Graves said.
"You can tell us no, but just don't lie to us." Jay commented.
"Who the fuck is Border Patrol allowed to detain?" Tex scoffed.
"They wrote the zip code of their destination on their fucking hands, that's how worried they are about being detained." Dale commented.
"Don't act like you didn't see the same shit in Iraq. Man, you guys got soft playing HRT. Watching The View on cable with your catered breakfast-" Dean scoffed.
"Fuck you, Dean!" Billie shouted, raising her middle finger at him.
"GUYS!" Kiera shouted over them. "When did this become a democracy? I asked, and Washington said no. End of story. We're going back to San Antonio and we're inserting her today." she said, pointing at Michelle.
"No, I did not sign up for this-"
"You absolutely signed!"
"I changed my mind!"
"It doesn't work like that!"
"Then fucking court martial me! Please! I can't wait to testify against your ass!" Michelle shouted before walking out of the hangar, and Farah gulped when Kiera looked at her. "You're up, Farah."
"Up for what?"
"Managing your asset."
"Oh, she's my asset now?"
"She's been your asset since you got here."
"A quick word, Kiera?" Graves intervened before Kiera followed him. "Those are tools. Why are you asking a tool for its opinion?"
"I'm not, but on this, we all have the same opinion."
Graves scoffed, "You start letting tools think, they start deciding how they want to be used."
"Hey, the rules of my fucking game change while we play it. I need them all to think. That's the difference between your fucking tools and mine. Get ready to travel." she announced, raising her brows when she saw that all of them were staring at her blankly as if they were questioning her orders. "Are you fucking kidding me? Okay, then." she nodded, typing in a number on her SAT phone and calling Nate, putting him on speaker.
"Yes, Kiera?"
"Deputy Director and Case Officer for the CIA - Who wants it?" she said, offering a resignation if anyone would step up. "Anybody? Going once, going twice... No? I didn't think so. Stow your gear. We're wheels up in an hour."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Billie," she said, watching her turn towards her with a look of defeat. "Check your email."
"For what?"
Kiera then got closer to her, "I have a tracker on one of the kids."
Billie smirked with pride, "Okay. What do you want me to do? We going rogue?"
"There's what I was ordered to do, what I should do, and what I want to do. I'm doing what I want to do on this one," Kiera sighed before she and Billie walked over to Special Agent Romero. "If I knew where some of these kids would be crossing, what could you do about it?"
"There's not much I can do. We didn't find any drugs. I'd have to bring in CBP and HSI."
"I don't recall you searching them for drugs."
"I didn't."
"So you don't know," she crossed her arms. "They could be muling these kids."
"It's doubtful, but yes. They don't like to mix contraband."
"Back to my original question: if I knew where they were crossing, what would you do?"
"Do you know when?"
"Yes."
"How the fuck do you know when?"
"Don't fucking answer my questions with a question."
Romero sighed, "If I knew the where and the when, I'd stage an SRT unit to intercept once they crossed."
"Can I peel off a part of my team to observe and advise?"
"Advise how?"
"They're going to tell you where and when, and then they'll be sure you don't fuck up the intercept."
"Why can't you tell me now?"
"Because it's not admissible in court, it's classified. But we can share with you certain coordinates and timelines that will not violate TS restrictions. Who do you want?" she asked, looking at Billie.
"You give me Jay, Dale, and Tex."
"I need Jay on surveillance."
"Then I'll take Alex, but still, it leaves me pretty slim."
"You have me and Dean." Graves offered.
"Fucking lovely." she scoffed.
"I'll drop the team in San Antonio, and I'll be back before dark. They won't move before dark. She has tactical command, and Graves will have operational command."
"You're out of your fucking mind, lady," Romero scoffed. "I can't swallow that pill!"
"That's alright, I have FBI credentials. I'll call in an HRT team, and we'll do it without you." Kiera shrugged.
"Okay, fine, but your orders flow through fucking me."
Kiera smirked, "Got it."
Farah laid eyes on Michelle, seeing her sitting on a bench and watching planes take off from the runway. "These thumpers get younger every year," Michelle scoffed. "What is there? A selection in middle school around here?"
"What do you think you are?"
"A Tigress. Whatever the fuck that means since nobody will tell me."
"I can tell you," Farah said before hesitantly taking a seat next to her. "I started in Kuwait and ended up on the east coast and then... can't say."
"Did you complete your mission?"
"Yes."
"Still a part of the program?"
"I'm, uh, on a different unit now." she said, referring to her own ULF.
"Do you know what my mission is? I'm supposed to look at people I love in the eye, lie to them, and tear their whole world apart. Do you think you could do that?"
"I looked my best friend in the eye and tore her whole world apart. Right in front of her."
"You're not a part of the QRF."
"No."
"What's your mission now?"
"To protect the mission from everything, including you. Kiera doesn't trust you, and I'm not sure I can, either."
Michelle scoffed, "Yeah, like I've lost sleep at night by knowing she doesn't trust me."
"I trust her. And at one point, I was exactly where you were. I hated every fiber of her for the longest time, but you know what I learned? She saw something in me that she believed in when I didn't believe in myself. She made me a better operator. She made me a better person in some way. She's not some evil being that takes advantage of people, and I know you think that, but she really isn't. She has a heart, and she's harder on you when she believes in you because she knows what you don't believe about yourself. The world is so close to chaos and only 5% of those people are saints, 5% are evil right into their soul, while the rest of the 90% are just sheep, and those sheep follow the ones with the upper hand. The sheep are who we fight for. No winning, no prisoners, just the upper hand."
"What does this have to do with my family?"
"Is your father a saint?"
"No."
"Is he a sheep? Is that how you would describe him? Think about what you saw last night. I wasn't there, but I was briefed. Those children were being held by the Las Almas Cartel, a cartel that your father runs. He profits from the suffering of others. So, if he's not a sheep and he's not a saint, he's evil."
"Do you think it makes it easier believing that?"
"Nothing makes it easier, but you swore an oath when you enlisted, and there was no asterisk beside it. We don't choose our enemy, only the fight. We can choose not to fight, but choosing not to is how warehouses fill up with children. Kiera wants to believe in you, but she can't unless you believe in yourself. Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Before you hate her, you need a reason to hate her, and she won't let you give yourself a reason because you'll never have one."
"How did she make you better?"
"I'm a Commander of the ULF. Something I created to protect my homeland. Years ago, we were fighting on a sinking ship. She helped me complete a mission that involved Central Intelligence, something that I didn't have the clearance for, but she did it anyway. We ended up getting a win. After that, she recruited me to be a Tigress, put me through S.E.R.E and absolute hell, but in the end, a part of me thanks her for that, but the more you sit and be angry with how she does things, that very thing will keep you from completing your mission. You have to let yourself break so she can build you up."
"I'll think about it."
"By how it seems, you don't have much time to think."
"Alejandro, so nice to hear your voice!" Kiera smiled on the other end of her SAT phone, waiting for Michelle to finish gearing up before they began their mission.
"Ah, Kiera, how are you doing? Still have your limbs?"
"That I do," she giggled. "I wanted to make you aware of something."
"Vamos."
"Me and my team are hitting a warehouse we believe the Las Almas Cartel is housing contraband."
"Doing cowboy shit without me, huh?"
"I'm doing it for a reason. We've been digging up some dirt on the Mexican government, and I don't want you involved."
"The Las Almas Cartel will think it was us, Kiera."
"No, they'll think it's a rival cartel."
Alejandro scoffed, "Your reason?"
"We're hitting it tonight. We have an operator providing air support in a Little Bird, something your forces don't have. That's the reason."
"You think they'll believe that?"
"Of course. You should know that they keep tabs on your force, Alejandro. We're running .300 subsonic. It'll be clean and cut. We won't be using air support once we get into the warehouse."
"With your crew, it's always clean," Alejandro sighed with a chuckle. "I'll be watching the news."
"I promise, Alejandro, I'll see you soon. This war on drugs isn't a cakewalk, and you know that."
"I expect you keep that promise. I need some clean and cut around here."
"You know I can make that happen."
"And put the fear of God into some of them?"
"That comes free."
An hour later, Kiera and her now geared-up team made their way to the Little Bird, Michelle ready to go as Kiera sat next to her in the cockpit. "So we're winging this?"
"Pretty much." Kiera said through her headset. "You are to stay below the deck. You don't need a radio. Bravo Team infil, Alpha Team infil. Exfil is on the target. If we call for CAS, we will mark the target with IR and talk you in."
"My weapons are hot. Do I have radio contact with Command?"
"There is no Command. I am Command."
"This is fucking insane. We had a 20-minute briefing."
Kiera smirked, "Welcome to the CIA. Let's go."
The warehouse sat quiet along a riverbank in the desert. Quiet, secluded, and heavily secured by "rangers" of the Las Almas Cartel. The rangers, however, were just trigger-happy men. Las Almas has a strict program, but if you can shoot a gun, kill a man without second-guessing, then you're in, she had remembered Alejandro saying.
Kiera led Bravo Team, which consisted of Billie, Dale, Tex, and Jay while Graves led Alpha team that consisted of Alex, Special Agent Romero, Trace, and Dean.
A low hum of Michelle's Bird stayed in the distance while they proceeded to get to their entry points of the warehouse.
Kiera listened as the remaining cartel guards chattered in anxiety when they recognized the low hum of the helicopter hovering in the distance. No beacons were on in the chopper, leaving only a hovering black shadow. Like a shark waiting in the dark for its next target.
As she led her team through the back of the warehouse, she looked to Billie when she heard what sounded like cries, "What the fuck was that?"
Kiera could hear the shots in the distance as they entered the warehouse, firing on all hostiles before they all regrouped to take a better look at what they had walked into.
Nearly 400 children, woman, and young men. "What the fuck is this?"
She wanted to tear up as she looked at all of the scared eyes staring back at her, kneeling down to a little girl who clutched her stuffed horse, reaching out to get a better look at the number that was written on the top of her hand, glancing around to see the same marker font of different numbers on the other children's hands.
They were zip codes of where that person was from.
Kiera sighed before taking a tracker out of her pocket and showing it to her, "Está bien, cariño. Voy a poner esto en tu zapato, ¿vale? Pronto vamos a llevarte a ti y a todos los demás a un lugar seguro. (It's okay, sweetheart. I'm going to put this in your shoe, okay? We're going to get you and everyone else to safety soon.)"
The little girl gulped while she watched Kiera plant the tracker in her shoe and retying her laces and standing to her feet. "Exfil is 90 seconds. Let's move."
