Chapter 18
I have been wanting to write all week but work has been crazy busy and I've been tired. I hope this chapter is up to par. Sometimes I wish I could just project the words and thoughts in my head onto the screen and just proof read lol. We're getting to some juicy stuff lol. Also, I'm putting Mandy to be somewhere in her mid-30s and Jason in his late 30s. I figure Jason says he's been in the Navy for about 20 years and started when he was 18 and had kids early since Alana and he were childhood sweethearts. I kind of figure Mandy has been with the agency for at least 10-13 years if she went straight out of college.
Director Jack Thomson held Mandy. He needed to reassure himself that she was okay. She was alive and hugging him. He pulled back and looked at her. He too saw the bruising on her face forming and saw her wince as she pulled back from him. He followed her hand going to her side where she was stabbed.
"I'm fine," Mandy said looking at his worried face.
"You have different definition of fine," Mandy's dad said looking her over again.
Mandy turned to the rest of the team, "Everyone, this is my Dad, Director Thomson. Dad, this is Bravo Team."
The team all greeted him with "hello sirs."
"Heard a lot about you guys. Thank you for having Mandy's back," Thomson said turning to the team.
"Goes without saying, Sir. She's always had ours," Ray responded. "Hope it's all good things you've heard."
Thomson laughed, "For the most part."
"Now that introductions are done, shall we start the briefing Director," Blackburn said trying to move things along.
Everyone took their seats and Director Thomson went to the front of the table.
"I'll cut to the chase and say we know who attacked the base," Thomson said as he nodded to one of the other agents to start playing the footage of the holding cells.
Mandy tensed in her seat as she watched the whole scene play out. Everyone could hear the words being said between Mandy and the attacker. The rest of the team briefly looked at her as the man talked about being friends. How the hell did Mandy know this guy? It sounded like they had history of some sorts. The video continued and showed them battling each other before Lisa and the team came in.
"One hell of fight," Sonny said looking at Mandy as she fiddled with her hands.
It concerned the team that Mandy seemed rattled by all the events. Never once had they ever seen her lose her composure but whoever this guy was, it was personal.
"So who is this guy?" Clay asked.
"Roman Riley," Thomson said watching his daughter's reaction.
"Roman?" Lisa said thinking back to what Mandy told her before she passed out. "Who exactly is he and how were you so quick to identify him?"
It was quiet for a moment before Mandy spoke up. "He was a CIA agent before he went rogue. I started the agency with him. He was my partner," staring at the frozen picture of Roman.
"What's a rogue agent doing hanging out with al-Hazred junior?" Brock asked. "What happened to make him go rogue?"
"He was a good agent. He had taken me in under his wing when I first started with the agency. We took down a lot of targets together. Taught me a lot of things," Mandy said looking up at everyone. She took a deep breath and continued, "As you know, in our line of work things don't always go as planned. After two years working together we were gathering intel and undercover. When things went South on this particular op we had no help. We were on our own and barely made it out alive. Something in Roman snapped. He couldn't let go of the agency leaving us stranded. Cut to one year later and Roman was committing treason against the United States of America."
Director Thomson tensed thinking about how that information came to light. It had been one of the worst moments of his life knowing how much danger Mandy was in and it nearly costing her life. He saw how Roman's betrayal affected Mandy and never wanted to see that devastation on her face ever again. He saw how her exterior hardened and saw her trust people even less than usual. He knew why over the years she fought like hell to save whatever team was performing her mission. Thomson knew his daughter felt she needed to do everything in her power to bring the guys she worked with home.
The room was silent as the team looked between the director and Mandy. The team had recently gone through what betrayal felt like with Vic Lopez. They knew what the hurt and anger of one of their own not having their back felt like. Looking at the father and daughter they could tell that whatever had gone down was serious.
"I've been hunting him down for almost nine years. Over half my career," Mandy said smiling bitterly. "He had a fiancé. He was family. I trusted him with my life. We've been playing this game of cat and mouse for years. Seems he's escalated into working with terrorists to possibly plan an attack of some sorts if the money I found says anything."
"So how do we find this guy?" Trent asked. He like the rest of the team felt a new sense of purpose to take out Roman for causing so much pain to one of their own.
"He's probably left the country by now. He doesn't stick around for long. I think Asim al-Hazred might still be here though. During my interrogations it seemed like his purpose was more personal with troops for taking out his father. For Roman, Asim is just a means to end. He probably used him for whatever he's planning."
Before anyone could say anything, Thomson's assistant came rushing into the room.
"What is it?" Thomson asked seeing the look on his assistant's face. Everyone was on high alert thinking they were about to be attacked again.
"There's a phone call," the assistant said. "It's for Agent Ellis specifically."
Mandy and her dad shared a look before Mandy spoke, "Put him through."
"Start tracing the call," Thomson said.
"We're already on it," the assistant said.
"What's going on?" Jason said looking at Mandy. He had moved his chair closer to Mandy's as she told her story. He could see the hurt she was going through re-telling the past. All he wanted to do was whisk Mandy away somewhere far away and make her forget all her troubles. He remembered the last time they were deployed and her determination to get to the bottom of Echo Team. It all made sense now. She barely took time for herself while investigating and even got herself kidnapped. She knew what the ultimate betrayal felt like. He could see why she was always determined to get everything on a target package as close to perfect as she could. She always had a card up her sleeve even if it meant sacrificing herself.
Mandy looked at Jason and then hit the speaker button on the phone in front of her.
"Checking to see if I'm still alive?" Mandy asked abruptly in a cold tone the team had never heard.
The team was instantly on alert knowing it was Roman on the line. If it was possible, they would've reached through the phone and finished him off right that second.
"Isn't that what friends do? Check on each other?" Roman said patronizing her.
"Like I said the other night, we stopped being friends a long time ago," Mandy replied trying to keep her composure.
"Guess I'm not the enemy either then since you didn't take the opportunity to shoot me," Roman said back. "Or are you just waiting on orders to do just that?"
"You of all people know I tend to break a lot of rules and defy orders," Mandy said as her dad watched her carefully. The rest of the team had to work hard not to jump in. Mandy was doing her thing in keeping him talking.
"I just don't get it Mandy. How do you do it?" Roman asked.
"Do what?" Mandy asked back.
"Keep working for an agency that left you to die. An agency that basically says that you're replaceable and not worth saving. After all the things we've done and our services and loyalty meant nothing," Roman answered.
"And what exactly are you doing now? Doing the right thing? Taking matters into your own hands and working with scumbags who don't give a shit who gets hurt in the crossfire?" Mandy said.
"See that right there was always your problem, Mandy," Roman said. "You could never let the emotions go. Always had to feel something. Everyone thinks you're cold and emotionless but I know the truth. You're weak and that's why you couldn't pull that trigger the other night. Now whatever happens, that's on you Mandy. Whatever I do next makes your ledger bloodier than it already is. How many names have you added to the list recently Mandy," Roman said pushing Mandy to react.
"And what about your ledger? Is your conscious clear of all the destruction you've caused? You say no one has my back but who has yours?" Mandy replied feeling herself getting worked up. "Should I trust you to have my back?"
"I'd always have your back," Roman said.
"Is that why almost nine years ago you put two bullets in me and left me in my own pool of blood to die? Is that what partners do to have each other's back," Mandy said intensely. "Maybe you're the weak one who can't seem to finish me off. Calling to check on me, maybe you're the one that can't let the emotions go."
The entire room was eerily quiet and tense. The team couldn't believe what they were hearing. This guy had tried to kill Mandy in the past and he knew how to get under Mandy's skin. If the team was ready to go after Roman before they were ready to put the guy in the ground once and for all.
"I am not weak," Roman said vehemently.
"You're weak, pathetic and most of all alone," Mandy said. She knew how to play this game of getting people to react.
"I'm not some prisoner you can break," Roman replied.
"But you can be broken, can't you? Isn't that what you always told me?" Mandy answered back.
"I'm warning you Mandy, stay out of my way," Roman said.
"Or else what, you'll finish the job once and for all?" Mandy asked.
"Yes, Mandy. I will," Roman answered.
"So will I," Mandy quickly answered coldly before a brief pause in the conversation.
"It was nice talking to you Mandy. See you around," Roman said before hanging up leaving everyone with a haunted feeling.
"Anything on the trace," Thomson asked watching his daughter stare at the phone intensely.
"No, he was scrambling the signal all over the world and we couldn't get a fix on it," an agent replied.
"Did he just threaten to kill -" Ray trailed off while sitting up and on alert.
"Not over our dead bodies," Sonny said intensely. "What's the plan to take this bastard down?"
Jason kept an eye on Mandy. She was still lost in her thoughts. His mind was racing with how that call went. Both of them had threatened to kill the other. He knew working the job they did you sometimes had a dark side and he got a glimpse of Mandy's. Was this what she was worried about him finding out? She had once told him after saving Ray, that there were a lot of things that kept her up at night but saving them wasn't one of them. He knew that deep down she wasn't a stone cold person and whatever she did was because she cared about those around her. No one could ever change that. He also knew that no matter what he and the team had her back.
Mandy had a lot of emotions going through her mind at the moment. She was angry for not shooting him when she had the chance. She was mad she let him get to her. She was in pain from her wound along with everything Roman had said. Was she weak? Why did she all of a sudden feel the self-doubt creeping in? She knew she needed to feel her feelings otherwise she thought she'd be numb from it all. It was the only thing that reminded her that she was alive and had survived everything life had thrown at her so far.
Mandy abruptly got up and left the room heading for her conference room she designated as her office. Jason watched her leave and saw the pain flash across her face probably from the stab wound. He looked at Director Thomson who nodded his head to go after her. Jason got up to follow.
"Let's take a quick break," Thomson said worrying about his daughter.
The rest of the team had thoughts running through their heads about taking down Roman for causing Mandy so much pain. Just like she'd committed herself to helping them through everything they'd do the same for her because they had her back no matter what.