The Monster Hunter Ch. 41-50

Angel started to cry, so Daniel picked her up and carried her to his bathroom. He finished stripping her, then stood her in the shower. She was still crying as they were drying off, so he tucked her into bed and crawled in to hold her. "I'm sorry, love."

"It's not you, Daniel. You've been wonderful with me; the best lover I've ever had, and I love you."

"I shouldn't have done the butthole play. I should have known it was a trigger."

"The idea of something that size going in there IS scary, but I know you'll take your time, and you won't hurt me. I trust you, and you couldn't have known. It's what you said."

"Prepare your ass?"

She nodded. "It's what my captor would tell me before my 'appointments.' Some of the men liked to use all three holes. If he didn't prepare me to take them, they might tear me up. He didn't care about my pain, but getting hurt meant bringing in a doctor and recovery time. He didn't like to lose money."

Daniel's heart was breaking for her. He'd known her past was a minefield, and he'd ruined their night now. "I'm sorry. I'll never ask for that again."

Angel pushed herself up until she was looking down at him. "No. It's another thing I need to reclaim in my life. I'll give it to you, but I'm not ready now."

"I'll wait."

Angel snuggled up to him, her hand idly stroking his cock back to full hardness. "That's not all I can't give to you, Daniel. You need to know this before our relationship goes any farther than it has."

"Nothing will change how I feel about you, Angel."

She told him about Michael and Amber finding out they were expecting a child together. "The abuse I went through before puberty? It left permanent damage," Angel said with her head buried on his shoulder. "My doctors told me I might never be able to have children. I could be your wife, but I can't give you a family." Daniel held her in her arms as the pain and frustration came out.

It didn't change a thing in his head. He wanted the woman in his arms as his wife, and they would find a way to have children when she was ready.

Ch. 47

With both sides eager to make the situation go away quietly, Carter took just over a week to negotiate a settlement with the FBI brass. The final deal cost the Government two years salary as severance pay plus a hundred thousand dollars to settle the sexual harassment claim, with six months of paid health benefits. In exchange, Angel would resign from the Bureau, forego any further harassment claims, and signed a strict non-disclosure agreement. The official story was that she had 'resigned for personal reasons' and intended to go to Law School. The resignation meant that she could resume a law enforcement career if she wished, but only at the state or local government level. Angel even had her previous supervisors and the Assistant US Attorney write glowing letters of recommendation for law school admission. The signing party for Angel's settlement was set for Friday morning at ten at the FBI building's Human Resources office.

Angel started studying for the Law School Aptitude Test while taking care of Michael as he healed up. She was going to apply to law schools in the spring and start school next fall. She and Daniel had been talking about his future, trying to figure out how best to match their plans. It wouldn't be easy; his Navy career path was demanding.

The Naval Academy teaching post was his post-Department Head shore tour, made possible by his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He'd already screened for Executive Officer and would be attending Prospective Executive Officer School in Groton, Connecticut, next fall. After that, he would get orders to a submarine for a two-year tour. The problem was that although he could request a billet, the 'needs of the Navy' prevailed. He could end up at any submarine base; in addition to Groton, there were submarine bases in Norfolk, Virginia, and Kings Bay, Georgia. On the West Coast, there was Bangor, Washington, and San Diego, California. There was even the possibility of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, or Guam. Angel knew that a part of her law school search would be the availability of distance learning. She could only guarantee one year at a DC-area school if she followed him to his next duty stations.

In the nine days since Michael got out of the hospital, he'd healed enough to move around using a cane. Amber had practically moved in, leaving only to go to classes and work. It was funny watching the two compete for who could let the other do as little as possible, though Michael's wounds beat out Amber's early pregnancy. The pair was still sleeping in her living room, as the stairs were still out of the question.

Amber skyped her first Well Baby appointment to Michael. She got her pregnancy confirmed, and an ultrasound showed everything was progressing normally. She was young and in good health, so the next appointment was a month later. The doctor gave her advice on nutrition and pre-natal care. Angel smiled as she saw Michael talking to their baby as she set the table for dinner. She finished and joined them in the living room as they waited for Daniel to get there. "Are you going home for Thanksgiving, Amber?"

"I already did; Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October in Canada," she said. Her father met and married a Montreal resident after his first wife died, and his sons were in college. Amber's mother was fifteen years younger than her sixty-two-year-old father, and Amber was born a year after they married. Because of this, Amber had dual citizenship.

"Do your parents visit your brothers on Thanksgiving, Amber?"

"No. My brothers sometimes host, but they are spending it with their other families this year."

Angel got an idea and looked over at her brother. "You should invite her parents down for Thanksgiving," she told him.

Michael looked at the bed and rolled his eyes. "I'm still bedridden, so it's not a great time for entertaining," he said.

"It's the perfect time when you think about it. I'm off work, and Amber's already here, so we can get things ready. They can't complain about Amber staying with you while you're injured, and she's staying in your room upstairs. We can move your bed to your room for her parents to use and get a single bed for you. Amber can stay with me in my room while they are here. Besides, look at you. You're a hero, a wounded warrior."

"Hurt while protecting an oil company executive," Michael said as he rolled his eyes.

Angel rolled hers right back at him. "The longer you wait to charm her parents, the bigger a blow it will be when Amber tells them she's pregnant."

"She's right," Amber said. "You can't travel, but could we get them tickets here?"

Michael was smart enough to know the right answer when given. "I'd love to have them visit us."

"Great! That will give us six people, which will be perfect," Angel said as she heard Daniel's motorcycle pull in. She'd already invited her boyfriend to Thanksgiving.

"I'll call them after dinner," Amber said.

The four sat at the table with Michael's seat boosted by a thick pillow to help his leg stay straight. The conversation turned to Angel's upcoming settlement. Michael wasn't happy that she was out of the FBI, but that little bastard Ken was still there. "I should have taken out his knees," he complained.

"He played the system well," Angel replied. "I can't believe he was able to beat the polygraph."

"People beat that all the time," Michael replied. "I can't believe they dropped the investigation on him based on that."

"No evidence," Angel said as she put her empty wine glass down.

"Then get some," Daniel said as he leaned forward.

"How? Go up to him and ask him to admit he posted the meme of me?"

"Yes." The other three looked at him. "Friday, you're at the building, and you are officially out of the FBI. Your friends will be there to see you off, but what will Ken and his cronies do?"

Michael picked it up first. "They won. They'll dance on her grave."

"Exactly."

"Ken knows me, so I can't do it. I doubt Ken will brag about sexual harassment to a woman, no matter how hot she is," Michael said.

"Find out where Ken and his buddies are going after work. I'll leave early from work, head down there, and get his confession on tape." Angel looked at him, wide-eyed. "Guys like this WANT to brag about it. They can't wait to tell about how they got one over on the system and ruined the woman's life. A Naval Officer facing a sexual-harassment claim makes a damn good drinking partner. Set me up with a wire, and I'll get your confession."

"I've got a camera upstairs that you can hide in your uniform. It's so small you can't see it," Angel said.

"Perfect."

The rest of the night went by fast. Angel and Daniel enjoyed the hot tub until he had to head home, while Amber and Michael relaxed and watched a movie in the living room. Amber's parents were thrilled to visit and asked a lot of questions about her new boyfriend. Michael bought them tickets to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, arriving Tuesday and leaving Saturday.

Angel drove to her lawyer's office on Friday morning, and they walked the few blocks to the FBI Field Office. Nancy Gottleib from Human Resources met them at the Security checkpoint and issued them visitor badges before taking them to her office. Carter Lewis from Legal was waiting there with a woman from Personnel and a stack of papers.

After weeks of uncertainty, ending her FBI career took ten minutes. She signed the papers, Carter Lewis handed Carter Pederson her the severance check, and they all shook hands. The two seemed happy to be rid of her as they walked her to the door. When it opened, Dan Robinson and Mark Prentice were there. "We'll take them out of the building, Ma'am," Supervisory Special Agent Robinson said.

"Thank you."

Angel was no longer an employee, so she hugged them both. "Thank you for seeing me out."

"I'm not happy about losing you, Angel, but the Justice Department is going to get one hell of a prosecutor in a few years." They exited the elevator on the first floor to find dozens of agents waiting for them. Carter left her to it as she said her final goodbyes to well-wishers from the Task Force, her old office in Human Trafficking, and others she knew from the building. With the gag order in place, she thanked them for coming and talked about how excited she was about law school. A dozen of them left the building to take her to lunch at a local café, and Dan presented her with a plaque commemorating her service. It was fun, but soon they had to return to work, and she was alone again.

She returned to her lawyer's office, settling up her bill and taking a copy of all the paperwork. "Thank you for doing this, Carter," she told him.

"It's been a pleasure, Angel. I wish I could have kept your job."

"It's the best outcome for us all." With that, she returned to her car and drove back home.

Mark texted Angel and Daniel just before she arrived. "Free State Atlantic Bar 501B G St 5pm"

"I'm on it," Daniel texted back. "Leaving work now."

Daniel was sitting at the end of the bar in his service dress blue uniform when four G-men walked in. He'd looked up Ken's photograph, but the man in person was even smarmier than that. "He's here. He looks like a Todd," he texted.

"Todds are three levels up from him," Angel replied. Daniel plugged in the camera and started the video recording.

The group set up around some tables nearby while Daniel sipped his beer. The group was in a good mood, and one of the agents stood by him as he ordered another round. "What are you in town for, Commander?"

"Answering a sexual harassment complaint," Daniel said before he took a drink. "The bitch didn't mind flashing her thong at me but freaked out when I grabbed her ass. What the fuck did she expect would happen?"

"There's a lot of whiny women around who don't know their place," he said as he took the pitchers. "Why don't you join us? We just got rid of one."

"Why not?"

Frank led him to the table and introduced him to Brian, Ken, and Todd. "You'll never guess why the Commander is drinking here tonight."

Daniel laid his story on thick. He told them about how the young administrative assistant dressed and flirted around the office and her complaint when he ran his hand over her bared ass. "Ten years in the Navy, and now I'm fighting for my career because some whore files a complaint."

"Fucking bitch," Ken said. "We had this agent who couldn't cut it in a man's world. She broke down crying one day in the office and had to leave by ambulance. I couldn't believe it. Breaking down in the office like a two-year-old who dropped her ice cream? You're a fucking Special Agent, toughen the fuck up."

"We got her to quit by posting this on a private FBI agent site," Brian said. He pulled out a phone and showed him the meme of Angel as a child getting raped. "Everyone knew her complaint was behind the politically correct purge. She was a dyke, like most of these agents."

"Didn't you get in trouble for that shit?"

Ken laughed. "Human Resources did a purge, but they couldn't touch us. We all use burner phones for that site, and nothing traces back to us by name."

"You guys get an untraceable phone to talk shit about people?"

"Fucking Human Resources was out for blood when the meme came out. The guys who didn't use the phones got caught, and two of them got fired. We're too smart for them. They even gave me a polygraph, but I learned how to beat one of those back at the Academy. After that, I was back to work, and the bitch was drummed out of the FBI this morning. To Angel! You fucking crybaby!" He raised his beer to the group.

"To Angel!"

The five all pounded their beers, and Daniel decided he had enough. He thanked them and grabbed his cover, putting it on as he walked outside. Daniel turned right and walked a block before he sat on a bench. He pulled the phone out, stopped recording, and sent it by group text to Angel, Mark Prentice, and Dan Robinson. "Take out the trash," he wrote after the video file finished uploading.

"Good job! Now get that cute ass home so I can give you your reward," Angel texted him.

"Yes, Ma'am." He walked towards the parking garage with a spring in his step.

Ch. 48

The end of Ken and his cronies was quick and spectacular. When Mark and Dan received the text with the undercover video, Dan called an emergency meeting at work with the brass. When asked why, he merely said that 'agent misconduct with significant consequences,' and that was enough. Present was the heads of the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility, Human Resources and Legal, and the Assistant Director In Charge of the Washington Field Office, and the Assistant US Attorney. They met in the ADIC's office on the top floor, and the ADIC wasn't happy. "What's this about, Dan?"

"If I may?" Dan had downloaded the video file to a flash drive and plugged that into the computer feeding the large video monitor on his wall. "This video was taken just after five this evening at a local bar."

The file came up, and Dan hit play. "The man taking the video is Lieutenant Commander Daniel Donahue, a mechanical engineering instructor at the Naval Academy. He's former Special Agent Angel Johnson's boyfriend, but that is his only connection to the Bureau. This video was unsolicited; I didn't know about their sting operation until I got the file texted to me."

"He's not a cooperating witness?"

"No, sir, he's a private citizen operating on his own. I spoke with former Agent Johnson briefly; she said it was Commander Donahue's idea. He thought Special Agent Ken Markhart would be like Colonel Nathan R. Jessup in 'A Few Good Men.' Like him, he'd WANT to brag about how he was smarter than everyone else and would dance on the grave of Agent Johnson after she got forced out. It turns out he was right." They watched as the four men came into the bar, and Agent Robinson identified the Special Agents involved. The group watched as Daniel joined the group and got introduced. They were shocked as the men confessed their involvement in the plot, bragging about their use of burner phones and even showing him the meme on one of their phones. When the video ended, the room exploded in angry discussions.

"Enough," the ADIC said. "Where do we sit legally? Can we use this video?"

The Assistant US Attorney nodded her assent. "Washington, DC is a one-party consent territory along with 38 other states. The video was in a public place with no expectation of privacy. We're also in the clear from a warrant standpoint as the FBI did not request the surveillance, nor was the person involved acting as a confidential informant under our control. Legally, it's no different than getting information sent to us from store surveillance cameras or a tip line. We can use it."

"What kind of charges are we looking at?"

"Each of them perjured themselves in sworn statements during our investigations of the meme," the AUSA replied. "That meme is known to be child pornography, edited or not. The photograph was unreleased evidence of an official investigation. I might be able to prove suborning perjury."

The ADIC looked at his Office of Professional Responsibility head. "This one is all yours. Get search and arrest warrants for all four of them and execute them TONIGHT. I want our tech guys going through those burner phones by morning."

"Understood, sir."

"Dan, where is the original video?"

"Commander Prentice has it in his possession, sir."

"Good. Send one of your men to retrieve it as evidence and take his formal statement. Are there copies of that anywhere?"

"The Commander texted it to three people; myself, Special Agent Prentice, and former Special Agent Johnson. I downloaded it onto the flash drive on my office computer, but other than that, it has not been distributed."

The ADIC stood up, and everyone else followed. "Keep it that way." Dan removed the flash drive, and the OPR head took it from him. "They will lawyer up, but the timing works out perfectly. Let these guys sit in jail until arraignment Monday. Get to work; I need to inform the Director personally."

The group filed out of the office, and Dan pulled the OPR representative aside. "I've got a favor to ask," he said. "When you serve the warrants on Special Agent Markhart, I want to lead the team."

"Why?"

"He was in my command, and his actions harmed an innocent agent in my command. I need everyone to know that I protect my own."

He considered it for a moment, then compromised. "My men will make the arrest, but you can read him his rights and be one of his escorts for his booking."

"Thank you." As they walked to the elevator, they talked about how they could get him without the burner phone getting destroyed. "I have an idea, but I'll need to bring one of my agents in."

The OPR team got the warrants from a Federal judge and set three AM for a coordinated raid on the four homes. The team assembled a block from Special Agent Ken Markhart's Georgetown apartment. Dan was there along with one trusted member of his team, Special Agent Mary Campbell. He knew she would never warn the others as she was Angel's friend, and she couldn't wait to see Ken go down.

The plan was simple; a four-man team entered the hallway from both ends while Mary went to the door. She started banging on it. "KEN! Wake the hell up! It's Mary Campbell. KEN!" She kept knocking on his door until she heard him yell back.

"It's three in the fucking morning, Mary!"

"Then answer your phone, and the boss won't send me to fetch you!"

She heard the chain slide and deadbolt unlatch, and he opened the door to find Mary in her work clothes with her badge hanging around her neck. Ken was wearing designer boxers and a T-shirt. "Give me a moment. I have to get dressed."