The Escape (John Puller, #3)(88)

“A good soldier never stops learning.”

She snuggled back into her seat again and shut her eyes. “Did you read the letter your father had written?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And it’s made me understand that none of us are who we appear to be. Now get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get close.”

A few minutes later her breathing became regular and her arms slid to her sides.

The rain picked up and so did the wind. Puller had a job keeping the car straight on the highway but managed it with both of his big hands clamped around the wheel.

Once they were past the worst of it, his mind could wander from the demands of driving in a storm to the written words of a three-star fighting legend who was supposed to have lost his mind at a VA hospital.

If Puller Sr. had meant everything that he had written in that letter maybe there was hope.

For all of them.

And he wanted his brother to be able to read those words.

He wanted that very much.

It could make up for a lot. Perhaps, even in an imperfect world, it could make up for just about everything.





CHAPTER





46



AS THEY APPROACHED the D.C. area a little over six hours later, Puller woke Knox by gently nudging her in the side. She came to as he would, calm, alert, and ready to go, or pull the trigger, as the case might be.

“It didn’t occur to me,” he said. “Where are you staying?”

“You can drop me at the W Hotel downtown. It’s centrally located. I’ve stayed there before.”

“Right near the White House. You going to have a powwow with the president?”

“It’s not on my schedule for today, no.”

Puller glanced sharply at her. The way she said it, she seemed serious.

“The W it is.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“Heading to Quantico to get some fresh clothes and other stuff I might need. And to check in.”

“I’m going to do the same at the hotel.”

“So how will they take the fact that you’ve shot two people and killed one?”

“I think they’ll take it rather well considering the alternative. But I know I’m going to have a roomful of forms to file. And I’ll have to go back to North Carolina and Kansas to deal with it at some point.”

“I’m hoping they can find the guy you shot in Charlotte.”

“Yeah, that would help. Maybe he’s lying dead in some other alley down there.” She added sarcastically, “They can do another follicle test. If there’s ice there, he might be from Alaska. Or maybe Siberia.”

Puller’s phone buzzed again. He checked the screen while they were stopped at a red light. He slipped it back into his pocket.

“Anything important?”

“General Rinehart and Mr. Schindler want to meet.”

“Where?”

“They came back east too. Dinner at the Army-Navy Club downtown. Eight-thirty tonight. You up for it?”

“I don’t think they want to meet with me.”

“I don’t care if they do or not. You’re on my team. So you get to come and report in too.”

“I hear Rinehart can be a bear.”

“Any guy busting his hump for the fourth star can be a bear. I’ll need to get my dress blues. I can pick you up a little after eight and we can drive over together. Sound good?”

“Sounds good, Puller. And I’m flattered.”

“About what?”

“About being included on your team.”

He pulled up to the W Hotel and she climbed out and grabbed her bag from the trunk. She came around to his side of the car and motioned for him to roll down the window.

She leaned in and smiled coyly. “But then again, I always thought you were on my team.” She smacked him lightly on the cheek, turned, and sauntered into the hotel lobby.

Puller watched her every step of the way and then rolled the window back up and drove off.





He stopped by Quantico and met briefly with Don White, his CO. The man was not happy with the situation, particularly since he apparently knew Puller could not tell him everything.

“I know you’ve got a lot of juice behind you on this one, Puller. But my advice to you is to watch all points on the compass. If this turns into a disaster, and it might, fingers will be pointing so fast it’ll make your head spin.”

“Roger that,” Puller had said.

He had driven home thinking about this warning and the similar one that Shireen Kirk had given him. Nothing good could come out of this for him. But as smart as the woman was, she might be wrong about that.

I just might be able to get my brother back.

He called Rinehart’s office and got the okay for Knox’s attendance at the dinner. Then he caught up on some paperwork and checked in with the vet back at Fort Leavenworth to see how AWOL was doing.

“What can I say? The damn cat doesn’t seem to even know you’ve left her,” was the vet’s reply, and Puller could almost see the smile attached to this comment.

“Yeah, well, tell AWOL I love her too.”

He didn’t have a lot of time before he had to head back to D.C. for the dinner, but he put on his sweats and went for a run. Afterward, he walked back to his apartment, his tired muscles feeling good, the endorphins bumping up his spirits. He quickly showered and then sat in a towel on his bed going over the notes he’d collected over the last few days.