“Why am I not surprised,” I snorted, stood, and walked over to the window. “Let me guess. Drive-by shootout. No leads.” During my stint as a TRA agent, I’d seen that MO so often, I’d quit questioning the obvious until shit hit the fan in my backyard.
“I understand your skepticism, Gabe, but we need you in on this.” Sam massaged his brow and for the first time, I noticed just how tired he looked. Dark circles under his eyes hinted at a lack of sleep yet the look in his eyes said a lot more. He was into his early sixties and damn good at his job which was why they still kept him on and probably looking for a replacement. I didn’t have to ask to know he viewed me and my experience as a potential candidate.
“Why? Is this to test if I’m still capable as a TRA agent?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You’re an independent and you know I respect that. Given the mole situation, I’d rather have you working this than a rookie agent. It’s critical.”
Rubbing my jaw, I nodded then frowned. “If the FBI and CIA know Nathaniel is a terrorist, human trafficker and he’s on his way here, why not just arrest him? Why bring us on board?”
“It’s not a simple open and shut case,” Kat answered, her intelligent eyes on me. “We need to know why he’s on his way here. There must be something huge in play to bring out the big dog himself.”
Sam stood and rolled his shoulders. “It also means that Nathaniel has accomplices here that we know nothing about which poses the question. What are they up to? What’s their end game? And who’s their target. Declan did some digging and located a friend with ties to Nathaniel. We figured if we could get you introduced to Nathaniel as his fall guy, we might have an eye on the prize, and they won’t even know it.”
My brow creased. “Why would Nathaniel take me, someone, he doesn’t know, on as his fall guy.”
“Because.” Sam pulled in a deep breath and somehow, I knew what was coming. “Nathaniel’s known to do a thorough background on all his people—”
“And you’re hoping my fallout with the government will make it seem like I have a hidden agenda for revenge.” I scoffed, shaking my head. Would that shit ever leave me the fuck alone?
“That’s only if we can figure out what Nathaniel’s after, right?” Declan asked as if sensing my irritation.
“I’m not using you, Gabe.” Sam ignored Declan’s question. “Out of all the TRA agents I’ve trained, you’re the best and I was sorry I had to lose you because of fuck-ups I had no hand in. Easton had us all fooled.” He knew because I vouched for Easton to join me on that mission, the knock was harder on me. “Katarina and Declan are excellent at what they do but they’re nowhere near as good a quick-thinking field agent as you are. That means I’ll have to bring in others and I’d prefer not to. So, if you want out, there’s the door but know this, you can always trust me to have your six. I’ve never let you down once.” He gave a resigned sigh and lowered himself back to his seat. I said nothing for the moment.
“Does he have immunity?” Declan lazed back in his chair, switching his gaze between Sam and Kat.
“He does.” As if she were expecting me to scoff, she was quick to add. “Only if his visit is purely family related. Not even social. Word is, he has a sister here and probably his reason for a family visit.”
“So how do we play this?” I went back to my chair and sat, knowing I’d probably regret my actions later.
Sam’s smile was slight, a silent communication that he was happy with my decision to stay on. “Surveillance for now. Find out who he’s meeting and get whatever intel we can on this sister that isn’t on any file we have. Probably a ruse but I’m not taking any chances. Declan will arrange the meet with his friend. Once you’re in Nathaniel’s circle, we decide our next steps,” he clarified. “The quicker we nip this in the bud the better.”
“There’s no guarantee he’ll take me.” I cocked a brow.
“I have fate in your fuck-up.” Declan snorted a laugh, making me smile at his usual immaturity. At my smirk, Kat rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I can create some shit on the dark net which would give them more fodder for believing you’re the right man for whatever shit they have going down.”
Sam nodded his agreement. As a tech genius of note, Declan was ace up on some of the ‘most wanted’ hackers. Difference was, he belonged on the TRA’s payroll.
“Plus, this guy I know, he’s Italian mafia. He and his brother have done business with Nathaniel before,” Declan added.
“Should I even ask how you know people in the Italian mafia?” I gave Declan some serious eyeballing. While we’d agreed that he’ll work for the TRA, in front of the computer was his fieldwork.
“Chill, bro.” He grinned. “The dude saved my ass once when some guys got a little handsy with his sister at a nightclub. I tried to help her but there were too many assholes for my skilled brain to compute. The guy rocked up out of nowhere and fucked the shit out of them just before they were about to cook my goose.”
I shook my head, having warned him to never try using his TRA skills outside of the office especially when still in training. “Fine, arrange the meet as soon as you can.” I turned my attention to Sam. “If we’re going in because of a mole, who do we trust.” I chewed my bottom lip. He was accustomed to my vigilance.
“We trust no one, tell no one. Until we have Nathaniel and his accomplices secured, the usual TRA code applies. I’ll be reporting directly to the president on this. He’s not taking biochemical warfare with a pinch of salt.”
“And human trafficking?” Kat grimaced already anticipating Sam’s response.
“You and I both know that’s an ongoing battle, Kat. If we get Nathaniel on the biochemical warfare, it alleviates him as a human trafficker. A case of two birds, one stone. But, he’s probably got a hundred men if not more under his command, waiting to take over.” Sam ran a hand through his more salt than pepper hair with a soft sigh. “I don’t claim to have all the answers and I can’t promise that we won’t come under fire like the other agencies but what we have going for us, is the ability to take risks the others won’t. Once we find out more about his organization, the easier our job becomes at nailing the sons of bitches without recourse.”
Sam was right. The rules of engagement didn’t apply to TRA as they did with the other agencies. While everyone believed the government conformed to strict measures, there were two attributes to the defense force. One where everything was visible to the country and its people. The legitimate agencies and institutions whose work was recognized and appreciated. The agencies made visible by their suited agents or designated uniforms. Where medals of honor were highly respected.
Then there were the TRA—tactical rouge agents—who worked in anonymity, going above and beyond. No uniform, no formal dress code, no designation, and only one agenda. National security at any cost. Agents were trained to prepare for every possible scenario, including fatal surrender when captured. Living a life steeped in danger and death as your bedfellow. Most survived and the few that couldn’t, no one heard from them again. Giving up your identity was a norm you grew into because the chances of being caught were high considering the risks the agent took.
And above all else, the possibility of being framed, held accountable for wrongs you didn’t initiate but were instructed to execute, and having your superiors turn their backs on you when you needed them most, was a probability. I had firsthand experience of that.
Now, I killed at my own peril and my own price. My current kill or be killed attitude pissed off a lot of people on both sides of the law, but it also made me friends with some shady characters who would be serving time if I was still a government agent. As long as I got to play when I wanted, I didn’t give a fuck. I excelled at playing cat and mouse with agents who’d tried to get me arrested with no luck and probably why Sam wanted me on board.
