“Do your best, Agent McColm,” Buck sneered.
Matt pulled Semir away from the circle, dragging him into the nearby woods and shoving him up against a tree. With a menacing expression he whispered, “You have a question you haven’t asked yet.”
Blood trickled down the side of Semir’s face while his eyes roamed wildly.
Matt showed him clenched teeth and gripped the kid’s shirt with both hands. He pulled Semir close, inches from his face. In a threatening hush, he murmured, “Don’t you want to speak with an attorney?”
Semir seemed disoriented. He simply shook his head, appearing leery of Matt’s intention.
Matt would’ve rolled his eyes if he didn’t have to look so intimidating.
“Semir,” Matt whispered, “I’m trying to help you here. If you ask for an attorney I can take you away from this maniac.”
The young soldier took rapid breaths and looked into Matt’s eyes as if the answer might be right there for him.
“This is not a trick question, Semir. If you want I’ll give you back to the old man and let him finish you off. Otherwise, you ask me for an attorney and I’ll take you into custody. You get to live. Maybe even see your two little boys again.” Matt lowered his head and winked.
Semir swallowed hard. He looked over at Buck and watched the guy standing there with his thick arms crossed, examining every move. With the slightest of voices, he said, “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
He looked back and forth between Buck and Matt as if gauging his options. He was clearly under duress and not thinking properly.
He managed to whisper, “I would like an attorney.”
Matt jumped back and slapped his hands together in disgust. “Shit.”
“What?” Buck asked.
Matt looked over at the group with rage on his face, then pointed to Semir. “Tell them what you just said.”
Sweat saturated the boy’s temple as he danced in place, his hands still tight behind his back. “I would like an attorney?” he asked with complete uncertainty.
Buck placed his hands on his hips and glared at Matt. “Oh really? That just came to him?”
“Hey,” Matt said, grabbing Semir by the back of his shirt and heading down a path toward their car. “He’s got rights. I’ll take him in and get a statement.”
“Hold it,” Buck barked.
Matt didn’t hesitate. He threw Semir to the ground, then marched over to Buck, sensing the machine guns coming into a ready position around him.
“I trained at Fort Bragg,” Matt said looking around at the commandos, letting them know he’s one of them. Special Forces. A brotherhood that didn’t wash off even after you were discharged. Then he took in Buck’s glare. He gestured toward Semir on his knees. “He’s coming with us. We’re going to question him using the techniques allowed under the Constitution.” He looked around again at the soldiers. “You remember the Constitution, right? Remember that oath you all took to defend it? Because I remember it. It was our creed. So if you’re going to shoot me go ahead. I’m not afraid of dying. Just try living the rest of your lives with cold-blooded murder on your conscience.”
Buck looked around and saw his team loosen their grips on their weapons. It was subtle, but it was there. They weren’t about to kill one of their own. Not over this.
Matt nodded to the rest of his team and watched them fall in behind him.
“I’m taking my suspect into custody,” Matt said. He eyed the soldiers surrounding their leader. “You guys follow him,” Matt said as he pulled Semir down the path. “He’ll get you killed before sundown.”
Chapter 7
It was late afternoon by the time the team arrived at the county sheriff’s office. The complex was a one story block building with a gravel parking lot and a flagpole jutting out from a circle of red bricks. You had to pass Old Glory on the way into the building which made Matt smile, reminding him of the entrance to the Baltimore field office. Except this was no FBI building. This was merely a small satellite office to the main sheriff’s office in Globe. Twelve hundred square feet of block walls and linoleum flooring. They didn’t even have a receptionist to answer phones.
Steele, Tommy and Luke entered first while Matt kept a grip on Semir’s arm. Luke opened the single jail cell and Matt shoved Semir into the empty space before turning to see Julie Bracco by herself, cleaning sandwich crumbs from the vacant receptionist’s desk.
“What are you doing here?” Matt asked.
Julie rolled her eyes and gestured toward the closed door to the inner office. “Guess who’s back playing sheriff?”
“Are you kidding me?” Matt said. He noticed the frustration in Julie’s eyes and wanted to retract his comment the second it left his mouth.
“Listen,” Julie crumbled up the sandwich wrapper with more muscle than necessary, “do you really think he’s going to sit at home nursing a wounded shoulder while a terrorist is out there trying to kill him?”
She turned to throw the wrapper in the garbage and Matt followed. He wedged himself in front of her and held her arms to face him. She was a rock. Her body trembled in his grasp, but she kept her composure. Matt crouched down to be at eye level. “Jule,” he said with his most professional face, “we’ll get this done just like we always do. Understand?”
Julie’s face tightened. It seemed to be the same fight she’d always contended with as an FBI agent’s wife-be brave, but not naive.
“I understand,” she said, stepping out of his grasp. Then she tried to act busy cleaning the remaining lunch items on the desk.
Matt let her go. He made eye contact with Steele and saw compassion on her face. As if thanking him for trying to settle Julie’s nerves. He smiled back at her.
Nick had two large computer monitors side by side squeezing out the small globe and adjacent Arizona and American flags to the brink of his desk. Two tall filing cabinets sat against one wall while a scattering of folding chairs took up the rest of the space in the office.
With his sling hugging his left arm to his chest, the fingers on his right hand plucked the keys of his computer keyboard. He had Google Earth humming on the left screen, scanning for something out of place in the Payson area. Barzani was close by and somehow Nick needed to find him first, before he became another statistical accomplishment of Barzani’s revenge crusade. His mind felt slowed by the lingering effects of the anesthesia, but he kept grinding out ideas, piece by piece.
He heard the commotion in the outer office and figured the team had returned.
Tommy was the first to barge into the inner office like he was the governor. “Don’t you know when to lay low?” Tommy said, stopping in front of Nick’s desk and folding his arms.
“I guess not,” Nick said.
A massive black bear hung on the wall, stuffed and staring down at them with a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Tommy pointed at the animal. “That something you-”
“It was there before I got here,” Nick said, lifting his attention from the computer screens and watching Jennifer Steele, Luke and Matt come into his office.
“Well,” Matt said, “you can cross Semir off the list.”
“Tell me about it,” Nick said.
They did.
Jennifer Steele brought Nick up to speed with her and Luke’s liberation of Matt and Tommy from Buck Martin and his Iron Mountain team. Matt added the capture of Semir and explained the battering Buck gave the kid.
