Chapter 21

Maggie watched as Hunter rushed off to be by Blythe's side. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was noise all around her, but in the hallway she was alone. Nurses and doctors walked by, but they weren't stopping to talk to her or tell her bad news. She just needed a moment to gather herself because it had been a lot.

Maggie's phone rang. There went her moment.

"Hello, Coach Weisz," Maggie said, knowing her Olympic shooting coach was probably calling to see why he suddenly had another coach on the team.

"Maggie, why did the President of the United States just call to inform me that you have a new private coach? One Hunter Townsend, who will be part of the Olympic team. I assume this is the same First Sergeant Hunter Townsend that I have coached myself?" Coach Weisz was in his sixties and had taught at the Army Marksman School until his retirement. In fact, he'd taught one Hunter Townsend when Hunter had gone through the school.

"Wait, the president called you?" Maggie stuttered out in surprise. That was who Veronica had called? Who was this woman?

"Yes. Are you dissatisfied with me as your coach? I got the impression you and Hunter didn't get along."

Maggie blushed even though she was on the phone. "We get along well now. We worked it out. This has nothing to do with your coaching and has everything to do with things going on at the Olympics and Hunter being worried about my safety."

Coach Weisz was quiet for a moment. He was military. He knew what she was saying even if she didn't have to spell it out. "I'll call my new coach and come up with a training plan for you and the team."

"Hunter is with someone who was injured. Give him a little bit. I'm sorry, Coach. We're trying to get this resolved by the time I leave on Wednesday, but so far we haven't had any luck. I won't let it distract us though."

"There should be no we, or even any I, Maggie. You may outshoot my troops, but you aren't one of them. Let Hunter take care of this. It's his job and he's damn good at it. I'll see if we can get read into it and if we can help," he said of himself and Allison Mullins, who was on her team but was also in the military. All in all, about a third of the team were either active or retired military.

"Or you could ask me since I know exactly what's going on." Discounted. Dismissed. That's what Maggie felt. First Hunter when he'd first met her, now her coach. "I know I'm not military but you don't know what I'm capable of. I've already killed one man who was holding Hunter hostage and knocked another out. I might look sweet. I might look cute. But you know damn well I'm so much more than that. Use me to help. Use my abilities. Use the fact that I don't look like a soldier to get things done that someone like Hunter couldn't."

"I'll talk to Hunter, Maggie. I'm sorry you had to kill someone. How are you holding up?"

"Do you ask all your soldiers that?" Maggie asked.

"I do. It's something that is discussed at length during marksmanship. We have psychologists and everything come in to talk about the mental ramifications of taking a life. So, how are you doing, Maggie?"

Dang. Her coach got her. She took a shuddering breath. "I'm okay. I saw it as a target. I still think about it at night, but it's getting better. I know it needed to be done and I didn't hesitate."

"You always take the tough shots, Maggie. Allison and I are here if you ever want to talk about it. I'll wait and then call Hunter. I might change up our team"s arrival on Wednesday. I'll be in touch. And Maggie," Coach Weisz said, "share the burden with your team, be it your friends, Hunter, or us. You're not alone here."

"Thanks, Coach." Maggie took a deep breath after hanging up. She wasn't alone. She had Hunter now. She had her family. She had her whole town backing her.

Hunter hated to interrupt Veronica and Blythe. Veronica was sitting by the bed, holding Blythe's hand. She placed a kiss on Blythe's knuckles and smiled. Blythe's gaze turned to see Hunter hiding by the door.

"Hey, Hunter. V tells me everyone is okay, but didn't have specifics," Blythe said as if it pained her to speak.

"Mr. Gann and Mr. Knoll are uninjured but furious about what happened to you. Landry and Maggie zoomed by me on a scooter with Maggie shooting at the SUV chasing them. Leah stabbed a man before Lacy practically sliced his balls off. I think Lydia got to work out a lot of rage. Chopped off three fingers and took down two men. No one from Shadows Landing is hurt, thanks to you," Hunter reported.

Blythe smiled. "I love this town. You know, our priest is trying to start up a weapons class because of your church here. But V was telling me you all found a map."

Hunter wouldn't insult her by telling her not to worry or to rest. "Maggie figured it out. It's the three locations of the games in Italy. Veronica got me in as a coach and armed security for the games. But that's all I have."

"President Serro didn't like President Gastaud, a young president of a small country, trying to tell him he had a problem he didn't know about. These games are his crowning glory to a less than stellar presidency. He's refusing to admit there is an issue, of course in the nicest way possible. He's sending me cannoli," Veronica told them and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I have ways around him. He may be the host country, but I know the committee will think differently and will help us out."

"V," Blythe said with a weak smile, "can you get me some water? I'm so thirsty."

Veronica nodded and got up, even if she was reluctant to do so.

"I only have a moment," Blythe said to Hunter. "Veronica will take down a country and not think twice about it. You think, because she's just an assistant to a prince, she can't do it. She can and she will. Don't let her do something she'll regret later. Call your contacts, get to Italy, and take down this group before Veronica does. Because, the second I'm stable, she'll go scorched earth without giving a damn that it'll make her a target." Hunter heard Veronica coming, and so did Blythe. "Promise me."

"I promise."

"Oh, and could you get engaged two Saturdays from now? I might have a bet going with your brothers. And Gator. And Skeeter. And Turtle. And the Faulkners. And the Rev."

"Engaged," Hunter said, blinking. They'd just started dating.

"Yes, now go. You have work to do."

Hunter stood up and numbly said goodbye to the women. Engaged? He'd never given much thought to getting married. Only, he had thought about having Maggie in his life forever. Hunter paused out in the hall to see how he felt about that. Hmm, it didn't send him running for the hills. Instead, it had him turning to go see Maggie.

Hunter's wish to see Maggie was on hold. First, he called Damon. Second, he called the mystery number that Ryker had given him. A man answered. He seemed to already know about Veronica and Blythe and understood the urgency. Hunter talked and sent pictures of the men they'd killed. The man promised to get back to him ASAP. Then Hunter had to call Kane and fill him in that he'd be in Italy on Wednesday.

"Can't you get Maggie to stay home?" Kane asked.

"Would you stay home?"

Kane cursed. "No. Whatever this is, it is locked down tight. The people who know aren't talking no matter how much money I promise them."

"Send me the names of the people who are in the know. Maybe combined with the men we've identified we can find a connection."

"Good idea. Send me your flight information and I'll meet you when you land."

Hunter looked up and saw Maggie walking toward him. "Thanks, Kane. See you soon."

"Has Kane learned anything yet?" Maggie asked.

"He's sending me some information, but no one is talking. He's going to meet us at the airport when the team lands to offer some added protection," Hunter explained.

"Coach Weisz wants a word, too," Maggie said, seeming annoyed.

"What's the matter?" Hunter asked, taking Maggie by the hand and leading her from the hospital.

"I'm not a soldier."

Hunter was confused. "I know."

"Coach won't let me in on what's going on because I'm not a soldier. He wants me to sit back and let you all handle this."

Ah. He saw the problem. Maggie was a smart, competent woman and liked to be useful.

"I won't tell Coach if you won't. I'll keep you in the loop. We promised never to lie or hide anything from each other. I won't if you promise to listen to me."

"I can shoot, Hunter. Better than you."

"I know, but this is no longer about who can shoot better. It's about strategy, military intelligence, boots on the ground, and knowing how to enter a combat situation." Hunter pulled her close and looked down into her face. She needed to hear this and understand it. "There is no one I trust more to take the hard shot than you. You've proven yourself, Magnum, over and over again. Let me prove to you what I can do now. Together, we'll catch them. Okay?"

"You'll let me help?" Maggie asked, hopefully.

"I don't think I could stop you. That's beside the point, though. I trust you, Maggie. You don't act impulsively. You're focused. You know how to limit collateral damage and you have nerves of steel. Plus, no one will see the hot girl in pink and purple coming. I sure as hell didn't." Hunter kissed her then. It wasn't passionate, but it was supportive. It told her he loved her and trusted her.

"We'll do it together, then. I want to be an asset to you."

"I know, sweetheart. You already are in more ways than one." Hunter's phone rang. It was the unknown blocked number. Hunter pulled Maggie into the nearest empty room and closed the door. "Townsend," Hunter said as he answered it on speaker.

"And Bell," the voice said. "Hello, Maggie."

Hunter looked around the room and zeroed in on the security camera. "How do you know Maggie?"

"Do you want to know what I found out or do you want to chit-chat?" the male voice on the phone asked.

Maggie cocked her head. Her brow was creased and it was clear she was trying to figure out who it was.

"You found something?" Hunter asked, his heart rate picking up as he kept his breathing calm. He was excited but if you let that excitement take over you missed details.

"I identified the men killed or injured at the church. It's a very interesting mix of nationalities. Then I inputted the information you sent from your brother, Kane. Dude, he's cool." The man cursed and Hunter heard a female voice giggle over the phone.

"It's contagious," the female voice whispered.

"Sorry, I normally don't say ‘dude.' Anyway, I inputted their information and found some connections."

"What are they?" Hunter asked, keeping his eyes on Maggie. She looked so desperate to speak, but she didn't. She was letting him take the lead.

"They're not direct, they're circumstantial. The fighters come from seven countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Crusina, South Sudan, Syria, Iran, and Yemen."

Hunter nodded. Maggie didn't see it. "They're all countries with power struggles. Crusina is more stable now, but Deming Nikan took power after his father was deposed and he turned the country into a democracy. Belarus is famous for its mercenaries who answer to no one. Bolivia has coups more often than not. The rest are in a continual battle for power between fractions. Except Iran, which is run with an iron fist. The leaders have power and have no one to answer to. Because of that, it amounts to one of the most corrupt governments in the world."

"Yes," the man said. "The men we identified from the countries, except Iran, are all from sections that failed in coups or were kicked out of power. The man Lydia Langston killed was with the Iranian military. So, whatever the plan is, the Iranian government is supporting it along with these disenfranchised former militaries."

"Which is why an international event the size of the Olympics would be the perfect place to hit," Maggie said.

"Exactly. The question is: what is their common goal? It could be political. It could be monetary. It could be revenge. Or it could be all three. Also, the people Kane had identified are known black market weapons dealers and owners of shady corporations that masquerade as construction companies but are really fronts for the government or friends of the leaders of those corrupt countries. We are sending someone over to have a word with them. I'll let you know what they find out."

"Wait," Hunter said, stopping him. "We? And who are you sending?"

"I can't tell you," the man replied. "But if someone asks you if your watch is waterproof, you'll know they're with us and might need help."

"What organization are you with?" Hunter asked.

"I'm sending a care package to you, Maggie. Do what the note says. It'll arrive tomorrow. Good luck at the games. Know you've got people working on this and hopefully you'll have no distractions when it's time for you to compete. I'll call if I have any other news."

The line went dead and Hunter looked back up at the camera in the room. "He hacked into the hospital security to watch us."

Maggie didn't seem to care. She looked lost in thought. "So, you have a bunch of power-hungry men who got pushed out of power or who want more power, right?" Maggie didn't wait for him to reply. He could see the gears in her head spinning. "I know what this is about."

"You do?"

Maggie nodded. "I saw it in sororities all the time. Sadly, mine included."

Hunter struggled not to groan. "You are equating a world terrorist threat to your sorority?"

"Tara May was chapter president of my sorority sophomore year. Normally, the president is a senior, but Emma-Lou, the senior running for president, had nudes released and that left Tara May, a junior, as the only viable candidate. Well, she let the power go to her head. She and her little group took control of everything and relegated those who had opposed them to the worst roles in the sorority. That wasn't enough. They wanted more. Our chapter GPA began to slide. We started to get a bad reputation. We saw that our recruitment was going down and we saw our sisterhood was threatened," Maggie explained. "So, we had a coup. We organized over the summer and before the election could take place, because we didn't trust Tara May and her group to count the votes accurately, we challenged her on the grounds listed in our by-laws. We tossed her out and I was installed as the new president. Then we held an election, where I was confirmed as president. Tara May ran against me, but only received the votes from her minions. However, after that things began to go wrong—things broke in the house, money went missing, rumors were started."

"Tara May?" Hunter guessed.

"That's right. We ended up stripping her of her letters and kicking her out of the sorority, both our chapter and National. For her last year, she did nothing but try to ruin us. Tell me this doesn't look like that."

Hunter wanted to say it wasn't the same, but on a basic level, it was. "They were all stripped of power and now they want it back."

"I was Tara May's biggest target since, as the new president, I was the symbol of what she'd lost. Next were those who supported me. That could be the target. Whoever doesn't support these fighters."

Hunter nodded. "It's the best we have to go on. I'll send it to the number and have him pass it along. Maybe we'll know more soon. In the meantime, have any friends on any of those teams?"

Maggie smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do. And they all tend to be current or former military. I'll meet with them on Thursday. It will be less obvious if we meet in the athlete's village or talk at the range, plus some of their phones might not be secure."

"Make it a place where I can be in the background watching out for you."

Maggie slipped her hand into his as they made their way to his truck. "We do make a good team."

"In more ways than one," Hunter said as the elevator doors closed. He pulled her tight, slid his hand to her ass for a squeeze, and kissed her.

His phone vibrated and he groaned when it vibrated again. He pulled it out and then raised his middle finger to the camera in the elevator.

Unknown Number: She's smart. I'll pass along the information. Also, an engagement during opening ceremonies would be romantic.