Walker (In the Company of Snipers #21) - Irish Winters Page 0,158
But it was Peckering lying on a cold metal slab in Puerta Vallarta’s morgue right now. Not her.
Best yet, she’d finally told Walker she loved him. What more did he need?
At the moment, Persia Smiles was tracking north along California’s southern coast, headed toward San Diego Harbor. They’d left Puerta Vallarta behind late last night. Walker’d told Persia she could have Rodrigo, but he’d already turned Peckering’s toady over to the local police. Guess it was illegal to kidnap foreign citizens, even if you just wanted them to walk the plank. Go figure.
Not that she would’ve done anything to him anyway. But Goff? He was still here, and it’d be interesting to see how Persia handled seeing him.
By the time Walker had returned to port yesterday, Alex, McQueen, and Izza had Ryder out of the water and onto the dock. Someone had called the port authorities. A medic was checking all of them. Well, make that a medic was checking Ryder and Izza. Alex and McQueen were giving orders as usual. Persia had still been asleep, Rodrigo hadn’t stirred, and Rover had still been locked below.
The first thing Alex had done when Walker’d tossed him a line, was secure his yacht to the well-bumpered dock. Alex had acted as if he were a mere deckhand, then he’d lifted his ruggedized sat phone from his rear pocket and held it out like a trophy. “You finish it?”
Brim had shot back with a surly, “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t, would we?”
“Good. We now have all the evidence we need to prove your innocence, Agent Judge.”
Walker had glanced at the sat phone in his palm. “Does that mean you recorded everything he said?”
“If he didn’t, I sure as hell did,” McQueen had groused. “When I get through with you, LT, you’re going to be a free man.”
Sweetest words ever…
Until Alex had caught sight of Goff, bandaged and cuffed to the aft railing like the dog he was. “He’s still alive? Thought you said—”
“Wanted him alive, Boss.” That word had rolled easily off Walker’s lips.
“He’s got nothing,” Goff had sputtered. “Just you wait! I’ll put all of you in Leavenworth.”
“Who shot him?”
“US Army Sergeant Brimley Scott, at your service,” Brim had said as he’d grabbed Alex’s hand.
“You asshats have nothing on me!” Goff had screamed. “You can’t prove anything!”
But Alex had grinned. He’d actually grinned!
By then, Izza was onboard sitting with Persia. But when she’d seen Goff’s hands, she’d jumped to her feet and yelled. “That ring! That’s the same ring! Crap, it was you!”
He’d turned an icy glare to her. “Stay away from me. You can’t have it. It’s worth more than all of you put together.”
She’d spun on the ball of her foot, her ponytail whipping over her shoulder. “Alex! It was him! He was there!”
“Where?” Alex was on board by then.
“At Walker’s trial. The first day. I’ve seen the video footage. He was in court, and I can prove it!”
“You can’t prove anything!” Goff had roared.
“Oh, yeah?” She’d stalked to where he’d crouched, her hands on her hips and her swagger on full-beam. “You and Peckering thought you were clever to sit in on his trial, behind his back where he couldn’t see you. But you’re dumber than shit, because Hans has a video of Walker’s trial. I don’t know how he came to have it, but that was you sitting in the last row of the spectator section. And that ring on your finger proves it. You were there!”
“But, but, but…” Goff had sputtered.
By then, Alex had been peering down at the massively ostentatious, bright gold ring that, without words, declared, “I always wanted to be a real Navy SEAL, but, boo, hoo, I’m a lying pussy!”
Talk about penis envy.
“Stop! You can’t—”
“You son of a bitch!” Alex hauled back and punched Goff square in the face. “Stolen valor will never make you half the man Walker Judge is!”
Whoa. Walker’d startled at that blatant praise. “Boss,” he’d started to tell him not to hit Goff again. The man had sure looked like he might.
But Alex had hissed, “Shut up, Junior Agent. This bastard’s not worth shit. Don’t you dare defend him!”
Walker’d wanted to laugh and cry at that outrageous order. He’d been praised and bitched out in the same breath. Made a man feel like he was finally going to be A-Okay. But he couldn’t let his boss beat a defenseless prick, err, man. He’d put a hand over Alex’s flexed bicep then. Holy shit, this man was made