Read Online Broken Trust by Leigh Bale - Free Book Online Page B

Hooper or not.
    “So, as far as you knew, this
mission appeared to be routine? You had no reason to suspect an ambush?” Hooper
pressed.
    “No. Do you think one of the team
members disclosed our mission objective to the Taliban?”
    Toni chewed her bottom lip. They
were talking about treason.
    “Sorry, Mac, but you know I’m not
at liberty to answer that.”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    “You noticed nothing else unique
about this mission?” Hooper asked.
    “Nope. Except for Andrus,
everything went like clockwork.”
    Paper rustled. “Ah, that would be
Second Lieutenant Ryan Andrus?”
    “Yes, he joined the team at the
very last minute. Andrus worked with Eric Hamilton, but I never met him until
just before departure.”
    “Hmm…interesting.”
    “Eric was the only man on the team
who knew Andrus well. If you intercepted communications between the Taliban and
someone on the inside, there’s a multitude of possible suspects,” Mac observed.
    “Who said we intercepted any
communications from the inside?”
    “Come on, Derek. I’m not stupid.
Even you knew about our mission. The CIA set it all up. Several contacts
outside the special forces could have betrayed our landing zone. Even our pilot
should be a suspect.”
    “You’re right, but you’re the only
member of the team that survived the ambush.”
    Toni bristled. What was Hooper
implying? That Mac was a traitor? That he’d purposefully gotten his own team
members killed, including Eric? Absurd! Mac had been selfish when he’d broken
off their engagement, but he wasn’t a coward. She didn’t believe for one moment
that he was a traitor either.
    She gritted her teeth and peeked
around the side of the cabin. Both men had their heads turned away so they
didn’t notice her. From her hiding place, she got a good look at Hooper, his
short, blond hair and long hawkish nose. Dressed in a navy suit and tie, he
looked the part of a CIA agent. Dust marred his shiny black shoes and the cuffs
of his creased dress slacks. He held a file of papers in his hands, shuffling
them, looking very businesslike.
    Mac locked his jaw. He clutched the
armrests of his wicker chair, his knuckles white as he bore a hole in Hooper
with his piercing eyes.
    Hooper shifted his weight and
turned just as Toni ducked back around the corner.
    “Well, that’s all I have for you
right now, Mac. If I’ve got any further questions, I know where to find you.”
    “Why don’t you just send me a
letter next time?” Mac’s crutch clattered as he reached for it to stand.
    Hooper grunted. “Maybe once this is
all resolved, you’ll invite me up here again as friends.”
    Mac didn’t respond.
    “You take care of that leg,” Hooper
said. “Wouldn’t want you to get an infection and have to amputate it.”
    “Yeah, thanks,” Mac said.
    Toni caught their blunt animosity
and wasn’t surprised. Eric had told her the CIA often stepped on the toes of
the special forces. If the CIA intercepted communications giving the Taliban
the landing zone of Mac’s special ops team and he was the only survivor, she
understood why he might be under suspicion.
    The sounds of muffled footsteps
signaled the CIA agent was walking down the trail leading to the narrow road
where he’d probably parked his car. She thought of making her presence known,
but something held her back. Though they’d once been friends, Mac obviously
disliked Hooper now.
    She hesitated. She’d known Mac all
her life. Eric had trusted him, and now Eric was dead. Obviously the CIA
suspected someone on the inside of being a traitor. Maybe someone involved in
espionage had planned an ambush on the MARSOC team. Mac had two million dollars
in his savings account. Was it possible that Mac was a traitor and had been
paid off by the Taliban?
    No, she couldn’t believe it. She
couldn’t.
    “You can come out, now.” Mac’s
voice reached her behind the woodpile and she stepped around the cabin.
    “You knew I was here?”
    He chuckled. “Yeah,