Free Heavy Artillery Husband by Debra Webb

action, when he noticed the man tailing him.
    A chill slid down his spine at the thought of Halloran pegging his last clean fake ID, until he remembered how easily Hellfire could track Sophia. Maybe she was right that he’d been at this alone for too long. Frank’s pulse leaped at the potential to get some information from the enemy. The challenge was staying calm, letting the man believe Frank hadn’t noticed him.
    As a career army officer, he hadn’t had much training in espionage or spy tactics. Working his way up to general, he’d learned how to assess, observe and stand out. He’d learned to manage his immediate support staff as well as the many units under his command. Blending in, disappearing and operating alone had required practice after his initial escape from prison as a corpse.
    The man dogging his heels didn’t look familiar. White male, average height and build, medium brown hair, nondescript jacket and jeans. At the current distance, it was impossible to pin down an age range to anything more specific than “over twenty-five.”
    Frank led the younger man trailing him away from the rendezvous point just in case Sophia returned early. He walked near groups of tourists and then separately, giving him room to make a move. Picking up his pace, he aimed for the metro station and hurried down the stairs, stepping aside to wait for the tail to catch up.
    As the younger man hurried by Frank’s position, the profile didn’t reveal anything helpful about his identity or his affiliation. It had to be one of Halloran’s spies. No one else had reason to be this persistent. Frank fell in behind him, keeping out of sight.
    A train arrived and people jockeyed for position. Frank stepped up behind the younger man and shoved the knuckles of his fist into his back. “Looking for me?”
    Caught, his shoulders slumped. “You’re getting better at this, Leone.”
    â€œAs if I care about your opinion.” Up close, he realized the spy was even younger than he’d guessed at first. Probably a recent washout from one of the elite military teams, searching for a way to clear the chip off his shoulder.
    Frank struggled against his first instinct to listen and advise. Although he and Sophia had only one child, he’d counseled many young people through the years, urging them to explore one path or another to suit their skills. This wasn’t that kind of meeting.
    â€œYou should.” The kid tried to look over his shoulder.
    â€œTo the right,” he said, urging the kid closer to the nearest trash can. “Unload any weapons.”
    â€œIf they’d sent me to kill you,” the kid said, dropping a knife and a handgun into the trash can, “you’d be dead already.”
    Frank ignored him, pulling a cell phone out of the kid’s rear pocket while he was distracted. The warning sounded for final boarding and he gave the kid another shove. “Get on the train.”
    â€œI knew you weren’t armed,” the kid challenged.
    â€œIf you know me at all,” Frank retorted, “you know I don’t need to be.”
    With a terse nod, the kid obediently surged forward, joining the last stragglers to board the train.
    â€œWho sent you?” Frank asked when they were seated and the train was under way. Part of him hoped it was a federal agency rather than a criminal operation.
    â€œYou already know the answer.” The kid shook his head. “If you’d recommit, I wouldn’t be your enemy. You’d have support, a way out. Face it, you need it.”
    Frank glared at him.
    â€œNo one wants to hurt your family. Cooperate and the danger goes away.”
    â€œCooperate how?” Frank asked, willing to play along for a few minutes. He could just imagine what hellish task Halloran had dreamed up for him to prove his renewed loyalty to Hellfire. “The last time I cooperated, your boss hung me out to