Operation: Departed Angel (Shepherd Security Book 5)

by Margaret Kay

  “Adopting a child, opening your home and your heart is the ultimate love a parent can give,” Lambchop said. “I’m sure you’re still in shock to learn everything you did today. Give it time to settle in your heart.”

  “I keep thinking about Melody, wondering if she knew she was a twin, and that I was out there someplace. Did she think when we met that I could be her? Or did her mother lie to her too?”

  “I think people do things for different reasons. I don’t believe not telling a child she was adopted is always thought of as a lie by many parents. I think you deserve to know why they didn’t tell you and if I were you, I would want to know that. It’s a good thing they are alive, and you can ask them that question and any others that weigh on you,” Lambchop said.

  Kennedy didn’t comment on that. She just shook her head. When they arrived at the airport, Chicago Executive, the car pulled into the hangar and up to the same Lear they’d flown out of Cleveland on. Great. They parked beside a second black SUV. How nice, a matched pair.

  Sloan held her hand as they walked the few short steps to the plane. Was he holding it because he wanted to or because it was protocol, whatever that meant? Once inside, she headed to the same seat she’d sat in during the trip here. Once seated, she noticed Gary hadn’t followed her. He stood near the door and took bags and packs, including hers that the others handed him, stowing them in the front of the plane.

  “You’ll need to hold her hand,” Mother whispered in Sloan’s ear after he climbed aboard.

  Sloan glanced over his shoulder, an annoyed look on his face.

  “She has a problem with flying on a small plane during the takeoffs and landings.”

  “Thanks,” Sloan muttered. He conjured an image of Mother holding her hand during the prior flight. He didn’t like what he saw. That irritated feeling increased. He took the seat beside Kennedy. She looked nervous already. He took hold of her hand and flashed her a reassuring smile. “I’ve got you now and when we reach L.A.”

  Her fingers felt over the charm and chain around her left wrist. If they get me and kill me, at least Gary will be able to find my body, she thought.

  “Come on, Kennedy. Have faith in me,” Gary said as if he could read her mind.

  “I do, Gary.” The engine revved, and the plane rolled forward towards the now open hangar door. “I just don’t want to go back there. Now that I know Melody was my sister, and they killed her, I feel so angry. If I see any of them, I’m going to want to kill them,” she admitted.

  Sloan gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll beat you to it. I’m the one with the gun, remember?”

  She cracked a smile.

  “Take a few deep breaths,” Sloan said. “And try to relax.”

  The jet picked up speed as it taxied towards the active runway. They were cleared for takeoff so there was barely a pause before the captain throttled up and the Lear increased speed as it raced down the runway.

  Kennedy held Gary’s hand in a death grip as the plane climbed high in the sky, chasing the last ray of sunshine towards the west. When it leveled off, she breathed out hard and opened her eyes. She forced a smile. “I’m okay.”

  “I know you are,” Gary said. “If you want to lie your chair back and try to get some sleep, I can get you a pillow and a blanket.”

  “I may later,” she said. “I don’t think I’d be able to fall asleep.”

  “Fear of flying or too much on your mind?” Sloan asked.

  She shrugged. She didn’t want to admit it was both. She looked to the front of the plane. Mother and Lambchop sat in the very front by all the electronics. Brian sat in one of the two seats facing them. No one sat in the seats facing her and Gary. She guessed they wanted to give her and Gary privacy. This reminded her again how decent these guys were. She was glad for Gary that he was surrounded by so many nice people. He was a good guy and deserved only good things in his life.

  “You’re smiling,” Gary said, breaking into her thoughts.

  She smiled wider. “I was just thinking about how nice everyone in your life seems. I don’t think I’ve met as many genuine people in the last ten years that I’ve met in the last two days. I think I actually forget that everywhere isn’t like Hollywood and the music industry. I don’t know, that probably sounds stupid.”

  “Not at all. And yeah, my team are the most genuine of people out there. I’m glad you recognized them for who they are. Can I take that to mean you aren’t going to try to get away from us once we’re in L.A.?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly how you can take it. But I already told you I wasn’t going to try to run away or anything. I know you will keep me safe if you can and that you’re going to try to bring these predators to justice. I hope you can. They have to be stopped.”

  “Let me correct you on two things. One, we are going to keep you safe. That we definitely can do. And two, we have the FBI behind us on getting these guys. Even after we fly back, they will stay on it.”

  Kennedy nodded. “I think I will take that pillow and blanket now, if that’s okay.”

  Sloan waited until she relaxed into her reclined seat before he made his way forward. He stood between the console of computer equipment and the two seats facing it.

  “She asleep?” Lambchop asked, glancing back at her towards the rear of the plane.

  “Or pretending, I’m not sure which. Just like at the hotel, she was done discussing something, so she shut down and said she was going to sleep.”

  “Is she going to be okay doing this?” Mother asked.

  Now Sloan glanced back. “I’d like to say I’m confident she is, but I can’t. Just when I think she trusts us; she gets all weird and insecure.”

  “She’s lived a hard life since you were with her. You need to give her a break,” Lambchop said. The Reverend eyed him suspiciously. “You have to forgive her for the life she led,” he said quietly. “For some reason, I don’t think you have.”

  “You know, this morning, we were having breakfast, and it was nice, normal. But then we talked about when the abuse started for her and just like that, I went from feeling good towards her to being pissed.”

  “She was a victim,” Mother reminded him.

  “A victim that allowed it to happen. I can’t have much sympathy for that.”

  “Damn,” Sherman remarked. “That’s not like you. What the fuck, Sloan? Didn’t you hear what she was saying when she said she had nowhere to go, no one to call? She was preyed upon by that manager of hers. You have no idea what went on, so it’s not your place to judge her for what she did or didn’t do.”

  “Amen to that,” Lambchop seconded.

  “You seem to be holding her to a different standard than you do most,” Mother added. “I’ve never known you to judge anyone, never known you to not find something good in everything around you.”

  Sloan glanced back at her again. He knew in his head that what his teammates said was right, but for some reason, he couldn’t cut her that break, couldn’t understand why she didn’t walk away. The one thing he would admit to himself was that he kept looking for the girl who he was engaged to in this version of Kennedy, but he’d be damned if he couldn’t see more than brief glimpses of her every now and then. It disappointed him.

  Sloan didn’t realize that Lambchop had moved closer to him, until the big man leaned in and whispered, “you need to forgive her. It’s not yours to judge.”

  “I know,” he mumbled.

  Kennedy laid still with her eyes closed. She could hear faint murmurings of the conversation the four men were having in the front of the small plane, but she couldn’t make out any words. She was sure they were talking about her. She decided she probably didn’t want to know what they were discussing. She did have to admit to herself, however, that if anyone could keep her safe, these four men could.

  She fought the smile that came to her lips as she thought about Gary. She really liked the person he’d become. He’d obviously made the most of his life, and the confident, strong perso
n he was, proved that. She was happy that they were reunited, even if it was for just a short time. And she was happy she’d been able to talk with him that morning and tell him she was sorry for how their relationship had ended.

  At some point, she did fall asleep and was woken by Gary to be told she needed to sit her seat up for landing.

  Mike

  The plane landed at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. They deplaned in a private government hangar away from prying eyes. Cooper and Madison had arranged for a large SUV with black-tinted windows for them. Kennedy once again donned a ballcap with her hair hidden in it, as she walked into the hotel. They took the elevator to the seventh floor and were greeted at the door by Madison.

  “We moved into this two-room suite this afternoon,” Madison said once they’d all entered. “Cooper and I have one room. Sloan, you and Kennedy can have the other. We figured the rest of your team could crash out on the couches.”

  Lambchop glanced at the two full-sized couches. “It’ll work fine. We’ll keep one of us up and on guard at all times.”

  Kennedy’s eyes were fixed on the man who’d been on the monitor with Madison. He was the same height as Madison, looked strong, had blonde hair cut short and spiked up in the front, but what captured her attention were his eyes. He had the same beautiful shade of light brown eyes as the man she’d met back in Chicago, Michael, she was pretty sure his name was.

  “Hi Kennedy,” he said, reaching his hand to shake hers. “I’m Cooper.”

  She shook his hand and nodded. “You were on the monitor this morning.”

  “Yeah, sorry we didn’t do introductions.”

  “We picked up a salad and some sub sandwiches if you guys are hungry.” Madison pointed to the small refrigerator under the wet bar area. “Help yourself if you want any.”

  “Thank you both,” Lambchop said. “We appreciate it.” He crossed to the wet bar and opened the small refrigerator. He pulled the salad and the small tray of sandwiches from it, sitting them both onto the small dining table nearby.

  Kennedy slipped off the shorts and her bra and sat them on her backpack on the floor. She’d sleep in the t-shirt and her panties. She watched Sloan strip down to his boxers. He sat his phone and gun on the bedside table before sliding beneath the covers on the other side of the bed.

  Kennedy rolled on her side to face him. Sloan scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She moved closer so her body pressed to his. “I like this,” she said softly. “I feel safe when you hold me.”

  “You are safe,” he reminded her. By the way she looked at him, he knew she had something on her mind.

  She gazed into his pale green eyes, wishing she could freeze time. Maybe it was just her apprehension about being back in L.A., that she’d be out and about in the daylight tomorrow. Or maybe it was because lying with him like this just felt so right.

  “You look like you have something you want to ask me.”

  Kennedy smiled. “The color of Cooper’s eyes is unusual, the same as that guy back in Chicago who was talking about those two ships and being AWOL.”

  “First off, they were submarines, not ships, and that was Cooper’s brother, Michael. He just got hired at the agency. I don’t know him well, have only met him a couple of times.”

  “I figured they had to be related. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes that color. It’s really pretty.”

  Sloan laughed. “Pretty, huh?”

  “Yeah, pretty,” she confirmed with a smile. “I was surprised though that Madison and Cooper took the other bedroom. I’m glad of the sleeping arrangements so you can hold me.” She emphasized her words by gripping him more tightly. “I was afraid Madison would be assigned to sleep with me because she’s a woman.”

  “Why wouldn’t they sleep together? They’re married.”

  “Madison and Cooper are married?”

  “Yeah, got married a couple of years ago. It was a big agency thing. We were all there. That was when I met Michael, he took leave and came in for it.”

  “And they work together? Wow. I’d think there would be rules about that kind of thing.”

  Sloan laughed again. “Well there are, a lot of rules, but they work well together. Watching them while on duty, no one would ever guess they have a personal relationship.”

  “Hum,” she muttered, still surprised.

  The two black SUVs arrived at Kaliah Baker’s junior high school at eight a.m., just after the first bell. Kaliah was an eighth grader at this mostly minority school in one of the worse neighborhoods in this section of Los Angeles. The building was surrounded by a tall fence. Kennedy thought the institutional building resembled more of a prison than a school.

  Brian Sherman, behind the wheel of one of the SUVs, remained parked at the entrance to the building. Danny Trio drove the other vehicle and was parked across the street, facing the other direction. The others entered the building and went straight to the main office.

  Cooper flashed his badge again at the same woman he and Madison had identified themselves to the previous morning.

  “Agent Cooper,” Ms. Watson, the older of the two African American women behind the counter, greeted with attitude. “I see you’re back and you brought friends with you today.” She did flash a smile at Lambchop though as she admired his fine physique. “Ms. Carson, our school social worker who accompanied Kaliah Baker into the room yesterday, told me that Kaliah insisted you had the wrong girl. That nothing happened to her.”

  “Ma’am,” Kennedy spoke before anyone else had the opportunity to. “I’m telling you; I know for a fact something did. She’ll trust me enough to speak up and we can get her help. She needs help.” Kennedy’s voice was pleading.

  Ms. Watson eyed her skeptically. She knew lots happened to many of their students, probably on a daily basis. She wondered what could have happened to Kaliah Baker to have federal agents making inquiries. That didn’t happen on a daily basis. She nodded and pointed to the conference room just within the hallway that they had used the previous day. “I’ll have Ms. Carson get her from class again.”

  Kaliah stopped dead when she entered the room, her brown eyes locked onto Kennedy. “You’re here.”

  Kennedy held her arms out, open, welcoming the girl into an embrace. Kaliah rushed to her and wrapped her arms so tightly around Kennedy that she couldn’t breathe.

  “I wondered how they knew,” she said. “They have badges, but that detective did too, and he warned me not to tell anyone.”

  “I know, sweetheart,” Kennedy said, holding the girl. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

  Kaliah shook her head against Kennedy’s chest. “No, my mom is sending me back to them tonight.”

  “Oh, no, she's not,” Kennedy swore. “These federal agents are here to protect you. But you have to tell them what happened to confirm what I told them.”

  Kaliah pulled away and gazed at Cooper and Madison fearfully. When her eyes went to Ms. Carson, she shrunk back, and she shook her head no.

  “She’s not going to say anything with her in the room,” Kennedy said, pointing to the school social worker. “Kaliah, without saying it in your own words, do you trust me enough that you would tell these agents that whatever I told them, is the truth?”

  Kaliah nodded.

  “That’s good enough for me,” Cooper said. His eyes went to Ms. Carson. “We are placing this minor in federal protective custody and will take her straight to her mother.” He nodded to the door. “A word with you in private,” he said to the social worker who was about to object. They stepped out into the hall where Lambchop stepped up to join them. “This girl’s mother put her in danger. We are going to her, but not to put her into protective custody. This involves a lot more than this one girl. I cannot tell you more. I know you have your policies, but in this case, your policy will hurt this girl. You cannot call her mother. We have to have the element of surprise on our side when we show up at her house.”

  “You’re putting me in a real bind,” Ms.
Carson said. Her fingers nervously felt over the tasteful gold cross charm on the delicate chain around her neck

  “Sister,” Lambchop cut in, flashing her his warmest smile. “Your policies are to protect the child. That’s what we are trying to do.”

  “You heard what little she did say, and you saw her reaction. Certainly, you know something happened to that girl,” Cooper insisted.

  “Agent Cooper, something happens to over half our student body on a regular basis,” Ms. Carson said.

  “And we have the ability to save this one girl,” Lambchop said. “But her mother cannot know we are on the way and we must leave right now with Kaliah.”

  “Kaliah’s been at this school since sixth grade. I’ve never met her mother. She’s not one of our kids normally in crisis,” Ms. Carson said. She nodded. “If something is just starting in her life, that intervention can change the course of, I fully support it. I have some paperwork you have to fill out to remove her without parental consent.”