LINCOLN
As soon as the plane landed, Lincoln turned his phone on and checked his voice messages. After clearing his voicemail, he dialed a friend.
“This is Mike,” a groggy voice answered.
“Why the fuck do you sound like you’re sleeping? It’s like one in the afternoon,” Lincoln barked into the phone.
“Rough night,” Mike grumbled. “What do want?”
“Tahira Raji, I need to find her.”
Mike Romello was also CIA. Calling him for information was a longshot, but everyone else Lincoln had called knew exactly jack shit about Tahira.
Lincoln frowned when he heard the rumble of laughter on the other end.
“Linc, you don’t find Tahira. She finds you.”
That’s bullshit,” Lincoln spat. “The Central Intelligence Agency doesn’t have intelligence on their own operatives.”
“Nobody you know, Colonel,” he quipped.
Lincoln pushed a button and disconnected the call. Mike was no help and he was beyond pissed. Tahira Raji owed him answers. Because of her intel, he and his soldiers had been sent on a fruitless mission. Thankfully, everyone returned to the TOC in one piece. However, during the debriefing, Lincoln learned thatLincoln 5-2had breached an empty plane. Without an explanation, they were dismissed and sent back to the States. It didn’t sit right with Lincoln, and he wanted answers.
When the aisle was clear, Lincoln grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment. After a fifteen-hour hopper from Iraq to D.C., he decided to forego a good night’s sleep and catch a commercial flight to Chicago.
As soon as he stepped onto the ramp, his phone rang. He answered, not really paying attention to the Caller ID. He just figured it was Mike calling back.
“What?”Lincoln barked into the phone.
“Well, now, that ishorriblephone etiquette.”
He recognized his older brother’s voice. “What do want, Luc?”
“Well, I don’t want shit now, grumpy ass.”
“Good. I’ll call you back.”
He was about to hang up, but Lucas kept talking.
“Okay, fine. Maybe by the time you call me back, I won’t have forgotten where Donatella is.”
Lincoln clenched the cell phone. “Donatella? Luc, you know—”
Click.
“Hello? Luc?”
You Motherfucker!
