Black Ops Brotherhood: Tightrope Part 17

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"No. You won't," she said, pus.h.i.+ng at him.

"Give me one good reason why I wouldn't."

"You're the one that likes to be tied up, remember?"

"You keep talking dirty to me like that, and you won't go anywhere today."

He stifled her giggle with a kiss while she rubbed his ever-increasing erection.

"Hold that thought," she said, pus.h.i.+ng him away and picking up her bag. Since he'd opened up to her about his needs, she'd responded in kind and let herself be herself. She was a natural, and at times like this, her dominant nature radiated off of her.

Dan went with her to the shelter, and they finished up within a couple of hours. The computers at the shelter were acting up, so he'd found something he could do while she was busy with Roscoe, the pit bull. Afterward, they went into Bisbee to eat at Dan's favorite pizza place. The day took a turn when they received an unexpected visitor.

"Danny!" Sylvia slid into the seat next to him. She snaked her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "It's a surprise seeing you here."

Glancing toward Rio, he didn't miss her expression when she turned away. Attempting to unwrap himself from Sylvia's clutches and get away, he cleared his throat. "Yeah, it's a surprise to see you, too. We're eating lunch and talking."

"Oh, hi, Rio. I didn't see you there."

Rio smiled and nodded. Knowing her as well as he did, she was p.i.s.sed. She'd been busting his b.a.l.l.s about Sylvia since they'd started a relations.h.i.+p, and he'd been constantly rea.s.suring her he had nothing for Sylvia. This situation wasn't helping his plight.

"I saw you're on the list for the reunion. I'm looking forward to catching up with you." Sylvia paused and looked at Rio. "Too bad you opted out. It would've been fun."

An uncomfortable silence came over them as they both stared at Sylvia. Thankfully, she took the hint and excused herself. He glanced at Rio and knew she fumed with anger and jealousy. The heat of it radiated across the table. He wanted to ask her if she was still resolute in her decision not to attend the reunion. Instead, he opted to let Sylvia's flirtation and Rio's possessive nature do the dirty work for him. He could almost bet the house there would be no way she would leave him in Sylvia's clutches.

"Babe..."

Dan recalled Rio's temper as she glared at him across the table. She was slow to anger, but when she got there, she could be h.e.l.l to deal with. Sylvia and this incident might've provoked and pushed her too far.

"I hate that b.i.t.c.h."

Gavin mentally ticked off the long list of items he had to discuss with the captain to bring him up to speed on the investigation and propose a new idea he'd been developing while in Arizona. When he arrived, he detailed the investigation regarding the terrorists that had been captured.

"Dixie and JJ have taken a big interest in what's going on down there. They've got someone watching Montenegro for us. We should start getting intel in a few weeks," Captain O'Malley said.

"Montenegro's in deep with our buddy from Pakistan, and those EMPs we found, prove it. This is about to get ugly again. I think Dixie's got the right instincts on this one."

"I think so, too. How's Dan's relations.h.i.+p with the people down there?"

"Pretty good. He's a likable guy, and everyone seems to be fond of him just like here. He's got some good connections in the CBP."

"Do you think keeping him there with a team to run recon in and out of Sonora would be a good idea, or should I get someone else?"

"He won't be able to lay low, and that place is crawling with the cartel. On the up side, if we need to use the CBP, he's familiar with them. They'll be helpful with intel on how that cartel operates down there."

"Have they been helpful?"

"Very."

"I'm worried about him staying down and out of sight. He just got back from an op in Sonora. I don't need anyone recognizing him. I'll get Shaq on the mission planning and we'll start laying the groundwork for operations. When you get back there, tell him to work with Friday on setting up a base of operations in that area, then I'll bring him back here. Tell them to stay low-key and undercover."

"I have an idea. And part of it involves getting out of the CBP building. I need someplace more secure. Can we use Fort Huachuca? It's not that far away," Gavin asked.

The captain's eyes lit up as he leaned forward in his chair. "I'll work on getting that set up. It's a perfect cover since they have an electronic warfare proving ground there."

"I figured it would be since that's where the Joint Interoperability Test Command is located. All things computer go through there first. It's a good fit for Dan because everyone thinks he works IT."

"That's genius, Bada.s.s. Now I remember why I keep you around. Tell him their cover story is they're testing some new systems, and he volunteered because it's close to home."

"Rock, I have another idea involving the CBP that I want to talk with you about. I'd like to add them to our reserve team."

Gavin laid out his plan and watched Rock's body language as he sat back, listening. He wanted to add a K-9 group headed by Rio Jensen. He liked what he saw from the fiery CBP agent. She was methodical, well versed in law enforcement techniques and, from what he'd seen, seemed to be able to command as well as earn the respect of her unit. She was also pretty d.a.m.n tough and willing to get back at it after taking a hit. He needed that kind of person helping him with the task force. Rock kept quiet for a long time. The silence made him uncertain about what the captain would do.

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?" Rock finally asked.

"No, I want to use these dogs for finding anything we lay out for them. I think it would cut down on our sweep time, and I know this can work, Rock. Agent Jensen trained dogs to find those sorts of devices when she was in the military. Dan told me she found some in Iraq, and I've confirmed it. So if she can train them to find those devices, I'm sure she can train them to find anything."

"That would mean I'd need to create another slot for her. I'm not sure I can do that right now."

"I really think we should consider this. I have five reserve slots open, and one of them is an E-7."

"That's a chief's slot. What branch was she in?"

"Air Force. She was an E-5. With a little time, I think she can make chief. h.e.l.l, Dan and Alex are sitting in commander slots."

"Dan will meet the boards by the end of the year, and with his fitness reports and Dixie's recommendation, he'll make lieutenant commander easily by this time next year. And if Doc hadn't f.u.c.ked around for all those years, he'd already be 0-4 and probably looking at 0-5. She'd better be able to make rank if I can swing this, because if she doesn't, that would require one h.e.l.l of an explanation on my part. I'm not inclined to put my a.s.s on the line for an unknown element. Have Mac check her service and CBP records."

"Thanks."

"That's not a yes. That's an I-need-to-think-about-this."

"You're not the only one going out on a limb. I'm talking to my boss on Tuesday before I go back to Phoenix, and I'll ask him to appoint her to the task force that I'm running right now. I think this would be a good fit to our mission. We don't have CBP right now, and it's the one agency we need. They know how these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds coming in and out of the country operate."

The captain sat back in his chair and looked at the wall behind Gavin. He understood the risk he asked Rock to take. The reserve unit they were building had been designed to be a liaison between other federal agencies. Having federal agents within the unit allowed the SEALs to operate within the United States. By having agencies such as FBI, ATF, DEA, and now, hopefully, CBP, they could have better reach within the federal government. It was well known that even though most of these agencies were supposed to be working together and everything should be seamless, they still had their own way of doing things.

What each one of these reservists brought to the table was the knowledge of how to maneuver within the tangled bureaucracies of each of their respective agencies. His reserve unit had become effective in utilizing the individuals that worked within each of these agencies. Now, they were able to get paperwork done in half the time and effort as well as gain their cooperation. He prayed that the captain would find it within his budget and advantage to bring Agent Jensen on board along with a few canines to aid in this effort. Having worked with dogs before, he'd used them effectively on several operations. He knew from experience that dogs could often detect what most people would walk past without a backward glance.

"I want to see how this works."

"I know it works, Rock. And you and I have both seen it work."

"I'm not convinced that these dogs can find those devices."

"They've done it before, and Agent Jensen was the one who found them."

"You've made your case, Bada.s.s. I need to see how this works and how I can justify it."

"She'll have to move from Arizona to San Antonio to do reserve duty and to serve on the task force. I need to make her an offer, Rock."

"Let me think about it and talk to Dixie. I'll get back to you before you go back."

The seed had been planted, and he felt positive that he'd get what he was asking for because Rock hadn't said no right away. The captain wasn't afraid to try new things, and he certainly wasn't afraid to make waves. Agent Jensen would be joining their reserve unit along with her dog Schotzie. Now he needed to convince his FBI boss to appoint her to his regional task force. Then he needed to convince her to leave Arizona and join Special Warfare Group 5 as a Navy reservist.

Chapter 14.

Cochise County Sheriff's Department Bisbee, Arizona July 2, 2010/0002 Zulu "Sheriff Wright? I have something you ought to see before I send them out," his front desk deputy said.

The sheriff took the folder and flipped through the three pages inside. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Call all three of them in here, and tell them I want to see them in ten minutes."

"Seth's off today, sheriff."

"Tell him he's got ten minutes to get here or he's fired. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Sheriff Wright sat back in his chair and decided to make a quick phone call before his three wayward deputies arrived.

"Wes? I need to talk to you in about an hour. I'll meet you at your office," he said shortly and then quickly ended the call.

Within ten minutes, the three men he needed to see were standing in front of him. He wasn't a quick-tempered man, but this time, things had gone too far. He'd had a steady stream of complaints involving Jax and Paul, but Seth had been a model deputy. To see Seth involved in something like this was a major disappointment. He depended on Seth to keep the other two dumba.s.ses in line and out of trouble, especially Jax. He handed the three men their individual restraining orders.

"I'm putting all three of you on a one-week suspension without pay and probation for a year. If I get a single complaint in this office about any of you in the next twelve months, I will fire you. Do you understand?"

"What the h.e.l.l is this? Make her stop!" Jax yelled and threw the paper down on the sheriff's desk.

Sheriff Wright flew out of his chair and around his desk. He planted himself squarely in front of Jax.

"Let me tell you what the h.e.l.l this is, dumba.s.s! This is your get-out-of-jail-free card. You're f.u.c.king lucky they haven't thrown you in prison for conspiring to kidnap a federal agent, yet. Don't f.u.c.k with me, or I'll fire you all!" the sheriff yelled. The three men fell silent. "Jax, I've turned a blind eye to all your bulls.h.i.+t since you came on board, but you three have gone too d.a.m.n far this time. Stay the h.e.l.l away from Rio Jensen. If I hear that you've violated that restraining order, I'll not only fire you, I'll arrest you myself!"

"But-" Jax started.

"But nothing! There is no but. She's obviously not feeling the love, Jax. Quit f.u.c.king with her! It's over! Do you understand me?" Jax said nothing. "Do you understand?" the sheriff growled.

"Yes, sir," Jax said with a sulk.

"Sheriff, if I may, sir..." Seth said.

"What?" the sheriff asked with a snarl.

"Jax and I have been friends as long as I can remember, but I'm cutting the ties right now. I don't want any part of this. I like and need my job, and I sure as h.e.l.l don't want to go to prison over something I tried to stop," Seth said looking at the other two men.

"What do you mean? Something you tried to stop?" He narrowed his gaze at Seth.

"I told them they were crossing the line when this first came up at St. Elmo's, and I didn't want any part of this. They went ahead anyway. I've tried to be loyal, but I have a family to think about now."

"Did he tell you two that?" the sheriff demanded.

"Yeah, but I didn't think she'd get mad. It was a joke," Jax said defensively.

The sheriff took a step backward.

"A joke? You almost got her killed!"

The level of stupidity in this room was unbelievable. This incident went beyond Jax being spoiled, and the sudden thought that popped into his head made him pause. Jax had to have something seriously wrong with him, or someone else had pulled the strings.

"Jax, I'm only telling you this once, so pay careful attention. Stay. Away. From. Rio Jensen. She's not interested in you. In fact, it's pretty d.a.m.ned obvious that she doesn't even like you. If I find out you've gone anywhere near her, I don't give a s.h.i.+t if it's by accident, I will arrest you, and I will have you thrown in jail. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Jax said.

The sheriff turned to Paul James. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," PJ snapped.

"You two leave, and I don't want to see your sorry a.s.ses here for a week. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Jax and PJ said.

"You"-he pointed to Seth-"sit." Addressing himself to Jax and PJ he said, "You two are dismissed."

The two men walked out of his office, and he closed the door behind them. He walked around to his desk, took a seat, and looked squarely at Seth.

"I want to know every f.u.c.king detail of what you know. If I find out you're lying to me, I will fire you and make your life as miserable as I can. Now, how the h.e.l.l did this start?"

Nacho sat back in his chair as he received his weekly update on operations across Sonora. The large s.p.a.cious conference room on the second floor of his three-story house rivaled any Fortune 500 office in Mexico. The floor had several office suites and sixty professional-level employees that came to work every day. There were state-of-the-art computer systems and some of the best technicians and system administrators in Mexico. Accountants, attorneys, and business professionals filled the offices on the second floor. Adjacent to the conference room at the end of the hallway, stood his office. Billions of dollars in a.s.sets were handled out of his house. Organized crime, after all, was still a business.

"We've managed to find a couple of weak spots along, here, here, and here," his field commander said, pointing to a large map projected on the wall.

"Have we been successful in guessing the rotation of the officers?" Nacho asked.

"We're getting a better idea. With the amount of cargo and people we're sending across, their lines are beginning to weaken slightly, and we're discovering some weak points, as I said." He pointed to the map again.