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1
Rafe Martin stood and watched as his boss packed his battered brown leather briefcase and he explained the situation. It wasn't good. Not only, not good, this could be the shit-show of all shit-shows. The president-elect was dirty. And, there was evidence. His stomach tightened like a fist before giving blood.
"Rafe, you are the most trustworthy person I know. I've counted on you for years now and I give you this information knowing you'll never tell a soul, and you'll investigate it with the utmost thoroughness."
"You can count on me, sir." He said on autopilot. The beating of his heart drowned his words out to his own ears though.
"You're the only one I can count on. I've had GHOST called in. They'll be investigating Senator Jackson. I know he's dirty, he's admitted it. But, I need GHOST to dig into him fully. There are likely things he hasn't told me. I sent Gaige Vickers an encrypted file containing all I have. I've asked him not to open it unless something happens to me. I've given him your name and contact information. I understand Adelaide Masters is the lead on this one. She's good. I've known her father for years and there isn't a person in the GHOST organization that isn't top notch."
He continued packing files into his briefcase as Rafe looked on.
"Yes, sir. I've been impressed with them for years now. They always manage to do what's needed."
"Okay. I'm stepping away for a few days to see if I can corroborate some of this information. You know how to reach me if you need me."
"Yes, sir."
His boss strode with purpose to the door. His posture always ramrod straight, but this was anything but a normal day and Rafe worried what their involvement and this investigation would mean in the future.
He stepped through the door to his own office and sat woodenly in the black leather chair behind the desk. In all his years climbing his way to the top, he'd never been tasked with something like this. Hell, he'd never considered something like this would ever come to pass. He wished his father could see him now. That old man was such a liar and a thief he'd never get over Rafe being considered trustworthy with information of this magnitude. What he wouldn't give to shove this in that old bastard's face.
He shook his head and abruptly stood. Thinking about his father never served him well. It always made him edgy and unfocused. Now more than ever, he needed focus.
He paced across the room to the door of his office and glanced across the outer office to his secretary. "Leesha, I'm taking a bit of time to work out. I'll be back in the office in a couple of hours.”
"Have a good workout, Mr. Martin. Did you see the Distible documents on your desk?"
"Ah, yes. I'll get to them when I get back."
He continued through the door of the outer office and down the hall. He shook his head, he hadn't seen the documents at all. Focus. He needed focus. Ducking through a private door to a back hallway, he left the building without notice to anyone else. His boss had this door put in years ago. The funniest thing was no one ever asked or seemed to notice it. Then again, if a stranger to this office building came into this hallway, it looked like a hall of doors, so what was one more?
Ducking into the parking lot, he jumped into his Range Rover with ease and navigated the staff parking lot of the building with little effort. Entering Washington traffic, he merged into the string of cars and trucks like anyone else. But he wasn't anyone else. He had a secret that was going to blow this town apart.
Shaking off his paranoia, he navigated traffic until he turned into the parking lot of the gym he preferred over the one at the DoD building. He hated being asked questions at the gym there. Here, he was just Rafe Martin, a guy who worked out.
Preferring a long swim today, he quickly donned his swim trunks and swim shoes, locked his locker and headed to the pool. At two in the afternoon, it was empty, which was his preference. Striding to the deep end of the pool he jumped in. Beginning his laps, he worked to remove all negative thoughts from his mind. He abused his body with hard laps, gasping for air as his lungs burned with the lack of it. His shoulders began to weaken as he finished his twentieth lap and since his mind was still in a state of what-the-fuck, he did another five.
Upon exiting the pool, he forced his weakened legs to carry him to the locker room. A balding man startled as Rafe entered the locker room. The man quickly dropped his hands and hurried toward the door. Rafe crept toward his locker and found the lock had deep gashes on it as if someone had tried to pry it open.
He spun around and sprinted toward the door to find the man he'd seen leaving just moments before. Just as he entered the gym's main floor, he saw the man look back at him. An explosion erupted from behind him. Chaos, panic, and terror filled the building as the patrons began screaming and running blind. Rafe was engulfed in people, smoke, and debris before he could get to the door to stop him.
His ringing ears filled with screams and crying as the dust rose. Coughing, he helped a woman who had fallen and cut her knees on broken glass. She tried standing, but her wobbly legs wouldn't move her fast enough, so Rafe easily picked her up and took her to the front doors, where throngs of people now huddled as staff tried encouraging them to the back of the parking lot.
Ignoring the gym staff, Rafe ducked back into the building and took the back way to the pool area. The water now flooding the floor suggested the pool area had been hit. A young woman, likely in her early twenties, tried stopping his progress. "I'm sorry sir, you'll need to go outside with the others."
Rafe stared into her eyes. As much as either of them could with the dust still swirling. "I'm military police, here to work out."
Her eyes widened then squinted with the air quality so poor. Deciding not to bother further, she shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." She disappeared around a corner and Rafe eased his way into the locker room that led to the pool.
2
Adelaide followed Tate to the conference room, which stood off to the right of the living room. It was surrounded by glass so the aesthetics of the old sewing factory they occupied as their home, office, and garage - HOG, would shine through. Tate's mom, Sophie, and Henry's mom, Roxanne, had done a fabulous job of designing the space. It was the perfect blend of old and new.
Sitting to Tate's right, she watched as her teammates entered the room one by one. First Myles, directly behind her, sat to her right. Henry entered next, and sat across from her, he smelled like a horse. Spencer entered next, freshly showered and looking like he was heading out on a date with Kenna. Maya came last, eating an apple.
Maya sat at the end of the table. Her nose wrinkled and her eyes landed on each of them one by one. "We need to have a rule that you need to shower before coming to a meeting and sitting in a glass room."
Adelaide chuckled and stared at her cousin. Maya's pretty face lit up, a cocky smile slid across her lips. "It smells like horses in here."
