Page 63 of Fire Meets Fire

“Karen?” Netherton repeats. “Even now you won’t do him the courtesy of calling him by his name and insist on using that ridiculous and demeaning handle.”

I don’t bother answering. I don’t know exactly when he’d gotten tagged, but it was before I knew him. None of us chose our call names, and some certainly didn’t win that lottery. But once given, it stuck. I’d feel more disrespect if I called him a name that he hadn’t earned, and one which had been used with affection.

“Brendan went over your head to your major, but he backed you instead. Told him to follow his chain of command, and that any objection had been noted. And look how that ended.” He sneers.

Back Stateside, Major Harper had been one of the many to take our debriefings after we were rescued. We’d hashed out every detail, and while there were future lessons to be learned, he hadn’t apportioned blame to me. He’d recommended me for commendation instead.

There’s so much I don’t understand. Trying to keep my voice even, I give an explanation in order to prompt him. “People who serve know they might suffer physical injury up to, and including death when they sign up. Karen,” I refuse to call him any other name, “knew that as well as any of us. He also knew we all follow orders.” I brush my hair back with my free hand. “He was an excellent co-pilot, one I was proud to have by my side. But he didn’t get promoted because of his doubt-saying. I took his advice on board that day, as normal, but the situation was urgent, and I knew when we’d be able to fly safely.” As he snorts and his mouth opens to object, I add forcefully, “And it wasn’t the weather that brought us down.”

“You wouldn’t have had that missile fired at you if you hadn’t flown.”

“Karen wanted a delay. Not a cancellation.”

“When contact was lost with the SEALs, you should have aborted the mission.”

“And left them to die?”

“Half of them did.”

And he’s on our defence committee? I speak my next words carefully, reading the expression on his face. “And if it had been me who died, would Karen be standing here being berated? Would he have a two-million-dollar price on his head?”

He doesn’t need to confirm the negative answer that’s the only one he can give. Instead, he again spits at me, “If the Army hadn’t let women fly, then the decision would have been taken logically.”

Thoughtfully, I keep my eyes on him. “It doesn’t add up. Why are you so worried about your supposed nephew now? Where were you when he was alive, as I’m pretty damn sure you weren’t in his life?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAZ

Ihonestly thought dear old Chet was going to have a heart attack on the spot as I open the closet door and me and Ogre step out. His hand goes to his chest, his face goes red, and it’s easy from here to see the increase in his breathing. He’s staring at our cuts, even putting up his hands as if to ward us back. I stifle a laugh. He thinks we’re the threat? Even without that fucking bomb strapped to her, with Helo he wouldn’t have a chance.

Maybe I’ll let him go one-to-one with her to prove that females have a place on the fighting line.

The woman herself is raising a querying brow toward me. True, she’d given no signal she needed help, nor had there been anything remarkable in the conversation that would have warranted our appearance. But little did she know it all rested on the last question she’d asked.Those questions about his relationship with Karen.

She’d go up in my estimation again if it was possible for her to rise higher. There’s no remonstration, at my interruption, noI’m handling this.She’s just interested to know why.

“I can answer that,” I state, then realise a few seconds have passed so I add an explanation. “What Karen is to him.” I wave my phone. “Legend’s come up with some interesting details.”

Netherton has made an effort to pull himself together. “Ogre, I presume?” he asks, addressing me, the wrong man. From my side Ogre huffs loudly, but doesn’t bother to introduce himself. “Look, you’ve fulfilled our bargain. I’ve brought two million in cash…”

“The price is now four.” Ogre grunts the new demand.

Now the senator’s gaze settles on the man behind me, but before he can speak, I inform him, “You thought you’d get away with your little plan, but now the extra payment is for our silence.” Though from what we know about him, there are secrets here that will be taken to the grave. His to be precise. I let my eyes find Helo. “See, Chet here is a lovely man. He might call Karen his nephew, but the relationship is closer than that. Twenty years back, when he was running for senator on a platform of being a family man, he had a second family waiting in the wings. A family that he was ashamed of. Karen was his son.”

Ignoring the opening and closing of Netherton’s mouth, I continue, “He’d been paying his mother off for years, buying her silence. Oh,” I pre-empt her question, “Karen didn’t know. His mother happily kept quiet, blaming some long runaway man. Maybe she knew Chet wouldn’t be a good influence in his life.” As an enraged snort sounds, I add, “I mean, a liar, cheat and sexual predator—oh, did I fail to mention Karen’s mother was only sixteen at the time? — well, she rightly concluded that Karen was better off not knowing the man.” Helo makes a gimme gesture, and I don’t disappoint. “I don’t really know why Karen was better off with his mom. Apparently she went crazy when he was killed, and the person she blamed was Chet for not looking after him and making sure he got only cushy jobs.I suppose that was part of the bargain for her not opening her mouth. That and the money.”

Helo’s chuckle is loud. “Then she really didn’t know what he was doing. It was no fucking desk job.”

“What he was doing was classified,” Netherton snaps.

I don’t let him add more. “Karen’s mom was threatening to disclose their sordid affair, even get him charged with child rape as retribution. With Karen gone, there was no reason for her to keep quiet. But Chet found how to weasel his way out. He had to find someone else to blame, and promise to get revenge for her. He persuaded her Karen dying wasn’t his fault, but was down to the person piloting the helo. The person who’d taken her precious son’s promotion and job from him.”

“Which she had?—”

I wave Helo down when she righteously bristles. “Only in your warped mind.”

Ogre speaks for the first time. “And she was happy with that? Helo’s death would avenge her son and leave you free to do whatever the fuck you want to? Why not just off her instead?”

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