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Mills said, “Psychological Operations. Winning hearts and minds.”
Kim nodded. “Sure. I’m pretty good at that. I’ve got a script for Michael and Nic, kind of a knockoff of some HGTV stars. If I can get a few pointers on SEO and hashtags, that would be awesome.” Michael and Nic pointed at each other, both mouthing “not me.”
Deb snickered and bumped her shoulder into Kim’s. “Sign me up. I love doing that stuff.” And if she got some tips, even better.
Michael said, “So, that definitely takes psyops. What’s our next move, operationally, especially Deb’s bakery? Taking out foot soldiers is a waste of time. There’s always more. How do we run our businesses and get Igor Koslov out of town for good?”
Wiz nodded. “The first part of that is psyops, too. I’ve put together a documentary-style video on Koslov. It still needs narration, but I’ve got a script. I was going to check with the feds, but since they’re not cooperating—” she glared at Trevor “—we’ll put it out tonight or tomorrow, and then we’ll push it on a bunch of internet boards along with social media. The preppers and both extremes of the political spectrum will love it, because it will give them a no-kidding bad guy to target. But Igor will push back. He’s given a lot of money to big-name charities just to kill these kinds of attacks. The other downside is we’re likely to find more people walking around armed in Marcus. Most of them are harmless, but there will be some who aren’t mentally stable, and most of them won’t consider things like collateral damage. They’ll be looking for trouble and trigger-happy, and they won’t consider what might be behind their target.”
“That’s why the FBI would prefer you not release anything like that.” Mills loosened his tie. “It often doesn’t end well for the people producing the video or those around them.”
Wiz sniffed. “It’s more that Koslov has a bunch of feds on his payroll. Don’t try to tell me otherwise—oh.” She huffed a laugh. “That’s why you’re here. That’s why you took the fall. The FBI is cleaning house and you’re one of the brooms.”
If Deb hadn’t been watching Trevor, she would have missed the split-second glare he shot at Wiz. She was scary smart. But she’d better remember Trevor was a rat, and clever like one, too.
“Okay. We’ll let you know most of what we’re doing, but not all of it.” Wiz raised her brows. “And you have no veto power, got it?”
Mills didn’t change expression. Compared to him, Sam’s face was a study in mixed emotions, until disbelief won. “I’m not buying it. Throw him out and let’s get on with planning.” She picked up her phone. “I’m closing my office and putting my assistant on paid leave. I’ll suggest she take a vacation somewhere else and I’ll work from here, if you don’t mind, Wiz.”
“No problem. The ranch and the neighbors have great internet too.” Wiz put her hand on Sam’s arm. “But Mills stays for now, sorry.”
Michael said, “If nothing else, we can feed info back through him. But back to our businesses. If the organization continues to ambush our projects, Acer Home Improvement is done for. No one will want us near their houses.”
Deb put a hand over her aching heart. He’d already taken so much time away protecting her.
“I don’t think they’ll try that again, Michael.” Nic shook his head. “Not when it failed so spectacularly. Unfortunately, we owe the homeowners windows and siding, now.”
Michael shrugged. “No big deal. The bigger problem is, we’re still targets. They’ll at least harass us, and we’ll have to replace a bunch of tires and radiator hoses.”
“I’ll set up surveillance on your trucks and projects to catch the petty criminals,” Wiz said. “Easy enough. Deb’s is harder. She can bake wedding cakes and other special orders here, but our kitchen doesn’t have enough capacity for large scale production.”
Oh, to be in her bakery, sweating from the heat, the scents of a dozen different spices making her head light. Her heart ached with the desire for home.
Kim tapped her phone. “Her big customers are starting to whine. They were supportive, and still are, but they also need stuff to sell. They’re going to other bakeries.” She pouted and blinked. “I’m sorry, Deb.”
She put a hand over her heart. Even though she’d expected something of the sort, the confirmation hurt. “I’m not entirely surprised. So, how do we get me back to work?” Deb tried to smile, but she was pretty certain no one was buying it.
Wiz turned to Pete. “Could the hands run the ranch next week?”
“Sure. I’m just the comic relief and since you rustled him, Tom’s more trouble than he’s worth.” Pete winked.
Wiz leveled her gaze on Michael. “How about you? Could you get free next week?”
Michael shrugged and pointed to Nic. “I don’t have a clue how my own business is running.”
Nic shot a glare at him. “Our business. Anyway, there’s a couple of things I’ll need help with, but yes, for the most part, I don’t need Michael. We can hire some part-timers or sub-contract if we have to.”
Michael nodded. “We’ve got some people we use for bigger jobs. We can call them in, but we’ll have to warn them what’s going on.”
“Of course.” Wiz put her tablet on the table. “I’ve already upgraded the surveillance at Deb’s bakery and I added some sensors and other tricks in the middle of the night so no one should know. I’ve also contacted the owners of the nearby businesses and buildings. The owner of the empty lumberyard to Deb’s north said we can use his building for anything. We can even make physical changes to it. I suspect he’d be better off if the place burnt to the ground; it’s been abandoned for so long.”
She shrugged. “In addition, I’ve upgraded the alarms and surveillance on the bulk fuels place on the other side of Deb’s, so he’s also happy to let us use his property. With both of those under our control, we’ve got some good escape options, and we can enforce a clear zone around the bakery. But the fuel supplier is a real danger point because he’s got above ground tanks, big ones. A bomb could take out half a block and start a fire that could decimate the town. But that’s true of any gas station, to some extent.”
Wiz leaned around Tom, looking at her. “Deb, I suggest you leave the dining room closed, and ask Michael to install a drive-up service window. Pete, we’ll put you on the roof of the lumberyard next door with your sniper rifle. Make it very obvious you’re watching, like a chair with an umbrella, and very obvious when you leave with Deb after she closes for the day. Michael, you and Tom can make her deliveries in the afternoons. After a week or so, Deb will start living in her apartment again. But we’ll rig escape routes to both neighbors and keep hidden snipers on the next door roofs all night.”
Ryan raised his hand. “I’ll help with that one.”
Erin nodded. “We both will.”
