Torn (Deep 8, #5)

24. Roger

TWENTY-FOUR

Roger

For the first time, I don’t want to leave this place. We’ve created something here that feels irreplaceable. This woman has me in knots, pulling me in a direction I didn’t even know was possible. She shared her darkness, leaving it in my care, but I get the sense there is more to her story.

She’s quick on her feet, making her a superb agent and a deadly adversary. When the fingerprint came back as a fake, I had every confidence she would find a way out. I’ve met plenty of agents in the field, but none with her skills and the softness I’m privileged to witness.

Does Dean know what he gave up, or were they never an item? He throws the car in park as we make a mad dash across the tarmac for the plane. Once on board, things move quickly. The pilot has gotten word from the control tower to stop his taxi to the runway. Mac gives him the go-ahead and we’re in the air in minutes. Neil McFadden can clean this up.

We’re met by Mac, Beck, Campbell, Declan, Pippa, and a guy in a wheelchair. I do a double-take and realize it’s Peter. I smile. "I’m glad you could join us."

"Do you think I would miss a trip to Australia?" His Texas drawl is in full bloom.

"Excuse me?" I reply.

"What?!" Dean lets out.

"What are you talking about?" Harlow says.

Peter’s face falls. "I’ll let Pippa take it from here."

Pippa rotates in a high-back leather chair with Lucas’s laptop as she continues to type. "The piece we got from the bank is a bit more complex. Amalia was the only one who could unlock it with her fingerprint and retinal scan. It fits into the other piece perfectly and seems to be loaded with chips, but I can’t tell what they do yet. I plugged the USB into the laptop and it’s guiding us to Australia for our next destination."

"I hear the women are beautiful, blond, and tan." Peter closes his eyes and breathes in.

"You can find that in Texas," I point out.

"Not with an Aussie accent." He grins.

"I don’t think Australia is ready for you, mate." Beck shakes his head.

Dean has remained unusually quiet, not participating in the banter. Harlow has picked up on it as well and she frowns. "Dean, you seem a bit quiet," she says in a soft tone. Heads turn in his direction.

He mumbles something no one can hear. "I said, I can’t go back to Australia. There’s a bounty on me. The minute I set foot on the continent, there will be a mark on my back. I can’t put everyone in danger either." He looks at each of us as he enunciates each word.

"When did this happen?" I ask.

"I haven’t seen my family in five years. I was in a deep op, and my cover was blown. My father, head of the ASIO, told me to get out of Australia and never come back." Dean’s face darkens.

"Tell us more about this op," Harlow prods.

"I was about to be invited to the inner fold when things went up in flames, literally. We were walking toward the command center when it exploded. Pieces of metal and debris flew everywhere. I woke up in the hospital, and my father was sitting next to me with my mom and sisters. He asked them to leave, and we had a conversation about what I was involved in.

"He had no idea I was part of an op to get inside the organization called Surface 7. He said he never would have approved the mission. When I asked why, he told me their reach was far and wide and getting bigger, but if I left Australia, he might be able to protect me from them."

"I’ve never heard of them," Harlow replies.

Pippa’s fingers race across the keyboard. "I’m looking them up now on the dark web."

"I’m not fond of returning to Australia either, but for much different reasons." She holds up her hand. "Don’t ask. It’s nothing as exciting as what you have going on."

"There was a group five years ago called Surface 7, involved in arms dealing, finance, drugs, among other things, but they dropped off the face of the earth. Strange. There’s not a word about them anywhere. If they don’t exist, you are safe to stay in Aussie Land." Pippa relays to the group.

"But my father would have told me. The ASIO was monitoring their activity. I could have seen my mom and sisters," Dean protests.

Pippa focuses on the screen. "I’m checking with my sources, and no one has heard or seen them for years. It seems like they evaporated into thin air or changed their name."

We look at each other with the same thoughts in our minds. "I’m going to throw this out there. Is it possible Surface 7 is now Deep 8?" Mac asks.

Pippa gazes at him from over her laptop. "I don’t see any connection between the two, but anything is possible. Deep 8 didn’t come onto anyone’s radar until three years ago."

"They could have gone into hiding, and their activities are what led them to be discovered," Declan offers. "Australia could be ground zero for Deep 8."

The only sound is the humming of the plane’s engines as we contemplate Declan’s hypothesis. We’re heading into the lair of the beast to find my father. As a group of elite soldiers, I’m not sure we know what we’re getting into. The president is a phone call away, and I’m about to make that call for the PAX OP team. I break the silence to voice my opinion. "Do I need to call the president?"

Mac looks at each member of his team. "Your men would need to be ready at a moment’s notice, boots on the ground. I have no doubt you have some of the most elite soldiers from the U.S. military. Make the call."

I step to the back of the plane and take a deep breath. I’ve been on a lot of hairy missions, but none have been of this magnitude. Doubts travel through my mind about not getting to my father in time and the possible sacrifice of one of these men, a weight I would live with forever. Something deep in my soul makes me decide I will be the only sacrifice.

My finger presses one button on speed dial. "Natalie, I need to speak with the president. It’s urgent." Natalie Porter is the Chief of Staff to the President.

"I have to pull him from a meeting. Give me a minute," she replies.

"Roger, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. President, is it possible to pull the PAX OP team to Australia?"

"Australia?" he questions.

"We might be heading into the hornet’s nest for Deep 8. We have reason to believe their organization started here many years ago and has grown in strength."

"Do you have anything credible?" The president won’t send the team without concrete evidence. Something stops me from telling him about Dean’s father’s warning.

"We do and I’ll have Pippa Stevens send it to Natalie. You can make your decision based on her data. I have a feeling about this, and it’s not a good one."

"Thank you, Roger. We’ll look at what you have, and I’ll get back to you."

"Mr. President, we are running out of time on all fronts."

"Roger that," are the last words I hear before he clicks off. In the past, that would have been funny, but what we’re about to face is anything but funny.