Page 85 of Nixon’s Promise

“I agree she’s on the right track. With that said, I think we need to concentrate on that, and let the local disposal unit handle Carpenter’s Hall.”

“You think they can handle it? They came up empty their first sweep,” Jameson reminded Nixon.

Jameson was right, they couldn’t take the chance. If something was there, and it was missed, hundreds of people could be injured or worse, and that was something Nixon wouldn’t be able to live with.

“We’ll take a look while McKenna’s looking into Miller and hopefully someone will log into the forum and she’ll get into the computer.”

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Alec, but this shit reeks,” Jameson told the guys. “Either we’re dealing with the most inept group of jerkwads ever, or Miller is dirty. And I have to believe DHS employs better men and women than this.”

“Brother, I’m right there with you.” Holden shook his head in disgust.

Nixon sat back down at the shitty plastic table and looked over what they had. Jameson was not wrong, it was like they were dealing with the B squad. The more he thought on all the information they didn’t have, the more shit started to smell funny. And when shit was rotten, it was just that—rotten. It was time for Nixon to take control—of his team and this operation.

“Goddamn, I’m regretting taking this job,” Nixon barked. “Fucking clusterfuck. All this shit needs to be tossed out so we can start over. Tomorrow, priority number one is set up surveillance outside the pizza place. McKenna can watch the forum and we’ll know when our target is in the building. With everyone glued to their fucking phones these days, it might be difficult to pinpoint who’s operating the forum, but at least we’ll have something to run through facial recognition. I want a face and name by tomorrow. We’re seriously out of time.

“The fact we don’t even have that intel is beyond amateur. We run this op like any other in the past, and we’re doing it without the shit DHS sent over. I have a bad feeling they only gave Alec what they wanted us to have. Which means someone from the top didn’t want Alec having much. And I really hate to say this, but we need to watch Alec’s back. If someone in his department wanted this shut down, they’re not gonna be happy he’s still looking into it. I find it highly doubtful if it is Miller, he’d carry out anything dirty himself, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have someone else to.”

“Are we keeping Alec in the loop, or going solo?” Chasin asked.

“He needs to know what we’re doing and where we’re at in the investigation, if for no other reason than to keep himself safe. And he’ll know not to pass along anything we find.”

“Right,” Chasin mumbled.

“Jameson. Weston. Dig into the forum members and find out if someone on that list supplied the Semtex. The fact remains there was C4 in those three buildings. Even without detonators, we still need to know where that came from.”

The two men shifted papers until they found the list McKenna had printed out and got to work, leaving Nixon to read through Homeland’s report one more time. He wasn’t sure he even trusted what they’d sent over, but it was worth another look.

Nixon drove down McKenna’s lane with her dog in the cab next to him, Duke’s head out the window as it had been all the way in from town. Tongue lulling, tail wagging he was in canine bliss. The dog was big, looked intimidating, but was far too friendly for Nixon’s liking. Duke was more apt to lick an intruder than attack. With him getting ready to go out of town, he wished the dog was a little more protective.

He stopped and scanned the yard. His lips curved up, a motion he was becoming more familiar with now that McKenna was in his life.

Zack was cleaning the plastic kiddie pool the Wilsons used as a duck pond. The silly sight of fifteen almost full-grown mallards swimming in a blue molded wading pool with cartoon sharks imprinted on the bottom was something he never thought he’d see.

His eyes went from Zack to the house. He could see McKenna and Mandy through the kitchen window. Mandy’s lips were moving and McKenna was smiling.

He sat in his truck, Duke getting impatient, but he didn’t move.

Nixon Swagger felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long time—lucky.

His woman was happy.

Mandy was finally opening up.

Zack had accepted him.

Hell, yeah, Nixon was one lucky son of a bitch.

33

I dropped the groceries in the kitchen and went in search of Mandy and Zack.

I poked my head into the living room. Coming up empty, I turned to leave when I stopped dead.

Stopped. Dead. So dead I wasn’t breathing.

The space had been empty for such a long time. But now, hanging on the wall where the nail was still pushed into the drywall, but the space had been remained vacant, was our family picture. The one Mandy had taken down after our epic fight.

I had not seen that picture since. I never knew what she’d done with it and I never asked.