“Yeah, I could have ripped you a new one when you and Dillard were placing the tourniquet on my leg.” Andy reached down and tapped against his leg. Metal clanged back, and Stone closed his eyes. “Lost the damn thing, but at least I woke up in Germany. ”
“So, let me get this straight.” Sebastian stood up, pacing in front of the screen Gage was projecting old team photos up on. “After the guys were stabilized, and transferred home, the FBI pulled them for special ops within your organization.”
“Yes.” Max answered. “A joint effort through the CIA and FBI. They all had sustained injuries that made them ineligible to return to the SEALs?—”
“But honestly, fuck that. I wasn’t done serving my country. And neither were the other guys,” Andy interrupted. “So, we died to be able to move in the shadows without drawing attention.”
“Why the hell change the official reports though? What I submitted so clearly could have still worked for your plans. They were alive when we got them on the helicopter. So why would you submit paperwork to make it seem like they died out in the field and not in Germany? Why leave it open for interpretation that Stone shot them and I covered it up?”
“We didn’t change anything from that night. The only thing we did was DOA them in Germany. That’s what the official paperwork says. But we didn’t mess with your field report.”
Stone ran his hand over his face. “We saw part of the reports printed in that article. They looked official enough. The part I don’t get is… how does Caulleou fit into this? Are you guys the reason why I saw him the other day? He came to town ahead of you both?”
“Chris Caulleou?” Andy asked, shock written across his face. “Where did you see him?”
Stone’s hands came up to massage at his temples. That damn throbbing was back. There was something he needed to be remembering. Something so close he could almost reach out and grab it… “He’s the only other person that was mentioned in the messages I was getting.”
“He’s not on my team,” Max said, looking over at Andy. “For a while, we thought he might be a part of what the CIA was tracking overseas…”
“But I reported him for suspected drug use,” Stone said.
“And he was dishonorably discharged. No way the FBI would tag him as a recruit. Besides, that asshole was six feet under last thing I heard. You telling me otherwise?” Andy cracked his knuckles.
“I’m not telling you otherwise. I read his obit. It just doesn’t make sense…” Stone couldn’t be sure. “Track, you find that footage from Shop and Save?”
“Yeah, I ran through it. Didn’t see anything strange though. I can pull it up.”
A minute later, everyone at the table had their eyes glued to the screen. Mae and Stone appeared in the upper right corner, their shopping cart coming to a stop in front of the prepackaged meat section of the store. They talked to Colt, before another man entered the frame. Leather jacket, dark denim jeans, ball cap. Exactly what Stone remembered seeing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he watched, waiting for the moment the camera would catch the man’s face.
But all the video showed was the guy walking to the end of the aisle, turning to look at Stone and Mae at the last second before he walked away. Stone walks after him, but by the timehe gets to the end of the aisle, the guy is already at the front of the store, leaving through the main doors.
“Fuck. Can’t see anything to identify the guy.” Nash groaned.
“My gut is screaming at me that it’s him. But my head… I can’t be sure. Dr. Anderson said things might be scrambled. I might only be thinking it’s him because my mind was trying to remember those messages.” Stone groaned.
“I’m making a note of it. We’ll put resources on it to see who that was. Because if it is Caulleou…” Max’s voice tapered off.
“He fits the profile for whatever the hell you’re doing here?” Gunner asked.
“Yeah.” Max agreed.
“Which is?” Hawk asked, arms crossed over his chest.
“Classified.”
“Fuck that. We need to keep our families safe. What is going on that we crossed paths?” Gunner pushed.
“Let’s just say there’s a big player on the dark web who normally runs drugs, and merchandise of the human variety, across the border. They just put out a call to action… for something way outside their normal scope of operation. Something that Sebastian’s businesses were called out in, along with other high profile businesses across the US. They’re planning something.”
Stone watched Sebastian’s eyes go wide, his gaze locked on Max.
“And you think this person is here?” Nash asked.
“No. We have our best people on it, but so far, we haven’t been able to identify the ring leader. We know someone who works for him is here in Silver Springs. A former Marine?—”
“Discharged for drug use?” Stone guessed.
“Yeah, he was.”
