The Shepherd's Crook Pt. 04

Fished nodded. "Dingo here caught a bullet through the meat of his thigh. Not life-threatening and with no permanent damage.

"Curved plates would have stopped that!" Stim insisted.

Ben nodded with a shaky smile. "Thank you very much for your efforts tonight. I'm deeply indebted to you guys. And Evelyn, of course!" He pulled her to his side, and she didn't resist.

"You just get this armor approved for combat missions. It's pretty spectacular stuff," Fisher said with a grin. Then he gave Ben a sly grin. "The armor the guys tested for you, do you need it back?"

Ben was still a bit leery about it being relied upon as the only armor they wore. "No, as long as it's worn with certified armor. As you said, it's just prototype stuff. I'd like the damaged plates back."

The man Fisher referred to as Killjoy handed his mangled plate to Ben, then gestured to his chest. "Any chance I can get a replacement? It saved my life."

Ben looked to Evelyn, and she smiled with a nod.

"I believe we still have a plate or two of the four-layer stuff. I'll get it for him," she said.

"How went the zip-line training?" Ben asked, and Fisher chuckled. His men were amused as well.

"I'd say the first run went extremely well," Fisher suggested, and his men laughed. The ones who were too injured to continue walked toward the Spa. The rest followed Evelyn toward the backyard.

Ben was left standing alone at the end of his driveway, watching the helicopters power up to head back to the air base. This threw up a lot of snow, but Ben shielded his face in the sudden blizzard to watch them leave. Visibility was obscured quite a bit.

Out of this mess, a tall black van drove around the circular court and stopped in front of Ben. Because of the attack, he knew nothing was getting in the neighborhood tonight without being vetted by the soldiers at the entrance, so he wasn't concerned. The side door opened automatically, and he saw CIA Agent Stephanie Russo sitting on the seat on the other side. She smiled at him.

Ben moved closer.

"Might I have a quick word with you, Ben?" Stephanie asked with a crooked smile. She gestured to the seat next to her, and he scowled but sighed as he knew he had to listen to her. With a glance back at the house, he stepped inside, and the door closed as he turned to face the woman.

Ben didn't feel the needle inject the powerful sedative into his neck from the seat behind his, but he quickly slumped in his chair.

The black van continued its way around the circle and out of the neighborhood, still partially obscured by the plume of snow thrown up by the departing helicopters.

-=-

As the helos flew over the tower, Evelyn stepped onto the deck and watched them go. She picked up the bag of armor plates, walked to the front deck, and looked down as she knew Ben would be watching them too. He wasn't there, but it was really late, so she assumed he'd gone to bed. She'd speak to him in the morning.

She turned to smile at the commandos. They'd really come through for Ben tonight, so they were permanently on her friends list. "Courtesy of Ben with his thanks!" she said as she handed out the remaining plates. "I'll speak with Captain Kendricks to get him to prioritize the certification of these."

Fisher smiled. "Much appreciated!" he said with a grin. He handed a replacement plate to Killjoy. "Try to make this one last, as we don't know when we're getting more," he said, and the other soldiers laughed at Killjoy's happy grin. They all had a little post-battle euphoria, but happy is happy.

Evelyn's cell rang, and she held up a hand as it was General Davis.

"Yes, General."

"Report, Sergeant."

"Thank you for the warning, but it was almost too late. The terrorist attack launched just seconds after."

"Yes, I was speaking to the comm tech at the Spa when they were hit. Any casualties?" he asked.

Evelyn smiled. "Only a couple minor injuries on our side. Fifteen terrorists are dead, fifteen were captured, and they're on their way to Fort Kortridge Air Base for transfer to Guantanamo for questioning."

She heard her uncle breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's the story on this armor?" he asked

"It's excellent armor, sir, and had a live fire field test tonight. I can personally vouch for its ability to protect against point-blank gunfire," she said with a grin. The commandos heard her and cheered.

"What? You were wearing untested armor?" General Davis snapped.

"Ben shared your concern, but we wore it over our existing armor. Nothing got through except one hell of a kick."

"Shit!" he exclaimed. "Was that Fisher's men? Let me speak to the man."

Evelyn handed the cell to Fisher, who kept the earpiece open so she could also hear Davis.

"Yes, General?" he said.

"Thanks for protecting Ben and his extended family," Davis began.

"We were in the perfect location to defend them, from the top of his tower with a zip-line to drop us directly into the middle of the bastards. The Sergeant did her fair share as well," he said with a smile.

"What's your take on the armor?" Davis asked.

"In the shooting range, I witnessed it stopping five armor-piercing rounds. It's better than anything we have. It transfers that energy across the plate, so I imagine it does give you quite the kick, but you aren't dead."

Evelyn's face registered the shock as her mind caught a little detail she'd missed.

Fisher saw her freeze. "One moment General, the sergeant just thought of something."

Evelyn leaned closer to the phone. "It was something one of the prisoners said. He was cursing Ben for inventing armor for the Russians. We only brought the new plates out tonight, and the only civilian who might have seen it was the owner of the gun range."

"Take him into custody, Sergeant," Davis growled.

"Yes, sir!" she said with a wicked grin and hung up. She saw matching smiles on the commandos.

"Any volunteers to collect a terrorist?" she asked, and all hands went up.

-=-

A sleek and fast jet waited for its passengers at a small airstrip outside the city. When the van finally arrived, the occupants stripped Ben and moved him into the aircraft. Soon, they were airborne and traveling at their top speed. They had no time to waste.

Ben would have to wait until they arrived at their final destination to be awakened and filled in. Stephanie knew he would be pissed by this extraction, but time was of the essence as a long-term mission was about to fail if she didn't pull off a miracle. Lives were at stake.

Quickly getting Ben to the other side of the world was just part one.

Chapter 42

When dawn broke, Tina woke and discovered Ben hadn't come to bed. This wasn't anything to be concerned about, as Ben often spent the night with one of the other ladies in his life. After the attack, he'd gone out to speak to Evelyn and the commandos, so Tina sent Evelyn a quick note asking if she saw where Ben had gone after he left her.

Seconds later, Evelyn's response came back with a question. "Didn't he spend the night with you?"

Tina blinked at the screen of her cell. "No," she sent back.

"Okay. Last sighting was in front of his house. Will check surveillance tapes. One minute."

Tina did her best to remain calm as Ben might have walked over to Gabriella's to check on her as she was the first person he called the night before.

Her cell beeped with another incoming text. It was Evelyn. "Checking with Spa. One moment please."

Tina's nerves began to buzz.

"Good morning, Tina," Lucy said sleepily as she walked into the kitchen. Her expression froze as she caught the look on Tina's face. "What's going on?"

"Ben didn't come back to the house last night, and Evelyn said she thought he was going to. She said she was checking something with the soldiers in the Spa," Tina explained.

"Aren't they only watching the west side of the court?" Lucy asked, also beginning to feel concerned.

Tina squeaked as the doorbell rang.

She rushed to the front door with Lucy behind her. Evelyn was standing there looking worried. "What's happened? Where's Ben?"

"The surveillance footage shows Ben standing at the end of his driveway. He was watching the helicopters leaving. They blew the snow around like crazy. In that mess, you can just make out the taillights of a tall black van that stopped at Ben's driveway. It moved on, and when the snow settled, Ben wasn't there. I think he got into the van," Evelyn reported. "I called the Spa, but the new squads are now in place, and the soldier who vetted the arrival of the van last night didn't make a record in the log. He's in transit, so we can't reach him to ask. I tried calling Ben's cell, but it went right to voicemail. Either the phone is off, or the battery might be dead. I'm going to do a trace on the logs of the local cell towers to identify his route." She looked into the frightened eyes of Tina and Lucy. "I will find him."

When Tina nodded, Evelyn stepped back outside and ran home. Tina closed the door, and Lucy gathered her into her arms.

"She'll find him and bring him home," she said gently.

-=-

A gentle and warm breeze blew across Ben's body, carrying with it the scent of flowers and salt. Sunlight was warming his bare skin. Hmmm... he couldn't feel his clothes.

His brows furrowed as these sensations didn't match his expectations at all.

It was winter. There was snow.

He tried to open his eyes, but the sunlight was stabbing into his brain. His vision was much too sensitive to light! He moaned and raised his hand to shield his eyes.

"Good, you're finally awake."

The voice was familiar, but her tone had an unexpected tension.

"Russo?" he asked, and his voice cracked.

"Sit up. I'll give you some water."

That's when his body told him how much he wanted some.

He was lying on a mattress, so he pushed himself up to a seated position and tried his eyes again. His vision swam for a moment then he saw a glass of water before him. He took it and raised it to his mouth.

Then he froze as he suddenly remembered Stephanie Russo sitting in a van, getting in to sit next to her, then nothing. He glanced at the water suspiciously.

"There's nothing in the water. I need you awake," the agent said. She was sitting on the edge of the bed.

His eyes locked on hers, but she wasn't giving him her usual sly smile.

His need for the water won out, and he drank everything in the glass.

"What... what did you do to me?" he finally managed to ask once he handed the glass back.

"I expedited your transfer from your home to where the CIA needed you to be," she said.

Ben's eyes were working better now as he scanned the hotel room and took in the expensive and exotic amenities. The windows were still a wash of white light to his eyes, so that was no help. He frowned. "And where did the CIA need me to be?"

"El Jadida, Morocco."

Ben's eyes widened in shock. "I'm in Morocco? Why on Earth did you bring me to Morocco?"

"It's time for you to pay your debt."

Ben looked at her and shook his head. "How do I do that, and again, why Morocco?"

"There is a man of great power and influence who lives on his mega-yacht out in international waters. He's very difficult to track. He only comes into a port once a month for two days to restock his supplies. He also loves to gamble. Tonight, he's coming to El Jadida to gamble at a local resort. We'll meet him at the casino, work our way into his party, and get invited onto his yacht."

Ben looked at her like she was mad.

"I'm not spending a month with some stranger on his boat!" Ben exclaimed.

"Of course not! As soon as we confirm whether our missing agents are on his yacht or not, we radio for assistance with our GPS coordinates, and our people will collect us."

Ben looked at her, waiting for the rest of the plan. When she just stared back at him, he blinked. "That's the plan? That's all of it? Why do I get the feeling there is too much room for shit to go wrong that isn't covered?"

"This is what I do. There are resources for us already in place. We just need to get on board, and you're the ticket to make this happen," Stephanie insisted.

Ben waited for her to explain that, but she remained quiet, so he had to ask. "Why me?"

Her eyes scanned his bare chest and took in the scars, the violence he'd endured. Something flickered by on her face then her jaw tightened. "He's a fan."

His eyebrows rose, but she gave him nothing else.

"Who is he?" Ben asked.

"Kaan Sadik. He's an arms dealer and a very successful trafficker of stolen goods. He has his fingers in so many illegal activities, it might be easier to list what he won't do for money."

This didn't make Ben feel more secure as the man likely had many people around him to protect him.

"Where is our security team?" Ben asked.

"Watching, but they can't get too close as they'd be observed by this man's people. The slightest hint of a trap, and he's gone. He doesn't remain hidden on the ocean because he likes the solitude of the sea. He's a wanted criminal just about everywhere. He pays the police in select countries to look the other way when he comes ashore to do business. Our window of opportunity is extremely limited."

Ben's jaw twitched as he looked at her. "Why am I naked?"

A hint of her usual attitude surfaced. "Why not?" He frowned, so she answered. "We had to take measurements for your suit for dinner and the casino tonight. You don't have an off-the-rack body."

He looked around and saw his wallet and keys, but his cell wasn't there. "I need to call home to let them know where I am."

Stephanie shook her head. "The General's people monitor your calls."

Ben frowned. "Yes, I'm aware."

"Davis has a double agent on his team. They work in his communication center. They leaked the location of the lab where you worked on the battery project. They also passed along your itinerary for your trip around the world and sent the plans for the Spa. If you contact anyone at home, you jeopardize the mission and everyone involved, which now includes you," Stephanie insisted. "No calls, emails, or texts to anyone!"

"Why aren't you telling him?" Ben barked.

"Double agents are useful. Besides, we haven't pinpointed the exact individual. It's not like Davis allows the CIA to poke around in his business," she snapped back.

There was a knock on the door followed by a second and a third, slow and evenly spaced. Ben gave Stephanie a skeptical look.

"Shut up. We're in Morocco. That's your clothes." She got up and walked to the door as Ben grabbed a pillow to cover his private bits.

The door opened, and a woman entered with a suit bag. She was young and wore a long flowing blouse over jeans, sneakers, and a bright fuchsia hijab. She froze when she saw Ben sitting on the edge of the bed with only a pillow covering his lap.

She stepped closer. "Mr. Shepherd! It is an honor to work with you!" Her eyes didn't remain on his face for very long.

Ben's face warmed up with embarrassment. "Thank you. Are those for me?"

She suddenly remembered she was holding the suit bag and quickly handed it over to Russo, who was back to smirking.

"It was nice to meet you. Thanks again," Ben said.

She nodded and flashed a brilliant smile at him, then rushed back to the door and closed it behind her. Stephanie moved to the door and locked it again. Then she brought the suit bag to Ben and laid it out on the mattress beside him. She opened the zipper, and Ben breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at him in question.

"For a second, I thought you would make me wear a white suit jacket."

The black jacket, white dress shirt, and black slacks appeared well tailored, and he stood to get dressed. His stomach growled with hunger.

"We'll get dinner after you dress," Russo offered.

"Where are my underwear? Where are my clothes, for that matter?" Ben asked.

"Back in the states at the airstrip. With your cell phone, which they've likely found by now. We left it on." Seeing Ben's distraught expression, she continued. "I left my business card with it, so they'll know you haven't been abducted by the Russians."

He stared at her. "Oh, good. They'll feel better knowing the CIA kidnapped me instead."

He pulled the slacks on and had to tuck himself down the pant leg. The fabric was soft and stretchy, so it wasn't too uncomfortable. The dress shirt fit as long as he didn't flex his muscles too strongly. Seams would tear if he went all out.

The jacket was equally tight but soft and stretched sufficiently for his movement.

He fussed with the bow tie until Stephanie pushed his hands away and tied it herself.

Finally, she stood back and smiled at the final product. "You look dreamy and dangerous. A winning combination." She went to the dresser and brought his wallet to him. "I've put some spending money inside. You're going to be expected to gamble, so use this money. There's five thousand inside. If that isn't enough to get us into the game, your name will give you access to as much credit as you need. We'll reimburse you."

He looked at her doubtfully. "Are you aware I don't gamble? Playing poker with some guys in college is all the experience I have!"

She smiled and began to undress. "Don't worry. I'll be with you, and we'll just observe at first. I'll give you some insight into how each game works. Besides, your goal is not to beat him in the games. Losing would be preferable as he's more likely to take you on his yacht if you've paid your way on, so to speak."

Ben made no effort to look away as she stripped down to her G-string panties. Fair's fair.

She turned to face him, and there was no hesitation or embarrassment on her face. The panties were so minimal it was clear she was shaved clean. Ben admired her body as she obviously worked out to maintain her fitness. She smiled. "I knew it would be fun to work with you."

Russo collected a sheath dress and slipped it on. It clung to her body and cupped her modest breasts, displaying her cleavage boldly.

"Our cover story. You are you. You're in the area looking for real estate for another of your Foundation centers. Easy enough. I am Steph Wilson. A divorced housewife from Missouri, looking for myself in strange and exotic places. You rescued me in the local marketplace and invited me to join you for dinner and a little sexy fun—"

"But I wouldn't do that," Ben insisted.

"People think that you do, so it works," she finished, and he frowned but nodded.

"Let's have dinner," she said.

They left their hotel room and took the elevator down to ground level.

Ben's eyes had finally adjusted to the light, but he saw the sun would be setting soon. He frowned. "How long have I been out?"

"About twelve hours. The dining room is this way," Steph excitedly said with a bubbly voice and pointed to the right. Ben realized she was in character.

Oh boy.

He fretted about his family at home. They'd be freaked out about his abduction regardless of who did it. He needed to get in touch with them somehow, but he didn't want to get Russo or himself killed doing it.

It didn't take long to get seated, and it took even less time for the waiter to begin hitting on his date.

Ben looked at the menu as Steph giggled at the waiter's flirting, as the man's eyes remained fixed on her cleavage.

Then he finally turned to Ben, who ordered the ribeye steak with vegetables. If this was going to be his last meal, it was going to be a good one. He pushed such over-dramatic thoughts from his head.

"I'll have a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing," Steph said with a grin.

Ben sighed when the waiter finally left, and Steph looked over at him. She reached over and took his hand.

"We need to keep up appearances," she said with her silly grin in place. "Try to take the grim reaper look from your face."