“Conference room, now.” Raleigh’s voice was stern and rough as he motioned down the hallway to Matt and Sam. His mind was racing a million miles a minute, trying to get a grip on what he had just heard. As they piled into the small room and sat around the table, Sam dropped the stack of papers they had carried with them from the warehouse in Chicago. She was still shaken and a bit wobbly on her feet, stunned by what she had heard.
“Matt, can you grab the Officer in Charge here? I want him in on this. We need to pick up Thompson, ASAP.”
Matt rose from his chair and left the room. Sam looked up at Raleigh. “Are you ok?” she asked. “You seem more upset than you should. Do you know this Thompson?”
Raleigh’s demeanor changed, and his eyes grew watery. Sam had never seen this in him, and she moved closer to his chair. “Yeah, I know Thompson. He and I came in together, served in the same units and spent years on a team I lead for years. He’s been my best friend since high school. We grew up together. I am definitely not ok by any means, but we have a job to do.”
She couldn’t believe what he was telling her. “You have to recuse yourself,” Sam pleaded.
Raleigh pounded his fist on the table. “I don’t have to do anything. If anyone is going to bring him in and make him pay for what he’s done, it’s going to be me.”
She jumped and slid her chair back, frightened by what she had just witnessed or what he might do next. His face was full of anger, and she could tell that if Jared was here, Raleigh might kill him.
Matt returned with Major Jensen, the Officer in Charge of the MP station; they sat down across from Raleigh and Sam. Raleigh went over what they had discovered from his interview with Anderson and set up security for both Jackson and Anderson. He then went over his plan to arrest Jared. It was already eighteen hundred, and they would have to move fast. They needed to make the arrest and get Jared into custody as soon as possible. Raleigh needed to find out how massive this ring was and how deeply it was embedded within the Special Operations Command. As Raleigh laid out the plan, Sam could tell by the look on his face the pain he was in; it was evident at least to her.
Raleigh would be the lead in the arrest; he wanted to be the one to place the cuffs on Jared. Military police would set up surveillance on Jared’s house to determine how many were in the house and to make sure Jared was there. Once they had positive identification, Raleigh would go to the door and engage Jared. Once the MPs were in position, they would move in, secure the house, and Raleigh would secure Jared.
“Major Jensen, can you have your men posted by nineteen hundred thirty hours?”
“Yes, sir. I will send out an unmarked car now to take up a position just north of the house, then have the remaining vehicles positioned on all sides.”
“Ok, but remember this soldier is Special Operations. He is highly trained and deadly, so be careful. I know Thompson, so I can get close. I want an assault team within feet of me, just in case there is trouble. Can you do that?”
“Yes, sir. Everyone will be in position.”
Raleigh turned his attention to Matt and Sam, who were listening intently waiting for their instructions.
“Matt, I want you and Sergeant O’Hara to wait here. You can listen in on the radio communications and watch through the MPs helmet cams. I will call once everything is over and we are on our way back. Can you do that?”
Matt’s reply was a quick “Yes,” but Sam wasn’t so easy. Raleigh could tell by the look on her face she was not happy. She didn’t like the idea of being left to watch and listen. She uttered a quick and disturbing “Yes,” and Raleigh sent everyone on their way to prepare. Sam was the last to leave, and he grabbed her arm as she walked past him.
“Not getting off that easy,” Raleigh said and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them. He touched her arm in concern. “I know you don’t like staying behind Sam, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I can take care of myself,” Sam snapped back.
“I know you can. You’ve proven that, but this is something I have to do myself. Please don’t be upset.”
“Ok, I understand. I will be here when you get back, but please be careful,” she begged.
Raleigh wrapped his arms around her, touched her face, and pulled her in closer to kiss her. “I’ll be ok. I’ll be careful and I will come back. Don’t worry, I got this. I gotta get ready now, baby. No worries. Ok?”
“Ok, no worries.”
As he walked out the door, Sam got a feeling she would never see him again, and it frightened her to the core. He’ll be all right; just need to keep telling myself that, she thought and followed him out the door.
Matt was still waiting in the hallway when they emerged. “Everything ok, Chief?”
“Yeah, just needed to go over a few things with Sergeant O’Hara concerning the investigation and where it stands as of now. Getting her up to speed on what we found out last night from Anderson.
Matt grinned and said, “Oh, is that what’s it’s called now?”
“Man, I need to find the arms room to sign out a weapon. Would you stop giving me shit and take me there?”
As Raleigh went to sign for a weapon, Sam got comfortable in operations. The room was filled with television monitors and communications equipment. It would be a long night so she figured she best have extra caffeine and snacks available when Raleigh came back. He’ll want plenty of coffee. She scanned the room for a coffee maker—Ah, there it is—got up and made a batch, then settled into a seat next to a monitor, grabbed a headset, and listened.
Raleigh pulled up in front of the house on Maple Avenue and checked his weapon, ammo, and ear piece.
“Commo check. Everyone check in.”
Each squad checked in and gave their positions. Ok, everyone is in position. Here goes nothing!
Raleigh exited the car and headed towards the front door. He scanned left then right. Ok, there is my front door team. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He could hear commotion in the house then he saw Jared through the small window in the door as he approached.
He whispered, “Stand by, Thompson answering.” The door opened. Jared caught a glimpse of Raleigh’s gun and bolted back into the house, but Raleigh was able to get a grip on his shirt and pulled him back towards the porch. The military police moved in, breaching from all sides and took control of all the occupants of the house. The struggle continued between Jared and Raleigh. Others tried to assist, but Raleigh refused to allow it. Finally, the fight ended and Raleigh placed the cuffs on him.
***
Sam held her breath as she listened to the various voices on the coms. She strained to hear his voice but heard only silence. Her heart felt heavy and her breathing became shallow. She felt like she would die. But then she heard him. He was ok; she could breathe again.
“We got one in custody,” Raleigh said as his voice cracked. She could tell just by the sound of his voice he was in pain, not physical, but emotional.
The soldiers in the operations room went crazy and chants of jubilation echoed through the building. But all Sam could think about was how Raleigh felt at that moment and how much she wanted to comfort him. For him there was no celebration. It was the end of a lifelong friendship and of a great soldier. She knew Raleigh had to know why and what happened.
As the occupants of the house exited one by one, Raleigh handed Jared over to one soldier then walked over to his car and sat down. Pulling the ear piece out, he cupped his face in his hands. He let out a sigh of relief, but his mind was full of questions. He couldn’t quite come to grips with the fact that his best friend, someone he had known his entire life, could turn and betray his country. What drove him to it? That was the biggest question; what drove Jared to betray him and his country?
Sam grabbed her phone and called Raleigh. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m ok. Just hard, ya know? But we’ll be there in a few minutes. Can you get the interview room ready? I want them to question Jared as soon as he gets processed.”
“Ya, I can do that. I’m sorry, baby.” Her voice cracked. She hurt for him as much as he hurt for himself.
“Yeah, I know. See ya soon.”
When she hung up the phone her eyes welled up. She could tell the two men had a relationship that ran deep, like siblings. She knew Raleigh was hurting but also knew there was nothing she could do but support him. They both had a way of knowing how the other felt. It went beyond the number of days they had known each other. There was a connection between them like they had known each other their entire lives. They both had a way of knowing what the other felt without ever saying a word. She had never felt this way about anyone. It scared her, yet exhilarated her at the same time. They were good for each other, but she still wasn’t sure if she could take that step she so desperately wanted to take. She would have to trust him that he wouldn’t take her heart and break it into a thousand pieces. Finding that trust was still out of reach for her. She grabbed two coffees, walked across the hall to the interview room, and waited for Raleigh to arrive. The wait seemed to last forever.
When Raleigh emerged through the door his face was chiseled with a mix of pain and anger, but when he saw Sam it disappeared and a sense of calm came over him. She had a way of calming him that no other woman had, not even his momma. That was just one of the many things he loved about her. She was the epitome of grace and style, and that was sexy as hell to him. He had to overcome her trust issues. That wouldn’t be an easy task but one he would take on.
As Sam got closer to him, he saw she was holding two cups and handing one to him. “Just made it, so it’s hot and fresh. I thought you could use one, and since we are still on duty, you can’t drink a shot.”
“Yeah, I could use a few shots, but for now, coffee is excellent. Thanks, Sergeant.”
“How soon till they interview Thompson?”
Raleigh winced when he heard her say his name but said, “It shouldn’t be too much longer. I gave them a list of questions to ask. Thought it best I stay outta this part and just observe.”
“Ya, you’re probably right, Chief. You are too close to the investigation, in more ways than one.” She winked at him and smiled.
“You're right, darlin’.” He grinned for the first time in what felt like hours for her. She loved the way he smiled. It made her feel safe and secure, like no one would ever hurt her again.
Raleigh’s face changed. She was taken aback at first, then realized that they were walking Jared down the hallway toward them and into the interview room.
“Well, little lady, it looks like we’re ready to rock ’n’ roll.” He touched her back to guide her to the observation room. She pushed back a little so he could feel she was accepting. She loved he was such a gentleman and treated her as an equal both in and out of bed.
***
Jared was combative as they walked him down the hallway and into the interview room. The military police shackled him to the table and to the floor, but he continued to fight as he screamed Raleigh’s name and various threats to him and the MPs. When the Officer in Charge came in and sat down, Jared lunged at him and swore to kill him with his bare hands. When the officer spoke, Jared interrupted and refused to talk to anyone but Raleigh. The back and forth went on for over an hour. Raleigh became more and more angered and frustrated at Jared’s lack of cooperation. He flung open the door that separated the two rooms and slammed his fists onto the table.
“I’m fuckin’ here, you piece of shit!” Raleigh said as he kept himself from punching his old friend in the jaw.
“Piece of shit? You’re calling me a piece of shit?”
“Yeah, and there’s not a fuckin’ thing you can do about it. So, sit the fuck down, shut the hell up, and tell me why you will only talk to me!”
Raleigh sat down and waited for Jared’s answer, but it wasn’t what he expected.
“Because, man, you are my oldest friend, and I trust you.”
“Trust me? I thought I could trust you, trust you not to betray the country you served and the soldiers you fought alongside, but I was wrong.”
“You don’t understand, man.”
“Well, fuckin’ enlighten me, Jared. Tell me why you would betray our friendship of thirty-five plus years, the country you serve, and the soldiers you serve with. Fuckin’ tell me, Jared!”
“It’s a long fuckin’ story, man.”
“Well, we got all the fuckin’ time in the world, man.”
Raleigh sat and listened as Jared told his story. It started in Afghanistan when he and Raleigh had been captured during an ambush in the mountains of Takur Ghar. Three of the guys in their squad were killed. Once they were captured, they were systematically tortured for days then weeks until they escaped and made their way back to the American forces. Jared had broken and given in to his torturers. As the days in captivity went on, Jared grew to admire and sympathize with his captors, even getting close with some. He explained that their escape was a roué to allow him to gain information for Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters to allow them to gain ground on American forces. While they were still in Afghanistan, he met his wife, Sameana, and they married. Then he gained the documents to bring her to the United States. He kept the marriage a secret from everyone until she arrived in the U.S. Al-Balshera was one captor; in Afghanistan he was the commander of the Al-Qaeda cell Jared reported to. He and Al-Balshera became close and that was how Jared met Semeana, who was Al-Balshera’s sister. Once Jared was back in the US, he and Al-Balshera set up a black market ring to fund their operations in Afghanistan. And because he was family, Jared would become second in command to Al-Balshera and move back to Afghanistan.
Raleigh sat stunned at what he heard. He wasn’t ready to ask Jared questions. He needed a break, so he got up and walked out for a coffee and donuts. His head was spinning when Sam walked in.
“WOW! Raleigh, I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, neither do I. I’ve known Jared my entire life and would never imagine he could or even would do something like this. I have so many questions, and I don’t have a clue where to start.”
Sam looked at Raleigh, her eyes soft and gentle. With a voice matching her demeanor, she said, “Just start from the beginning. I know it’s hard, and I can’t even imagine what you are going through. But you and I both know there are American lives at stake if we don’t stop this.”
“I know you're right, darlin’. How’d you get so smart?”
“Well darlin’, I gots me an edumacation.” They both laughed hysterically before Raleigh headed back to the interview room.
“Hey, Sam,” he said. “Thanks a lot. I owe you so much.”
“I know, and I am keeping count.”