Page 39 of Be Courageous

Tony cringed at the dismay in Monty’s voice. “I’m sorry. I just heard it on the news.”

“How’d he die?”

“Good question. According to the media up here, he was shot in his sleep by a gang of teens who’ve been breaking into houses, but you know as well as I do that’s not likely.” Realizing that his wife was listening avidly to their conversation, Tony transferred the cell phone to his other ear so she couldn’t hear Monty’s response.

“When was this?” The CO sounded more suspicious now than dismayed.

“Probably two nights ago since they already did an autopsy. I, uh, I saw his name on that box on your desk.” Tony held his breath at the confession.

Monty went strangely silent. “Listen, Bambino.”

Tony could hear him withdrawing to a private area of his house. Bambino had been Tony’s code name in the Teams ever since he became the youngest SEAL to graduate from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training.

“What I’m about to tell you stays between the two of us. Can Ruby overhear us?”

Glancing down at Ruby, Tony saw that her eyes were closed. She was pretending to doze, but, knowing her, she was straining to overhear every word. He doubted she could hear James’s voice, but he thumbed down the volume, just in case. “No, sir.”

“I worked with John Staskiewicz about ten years ago, as did Chief Harmony and a SEAL named Saul Wade. The four of us formed a firing squad sent to Dishu to eliminate a high-profile Taliban chief. We were working under the direction of a CIA case officer, who must have gotten his intelligence wrong because the target wasn’t in the building when we hit it, just a bunch of families, mostly women and kids. One kid wouldn’t stop crying and the case officer wigged out and shot him. The bullet went through the kid and killed the mother, too.”

“Whoa.” The visual in Tony’s head sickened him. If Ruby hadn’t been listening intently earlier, his reaction guaranteed she was listening now. He turned down the volume one more notch.

“The case officer then threatened to turn the tables on us if we reported him, so we made him a deal. We’d write off the incident as an accident, so long ashepromised to leave the Agency. We figured that would be the end of it. Unfortunately for everyone, he went into politics, and now he’s the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, Lennard Katz.”

“No way.” Tony let his incredulity show.

“What’s more, he’s on the short list to becoming our next vice president. When Staskiewicz realized Katz’s political ambitions, he decided to go back on his word and write an exposé. And now you’re telling me he’s dead.”

Tony struggled to digest that a politician determined to protect his reputation had murdered the former SEAL. “So, what are you going to do with that box, sir?” Monty hadn’t said as much, but Tony guessed it contained the dead SEAL’s exposé.

“Well, I could just turn it over to NCIS, but Katz has so many powerful people in his back pocket, nothing would probably come of it. I guessThe Washington Postis my best route. I’ll have to think about that. Anyway, thanks for telling me about John. He was a solid guy.” James blew out a breath on his end. “I’m going to make some phone calls and try to find out where and when his funeral will take place. I’d like to attend it.”

“Probably be up here in Fishtown where he lived. It’s not far from my mother’s house.”

“Yeah, Stasky had a similar accent to yours.”

Tony could hear the sorrow in James’s voice. “I’m sorry about the news, sir.”

“Thanks. It’s sobering, but I appreciate you telling me. See you Monday.”

“Hooyah.” As Tony lowered the phone from his ear, Ruby’s head popped up. He’d known she wasn’t sleeping.

She propped a hand under her chin and searched his gaze avidly. “How well did James know him?”

Tony feigned ignorance. “Know who?”

“The SEAL who was killed, of course. Did they work together?”

Tony shrugged. “He said he’d worked with the guy back in Afghanistan.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t look too surprised to hear it.

With only twenty-five hundred active-duty SEALs worldwide, most SEALs had at least heard of each other.

“But he didn’t know this Stasky guy was murdered till you told him,” she accurately guessed.

“Staskiewicz,” Tony supplied. “It’s Polish.”

“Right. And Staskiewicz gave James a box? Any idea what’s in it?”

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