Page 17 of Defender (Omega Sector: Under Siege #1)

Damien Freihof sat across from Curtis Harper and the ever-secretive “Guy Fawkes” in the townhouse he’d rented here in Colorado Springs. He’d invited them over for a civil meeting of sorts.

Not that you could tell from all the screaming.

“Harper, you’re an idiot.” Fawkes, red-faced and eyes bulging, stood only a couple feet from Harper, looking like he might pounce on the other man any moment.

“First, a shoot-out in the middle of a crowded area of town, then trying to attack Ashton Fitzgerald last night while he was at someone else’s house? ”

Harper, looking much worse for wear after the skirmish with Fitzgerald two nights ago, pushed himself from the wall. “We agreed that Fitzgerald deserved to be killed for what he did to my father. I almost had him, too. I know I shot him in the arm.”

Damien bobbed his head up and down patiently as if Harper’s story was completely true. Evidently the man wasn’t intelligent enough to figure out he’d had help from outside Summer Worrall’s condo.

Help from Damien.

He’d been the one who shot through the window, who’d known all about Summer’s house from when he’d cut the power there and peeked through her window last week. He’d been the one who had told Harper where the bedroom could be found.

He’d been the one who’d injured Ashton Fitzgerald.

He’d been the one waiting for Summer to come running out of the house, but she hadn’t, unfortunately. It would’ve been the perfect time to implement the first part of his plan.

But Harper and Fawkes didn’t know any of this and Damien didn’t plan to tell them.

“Killing Fitzgerald , sure.” Fawkes still looked steamed. “He’s part of the law enforcement system that needs to fall. As a matter of fact, Fitzgerald ironically happened to be the one who got caught in my special little trap a couple of days ago.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. This was news. “What little trap?”

“The one I mentioned to you briefly at our last meeting. Some settings I rewired in the new SWAT training facility. I wasn’t trying to catch Fitzgerald specifically, just ended up that way.”

“What did you do, Fawkes?”

Fawkes smiled, showing his teeth. “Well, Fitzgerald got electrically shocked to within an inch of his life. But more important, the brand-new facility got shut down. No training can be done there until they double and triple check every single piece of programming and wiring. Definitely sets Omega back.”

Damien relaxed a little. He still didn’t like anyone moving outside of the stage he’d created, but in this case it sounded like Fawkes’ actions were helpful for the “cause.”

“But that’s an example of keeping our fight set on Omega agents, not civilians,” Fawkes continued, glaring at Harper.

“You can’t take out Ashton Fitzgerald by breaking into a civilian’s house.

Can’t put her in danger too. And what about all the people who could’ve been hurt with your rifle stunt on Friday? ”

Damien leaned back a little farther on his couch, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

Fawkes was pretty damn self-righteous for someone whose ultimate plan involved the death of hundreds, a lot of them civilians.

“Harper wants revenge for his father’s death,” he told Fawkes.

“He’s willing to go after that now even if it means innocent people are hurt. ”

“This isn’t what we discussed last week. The plan was to dismantle Omega Sector and cripple law enforcement in general. To start a revolution.”

“Revolutions take time, Fawkes. We talked about that, too.”

Fawkes rolled his eyes. “Harper’s actions are not part of the revolution.”

“You guys quit talking about me like I’m not even here,” Harper finally spoke up. “I’m not a part of no revolution. I just want revenge for what happened to my dad.”

Fawkes looked like he was ready to pounce on Harper again. To kill the smaller man. That wasn’t good. Damien still needed Harper to fulfill a purpose.

Damien stood and walked over to the two men. “Curtis, let Mr. Fawkes and me talk privately for a while. You get some rest. Our plan to eliminate Ashton Fitzgerald is still in play, don’t you worry. I’m going to help you. I have a plan.”

The plan also involved both Summer Worrall and Harper’s deaths, but that was probably better left unmentioned.

Damien put his arm around Harper’s shoulder and walked him to another bedroom. He showed him “the wall”—an impressive collection of maps, pictures, newspaper clippings. Like something straight out of a super-spy movie.

Some of it was junk, but not all of it. Damien had no doubt when the brilliant profiling minds at Omega finally saw the wall, they’d be able to put together the clues. To follow the breadcrumbs Damien was leaving them about his next intended victims. And there were many.

Whether they’d figure it out in time wasn’t really Damien’s problem. If they did, he’d just move on to someone else.

Of course, Agent Fitzgerald wouldn’t be helping them figure out the next victims. He’d be too busy mourning the current ones or hopefully be dead himself.

How well Damien remembered those early days of losing Natalie. When the grief was so fresh he couldn’t breathe because of it, much less do anything functional.

Omega Sector would know that grief. The unbearable grief. And then Fawkes would take over with his revolution and tear the entire place down.

Harper walked over in awe of the wall, as Damien knew he would be.

“Wow, this looks like something from out of one of those CSI shows or something.”

Damien smiled. “A good plan is the backbone of any successful mission. And we have one.” Damien gestured at the wall. “You just need to trust me. You know you can trust me, right, Curtis? We want the same thing.”

Harper nodded, obviously as clueless as he’d ever been. “Yeah, Damien. I know I can trust you.”

Damien talked to Harper for a few more minutes, promising him his revenge against Ashton Fitzgerald soon, before walking Harper to the door.

“I’ll be in touch, don’t worry.”

Harper smiled. “As long as Fitzgerald’s dead at the end of this, I’ll give you the time you need.”

You had to admire a simple-minded man’s single focus. He slapped Harper on the back. “Absolutely.”

He closed the door behind him as Harper left.

“Harper is an idiot, you know.” Fawkes had relaxed a little with Harper’s exit, although Damien doubted the man ever relaxed completely. Some people didn’t.

“Harper is weakening a piece of Omega’s Critical Response Division, no matter how small. That’s all that matters.”

“They know it’s him. They already found forensic evidence of him on the roof. I’m sure they’ll find more at Summer Worrall’s place. They’ll be hunting him.”

Damien rubbed his palms together. “That’s fine. Because Curtis Harper is expendable in our greater plan. Don’t forget that.”

Fawkes sighed. “Harper isn’t smart enough to stay out of Omega Sector’s clutches for long. They’ve been studying his patterns and known associates all day. They’ll catch him soon.”

“Hopefully not before he’s served his ultimate purpose, but if so, we can adapt.”

“Aren’t you afraid Harper will implicate you? I know he only knows your first name, but I’m surprised you brought him here at all.”

Damien smiled and walked into the kitchen. “Curtis leading Omega agents here is part of my ultimate plan.”

“But they’ll know who you are. They’ll be hunting you.”

“They’re already hunting me. This will just make them a little more diligent about it.

So I hope Curtis Harper’s limited information about me will lead them straight here and eventually directly to me.

I want Omega’s eyes wide open about who they’re fighting.

I want them to know from where their destruction comes. ”

“If they ‘know from where their destruction comes—’” mockery tinged Fawkes’ voice “—they’re going to be much more likely to try to defend themselves. Don’t underestimate them.”

“I don’t underestimate them.” Damien lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I just don’t underestimate myself, either.”

Fawkes sighed. “Why is Summer Worrall even being brought into this? Our fight is not with her.”

Natalie’s face came to his mind. Her face right before Omega Sector had burst into their home, killing her. She hadn’t even looked surprised.

Oh yes, his fight very much was with Summer Worrall. She was a loved one of Omega Sector. Just like Natalie had been a loved one of his.

Therefore she had to die.

He looked at Fawkes. “Our fight is with anyone who has aligned themselves with members of Omega Sector. If we keep their focus outward, they’ll miss what’s really happening until it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Fawkes didn’t know it, but Damien had already put into motion the next strike against Omega. A more indirect hit this time, against two people in Texas who had helped them with a case last year. The super-spy wall would help point them in the right direction so they didn’t miss it.

Split their focus yet again.

Damien nodded at Fawkes. “But I understand your fight is not with civilians. You’ve made that very clear. I’ll make sure Harper focuses on Fitzgerald, not Summer.”

Damien’s focus would be on her, though.

Fawkes just rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that Harper is competent enough to kill Fitzgerald anyway.”

“Don’t worry. I will help him with that. Like I told him, I have a plan. He probably won’t like the end result, but it’s still a plan.”

“I don’t want him going after Summer Worrall. They’ve moved her into a safe house, but Harper is idiot enough to try to find her if he thinks it’s a good idea.”

“Where is the safe house? I’ll make sure Harper doesn’t go anywhere near it.”

Fawkes gave him the address. “It was hard for me to get that info, so make sure Harper doesn’t go there and screw it up.”

The safe house was in an area just on the outskirts of town. Damien smiled at Fawkes. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Harper goes nowhere near Ms. Worrall’s location.”

Damien, on the other hand, had no such compunctions.

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