Page 5 of Soldier, Tailor, Spy

“Fine. So are Fawn and the kid. Wyatt is hanging out with the guys. We should talk.” The door creaked open, and Rae stuck her head in. “He just woke up.”

“Guess I won the bet,” Rae said, joining them. “Hey, asshole.”

Jake tried to laugh, but grimaced instead. “Hey, Doc. Think there might still be a chance for us?”

“He’ll live,” Rae muttered, taking her stethoscope from around her neck. “How’s the pain?”

“Hurts.” Jake frowned, glancing down. “How bad?”

“Nothing too vital was hit. The bullet wound is a through and through. However, on the way out, it nicked your liver, so we had to do a minor repair.” She grabbed the chart she’d left in the organizer across from his bed. “Your vitals look good, better than the first night when you came in. I’d say if you can stomach some food and move around a little, I can discharge by tomorrow or the next day.”

Jake grunted. “What about Oscar?” He glanced at Asher, then back to Rae. “Where’s he at?”

Rae squeezed his forearm. She hated his guts. He’d treated her like shit too for no reason other than his self-loathing. “I’ll go let Wyatt, Ginger, and Fawn know you’re awake. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear the good news.” Rae brushed a kiss across Asher’s cheek before exiting the room.

Goddammit, Oscar didn’t make it. No one had to tell him. Just by how Rae avoided answering the question and the sad, bereaved expression on her face as she stepped away, told Jake everything he needed to know. “How?”

Asher blew out a breath before pulling his chair closer. “The bullet went in at an odd angle, according to Rae. It should have been an easy fix. Instead, somehow the bullet hit the top lobe of his lung, ricochet off his rib bone and severed his spine, killing him before Rae could even prep him for surgery.” Asher cleared his throat. “Hell, he might not have even been alive when we pulled him from the SUV.”

“Fuck. Ginger?” If only he and Wyatt paid more attention to their gut more often, maybe none of them would be in this situation.

“Can you walk me through what happened?” Asher prodded. “Thomas and AJ are out at the house now. There’s been a ton of fucking red tape even getting Oscar’s partner in there to look around.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jake pushed himself up a bit, wincing in pain with each shift of his body.God, this fucking sucks.“So, Thomas really is Oscar’s partner? Where’s Agent Frazier?”

Asher chuckled. “Debrief first, catch you up second.”

“Fine.” Jake exhaled, touching his side to test the area. “All the intel is at my apartment near the gated community where Ginger lives—lived. Wyatt is smart as a tack. You’d like the boy. He just graduated about two weeks ago from the University of Virginia with an aeronautics degree. Anyway, about two years ago, everything became sketchy around the community.” It was like yesterday for Jake. Wyatt’s words flooded Jake’s brain. Both of them didn’t like Oscar. They also didn’t like Mr. Yamamoto.

“Damn it, Jake,” Asher snapped. “You’ve been running an op on your own with some greenhorn for two fucking years?”

Yes and no. He’d also spent time with his daughter too. Fawn was a typical pre-teen now, except for the fact she was also hard of hearing, and would gradually lose the remaining bits of her hearing over the next few years. “Maybe longer than two years. It kind of fell in my lap.”

“Like the security job fell in your lap too?” His former commander quirked a brow.

“Something like that, sure,” Jake said. “Yes, I took the job to be near Ginger and Fawn. I was trying to make up for all the shit I put them through. The firm partnered me with Wyatt, and we worked well together.”

“Sounds like a kumbaya story to me,” Asher muttered.

“Whatever,” Jake grumbled. “Like I said, about two years ago, maybe a little longer, things became really sketchy. I didn’t know who I liked less, Oscar or Mr. Yamamoto. Wyatt and I were of the same mind. Both men were rotten. So, I started digging on Oscar first. I figured using my clearance would have triggered someone’s alarms, but no one ever came knocking on my door. Then I started surveying the house. Watching the comings and goings while I was on duty and throughout the day.”

“What did you find?” Asher pressed.

“Nothing,” Jake answered. “Either Oscar was a goodie two-shoes or he knew how to clean his trail professionally. Or he was paying someone to do it for him.”

“Could have had someone on the inside too,” Asher said, scratching his cheek. “What about Mr. Yamamoto?”

“Well...” Jake frowned. “He’s Ginger’s boss. Sometimes there would be instances where he’d come over to the house for last minute help with a client alteration. I couldn’t say shit about the man, because he gave Ginger a shot when no other men’s clothing store would hire her. So, I kind of owed him one. Yet...”

Asher frowned. “Did you get a good look at who was at the house when Oscar was attacked?” The old routine settled the agitated part of Jake. Walking through the mission step by step, recounting the events gave him a moment to pull the scene apart from a different perspective and try to unravel the mystery of what happened that night.

“No, as stupid as it sounds, they were all in the shadows and with the fire burning...” He shook his head. “All the vehicles were unmarked and had no plates on them. Wyatt was on duty with one of the slackers the firm hired, so if I had to guess, Wyatt wasn’t there when they entered the community. I’d just stepped into my bedroom when I heard the first round of gunfire.”

Jake had grabbed his gear and ran. As he hurried from his building, he pulled his gun from the go-pack and checked the clip. He hoisted the bag over his shoulders and ran for Ginger’s house, knowing if he tried to use his truck, he’d be wasting time. As soon as he came through the side yard of the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, their home was aflame. Ginger, Fawn, and the baby were huddled together, being held at gunpoint in the front yard by two men while Oscar knelt on the ground, his head hanging forward as another man stood over him with a gun pointed at Oscar’s face.

“It all happened in slow motion. I killed one of the men standing near Ginger and the kids first, then I went after the third guy who came out of the burning house. I winged the guy standing over Oscar afterward, but that guy must have pulled the trigger already. When I looked up, Wyatt was hauling ass down the street in the company SUV. He laid down cover fire so I could get to Ginger and the kids. Somehow, I can’t even tell you how in all that chaos, we got Oscar into the back.”Put pressure on the wound and don’t let up. I’m going to get you out of here...“At some point, they caught up to us and that’s when I started calling you.”

“Justin was flying the drone that night. I had to tell him that his girlfriend’s son was in the lead SUV after the fact. I hate that shit. Still fucks me up,” Asher said. “Mariam is here now too, along with Wyatt’s little brother Ollie. We’re keeping them here out of an abundance of caution because we still have no fucking clue what the hell is going on here.”

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