Page 111 of Long Past Deadly

“With?”

“We’re giving Mercer what he already wants. Us. But were controlling ground zero when he comes.”

“That sums it up.” He rubbed his face in her hair before pulling back. While it gave him comfort to have her close, it didn’t help his focus. “There are cameras and team members monitoring every side of the building. We added a couple people to the rotation of the parking lot, but we have spotters in strategic spots and a sniper on the roof. Hunt’s in the building, too, with Cait so it wouldn’t trigger suspicion. Manhunt has found three credible sightings. Of course, he was gone when backup got there, but he may be letting himself be seen.”

Her disgusted face said it all. “Does Mercer have enough surveillance information from watching us to note an increase?”

“Likely, but we can’t not take precautions. It wouldn’t make sense and would raise a red flag. I agree with Mac. Frank’s people will keep a low profile. Maybe Mercer won’t care. He might want you that bad.”

“Great.”

Quaid touched her face, rubbing at the worry lines under her eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“I’m not fragile, but I am concerned this isn’t going to go the way we want it to.”

“Let me tell you a story.” He stretched and wrapped a leg around one of hers. As a distraction, it would have to do.

She poked him. “Talk. I need it.” She gave him a wane smile.

“I told you I met Hunt and Cait in Afghanistan.”

“Yes.”

“Want to hear about how I met Mac?”

Her eyes sparked. “Yes.”

Quaid mused a moment. “I met Mackey in Iraq a couple years before Afghanistan. He’s mellow now compared to those days. Back-to-back missions as a Tier One asset isn’t exactly a calming profession.”

“Intense. Risky. Demanding. Deadly. Does that cover it?”

“Yes.” Quaid smiled at the memories. He hadn’t recounted how he and Mackey met for years. Nobody asked anymore. Many thought they’d met in high school. But their brotherhood was built on blood, danger, and common purpose.

“Were you CIA by then?”

“Yes. Out of the Marines and operating solo. Surreal. Mosul had fallen. Operation Inherent Resolve. Nine months of brutal urban combat.”

“I vaguely remember this history.”

“Mackey was there doing weapons interdiction, terrorist tracking, and dismantling networks that were running guns, drugs, intelligence, and people. We weren’t chasing ISIS anymore. We were chasing what was left behind: men, weapons, mayhem, and ghosts. Caches buried in the desert. Fighters slipping across borders. Networks don’t die just because someone declared victory.”

She slipped her hand into his. “And where was our spy?”

“Your spy was running intelligence channels tied to those same networks and monitoring cross-border information flow between Iraq and Syria.”

“Instant friendship between you two?”

“Nope. Not even close. We weren’t in a casual, glad-to-meet-you situation. He had a job. I had another one. We didn’t trust each other.”

She shifted in his arms, studying his eyes. “What happened?”

“I had a line on a weapons pipeline running north. It was also carrying sensitive intelligence. I thought I was the only one tracking it.”

He paused, remembering. “I wasn’t. Mac had a team on it. We hit the same target within seconds of each other – with different objectives. I wanted answers and to destroy the intelligence before it got into the wrong hands. He wanted…well, everything else.” He gave a small laugh.

“You work for the same government, though, right?”

Quaid smirked. “Do you talk frequently with the DEA?”