Payne: a suspenseful FBI crime thriller (Alex Payne Series Book 1) Read online

  Payne

  Alex Payne Series

  Audrey Walker

  Contents

  Stay in touch with Audrey

  Prequel for FREE! Download now

  1. The Tribiani Affair

  2. The Start of a Treacherous Path

  3. Beached

  4. The Russian War

  5. The Poor Soul

  6. A Grim Past

  7. The Imminent Death

  8. The Strangled Man

  9. The Hunt is On

  10. The Interrogation

  11. The Elusive Tattoo

  12. Danny, the Wizard

  13. The Housewarming Gift

  14. Broken Hearts and Broken Minds

  15. Blood and Death

  16. More Questions

  17. Collateral Damage

  18. Never-ending Trouble

  19. Fredrick Mayson

  Leave a review on Amazon Kindle

  Stay in touch with Audrey

  Also by Audrey Walker

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2021 by Audrey Walker

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Stay in touch with Audrey

  Click here to join Audrey’s Newsletter and receive promotions, free giveaways and exclusive chapter releases.

  Also follow me on my Facebook Page

  and

  on Instagram:

  Prequel for FREE! Download now

  Shelby Griffin Mystery Series:

  Academy Assassin (a Prequel) for FREE

  Shelby Griffin Series BOX SET

  Sleepless Night (Shelby Griffin Book 1)

  Sleepless Mind (Shelby Griffin Book 2)

  Sleepless Street (Shelby Griffin Book 3)

  Sleepless Hunt (Shelby Griffin Book 4)

  Sleepless Shelby (Shelby Griffin Book 5)

  Sleepless Deceit (Shelby Griffin Book 6)

  Sleepless Lie (Shelby Griffin Book 7)

  Mark Fropp Series:

  Fropp’s Identity Boxset (Book 1-5)

  Act of Vengeance (Fropp’s Identity Book 1)

  Act of Deception (Fropp’s Identity Book 2)

  Act of Deliverance (Fropp’s Identity Book 3)

  Act of Defiance (Fropp’s Identity Book 4)

  Act of Destruction (Fropp’s Identity Book 5)

  Robin Matthews Series:

  The Butcher’s Head (Robin Matthews Book 1)

  One Step Ahead (Robin Matthews Book 2)

  The Child’s Plan (Robin Matthews Book 3)

  Past Unveiling (Robin Matthews Book 4)

  The Abandoned Child (Robin Matthews Book 5)

  Vanished (Robin Matthews Book 6)

  Secret Order (Robin Matthews Book 7)

  Deadly Turn (Robin Matthews Book 8)

  His Last Breath (Robin Matthews Book 9)

  Lie and Death (Robin Matthews Book 10)

  Alex Payne Series:

  Payne (Alex Payne Book 1)

  Under Payne (Alex Payne Book 2)

  Real Payne (Alex Payne Book 3)

  Wracked with Payne (Alex Payne Book 4)

  No Payne, No Gain (Alex Payne Book 5)

  One

  The Tribiani Affair

  Alex crouched onto the floor, hidden behind the enormous crates that were scattered throughout the port. He could hear the sound of the sea crashing behind him. It was high tide tonight, and the monstrous waves crashed against the wall of the seaport. Anchored ships were moving with the momentum of the roaring sea, and the wind blew fast, vicious, and unimpeded. He took out his gun, taking off the safety and resting his finger on the trigger. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the rest of the team in place.

  “Are you ready?” he said softly into the mouthpiece attached to his shirt.

  “We’re all in position,” a voice said in his earpiece. “Awaiting your orders.”

  Footsteps started to echo on the floor, and Alex softly whispered, “Here we go. Whatever happens, don’t shoot. We want him alive.”

  “You’re finally here,” a deep voice echoed over the sound of the sea and the wind. “I thought you weren’t going to show up?”

  “Why wouldn’t I show up?” the newcomer said. “After all, you have something that I need.”

  “I have the drugs with me,” the voice said. “If you have the money, then you and I have a deal.”

  “Tell me,” the newcomer said. “I heard that Albert Hail is dead. I also heard that you had something to do with it.”

  The voice scoffed and said, “None of your business, now is it? You wanted the drugs. Well, I have the drugs. Hand over the money and take what you need.”

  “Before we move on,” the newcomer said. “I would like to see what I am buying.”

  There was the sound of a briefcase opening, and the voice barked, “It’s all pure. It’s the new kind, just fresh on the market. No one has it yet, but it’s already in high demand. I can ensure you of its quality.”

  “If it’s as good as you say it is,” the newcomer said. “Then I might just be your regular customer. But if it turns out to be garbage, I assure you, the fate that awaits you is so much worse than death.”

  Alex peeked out from behind the crate, observing the two men in front of him. They were both wearing long overcoats with upturned collars that hid their faces. They both had hats on top of their heads that were tipped down to cast a shadow on their faces. He watched as the briefcases were exchanged, and he smirked to himself.

  “Go,” he whispered into the mouthpiece. “Move! Move! Move!”

  At his orders, the agents swarmed out from their positions, holding guns in their hands.

  “Freeze!” Agent Plaid, who was leading the team, shouted. “We have you surrounded! Do not resist! On your knees! Hands above your heads, and don’t make a move!”

  Alex stepped out, the gun in his hand ready and a satisfied look on his face.

  “We’ve caught you, Tribiani,” he said. “I have been after your drug ring for so long, and today I have you red-handed.”

  “Special Agent Alex Payne,” Tribiani, the newcomer, said with a grin. “I should have known you were behind this. Tell me, how long did you plan this setup?”

  “It took a long time, pal,” Alex said. “And now it’s time for you to go to prison. You won’t be able to worm your way out this time.”

  “Is that so?” Tribiani whispered. “You overestimated yourself, Payne. I am afraid that this won’t end well for you.”

  And just like that, men started to appear out of nowhere, their guns ready, and they definitely outnumbered Alex and his agents.

  “You have a mole among your people,” Tribiani said. “I have known about your drug bust for months. You really don’t understand who you are up against, do you?”

  “You are not going to win this,” Alex said, even though his own heart was sinking.

  “My men have you surrounded,” he said. “My men have you outnumbered. Do you really think you can escape this? Even you, the great Alex Payne, can’t escape this mess. Now, you can resist, and there will be a shoot-out between your men and my men. We might win, or we might not; who knows. But regardless, there will be extreme losses on both sides
. You will lose good men, men with wives, children, and mothers waiting for them to come home. And it will all be on you. Every single death will be on your hands. Now, we wouldn’t want that, would we? Not after what happened all those years ago.”

  Alex clenched his jaw, anger flaring through him as the memory flashed in his mind.

  “So, here is what I suggest,” Tribiani said. “You let my men and me go. We avoid an all-out war, and we meet again someday in this cat and mouse game of ours.”

  At that moment, a voice rang over Alex’s earpiece, and a small smile spread on his lips.

  “I am afraid it won’t be possible,” he said.

  “You would really risk a massacre?” Tribiani asked. “You would risk the deaths of so many for your ego when we clearly outnumber you, and your chances of winning are low?”

  “There won’t be any shoot-out,” Alex said. “You will all put your guns down and turn yourselves in.”

  “Now, why would we do that?” he asked, laughing.

  “Because while you were here,” Alex said. “Squabbling with me – I had my men breech your warehouses and uncover all the smuggled drugs you were hiding. And that’s not all. We have caught your son with the illegal drugs at the warehouse.”

  “What?” he whispered.

  “You can fight us,” Alex said. “But your son is in our clutches. Now, I can make him the leader of the entire smuggling operation and get him a sentence for life. Or, you can surrender, admit you are the leader, and he can be tried as an accomplice and given a lighter sentence. What will it be, Tribiani?”

  The man glared at Alex, his hands clenched and anger burning in his eyes.

  “Stand down,” He said to his men. “All of you. Just stand down.”

  Alex smiled, putting his gun in his belt and turning to look away.

  “Arrest them all,” Alex said. “And put them behind bars. And when you are all done, drinks on me! Today is the day we finally bagged the smuggling king – Tribiani!”

  “This isn’t over!” Tribiani shouted.

  “Yes,” Alex said with a smirk. “It is.”

  Two

  The Start of a Treacherous Path

  “This is outrageous!” the director said, slamming his hand onto the table.

  Alex sighed, leaning back into the chair and looking around the office he was in. The walls were decorated with certificates, awards, and medals that Director Crow had accumulated over the years. They were impressive, but Alex had seen better. After all, he had more awards than the director, and he had more scars as well.

  “You were supposed to run the mission by me first,” the director shouted. “That was the rule! That is how things work here. You don’t just run off on your own without authorization or permission! Especially without briefing me first!”

  “Look, I got the man, didn’t I?” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “We have been after him for years, and I finally got him, and this is how you treat me?”

  “You crossed the line,” Crow said. “I know why you did it. You think I won’t report you.”

  Alex scoffed and lit up a cigarette. He knew that Crow was never going to report him. Hell, Alex was the best agent Crow ever had. Alex might do things his own way, but he always got things done. He had caught more criminals in this twenty-year career than most agents had in forty.

  “Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you did something like this without informing me?” Crow said.

  A face flashed before Alex’s eyes – her long short, curly hair, and blue eyes, and the brightest smile he had ever seen.

  “I’m done,” Alex said. “I am not going to sit here and listen to this. I am leaving. Do what you want with Tribiani. Let him go for all I care. Or arrest me for going against your orders. I don’t care either way.”

  “That’s enough,” Crow said. “Now, I have another matter to discuss with you.”

  “What?” Alex said, taking another drag of his cigarette.

  “The matter of your partner,” he said.

  “Partner?” Alex said, giving a short laugh. “You know no one stays, Crow. I thought you had given up on this?”

  “All agents work here in pairs,” Crow said. “Now, I know you like working alone, but –”

  “Partners are a liability,” Alex said. “They do nothing but cause more worry and pain. They get in the way, and they get hurt. I can’t take the responsibility of another life on me, Crow.”

  “Look, I get it,” he said. “I know what you went through. I know it’s hard for you to accept anyone else after that –”

  “Look, I made myself clear,” Alex said, snubbing the cigarette out in an ashtray. “I don’t do partners. I work alone and only alone.”

  “Well, too bad,” Crow said. “Protocol says that you are assigned a partner, and I have one for you.”

  “You have assigned many in the past,” Alex said. “And they all ran away.”

  “His name is Evans,” Crow said, ignoring Alex’s comment. “He is your new partner. Now, Evans is new to the FBI, so be nice. He is brilliant, top of the academy, and he cleared all his tests in one go. Evans is one of the best I have ever seen. So, I am pairing him with you. Use him, Alex. He is a good detective and an efficient agent. Use his help and for God’s sake, next time you go pull a stunt like this, at least keep me in the damn loop!”

  Alex sighed, getting out of his chair.

  “Alright, Crow,” he said. “Keep your socks on. I will see you later, okay?”

  He walked out of Crow’s office, his mind already working on the next case that waited for him. He had spent the last few months planning this very day. He knew Tribiani had a mole in the FBI, and he had deliberately fed him the wrong information. While he had taken most of his squad to the port, a small, efficient group made its way to the warehouse. Because of the information provided by the mole, Tribiani had concentrated all his men to the port, leaving the warehouse relatively unguarded.

  When Alex hadn’t received any news from the other team, he thought something had gone wrong. But then, the confirmation came. They had been successful, and his son had been apprehended. At that moment, Alex had known he had won.

  “Agent Payne,” a chirpy voice interrupted his thoughts. “It’s good to meet you. My name is Dale Evans, and I think I am your new partner.”

  Alex grunted, examining the young man who stood in front of him with his hand extended. Barely out of the academy, Evans was, as of yet, untraumatized by the cruel world that awaited him. His bright brown eyes were shining, and his small, round face had a huge smile on it. His short, black hair was curled up into a mop on his head, and he wore a worn-out suit. Alex guessed it probably belonged to someone else and had been fitted poorly.

  “Make yourself useful,” Alex said. “And get me coffee, would ya?”

  “Frankly, Agent,” Evans said. “I don’t think we have time for that.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Alex asked. “Why exactly?”

  “Because we just got a call,” Evans said. “We are needed down at the docks. It seems that we have a murder on our hands.”

  “Get the police to do it,” Alex said. “Or, pass it on to another agent. I have enough on my plate.”

  “Orders from up above,” Evans said. “Director Crow himself just called me. I am afraid there is no way out of it.”

  Alex silently cursed his luck and made his way to the exit of the building.

  “Fine,” He said. “Let’s get a move on. You drive.”

  Three

  Beached

  “That is sickening,” Alex said, looking down at the body that lay in front of him.

  “It was probably at sea for a very long time,” Evans said. “All the evidence has probably been washed away by now. The forensic team is investigating, but the coroner guessed that this is at least a week-old body.”

  “There goes any hope of finding evidence,” Alex said, kneeling.

  “The body was found washed up on the docks by one of the foremen who
works here,” Evans said. “I already got his testimony. He says he got here around seven in the morning and that he was the first one here. He was doing a round of all the ships and cargo when he saw a body on the dock. He took one look at it and knew he was dead, so he called it in. He says there was no one here when he packed up last night at around ten.”

  “No obvious signs of injury,” Alex said, running his eyes over the dead body. “No wounds, no lacerations, no gunshot wounds.”

  “Probably cause of death is drowning,” Dr. Hills said, walking toward them. “I won’t know for sure until I have him on the table, though. For all we know, this is a suicide or some poor man who swam too deep into the sea.”

  “Let’s get an ID,” Alex said. “See what you can find, Evans. Identifying the body will be difficult, but we need to do what we can. I don’t think there is anything special about this. Probably some poor guy who killed himself after some girl turned him down. Let me know whatever you find, okay, Hills?”

  “You will have the report when it’s ready,” Hills said. “And not a minute sooner.”

  “Come on now,” Alex said. “I will buy you a drink.”

  “That’s what you say every time, you cheap ass,” Hills said. “And I end up paying the tab afterward. Anyway, why are you interested? As you said, it’s probably nothing.”