Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (34 page)

Willy shouldn’t have been surprised by the
outburst, but he was. He’d have to tread carefully on this one.

“Sir, as long as I’m with you, nothing will
happen. Besides, we’ll keep the visit as public as we can.”

Zimmer wouldn’t be mollified. “They’ll see
right through it. Why would I want to go out there anyway?”

“Cal’s cooked up a story that we’re floating
out to the media. We’ve got contacts with prominent casino owners
who are big political donors. One of them has a local job placement
charity for disabled vets. He’d love for you to come out and help
publicize it.”

“What!? Those guys are all Republicans! I’ll
look like an idiot! I need to call my father on this before…”

“Sir, Senator Zimmer already knows.”

“There’s no way he’d approve this. I’ll be a
pariah!”

“Maybe you should look at it in a different
way, sir. This group is all about job creation, helping military
veterans and the local economy. You’d be doing a good thing.”

“Cal’s just trying to piss me off, isn’t
he?” Zimmer said dejectedly.

“I won’t say that, sir, but maybe it’ll be
good for you. Besides, if you don’t mind me saying, your political
career isn’t exactly shooting the moon right now.”

Zimmer stared at his huge new bodyguard. The
last thing he expected was a mountain with brains to show up on his
doorstep. He’d assumed that Cal would send some dumb muscle-head to
babysit him. At least he’d have someone to talk to now.

“You’re right. When do we leave?”

Chapter 12

En-route to
Las Vegas, Nevada

1:29pm, September 16th

Cal took the cranberry juice from the
stewardess. “Thanks.”

The pretty blonde looked down at him. “Not a
problem, sir. Please let me know if you need anything else.” Her
gaze lingered for a second and then she moved on to serve other
passengers.

“I think she likes you, brother,” Brian
Ramirez teased from beside Cal.

“Not my type, Doc.”

“You haven’t had a type for a long time,
Cal. What happened to that girl you met at the conference we went
to?”

“Who?”

“You know. The one with the nice ass.
Sabrina?”

“Oh, Salina. She was alright. The long
distance thing wasn’t for me.”

Cal took a sip of his juice. Would he ever
be ready? He wasn’t conceited; he knew he was good looking. Above
average height, still boyish but with the build of a man. He just
couldn’t get Jess out of his head. She’d been the one. The one that
stopped his heart for the first time. Now she was at eternal rest
overlooking Camp Spartan.

Brian looked at his friend and read his
thoughts. “Not ready are you?”

Cal shook his head. “Not even close. Every
time I talk to a girl I feel like I’m cheating.”

“That’s natural, man. Forget I even
mentioned it. So like I was saying before, where do you want to hit
first?” The look of excitement on Brian’s face almost made Cal spit
out his cranberry juice. He looked like a kid going to Disney World
for the first time.

“How is it that you’ve never been to Vegas
before?”

“Never had the chance. Left home at eighteen
for the Navy, saw the world, then ended up back in Nashville.”

Cal didn’t want to spoil it for his friend.
Las Vegas had some great stuff to see and eat, but he could never
shake the contrast of wealth and poverty every time he visited.
Vegas was littered with lost souls seeking an instant fortune or
last drink. It wasn’t all bad. The city was doing some great things
for the arts and large corporations. Zappos had recently relocated
to the area.

“You know, we do have to do some work while
we’re there,” Cal replied almost seriously.

Brian shook his head. “You said this was a
recon mission. That’ll leave plenty of time to get fat and happy.
I’ve been reading all about the buffet at the Bellagio. Did you
know that they have all you can eat lobster?! I’m gonna eat ‘til I
fall over.”

Cal chuckled. “Alright, Doc. Haven’t they
let you out of the Bat Cave? You sound like you’ve been sequestered
for the past month.”

“We’ve just been really busy. I’m trying to
get these new Robo-Tourniquets to MARSOC.”

“Robo-Tourniquets?” Cal asked.

“Yeah! It’s fucking brilliant. One of the
problems we’ve had on the battlefield was proper ways of
maintaining pressure on injured arms or legs. The tourniquets in
med kits have gotten better, but you’ve still got guys pulling off
bootlaces and shredding their utilities to tie-off wounds. A lot of
times, by the time the evac gets to a field hospital, the limb
can’t be saved. We always knew that there was a pressure threshold
to decrease blood loss while maintaining good blood flow. The
problem is you can’t always manually monitor that when you’re
getting shot at. That’s why we built the Robo-Tourniquet.”

“I think you lost me, Doc.” Cal knew all
about the project from Neil, but wanted to hear it from Brian. It
was the first R&D invention the former corpsman had spearheaded
himself.

“So you’ve seen those blood pressure cuffs
you can buy at the store, right?”

Cal nodded.

“Basically, we started out with one of
those. Neil helped me rig one so we could actually program in the
optimum pressure for a given wound and body type, then the cuff
does it automatically. We’ve tested it with my paramedic buddies at
Vanderbilt and they love it. It takes away the guessing game and
lets a total amateur save someone’s life and limb.”

Cal was truly happy for his friend. They’d
met just over a year before. Cal the patient, Brian the nurse.
Ramirez was there when Cal needed a friend most after the loss of
his fiancé. Brian’s faith in Cal turned into a strong friendship.
He thought it was always funny how former military guys tended to
bond if the initial introductions went well. Somehow they were able
to skip a few levels of trust, bypass the B.S. and become buds.

After the episode with the gangster, Dante
West, Brian was offered a full-time position at SSI. It wasn’t a
hard decision for him. Although he loved his job at Vandy, he still
missed the camaraderie of the Navy and Marine Corps. SSI provided
not only a challenge, but the brotherhood so many military vets
long for after separating from the service.

Brian fit in easily with the team at SSI.
Athletic like the rest, his easy-going attitude endeared him to
even the most hardcore of SSI operators. It didn’t hurt that Brian
was also a Silver Star recipient for saving the lives of his fellow
warriors in Iraq.

“Anything else you want to do in Vegas?” Cal
asked.

“I heard about a few new clubs that could be
fun. Maybe I can practice some of those counter-surveillance
techniques Dunn’s been teaching me.”

Todd Dunn was head of internal security at
Stokes Security International. Dunn was also a former Ranger that
rarely broke from his serious demeanor.

“Have you ever seen that dude disappear in a
crowd? It’s unbelievable!”

Cal knew most people underestimated the
burly Dunn. What strangers never knew was the cunning and
brilliance inside the soldier’s mind. He looked like a typical
meat-head but could easily run with the best tacticians in the
game. Dunn wasn’t a bad chess player either. He’d trounced Cal on
more than one occasion.

“Yeah. I remember when I went through his
Urban Escape and Evade course earlier this year. He took a couple
of us to the Green Hills Mall. The place wasn’t even close to being
packed and we lost him in under a minute. Later he shows up with a
detailed description of what I’d done for the whole time. Guy knows
his stuff,” affirmed Cal.

The stewardess appeared and asked if she
could get the companions anything before landing.

“I think we’re good…” Cal paused to remember
the girl’s name.

“Veronica,” she replied with a dazzling
smile.

“Veronica,” Cal repeated, “thanks for
everything.”

She disappeared down the aisle and Brian
took the opportunity to lean over Cal and get a last peek of
Veronica’s exit.

“You sure you’re not ready yet?” Brian asked
his friend.

Chapter 13

Washington,
D.C.

2:10pm, September 16th

“Is everything in position?” the career
politician asked into the secure phone.

“Yes. All teams are standing by for your
authorization.”

“Good. As we discussed, once I give you the
go-ahead the operation must commence within twenty-four hours.”

“Understood.”

“I won’t have any problems with your
compatriots will I?”

“No. As long as you hold up your end of the
bargain, you will soon be the next President of the United
States.”

The politician sat back and smiled. He’d
waited a long time for this opportunity. He couldn’t wait to show
that moron in the Oval Office what a real leader looked like.
“We’ve known each other a long time. Have I ever gone back on my
word?”

The man on the other end paused. “We only
wish to ensure all parties will move forward together. Once again,
our nations will be allied on the same path.”

The politician honestly didn’t give a damn
for his partner’s motives. This was all about securing the American
presidency.

“You provide what we agreed on and your
little empire will rise again,” he sneered into the phone.

“It will be done.”

The politician replaced the
receiver. The Democratic National Convention was right around the
corner. This one would be absolutely historic. The nation and his
party would soon be desperate for a new leader.
I’ll be damned if I’ll wait another four years.
Maybe it was time to write his acceptance
speech.

Chapter 14

Las Vegas,
Nevada

3:16pm, September 16th

Cal and Brian checked into their room at the
Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino. It was located in an ideal location
at the end of The Strip. Close enough to Neil at the Bellagio, it
was also within easy walking distance to Congressman Zimmer at
Zeitaku just off The Strip.

Cal glanced at his watch. “Top and Zimmer
should be flying in soon. Let’s head over to the Bellagio and check
out what Neil’s got.”

Although it was only early afternoon, Las
Vegas Boulevard was already packed with tourists. The pair made
their way through the throngs and finally arrived at the
Bellagio.

“Wow! This place is crazy!” Brian
exclaimed.

“You talking about all the people or the
hotel?”

“Both! Is it always like this?”

Cal kept reminding himself not to dampen the
mood. Brian needed to enjoy the experience.

“The hotel looks even more beautiful at
night. We’ll come check it out later. As for the people, I guess
the cooler weather’s really brought out the masses this year.”

“Does it have anything to do with the
convention?” Brian asked.

“Which one? They have a ton out here.”

“Do you ever watch the news, jarhead? The
Democratic National Convention.”

“I get all my news on Drudge, Doc. Besides,
why the hell would I care about the left side of the aisle?”

“We are helping out a Democratic
Congressman. You know what The Hammer says. Do…”

“Yeah, yeah. Do your homework.” Cal
interrupted impatiently. The Hammer was SSI’s lead attorney
Marjorie Haines. She’d picked up the nickname not only for her
ferocity in the courtroom, but also the way she regularly took down
SSI operators on the training mats. It was rumored that she had an
impressive array of vintage wines aging in her cellar, thanks in
part to the lucrative bets she’d won from SSI warriors. As the only
female employee at SSI (a distinction she was silently proud of and
didn’t care to share), there was always a challenge especially from
cocky newcomers.

The Hammer was also meticulous about
preparation. She knew more about impending ops than most of the men
going into the field. It was a habit she hammered into her peers
constantly. Haines was a valued advisor to Travis (it was also
rumored that the two had an on-again off-again romance on the side)
and the rest of the SSI leadership team. Beautiful and deadly, she
was a force to be reckoned with.

“So when is the convention?” Cal asked.

“This week.”

The two walked in through the Bellagio’s
main entrance and headed for the elevators. Cal glanced around
casually, further honing his counter surveillance skills. He knew
that Las Vegas casinos were some of the most guarded fortresses on
Earth. It would be interesting trying to pick out the enemies among
the sea of native security staff.

They soon reached Patel’s door and knocked
on it.

Pointing to the small peephole Brian asked,
“You think that’s one of his rigged cameras?”

The tech genius was known for weaving
surveillance gear into anything he could. It also made him one of
the most successful pranksters on both SSI campuses.

“I’ll bet it is,” Cal answered. “What the
hell’s taking him so long?”

He knocked again. Nothing. Strange.

Cal pulled out his mobile and dialed Neil’s
number. Patel picked up on the third ring.

“Yeah?”

“Were you asleep?”

“Cal?”

“Yeah, jackass. We’re right outside your
door!”

“Oh, sorry. I’ll be there in a sec.”

Cal looked down at his phone and shook his
head.

“He did get here yesterday, Cal. I’ll bet he
was out gambling all night,” Brian said smirking.

The door opened and a bleary-eyed Neil
peered out.

“Sorry guys. Pulled an all-nighter.”

Brian beat Cal to the punch, “How much did
you win?”

“What?” asked a clearly confused Patel as he
stepped back into the room, Cal and Brian following.

“How much did you win at the craps tables
last night?” Brian repeated.