by Lisa Harris
Sienna watched the trees and forest whizz by outside the vehicle as they headed south toward Macon. Traffic cleared. Ahead of them were a long road and open skies.
Deshon and Earl chit-chatted and listened to talk radio with more commercials than there was substantive conversation.
Sienna ignored the men as she continued to stare outside, praying for God to show her what to do next.
She began to regret going to the FBI about what she had seen and heard. It had prompted a whole slew of investigations that had done nothing so far.
Who embezzled money from GOOP? What were the shell companies? Sienna wished she had taken a photograph of Dana’s screen on her phone. Now she could not remember exactly what the company names were.
She closed her eyes to try to recall what she had seen. It had been three or four months back. She could recall nothing.
She felt trickles of tears coming down her cheek and quickly wiped them away.
“You all right?” Deshon’s eyes met hers in the rearview mirror.
“I’m okay. Thank you.”
Earl turned his head. “Sienna?”
“Thank you, guys, for caring,” Sienna said. “I’ll be fine when all this is over.”
“Hopefully soon.” Deshon pointed to a turn in the road coming up. “We’re almost at the rental car place.”
Earl texted on his phone. “Cade is already there.”
“Good. Then you don’t have to wait for him,” Deshon said.
Interstate 75 split into Highway 16, and Deshon drove on the latter. Turning right on Spring Street, the vehicle crossed the Ocmulgee River. Deshon zigzagged here and there on the rectangular streets of downtown Macon until they reached the car rental place.
As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, a swarm of vehicles surrounded them, blocking them in such that the SUV could not go forward or back or even sideways. Some of the vehicles were local police cars. Some had no markings. Armored personnel jumped out of the vehicles and pointed weapons at their SUV.
“What’s happening?” Sienna asked.
“I don’t know.” Deshon parked the vehicle, and placed both hands on the steering wheel.
Behind the wall of armed law enforcement officers, someone emerged.
Someone familiar.
Oh no.
Chapter Thirteen
FBI Special Agent Mariana Kimball sent Deshon home, and ushered Earl and Sienna into an unmarked van. The driver was the same guy who had driven them from Dana’s house to the first safe house.
This time, Kimball climbed in after Earl and Sienna. Clearly unhappy with her civilian runaways, Kimball chewed a giant wad of nicotine gum furiously.
The van was going somewhere southbound. Earl asked, but Kimball wasn’t taking questions.
She was sitting across from them in the van. Earl and Sienna sat on one side on a bench seat, and held hands until Sienna stopped shaking. They had been shaking since they left the rental car place.
“You knew better than to pull this on me,” Kimball said.
Earl didn’t deny her statement. He was willing for all of the blame to be upon him as long as Sienna got a break from Kimball. Neither of them trusted the FBI agent, but with at least twenty LEOs surrounding them, there was nothing Earl could do but surrender Sienna to them.
Kimball shook her head at Sienna. “Looks like you want to go to jail, woman.”
“I’m trying not to get murdered, like Agent Perez at the safe house,” Sienna replied.
Kimball’s eyes flickered. “That was unfortunate. Don’t make my job any harder.”
“Mr. Ford is dead.” Sienna sniffled.
“I know. So are Rocco and Arun. Do you want to be next?”
Even in her boots, Kimball was no more than five feet two. Right now, she looked small sitting there, yapping at them. However, she carried a big stick. With bullets.
Earl felt he had to be careful with her. Kimball was an FBI veteran and she was no joke. Perhaps she had made some mistakes in the operation. That could happen. Stella might be right about giving Kimball the benefit of the doubt.
“I’m trying not to be next.” Sienna’s voice was breaking, and that tugged at Earl’s heart.
“Then help me help you. Why didn’t you two go to the safe house?”
“Because of what you said on the phone.” Earl would step in front of Sienna if he could, but with such a force around them, he decided to remain as he was.
“What did I say?”
“You said that Dana was at Grady. She wasn’t, was she?” Earl asked.
Kimball was quiet, and then she drew a deep breath. “I lied to you. I didn’t want to spook Sienna.”
“Put me in WITSEC,” Sienna said. “Let this be over.”
“No, ma’am. You have to give us what we want, and WITSEC will be your reward. Just as Dana gave us what we wanted.”
Earl didn’t reply. What could he tell Kimball about Sienna’s detour?
When Sienna also didn’t say anything, Kimball continued. “You’re flying to Freeport now. Your clothes from the safe house are in my vehicle over there. You’re going to attend the conference. You’re going to grieve with the Gavards and the GOOP family. You’re going to listen with both ears and watch with both eyes, and report back to me.”
Sienna didn’t say a word.
“Oh, and to make sure you don’t run off again, my agents are going to be all over that resort,” Kimball said.
“Can you guarantee there won’t be another Killjoy?” Sienna asked.
“She can’t guarantee anything even if her life depends on it,” Earl said.
Kimball raised her eyebrows at Earl. “I can guarantee you we will do our best, in the memory of Agent Perez. When this is over, and we’ve recorded your testimony, you can go free or go into WITSEC. I would prefer that you go free so that I can retire in peace and not have to revisit this.”
“Retire?” Earl asked. “You’re not even that age. You mean you’re quitting?”
“This is my last operation. Agent Perez was my friend. It was my fault the safe house was ambushed.” Kimball’s face looked angry. “I want to go after Killjoy as much as you want to protect Sienna.”
Earl wasn’t sure how Kimball could compare the two, but whatever. “How did you find us in Macon?”
“We’re not as incompetent as you think we are.” Kimball glared at Earl. “I’m so disappointed in you.”
“And I in you.”
“I’m not playing games, Earl.”
“Neither am I. You lost control of the operation when you let Killjoy infiltrate your ranks.”
Kimball sighed. “You’ll never let me live this down, will you?”
Earl ignored her question.
“Is Arun really dead?” Sienna asked. “Tell me the truth.”
“Yes. He’s in the morgue.”
Sienna gasped. “Dana?”
“I told you.”
“I wasn’t sure I heard it right. She’s safe?”
“Yes, she is. But you’ll never see her again. That’s how it works.” Kimball looked outside.
So did Earl. The van turned onto a road by a sign that said “Middle Georgia Regional Airport.” Earl knew then that they were going to the Bahamas, after all.
“I’m resigning,” Sienna said. “This is my last week on the job. Mr. Gavard wants me to turn everything over to his personal assistant, and then I’m done.”
“One week is all we need.” Kimball smirked. Then she turned serious. “Dana shouldn’t have given you the USB drive. She should have given it to me. Your error was in not turning that evidence over to us. However, going to Binary Systems turned out to be just what we need.”
Earl glanced at Sienna. She didn’t look at him.
“That’s how we tracked you down,” Kimball said. “Thank you for getting the whistle decrypted for us.”
Earl figured it had to be Stella who had helped Kimball connect the dots. Even if she wasn’t working with Kimball, Stella had b
een calling around to look into Dana Nesbitt’s whereabouts. Word would get back to Kimball.
“Surely Dana had given you the same data,” Earl said.
“What she gave us was incomplete. Enough to get a wiretap but not enough for an arrest warrant.” Kimball pointed a finger at Sienna.
Sienna recoiled.
“Now, you are going to get us the rest of the information,” Kimball said. “Let’s just say you need to make up for withholding evidence from us.”
“Please don’t scare her,” Earl said.
“Does she look scared to you?” Kimball snapped. “She’s braver than you give her credit for.”
The van rolled to a stop near the runway, where a private jet was parked. It looked like a Citation XLS. A mid-range jet, it could easily fly them to Freeport, which was only about four hundred and fifty nautical miles from Atlanta.
“Is that our ride?” Earl wondered how the rest of Kimball’s team would get to the Bahamas.
“Your taxes at work.” Kimball opened the van door.
“How many people does it seat?”
“Eight. The rest of my agents are already in the Bahamas. They took the same flight as Mr. Ford this morning.”
As they filed out, Earl turned to Kimball. “Did someone kill Finnegan Ford?”
“The matter is still under investigation. I would like to add murder charges to Gavard or whoever.”
Earl realized then that Kimball was on their side, and that she had simply made a mistake with the safe house fiasco.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” Earl said to her.
“I’m sorry too. No dinner for you. Forget it.”
Earl grinned. Not that he was going to ask her any more. The only person he wanted to have dinner with now was Sienna.
“Speaking of food, are we getting meals onboard?” Earl asked as Kimball led them to the private jet.
“Sandwiches,” Kimball replied. “This charter flight is costing us a fortune. You can eat a second dinner at the resort, courtesy of GOOP.”
“Our last meals?” Sienna asked.
Kimball shrugged. “Life is perilous.”
Earl held Sienna’s hand as they walked toward the stairs. “You never thought that being an administrative assistant could be dangerous, did you?”
Sienna didn’t smile. “Yet it’s all in a day’s work for you?”
“I’m happy we’re still alive.”
“Good. Stay positive.” Kimball waited for them to board the plane before she herself got in.
They closed the jet door as everyone buckled in, except for Kimball, who took off her ballistic vest before sitting down.
Earl wondered if she was trying to show that she trusted them—or she knew she’d be uncomfortable buckled in while wearing the vest.
“How long is the flight?” Earl asked.
“About five hours.” Kimball’s seat was on the other side of the aisle, across from another FBI agent that she did not introduce to Earl or Sienna.
Sienna didn’t say a word for most of the flight, eating in silence and saying grace on her own.
Earl could not read her face to get an idea of what she was feeling. Was she still shocked by the two deaths that had happened almost back to back: Arun the night before and Mr. Ford this morning?
Perhaps she needed grief counseling, something that Earl was not equipped to provide. He had lost friends in battle back in his US Army days, but for the most part, his life as a private investigator was less dangerous. Often called to do surveillance, he was away from the action in the European theater, where most of Hu Knows activities were these days.
That last time he had been able to do anything stateside, it was to work with a former FBI agent, who had to go to California to track down some lost treasures. Unfortunately, Earl was so shot up he spent a lot of time in the hospital, followed by weeks of recuperating on the beach on Tybee Island.
He couldn’t complain, but after that he had sensed a change of attitude in himself. More mellow now, he had shed his party days. Still, that part of him which made quick decisions was still there. He remembered how his friends had laughed at him for falling in love quickly, only to fall out of love just as fast.
Across from him, Sienna pulled the blanket over herself in the cool of the cabin. She peered over the top of the blanket and looked outside the window.
Earl had his own window, but all he could see were the wing and a bit of the sky. He stretched his neck a bit to see the land below. Just then, the pilot announced that they had crossed the Georgia-Florida line.
Across the aisle, Kimball was on her laptop, typing away furiously. Maybe she was writing a report. The other agent was fast asleep.
Earl checked his phone. There was Wi-Fi onboard, but he suspected that everything was monitored. He wasn’t about to check his email and let his download stream be intercepted by the FBI.
He tried to recline his seat further, but it was as far as it could go. As he adjusted the pillow behind his head, Sienna got up from her seat and walked to the back of the airplane, where there were snacks.
Earl followed her. An FBI agent was leaning against the counter, checking his phone and eating a chocolate chip cookie.
Sienna looked through the tray on the countertop.
Earl stood next to her, mouth watering over the potato chips, brownies, cookies, sandwiches, nuts, and fruits, even though they had just eaten an early dinner.
“What would you like?” Sienna asked.
“What sandwich is that?” Earl pointed.
“Looks like ham and cheese.” Sienna turned the wrapped sandwich over to read the label. “Yep.”
“I’ll have two of those, and a bag of potato chips I shouldn’t eat, plus an apple—because I like to eat healthy.”
Sienna chuckled. “I guess I’ll do the same because we might die tomorrow.”
The agent nearby looked in their direction.
“If you add too many calories tonight, will you still be able to fit into your swimsuit tomorrow?” Earl asked.
“I don’t intend to swim, so I won’t find out.”
“No swimming in the Bahamas?” Earl opened the bag of potato chips. “Say it isn’t so.”
“What are you going to do while I’m at the conference?” Sienna handed Earl a napkin.
“Thank you. I’ll be at the pool, talking to the spouses.”
“You’re getting paid for chatting with people.”
“It’s hard work.”
“Uh-huh.” Sienna opened the refrigerator. “Something to drink?”
“Water, please.”
Sienna looked at the agent. “You?”
“No, thanks.” He smiled.
Sienna smiled back.
Earl wanted Sienna to smile at him like that too. So he smiled to see how she would react.
She stepped closer to Earl and placed a hand on his arm. Earl felt warm all over. He didn’t know why.
She found a plastic tray and filled it with what she wanted to eat. She handed another tray to Earl. No sharing. The tray was barely big enough to hold Earl’s snacks plus soda and water.
“Shall we go back to our seats?” Sienna asked after they piled up their trays.
Earl nodded, walking behind Sienna. He glanced over at Kimball’s screen. She was playing Solitaire.
When he sat down across from Sienna, he offered to say a blessing. Sienna nodded, and to Earl’s surprise, she reached across the edge of the table to hold Earl’s hand.
Her smile was genuine and warm and meant something. Earl almost forgot to pray. His mind went blank and he was losing his train of thought.
“Father God, we come to You, thanking You for the sandwiches—and snacks that we probably shouldn’t feed our bodies—that we need to survive, or not.” Earl cleared his throat. “Uh…”
Sienna retracted her hand. She began to pray. “Thank You, Jesus, for all that You have provided. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.”
“Amen.” Feeling embarrassed,
Earl didn’t look at Sienna.
He had no idea what had happened to him. He felt that he was back in high school or college, falling in love for the first time—
What?
He nearly choked on plain bottled water.
“You okay?” Sienna asked.
No, I’m not okay.
He wasn’t sure when things began to change between him and Sienna. One moment, he was trying to keep her safe. The next moment, his heart didn’t feel safe from her.
Now he felt the urgency of having to keep her alive so that they could explore their relationship more. Yet they were flying into the fiery furnace, so to speak. What awaited them in the Bahamas?
“Tell me about your family,” Sienna said as she munched on what looked like sweet potato chips.
“My parents are retired from their careers in the Army, and they live in Charleston, where they run a bed-and-breakfast,” Earl said.
“A second career, huh?”
“I don’t know how long they’d do that. They don’t need the business.” He drank more water as he looked at Sienna. “My three brothers are all over the place, but once a year we go home to Charleston for Thanksgiving.”
“Nice.”
“I gather you go to Chattanooga to see your mom a lot?” Earl said.
“I was until the last few months when I was caught up in this web.” Sienna paused. Folded the empty chip bag. “Thank you for getting someone to keep my mom and uncle safe.”
She remembered.
“No problem.” Earl dug in to his cold ham-and-cheese sandwich.
“How’s that?” Sienna asked.
“Pretty good, actually.”
“I think I had roast beef earlier.” Sienna started on a small bowl of mixed fruits.
“Do you fly in jets like this with Mr. Ford?” Earl asked, and then remembered that Mr. Ford flew commercial. “Oh, he doesn’t have his own jet.”
“No,” Sienna said. “Mr. Ford was a frugal man.”
“Unfortunately,” Agent Kimball said from across the aisle. “All those billions, hoarded away in the bank, and now he’s too dead to enjoy it.”
