Page 59 of Soldier, Tailor, Spy

Jake grunted, sitting up a little taller. “Understood. Whatever it takes. I’m ready.”

“Good, then you can start working on your impact statement. We leave in two hours. The session begins this afternoon and might continue into tomorrow. Guess it just depends on how fast we jump through their hoops for this meeting.” Asher dismissed everyone, then waited for them to leave.

“What all do I need to say?” Jake hedged once his team was gone, giving him and Asher time to speak alone.

“From the heart, Jake. You need to tell the sitting body what their unhinged actions have done to you and your family. I have a few things up my sleeves as well.” He tapped the binder in front of him. “When we’re done, I have a feeling more than a few figureheads will be out of a job tonight.”

Jake grunted. “Better they’re gone now so we don’t have to look over our shoulders anymore.”

“My thought exactly. So, think about what you’d like to say and write it down. I’ll come get you when we’re ready to head out.” Asher patted his shoulder before exiting the room. “Oh, and Jake?”

“Yeah?” He glanced over his shoulder.

“Thanks for standing up for Bexley. I thought you might like her,” Asher said, before stepping out of the conference room.

Well, hell.

Jake glanced at the empty pad of paper in front of him and frowned. He wasn’t sure how to write his statement for congress. Everything he wanted to say started with “Fuck you,” but logically, he couldn’t do that. Of course, gut deep, he wanted to rail against them for putting his family at risk, when he’d protected the fucking country from enemies foreign and domestic for over twenty years of his life. However, the more he contemplated what to say, the more it seemed like a piss party where he cried and complained about the country not loving him enough and boo-freaking-hoo.

No, he wouldn’t sound like a whiny bitch, but he also wouldn’t allow those men and women on the select committee to run all over him. He grabbed the paper and instead of expressing himself; he wrote bullet points. The impact of his speech would come from the heart as he sat there before the men and women of Congress. When he was finished, he went in search of Asher and found him waiting in the medical wing with Rae.

Four years ago, he missed the way Asher stared at his now wife. Four years ago, Jake had been caught up in his bullshit, projecting his fears onto everyone around him. Now he saw it. Saw the love Asher had for Rae. Saw the way Asher did everything in his power to protect everyone he cared about. Jake owed everyone an apology, it seemed. He knocked on the doorframe to Rae’s office, then cleared his throat.

“’Bout time you showed up,” Asher said. “You ready?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, not much of a speech, though.”

“Impact is all we’re going for, Jake. Don’t worry if you hurt their sensibilities.” Asher chuckled. “Well, looks like I’m off.” He pressed a kiss to Rae’s lips. “See you tonight.”

Jake could have that with Ginger. That all-consuming love. He was almost there, too. It was at the tip of his fingers as he snatched at it, grasping little strands of her affections every day since they’d began staying together. The case brought them closer together, but at what cost to his family’s well-being?

The flight from the base to Andrews didn’t take long. What churned Jake’s gut was sitting in rush hour traffic for a twelve mile drive to Capitol Hill. It gave him too much time to think. To contemplate everything that had happened over the last couple of months of his life. If he were being honest with himself, it felt like years. Every time he turned around, in the beginning, someone else was being attacked or shit was going down he couldn’t control.

“You’re too tense.” Asher cut his gaze toward him. “You need to relax.”

“I’ll relax when all of this shit is sorted,” Jake deadpanned.

“Roger that.”

By the time they arrived, Jake and Asher were escorted through security, then brought to chambers. The notebook Asher had in their team meeting was tucked under his arm as they made their way to the table in front of the empty panel. Already, media was camped out waiting for them. The snap of shutters accompanied the bright flashes of light as those who waited patiently for their arrival began documenting the hearing. Jake didn’t want to be the face of the trial. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a choice. The team, indirectly, was counting on him. He couldn’t let them down as he had four years ago.

The chamber doors opened and the sitting congresspeople who sat on the committee filtered into the room one by one. When the Majority Leader smacked the gavel on the table, the hearing began with their opening statement. It took every bit of Jake’s willpower to not roll his eyes as the asshole droned on and on about the country’s safety and how Congress supported their troops in times of war and peace and how Asher’s organization was no different. Seemed like a bunch of ass-kissing from Jake’s perspective. He figured Asher felt the same.

When the speech was finished, the Congressman gave Jake his full attention, as if realizing they were there for the first time since stepping into chambers. “Mr. O’Malley, the floor is yours.”

Jake pushed the button for the mic in front of him. “It’s Captain O’Malley, if you don’t mind.”

The man blanched, then covered his faux pas with a small laugh. “Sorry, Captain O’Malley, if you will.”

Asshole. Jake cleared his throat. “I don’t have speech. What you have before you is a rough outline of what I’d like to say. Yet, after such a rousing speech about defending the Constitution and supporting the troops, well, let’s just say, I have a few more thoughts about that.” Asher mashed his toe, scowling at Jake. He didn’t give a shit. To Jake, the committee was the fuck around and find out club. “I’m glad you support the military as I do too. I’m glad you said you wanted to protect everyone from foreign and domestic terrorists, but I’m curious. Does that include government agencies that go rogue? Does it include agencies who weaponized known terroristic cells to force another agency to kowtow to the government, especially after said agency has protected the country? Or how about when known persons follow orders from a disgraced senator who is sitting in solitary confinement for the rest of his life? All of those things led to my family—not my work family—my personal family becoming the target of a vicious campaign. I almost lost my wife, my daughter and my wife’s son—correct that, our son for some vendetta Disgraced Senator Lincoln and his band of goons has had against us.”

Jake pushed the anger and vile emotions down so he could speak from the heart. Opening the wounds just healing properly, this time, hurt, but it was something that needed to be done. He had to show those in charge. He wouldn’t walk away from this, like he had all those years ago. He finished up his statement with a subtle threat. If anyone from any government agency tried to hurt his family ever again, they would be met with force, and he would prevail.

End of discussion.

Asher was next. He nodded to a page, who stood off to the side. At some point, since they arrived back at base, he’d made several copies of the team’s findings. The folders contained what they’d gone over earlier, along with stuff Jake was sure Asher hadn’t wanted to discuss before the hearing.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, as my colleague and friend has stated, we are not in the business to police the FBI or the CIA or Interpol or Scotland Yard. We help you with issues within the military community. Knowing our hard work, dedication, and, sometimes, death, has been reduced to subterfuge, undercover investigations, terrorism, and traitorous actions sanctioned by this government, it makes me question why we help you at all.”

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