Outside the Wire Read online

  Witness Protection 5

  Outside the Wire

  Holly Copella

  Copyright © 2017 Holly Copella

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0997106492

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9971064-9-7

  To Attila Hajnal

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Copella Books: First Paperback Edition 2017

  Printed by CreateSpace, An Amazon.com Company

  Cover Artist: Daniela Owergoor

  Dani-owergoor.deviantart.com

  Model by Grafvision

  Model by Pindyurin Vasily

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Chapter Forty-five

  Chapter Forty-six

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Other books by Holly Copella!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter One

  The small village outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was one of the less traveled tourist spots. Charming shops lined the streets with vibrantly colored flowers, clothing, and foods from different cultures. Friendly locals exchanged pleasantries with a few dozen tourists passing through. Ross Madrid, a handsome, distinguished gentleman in his early fifties with a full head of moderately graying hair, placed a white fedora hat on his head, tilting the brim for a menacing look. He glanced across the hat table to a dark-haired beauty nearly half his age. Leeann Whitley dressed the part of a world traveler, but she had more of a country girl appeal. Lee’s gaze fell upon Ross with the making of a schoolgirl in love. She eyed him across the table, grinned her approval of the hat, then flashed a thong bikini bottom and suggestively raised her brows.

  Ross groaned softly then turned to the shopkeeper. They haggled in Portuguese over the price of the hat. One might assume Ross just enjoyed arguing with people in different languages. Lee seemed to enjoy it as well. Ross indicated Lee while handing the man some local currency. The man eyed the beautiful woman then grinned at Ross. He said something that sparked a fire in Ross. Another round of arguing ensued. In the end, both men laughed. Ross motioned to his girlfriend.

  “It’s yours,” he announced.

  She approached him with her new purchase and stuffed it into her bag. “What was all the arguing about?” she asked.

  “He offered to let you have it for free if you modeled it for him,” Ross remarked casually. “I politely told him I’d gouge his eyes out with a spoon.”

  “Hmm, that’s pleasant,” she cooed while affectionately clinging to his arm.

  “Yes,” he replied. “Although I did change the body part and the method in which I’d remove it for your comfort.”

  Lee groaned softly and rolled her eyes. “You’re terrible.”

  “Here I thought I was initiating foreplay,” he announced with a teasing grin.

  She playfully smacked his arm then hugged it. “It’s like I’m seeing another side of you,” Lee informed him. “Maybe a small peek into that former Navy SEAL life.”

  Ross suddenly laughed and patted her hand on his arm. “Oh, my darling, if no one’s suffered a throat punch; you’re seeing nothing from my SEAL past.”

  They casually walked through the market attempting to decide what to have for dinner. Ross glanced at several items on stands they passed while Lee talked endlessly about their romantic beachfront accommodations. Ross no longer seemed to be paying attention to her as his muscles tensed against her hand. Lee eyed him with a curious look.

  “Ross? Are you listening to me?”

  “No,” he replied gently and lowered the brim of his hat. “Would you allow me one small moment of paranoia?”

  Her expression dropped as she stared at him.

  “Don’t look at me and keep smiling,” he ordered softly through slightly gritted teeth that almost formed a smile.

  Lee looked at the stands and the food that suddenly didn’t seem appealing. “What’s wrong?” she asked while attempting to keep up a jovial appearance.

  “We’re being followed,” he remarked. “If we keep heading straight for three blocks, there will be taxis. I want you to keep walking and get in the first taxi you see. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.”

  “What are you going to do?” she nervously asked, no longer able to maintain her false smile.

  “I’m just going to talk to the men following us,” he replied simply.

  “I’m not leaving you, Ross.”

  “We’re not debating this,” he growled softly. “Three blocks. First taxi you see. You don’t look back, and you don’t stop no matter what.”

  “Ross--”

  “I’m serious, Lee.”

  Lee slowly released his arm and looked along the aisle in front of them. She nervously touched his arm. “Ross--?”

  Two men approached them from the opposite direction, cutting off Lee’s path to the taxis. Neither man bothered hiding that they were staring directly at them. They must have known they had Ross trapped.

  “Change of plan,” Ross gently announced while stopping her in the middle of the mildly busy market area. “To your right. Through that door. Don’t stop. Just run.” There was a strange pause. “Now!”

  Lee turned to her right and ran for the door between the outdoor shops. Ross bolted after her. As the men pursued him, he toppled a stand in their path, stalling them. He ran into the building after Lee. The men scrambled over the scattered market items and ran after them while removing their automatic weapons. The two men ran through the kitchen and looked around. Any cooks in the kitchen were already gone. The two men walked cautiously with their weapons aimed.

  The first man suddenly fell to the floor. Ross slid out from under the counter and jumped on top of him. He grabbed him around the neck and flipped their position. The second man fired at Ross, riddling his own man with a spray of bullets. As he shot his own man, Ross remained behind his human shield, raised the man’s weapon, and returned fire. The man took several shots and flew to the floor. Ro
ss jumped to his feet with the assault rifle in his hand and ran after Lee. As he ran through the kitchen, the men who had been following him now entered and pursued him. Ross fired at the men and dove into the doorway as they fired back.

  “Lee,” he cried out while facing the kitchen then glanced back to check her position.

  Lee was already on her knees with a heavily armed man standing behind her. He held a gun to her head. She stared at Ross with fear in her eyes. A second man appeared behind the man holding Lee hostage and fired at Ross. Ross dove to the floor, avoiding the barrage of bullets. He rolled into a sitting position and fired back. The man removed the gun from Lee’s head and shot at him as well. Ross fired upon both men, tearing into them with multiple shots each. Before they had a chance to go down, their rifles fired through the opening in the doorway. Ross’s expression dropped as he looked back and saw the propane tanks just on the other side of the door. He leaped for Lee and took her to the floor. There was a familiar pop followed by a hiss.

  Ross looked into Lee’s frightened eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  Outside the building, there was a tremendous explosion that rocked the entire marketplace. Vendors and tourists screamed and ran from the area without looking back. The old, fragile looking building collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris that quickly swept through the market.

  †

  On the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, in the early morning hour, Holden returned his cell phone to his inner jacket pocket and received a look from another neatly dressed man leaning against the nearby building. Holden Falcone was a ruggedly handsome man in his mid-thirties. He wasn’t built excessively muscular, but he had broad shoulders and a toned chest. His neatly trimmed, nearly black hair gave him a professional appearance. Holden eyed the cable and internet van parked alongside the curb a few feet away then seemed to realize the man by the building was still staring at him. He groaned and looked at the man.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Parker,” Holden remarked. “You don’t need to say it.”

  “I’m not saying anything,” Parker announced while grinning. “None of my business that your super-hot, spy wife is conquering the world while you’re on the streets of Denver chasing after the dregs of society.”

  “First off,” Holden announced, “she’s not a spy.” He then frowned. “And she’s not conquering the world; she’s passing love notes on the playground to Beck’s girlfriend. This is one time she absolutely doesn’t need my protection.”

  “Let’s see,” Parker announced while grinning. “She can kick the entire department’s collective ass without breaking a sweat.” He held back his laugh. “I think it’s safe to say the only protection she needs from you is the kind that keeps your swimmers away from her fertile feminine parts.”

  “That’s so romantic, Parker,” Holden announced while raising his brows. “Honestly, you should write greeting cards.” He then indicated the van. “Can we get this show on the road?”

  “Yeah, anything you say,” Parker replied with a chuckle.

  They approached the van, looked around, and then climbed inside. Holden and Parker entered the back of the van where six men in FBI SWAT gear sat and waited.

  “So how reliable is this tip?” Holden asked the lead man in combat gear.

  “Well, his phone number is registered to an apartment across the street, and we’re pretty sure he’s a guy,” the man replied. “Other than that, he’s your typical anonymous caller.”

  “Cute,” Holden muttered. “Everyone’s a comedian today.”

  “There was a lot of activity coming and going throughout the night,” the man in charge continued. “Our eyes in the building across from the warehouse reported two known arms dealers went into the building early this morning, and they’re still there.”

  “If it’s good enough for the judge,” Holden announced, “that’s good enough for me.”

  Holden and Parker slipped into their official vests and helped themselves to automatic rifles.

  “We’re looking at no more than six heavily armed men,” the man continued. “Apart from our arms dealers, the identities of the others are unknown.”

  “We’ll ID them after we arrest them,” Holden announced with a sigh. “Let’s knock on the front door. Tell the second team to move in through the rear.”

  All eight filed swiftly from the van and headed for the warehouse across the street. The first two men carried a battering ram. The man in charge gave the signal, and they plowed the door inward with one strike. The eight men filed into the warehouse. Two-man teams hurried through the corridor checking vacant areas within the office before heading into the abandoned warehouse. They entered the large holding area and met with their two men, who had entered from the back. Dozens of crates filled the warehouse, which was supposed to be empty.

  “Boys, I think we’ve hit the jackpot,” Holden announced. “Two-man teams. Proceed with caution.”

  They swept through the warehouse, carefully passing stacks of crates while keeping an eye out for the six perpetrators. Several men dressed in black suddenly dropped on cables from the ceiling while firing at the FBI SWAT team. Despite their protective vests, two men went down from headshots. Holden fired back at the men dropping to the floor behind crates surrounding them.

  “It’s a trap,” Holden announced through his ear transmitter. “Fall back!”

  Although there were only six men, they came at the ten-man SWAT team from behind, trapping them in the center of the warehouse. They exchanged automatic weapon fire in a catastrophic shootout. Holden fired back while watching his men drop one-by-one. Two shots struck him dead center in the chest, dropping him despite his bulletproof vest. Another shot found his leg. Holden pulled himself along the floor and behind a crate. He sat against the crate and fired back, but most of his team was already down. Parker stood from behind the safety of his crate and unloaded several rounds into a man nearly on top of Holden from behind. Holden took another shot to his vest and one to his shoulder beyond the vest. The force of the shot threw him against the crate, where he struck his head.

  The room was spinning as shots were echoing from every corner of the building. Holden attempted to raise his weapon but could do little more than watch Parker take several shots to his body and ultimately one to his head. Holden saw the masked man across the warehouse standing near his fallen friend. He raised his weapon at Holden and squeezed the trigger. A shot rang out.

  Chapter Two

  Jackie Falcone, an attractive woman in her mid-twenties with her long, dark hair worn in a ponytail, struggled to control the disabled helicopter. The sputtering, smoking helicopter hovered over the cliff on Giovanni’s island just off the coast of Columbia. Two men, one in the front and one in the back, fought for control of a gun. Jackie’s partner and friend, Zack Kinsley, was shorter than average but had a surprisingly athletic build, which would easily go unnoticed beneath his black combat fatigues. He was easily brushed aside as harmless, which was far from the truth. His brown hair was kept short and neat, although moderately spiky on top, lending a look that was somewhere between intimidating and cuddly. She caught a glimpse of blood soaking through Zack’s shirt low and off to the side. She thought he’d taken the earlier shots to his chest while they were on the beach, but she must have been mistaken. He’d been shot once beneath his special bulletproof vest jacket.

  Judging by the blood running down his hand, he also took a shot to his upper arm as well, leaving him with less strength than usual. As they struggled for the gun in his assailant’s hand, both men punched each other, attempting to win the struggle. Jackie tried to ignore the gun close to her face and circled the area just before the cliff, hovering over it. She needed to set the helicopter down. Zack’s attacker pulled him into the front with him. Zack nearly struck Jackie with his booted feet as he landed on top of her passenger.

  Jackie again struggled with the controls, his actions causing her to spin the helicopter slightly, bouncing it off the gro
und. The fuel light continued to flash, and the alarm wailed its dire warning. The gun fired, striking the control panel. Sparks flew and sizzled as the helicopter controls jerked in Jackie’s hands. She no longer had control. She fought to keep the craft from leaving the safety of the clearing before the cliff. She saw flashes of the ocean below as the craft spun in a circle. It bucked and jerked in her hands while the two men continued to punch each other while wrestling in the seat alongside her. One or both men kicked her several times while struggling. The helicopter continued to pull against her while spinning nearly out of control. The best she could do was keep it from pulling down to the right. Jackie attempted to set it down, but it pulled sharply, insisting on going down on an angle. The rotors nearly hit the ground. The moment she kept it straight, it again spun in circles.

  “I can’t land,” she cried out. “I can’t hold on much longer. I’m losing control of her!”

  “Bail!” Zack shouted now pinned between his assailant and the door. He punched the man several times, but he refused to release the gun.

  “No,” Jackie yelled back above the loud roaring of the smoldering engine. “If I let go, she’s going to go down to the right. Your right! You’ll be killed!”

  Zack eyed Jackie from his position beneath his attacker as they struggled for control of the gun. His eyes briefly met hers. “I think that’s inevitable now,” he informed her.

  Jackie saw the grenade in his free hand, causing her to gasp. He punched the man twice in the face with the grenade while keeping the gun from pointing at his face.

  “I’m sorry, Jackie,” he announced then kicked her with both feet in the shoulder.

  Jackie flew against the helicopter door, her hands slipping from the controls. Zack kicked her again, throwing her through the door. Jackie fell several feet to the ground, landed harshly, and rolled several feet. She saw the helicopter rotors striking the ground near the cliff. The rotors tore from the craft and flew across the clearing, slicing trees. Jackie screamed and shielded herself. When she lowered her arms, she watched the helicopter hit the edge of the cliff. Several gunshots fired within the helicopter as blood spattered against the inner windshield. Jackie cried out and scrambled to her hands and knees. The helicopter tumbled over the cliff. Jackie made it to her feet and ran for the cliff while clinging to her aching leg. She stopped at the edge of the cliff just in time to see the helicopter hit the water below. A second later, it exploded.