part0008

Hatch followed Cruise through the double doors of Talon Executive Services. On the outside, the building looked like nothing more than a bank or brokerage firm.

As they entered the temperature-controlled lobby, Hatch noticed several well-dressed employees going about their business. To an outsider, it would look no different from any other business office. But Hatch knew all these busy worker bees served a violent endgame. If guys like Cruise were the brawn, then this was the brain.

"Talon has two main branch offices." Cruise explained as he escorted Hatch to the main desk where two well-armed security guards sat. "TES was founded by some of the original team members of Army's Delta Force and Navy's Team Six."

Over the years the names of the elite had changed hands and were still heralded by some as the golden years of special operations. Cruise's reference harkened back to the days of her father. He remained a golden memory, while exposure to the truth had tarnished so many others.

"The rivalries were as big as their egos,” Cruise said. “Talon Executive Services’ first location was decided by a coin toss."

"If this is one of the main branch offices, then I think it's safe to say Navy won the toss," Hatch replied, noting they were less than two miles from Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado.

"Twice, actually. The main branch is located near Damn Neck, Virginia. Over the years, as TES grew, we've established satellite offices in almost every state in the country and an equal number spread throughout the world."

"Is this still part of the recruitment package? You sound like you're reading off a brochure."

"We have those too if you'd like to read along." His smile broadened, crinkling his eyes.

Those eyes. How many nights had she lain next to him and watched them drift shut? She felt it again. The warmth in her cheeks, rising from her rapidly beating heart. She choked out a laugh. The camouflage worked.

Cruise continued. "Talon casts a wide net, but we have specialists of the highest caliber."

Hatch thought of the men that had come for her. Now, after being here with Cruise, something about it felt different. She now saw TES for what it is. A government contractor. This was Hatch's world. Rather, the one she'd left behind. She'd been drifting ever since. But here she was being led on a guided tour by the man she had once thought would be the only man in her life.

After the overwhelming realization that Talon wasn't the evil monster she'd believed, came a more terrifying one. "What about the men who came for me in Hawk's Landing?"

"I already told you. We took care of that."

She exhaled in frustration. He’d been offering the same answer, but thus far had provided no proof. "That's not what I’m asking about. The actual hunter-killer team, those were young men, not guys my father's age."

Cruise stopped and faced Hatch. His smile disappeared. There was sadness in his cobalt eyes that wasn't there a moment ago. "You're right about that. I know where you're going with this and I'm warning you, it's a dark place."

Hatch disregarded the warning. Killing another human being is the most serious of all business . Her father went on to say. Each life must be weighed against the plainest of truths. Is the cost of their soul worth the weight added to your own?

"Did they know why? Did they know the real reason they came after me?"

"No, they didn't." The muscles of his jaw rippled as he averted his gaze.

She felt it now. The weight of it all hit her. They were following orders, like they had been taught since boot camp. Only those giving the orders had placed them in grave danger.

The Army motto, Mission first, people always, came to mind. But the often forgotten second part laid the foundation for Hatch's code. People always.

The security guard smiled at Cruise. "Back so soon? I thought your team was on a week of R and R?"

"You know how it is. Bad guys be doing dumb shit." This got a laugh from the guard. "This is my plus one. Tracy should have called ahead on that." Cruise tapped his watchband against a raised pad atop the lacquered oak security desk. A light went from red to green, and a thin shield retracted.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Just like that, Cruise was back. Not a trace of the previous sadness remained. The brightness returned, restoring the blue to the eyes she remembered. "The shield is bulletproof. It can pretty much stop anything, except an RPG."

"Impressive." Hatch walked with Cruise to an elevator waiting area with twin doors. Another gray pad, like the one at the guard desk, was affixed to the wall and evenly spaced between the sets of elevator doors. The right elevator chimed, and the doors opened. "There's no call button. The fob does the work. The left elevator only comes online in an emergency and leads to a fallout shelter below with a multi-staged defense system. Beyond the fallout shelter is a network of tunnel egress points."

"Sounds like a hell of a bugout plan."

"When you kill some of the world's most dangerous people, you've gotta be prepared for all comers." They entered the elevator. The doors closed, sucking all sound and half the air out of the compartment. Cruise lowered his voice. "When we have more time, I'll give you the grand tour."

They stopped at the fourth floor. Cruise led Hatch out.

"Most of the floors are filled with the intel and logistic teams. There’s a lot that goes into these kinds of operations. If teams like mine are the fist, this is the heart and soul of it. Fourth floor is ops, secure access only, but you’ve been granted a visitor’s pass."

They moved into a secondary space where Cruise stood for a moment. There was a camera in the corner and a heavy steel door in front of them. Hatch didn’t like the confines of the space. If there had been any other motive to Cruise's invite, this would be a bad place to be.

A moment later, a buzz sounded, and the latch on the heavy door released. The door opened and they entered a dark room. Cruise shut the door behind them, and she heard the door latch as it closed. A buzzer sounded, indicating that the lock was secured.

Hatch looked around. Blue light emanating from monitors all around the room served as the only illumination. It looked more like the operation center of an aircraft carrier than an office space. Hatch recognized it immediately. It was a “skiff”, short for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF, a self-contained information superhighway used by Intel and special ops around the world where secure communications, transmissions, and operations could be planned.

A man with broad shoulders and close-cropped black hair turned to greet them. Hatch thought of Dalton Savage. And in that same span of time, she felt conflicted as she stood beside Cruise, their bodies close enough that she could feel his warmth.

"Ready to meet the group?"

"Ready as I’ll ever be." Hatch nodded. Cruise's voice silenced her inner turmoil. She followed his lead.

"Jordan, this is Rachel Hatch."

"Jordan Tracy.” He extended his hand.

Hatch shook Tracy's hand. There was a slight hesitation on her part. Shaking hands with a former enemy took some getting used to. It appeared to have gone unnoticed. "Thanks for extending the offer." She released her grip. "And people usually just call me Hatch."

"Well, Hatch, I sure as hell am glad you took me up on my offer. I knew your father. And for what it's worth—I'm sorry about what happened."

"War is tricky business." She thought of the men she killed in the backyard of her family home. Soldiers sent to kill on the orders of another. The fist not knowing the heart's true intent.

"The past aside, coming to work with us here at Talon will feel like you’re back in your old unit. Chris Bennett, your former team commander, gave you a glowing recommendation. Told me he would take you back in a heartbeat, if given the chance."

Hatch thought of her second passage through The Gauntlet. A feat only few could qualify for, and fewer could complete. She had done it twice, the second time after nearly losing her right arm. She'd made peace with Bennett on his decision to deny her reentry to her old unit. They'd cleared the air before Africa, but hearing it again felt good.

"He's telling the truth, Rach."

Rach , Hatch thought. She hadn't been called that in years. She’d forgotten how it sounded coming out of his mouth. The whispered promises all came crashing back. A part of her that had been lost, returned.

"I'm interested in seeing what Talon does," she said.

"I had planned to have us meet later, but something's come up and I thought instead of giving you a boring speech, we'd show you what we do."

"Like a demonstration?" Hatch looked at the other men seated around the briefing table.

"Better. We've just been tasked." Tracy's southern drawl became more pronounced when he smiled. And he had one stretched from ear to ear. "Up for a little road trip?"

"Ever heard of Breakneck, Alaska?"

Hatch shook her head.

"Well, neither had I, until I got the call. Shit broke bad. And we're going in. Wheels up in thirty. You game?"

Was she? Two worlds collided, and she took a moment to sort them out. Hatch was free and clear. Cruise told her so, and being in this place and meeting Tracy only further confirmed it. She could go home. Back to Hawk's Landing. Back to her mother and niece and nephew, and to Savage.

"They killed a Deputy US Marshal,” Tracy said.

Visions of Hawk’s Landing faded.

“Shot his partner three times and took him prisoner. We're going in to set things right. Full briefing on the plane. Will you be joining us?” Tracy was already moving toward the door.

Hatch chewed her bottom lip as though she was contemplating the offer, but she had already decided. "Last place I came from was pretty damn hot. Might as well cool off for a bit."