Shattered Lies (Web of Lies #3)(81)
“Sorry, sweetheart.” Birch looked grim for a moment. “We lost an agent and another is in the hospital, expected to make a full recovery. Grant was shot twice, but Dalton was able to stitch him up. Valeria sustained a knife wound that she described as a ‘wee little scratch.’” Tate smiled as Birch tried to imitate Valeria’s voice. “Manuel Hernandez is dead. We handed the body over to the Mexican president to claim a successful mission against drugs. Mexican authorities have raided all of Manuel’s compounds and will share with us everything they find. Roland Westwood is in custody and has already talked.”
Tate sucked in a breath. “Sebastian?” She knew how nervous he was about his best friend’s involvement.
“No, Bertie Geofferies, with recruiting assistance from the former first lady.” Tate grimaced at that news. It would be easier taking down the richest man in the world than a former first lady who recently lost her husband to cancer. And here she thought her job couldn’t get any harder.
“However, Sebastian knew more than he let on. We’re all meeting in Quantico tonight at nine, you included. Then I’m meeting with Sebastian at ten.”
Tate nodded her head. “I’m getting tons of questions about the stock market and the investigation.”
“Tell them we foresee the opening of the stock market shortly, but have no current statement due to the ongoing investigation. Tell them I have complete faith in the FBI to eventually track down those responsible for this cowardly act.”
“Sneaky,” Tate said, grinning. “Lull Geofferies into a false sense of security and then strike.”
“Exactly. Let’s hope it works.”
* * *
Lizzy checked in at the bar while Valeria and Grant put on fresh clothes. Janet and AG Knoll had taken a separate car with Alex and Roxie ahead of everyone else to make sure the room was clean and to set up the camera equipment. Dalton and Kirby had taken Roland and would also meet them there.
It was strange being back at the bar filled with laughing Marines after the long night in Mexico. Snip and Buzz didn’t ask questions, but did comment on how tired she looked. But the end was in sight. Revenge for her father’s death was at hand. One more big fish and then the rest would fall like dominos.
Lizzy, Grant, and Valeria met behind the bar and drove the short distance to the FBI training center in silence. They arrived as four other SUVs pulled up. One with Dalton and Kirby, and one with Birch, Tate, Humphrey, and some older guy with an old-time leather medical bag. The other two SUVs were filled with Secret Service agents who swarmed Birch the second his door opened.
The three of them went on ahead, knowing Birch would ditch his agents once inside the conference room. Sure enough, a couple minutes later only Birch, Tate, Humphrey, and the older man walked into the small conference room.
“I am so glad to see y’all!” Tate’s southern belle voice slipped out when she was emotional, and it made Lizzy and Valeria smile as they hugged her.
“Valeria, Grant, this is Dr. Wilson. He’s here to check you two out after we talk.”
Val and Grant shook his hand. “Thanks, Doc,” Grant said with a grimace. His pain level was obviously high.
“I’ll set up in one of the nearby rooms. Come see me as soon as you’re finished here.”
Dr. Wilson handed Grant what looked to be a lollipop. “Take a couple of licks on this now, but no more than half. You can have the other half after you finish your meeting,” he said of the painkilling lollipop. “It’s faster than morphine, and I can better control the dosage so you can still focus. So, no more than half. Got it?”
“Got it,” Grant tore open the lollipop and stuck it into his mouth with a sigh. “Thank you again, Doc.”
Dr. Wilson made his way out the door as the rest of the group hugged Tate, Birch, and Humphrey. Janet, Kirby, and Knoll looked on with interest. Knoll shook his head. “You have a fucking secret group of soldiers carrying out missions for you, don’t you?”
“Soldiers get paid, right?” Lizzy asked with a smile. “Because Birch hasn’t paid me anything. In fact, he told me straight out he wouldn’t do anything to help us.”
Knoll rolled his eyes. “Volunteers, is that what you’re going with?”
“Concerned citizens,” Lizzy said innocently.
“What they are doesn’t matter. When they went on the mission to Mexico, they were government agents with long records of service.”
“And those two,” Knoll said, looking to Grant and Dalton.
“Military rescue,” Humphrey responded, tossing what looked to be orders sending Major Cage and his pilot, Grant Macay, to evacuate an injured American agent.
“Okay, it’ll pass if they’re real.” Knoll sighed as he looked at the papers. Lizzy hid a smile as Humphrey sent a wink to Alex and Roxie.
But Dalton looked confused. “Major?” he mouthed to Humphrey who came over to them as Janet began talking.
“I might have fibbed when I said you were kicked out of the Air Force. You’ve been receiving pay the entire time and listed as reassigned to DC from the second I pulled you out of the jail in England.”
Lizzy didn’t know what Dalton’s reaction to be, but laughter wasn’t it. He thumped Humphrey on the back, sending his glasses sliding down his nose. “Good one, Humphrey. You got me there.”