As Garrett drove out to the compressor station with Kai, he was not only on edge after nearly being plowed over by the Dodge Ram, but Lacey’s call about Asadi taking the truck to go see Savanah at the Mescalero Ranch didn’t help matters any at all. The fact that his son went onto the highway without a driver’s license meant that it had to be an emergency. Of course, the definition of emergency in the teenage mind could mean many things.
Given the approaching blizzard, there was a good chance that he had gone over to help with the horses, which was fine. But kids can be rash. And it wouldn’t be the first time that good intentions had made for some bad mistakes.
For that reason, Garrett had dropped Butch back off at the ranch to tend to their own remuda, and asked Grace to go with Lacey out to the Mescalero barn to check on his son. Now he could focus on the more immediate threat with Kai. As they drove the dark roads, Garrett made small talk before transitioning into investigation mode, crossing over with some good-natured teasing.
“Couldn’t help but notice that among the guys kicking the crap out of me earlier, a couple looked like they might’ve had some military service under their belts.”
Kai stifled a snicker. “Three veterans. Served in Iraq and Afghanistan just like us. But no one from Group or Regiment. Just a couple of 11 Bravos from the 82nd who were Ranger qualified. There’s also a former HUMINT guy from the 101st.”
The fact that there were no others from Army Special Forces or the 75th Ranger Regiment wasn’t that surprising. They weren’t usually the friend of Mother Nature nonprofit types. But the fact that they had two infantry guys and an Army intelligence collector was interesting. Anyone who wanted to create their own little war could do some damage with skills like that.
Despite his enthusiasm to jump into some deeper questions, Garrett took a moment to stare out his side window at the nothingness of the dark, hoping not to seem too eager. “So, how’d you all find each other?”
Kai turned and squinted. “What do you mean?”
“Seems kind of . . . not so random, I guess.”
“Not really. We’re all passionate about our beliefs.”
“Well, it’s just that you’re all Army.” Garrett shrugged. “What are the odds?”
“Pretty good, I’d say.” Kai sounded defensive. “Largest branch of the armed forces.”
“That’s true,” Garrett conceded. “But it just seems like a really small-world kind of a thing since they went to Ranger School. Right? You didn’t know them before now?”
“Nah, the Order just sort of discovered us.”
“Discovered?” Garrett worried he sounded accusatory and tried to lighten the mood. “Kind of makes it sound like you were hidden. Like they found the Dead Sea Scrolls or something?”
“Not hidden,” Kai corrected. “Just lost. Wallowing in AA meetings that weren’t doing any good. I was living at a halfway house in Denver when they recruited me.”
“Halfway house?” Garrett turned off the highway onto a caliche road and the whine of his tires was soon overtaken by the rumble of rock beneath his truck. “What was that all about?”
Kai looked a little sheepish. “Drug stuff mostly. Got busted for a couple of B-and-Es and resisting arrest. Judge took mercy on me since I served.”
A single nod came from Garrett. “And the other guys?”
“Same as me. Lived in different places around the country but they were in similar situations. Most of the Order’s members have a past. Runaways. Homeless. Mostly all former users.”
Garrett didn’t want to say it, but the organization sounded less like a group of shepherds and more like a bunch of predators. But who was he to argue with success? If it had taken an environmental cause to give these guys purpose, then good on “the Order.”
“And who recruited you?” Garrett pressed, hoping he sounded more like a concerned friend and less like a DEA special agent.
“The guy who brought us on board was from Europe. Originally from France, I think.”
“What the hell is he doing over here? Don’t they have their own problems?”
“We’re dealing with global issues.” Kai sounded testy in his response. “The Order is based out of Switzerland but has an outreach that extends all over the world.”
Before Garrett could follow up, Kai went back to an earlier question. “And we’re not all Army, by the way. We’ve got foreign vets too. In fact, a Frenchman just joined our group. Foreign Legion, in fact. Second Foreign Parachute Regiment.”
Garrett perked up, finding the military connection to be a huge point of interest but not wanting to give anything way. As he looked out in front of his headlights, he could tell by the curve in the white rock road that they were nearing the entrance to the Mescalero Ranch near the compressor station. He tapped the brakes to slow his speed, so they could talk a little longer.
“Well, how did this Legionnaire end up on your island of misfit toys? Get himself hooked on baguettes and chardonnay?”
“Nah, Cloutier’s all right.” Kai chuckled. “No real backstory other than that he’s passionate about the cause. Got an email from headquarters a couple weeks ago saying that he was coming.”
“Well, you’ve got the Airborne connection him with him then. Anyone who willingly chooses to jump out of airplanes for a living is sure to gravitate to others who are just as nuts.”
“You’d think, but he doesn’t really click with the rest of us. Just kind of keeps to himself.”
Garrett could chalk that up to cultural differences. The branches within the armed services were terrible about drawing negative conclusions about the others. Soldiers versus Marines was one thing, but institutional lines between countries was by far even worse. Of course, it was hard to trust a Frenchman under the best of circumstances, so he’d keep the guy on his radar.
Pulling up to the burnt-out Mescalero Compressor Station, Garrett aimed his headlights at the pile of rubble and put the GMC in park. Given the earlier incident with the Dodge Ram, he was fairly convinced that Kai wasn’t responsible for the sabotage since the truck had nearly hit them both. But taking no chances, Garrett reached back and pulled the Nighthawk from its holster.
He flung the door open, but before getting out, he turned to Kai and grinned. “Wanna take point?” It was a subtle way of telling his passenger that he was still on probation.
“Sure.” Kai smiled back. “I was always better at spotting danger than you were anyhow.”
As his new partner marched out ahead, Garrett clicked on the flashlight and pointed it at the charred building. Inside was a hodgepodge of twisted metal and scattered debris.
Garrett panned the beam across the dark perimeter. “Let’s hit the outskirts like we did before. Maybe our old friend is out there looking to finish the job.”
Kai glanced back. “Do you at least believe it wasn’t me now?”
Garrett didn’t know exactly what to say, and quite frankly he was tired of beating around the bush. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore. Clearly, it wasn’t you driving that truck. And if it was one of your friends, then he’s not a very good one.”
“But you still have doubts.” Kai stopped midstride, and then turned back. “Why?”
“Because something about the Order just doesn’t add up.”
Kai let out a huff. “Like what?”
“If I had a clue, I’d tell you. But it’s just a feeling that something’s off.”
Garrett hated to be so vague. And he knew it was frustrating his old friend. But he also knew that deep down Kai would understand. There’s a sixth sense that you learn to pay attention to, particularly in war zones. And the former Ranger would get that if there was a disturbance in the force, then it was worth paying close attention to it.
“Kai, someone told you all to be up here before the explosions. Don’t you find that strange?”
Kai looked frustrated. “Just proves something’s going on behind the scenes. Things are happening at the top and they’re not letting us in on it.”
Garrett could tell Kai’s earlier confession that someone somewhere was pulling strings revealed there were at least a few chinks in Cosmic Order’s polished armor. “Okay, they’re keeping secrets. Have any idea why they would do that?”
“Who knows? No different than when we served, I guess. Commands came down from the gods and we followed them. Even when they made no sense.”
“How about the other military guys?” Garrett pressed. “They have the same concerns?”
“Garrett, I can tell by the questions you’re asking that you believe there’s a connection between the veterans, the Order, the recruitment, and the explosions. But there’s not.”
Garrett raised his hands, palms out. “But you have to admit that you’ve got some guys with real skills that can do bad things if they put their minds to it.”
“It’s not them,” Kai argued. “They’re not to blame.”
“Then who is?”
Kai looked into the darkness, even though there was nothing to see. “The guy who recruited us. I don’t know. Maybe there’s something off about him?”
“Like what?”
“Just a weird feeling.” Kai shrugged. “I don’t know, man.”
“Yeah, you do. What’s on your mind?”
When Kai didn’t answer, Garrett realized he’d better back off a little and let his friend draw his own conclusions.
“Look, Kai, you’ve got a Frenchman that joined the group and doesn’t fit in. Shocker. They eat snails. But to the best of my recollection, it wasn’t a Peugeot that nearly laid tire marks down our backs. It was a good ol’ American Dodge. So, what else you got?”
Kai shook his head and laughed. “There’s nothing else to tell you. I swear.”
Garrett was about to ask what was so funny when the phone rang in his pocket. He fished it out to find it was Sheriff Crowley. He held up his palm to Kai, answered the call, and keyed the speaker function. “Got something for me?”
The sheriff sounded as if he was reading from a report. “Plates you gave me came back for a 2024 white Dodge 3500. Think that’s your truck?”
Garrett looked to Kai, who nodded in confirmation. “That’s it. Who’s it registered to?”
The flutter of rustling pages preceded Crowley’s answer. “A company vehicle belonging to an oil and gas company out of Odessa called Wolfpack Midstream. That ring a bell?”
In fact, it did strike Garrett as familiar, although he couldn’t remember why. Since the recent boom, there were plenty of new operators snooping around the Panhandle. “Let me check.”
Garrett typed in the company name on his phone and brought up the website. A quick glance at the home page revealed nothing of interest. It looked no different than any other pipeline company. But toggling over to Wolfpack executive’s director’s list revealed a potentially big piece of the puzzle. His sister’s husband, Ryland Hobbs, was the chairman of the board.