A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series by Savannah DelGardo Page B

Nolan?” Jackson repeated. “As in the federal agent who was arrested and is awaiting trial for the abuse of his wife?”
     
    “ That's him, boss.” Steven said, putting his phone away.
     
    “ Hold up.” Ric said. “Who is this Nolan guy?”
     
    “ He's a former federal agent with the AFP who abused his wife a week after their third anniversary a few months ago.” Jackson told him.
     
    Ric felt his stomach flip and asked, “What kind of abuse?”
     
    “ Physical and sexual.” Jackson said. “It's almost the same story that happened with Kelley and Ronald Coleman. He raped her, then put her in the hospital with several broken bones, mild internal bleeding and a concussion.”
     
    “ Son of a bitch.” Ric breathed, remembering what Jessi had said to him the night he'd saved her.
     
    I've been in a similar situation before …
     
    Ric swore and demanded, “Why isn't he in jail already?”
     
    “ The case isn't due for court until the beginning of next year.” Steven said, just as his phone rang.
     
    Ric looked at his CO and asked, “Do we have any idea where this maniac has taken Jessi?”
     
    “ No, but we're still gathering Intel.”
     
    He swore again and ran a hand through his hair. He hated waiting around; not being able to do anything to help made him crazy and he prayed that something came through for them to work with.
     
    But even as he thought this, Steven hung up on the call he'd gotten and told them, “Agent Blake is five minutes out.”
     
    “ Blake? What's he still doing here?”
     
    Steven shrugged and said, “I don't know, but he's offered his support in locating Jessica and Kevin.”
     
    Agent Michael Blake was the agent-in-charge of the AFP's Witness Protection Program, and that made Ric ask, “Is Jessi in the WPP?”
     
    “ He didn't say she was, but there's a chance she is.” Steven said.
     
    Ric didn't like not knowing much about Jessi, but he told himself that, once they found her and he had her back with him, he'd fix that by learning everything he could about her.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was common knowledge amongst the Royal Australian Navy that it's sister defence force – the Australian Army – needed help on a regular basis. It was one of those running jokes that everyone knew.
     
    But to AFP Agent Michael Blake's way of thinking, it was the RAN that was doing a good job of needing the help.
     
    First, he'd helped Lieutenant Commander Lawson McIntosh protect the lovely Clarissa McKenna when his ex-fiance had been determined to kill her.
     
    Then, he'd been involved in helping Lieutenant Daniel Coleman keep Kelley Harmon safe when a former AFP agent had been determined to kill her.
     
    Now he was being called on again to track down yet another AFP agent who had kidnapped his ex-wife from a wedding.
     
    Michael didn't know why there were so many agents who were going rogue recently, but he also didn't know why the Navy had to get involved with every one that did.
     
    I need a vacation after this is done, he thought as he and his unit arrived at the church. 
     

     
    When he learned the location of a cabin Kevin Nolan sometimes rented in the Barron Gorge National Park, there was nothing and no one that could have stopped Ric from heading there. He entered the park into the ute's GPS and headed off.
     
    En route, he got a call from Michael.
     
    “ Where are you?”
     
    Ric checked the GPS and replied, “About twenty minutes out.”
     
    “ What road are you on?”
     
    “ The Kennedy Highway.”
     
    “ Right. We're about thirty minutes behind you.” Michael told him. “Don't do anything stupid when you get there, Jordan.”
     
    Ric wouldn't dream of it.
     
    He may have only recently met Jessi and he knew almost nothing about her, but he wouldn't do anything that could cause her to get hurt. Or worse. He told Michael as much, saying, “I'll sit on the place until you arrive.”
     
    “ Copy that.” Michael said.
     
    They hung up and Ric