Page 2 of Operation: Valiant Angel

“Rae’s hit,” Garcia yelled over her steady stream of curses. “Right upper shoulder.”

“Nearest hospital is two miles north of your location,” Madison’s voice came across the speaker in Shepherd’s office and through the comms in both Garcia and Wilson’s ears. “Take a left at the end of the alleyway and then a right at the next stoplight.”

“Roger that, Xena,” Wilson replied.

“Get her patched up and on the Lear as fast as you can,” Cooper ordered.

“Hang in there, Rae, we’re getting you to a hospital. But you gotta tell me what you know right now. Who had him killed? And who was responsible for that attack on us just now?”

She spilled all she knew as Wilson drove way over the posted speed limits to get her to the hospital.

“I’ve got you, Rae,” Garcia assured her, trying to calm her.

Wilson’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror. Garcia was keeping pressure on the wound.

Wilson’s thoughts next went to the plane ride back, when the Op was finished. Rae Ella Easton flew back with them and was turned over to the U.S. Marshals to be given a new identity with thanks for the intel she provided that brought down that drug ring. During the ride home, Wilson had sat next to her, and they’d chatted. Getting to know her a bit, he discovered that she was a nice woman, who had been dealt a shitty hand in life. She’ddone the best she could. He hoped her next chapter would be better, safer.

He’d stayed in contact with her since then, something no one else on the team knew. Her new identity had her living just south of Waterloo. They were close enough to consider checking in on her. Maybe he and Garcia could make a slight detour after their assignment was finished.

“I have reservations about him,” Garcia’s gravelly voice said, pulling Wilson’s thoughts back to the present.

“That’s why we’re driving out, isn’t it?” Wilson asked. “I sat beside him the entire time you had access to his computer. I’m telling you; this guy wasn’t nervous about what you’d find. He was compliant. I got the sense he’s a good guy deep inside, regardless of what he and his sister were up to. Do you have any specific issues with him?”

It turned out that Cameron’s sister, Briana Woods, a former Army MP, had dragged him into helping her with a domestic violence victim rescue operation she was running. What they’d been doing was border-line illegal, but it was also recognized that they probably saved countless women and children over the years. Shepherd had offered Briana Woods a job and brought her operation under the Shepherd Security umbrella just the day before. She would receive full Operator training. Now, Wilson and Garcia were driving to visit her brother with a potential job offer as well.

“We got into his system far too easily. That’s my first problem with him,” Garcia said.

“And your second?” Wilson asked.

Garcia laughed. “His video game playing. I don’t trust any man that plays first-person shooter video games.”

Wilson also laughed. “Well, I guess I can see your point on that, given what we do. But the job on the Digital Team is just him digging into information online. It’s not like we’d ever asked the guy to staff Ops or pick up a rifle and storm a building.”

Garcia raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. “That’s just the thing; we don’t know what may be asked of any person at any time. But if we’re in an absolute pinch and there’s no one else, we just may have to tap on their shoulder. Would I ever want to staff Brielle in Ops? Probably not. But if the shit’s hit the fan, we just might have to,” Garcia said.

Wilson thought about that for a moment. Brielle was one of the Digital Team members, and also the civilian wife of one of the Operators on Delta Team. She was damn good at what she did on the Digital Team but did not have the training or experience to staff Ops. “So, the members of Bravo Team are nearly through their reorientation. I know none of them are too keen on travelling right away. Isn’t Shepherd looking to use them in both Ops and on the Digital Team?”

“I know Shepherd has given a lot of thought to their role. I think that bringing Briana Woods’ rescue missions under the Shepherd Security umbrella will give an opportunity to Bravo Team for part-time in the office and part-time travel just by staffing those cases,” Garcia said.

Wilson was even more confused by the possible inclusion of Cam Woods on the team. Would his skills really be needed with Bravo Team back from staffing the personal security cases? And even though he thought he was a good guy, Wilson believed Cam Woods to be an unlikely candidate for employment with Shepherd Security. “So why is Shepherd even considering him?”

Garcia glanced at Wilson. He was privy to information directly from Shepherd and it looked to Wilson that he wasn’t sure howmuch to divulge. Wilson did know that Shepherd was going to let Garcia make the final decision on Cameron Woods.

“You mean besides the fact that he’s good with a keyboard, he knows about us, and he is Briana’s brother and will most likely guess what she’s doing now that she’s not working with him?”

Wilson wasn’t sure if those three things were it. “Is there more?”

“Do you remember a few months back we went after that professor at the University of Mary Washington related to Saxton?”

“Of course,” Wilson answered. Laura Lee ‘Lah-lee’ Saxton was a member of Echo Team. His team, designated Charlie Team, had worked closely with Echo. It was because of her personal experiences that a case was sanctioned by Shepherd to go after that professor. Wilson was assigned to that case. Garcia had been as well.

“The possibility of becoming a referral point for lost classmates came up. It would be a low effort and low-cost service, but with the anticipated volume, it could prove to be very profitable,” Garcia said.

“Shepherd’s looking to get into the missing person’s business?” Wilson asked.

“Shepherd’s looking to diversify into whatever profitable endeavors he can that will utilize his personnel and their skills who want to travel less,” Garcia replied.

“So, he’s considering Cam Woods for that team?”

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