“It was bizarre, to say the least. Something is going on, something domestic. Secretary Washburn needs my help. My eyes and ears, specifically in Laguna Beach. Arrangements are being made to retire the current chief of police, and I’ll take her place.”
Franklin frowned. “That doesn’t make an ounce of sense. She’s got several elite military teams in California to be her eyes and ears. Why you, of all people?”
Justice shrugged. “Beats me. I’m not even up to par. How do you think the cops on the force are going to react when I show up? I still can’t read a fucking map,” he complained.
“Are you taking the job?” Franklin asked in disbelief.
Justice blew out his breath. “Yeah. I’m curious about what’s going on, and I want to help, if I can. I need this opportunity, Dad, and I was wondering if you’d come with me. To help me get settled.” He gazed at his father. It cost Justice his pride to ask for assistance in light of his limitations.
“Call McAdams. Tell him you’re in. And so am I.”
“Even if I’m nothing more than a glorified beach cop?” Justice asked. Bitterness burned in him.
“Yes, even if. Deep down, though, you’re a SEAL. And don’t you forget it.”
* * *
Secretary of State Barbara Washburn gazed at Brendan as he pressed the END button on his cell phone. Tall in stature, she used her height and penetrating stare to intimidate others into doing things her way. Fifty years old and a mother of five, she had her eye on the presidency in the near future.
Knowing Lieutenant Commander McQuaid had been given bad intel which caused him to lead his team to their deaths, she needed him focused on another issue closer to home. Something was brewing in the U.S., something ugly. She felt it in every fiber of her being, and she planned to stop it before it got out of control. And then she’d have to come clean with McQuaid about what really happened in Afghanistan. It was the reason why she’d pushed for his retirement.
“Well?” she asked, impatient.
“The lieutenant commander said he’d do it. He’s just waiting for the green light.”
Barbara brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. “Fantastic. Everything will be in place by tomorrow morning.” She met her senior staff member’s direct amber stare, which always disconcerted her. “You don’t approve.”
“No, I don’t. Using McQuaid like this is just plain wrong. My God, Barbara, you robbed him of his career. He may have a brain injury, but he’s not stupid. His IQ is off the charts.”
“Would it make you feel better if I told you that I prefer to use your sister Brielle?”
Brendan’s eyes grew hard. “And I told you that my sister is off limits. My family has suffered enough. Almost losing my brothers Trey and Ben ten years ago hit us hard. It’s the reason why Brielle changed her major from pre-law to criminal justice and went to the police academy. Now she’s training to be a SWAT officer, and I’m not going to allow anything to get in her way.”
Barbara lifted an eyebrow, heavily penciled. “Not even a little thing like national security?”
He scowled. “Please don’t throw that in my face. You’re going to have a huge problem on your hands when McQuaid finds out the truth about Afghanistan.”
She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “He won’t. I gave him a new mission to occupy his time, and trust me, he’ll do his best not to let me down. And we may just prevent something catastrophic from happening in our own country.”
* * *
Brendan left the State Department and headed toward Alexandria where his eldest brother Trey and his wife Kerry lived. As the youngest brother of four, he always felt invisible. His older brothers had successful careers. Trey had rejoined the BAU in the FBI after teaching high school science. Ben, a former DA, now ran his own lucrative law firm and Legal Aid office in Rutherford, Maine. Bryant was a former Denver Bronco who’d led the team to a Super Bowl win and was now a high school principal in Colorado.
But he’d never fit in, mostly due to the fact that his parents, Cameron and Brianna, named him after a man who loved his mother, was engaged to marry her, and died in a plane crash. Brendan Stewart left her the Triple B Ranch in Boulder where they resided, and he always believed his mother never stopped blaming herself for her fiancé’s death. Sometimes he thought he was just a ghost, though he knew his parents loved their children equally.
Letting out his breath, he knocked on his brother’s door and waited. Several seconds later it swung open, and he stared into a face similar to his own. “Hi, Trey.”
Chapter 2
The call came at ten-thirty the morning following the ceremony, straight from Madam Secretary herself. Justice’s gut curled with suspicion. Seriously, what did she want with him?
“Good morning, Lieutenant Commander McQuaid. First, let me begin by expressing my condolences on the loss of your team. They were good men. This tragedy is not going unnoticed, believe me. I’m sorry I missed the ceremony yesterday.”
A strange feeling crawled across Justice’s scalp. Something was definitely off. Was it just his imagination or was Madam Secretary trying too hard to reassure him?
“Mr. Stewart conveyed your regret,” he replied, his tone clipped.
“He told me that you accepted the job in Laguna Beach. I’m really…”
