Free End Days Super Boxset by Roger Hayden Page A

keeping his head high.
    “Oh, Davis,” Calderon said.
    Craig stopped at the door and turned.
    “The Surkov brothers have a mother. She’s flying all the way from Chechnya, under supervision from our embassy, to identify her youngest son. She has already publicly condemned her sons’ terrorist actions, and could be a voice in discouraging other youths from following their paths.”
    Craig remained with his hand on the doorknob waiting for Calderon to get to the point. “We don’t want you anywhere near this woman, understand?”
    “Yes sir.”
    “And you’re not to talk to the media about any of this. You know the rules pending an internal investigation.”
    “Yes sir. Not a peep.”
    “Dismissed, Agent Davis,” Walker said again.
    Craig turned and exited the room, holding his file. He was glad to have gotten the reprimand over with but also knew there was more to come. He could see Kathleen Patterson sitting in the lobby. Her face was exhausted with anguish and looked streaked with tears. He took a slow breath and approached her. She looked up in a daze.
    “I’m sorry, Kathleen. And I promise you this isn’t over.”
    Her eyes were red and puffy. She had a nice black dress on, but her red, curly hair, usually one of her remarkable features, was disheveled. She looked confused, even angry. She stared at Craig, her lips quivering. Then she spoke.
    ***
    Craig made it home that evening, back to his wife and son, feeling relieved, but riddled with guilt at the same time. When he walked into the house, briefcase in hand, the absence of his pistol on his belt felt even stranger. Was he finished with the FBI? It was hard to tell. The news was on TV again, and the lead anchor’s report stopped Craig in his tracks.
    “Authorities have released few details about the Chechen brothers, Rasheed and Darion Surkov, and their affiliation with terrorist organizations. Witnesses in the shooting reported that the younger brother, Darion, delivered a lengthy screed against ‘American aggression in the Muslim world’ to terrified patrons as he recorded the attack with a GoPro camera.
    “Surkov was shot by an FBI agent who had apparently been pursuing the seventeen-year-old. A half mile away, Darion’s older brother was fleeing from another FBI agent on foot when he was struck by a moving vehicle and found with a backpack of explosives.
    “An investigation is underway into the attack and its link to a web of sleeper cells discovered around the country. The FBI agent who stopped Darion Surkov from fully carrying out his attack has been listed in stable condition after being airlifted to a D.C. hospital.
    “Rasheed Surkov has been listed in stable condition as well, and is being held in an undisclosed location.”
    Craig set his briefcase on the hardwood floor of the foyer and looked up to see Rachael standing beyond the living room in the kitchen. She was wearing plaid pajamas and had her arms crossed like a disapproving mother. He approached her, not sure what to say. There wasn’t much more drama he could handle that day.
    “Hey.” Somehow he managed a small smile. “Where’s Nick?”
    Her lips were pressed in a straight line. Without saying anything, she pulled out the GMRS radio he had given her. “I called your cell phone and tried the radio. You didn’t answer.”
    Craig approached her. “I’m sorry. It’s been a hell of a day.”
    “We were worried sick about you.”
    Craig took another step forward and wrapped his arms around her. She raised her arms and finally wrapped them around his back.
    Craig looked up at her, distraught. “Everything fell apart so quickly. We had them. We were closing in, but…” Craig stopped. “I think I’m finished.”
    Rachael could hear it in his voice. He sounded utterly defeated. “It’s okay. We’re just glad you’re back home.”
    Craig looked up at her with hollow eyes. “Patterson. His wife. He trusted me, and I feel like I let him down. Him and his family. I was