The Veteran

Chapter Fifteen

The police cruisers pulled in behind us and crossed the road bumper-to-bumper to prevent us from running. One of them approached from behind the car with his weapon drawn and screamed at Diego.

"Driver, out of the car. Passenger, stay where you are."

Diego opened the door and stepped out, raising his hands above his head.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your head and back up slowly to me." Diego did as he was instructed, and the cop put the handcuffs on him and lowered him to the ground. In the rearview mirror, the other police officer crept up my side of the car.

"Passenger, open the door slowly and step out," the other cop shouted, his gun pointed in my direction. I hoped these guys didn't have itchy trigger fingers; I didn't feel like dying today.

I opened the door and stepped from the car with my hands raised.

He instructed me to put my hands behind my head and walk backward to him, which I did. I felt the cold steel of the cuff surround my wrist, and my arm was wrenched behind my back and the other cuff attached. I was forced to my knees, by a kick to the back of my legs. This guy was an asshole. He pushed me forward with his foot to my back, and with nothing to brace myself, I fell flat on my face, bloodying my nose. He rolled me over and looked at my face.

"Holy shit, Bob, look what we have here. This looks like the guy from the all-points bulletin. Damn, if we didn't get lucky," he said as he kicked me in the ribs with his steel-toed boot.

Diego and I were dragged and thrown into the backseat of separate cars.

The deputies drove us to the jail, and we were both booked; me on two counts of murder, and Diego on harboring a fugitive and interfering with a police officer in the performance of his duties. This wasn't going well, worse than I expected.

The sheriff came into the holding area and informed me they had a clear picture of my face on camera and my clothing and features matched the photo from the parking lot. They didn't have my weapon and wouldn't be able to match ballistics. Diego, on the other hand, might have stood a chance until they informed him they had found his cache of weapons and explosives, many of them unregistered class III firearms, and explosives for military use which were illegal to possess. Additional charges would be filed. The sheriff told him the ATF had been informed and the FBI was on their way due to an ongoing investigation. Now the feds were involved, and it looked bleak. They had confiscated everything. At that moment, I didn't see any way out of it.

We sat in the holding cells for almost eight hours and then I was cuffed and moved to an interrogation room. Five minutes later, in walked Agent Harper.

"Mr. Hunter, I would say it's nice to see you, but it appears you've gotten yourself into some trouble. People tend to frown on murder in their jurisdiction."

"I gathered that by the cuffs and jail."

"I thought we had an agreement. You were supposed to tell me where you were. I'm here because of an APB on you for two murders. You're not doing a lot to instill trust. I've been more than helpful, considering, and now I have to come here to find you in this predicament."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've been a little busy, people trying to kill me. That sort of stuff."

"What it looks like to me is you killed those two BelyyaPrava in cold blood. The report shows their weapons weren't fired, and residue all over the car from another weapon, which we haven't found yet. Doesn't look like self-defense."

"Sure, whatever you say, Phil. I have nothing to say on the matter."

"John, you knew I was conducting an official investigation into the BelyyaPrava and Russian mafia. We knew they were the ones who tried to kill you back at your home, but you really fucked up here. Regardless of what happened before, and as much as I would like to help you out here, killing those two men does not sit well with the local authorities or the FBI. We can't have vigilantes running around meting out justice however they see fit."

"They came after my family. They were waiting for us, but I probably shouldn't say any more."

"That may well be the case, but there was no sign of any attack on you, and the footage shows you approaching their car and driving around the back of the store. The rest we can assume, even if it's only circumstantial. Regardless, you murdered those two men, and now you're going to be charged."

He was right. They hadn't tried to attack me, and I struck first. I didn't have a lot of options, and I had jeopardized my family and Diego, leaving no one to watch over Mary and the boys. I was sure she was worried sick, not knowing what was happening to me.

"At this point, it's probably best if I don't say anything more to you. I appreciate you wanting to help, even though your hands are tied. I guess I'll have to lawyer up."

"Is there anything else you can tell me about them or BelyyaPrava?" he asked.

"Sorry, Agent Harper. They've been trying to kill my family and me, and I was not going to let that happen. They are more than likely responsible for burning down Diego's warehouse, and now he sits in jail because of me. I think I've done enough damage for one day."

"If that's the route you want to take, you're going back to your cell, and there's nothing more I can do for you. I'll tell the sheriff. If you can think of anything else, tell the Sheriff to contact me. Good luck." He turned to leave the room.

I sat there pondering what I was going to do next. I hoped Global was watching over Mary and the boys, but with me up on murder charges, remaining a viable asset might not last very long and they disposed of their liabilities. The deputies moved me back to the holding cell. Diego was in the adjoining cell.

"Hey, amigo. Did they grill you pretty hard in there?"

"Nah, I'm alright. Just the standard 'you're in deep shit, and we can't help you' talk. I think I'm going to need an attorney, Diego. I don't think anyone can make this one go away."

"Probably not, amigo. As the feds are involved, the FBI and ATF will be breathing down my neck. We'll figure something out. We have to, for Mary and the boys' sake."

I nodded and couldn't think of a single way out. I didn't believe even Global could help me out of this one, even with all the pull they had.

***

Almost two weeks had passed since that day at the convenience store, and now I sat in jail wanted for two counts of murder. They hadn't attacked me. Agent Harper was right. I had executed them. It was a preemptive attack on my part, and I didn't bat an eyelash at doing it. I justified it in my head like I had done every other time, except this wasn't combat. This wasn't a mission, and I wasn't sanctioned to do any of this. Mary was right. I had changed.

Everything hit me like a brick wall and slumped to the floor. I had gone back to my past, justified everything I had done, and kept doing more. I was a killer like Mary had said. I was no good to her now and would lose her and the kids if someone didn't take them from me.

I had failed them.

I didn't sleep well, dark dreams invading my sleep. I dreamed of Mary and the boys, dead at my hands, covered in blood and then came the faces, starting with the Russians. It was always the faces, like a movie was playing on endless loop in my head. It didn't matter what I justified in my conscious mind. The unconscious mind knows the truth and reveals it with brutality, without compassion, and they still haunted me. It never went away, and all I wanted to do was crawl into a little hole and die. That would've been much easier for everyone.

I was jolted awake by Diego calling my name, "John, John. JOHN," he yelled.

I sat up and looked at him wide-eyed. "What?"

"Dude, you were screaming in your sleep."

I felt like I hadn't slept at all. The deputy was kind enough to bring in some coffee and a muffin for both of us. Even though everyone knew I had killed two pretty bad guys and rid this earth of a few more problems, there was no justification. The law works the way the law works. Regardless of what they had done in their past, I wasn't the judge, jury, or executioner and would pay for my crimes.

A few hours passed, and the sheriff informed us our attorney had arrived. That was odd. I didn't have an attorney, and neither did Diego. We both stared at each other but said didn't say a word.

We were led to an interrogation room and cuffed to the table. A few minutes later, in walked a man in a suit carrying a briefcase. He introduced himself as John Zimmerman, Attorney at Law, and he would be representing us. We were both a little shocked at this revelation as neither one of us had an attorney, and this guy looked like we couldn't afford him, especially after the sheriff had confiscated the briefcase with almost $100,000 in it.

"No offense, Mr. Zimmerman, but I don't know you and didn't hire you."

"That would be correct, Mr. Hunter. You didn't. A friend did, and I'm to represent you both."

Diego sat there and didn't say a word.

"Let me continue. An interested party has put a lot of money into this operation and doesn't like to have the apple cart upset. This is how we're going to handle this."

"You are working deep cover for the federal government, which we have established credentials for you in certain agencies, and you will be released this afternoon after the sheriff, FBI and ATF verify the story. You weren't allowed to break cover, even following an arrest, to keep the bad guys from discovering your true identity. We couldn't risk you going to jail and losing you as an asset, so we pulled the operation. Of course, because of your cover being blown, you will have to 'disappear.' As far as Mr. Montoya is concerned, we are prepared to, should he accept, offer a similar arrangement as we have offered you, but with the understanding that, as you stated before, you choose who you get to work for and with. You have done well without our resources thus far and have impressed the right people, Mr. Hunter. There are no other options."

I sat there and stared at Diego, and we both knew we had one choice. We were both sure it was Global without saying a word and accepted.

"So, what next?"

"I will handle the details with the other agencies and the sheriff. Once you are released, you will have all your belongings returned to you. Mr. Montoya, I regret we can't replace your warehouse. However, your weapons and explosives will be returned. I would highly advise you to abandon the farm idea as it is no longer a safe location. You will be compensated fairly for your inconvenience."

Global was the only organization we knew could have pulled this off. They had their fingers in everyone's pockets, except the Russian mafia, and if I were still a valued asset to Nataliy Michenkov, I would be their finger in that too. Getting to Mary and the boys was my first concern. We hadn't spoken in almost 24 hours, and I'm sure she was going nuts.

A few hours passed, and we were released, and our belongings returned, including the briefcase and all the money, as he said would happen. They brought Diego's car to the front of the station and inside were all his weapons, even the explosives. He shouldn't have been able to keep them, but someone with a lot of pull had made this happen. As we were leaving the station, Agent Harper approached us and pulled me aside, "John, I don't know how you pulled this off, but I don't like it. Nobody walks away from a murder charge or federal weapons charges that easily."

"Ya know, Agent Harper, it's amazing what a good lawyer can do," I said, and I walked away. I hoped this guy would not become a problem in the future.

As soon as we left, I checked my phone. There were fifteen missed calls from Mary and two from Nataliy. I called Mary first.

"John, where have you been. I've been worried sick." her voice trembled

"We ran into a little problem. Someone burned down Diego's farm, and we spent a night in jail. I don't want to say anything else over the phone. I'll tell you when I see you, but we're ok."

"They what? Why were you in jail?"

"We don't know who, but somebody burned his barn and car warehouse to the ground. His house is still standing but heavily damaged. It's a long story, and I'll tell you everything later. I need to know where you are and what's going on."

"We're on our way to you. We left about 10 minutes ago. They walked into the room and told us there had been an incident and we were leaving."

I suspected it was either the farm or me and Diego getting arrested. Either way, she was safe. The Global team was bringing them to me, but we didn't have a plan. We had to formulate one now.

It didn't take long for the satellite phone to ring. "Hello, Mr. Hunter."

"Mr. Jones. Hold on one minute."

"Mary, I have Global on the other phone. I'll call you when I know something,"

"Mr. Jones. What's the situation?"

Every time this guy called, I imagined him sitting in a high-backed leather chair, in a study, surrounded by walls of books, smoking a pipe. If he had a British accent, he could've been Sherlock Holmes with his manner of speech.

"I hope things are well now. That was quite the predicament you were in. Fortunately, a good attorney always proves useful, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, but I'm curious as to who got us out of jail."

"Let me interrupt you, Mr. Hunter. Global officially was not involved, although we did grease the wheels a little to help. There is another entity interested in you, and we are going to let things happen as they have with as little interference as possible. We will continue with our previous agreement unless there are any objections. We are quite pleased with how the events have transpired. It works for what we have planned. We will be in contact." The line went dead.

Either he was lying, or it was someone else. If not Global, then who?

I doubted it was the Russians. They would've never had me use a cover story, working as an undercover agent, and they wouldn't have the pull to bail me out of jail, not with murder charges, to which I was guilty. If my gut was correct, it was Global, and Jones was lying to me. The big question was why.

We drove to a local motel where we rented a room to do some planning.

Talking to Nataliy was next on my list.

My family needed to be somewhere safe, and we sat down to discuss our options. We had quite a bit of cash available and could purchase or rent some property, but we were limited to our resources on time and availability.

I looked at Diego and then it both hit us, and we said, "Viktor."

I called, and he answered. "You call, my friend? At least it, not four years this time."

"Viktor, we have a lot to talk about, and we need to meet. Is your line safe?"

"No, but I will fix that problem. I call you back in one hour."

I called Mary, and she answered on the first ring.

"What's going on, John?"

"Listen very carefully. I need to get you somewhere safe, and we don't have a lot of options. Diego's farm isn't safe, and we can't take the chance with them knowing about your parents' place."

"I think I might have a solution, but you're going to have to trust me."

"Go on."

"My grandparents had a piece of property in Alabama that my parents now own. Do you remember me telling you about it?"

"The farm. Right?"

"Yeah, that's it. My grandfather built a house on the property, and away from everything. Not a whole lot of people know about it, and it's secluded enough."

"But is it going to be safe?"

"As safe as anywhere else. We can stay there until this blows over. We can have one of our family friends bring us what we need so we won't have to go into town."

"Ok. I think we can work with this, but I'm going to call Viktor and ask him to stay with you until we figure out something."

"Is that really necessary, John. I think we'll be fine on our own. If no one knows where we are, they can't do anything."

I sensed the frustration in her voice.

"I know, but I need to make sure someone with the training can help you if you need it. I don't trust many people, and your dad thinks he can protect you, but you've seen what these people are capable of. They don't play around and will do anything to get to me."

She exhaled. "Ok, but I can tell you now, my dad isn't going to like it. I'll handle him. I'll send you the directions because it's hard to get to, even with the internet maps."

"I'll call you after I talk to Viktor and arrange for him to meet with you. Go ahead and start that way and keep me posted where you are."

I turned to Diego and asked, "What do you think?"

"Sounds kinda risky, but like you said, we don't have a whole lot of options at this point. Maybe she's right, amigo. It's as close to off the grid as they can get, and they'll be hard to find."

Diego and I both agreed if Viktor went along with this, we might have this option. Viktor was safe from the Russians, now that I was in good with them, but I still needed to talk to Nataliy. That was going to be a tough phone call to make. I decided to bite the bullet and call him.

He answered. "John Hunter, my friend. I hope you have rested well."

"Hello Nataliy, I wish I could say that, but we have had a few problems, and we need to meet to talk about them. Over the phone is bad."

"John Hunter, the last time I met with you, I was almost killed, but thanks to you, I still live. If we are to meet, you must come to me."

"Nataliy, I have my friend Diego here with me, and he can be trusted like I am. I would need to bring him with me."

"If he is trusted friend of yours, he is friend of Nataliy. Bring him. You will bring limo back to me, yes?"

"About that. That's part of the problem. Someone bugged the SUV and tracked me down. I won't use it. It's parked at the airport in the parking garage."

"What you mean, bug?"

"I mean someone has put some type of device on your vehicle to track it and they almost killed me in the process. Diego's farm is ruined and no longer safe, so we have a rental car for transportation. I don't trust many people, Nataliy."

"Trust is hard thing, John Hunter. I will send men to come get you. Give me location?"

I provided him with our location with the caveat he would send one person who he trusted and to tell no one else. He said he would send someone there within five hours. We would know him by code name Stradivarius, the violin.

We waited for Viktor's call, and he was right on time. I told him everything that had transpired with Global, Nataliy, getting arrested, the BelyyaPrava and the farm.

He was shocked we were still alive but said he would help if he didn't have to deal with the Russians. They had left a bad taste in his mouth, and I understood. I promised to keep his involvement with the Russians as little as possible but reminded him it could still happen. That, he could accept. Now to wait for Stradivarius.