“There’s no car! How do we get to anywhere?”
Brian dug two backpacks out of a closet and tossed one to Allison. “Fill this with whatever you have and whatever you might want to take from here. Doesn’t matter what it is. If it fits, you can take it.”
He threw a few things into his backpack and then tossed it to Leo. “You can fill the rest.”
“We’ve got what we need.”
“Then fill it with water bottles.”
Minutes later, Brian led them to the shed, unlocked it, and flung open the door. “They aren’t Harleys, but…”
Leo didn’t hesitate. He pulled out the bike, flung a leg over it, and handed Allison his backpack. “Here, put it on and get behind me.”
“Um, sorry Leo. No can do. She rides with me.”
“No way—”
“Leo, I’m not stupid. If you both get on the same bike with you in control, we’ll be doing cat and mouse across the desert until you run out of gas. We don’t have time for this. She comes with me, and I don’t have to worry about you.” His hand dropped to his gun. “We just don’t have time to play the game.”
Leo’s jaw clenched as he saw Allison climb on behind Brian and wrap her arms around their guard. Through the visor on her helmet, he saw the amusement in her eyes and flushed as she said, “Just keep thinking like that. It’s good for my ego.”
“Stay off the road,” Brian shouted over the roar of the engines. “These aren’t street legal.”
“Like you care what’s legal,” Leo growled.
Ernie sat in the coffee shop, listening. Local speculation said that the break-in at the automotive shop and the bombing were meant as a message for Leo. Isolated idiots could calculate simple arithmetic. How nice. Still, no call came. He glanced at his phone, willing the screen to flash JENk with a short text, but nothing showed. Where was he? The last he’d heard had been after Trina left.
The boss was pleased with that one. She’d left it wide open for a return in case the writer got in touch with Leo. He wouldn’t, Ernie had made sure of that. Thank God—oh the irony of him thinking that—for an author who was religious. Trina would never play head games if he had a book signing when she was near. Anyone else, sure, but not someone religious.
His screen flashed one second before he answered. Jenk. “Hey, boss. What’s up?”
“You find out anything?”
“I found out that they make a great cup of coffee here. Just sitting in the café, enjoying a cup, you?”
“All right, all right. Don’t have to get into this act. We can’t find him anywhere—or the girl, or her parents. They just vanished.”
“Protection?” Ernie stood and carried his cup outside and into his car. It wouldn’t do to have some kid overhear him and get suspicious.
“It sounds like it, but why now? And how? They’d have to know we found them.”
“Maybe they read the same article we did. That’d spook anyone.” The chances of Jenk buying it were nearly nonexistent, but it was something he’d be expected to suggest.
“Not likely.”
“It just doesn’t make sense. I saw them go into that building. There was no car back there. Hers just got towed this morning from in front of this flower shop. He was so sloshed that he couldn’t walk.”
“Well, he must have.”
Ernie forced remorse laced with a pinch of nervousness in his voice. The boss needed to think he was scared. “I should have waited in the alley I guess.” He took a noisy slurp of his coffee. “I was afraid I’d look suspicious.”
“You did what you were told.” The admission was begrudging at best, but it gave Ernie the out he needed. He couldn’t ask for better proof that Jenk wasn’t mad than for his boss to admit that a plan might have been fallible.
“What do I do now? I can’t see how sticking around—”
“Oh, no. You aren’t leaving there. I might have to send Trina back to Pemberly.”
How Ernie managed not to stifle a snicker, he couldn’t tell. Pemberly. Oh, if Jenk knew the malapropism in that word, he’d be furious. Pride and Prejudice and Jenk. Too funny.
“Might have to. She just has to take it easy. If he gets too interested, he’ll start looking for her. You know, calling, texting, email… he won’t give up. What guy would?” There was a fine line between admiration and salivation. Ernie danced it with aplomb.
“Maybe you should call.”
“I could be a freelance writer asking for an interview…”
“Yeah, that’ll work. Fly up to Pemb—what was it?”
“Pembroke. Like the dogs.”
“Pen—”
“I’ll call.”
Jenk agreed. “Work out some plausible reason why you can’t do it over the phone. I want you in his house.”
“I can do that. Is Del staying around to watch?”
“Until you get back, so make it snappy. He’s gonna get noticed.”
“Send Roger. He can blend better and, well…”
“Right. Sending Roger. Maybe Roger should do the interview.”
“That’d be nice, but he doesn’t know computers. If we want his hard drive, you’ve gotta let me get in there and copy it.”
Call disconnected, Ernie strolled over to Bookends. In the inspirational section, a row of lost to found books with Whitfield on the spine beckoned him from the shelves. He pulled one off and flipped it over to read the back. There, the author stared back at him. He picked three books and turned to go when he nearly ran over a life-sized cutout of the man before him.
Look, buddy, you can stare all you want at me with those blue eyes and that business hair and suit, but I’m coming to talk to you, and you’re going to share all your little secrets with my little thumb—drive.
As he left the store, Ernie sent JENk a short text. WARREN’S BEEN WORKING OUT LATELY. DID HE GET NEW CONTACTS TOO?
A self-satisfied smirk lingered on his lips long after he put his car in gear and drove down the highway toward the Rockland airport. Sometimes, my job is too much fun.
Chapter Twenty
A text came through as Keith watched the reunion of Allison with her parents. The way those people fully accepted Leo—loved really—choked him, making it difficult to understand the message. He studied the words on the screen, blinking at the words. What on earth? Then it hit him.
“Brian, I’m gone. Get Karen here immediately.”
Four stunned faces stared back at him from across the room. “Wha—”
“You’re safe. It’s nothing to worry about. I just have a job to do.”
“Keith…”
“Need to make a quick trip east. I’ll be back in a couple of days. Where’s the laptop I used on my last trip?”
“Mark left it in the locker. Do you have the key?” Brian frowned. “Wait. You’re going back? If this is about a date…”
“Not interested in her. Which is good, or Erika might have something to say about that.”
As he threw his things in a bag, Keith overheard Eva ask, “Was any of that intelligible to you?”
Brian chuckled and assured them all was well. “Ok, maybe not Erika. She might have his hide if she hears he’s got an appointment with another woman—again.”
“Briiiiaaan…”
“Ok, so maybe it’s not how it sounds.” He winked. “But, getting a rise out of Keith is absolutely worth it.”
They all watched as Keith bolted from the house, to his car, and peeled out of the driveway. Allison frowned and said, “What was that all about?”
“We’ve got a related problem. Meanwhile, I have an idea that might work perfectly, and now that Keith is gone, I think I can get Mark to agree.”
“Why wouldn’t Mark agree with Keith here?” Leo didn’t even look away from the window as he spoke. “I don’t trust him, but I don’t trust you either.”
“Leo!” Eva reached up and cupped his face in her hands. “These people got us out of our house before it was destroyed. Without them we’d be
dead.”
“Without me, you wouldn’t be in this mess. Without them, you wouldn’t need protection from them. I don’t know what kind of sick game—”
Allison grabbed his hand and jerked him into a nearby room—a utility room if the freezer and washer/dryer combo was any indication. “Stop it,” she hissed. “I keep trying to remember that you have more experience with the criminal element in this world—”
“Da—rn right I do.”
“But you are letting it color everything. It’s wrong.”
His knuckle brushed her cheek as he reached to tuck her hair behind her ear—the only gesture of any kind he trusted himself to make. “And your naiveté will get you killed, Allison.”
Her eyes closed, as she seemed to struggle for patience. When several long seconds had passed, she took a deep breath, opened them, and focused on him. “Look. If you insist on assuming that we are in danger, that’s fine. I get it. But my parents out there are watching you. They aren’t saved. We’re all they have in this house now—all they can see that Jesus offers. Stop giving them reason to consider Him not worth the trouble. What do we have that they don’t? What can He offer—that we’re showing them? Show them that faith I saw back in Fairbury—the faith that drew me to you in the first place. Show them that. Stop this… whatever it is. Just stop it.”
A tear trailed down the side of her face, followed by one that traveled the outline of her nose. Leo watched in horror as the calm woman he knew dissolved before him. “Oh, Allison…”
Mark stepped through the door at midnight. Brian, half-asleep in an uncomfortable chair, nodded at him. “You got here early.”
“You said you wanted to talk while they were asleep.”
Weary arms pushed Brian from his chair. He stretched, pumping blood to his extremities before he moved to check their “guests.” Rod and Eva’s door was still locked, but utter silence told him it was safe to pick it. He grabbed the door key and turned it. Only the faintest click broke the night silence. They’d listened. The nightlight glowed near the bed, assuring him that both were fast asleep. He pulled the door shut behind him and locked it again. No reason to unnerve them.
In another room, Allison slept with the door cracked open. He listened for the rhythmic breathing that signaled a sound sleeper and pulled the door shut. Why risk their voices waking her?
Thanks to Rod’s insistence and a stronger prescription of painkillers, Leo was out cold. He touched the man’s feet, but Leo barely moved. He’d be out for a few more hours.
In the kitchen, Mark mixed cups of coffee. “High octane for me and unleaded for you.”
“I need all the help I can get. How about we switch?”
“When you’re done talking, you’re going to sleep.”
“Since when do you take a shift?”
Mark shook his head. “Since now, I guess. Let’s hear your idea.”
As usual, Mark’s enigmatic expressions told him nothing as Brian explained his plan. It would work, but it took risk—serious risk. Every element, down to the last detail, had to fall into perfect order or it would fail. He knew the risks, but without it, they’d never be able to bring any of them home.
“I don’t know, Brian. I’m not sure the police there can handle this kind of operation. They have to be captured by law enforcement. We can’t be involved at that point.”
“I was thinking about Mark Connors over at the Rockland FBI office. A tip from the right quarter would set them in motion. If they were ready to go in…”
“I’ll take care of it. We won’t need to be involved at all. Mark can ensure that they have the right agents and everything.”
“Leave it to the Marks, eh?” Though he tried to hide it, Brian knew his disappointment showed.
“This isn’t about who does what, Brian. This is about keeping people alive and keeping criminals gone.”
“What about Leo? He’ll still be in danger after all this.”
“I’m thinking about Witness Protection.”
Brian shook his head. “They won’t—they don’t need to. They got his testimony already. He has nothing for them.” A new idea exploded in his mind. “Wait!”
Mark’s eyes narrowed as he jumped and rushed to listen at doors. When satisfied, he returned and growled, “Come on. You’re no rookie. Don’t let that happen again.”
“Sorry. I’ve got it, but you won’t like it.”
“Putting Leo in as bait isn’t an option.”
“Why not? With the FBI there, it’s perfect. The minute they follow him in—”
“We’re supposed to protect people, Brian. If we start—”
“But if he’s there… if he sees it, they’ll give him protection in exchange for testimony against the new guy. We could even pull out the contact if necessary.”
“No way. We need that. I’ll consider the Leo angle. Don’t mention it to him yet.”
Lost in thought, neither man spoke for some time. At last, Brian frowned. “Something else happened, didn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“And…”
Mark’s eyes closed. “The classroom where he’s been giving those talks?”
“Oh, no. Really?”
“Destroyed. An easy fifty thousand in damage.” Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kids are now meeting in the library for that class until the end of the year.”
“A school district like that can’t afford that kind of mess. Well, they’ll have insurance. That’s something,” Brian didn’t sound convinced even to himself.
“Which will have higher rates now and will only pay for approved contractors and other lovely bureaucracy.”
“You sent a check, didn’t you?”
Mark grinned. “Well, I had to do something. I felt responsible.”
“For a criminal’s tantrum?”
“Sure. I took away his toy. The least I could do is to repair the damage caused by my actions.”
“You, my friend, are a softy.” Brian shifted, his eyes growing heavier as his body resisted consciousness after hearing he could sleep soon. “What about Keith? Any news?”
“He made it. He’s got the laptop installed and the man is out of the way for now. I just hope he doesn’t start asking questions about the sudden need for speakers on wrong to rightness stories.”
“Keith’ll handle it. He’s good with that kind of religious mumbo jumbo.”
“It’s sincere for him, Brian. No matter what you think of it for yourself, you can respect his decision to embrace it. He isn’t a hypocrite.”
“Because all Christians abduct people at gunpoint and hold them against their will.”
“Ones who consider it to be a way of ‘loving their neighbor’ do. You don’t have to want it or even respect it, but I won’t have him disrespected in my organization, and I’d say the same for you if roles were reversed.”
Brian stood, yawning. “I suppose you’re right. Since you’re here, I’m going to pull out that air mattress and get a few hours so you can rest when they’re up. Leo is good about sharing his bed, but Allison changes the sheets back and forth. It’s kind of funny.”
“She what?”
“She keeps two sets in there, one on the dresser. When Leo gets up, she folds up his sheets and puts the other set on the bed for anyone who wants to sleep on it. She tried doing it for her bed too, but Leo absolutely flipped out about it.”
“I didn’t think he’d become violent around her.”
“Not that kind of flipped out. White-hot, seething anger. Honestly, I think he would have managed a soundless explosion if I hadn’t suggested we use his instead.”
“They’re going to have to go into WITSEC too. I wonder how that’ll go over.”
“She’ll be thrilled. He’ll feel like a bigger failure than ever. The parents will not like it but won’t care as long as they can stay with their daughter.” Brian checked his gun and grabbed his goggles. “I’ll do an outside sweep before I go to bed.”
“Good idea. Al
l was clear when I came in, but arrival at midnight does get noticed.”
Allison’s eyes flew open as she heard a faint click in the lock. Sleep had remained elusive for two hours, but eventually she’d managed to get a short nap—that is until that click jarred her. Why had someone shut the door?
She crept from beneath the covers and then froze as a shadow crossed in front of the light that glowed under the door. The murmur of voices drove her crazy with curiosity. Who was out there? Leo? Her father? Both voices sounded like men, so it couldn’t be Karen… Mark?
With her ear pressed to the bottom of the door, she could barely make out a word every now and then. Crazy felt too tame a word for the feeling she now repressed. Allison held her breath and grasped the knob with both hands, turning it slightly. She couldn’t open it far—the doors in the house squeaked, something that Brian said was good for security. Now she understood why.
Brian’s cry of “Wait!” made her jump. She pushed the door shut, holding it in place without turning the knob. Sure enough, the faint sound of footfalls on the carpet told her he’d come to listen. Lord, please don’t let him try to come in!
The sounds resumed, growing quieter until she couldn’t hear it anymore and the murmurs returned. She pulled it open a crack again.
News of the classroom knocked the air from her lungs and left her gasping for breath. Why? What had kids ever done to those men? Going after her, her parents, even Adric’s shop made sense—in a way. Going after a bunch of kids just trying to get an education—pathetic.
They’ll have to go into WITSEC too. After those words, Allison heard no more. She pushed the door into place and slowly released the knob. The covers of her bed seemed inadequate—even for a May evening. They’ll have to go into WITSEC too. She shivered. He thought I’d be thrilled?
Chapter Twenty-One
Warren Whitfield opened the door, welcoming in the small man—Ernie something. “Hey, you must be Ernie. I’m Warren. Did you find me all right?”
“Directions were perfect, thanks.” Ernie pushed the glasses up on his nose and smiled. “Really appreciate you taking the time to give me an interview.”
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