by Margaret Kay
“For the duration of this Op, Sienna’s code name will be Charity,” Jackson announced. “And New Mountain will be referred to as ‘The Target’ for all transmission purposes.”
The others at the table nodded their understanding and acceptance of these designations.
“I’ve committed to working extra shifts as needed in Ops to assist,” Miraldi said. He was another man Sienna had not recognized. He had short dark hair and a thin face and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. “For the four days, while Yvette and BT are off, Jackson, Taco, and I will be the only ones covering Ops for continuity, and because there is no one else,” he said with a chuckle.
“We are spread pretty thin. I’ll pull a shift or two as needed as well,” Shepherd said. “Don’t hesitate to call me in.”
Miraldi nodded.
“Okay, that’s it then. Be safe and be alert. Report in per protocol and ask for assistance if you need it. We can pull the rest of Charlie Team in to either location if we need them,” Shepherd said.
Sienna watched the others come to their feet. Evidently that was the end of the briefing. She stood as well. The members of the different teams were talking, shaking hands and wishing each other luck. Her eyes met the pale blue eyes of the man with the scars on his face. He was watching her with an alarming focus. She forced a small smile in response to his.
Lassiter wove his way through the bodies to the other side of the table. He extended his right hand to Sienna Andrews as he approached. “Hello, Sienna. I’m Joe Lassiter.”
She shook his hand. “Hi,” she greeted, still taken aback by how he had been staring at her.
“I imagine you have to be somewhat frightened to step back into the life you ran from.”
She nodded nervously. “You have no idea. But I do trust Anthony, and everyone.”
“They are the best at what they do,” he said.
“So, I’ve been told,” she replied, still not sure who this man was.
“You need to trust them, completely trust them.”
“I do.”
Lassiter smiled. He doubted that. Complete trust took time, a lot longer than she had been with the team. He wouldn’t debate it with her, though. “I’m sure this is all pretty nerve-wracking. I want you to know that it is perfectly normal to feel the way you do. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, so you understand what’s going on. I bet you were left in the dark by several things discussed during the briefing.”
Sienna frowned. Who was this man and how could he know that? Could he read her mind? Or had her reactions been that transparent. “I figured I’d ask Anthony later.”
Lassiter smiled. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Prepare yourself for that as well.”
Sienna nodded. Madison had said something similar, she remembered. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
Lassiter’s grin spread over his face. “I’m the team shrink. Doctor Joe Lassiter.”
Sienna chuckled. Team shrink. He had identified himself as a shrink. “So, what I’m feeling is perfectly natural, given the situation?”
Joe smiled and nodded. “Perfectly normal. If you weren’t afraid, then I’d be worried.”
“Good, because I am, afraid. Someone tried to kill me. My house was broken into repeatedly, and now I’m told someone trashed it. I didn’t know my husband was with the CIA.” She rolled her lips between her teeth. “You have to be thinking I’m stupid or unobservant.” She felt like a fool, not knowing what her husband really did for a living.
“I think neither. Your husband was a professional. That was his job, keeping his identity from you. And as far as why you’re afraid, I’d think you were stupid if you weren’t frightened by those things.”
His smile, his manner and his words were comforting. Sienna nodded, feeling more at ease.
“I read your statement,” Lassiter continued. “You stayed strong through a lot. When this is all over with, I suggest you seek professional treatment, if not by me, by someone else who specializes in treating PTSD. My professional opinion is that it is highly unlikely you will come away from this without suffering some form of it.”
Sienna was surprised by this assessment by him. Wow, he didn’t hold back. She nodded, fighting the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “I haven’t thought that far ahead,” she said.
He reached out to her and laid a hand to her shoulder. “Get through one day at a time, but please remember my advice when this is over, and it will be, over that is. This is a temporary situation. Remember that as well.”
She wiped the tear that slid down her cheek. “Thank you.”
Anthony was beside her. She felt his arm wrap around her. He had a concerned look on his face. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“Yes. Doctor Lassiter was just recommending treatment for PTSD when this is over. I’m sure that will be helpful.” She swiped at her cheek again, feeling more wetness.
“It will. Joe, will you treat her when this is over?”
Lassiter smiled and nodded. “If you want me to, Sienna, I would definitely treat you.”
Sienna just gazed out the window past Anthony in silence as the SUV drove back to the hanger at Chicago Executive Airport, the same hanger that they had arrived at just the day before. If felt longer than a day. Garcia held her hand the entire time. She was seated in the middle of the back seat, with Madison seated on the other side. Cooper drove and Doc rode shotgun. A sense of excitement as well as fear ran through her.
The other team had driven in a different direction. They were flying out of a different airport to go to Colorado. Sienna wondered what they would find there. New Mountain Enterprises had been focused on by her husband. Was that what got him killed? That thought was unsettling.
She noticed Doc looking at her from his seat. “Are you okay?”
Sienna forced a smile. “Yes, just preparing myself for what my house might look like.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Madison said. “It’s only stuff, and stuff can be replaced.”
“I know,” she agreed.
No one bought that.
“I want to see my dog,” Sienna said. “Do you think it will be safe for her and my girlfriend if I do?”
“We can swing by there first, before announcing your return by going to your house. We have to alert the local LEOs you are back and under protection. Your house is a crime scene,” Cooper said. “Madison and Doc will take point on that. We want the FBI to be identified as the agency providing the protection.”
Sienna shook her head. She didn’t understand.
“Doc and I carry FBI credentials,” Madison said.
“FBI?” Sienna repeated.
Madison smiled. “Yes.” She pulled the badge and identification from her backpack and showed it to Sienna.
“We all carry different creds,” Garcia said. “I carry a DEA badge.” He chuckled. “I was with them before Shepherd recruited me.”
She stared at him in disbelief. This man was a DEA Agent? What else didn’t she know about him? “You were a real DEA Agent?”
“Yep, an Army Ranger before that,” Garcia said. He flashed her a warm smile and winked. “Now you know everything about me.”
Hardly! Sienna suspected she didn’t know anything about any of these people. She wondered if Madison and Doc had been FBI Agents as well. She didn’t get the chance to ask any more questions as the SUV pulled into the hanger.
The vehicle pulled up next to the Lear Jet. They all got out of the vehicle, stepping into the hot, humid air. They grabbed bags from the back. Garcia handed her, her backpack and he motioned her towards the plane. He had his laptop bag, a backpack, and what Sienna recognized as rifle cases slung over his shoulders. The three others were equally as loaded with bags.
She took the same seat she had been in the day before. Anthony sat beside her. Then she settled in for the flight east. Her mind was reeling with all the information. Collin Lowry, or whatever his name was, was dead too. Doctor Lassiter already diagnosed her with PTSD. This
was a marathon, not a sprint, and she was already exhausted from everything that had happened. She was going home, to a house that had been trashed and she would be publicly inviting whoever had tried to kill her to come after her again. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run and hide.
“It’s going to be okay,” Garcia whispered. “I can see how afraid you are. Trust me, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”
She leaned into him and let the tears flow as he held her.
Kilo
Sienna hugged her dog, Bailey, and just held her for a long time. She was so glad she was safe. It had been hard to leave her with her friend, but she knew it was the safest thing for Bailey. “I need to leave her with you a while longer, Christy.”
Her friend hugged her as she came to her feet. “Of course. I told you, I’ll keep her as long as you need her to stay with me.”
“Thank you,” Sienna said.
Christy’s eyes went to the three strangers who had entered her house with Sienna. She knew there was another man in the big, black SUV that was in her driveway. They had been introduced as FBI Agents, but she had been warned to not disclose who they really were to anyone. “You’re welcome, girlfriend. Just let me know when you’re able to have her home.”
“We need to go, Sienna,” Madison said.
Sienna gave Bailey and Christy one more hug and then left. Christy watched the SUV back out of her driveway and pull away.
A surreal feeling came over Sienna as the SUV pulled into her driveway. The police sedan was parked in front of the house. Detective Grambo pulled himself to his feet and met them by the SUV as they all got out.
“Mrs. Andrews,” he greeted, presenting his right hand.
“Hello, Detective,” she replied, shaking his hand.
Madison and Doc both flashed their badges and credentials.
Garcia glanced around at the neatly manicured community that held four different models of homes, two two-stories and two ranch style homes. Sienna’s was the larger of the two-story models with a small front porch and an attached two car garage. The homes were on standard city lots, with mature trees. It was the kind of subdivision that he would envision her living in.
“Thank you for meeting us here to release your crime scene to us,” Madison said. “We’ll be staying here with Mrs. Andrews indefinitely.”
Detective Grambo looked between the four agents. He was surprised by the resources assigned. The agent who had reported the break-in was with the NSA. Now it was the FBI protecting her. He’d have to check his notes, but he thought it had been two NSA Agents who originally took her into protective custody. He knew these federal agencies didn’t share information very readily with the local authorities, but he had to wonder what this was about. “Any assistance I or the Fairfax PD can give you, please let us know.” He handed his card to Madison.
“Thank you, Detective,” Cooper said. “We would appreciate increased patrols in the neighborhood.” Cooper handed his card to Grambo. “Call me with anything suspicious but instruct your officers to not approach any threat. We want to know about them, not tip them off that we know they’re there.”
Grambo took the card and stared at it suspiciously. There was just a name, John Wiess, and phone number, no title, no agency name defining who he was. “Will do,” Grambo said. “You have our permission to break and remove the crime scene tape and seal.” He glanced at Sienna. “Take care Mrs. Andrews, and let me know if you need anything,” he said.
“Thank you, Detective,” she replied numbly, already staring at her house in preparation to enter.
Anthony held her hand as they approached her front door. He entered the lock code and opened the door. She took one step into the entry and stopped as the cool air-conditioned air enveloped her. Anthony rushed past her and went to the alarm panel. He entered the disarm code that Lambchop had reprogrammed it with.
“Are you okay, Sienna?” Madison asked, stepping in beside her.
Sienna nodded, her eyes on her living room. Her couch and wing-backed chair were slashed open. All her photos were lined up against the wall on the floor. Her lamps were intact and sat on the end tables. She walked numbly through the house, viewing similar scenes. In the kitchen, she opened each cabinet. Overall, only about half her dishes were there and they were all in the wrong places.
“Many of the glasses and dishes were broken,” Doc said. “All broken items are in bags and boxes in the garage along with all of your husband’s clothes. The team on-site that found your house in this condition thought it would be easier for you to not see the extent of the devastation.”
“I appreciate that,” Sienna said. Her kitchen drawers had fared better. Like items were put away together. Someone had put thought into how they arranged them.
She opened the refrigerator. It was completely empty. “Why is there nothing in the fridge?”
“We had the cleanup crew throw everything away. Didn’t want to take any chances of tainted food. It’s been out of your control. There is no sense taking any chances,” Doc answered.
Sienna nodded. Then she went into the family room. Her sectional couch was no longer in there, just the end tables. She opened the drawers. Someone had neatly stacked all the items back into them, maybe not in its original drawer, but they were organized. The pictures here too were sitting on the floor, leaning against the walls.
“Your couch was a complete loss,” Madison said. “It was taken away with the mattresses from the two bedrooms. We had two new mattresses delivered.”
Sienna cupped her face in her hands and cried. Anthony came up in front of her and took her into his arms. “It’s just stuff, stuff that can be replaced,” he whispered as he rubbed her back.
“I know,” she said. “I really appreciate that someone cleaned it up.”
“It’s getting to be near dinner time,” Cooper said. “There was a Chinese place we passed coming into your subdivision. Is it any good?”
Sienna nodded, her hands still cupping her face. “Yes, we ordered from them a lot. I think I saw take out menus in one of those kitchen drawers beside the stove. It should be in there.”
Cooper retrieved the menu and wrote down everyone’s orders. After he phoned it in, he and Madison went upstairs to check the place out. Greg’s office had been righted, papers stacked on the desk. They checked out the two bedrooms. He and Madison would stay in one room, Garcia and Sienna in the other. Doc would take over-night guard duty and sleep during the morning in the same bed Cooper and Madison would use.
Doc got busy tying his laptop into the home security system. While on-site, Delta team had installed cameras to monitor the exterior and the interior entry points. They had also installed advanced motion detectors. Ops would monitor these feeds as well.
“Well, at least we can sit at the kitchen table,” Sienna remarked as she unpacked the Chinese food delivery. “And there were enough plates unbroken for the five of us.”
“Insurance will cover the replacement of the items,” Madison said. “It’s just stuff.”
“Yes, I know,” Sienna agreed. She didn’t sound convinced or calmed.
“We’ll have to go to the store tomorrow and get groceries. We’ll reintroduce Sienna Andrews to her life, going the places you go, doing the things you do to see if that garners any attention,” Madison said.
Sienna nodded stiffly.
“We’ll keep you safe. I promise,” Cooper said as he opened his takeout container.
Garcia opened his. Shrimp chow mei fun, his go to. “You won’t go anywhere alone. We’ll be covering you at all times.”
Sienna forced herself to take a bite of her kung po shrimp. Three nights before Greg was killed, they ordered from the same Chinese restaurant and they shared an order of kung po shrimp. She forced that memory away as she swallowed the food that was her favorite, but suddenly didn’t taste good.
Anthony watched the expression on Sienna’s face darken. He took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. She forced a small smile as her eyes me
t his. “You can do this, Sienna. I know you’re afraid, but we need to do this to draw out the people who tried to get you.”
She nodded. “I know. And I do trust all of you.” Her eyes swept over the four people at the table.
After dinner was eaten, they lingered at the table and discussed the plan for the next few days, which would include a trip to the school she taught at and a return to work. Madison would be in the classroom with her as a student teacher, and Anthony would be in the computer lab in the library just down the hall from Sienna’s classroom, as an IT guy, upgrading the computers. Cooper would remain in the SUV in the parking lot as backup, and of course, Doc would be sleeping as he would be up all night, every night, on guard duty.
