An Arrogant Black Belt Threatens a Rookie Nurse in a Rural ER — Unaware She Was a Navy SEAL Officer
Chapter 18
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Special Agent Elena Ortiz came in first, badge out, with the patient calm of a woman who had been doing this for 22 years and was never going to be impressed again by anything. Reese met her at the door; Ortiz did not ask for an introduction—Ortiz had been briefed in the air."Commander Donovan.""Special Agent.""Walk me through it."Reese walked her through it; it took 11 minutes. Ortiz did not interrupt once. When Reese finished, Ortiz nodded and said:"Dr. Kessler is upstairs, second floor, sailor on the door?""Mr. Bishop? Stable. Going to need a thoracic surgeon in Roanoke when the weather clears, but he'll live.""Petty Officer Vega?""Stable. Vascular repair held. Transferring at first light to Walter Reed.""Lead contractor?""Cooperating. He gave us the second element ETA and the staging location before Lieutenant Marsh had to ask him twice. He's afraid of what comes next more than he's afraid of you.""Smart man." Ortiz smiled, just barely. "Captain Reeves?""In the trauma bay, holding Bishop's hand."Ortiz nodded again. She gestured at one of her agents, who peeled off and went upstairs. She gestured at another, who went to Bay 3 for the lead contractor. Two more set up at the front and side doors. The FBI did this kind of thing very well; they did it like it was the only thing in the world they did, because tonight it was.Ortiz turned back to Reese. "Commander, I want to say something off the record. May I?""Yes.""I have been investigating the network behind the Aleppo crew for three years. I've lost two colleagues; I've not been able to break it. The file Captain Reeves built and just put in the back of my truck is the first complete picture of the financial chain I have ever seen. You disappearing for three years is what kept that file safe: Reeves needed time to build it without them knowing; you bought him that time by living in a one-bedroom apartment in West Virginia and eating peanut butter out of a jar. I want you to understand that: the disappearing was not surrender—the disappearing was the operation. Do you copy?"Reese did not say anything for a beat. Then she said, "I copy, Special Agent.""Good." Ortiz held out her hand; Reese shook it. "I'll need a formal statement in the morning. Get some sleep first. You look like hell.""Yes, ma'am."Ortiz walked away into the building. Reese stood by the door and watched her go, and let her shoulders drop just one inch, just for one second.Vera came up beside her, holding two paper cups of coffee. Vera handed one to Reese without saying anything. They stood together in the doorway and drank bad hospital coffee and watched the rain start to ease.After a while, Vera said, "Are you going to stay?""At the hospital?""No. They're going to need a new physician for the night shift. They're going to need a new charge nurse, too, probably, because Marisol is going to file and the administrator is going to have a very bad week. I meant... are you going to stay in nursing?"Reese took a long sip of her coffee. The coffee was terrible; the coffee was perfect.