Return of the Phoenix - 01 by Heath Stallcup Read Free Book Online

razor. Gus never tried to actually shave with it, but the shiny metal folding blade brought him a small bit of comfort. He may be alone in the world, but at one time he had family who loved him.
    But that was a long, long time ago…during another life that he could never return to.
    Gus quietly shifted the duffel over his shoulder, scanned the area one last time to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, then wordlessly left the building. He would just as soon wait at the airport than to sit here and argue over something he had no control over. Besides, most airports had bars in them and Gus really felt the need for a drink.
     
    *****
     
    Maria Consuela Rosalea Sanchez had just come on duty at LAPD. As she finished changing in the locker room and headed to the shift office to log in, her lieutenant approached her. “Sanchez. Captain Rodgers needs to see you ASAP.”
    Sanchez paused a moment. Who is Rodgers? “LT?” she asked. “Who is Rodgers again?”
    “Admin.  She works in personnel.”
    Sanchez took the stairs instead of the elevators to help keep in shape. She was one of the first females to make it onto LAPD’s illustrious SWAT teams, and she prided herself on her fitness and shooting skills. Anything and everything she could do to help keep herself in shape, she would do, including taking the stairs to the top floors to the administration levels.
    Once reaching the upper levels, she scanned the names on the closed office doors. When she found Captain Rodgers office, she knocked and stepped into the office. “You wanted to see me, captain?”
    “Sgt. Sanchez, please have a seat.” Captain Rodgers was shuffling through a pile of records and pulled a thick one out as she sat down behind her desk. She slipped on a pair of reading glasses and began going through the record, nodding and smiling. When she was done, she closed the file and took off her glasses. She looked directly into Sanchez’s curious eyes.
    “Have I done something wrong, ma’am?”
    “What? No. Not at all, Sanchez,” Rodgers replied. She turned her chair to cross her legs. “But tell me, have you ever served in the military?”
    “No, ma’am.”
    “I didn’t think so. Your record states that, after high school, you attended UCLA where you obtained a degree in criminal justice, applied to LAPD, went through the academy where you scored in the upper ninety percent of your class.”
    “Upper ninety-five percent of my class, ma’am,” Sanchez corrected.
    Rodgers turned to her again and smiled. “Of course. Upper ninety-five percent of your class.” She opened the file again and using her finger as a marker, “You’ve always scored in the upper percentile on the range. You applied for SWAT…how many times, before being given a chance to try?”
    “Eleven, ma’am,” Sanchez stated.
    Rodgers stared at her. Her face was unreadable. “That is either stone-cold perseverance or stupidity, I’m not sure which,” she said.
    “I’m one of the first female SWAT members in the nation, ma’am.”
    “Yes, you are,” Rodgers stated. “Is this something you’re proud of?”
    “Very.” Sanchez replied. “Is this going somewhere, ma’am?”
    Rodgers inhaled deeply and closed the file again. “No. But you are. You are being transferred.”
    Sanchez was floored. She couldn’t possibly imagine what she could have done to deserve being transferred. Her record was perfect. “Ma’am?” she asked, “Is this a mistake?”
    “I’m afraid not, Sgt. Sanchez. Despite your exemplary record with our department, your presence is strongly requested elsewhere. And it’s signed by the governor on behalf of our military.”
    Sanchez was shaking her head, clearly not understanding what was going on. “Ma’am, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “Sergeant, somebody, somewhere at some time has taken notice of you and now, for whatever reason, they want you to come and work for them. I tried to make a few calls to see what this