by Kelly Moore
Her sharp intake of breath is loud over the phone. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Call her now, and get ready. We’re going home.” I hang up the phone as we’re ushered to the roof.
Matthew and I walk against the wind that is whipping around us, almost knocking us over, and climb into the helicopter. Once we’re buckled in, the pilot reaches back and hands us head-sets. I put mine on and look over at Matthew. “Is there a helicopter picking up Brook and Jake?”
He nods. “Should be there any minute. We’ll all meet up at the private runway for our flight.”
I turn away from him to watch the golf course shrink further and further into the distance, trying to remain calm even though I’m anything but. Anger surges through me, causing my heart to pound and my breathing to speed up. My jaw is clenched so tight it feels like my teeth could shatter at any moment. Sweat is beading up on my brow as I feel my face redden.
All I can think about are the moments I missed out on with my son: his birth, his first step, his first word. I’ve missed it all. If Miles thinks he can take away what I have left, he’s very wrong, and he’s about to find out the hard way what I will do to keep my family safe.
The flight to the landing strip only takes a few minutes, but it may as well be hours to me. Matthew and I are ushered off the helicopter and toward the waiting plane. My anger and blood pressure rise with each step until all I can hear is a low ringing, drowning out everything else. I don’t hear the loud sounds of helicopters and airplanes, I don’t see the massive flow of people and security guards that are trying to help, I only see red. Each step I take is a determined one. I’m determined to save my son, to save my family, and put an end to Miles and his games.
Brook and Jake’s helicopter hasn’t arrived yet, so Matthew and I sit waiting in the airplane. Adrenaline pumps through me, causing my knees to bounce in anticipation to get on our way. Every second we sit here waiting brings Miles closer to our destination, another second closer to my son: a place I don’t want him to be.
“I called the nanny and she’s in code red,” Brook says as she runs onto the plane and to my side.
“Did you fill her in on everything?”
She nods with tears in her eyes. I place my hands on either side of her face and direct her eyes to me. “Everything will be okay. I promise. He’s not going to touch him.”
She nods again as the tears finally overflow from her eyes and glide down her red cheeks.
“Okay, let’s go!” Jake yells as he joins us and takes his seat.
Matthew says something to one of the guards and he heads in the direction of the cockpit.
I reach out and take Brook’s hand, squeezing while rubbing my thumb over the top. The guard comes back and buckles up as the engine roars to life. I am anxious, but also filled with anticipation for this to end. My stomach feels like it’s doing flips, and my legs still haven’t settled. Every muscle in my body is fully tensed, refusing to relax.
When we’re up in the air and the plane quiets down, the seatbelt sign kicks off. I remove my seatbelt and stand. “Anyone need a drink?”
The guard stands. “I’ll get everyone a round.” He quickly walks away and I begin pacing.
I look at Brook. “So tell me about the security you have in place.”
Her eyes flash from her dad, to Jake, and then to me. “I… I don’t know. Jake and my dad had it all set up.”
Jake leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The house is in a gated community on a private beach. There is a fifteen-foot brick wall that surrounds the property. The gate is controlled from inside the house or by passcode, and there are a dozen security cameras on the perimeter alone. There are six more around the house watching entry ways and windows.”
“And what about the back gate? Does a security company come when an alarm is tripped?”
“The back gate can only be opened from the outside with a retina scan, and yes if any alarms are tripped, a direct message is sent to the security company. We set it up right, man. It’s like breaking into Fort Knox - even you couldn’t pull it off.”
I scoff. “I doubt that. There’s always a way, something is always over looked. I need the plans.”
Jake rolls his eyes. “Aw man, I guess I left them in my other pants today.”
I take a deep breath and grind my teeth together as I step forward, pointing my finger. “This is not the time to be joking around.”
He stands up to my challenge. “Really? Do you think I’m taking this lightly? He’s my nephew!”
“Alright, guys!” Brooklyn yells as she stands between us. “We all need to chill out. This isn’t the time to be biting each other’s heads off.”
Jake throws his hands in the air. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He holds out his hand to shake.
I slap mine into his. “Me too. I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just been a shitty two years for me.” I shake my head as I sit back down, hanging my head.
Brooklyn sits down next to me, rubbing my back. “Everything will be okay. We just have to stick together.”
I nod, hearing what she’s saying. I lift my head and look into her dark eyes before pressing a kiss to her forehead, then pull back and try my damnedest to predict what is going through Miles’ head right now. He must be setting something into action. He sent someone to the club that Matthew goes to every Friday. He’s been doing his research. He had to have known that I would be with him already and would save him.
I stand up and take the drink that is offered to me. I throw it back and set the empty glass down. “I got it.”
Everyone perks up.
“Miles knew where Matthew would be. He knew I would be there in an attempt to keep him safe.”
I look at all of them watching me while everything plays out before me. “The gunman wasn’t trying to kill your dad,” I say, looking directly at Brook.
“Then what was he trying to do?” Matthew asks, motioning toward his shoulder, which is currently wrapped in gauze.
I turn and look at him. “He was trying to get a message across.”
His eyes squint together, not understanding.
I sit down across from him and lean in. “Okay, look. He wasn’t there to kill you. He was there to scare you. Miles knew that I would be with you to keep anyone from hitting their mark. If that man wanted to kill you, he would have, and he would have been long gone before I could get to him. He stuck around to pass on a message.”
“What message?” Brook asks.
“That Miles was going after John. He knew I would drop everything to run to Maui to save him, leaving you,” I say, looking at Matthew again. “Unprotected.”
I watch as their facial expressions change as they process what I’ve said.
“So Miles isn’t really going after John?” Jake asks.
“Oh, he is, but it’s to keep me busy while the next gunman goes after Matthew.” I reach out and take Jake’s glass, draining the rest of it. I take a deep breath and sit back. “This hit is Miles’ retirement. It’s enough money for him to disappear forever. He’ll stop at nothing until the president is dead. He’ll take out anyone in his way.”
“So, what’s all this mean?” Brook asks.
I look up at her. “It means John and Matthew need to be kept together. I can’t keep them safe if they’re in two different places. No matter where I am, he’s always going to have men going after the other. We need to hunker down and keep one another safe.”
I get up and pour another drink while thinking over the situation. I pace back and forth, trying to wrap my mind around Miles’ way of thinking. He wants Matthew more than anything, even more than the payback he would get from taking my son. That he would enjoy, but taking out Matthew needs to be done as soon as possible.
He’s only bringing John into this to fuck with me. He knows if push came to shove that John would be the one I would save, regardless of them both being family. John is a child. My child. I’d die before letting any
thing happen to him and Miles knows that.
He’s going to try using all my weaknesses against me. He’s going to try getting me out of my element, fucking with my head until I don’t know which way to go. He can’t win fairly and he knows that, so his only other option is to cheat any way he can. Playing by the rules has never been Miles’ strong suit.
I take my seat again and lean forward, holding my glass with both hands. “We’re going to need guns and ammo.” I look at Matthew. “I’m going to need the blueprints of the house and the plan the security company gave you. If there is a way into that house, I’m going to find it. Miles won’t wait patiently at the gate for someone to let him in. He already knows the way in if he’s on his way.”
The three of them look around at one another with a look of concern.
Hours later, when the plane lands, Matthew is on the phone getting everything I asked for. As much as I hate bringing everyone in on this, it’s the only way it can go. If even one person is left vulnerable, Miles will use that person against me. This is the only way I can keep them all safe.
A limo pulls up outside of the airplane and we each rush into it. There is a black duffel bag in the seat. I pull it into my lap and open it, rummaging through the selection of guns and ammo inside. I start pulling out the weapons and loading them, handing one to Jake, Brooklyn, and Matthew, before taking two for myself and hiding them on my body.
Matthew hands over the tube containing the blueprints of the house and the plans for the security. I pop off the top and slide the papers out. They are big and awkward to hold, so I stretch the paper out and have Brook and Jake hold the edges while I look it over.
Every camera is clearly marked on the blueprints. “What kind of cameras are these?”
“They are nest cams. They are waterproof and have one-hundred-and-eighty-degree wide-angle lenses,” Jake replies.
My finger traces around the line of the brick wall surrounding the property. It looks like there are cameras set up every couple hundred feet, pointed inside and outside the wall. I look at the back gate that goes up to the top of the wall, and follow it back around to the front. “What’s this?” I ask, pointing at a figure on the right side of the house, outside the wall.
Brook looks a little closer. “Oh, that’s a massive Banyan tree. I didn’t have the heart to cut it down when we had the wall built.”
“Has this tree been trimmed, or are the branches coming over the top of the wall?”
“It’s huge, of course it tops the wall. Why?”
“Because,” I tap the paper. “This is how they’re coming in.”
“They’re going to climb the tree? They will still be caught on camera,” Brook says.
“They don’t care if they’re caught on camera. If they can get in, they can shoot out the cameras and destroy the evidence. All they’re looking for is a way in.”
Everyone falls quiet as I roll up the papers and place them back into the tube. A part of me settles down now that I am familiar with the house and know which direction they will be coming from… if they haven’t beat us there already, that is.
While we wait out the rest of the drive, I reach over and hold Brook’s hand, hoping to ease any negative thoughts she may be having right now.
We pull up at the gate outside of the house and Brook leans over me to punch in the code. The gate slowly slides open on its track and the limo starts forward. I look around the property. It’s covered in massive trees that provide plenty of shade and places to hide.
The limo drives around the red brick circular drive and parks in front of the main doors. “Damn, looks like the cure to cancer lined your pockets nicely,” I joke, trying to break up the tension.
Brook smacks me in the chest with the back of her hand. “What’s the plan? Do we just get out and walk to the door? What if they start shooting?”
“Secure the perimeter,” the president orders his men.
The two guards in the limo with us exit with guns drawn and walk around, checking the trees and around corners. Within minutes, they’re back. “The perimeter is secure, sir.” They stand outside the car, waiting for us.
Brook pulls her keys from her purse and moves to get out. I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Give me the keys. Let me make sure the house is safe before you go in there.”
Her dark eyes meet mine. They hold a look I can’t place. “Everything will be fine, remember?”
She nods before pressing her lips to mine. When she pulls away, she drops the keys into my hand.
I look around at her, Jake, and Matthew before stepping out. I slowly walk to the door and slide in the key. The lock turns easily. I cock the gun and hold it steady in front of me, slowly pushing the door open.
Chapter Seventeen
John
The house is silent, apart from my feet hitting the dark wood floor. Without saying a word, I motion for the two agents to check downstairs. Brooklyn, Jake, and Matthew are all walking behind me with their guns outstretched.
I know from the blueprints that the safe room is just off the nursery, which is at the end of the long hallway upstairs. We take slow, deliberate steps with cautious movements. Halfway up the stairs, Brooklyn touches my shoulder from behind me.
“Be careful of that one, it squeaks,” she whispers. I nod and step over it. I wait at the top landing for all of them to move up the staircase. All the doors leading into bedrooms are shut. I stop at the first one, which would be the guestroom. I position Matthew and Jake on either side of the door frame and Brooklyn behind her father, but not without a deep scowl crossing her face. I slowly turn the knob, opening the door. First thing, as always, is to check behind the door, then the closet. The three of them enter the room and check everything else, leaving no stone unturned. I even open the air vent to make sure the tiny little bastard didn’t find a way to fit inside of it.
I scan the room for bugs, just to be sure. Once the room is secure, we move on to the next room: Brooklyn’s master suite. We follow the same pattern with Jake and Matthew on either side of the door, but this time I feel Brooklyn’s finger looped in my belt. She squints her eyes at me when I suggest she moves. Damn woman doesn’t listen.
I open the door and check behind it. Nothing. Jake checks the walk-in closet and Matthew, the large bathroom that’s big enough to be a room all its own. A large king-size bed, covered in silk bedding, looms in the middle of the room. Brooklyn bends down, checking under it. I’m caught staring at the pictures on her bedside table. There is one of her and I that she must have snapped when we were in the Keys. She looks so happy. I pick up the one next to it in the blue frame. It’s a picture of John right after he was born. My eyes fill with tears as I stare at it, thinking of the time I never got to spend with him. I kiss the tip of my index finger and place it on the picture before I put it back down. Brooklyn’s arm goes around my waist. When she lifts her head to look at me, her eyes are glistening with tears. She reaches up and wipes one of mine away as it rolls down my cheek.
We leave the master suite, heading for the nursery. I am stopped dead in my tracks at what I see behind the door – a life-sized cardboard Superman standing in the corner, face covered with a picture of mine. Brooklyn wraps her arms around my waist from behind. “I can’t believe you did this.” My voice cracks as I hold back a sob.
“I wanted him to know his daddy was a superhero.” She kisses my shoulder blade. She then walks over to the bookshelf and pulls out a mock set of books, displaying a number pad. She punches in the numbers and the bookshelf recesses into the wall. She walks inside and I stand staring, afraid to move. I can’t believe I’m about to meet my son for the very first time.
After several tense moments of waiting, she returns carrying our son. His hair is a beautiful chocolate color, and he has Brooklyn’s deep dark eyes. I fall to my knees in awe. Jake’s hand rests on my shoulder. Brooklyn sets him down in front of me. He cocks his little head to one side and a smile covers his beautiful little face.
> “Dada!” he yells and his arms go flying around my neck. I pull him tight, squeezing too hard but afraid to let go. I kiss the top of his head over and over again.
“I love you, J-Man,” is all I can manage to as the tears stream down my face. Brooklyn joins us on the floor in a hug. I look up and see Jake wiping his face. Matthew is standing off to the side with a smile plastered to his face.
As much as I want this moment to last forever, I need to make sure the grounds are secure. I pick him up and stand, handing him back to his mother. “I need to finish checking the house. Take him back in the safe room until I’m done.” I ruffle his hair and lean in to kiss Brooklyn. “I’ll be back.” She introduces me to Grace, the nanny, before I walk away. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.”
She nods and shakes my hand.
“You need to go in there with them, sir.” I tell Matthew. I watch as the three of them go back in the safe room and the door closes behind them. Jake follows me down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“This place looks like it was built for a master chef.” I touch the hanging pot holder over the bar. “Nice gas stove, too.”
“You know how much Brooklyn likes to eat, so she had to learn how to cook.” Jake shrugs.
One agent is standing outside the back door, already on guard. He opens it when he sees me through the glass. “This area is secure,” he says.
It opens up onto a pool deck with a cabana off to the side. The entire pool area is surrounded by white vinyl fencing. Cameras are perched on each corner post. I smile, thinking about Brooklyn and John splashing around in the pool. I walk back in, straight to the office where the footage from the cameras can be seen.
“Is this live feed?” I sit down in the brown leather chair. Jake takes the cushioned chair across from me.
