Tank's Revenge Ch. 02

"Yes sir," Reynolds was almost sorry he had come along on this trip. He hated lying to his superiors, "We had a lead from an anonymous CI that Chavez Tejada and his lieutenant were in the country heading through Texas to Florida. By the time we caught up to them we were in Florida. I was in constant contact with my superior Agent Downey."

Simmons sighed, "She is no longer your superior or anyone's now. You young man are on a slippery slope. I want you back in this office, sitting at my desk at 0800 tomorrow morning. Better get on a plane now."

Reynolds was shocked, but replied, "Yes sir."

As the phone hung up, he noticed Robbins walking over to him. "Who was that Big Fella?"

"Don't Big Fella me anymore. You cost a good agent her job, and possibly mine too. Just stay the fuck away from me. I'll catch a ride with one of these officers." He quickly walked away to one of the officers, entered a car and drove away.

Robbins could only watch, "Well shit, now what?"

******

December 1, 2018

Kelsey had been sleeping since Tupelo Ms. Mark was tired, but he knew he had to get to his friend before he stopped to sleep. He had the radio on a country station, just for some background noise. Occasionally, he would look over at Kelsey. She slept like an innocent little girl, but under that exterior was a full-grown woman. She was fierce, determined, strong, and sexy. He knew thinking like that was wrong, she was not his wife.

About ten miles from Oklahoma City, Kelsey woke to the sounds of some Lynyrd Skynyrd on the radio. She knew the song well, as it was one of his favorites, 'Simple Man' she believed was the title. She just looked over at him, looking at his jaw as it clenched, his knuckles on the wheel turning white every time the line 'my only son' was sung. When the song ended, she noticed he hit the button on the steering wheel to play it again, not knowing she was awake. She was sure this was the true Mark in front of her now, not the merciless, emotionless, mechanically functioning cold-blooded killer.

She closed her eyes and just listened to the song play a few times, listening to the words thinking about Mark and how he almost opened to her in Florida. Suddenly she felt the vehicle stop, with Mark exiting. He went to a warehouse door, and unlocked a padlock, then opened the wide door enough to drive through. As he jumped back into the vehicle, he looked at her, then back at the windshield, and drove through the doorway.

The place was pitch black, and with what sunshine was coming through the doorway, Mark was able to close the door from the inside. She heard a click, so she assumed he had a lock on the inside as well. He opened the back door to the vehicle and climbed in. "I'm tired, can you wake me up in a couple of hours? We need to see a friend about some changes we need." She nodded her head and let him close his eyes. She opened the laptop in front of her and started to browse the news, feeling her eyelids becoming heavy once again.

Mark's dream started out once again with his dad's funeral, and the family he once had walking away from him, never to be seen again. He remembered going to the recruiter's office and signing up, then going home and packing. The awkward silence he felt as everyone in the house talked, except when he entered the room. Without saying anything, he walked out the door to start a new life. When he went to boot camp, he was more than prepared, being physically fit. The tough part was when his friends would get letters and phone calls from home, with not receiving anything.

He concentrated on his skills in the military, learning the ways of combat, and mastering the use of the weapon assigned to him. He could tear it down and put it together faster than anyone in the platoon. When they went to the firing range, he was not satisfied unless he was hitting near the center mark. In his off time when all his friends were going into town, he would be at the range working on his proficiency with the help of his instructor, a former sniper.

The last week of camp, he was called to Dr. Andrew Graci's office. He was the base psychiatrist, so it confused Mark at why he was being asked in the first place. When he sat down across from the Dr., he noticed a few files in front of him. "Hello private Lawson, how are you this morning?"

"Sir, a little confused sir." Mark answered very quickly and precisely.

The man behind the desk smiled and chuckled a little under his breath. "At ease, soldier, I am a doctor, not your drill sergeant. You can refer to me as Dr. Graci, would that be ok?"

"Sir, yes sir."

Shaking his head, he continued, "I called you here because you are being recommended for an elite group. Your test scores are off the chart, and your marksmanship is outstanding. I am to evaluate and screen such candidates. Do you understand private?"

Mark blankly stared at him, "Permission to speak frankly sir."

"Yes, yes, by all means you don't have to ask." Dr. Graci almost laughed aloud while saying.

As stone faced as before, "I don't understand, who recommended me? I never applied to any special forces. I just want to serve my country, there is nothing back home holding me back."

"It doesn't matter who recommended you, but that you were. Only a small handful of candidates walk through those doors, and I approve about thirty percent of them." He paused and lifted the files in front of him to prove his point. "These all failed. Now what do you think about being a sniper?"

"I've never thought about it much. I hunted when I was a kid, and could shoot pretty well, but Sgt. Dickenson really helped me hone my skills." Mark replied.

Dr. Graci looked at him while folding his hands onto the desk. "A good sniper has to be a man who can kill methodically, unemotionally, and personally. Personally because it's an entirely different ball game when you can see even the color of your victim's eyes through the magnification of a sniper-scope, when you can see the look of surprise and fear when he realizes he's been shot. Most any good soldier can be a successful sniper once —it's the second or third time around, when the memories of personal killing are edged into the conscience. Killing in this manner is closely akin to murder in the conscience of many men. Of course, we do not want mad dogs in this program, either. What we want, quite simply, is a man who can distinguish between murder and duty, and who can realize that a duty killing is not an act of murder. A man who is also cool and calm when he himself is in jeopardy completes the picture of our ideal sniper."

The Dr. continued saying, "Private, I have looked over all of your files, and I believe you are that man. You are obviously a weapons specialist and skilled armorer, who also held sharpshooter awards in every personal-weapon category in your platoon."

Mark felt off, like an earthquake was happening around him. As he slowly came out of his dream, he felt hands on his chest shaking him, and Kelsey yelling, "Mark somebody is here."

***********

Later in the morning in Dallas

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Detective. You were clearly out of your jurisdiction without my permission. I don't care how good the arrest might have been. You still were involved in a shooting that had fatalities in another state. The second one in a matter of weeks in fact."

Robbins was still at attention, "Sir, I do apologize but as the report the FBI gave you as well, you can see we didn't have time to go through proper channels for this."

The police chief looked up at him, taking a bottle of Pepto-Bismol out of his drawer. After taking a swig of the foul-tasting stuff, he dropped it back in his drawer, slamming it. "Detective, I told you to stay away from this case, and apparently you have a hearing problem. Give me your badge and gun, I am suspending you for six weeks." Robbins handed the badge and gun over to the chief as he said, "I am warning you to stay away from this case. Take a vacation somewhere tropical. Just don't go sniffing in any police business, you understand."

Robbins looked at the chief with a bit of disgust, "Yeah I understand sir." He turned and walked out of the Chiefs office, not paying attention to the stares he was receiving from his colleagues.

********

Meanwhile across town

"Sit agent, we have much to go over." Reynolds sat down across the desk of Special Agent in charge Jack Simmons. "Give me one good reason not to take your gun and shield, and bring you up on charges?"

The tall man looked at him from across the desk, "Sir, ultimately you will do what you want. I just want to do my service for the agency. Agent Downey was also just doing what she thought as well. She..."

"She is not your problem right now, agent. If you are lucky maybe I won't suspend you like I did her. I think you are a very smart man. You worked with Dawson, and you know how smart she was. She learned to pick her battles, and to know when to keep her mouth shut. That's the way we do things here in this building. As I told her, if you don't like it, the door is behind you."

Reynolds brows furrowed, "Sir, are you implying I should turn my head on certain matters and not pursue a lead when it presents itself?"

Simmons looked like he was going to blow a fuse as his cheeks became redder. "To a degree yes. If I say jump, you will answer how high. I am the top of the food chain around here, not you or Downey! Are you understanding me?" Reynolds nodded his head, afraid to say anything. "I am giving you one more chance, do not investigate any more on Tejada, or his cartel. Let the DEA and the enforcement team do their jobs. I need you on cases that are piling up here locally, and don't need a rogue agent. Are you going to be a rogue agent anymore Reynolds?"

Deep inside Reynolds wanted to tell him to take the job and shove it. He also knew that this little speech Simmons gave him confirmed there were more dirty agents here, including the top guy. "I understand fully sir, and you will have no more trouble from me."

Simmons smiled like the Grinch who stole Christmas, "Good, I can see your future is already looking brighter. You are dismissed."

**********

OKC - same day

"Scotty!" Mark bellowed as he gave the small man a hug, lifting him off the ground. Kelsey looked on in amazement wondering who this guy might be, because he didn't look like anyone that would have served with Mark in the military.

The thin smaller man spoke to Mark like an old friend, "Mark, I just want to thank you for trusting me in what's been going on. I need to let you know I will back you up however I can."

"That's why I called you. I need a favor, and it isn't going to be easy." Mark turned to see Kelsey walking toward the two men. Scott also noticed the small younger woman and admired the beauty of the fair skinned redhead. "Scott, this is Kelsey, the girl I was telling you about earlier. We both need new identities now. I need a new license plate and a complete wash of all records."

"What happened Mark, you were so vague when you called me last night."

"Let's just say that we have multiple people and organizations who found us. I am not sure how or why, but they did. I need better cover if I'm going to do this Scotty, and I know you can help me."

"Yeah, can you give me a day or so? I have to go to the office and get awesome work done this morning but can come back this afternoon and get to work on it."

Mark nodded his head, "Yeah, no problem. You have that new phone for me?"

Scott dug through his pants pocket, "Yes, sorry almost forgot. Hey also, I received something in the mail for you." he ran back over to his mustang and pulled out a small box.

Mark studied it and noticed the postage mark, "Thanks, I think we will be needing this. Is the old van around back?" Scott nodded at the tall man and they shook hands. Scott walked back over to his car just outside the open door, while Mark walked over to the SUV.

Kelsey stood motionless for a second, then turned to follow Mark in a half jog to catch up. "What the hell? Who was that?"

Grabbing his gear out of the back seat, he said, "A friend."

She shouted, "That's all I get? A friend? Well fuck you too Mark." Unfazed, Mark walked toward the open door, waiting for her. She grabbed her gear, then walked angrily over to him, ramming her shoulder into his side while she walked past him. In truth it hurt her more than him. He just smirked, shaking his head.

Again, as they drove to the next destination, Mark was glad it was quiet. It helped him think about his next move. He had been tracking Tejada's movements with the microchip they implanted in his neck. As far as they could tell he had not noticed, as from the intel Mario had been giving them was matching with the tracker.

Looking over at Kelsey, he knew at some point he would have to confront her about her mood swings and attitude toward him. The last thing he needed to worry about was if she was distracted during a fight. He only wanted the best for her, and hoped they would find her sister alive, for Kelsey's sake.

They pulled into an old motel by a truck stop, with Kelsey looking over at Mark. "Why are we stopping here? You spoiled me with the places we have been staying lately."

Mark put the van in park, looked over at the furious redhead, "If you would simmer down for a minute, firecracker, I'll tell you." She was taken aback by his name for her but let out a small smirk. "Right now, my alias is compromised, so that means I must go where cash is accepted, and most times no questions asked. It will not be ideal for us, but until Scotty gets what I asked for, this is it sweetheart." He said the last word sarcastically, but Kelsey didn't notice it, her heart skipped a beat and she lightened up a bit as they checked in.

The greasy old man behind the counter looked over Mark, then at Kelsey. He had a wicked smile across his face as he welcomed them in. "Just a couple of hours or all night?" He let out with a light chuckle at the end.

Mark's eyes were cold, but Kelsey's were even colder. Kelsey spoke first, "A couple of nights please, I aim to please." Mark looked over his shoulder at her, then back at the man behind the counter. The look on the old man's face was of envy and lust.

"Well, I want paid upfront, it'll be $150.00 in total for two nights. If I must clean up any fluids, I will be billing you, so I need some information from you."

Mark threw down $300.00 on the countertop. "This should cover the room and any spillage that may occur." They were handed keys and headed outside to find their room. Both laughed when they were out of range of the doorway. She elbowed him in the side, and almost jogged to the room.

When they opened the door, her face dropped. The room wasn't half bad, it was cleaner than she expected, and had a TV, a phone, and if they worked it would be even better. On the far side of the room was one queen size bed. She wanted to smile, but she knew he would just sleep on the floor again like always. They settled in for the day, waiting to see if they would hear anything before nightfall.

**************

Dallas TX Later that day

The knocking on the door woke her from her nap. She went to the door, looked out the window and smiled. Opening the door, she let in the tall handsome agent. "What did I do to earn this pleasurable surprise?" He swept her into his arms like she was a feather, kissing her on the lips as he guided her against the wall. Pressing her there, they rubbed against each other, both knowing what the other wanted.

Reynolds backed away, looked into her eyes, and she could tell something was on his mind. "What's wrong Morris? I know you came over here for more than sex."

He brushed his hand through her long hair, taking in her beauty. He leaned in kissing her forehead. "I wanted to see you of course, but I also need to talk. I'm not sure what to do at this moment."

She grabbed his hand and led him over to the oversized sofa. "If this is about me, don't worry about it. The suspension is a good thing. It has helped me in some ways we can't indulge right now, but soon we can talk about working together in the future."

"Maria, I feel responsible for all this. If it wasn't for that damn Detective, I..."

She cut him off abruptly, "Don't, you are not responsible. I have a feeling I was getting close to some dirty agents, and Simmons had to find an excuse to get me out of there. As for Robbins, he is on to something, but yes, he needs to be reeled in. Acting so impulsively is dangerous."

"So, what's next?" Reynolds asked her.

She leaned into him, "I say we talk about it in the morning and enjoy ourselves tonight." She kissed him as she unbuttoned her shirt exposing her breast to him.

********************

Back in OKC

The shower had been running for thirty minutes. Mark wondered what a woman could be doing for that long in the shower, but he didn't want to think that hard. He was looking at the laptop before him, watching the chatter on the dark web about him and Kelsey. The bounty seemed to be escalating now, as it was now six million. The word was out now about Espinoza being in United States custody, which made many people nervous, especially Chavez Tejada.

Mark decided to open the package and found five hundred thousand dollars and a note from Ms. Espinoza. Mark was thumbing through the money and putting it in his duffel bag when he noticed the bathroom door opened. As he kept at his task, he heard her footsteps along the carpet floor. She went to the bed and laid on it, as she turned on the TV, finding a romance movie immediately as Mark shook his head.

He finished the things he was doing on the laptop and shut it down. He grabbed the extra blankets he asked for and started to make a place on the floor beside the bed when Kelsey spoke. Without looking at him, staring straight at the TV, "Why don't you get a good night's sleep for once and sleep in the bed? I promise I won't take much room."

Mark stood there, not really knowing what to say. He looked at her to see if she was joking or was serious. She patted the bed beside her as she turned her head toward him, giving him that familiar smile of hers. "I don't think that would be appropriate Kelsey. I just don't feel right about sleeping with someone right now."

"For heaven's sake Mark, it is just sleeping. I'm not asking you to fuck me. Just come to bed, and sleep. I know the floor isn't comfortable, and the past few days you were on a couch. I worry about you and want you to be rested for whatever it is you have planned next."

Mark looked at the hard ground, then back at the softer mattress. "OK, but stay on your side, and I'll stay on mine." She just giggled and went into the bathroom with some clothes. He changed into some sweatpants, and climbed into bed, getting under the covers. When she came out of the bathroom a second time, she wore a tank top with no bra, as he could see her nips jutting against the material. She also wore boy shorts that were very short and left nothing to imagination. He rolled over toward the window and closed his eyes, willing his erection away, hoping this would be a restful night.

*******

December 3rd, 2018

Reynolds sat at his desk working on case files he had been given by the acting ASA in charge. He didn't like the guy, as he was a total ass kisser to Simmons. The case files were minor and trivial, and he knew why he had been given them. Simmons did not trust him and giving him the crappy cases would keep him out of everyone's hair.

He received a text from an unknown number saying, 'Meet at The Grille, downtown 2nite, 8 pm.'

He texted the number back, but no reply. He wondered if it was a wrong number but was curious. He called Downey and asked her if he should go, of course she said yes, and offered to go with him.