Page 14 of Avenging Angel

“You did a lot of good, too, Vin. Don’t let the light be snuffed out by the dark,” I tell him. “You’ve rescued hostages, saved innocent people from warlords, and as you just mentioned, kept America safe by thwarting terrorist attacks before they happen. We both have. The CIA gets a bad rap because its failures are highlighted while its good deeds stay secret.”

He dips his chin once to acknowledge my words, but the scars of his past lie just beyond the mask he puts in place. “I would like to do one last good deed before calling it quits. That’s why I’m here. To help and give you access to resources you might not have.”

“What do you mean?” Daisy asks him. Then she turns to me with furrowed brows. “Angel, don’t you have access to the same resources?”

I clear my throat and fiddle with my napkin, trying to come up with the right thing to say.

“You didn’t tell her,” Vinny says.

I press my lips together and avoid Daisy’s eyes. “I haven’t gotten around to that part.”

Vinny sighs and tells Daisy the truth. “Angel isn’t here on assignment. Not officially. When he went to his supervisor to tell them about the break in the case, he was told to ‘stand down.’ He’s here for you, Daisy. To help you put this to rest.”

Daisy just stares at me, making the situation slightly uncomfortable. I shift in my seat and force a casual shrug. “It’s what friends do, right?”

“What did it cost you?” she asks, her lap suddenly becoming far more interesting than the world around her.

While I’m sure she already knows the answer, I give it to her anyway. “My resignation.”

She inhales deeply and lets it out slowly. “I don’t know what to say to that, Angel. Why would you give up your career for someone you barely know?”

I reach for her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Because you risked more than that to save my sister. You, and the rest of your team, put your lives on the line to return her home safely. I refuse to sit on the sidelines while any of your team members are in danger. I owe you, and them, at least that much.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Angel. Faith is part of our chosen family at the Southern Knights. We’d risk everything if any one of us had been in the same situation. That doesn’t mean you should give up your career to help me chase a hunch that could turn out to be nothing,” she says.

I reach for my coffee without taking a sip, simply turning the mug in my hands. “I was already on the fence about quitting. Being stuck in the dungeon for disobeying an order was one thing, but when my supervisor told me to stand down on this case, it made something clear. The CIA expects the job to come first, no matter what. My family came first in Colombia, and I’d make the same choice again. From their perspective, that makes me a liability because anyone I care about can be used as leverage against me. I finally realized I wasn’t willing to keep proving my loyalty to an organization by putting the people I care about second. So, I resigned.”

For a moment, Daisy doesn’t say anything. When she finally looks up, there’s a softness in her eyes that wasn’t there before. I’m not sure what it means, but I’m definitely not going to ruin it by asking.

Then she turns to Vinny and asks, “What will happen to you when the CIA finds out you’re investigating while on U.S. soil?”

“Technically, I’m on terminal leave until my retirement. I’ll call in a few favors when the time comes; things like access to satellites should the kidnapper strike here or at Lassen Volcanic National Park. However, I strongly suggest that your boss, Roger, talk with Director Finnegan at the FBI should we find anything relevant to the case. They are the original agents who helped you and have almost as many resources as we do—and ultimately jurisdiction. The CIA should never have taken it from them. Am I correct, or did I read the file wrong?”

Before Daisy can answer, the bells on the front door signal that another customer has arrived. I feel, more than visually notice, that Daisy stiffens when she catches sight of the newcomer.

I turn my head to look at a man in his late 40s dressed in cargo pants and a black waffle shirt as he offers a brief, but tired smile to Dottie as she passes by. His flannel jacket suggests years of traipsing through woods based on the small tears where tree branches have snagged. When his eyes meet Daisy’s, they narrow to almost slits.

“Do you know him?” I whisper without moving my mouth. “He seems to know you.”

Daisy doesn’t say anything, just continues to stare back until Dottie offers the man a cup of coffee and shows him to a table at the other end of the diner. The motion breaks whatever spell Daisy was under as she returns her focus to Vinny and me. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

“I asked if you know him.”

“No, but I’ve seen him before. Five years ago, at Saguaro National Park in Arizona, and then again at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico three years ago.” Daisy purses her lips; no doubt thinking the same thing I am.

Why would this man have shown up at the same places victims were kidnapped? Why is he here now?

“Once is random. Twice is a coincidence, but three times?” I ask, leaving the question hanging.

“Is a pattern,” Vinny answers gruffly. “We need to keep a close eye on him.”

Daisy nudges me out of the booth. “No, what we need is to find out who he is and ask him why he’s at Crater Lake.”

Vinny sips his coffee while I go after Daisy. There’s no way that I’m letting her confront the man alone.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” Daisy asks as soon as she’s standing next to his table.

“It’s a free country last time I checked,” he says.