Disillusioned

by Christy Barritt

  “You think he’s from Colombia?” Kade asked.

  Raz nodded. “It’s possible.”

  “But he was with the FBI. How did all of that slip through?”

  “You can be adopted and be a part of the FBI. Birth on American soil is not a prerequisite.”

  “Why did he never mention it to me?” Nikki asked.

  “Maybe he feared you’d eventually piece all of it together,” Raz suggested.

  A sick feeling gurgled in Nikki’s stomach. “Did he really live with an aunt and uncle in Florida? Or was that a lie, too?”

  Raz sighed. “It gets complicated. He primarily lived with an aunt and uncle near Miami. However, their Social Security numbers are fake. I can’t find any record of them.”

  This was getting worse and worse. So many people. So many lies. What could Nikki really believe?

  Kade swung his head back and forth, looking just as surprised as she was. “So he really could be behind all of this . . .”

  Raz stared at them. “You think there’s an attack coming and that Pierce is leading it up?”

  Kade nodded. “Based on what we’ve learned, yes. Bobby vaguely remembers hearing the terrorists talking while he was in captivity.”

  “Did he remember anything else?” Raz asked.

  “He thinks that members of ARM have blended in here as ordinary American citizens. He said there’s a ringleader, the Ace, who is heading it all up.”

  “You think that person is Pierce?” Raz clarified.

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Nikki said. “But we believe that the terrorist group has targeted baseball games.”

  Raz tilted his head sharply, but it was clear that the information didn’t necessarily surprise him. “I’ve heard quite a stir was caused on social media concerning baseball games. You were behind that?”

  “We took to social media to try and spread the word. We didn’t know what else to do. No one would take us seriously.”

  “Pierce always did love baseball. Didn’t he make every Nationals game and even pay to go to training camp one time?” Raz asked.

  Nikki nodded. “You know, I never thought about it. But yes, he did love baseball. I wonder if the Nationals are who ARM will target?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s the best guess I have.” Raz sighed. “Attacks at more than one baseball game would be very difficult to execute.”

  “I know. And the more I think about it, the more I think that Bobby was somehow involved. Not of his own free will. But I don’t think his abduction was an accident.” Nikki closed her eyes. “What am I going to do? I feel so helpless, like it’s going to take an army to solve this and not a small group of the three of us.”

  “With God all things are possible,” Kade reminded her.

  “We’re going to need all of God’s help we can get,” Raz said.

  Raz cooked some spaghetti for them. Kade had to admit that a good, warm meal could do wonders for the soul. Nikki seemed to feel better just being somewhere safe and familiar.

  But he knew they couldn’t stay long.

  As they ate, Kade’s phone rang. It was his pharmacist friend, Will. He stepped away from the table to answer. “Hey, Will. Did you find out anything?”

  “I did. These drugs were improperly labeled.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that if your friend is taking these drugs together, he’s going to have some serious mental problems. These have a tendency to produce hallucinations mixed with paranoia and sleepwalking episodes. I don’t know any doctor in their right mind who would mix this cocktail. Not unless they had a death wish for this person.”

  Kade’s stomach sank. He’d suspected as much, but he had hoped it wouldn’t be the case. Someone had tampered with Bobby’s medications. But who? And how?

  “That’s helpful. Thank you.” As he made his way back to the table, Kade’s mind continued to race.

  Nikki exchanged a look with him, but he said nothing. He’d share the information later. The less Raz knew, the better, just in case.

  After they cleaned up, Kade put his hand on Nikki’s shoulder. “We should probably go.”

  Her gaze fell with disappointment. “I know. Thank you, Raz, for letting us stay here for a while.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “It’s better if you don’t know,” Kade said. “We don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”

  “Of course.” Raz reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash. “At least take this. Maybe it will help until things get cleared up.”

  Nikki took the money from him. “I’ll pay you back.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Nikki. I’ll be just fine. It’s the two of you I worry about.”

  Kade tugged at her again. They’d already stayed longer than they should have. “We need to go.”

  Nikki let out a deep breath before pulling Raz into a hug. “Thank you again.”

  “Anything for you, sweetie. If I hear anything else . . .”

  “We’ll call you,” Kade said. “We’ve got to go underground again. It will be almost impossible for you to contact us.”

  “Understood. Be safe. Both of you.”

  They left out the back door and hopped the fence again. As they walked back to the motorcycle, Kade filled Nikki in on the phone call with Will. “Someone messed with your brother’s medication. The mix he was taking was enough to make the most sane person act loopy.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Your brother isn’t crazy. But someone was determined to make him look that way.”

  Her shoulders slumped slightly, but her eyes flickered with hope as she processed the news. “Maybe Bobby’s head isn’t as bad off as we’d feared.”

  “At least there’s that,” Kade agreed.

  “We have to figure out a way to tell Bobby so he’ll stop taking it.”

  The same thought had occurred to Kade. But without a way to reach Bobby, there was little they could do. “My guess is he’s stopped taking it on his own. Remember, we were always having to convince him he needed it. He was never a fan of popping pills.”

  “That’s true,” Nikki said, but she still looked pale.

  Kade swallowed hard and looked at the ground. At some point in the near future, he’d have to share with Nikki what he’d learned from Ten Man about her parents’ deaths. He worried about how she’d take the news, but it wasn’t fair to keep her in the dark. However, they needed to take one thing at a time here.

  They reached the motorcycle and started down the road, heading again toward the country, toward roads less traveled. An hour later, they pulled into a state park. Kade stopped by a mountain lake and cut the engine. With Raz’s permission, he’d taken two small sleeping bags from his house and strapped them to the back of the motorcycle. Staying out in nature seemed a safer alternative than trying to check into another hotel.

  “You remember this place?” Nikki asked, pulling her helmet off.

  “Of course. How could I forget?” It had been one of their favorite getaways. They’d come here whenever they had the time. Right after their last visit, he’d learned the news about the bounty on his head and the heads of those he loved. Life had gone from blissful to devastating.

  Nikki stared out over the glassy lake for a moment. “I’ve never felt as peaceful as I did when I was here last. You think we’ll be safe?”

  Kade nodded. “For now. Until we can figure out our next plan of action.”

  The place was empty—at least in this area. Kade spread out the sleeping bags, one on each side of a fire pit. There’d been no ranger at the front gate, but someone would likely come around in the morning to check permits. At least they could get some rest until then.

  Just as Kade sat down on one of the crude wooden benches left at the campsite, his phone rang, breaking the quiet. He narrowed his eyes. Who had his number? Almost no one.

  He instantly tensed, anticipating the worst: that they’d been discover
ed. That someone had gotten his number. That they’d nailed down his location using cell phone pings.

  No. That was impossible. He’d seen to it himself.

  Finally he answered.

  “Kade? It’s Bobby.”

  Kade looked at Nikki, signaling her to come closer. “Bobby? Where are you? We’ve been worried sick.”

  Nikki scooted closer and put her ear next to his.

  “It’s not what you think,” Bobby said. “I had to get away from Nikki before I got her killed. These men will shoot first and ask questions later. I couldn’t put Nikki in that position.”

  “She’s in this with or without you. Where are you, Bobby?”

  “I can’t tell you that. I need to talk to Nikki.”

  “I’m here, Bobby.” Nikki rubbed her throat, her muscles taut with stress as she pressed her lips together. “Bobby, I need you to listen. We found out that your medication is making you act so crazy. You need to stop taking it.”

  “My medication?” Bobby repeated.

  “That’s right,” Kade confirmed. “The mix . . . someone wanted you to go off the deep end. The cocktail you’re taking is dangerous.”

  “What . . . ?” Silence stretched a moment. “No wonder I’ve felt better. I’ve been off my meds since I left.”

  “Good. Stay that way. I’m sure it will take a while before they’re fully out of your system.” Nikki paused and glanced at Kade before saying, “Bobby, we need some answers.”

  “I wish I could give them to you. I just keep uncovering more questions.”

  “Did you kidnap Desmond, Bobby?” Nikki’s voice caught as she asked.

  “Kidnap Desmond?” Bobby’s voice rose in pitch. He sounded earnestly surprised. “What? No, I haven’t seen him since that day in the barn.”

  “He disappeared the same night you did,” Nikki continued. “Then we found the Jeep with more than one set of footprints outside of it. We thought . . .”

  “It wasn’t me. I promise. I got a flat tire, and some migrant workers gave me a ride across the bridge. Listen, I don’t have much time. But I found some information you need to see. I’m leaving it taped beneath the bench at the bus stop at First and East Capital Street.”

  “In DC?” Nikki clarified.

  “My mobility is limited right now. But you have to see it. It has some of the answers you need.”

  “Why can’t you just tell us?” Nikki asked. “Why risk being caught?”

  “Because it’s proof. You need to see the proof yourself so you won’t think I’m crazy.”

  “We don’t think you’re crazy.” As the words left Kade’s mouth, he realized he meant them.

  “I’ve remembered a couple more things,” Bobby said, his voice trembling with emotion. “But they don’t make sense. I’m . . . I’m still trying to sort everything out.”

  “Tell me anyway,” Nikki pleaded.

  Silence stretched across the phone line, and Kade feared Bobby might hang up. Finally Bobby came back on the line, but his voice sounded hesitant. “I remembered the names Stennis and Nimitz.”

  Stennis and Nimitz?

  “Listen, I’ve got to run now,” Bobby continued. “Pick up the documents tomorrow morning, okay?”

  “Bobby, that’s probably not the best idea—” Kade started.

  Before he could say anything else, the line went dead.

  CHAPTER 35

  Bobby had left documents right outside the congressional offices? Had her brother lost his mind? Security near the US Capitol was tight. Going to that location would be tantamount to turning themselves in.

  “What do you think?” Kade draped his arms over his knees as Nikki scooted to a less intimate distance away. This wasn’t a romantic tête-à-tête. No, she needed to see his eyes, to read his body language.

  “I don’t know what to think,” Nikki said. “I wish Bobby had told us what he left instead of being so mysterious. Do the names Stennis or Nimitz mean anything to you? Are they professional baseball players?”

  Kade’s lips pressed together in a frown. “No, they’re not baseball players.”

  Wrinkles creased Nikki’s forehead as she tried to put the facts together. “What are they?”

  Kade looked more somber than Nikki was comfortable with as he pressed his lips together again. He shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing. “This isn’t about baseball, Nikki. It’s been right in front of our eyes this whole time. I don’t know why we didn’t see it.”

  “What do you mean? See what?”

  “Bases. Strike zone. Ace. Members of ARM were talking in baseball terminology, but they weren’t talking about baseball, Nikki.” He grimaced, as if mentally chiding himself. “How could I have not seen this earlier?”

  Realization washed over her, and her adrenaline surged. In an instant, the answers seemed so obvious. “Stennis and Nimitz are navy ships.”

  Kade nodded. “They’re going to attack our military bases.”

  “But . . . how?”

  Kade’s jaw flexed and his eyes were distant with thought. “You remember that rogue officer who killed six people at that base in California three months ago?”

  “Of course. It was all over the news.”

  “What if that was just the warm-up for something bigger? Think about it: What if that event was just to test response times? What if ARM was behind it, using someone who was either home grown or part of a sleeper cell?”

  “I’m not following.”

  He leaned closer. “Through that one event, the leaders of ARM would see how the military responded. It could be a test run. Afterward, they’d know how long it took for help to arrive on the scene, what the procedures and protocols were in emergencies like that. Maybe it was all in an effort to prepare for a bigger attack.”

  She sucked in a breath. “Attacks on our military bases might not bring our country to its knees, but they could do some serious damage. Morale would be low. We’d look weak to our enemies. We could lose a lot of lives.”

  Their gazes locked as the truth began to wash over both of them.

  “This isn’t good, Nikki.”

  She nodded, her adrenaline rush gone, replaced with a new, somber reality. “I know. If ARM members have been planted in our military, then they can strike from within. When they’re given the signal, these people will become active and try to gain control of the bases. Most likely more than one. Probably several. Base one, base two, base three. Maybe that wasn’t a language breakdown.”

  “If the military is crippled, then the rest of the country is an easy target,” Kade finished.

  She pictured it all happening. Mass hysteria. Innocent people being harmed. Men, women, and children fearing for their lives. They couldn’t let that happen.

  Nikki remembered the rest of her conversation with Bobby. “What about this mysterious information Bobby left. Should we go?”

  “It’s risky.”

  “But if he really has proof of some sort, we can take that to Secretary Polaner. He might take us seriously then.”

  Kade awoke to a strange sound in the distance. He must have drifted to sleep, because he felt like he was swimming against the tide as he pulled his eyes open and came back to reality.

  The nighttime sky twinkled above him, the first hints of daylight barely visible on the horizon.

  The campground, he realized. They were sleeping under the stars here. He looked over and saw Nikki sleeping peacefully.

  The sound whined again through the darkness. What was that? It wasn’t the sound of nature. No, it was . . .

  His phone. He grabbed it and saw it was Marti.

  “The police are coming for you,” she said in a rush.

  “What? How do you know?”

  “I just hacked into their system. I don’t have time to explain, just trust me. They got an anonymous tip from someone. You’ve got to move.”

  “Thanks, Marti.”

  Kade scrambled to his feet. “Nikki, wake up. We’ve got to go.”

  She
sat up with a start. At the sight of Kade, her eyes widened. “Oh no . . .”

  Without wasting time grabbing their things, they climbed on the motorcycle.

  “They found us, didn’t they?” she whispered.

  Kade cranked the engine. “Not yet.”

  They sped away from the park, Kade pushing the Harley as hard as he could. He had to put as much distance between them and the park as possible.

  Thankfully he had a tank full of gas.

  He remembered the fuel station where he’d stopped to fill up. The man working the front counter had looked at him strangely. But Kade didn’t think they’d been followed. Had his gut been wrong?

  The sun climbed higher, adding the slightest amount of light to the sky as they emerged at the north end of the park. Kade sped toward the highway, hoping they could blend in better there. These country roads had so many sharps twists and turns that he didn’t think they’d be safe on them at such high speeds.

  As soon as he got on the highway, a police cruiser appeared behind him.

  He was going to have to step up his game, it appeared.

  Kade wove in and out of the vehicles on the road. As he did, three other police cruisers appeared behind them.

  This wasn’t good.

  Nikki’s arms squeezed his waist even harder, and her head pressed into his back.

  The motorcycle allowed Kade to zoom through the traffic. That was the only advantage he had at the moment. The police were gaining on him, and traffic was getting thicker. If he had to guess, he’d say the police were still running the motorcycle’s plates, double-checking to see if Kade and Nikki were on the bike. No doubt as soon as the cops realized it really was them, their lights would come on and a full-out chase would begin.

  Nikki could hardly look. Her stomach did flips and flops as the miles blurred past.

  There were very few men she’d trust on a ride like this. Thankfully Kade was one of them.

  But that didn’t stop fear from bubbling through her soul and materializing in trembling limbs, tight muscles, and a queasy stomach.

  There was no way they’d get out of this. If the police couldn’t catch her and Kade, they’d shoot them. She saw no happy endings here, no matter which angle she looked at it from.