by Robin Mahle
Will pulled Lacy toward the vehicle. “Get in!” He ran around to the driver’s side, keeping his eye on Jian’s men. “Aaron, get in the car!”
“Go now!” Axell repeated.
Will keyed the ignition and slammed the gearshift into reverse. The tires spun on the concrete drive and black smoke wafted into the air. In seconds, they were on the street and again he shifted the gears and sped away.
The man lowered his gun and signaled for his colleague to do the same.
“Smart move,” Axell said. “Your people tell you what happened?” He assumed the call had already reached him as they stepped outside. He had wanted to wait for Will and Lacy to be out of harm’s way, but there was no time. Jian’s man had to know, which meant Will and Lacy’s lives would’ve been snuffed out in that very moment. Mendez had come through after all.
The man shook his head and smiled at Axell. “You people have no idea what you’ve done. You think you’re protecting your country, but you’ve just done more damage than you could possibly imagine.”
♦♦♦
Lacy looked over her shoulder at the house shrinking in the distance. “My God. What’s going to happen to Agent Axell?”
“He’ll be okay. Backup’s already on its way. Don’t worry. Let’s just get you to your kids,” Will replied. “It’s over, Lacy. You and your family will be safe now.”
She peered over her shoulder at Aaron, revealing a tender smile. She turned back and lowered her head and the emotions of the past few days, really the past few weeks, finally caught up to her. “I just want to hold my kids and never let them go.”
“I know. We’ll be there soon.” His phone vibrated in the console and he raised it to his ear. “Agent Caison.”
“We got him. He’s been placed under arrest.”
He turned to Lacy with a smile. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for trusting me. I’m heading over to the Merrick residence now to drop of Mrs. Merrick and her friend. Her children and nanny are already there. You might want to be sure Axell’s got what he needs to get out of there safely. Then I’ll drive to headquarters and meet up with you.” Will ended the call. “That was SSA Mendez. They placed Kendrick under arrest.”
Lacy didn’t know what to say. Agent Caison had helped so much. He believed her when her own boss didn’t. She wondered now if she would be allowed to return to work. Jay’s name would be cleared and the real culprits for this attack and the ensuing cover-up would be brought to justice. Things could get back to normal, except it would be a new normal; one without her husband.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Will. If I’d tried to fight this on my own, I’d either be dead or in jail.”
“You did a lot of this on your own, you and Aaron both.”
“Everyone risked everything. And the only thing that will make their sacrifices worth something is for Kendrick, Jian, and everyone else involved to pay the price.” Lacy spotted the gates to her community and was grateful she was almost home.
Will pulled alongside the entrance and punched in his guest code. The gates slowly swung open and he drove through, along the brick-paved streets of the exclusive neighborhood. “I’m sure you’ll be glad to sleep in your own bed tonight.”
She turned to him and smiled. “You too. I assume you’ll be flying back home later today?”
“There’s still a lot of work to be done here. We just arrested a member of the State Department for treason. The political fallout and media assault will be overwhelming, so I’ll stay to help.” Will pulled onto her driveway and killed the engine. “You ready to go in?”
“Oh yeah. I’m ready.” Lacy stepped out of the car and before she made it two feet away, the kids ran out to meet her. She opened her arms and laughed a great boisterous laugh like she hadn’t done in years.
Jackson almost knocked her over, but Lacy regained her balance. “Don’t leave us again, Mommy! Promise you won’t leave us again!”
“I promise, baby. I promise.” She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair.
Olivia held on to her mother with a vise-like grip. “I was so scared, Mom,” she cried.
“Oh, honey, I know you were and I’m so very sorry. But it’s over now. You’re safe. We’re all safe now, okay?”
Aaron walked toward her and she offered her hand. He smiled and gladly accepted it.
Will looked on while this family, what was left of it, reunited. He wasn’t married nor did he have kids, but he imagined what it must be like and thought, Maybe someday.
“Come on now; let’s get inside, okay? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Lacy led them toward the opened front door where Celeste stood. Her kind face revealed no anger toward Lacy, which she had expected after all she’d been put through.
Celeste placed her hand on Lacy’s cheek. “I’m glad we’re all home again.”
♦♦♦
Kendrick waited in a room flanked by FBI agents assigned to guard him. Director Mobley began to approach the door but was stopped short by a man whom he recognized immediately as the Deputy Secretary of State.
“Director Mobley, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“Yes, of course.” He followed him to a small, unoccupied office.
The deputy secretary closed the door. “This arrest has raised a great deal of concerns for the secretary.”
“I’m sure it has.”
“Well, what you may not be so sure of are the consequences this will have on the US economy and ties with China.”
The director continued to listen.
“Our office has been on the phone with both China’s ambassador and the US Ambassador to China and there are already great tensions over this situation. They have placed Lei Jian under arrest. So, as you can see, the actions of a few people have been handled.”
“Sir, this is much more than a ‘situation,’ and frankly, I’m surprised you would believe otherwise.”
“What I believe doesn’t matter. However, when word gets out about this, the blow back will be swift and costly.”
“What is it you’re getting at, sir?” The director already had an inkling and a deepening pain in his stomach was growing as a result.
“This situation needs to be handled in an extremely delicate manner.”
“Are you asking me to let the undersecretary go? Sir, he committed treason against this country and conspired to kill hundreds of Americans.”
“Now that’s not entirely accurate. I’m not saying he’s not guilty of a cover-up, but he didn’t help plan the attack. I’m saying that the Department can’t afford something of this nature to reach the American public. It will undermine all we’ve worked for with Chinese relations.”
“They blew up a fucking mall! What relations are you talking about?” The director’s face burned red with anger. “There should be an immediate trade embargo put in place. Their ambassador should be returned home and all political ties severed, Mr. Deputy Secretary. And that’s just for a start.” He inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. “But you aren’t going to tell the public, are you? You’re going to let them believe the attack was executed by another extremist group. Sir, they need to know that we have another enemy out there. One that is snaking its way inside our country, buying up corporations, buying up our debt. Our people have a right to know!”
“Just calm down for a moment and consider the ramifications here. What happened was an agreement between two people, not two countries. This may have been planned by certain members of the Chinese government, but it isn’t an indictment of the entire government. This is what I mean by taking a look at the entire picture. Not the plotting of individuals.”
“Oh my God.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I can’t fucking believe this. You’re going to bury it. Jesus H. Christ. You’re going to bury the whole Goddamn thing.”
“No. That’s not what’s happening. Kendrick will pay a price for his actions. I can assure you of that.”
/>
“Then what? What are you going to do to him?”
“He’s going to resign. And Lei Jian and the people he’s working with will be dealt with by their government. The president already made the call.”
“The president’s already made the call,” the director said. “Of course he has.” He studied the man standing only feet in front of him and considered knocking him out cold. But this went up to the top and there would be nothing the director could do about it but bend over and take it.
“The president will be making a statement within the hour and will announce the undersecretary’s resignation,” the deputy said.
“Is he going to say why?”
“Just that he wants to spend more time with his family.”
The director nodded his head. “Right. Well then, I guess you don’t need me anymore.” The director stormed out of the room.
♦♦♦
The three returned to the living room after a hearty lunch. The kids were upstairs and it almost felt as though none of this nightmare had ever happened. Lacy would have the time to properly mourn Jay and try to move on with her life.
“I’m glad you two stayed for lunch, thank you.”
“I am going to have to be getting back. Mendez is going to be buried in it soon.” He glanced at his phone. “Oh, hang on. I got a voicemail from him.” Will listened to the message.
Lacy noticed his smile fade, replaced by what appeared to be anger. Her heart sank as she glanced at Aaron. “What could be happening now?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Will ended the call and stared at Lacy.
“Will, say something. You’re scaring me.”
“I’m so sorry, Lacy.” He cast his gaze downward. “The president is making a statement soon. Turn on the TV.”
She did as he asked and stared blankly at the screen until the “breaking news” report flashed in front of her.
The president stood at the podium. “It has been a heartbreaking and challenging few weeks for all of us, but particularly the citizens of Fairfax. They have remained strong and have come together to help one another in this time of tragedy. We now have at least some resolution that will hopefully allow these people to begin to recover from this horrific attack. A group has claimed responsibility for that attack and I can assure the American people that we are doing everything in our power to bring this group, who is affiliated with ISIS, to justice. As a result of this attack, the Undersecretary of Political Affairs, Drew Kendrick, has decided to resign. This has affected his family deeply and he has chosen to spend more time with him as a result. And no one can blame him for that decision. But he will be missed.”
Her mouth dropped and she turned to Will. “No, no, this can’t be happening. They’re covering it up. Why? I don’t understand. Why would they do this?” Her voice raised an octave and the words fled from her lips with speed. “What about Jay? What about all the others who died?”
“Lacy.” Will reached out for her. “Mendez said they think it’ll cause too much damage to the economy and to the relations we have with China.”
“They killed our people!” Aaron shook his head as he stared at the television screen. “This is unbelievable. Can’t we go out there and tell the truth? Expose them for this lie?”
“You can’t fight this. Not this time. Lacy, this has gone all the way to the top. Anything you do will be undermined. They’ll destroy you if you fight this. And they’ll make sure to destroy Jay’s reputation in the process.” Will held her hand. “I didn’t think it would end this way. I really didn’t.”
“What am I supposed to do? My husband lost his life and I just sit back and do nothing? What the hell did he die for, Will?”
“The best thing for you to do is to go back to work. Keep doing the good job that you were doing and help us track down the enemy.”
“That’s what I was trying to do. I thought I knew who our enemies were, but I was wrong.” Lacy rested her head on his shoulder and she breathed in and out, trying to calm herself.
Aaron watched as her spirit seemed to perish. She’d lost her husband and now, her country. And the man who’d helped her, a man who he thought could step right into Jay’s shoes held on to her.
A moment later, Lacy steadied herself, pulled upright again with shoulders back. “I’ll go back to work. I’ll do my job. But this doesn’t end here. I don’t care how long it takes me. The truth will be known.”
“Lacy,” Will began.
Aaron smiled as he saw one last spark in her eyes. “I’ll stand by you, Lacy. You have my word. We’ll do whatever it takes to bring justice for Jay.”
“This isn’t just for Jay. It’s for all the victims who deserve better.” She reached for his hand and squeezed hard before returning her attention to Will. “Work with me, Will. Help me bring them down. All of them.”
Will studied the two people whom he’d grown very fond of over these past few weeks. Their tenacity brought him strength. “I think you’re both out of your minds.”
Lacy held his gaze. “So that’s a yes?”
Will looked again at the television. The reporters shouting questions, but being met with no answers. He soon eyed Lacy and now mirrored her resolve. “Yes.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Mahle lives with her husband and two children in Arizona. Having always been a lover of books, Robin attributes her creativity to the wonderful overseas adventures she has shared with her husband of 17 years. Traveling throughout Europe and having lived in England opened her mind and with that came a steady stream of story ideas inspired by her author-idols in the mystery/suspense genre.
If you enjoyed Ms. Mahle’s work, please share your experience by leaving a review with your online retailer!
OTHER WORKS
All the Shiny Things—A Kate Reid Novel (Book 1)
Law of Five – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 2)
Gone Unnoticed – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 3)
Blackwaters – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 4)
Endangered - A Kate Reid Novel (Book 5)
The Kate Reid Series Box Set (Books 1-3)
Inherent Clarity
Landslide
Beyond the Clearing
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