Page 1 of Special Agent Joseph

Chapter One

The sun shone down with a vengeance, heating the air and forcing Captain Joe Wyatt’s lungs to work overtime. The golden globe of fire above scorched the ground so severely that he felt it through the bottom of his worn sneakers. He’d headed out early this morning, only to find that Mother Nature had declared yet another heat war on the Nevada world.

Sadly, having to park the rental he’d paid less than the usual price for, he realized now it was probably due to the fact that the car was a clunker, ready to fall apart, and the gas gauge didn’t register properly. Leaving it on the side of the road, he gathered his gear and began trekking.

He spotted a clump of dried brush near some larger rocks close to the road where he could still see oncoming vehicles and decided to sit for a few minutes, catch his breath, and get out of the direct sun. Dropping to the ground he put his hands through his sweaty hair and kept his face hidden and eyes closed. While he called himself every sort of an idiot for trying to save moneyrather than renting a good car, he knew he’d do it again if given the chance. Which made him even more of a fool.

Suddenly, he felt eyes on him, a second sense he’d garnered from being in life-losing battles overseas. Stiffening, he slowly scanned the area and actually jumped when he spotted the nearby, bug-eyed gecko staring back at him, obviously statue-like because it hoped to fade into its background. The long grayish body highlighted with intricate tan bands remained still yet alert. Once Joe’s heart slowed back to the normal rhythm, he couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction. “Hey, little buddy, what’re you glaring at? Never seen a soldier lose his shit before?”

Surprisingly, the gecko stuck around long enough for Joe’s hand to move so swiftly, that he was able to grab the creature, imprisoning him. Shocked he’d actually caught the small lizard; he carefully opened his fingers so the head and front paws could pop out. Laughing now, he stared back at his wrinkly friend. “Hey, partner, are you finding it hotter than usual? If it were me, I’d be hiding in the shade. Shit, look who’s talking?” Grinning, he spread his fingers, expecting the little reptile to flee. When it just sat, opening and closing it’s curtain-like eyes, another laugh broke out and that seemed to prompt the reptile to turn tail and sprint for safety. Watching him disappear into a rock crevice, Joe muttered, “Stay safe, pal.” Then he wiped his hands on his pants and copying his new friend, he decided to keep moving.

Humming the newest tune he’d memorized the words to; he kept his head down and walked in step. Bo Martinez, a good pal in the service had taught him how to play a harmonica in exchange for lessons from Joe on the guitar. To pass the time, he took it from his pocket and began playing the latest tune he’d become proficient with.

The fact that Bo came from Tennessee and played mostly country music only made the learning more fun. After a fewminutes though, he had to stop, finding his mouth dried too quickly and remembering that his water bottle was only half full.

Taking a route toward the populated city of Las Vegas, Joe soon began to see that the desert-type vegetation didn’t provide much chance of cooling off under a big old shady tree. Go figure… maybe he should have done more research before heading this way.

Recently, having taken his final leave from the army after three back-to-back deployments, the ex-military soldier thought about the reason he’d come to be walking along this highway, having only the money in his pocket from his last check.

Unable to access his savings account because of some glitch in the system, for now Joe had to stick to a small amount of cash and the couple hundred bucks he’d always budgeted for having fun in his slush fund. Not wanting to stick around while the bank fixed the screwup, he’d decided to keep his travel expenses low and head out anyway. Deciding now he should’ve spent the money on a plane ticket came a bit late.

Appreciating the fact that he’d paid his dues to society, Joe remembered what had gotten him into the mess in the first place. Having been with his sister’s new dolt of a husband the day Mateo had decided to rob a liquor store had probably been the dumbest thing Joe had ever done in all his twenty years of living in a boring small town in Oregon. Why he hadn’t walked away when the idiot had drawn a gun on the clerk, he’d never know.

His conscience had cautioned that he needed to be the voice of reason… to stop Mateo from killing someone that day. After all, he’d known the lowlife had been riding some kind of high, making him stupid and not in his right mind. He should have left the scene when he saw everything blowing up.

He can still remember reaching out to Mateo, realizing the guy’s head was screwy. He stood like some kind of moviecriminal, screaming and waving a gun at the clerk in the liquor store who admitted they didn’t have the type of beer on the premises that Mateo demanded.

“Don’t mess with me, fool. I’m in no goddamn mood. I’m thirsty, and I want my favorite beer.”

“Mateo. Cut it out, man. The dude says he’s out of Pliny for President, so we get the Elder brand.” Joseph’s heart dropped when he saw the clerk blanch from his words, knowing full well he’d suggested another type they didn’t have in stock. “Or how about my favorite beer. I see some back there. I’ll get it. Just cool your jets, bud. Put that fucking gun away.”

Joseph almost ran to the back of the store where he knew they kept the alcohol he’d mentioned. When a shot rang out, he sunk to his knees, afraid to look. That’s where the police found him when they’d crashed in on the scene and captured Mateo. Later, he learned that the clerk had a hidden alarm, and when Mateo had first pulled his gun, the guy had used it.

The incident left his sister with her man jailed for ten years, an innocent shop worker in the hospital for almost a week, and him with a choice. The judge had been brutally clear. Either go into service or take a sentence of three to five.

Was he glad he’d chosen the army? Yeah, he was. Had it made a man out of him? Sure. Whatever. Would he deploy again? Not likely. Three tours, a license as a fully certified army medic, and three captain’s stripes were enough. Now he needed to decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

After that rental car’s engine light had come on, his first decision had been to continue walking into Vegas, but with the twenty miles of heat staring him in the face, he sure as hell hoped someone would come along soon.

The sudden sound of an engine made him lift his hand, waving his thumb to show he could use a lift. Though they say that hitchhikers are dangerous, Joe knew the opposite could be aproblem too. When the fancy ford truck pulled over, he bent to look into the passenger window at the driver before accepting the ride. One never knew what kind of weirdos lurked behind the wheel nowadays.

Surprisingly, the man who stared back at him could have been a brother, their faces looked so similar right down to the full head of dark hair cut in a shorter style. He could see the dude had his own long and lanky build as well. Stranger yet, the crooked side smile had been one he’d seen often in a mirror.

Hmm interesting!“Hey, man. Thanks for stopping.” He opened the back door to throw his gear inside and then settled into the passenger seat.

“Where ya headed?” The deep voice reminded him of his father’s.

“Just into town. Need to get some gas for the rental I had to leave behind. Go figure, when you pay for a car, they’re supposed to have the tank full. It registered that way, but the bloody thing only drove a hundred miles.”

“I’d be pissed too. By the way, I’m Special Agent Joseph Marcus. Heading back to Las Vegas also.” He pulled his badge from his shirt pocket and waved it negligently before it flipped from his hand and ended up falling under his seat. Leaving it there, he continued, “I’ve been traveling for hours and gotta tell you the heat is a bastard in this expensive toy. The air conditioner broke down yesterday, and the fucker is hotter than the halls of hell.”

Joe had sensed a problem from the moment he’d gotten into the vehicle but having a ride still ranked a lot higher than his earlier situation. “It beats walking any day, man. Thanks for picking me up.”

Wondering why his new buddy sat staring out the windshield and not driving so they could get cooler air, he hesitated tosay anything more in case the driver had changed his mind. Thankfully, the dude’s next words cleared his concern.

“Yeah. No problem. Look, I’m about busted. Been driving for twenty hours straight.” Joseph looked at him with bleary eyes the same brown as his own and Joe could see him coming to a decision. “Hey, man, think you could take the wheel for a while? I’m having a hard time staying awake.”

“Sure.” Joe got out of the vehicle and went around to the other side. When he got behind the wheel, he saw that Joseph had stripped off his shirt. Deciding it was a good idea he did the same.

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