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I turned around to greet X and did a double take. She was dressed from head to toe in fire-engine red, from her one-shouldered blouse with ruffles down the single sleeve and matching wide-legged pants, to her red, open-toed stilettos. Several wolf whistles went up from the crowd.
“Calm down, people,” she admonished. “I’ve brought a friend, and I don’t want you to scare him away. Darling?”
A handsome, well-dressed, middle-aged man joined her. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn’t quite place him. He slipped his arm around X’s waist. “Well, it’s an honor to finally meet you, and to put faces to the Alpha Team profiles.”
Then it clicked. “Senator Bradley?” I asked. He was the co-chair of the Senate oversight subcommittee.
He held out his hand, and I shook it. “You must be TJ. Yes, the agency”—he glanced over his shoulder at X—“and its leader have always had a staunch supporter in me.”
“Don’t let his good nature fool you,” X said as Jensen handed her a champagne flute with actual champagne in it and began handing out glasses of the same to everyone. “First we were friends,” they grinned at each other, and I pretended not to notice the look that passed between them, “then enemies, then frenemies, then enemies again.” She raised her champagne glass to him. “And now, friends once again.”
Still smiling, the senator said, “That last one is my favorite.”
I introduced him to Ashlee, and he commended her for her award-winning series of articles about Calder and the Carbonados. The rest of my former team introduced themselves and their partners. Then we went silent, almost as if by agreement, and X gravitated to the center of the crowd.
“Thank you for all coming,” she began.
“Wait, you invited us here?” Penn asked. “I thought the invitation came from TJ.”
“We were under the impression it came from you,” I told him. “How did you pull that off?”
X glanced at Jensen. “I know people.”
“I was happy to do it,” Jensen said. “Even if she wouldn’t tell me why it was so important to bring us all together.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Kessler said. “It’s a reunion. The start of an annual tradition.” While the crowd cheered, Kessler glanced at X’s face. “No, that’s not it.”
“If you would let me speak, Kessler wouldn’t have to ask questions to gauge my reaction.” X smiled again at the senator. “It seems a new subcommittee has been formed to oversee a few CIA stealth sub-agencies. Senator Bradley is not a member of the new oversight group, but he has been an advisor to them, and he has recommended they fund a few groups to follow the HEAT model.”
“Does that mean you’ve been tapped to set those up?” Bond asked.
“Yes,” X said. “Things won’t be exactly the same. They never are, are they? But this will give me an opportunity to hire the best and brightest from various agencies,” she glanced at me, “not to mention bring back retired operatives who have left government service for various reasons.”
“Fuck me,” Jensen said, “we’re not here as the band on the run, we’re here for the band reunion!”
X lifted her champagne glass. “Jensen has stolen my thunder, but yes, I want to reunite the original Alpha Team members.” The team cheered. X glanced at me. “TJ, would you come back to lead them?”
I looked at each and every one of my teammates. I loved them, believed in them, and would be a fool not to jump at the chance to work with them again.
But my life had changed, and even though it had only been a few months, I’d never been happier. After thirteen years in the intelligence space, first in the Army, then at HEAT, I was glad to no longer go to sleep at night with national secrets on my mind, and I was thrilled to wake up in the morning without the dread of possibly having to send my team into harm’s way.
And there was more than that. I took Ashlee’s hand, and she nodded.
I sighed and held up my glass to toast the team. “Congratulations!”
They cheered and sipped their champagne.
“I believe in this team. I always have,” I continued. “And I know you’re only going to get better, more cohesive, and more successful, especially with Martin Penn at the helm.”
“What?” some of them whispered.
The group went quiet.
I turned toward X. “I’m sorry, Xi. Thank you for giving me the chance to join you five years ago, and for trusting me to run the best team HEAT or any organization has ever produced. It was the highlight of my career, and I’m so lucky to have gone out on top.” I looked at my friends, the people who were my found family, but who were no longer my team. “I love you. I look forward to our future reunions, and I will send every bit of positive energy your way for safe and successful missions. But I won’t be joining you.”
I glanced at Ashlee again.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I know you’re dying to tell them.”
