Lethal Misconduct Read Free

its shape and as a tribute to its larger cousin just outside Washington, D.C.
    Cal walked along the row of perfectly placed hedges that flowed into the half moon back patio. In the center was a round fountain pond. They still hadn’t decided what to do with the backyard other than to limit entry. Another item on their ever-growing to-do list. Luckily Jonas would handle it.
    Cal passed under the white columned portico, nodding to a stern faced electrical contractor installing the wiring needed to power the impressive array of technology that would soon be delivered to the small headquarters. Jonas was inside looking down at a set of blueprints laid out on the foldout table they’d been using to eat on. He was talking to a short Latino with a thick beard braided into twin strands below his chin. The former delta operator everyone called Gaucho looked up as Cal entered.
    “Hey, boss. You gotta check out what Jonas is planning. Dude is gonna make this a fucking sweet joint.”
    Cal smiled, always amused by Gaucho’s colorful personality. You’d never know by his near constant joking that the Mexican-American was deadly. He’d been one of Cal’s first invitations, Gaucho joining the new organization along with eleven of his own operators.
    “Let me go check my email and I’ll be back down,” said Cal.
    “Boss, Snake Eyes was looking for you. I think he’s in the War Room.”
    The War Room was a miniature version of the Situation Room in the White House and had been the first space they’d remodeled. Secured from the eyes of the constant stream of workers by a steel reinforced door, the War Room was the heart of their new venture.
    Cal headed that way.
     
    Once he’d entered his personal code and passed the retina scan, Cal pushed the door open. The space was about twenty by twenty feet; the walls lined with computers screens. A temporary conference table sat in the center of the room. That’s where Daniel Briggs, aka Snake Eyes, the former Marine sniper, blond ponytail and all, sat analyzing a map. Daniel was one of Cal’s closest friends and rarely left his boss’s side. Part bodyguard and part advisor, the sniper oozed quiet confidence and a certain streak of luck that his friends liked to rib him about. Cal had never seen Daniel get so much as a scratch on the many operations they’d conducted together. Gaucho had once said that Daniel was blessed by God and that maybe everyone else should carry around a Bible like Snake Eyes.
    Cal didn’t know what to believe, but he did know that Daniel was imbued with some kind of… Well, he just called it a gift.
    “You were looking for me?” asked Cal, sidling up to see what Daniel was looking at. He instantly recognized it as a map of the surrounding area.
    “Yeah. A call came in from Brandon. He wanted to see how things were going.” Aside from Cal and his cousin, Daniel was on a very short list of people who could call the president by his first name.
    “Do I need to call him back?” Cal wasn’t a fan of people looking over his shoulder, even his friends.
    “I think so. He probably just wants to see if he can lend a hand.”
    Cal rolled his eyes. He had enough to do without having to report in to the president. Maybe he hadn’t made himself clear. He shook the orneriness away, constantly battling to control his short fuse.
    “Okay.”
    Cal clicked the speaker button on the secure phone in the center of the conference table and pressed the only preset phone number there. It was labeled “Pres.”
    “Cal Stokes for the president, please.”
    “One moment, sir.”
    “Cal?”
    “Good morning, your Holy and Mightiness. How may your humble servants be of even humbler service?”
    The president chuckled. “You sure you don’t want to join me in D.C.? I don’t get enough ass-kissing up here.”
    “No way.” The president knew that Washington, D.C. was one of Cal’s least favorite places to visit, what with all the politicians and partisan