Page 20 of Stryker

“What do we have?” Strykerasked.

Brick turned his laptop so that theycould see the screen.

“Looks like who’s everbehind the initial shooting still has a few irons in the firetoday,” Brick said.

“Irons in the fire?” Johnasked.

“Means whoever it is, isstill in the game. They’re out there, and there’s something they’relooking for,” Stryker explained. “Any idea who or what itis?”

John shook his head in bemusement.“Not a clue.”

Brick nodded. “Okay. I’d like to showyou a picture of someone and see if you recognize him,John.”

Brick hit a button on the keyboard andup popped the picture of a dark-haired man with a full beard and ascar that ran across his forehead.

Stryker heard John’s quick intake ofbreath.

“That’s the guy that usedto come over to our house for dinner on the weekends,” John saidexcitedly. “I was young when he started visiting, right up untilthey were shot when I was sixteen. My dad and he would barbecue,and I always wondered where his family was because he never broughtanybody else with him.”

“I’d like you to meet theRussian operative your father had helped defect from the formerSoviet Union. This is Aleksandr Popov.”

“Did you ever see himafter your parents were shot?” Gunner asked.

“Yes. He stopped by myaunt’s home, where I went to stay a couple of times over the yearsafterward, to give his condolences and stay in touch. I neverthought anything of it because he was a friend of my dad’s for aslong as I could remember. I think the last time I saw him was atthe lake the summer I turned twenty-one. It was July fourth, and myfamily, or what was left of them, we were having abarbecue.”

“And you didn’t see himafter that?” Brick asked.

“No, he never stopped byagain. I thought maybe he moved away. Were my parents killedbecause of this guy?”

“I’m not one hundredpercent convinced of that just yet,” answered Brick. “But we’veonly just scratched the surface of this case. We’ve reviewed theprevious police records and found a lot of redactedtext.”

“What thehell?”

“Yeah, they redacted ashitload of stuff. Likely military,” Jason said. “Anything remotelysensitive got blacked out or removed.”

“How come no one evermentioned this to us before?” John asked.

Jason shrugged. “It could’ve been yourage, or the fact it involved military secrets. We don’t know atthis point. However, whatever this man and your father were workingon before the shooting must have been pretty high level for us tobe getting the roadblocks we’re getting.”

“Roadblocks? Are yousaying we won’t be able to find the truth because the powers thatbe won’t allow it?” John asked.

“Not entirely,” Bricksaid. “I’ve never been one to follow customary channels or chainsof command. And I’ve found if you shake a tree hard enough,something always falls out. Until we have more answers, Strykerwill be your shadow.”

“You honestly believe myfather and this man were working on something that got us shot andthat there’s a threat to me after two decades? He was a pilot. Andif so, why wasn’t this Aleksandr shot as well?”

“Maybe they needed him forsomething,” Stryker added.

“Not only do I believethere’s a threat, I’m counting on it,” Brick answered.

“What?” John coughed out.“You want the threat to be real?”

“The only way we’re goingto get some answers may be by flushing out the enemy, and the onlyway to flush out the enemy is for them to come afteryou.”

“Hey, I may have wanted tocash in my chips over twenty years ago when my parents were shotand killed, but I’m not in a hurry to die just yet,” Johnstated.

Brick smiled. “You’re family now. We’dnever allow that to happen.” He stared meaningfully at Stryker.“And Stryker here would certainly fight tooth and nail to keep yousafe.”

Stryker nodded in agreement with theother men at the table. He ignored Brick’s sly comment. “Damnright.”

---