Game of Dust and Ashes (Book Two in the Covert Operations series)

Five

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States of America, January 26, 2021

At half-past six, the cherry red Honda civic rental car pulled up outside of the beachfront bungalow. The red paneling on the side was fading and the white paint on the porch had long since begun to peel. Leaning against the wall near the front door was an upright surfboard with a pair of sandals resting next to the wicker chair.

I climbed out of the driver's seat and took in a breath of the salty ocean air. The sun was beating down but the weather was only moderately warm. Even a place with the word 'beach' in the name could get slightly cold in the winter. We were nearing the end of the January and it was showing. The breeze coming off the water wasn't quite freezing but it was brisk.

Still, I wasn't about to complain. I'd been dealing with the rapidly approaching cold Switzerland winter for the past few weeks. We already had snow there. At least here in Virginia I could still see sand. I breathed in the warmth and prepared myself for the difficult conversations to follow as Lia and Max got out of the car.

"How are you feeling?" Lia asked me.

"Like I'm going to be sick." I made to walk towards the house but I'd barely taken three steps when the door was wrenched open.

For the first time in four-and-a-half years, I was face to face with Grace and Malcolm Ortiz, Daniel's parents. They hadn't changed much since I'd last seen them save for the telltale signs of age. They each looked more weathered, the lines around their eyes were deep with grief. I knew that most of this stemmed from Daniel's loss and I wondered how they would react when they found out that he was alive.

"What's happened?" Malcolm Ortiz asked. He was formal, as always. The operative in him was strong and there was no doubt that he was now thinking five steps ahead, making necessary preparations for whatever might be throw his way. His wife just stood by his side staring at me. She knew that I wouldn't have come here for just any reason. Especially since my very presence endangered them and my brother to no end.

"There's been a...development in one of the cases I've been working that pertains to you," Lia said. "We should go inside. You're going to want to sit down for this."

Malcolm and Grace nodded grimly. I could see them trying to figure out who'd died or what case had come back to haunt them.

"Is Wes here?" I asked. We'd decided on the flight that they would break the news to Daniel's parents while I handled my brother.

Grace shook her head. "No, he's down the beach. He's visiting with some friends from high school who are home for the break."

"Which direction?"

She pointed and I nodded before grabbing some photos out of a case file and tucking them into the pocket of my jacket. Wes would need proof. He wouldn't believe me any other way. Then, leaving Lia and Max to break the news, I set off in search of my brother. It didn't take long to find him. Even though it was the middle of winter, there were still people out and about on the beach but there was only one group of guys throwing a football around.

Even though his back was to me, I spotted Wes immediately. He was the tallest of the bunch and his sandy brown hair, longer than I'd ever seen it, was windswept. From afar, I could make out his sun-tanned skin and sinewy muscles. He'd put on some weight since I'd last seen him which was a good thing. When I'd last left him, he'd been gaunt. Not as a result of his time held captive by Scorpion but rather by the toll grief had left on him.

Now, though, he looked strong and confident and carefree. I didn't want to know what my information would do to him but knew that it wasn't a conversation I could put off. I didn't want to risk being seen up close with too many people, especially with people who knew my brother and could potentially get a photo or video or something that would show that we'd spent time together and post it online. I'd spent so much time keeping him safe from my past. The last thing I wanted to do was drag him into it again.