Retribution for the Fallen An Emily Fallon Novel

By Madeline Vaughn

Her opposition's reach is unparalleled. Who will be left standing?

In the gripping finale of the Emily Fallon trilogy, we follow Emily as she embarks on her most important mission; taking down her biggest adversary yet. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Madeline Vaughn Books
• Release date: Apr 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9798988326854

Madeline Vaughn

I have always been passionate about writing and storytelling. I love to explore different themes and motifs. I love to immerse myself into my projects- dive headfirst into the research, production, and fine-tuning of the stories I deem worthy to tell. I live in Kansas City, MO with my husband and our four boys. When we aren't working, we like to travel to new places.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

You don't know me. Well, not the real me. You know the version of me that I allow you and everyone else to see. The prim and proper version. The regal version. The decorated service member version.

But who am I really? When I was very young, maybe five or six years old, I was moved to the United States. Not by choice, but more to fulfill an obligation. My father was a well-known businessman in Ecuador, but he got involved with the wrong people.

Due to his poor judgment, he made a deal with someone who had an incredible hold over him. When the job went south due to an error my father had made, this business partner made him another deal. The new one was to raise his daughter within the political structure of America. He had to make sure I went to all of the right schools and met all of the right people. To mold me into the ideal political candidate, so that I may one day run this country and turn a blind eye to the drug smuggling operations in and around Ecuador, even better, get me into a position of power so one day I can control those operations.

My father asked what would happen if he didn't comply with the demand. He was told that his daughters and wife would be given to men within the Cartel, and they could do what they wished to us. We have all heard horror stories about what happens to some of the women taken by the Cartel. Most of the time their naked, mutilated bodies were found in a ditch on the side of a dirt road. Their faces were beaten to a pulp and unrecognizable. Their teeth were removed, and fingerprints burned off. This gave the Cartel the upper hand with knowing that they were untouchable. If you can't identify the body, you can't build your suspect pool.

Of course, this was all before DNA became what it is today. Now, I hear the Cartel has done away with the bodies completely. Making them even less likely to get caught now. The women lucky enough to be spared that fate, are used to find a particular mark and cozy up enough to gain intel on many different things. My father wanted neither of those options for us.

When my dad thought about the love of his life and his little girls being subjected to torture, abuse and possibly being murdered by the Cartel, he didn't think twice. He offered me up on a silver platter like I was a goddamned Kennedy or something. Before the motorcade that would take his life that is. The Cartel was so generous to help me find a home and family in Massachusetts, where old money and politicians reign.

My name was changed, not legally of course, but back in the 1960's nobody checked into those things. I attended the most prestigious schools; I was even a goddamn debutante in the Boston Cotillion. Playing the part as I was raised to do with a new family to show me the way.

What happened to my real family? My father was murdered before I left Ecuador. As far as my mother and young sister, I can only imagine what happened to them. Not that I particularly care. They were weak, a cancer if you will. Throughout the years they have become such a distant memory that now I wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me, and they never even truly existed. I’m better off without them. I wouldn’t be who I am with them.

After graduating from Brown University with a degree in Government and Political Science with a minor in foreign affairs, I joined the Navy. I was at the top of my class and kept myself visible to the right people. The one's that make you a leader.

My real name is Jacqueline Isabella Hernandez, but you know me as Jack Cohen, Secretary of the United States Navy.

CHAPTER ONE

EMILY

2019

The sun is slowly beginning to rise. It casts its rays through our small window onto the floor of our room. The ocean I’ve grown up with is miles away from where we are right now. What I wouldn’t give to be somewhere other than this safe house. The only positive is that Xander is here with me. He looks so peaceful like these last few days never even happened.

There’s a knock on our bedroom door. Xander grumbles and flips over trying to ignore the inevitable. I’m irritated at whoever decided to knock so early and wake him up.

You all decent?

Knowing it’s Keith only adds to my irritation. Xander grumbles about being woken up and goes to let Keith in.

Do you realize what time it is, Keith? The sun is barely up.

Emily, I need you to get dressed.

So much for small talk.

What’s this about? Xander asks.

I have orders to take her in for questioning.

Orders from who? I ask.

NCIS. You are the main suspect in the murder of Admiral Robert Stanley. They went as far as putting a BOLO out on you.

Are you kidding me? This can’t be happening. Everyone knows that I didn’t kill him. He was dead when we got there.

I know that, and we will explain that, but for now, I need to take you in. It’s better if I take you in and advocate for you, rather than them coming to this place that nobody else knows about and exposing you all to more danger.

If they don’t know where I am, I say we give it a few days. I’ll go in willingly then. Looking back at Xander, I can see the concern in his eyes.

Emily, if this were up to me, I wouldn’t even bother taking you in. But it isn’t and NCIS doesn’t fuck around. You should know that being in the Navy.

What if it’s SECNAV setting this all up to lure me out?

I will be there with you. I’m not leaving your side. We will both see this through. In the interim, my guys and your family can pack up everything and we will get everyone moved to the other safe house, says Keith as he leaves our room.

Xander pulls me tightly against him and smooths my bed-head hair out of my face.

I’ll be fine. Hey, maybe Keith will redeem himself by vouching for me. I have more alibis if that doesn’t work. It’s going to be fine; you’ll see. I rise onto my tiptoes and kiss his lips before getting cleaned up to go with Keith.

Thirty minutes later, after I’m dressed and have coffee in hand, Xander walks me to the vehicle, and we say our goodbyes.

Come back to me quickly, Ems.

There is nowhere else I would rather be, Xander.

I hug him and climb in as he shuts the door behind me. Keith and I talk the entire way to the Norfolk, VA, field office about the events of that night. I told him that when we showed up at the house, it was eerily quiet. We split up to look for him to save time.

Who found him? asks Keith.

My uncle did.

Where was he?

He was in his car inside his garage. He was slumped over in the driver’s seat. If it weren’t for the fumes in the garage, he would have looked like he was sleeping.

What fumes?

Like his car had been running for some time. They were exhaust fumes.

I see.

Keith remains quiet for the rest of our drive. I take the opportunity to relax a little before we get there. I can’t shake this feeling that it’s going to be a long day.

Once we arrive, Keith tells me he has to cuff me and escort me inside.

I step out of the vehicle and put my hands behind my back. The metal cuffs are heavier than I expected them to be or maybe it’s because I’ve never worn them before.

We walk into the building and get in the elevator. It opens to a floor with many desks. All of which seem to be unoccupied right now. I thought this place would have been busier. As soon as we step out onto the floor, an agent approaches me and starts to read me my rights.

Emily Fallon, you are under arrest for the murder of Admiral Robert Stanley.

I tune out everything else he’s telling me as he takes my cuffed hands and starts to walk me away from Keith. Looking back at Keith, he looks confused and then hollers at me as I’m being escorted away, I’ll handle this, Emily. Sit tight and don’t say anything.

H ow many times do I have to explain this to you? I didn't kill Admiral Stanley. I have an alibi for that night and the following day, I try to convey to the agent.

Right, right, your Uncle Paul. But he isn't your real Uncle and let’s not forget that nobody can get a hold of him, says NCIS Agent Cortez.

What about Keith with the DEA, he knows where I was during that time. Have you talked to him yet? I can promise you that he wouldn’t lie for me. Hell, he’s the reason I’m even here.

He's being questioned in another room.

I’ll be happy to wait while you go sort this out, Agent Cortez.

I stare him down with my best resting bitch face. I’m not in the mood for an interrogation.

Emily, you know how this works. We split you up, get both of your stories, compare notes, and then decide what to do with you.

Have you bothered to talk to my brother, Maverick Fallon, or my husband, Xander Ellis?

We've tried calling them, but they also are not answering. You can see why we’re concerned right?

That's because they are at the safe house.

Maybe they’re somewhere with a poor signal? Keep trying them.

You keep saying that, but you can't tell me where they are or when you saw them last. You see how this looks right, Emily?

This is so infuriating. How am I supposed to cooperate when I can’t tell them anything?

When they arrested me after getting off the elevator, they told me someone saw me leave Admiral Stanley's house the evening before we went to check on him. I know for a fact I wasn't there. Even in a blind rage, I didn't go all fugue state and kill Stanley. I was too busy spiraling into an emotional oblivion after thinking Xander was blown to pieces. But can I tell them that? Nope. Because if I tell them that then I have to tell them everything that's happened from the moment I stepped off the USS Langford. Including the bodies that have been taken out one by one and not by me. Like Asher for example. Keith said they found my prints on Asher’s body and at first, I thought that's who this guy Cortez was questioning me about. Abbott is now gone and I have no clue how that whole situation was handled. I’m sure I sound like a crazy person. I get it, I wouldn't believe me either.

Emily, your lack of cooperation isn't winning you any prizes here. I'm going to give you a few minutes to think about your story while I go talk to my partner. I'll be back. Maybe by then, you will tell me what's going on.

Agent Cortez leaves the room. While I’m alone, I take in the small space. Its slate gray walls make it appear very small. I'm facing what I can only assume is a two-way mirror and in the corner is a camera, but it doesn't appear to be on. As I start to think through the events from the past few days I glance at my watch and notice the time. I've been in this room for over an hour, and we aren't getting anywhere. Where is Keith? Why haven’t I seen this partner that Agent Cortez mentioned? Isn’t there a good cop and a bad cop with interrogations?

Gah, this is so annoying. I want to be back at the safe house with Xander and my family and figure out what our plan is to take out the Secretary of the Navy. What if she put all of this into motion? No, if this was her doing, I would probably be at some black ops site where nobody would find my body. That seems to be more her speed.

A few minutes later, Agent Cortez enters the interrogation room. He explains that his partner questioned Keith and was able to validate my story and his with the DEA. Because of that, Keith was able to clear me so I’m free to go.

He opens the door for me and directs me down a long hallway. A different direction from which we came into the building. Why go a different way? We are moving through the building but nobody else has passed by us. This is a government agency, filled with agents and we haven’t passed a single one.

Where’s Keith?

Something came up so he gave me the address of where I should drop you off.

My stomach drops a little. I don't like this. Keith was adamant that nobody knew about our location and that he was in the process of moving us to a different location because Uncle Paul decided to leave. Looking around, I notice that the hallway we are in now doesn't have any security cameras. Why would I be taken down a hallway without cameras? There can only be one reason. I should have known. I can feel my heart rate starting to increase. This can't be good. I stop following Agent Cortez. He hears me stop and turns to see what my issue is.

I turn to go back the way we came. You know what, I'm happy to wait in the interrogation room until Keith is free.

That isn't necessary, Emily. He pushes what feels like a gun into the middle of my back. My car is right outside and it's part of the job when needed.

Sure it is, I think to myself, along with kidnapping and or murdering me. Once I’m through this door, I’ll subdue him and run.

We exit through a basement door that opens into an alley again without security cameras to monitor the area. I see a four-door dark SUV a few steps in front of me. Just as I go to swing at Agent Cortez, someone drapes a dark cloth over my face, and I feel a needle injected into my neck. My body feels weak as if I'm about to pass out.

Put her in the backseat and destroy her phone, I hear Cortez tell someone.

As I’m pushed into the vehicle my body starts to relax but my heart is racing so fast. My eyes feel heavy but I need to keep them open and focus on the movement of the car so I can figure