by Barbara Gee
“So his name is Tanner? Good to know the name of the man whose girlfriend I might have to steal if he doesn’t come back soon.”
Vince had probably been kidding, probably, but Izzy had felt uncomfortable, and Boone had gotten mad.
“That’s not only an inappropriate thing to say, it also has a zero chance of happening,” he said, his green eyes flashing. “Since you don’t know Tanner, let me fill you in. And listen up, because I’m only going to say this once.” His voice was low and full of conviction. “Tanner’s the kind of man the rest of us can only wish we were. He’s the best of the best, and he’s only away because he cares about this country. So don’t even think about moving in on the girl he loves.”
“Besides all that,” Jolene cut in, “if you had ever seen Izzy and Tanner together, you’d know you don’t have a chance.”
Vince had been embarrassed. He apologized, and assured Izzy he respected her relationship. “I had no idea your boyfriend was military. That certainly explains why he’s been away for so long.”
“He’s not military, but kinda close, I guess.” Izzy gave him a forgiving smile. “Jolene’s right, though. You don’t have a chance. No one does. He’s it for me.”
Vince nodded his acknowledgment, and they’d moved on. He’d never acted in the least inappropriate after that. In fact, he’d told Izzy several times during the following weeks that he hoped to meet Tanner one day.
By the time Vince left for training camp, Izzy saw not only the confidence she’d prayed for, but an absolute eagerness to get back on the ice with the team to show his coach and management that he was one hundred percent in all aspects, and ready to make a difference for his team.
It had been a busy, crazy, fulfilling eight weeks. Izzy would miss his friendship, and also Boone and Jolene, but life went on. She’d just have to find something else to fill her spare time.
***
Four months and counting.
Tanner waited impatiently for the 3D printer to finish. It was slowly building the main part for the prototype of the bomb’s detonator. He knew his design wasn’t yet perfect, but it would be easier to see the modifications he needed to make if he could work with an actual piece instead of merely a drawing.
Although building bombs wasn’t what Tanner would choose to devote his time to given the choice, the intricacies of designing a revolutionary device from scratch appealed to the creative and intellectual parts of his brain. It was a challenge, and he could easily become absorbed in the project for a whole day, barely stopping to eat and go to the bathroom.
His dedication both pleased and angered Khalud. Tanner knew that the man wanted his operation to be a rousing success, but he resented the fact that the success was almost totally dependent on Tanner. Khalud was very skilled at handling the logistics, and he had assembled the team that could make things happen, but without the bomb, it was all for naught. That was a tough truth for a man like Khalud.
Tanner tried to keep him calm and in the loop by giving him frequent updates on his work. Since he now had his own computer, their interactions were fewer, but every few days Tanner called the other man to his room to see his progress. Of course he purposely mislead him on many of the technical details, to ensure Khalud couldn’t pass along accurate information as he attempted to impress those he reported to.
At one point, Khalud had announced that a renowned bomb builder from Iraq was going to be called in to go over Tanner’s work so far and make sure it was feasible. Tanner had recognized that kind of oversight as a possibility from the beginning, and he’d already decided how he would respond. He angrily informed his leader that he would not stand for revealing his designs to a competitor. He gained Khalud’s support for his position by pointing out there would be nothing to stop the observer from taking his ideas and running with them, potentially cutting Khalud’s team out of the plan altogether.
Khalud had thus stood firm against the intrusion, and a very tense week had followed. In the end, Tanner was left alone to go about his business. Because if his IED worked, it would offer twice the kill potential they’d requested, with half the size. Bottom line, the leaders of the operation desperately wanted that ability, and they couldn’t afford to lose him.
Tanner stared at the printer, no longer seeing the object it was slowly creating. His mind went elsewhere.
Almost four months since he’d seen Izzy’s beautiful face. How much longer until he had that chance again?
He wished he knew. He was supposed to have a preliminary working model of his IED ready to be tested in another month. If it worked, and the powers that be were pleased with his overall design, Khalud had indicated that at that time, Tanner would finally be trusted with the details of the planned attack, so he could better refine his design to the actual specifications that would be needed.
The time period for when the FBI would stage the take-down was anyone’s guess. Obviously Tanner already had more than enough information to convict Khalud and the other six men in the house, and they also knew the identity of the three men who were acting as middle-men between Khalud and the Iraqi contingent. But the FBI wanted more than that. They wanted to identify men calling the shots from abroad.
Each time Tanner managed to make a meeting with his handler, she updated him on what they’d gathered so far from the keystroke tracker he’d installed on Khalud’s computer. They were getting good info, but they had to be careful following it up. The last thing they wanted to do was set off any alarms that caused their targets to abort the operation and scram before any arrests could be made.
The noise from the printer stopped and Tanner removed the cylindrical part he’d designed. He spun it in his fingers, trying to envision it in the casing he had devised. He had two different ideas, depending on where the placement of the bomb would end up being. Since he had to show his work prior to gaining that knowledge, his plan was to demonstrate both ideas.
While he would make sure the final, finished product would never go off, the “practice” ones had to work flawlessly, even though the explosive charge would be only a tiny amount of C4—just enough to prove to Khalud and those he answered to that the device would work when fully loaded.
There was a lot at stake. If the models failed, his undercover mission could come to a sudden end. Of course that didn’t mean he could walk away. The knowledge Khalud had trusted him with would make it too risky for him to be allowed to go free. The leaders would have to choose between offering him captivity and another chance, or death.
Tanner was glad Izzy didn’t know what he was up against.
***
“How long now, Iz? I’m sorry, I should be keeping track along with you, but time gets away from me.”
“That’s okay, you have enough to keep track of,” Izzy said, smiling across the lunch table at Andi. “Today is Friday, so it’s been four months and five days since Tanner left. Which means you’re, um, about twenty-two weeks along now?”
“It’ll be twenty-three weeks in three days,” Andi said happily. “Over halfway.”
“You’re still not going to find out whether it’s a girl or boy?”
“Nope. That’s one thing Charlie and I agree on. The names—that’s a different story.”
“No Charlie Junior?”
“I want that, actually, but Charlie says being a junior can be a burden, so he’s not sure.”
Izzy listened as Andi went through a list of possibilities, both boy and girl names. Izzy gave her opinions, but it was hard to keep her mind from wandering.
Most days she did pretty good at keeping thoughts of Tanner at bay during the day, but for some reason, she was having trouble with that today. Everything reminded her of him.
She missed him as much now as she had the days after he left. Even though it had been over four months since she’d spent time with him, she still felt a hole only Tanner James could fill. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he making progress? Was he praying every day, as she’d asked?
&n
bsp; “Can we join you two?”
Izzy looked up to see Greg, her new second in command, and his friendly wife, Elsa, holding their trays and three-month-old baby Maxwell. Their arrival had been delayed a few weeks due to little Maxwell getting a scary case of pneumonia, but he was fine now and Izzy would be forever grateful to Lowell for extending his own stay, so they wouldn’t be left working short when Jolene left.
Izzy had been at the ranch to greet Greg and his family last night when they’d arrived, and had gotten them settled in the guest cabin, where they’d be staying until their household items arrived for the house they’d bought in town.
“Of course you can join us.” Izzy quickly introduced them to Andi, then smiled at Greg. “So how’s it going, old friend? Are you ready for Monday?”
“It’s going great, and are you kidding? It’s my first registration day at the Full Heart in more than a year and a half. I can’t wait.”
“Good. I’m thrilled to have you back. With Jolene already gone and Lowell leaving after this retreat, I’m going to have to throw you right in to the thick of things.”
Elsa laughed. “He’s ready. He’s been chomping at the bit for months to come back here.”
“Staff meeting at two this afternoon, right?” Greg asked.
“Right. It’ll be me, you, and Lowell, along with Spencer, who has been interning with us for five months now, and Anita, our newest licensed therapist. She’s only been here a month, but so far so good.”
“I’m anxious to meet her,” Greg said.
“I’m sure you’ll like her. She was a nurse for ten years before becoming a physical therapist, and she’s been practicing for twelve years now. Last year, her son left to join the military, and her husband retired from teaching after thirty years. They decided they wanted a new adventure, and found out about the ranch. Her husband came along to her interview, and he fell in love with the place as much as she did. He’s actually working in the barn now, helping with the horses.”
Saying that sharpened the ache Izzy had been dealing with all day. Anita’s husband was good with the animals, but according to Andi, the horses still mourned the loss of Tanner. As did she.
Andi seemed to know what she was thinking, and gave her a sympathetic look before excusing herself to get back to her office. Izzy chatted a little longer with Greg and Elsa, then left them to go to her office to prepare for the staff meeting.
Back at her desk, she bowed her head, seeking the peace that only God could provide. She could get through this, she would get through this, the good and the bad days both, but not without His help.
It was what she wished for Tanner as well.
Peace that passeth understanding. That’s what I pray for you, Tanner. I love you so much. I hope you can still feel it, wherever you are.
***
Seven plus months in.
The Secretary of State. That’s who Khalud and his associates had targeted. That’s who Tanner’s bomb was supposed to kill, along with a hundred other innocent victims. Or more.
Tanner had known this for months now, as did the FBI. The secretary was scheduled to speak at a large outdoor concert to be held on the lawn at the National Mall, near the Washington monument. The concert was to honor military veterans, which was another reason it was an attractive target for ISIS. If Khalud could kill the secretary along with hundreds of military-loving concert goers, they would get the attention they so desperately craved.
Tanner already had enough evidence to put away Khalud and his team of six for life, and they had almost as much on the three middle-men who were serving as go-betweens for Khalud and the powerful leaders in Iraq—the ones who had sanctioned the bombing plot and were also financing it. It had been discovered that these middle-men worked with other radicals as well, both in and out of DC, and Tanner’s efforts had allowed the FBI to flag a number of them. An added bonus.
In order to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, Tanner continued to monitor emails and conversations in the house. Weeks passed and nothing new came up. The men were too excited about the current plot to focus on anything else.
With ten arrests being a sure thing, as well as finding out the name of one of the Iraqis, and lots of additional information gathered on other terror players in the area, Tanner met with his handler and recommended the operation be wrapped up. A few days later, she told him the team behind the scenes agreed with him, and they were planning the final take-down.
It was a job well done, with the operation accomplishing way more than what they’d hoped for. It had also taken much less time than anticipated, thanks to Tanner’s multi-faceted abilities. Seven and a half months was considered lightning fast for an operation of this scale, and according to his handler, Special Agent Addyson Shelby, the FBI was thrilled.
Shelby told Tanner her next contact would be letting him know it was time to vacate the house so law enforcement could move in. She’d said the end would come within days.
Tanner had waited impatiently for those orders. He couldn’t wait to walk away from that house and watch the take-down happen. The FBI team running the job might think the operation had gone amazingly fast, but that seven and a half months had been the longest of Tanner’s life. It had felt never-ending—twice as hard as any previous assignment.
That feeling was only partially because of the difficulty of the job. The rest was because he yearned for Isabella Harding with an intensity that hadn’t faded. Even though he had to push her out of his mind most of the time, his desire to be reunited with her was as strong as ever.
He………….couldn’t…………wait.
***
That reunion wasn’t meant to be, though. Not quite yet. The next day, instead of getting word to leave, Tanner had received an encrypted alert asking for another meeting as soon as possible.
They’d met in a convenience store three blocks from the house. There, they had a quick conversation between the ice cream freezer and the chip rack. Tanner listened in dismay as Agent Shelby told him an unexpected development had brought the wrap-up plans to a halt. A new opportunity had arisen, making the FBI greedy for still more from this job. Not only did Tanner have to remain in the house, he was now tasked with trying to use Khalud to lure one more “guest” to the party.
Shelby quickly explained what had happened. The day before, the team had picked up on a rerouted copy of an email Khalud had received. It was from an address they had seen three times before, but hadn’t been able to trace because the sender always made use of the Tor browser—the mainstay of the dark web—to hide the message’s originating location.
The unidentified person also always encrypted the body of his emails, using the same encryption program used by Khalud. Unfortunately for the two men, their encryption software used a key the FBI had broken long ago, so the messages were easily read.
The sender was obviously someone Khalud knew well, possibly a relative, who had lived in DC years ago. The first three emails had been simply the kind of message a person wrote when checking in with a good friend. Khalud’s responses had been the same, although he’d made cryptic mention of having been given a glorious assignment he would soon fulfill.
This time, the message was different. There was no small talk or sharing of news. The sender outright said he wanted to know more, and was planning a visit to DC so he could talk with Khalud at length, and possibly even witness his friend’s moment of glory.
Since the man had failed to use Tor this time, the agents watching Khalud’s email reroutes had traced the message back to the sender’s IP address in seconds. It showed Chicago, and when they zeroed in further, they determined the address matched that of Maliq Hadim, a man who was already on the FBI watch-list, suspected of dealing in stolen and illegal weapons.
Before Agent Shelby even finished the explanation, Tanner knew what the team wanted. They wanted him to continue the operation in hopes Hadim would come to visit his old friend.
“If he shows up,” Shelby said excited
ly, “he’ll want to help, to learn. As soon as he gets involved, we can add another big arrest to the bag. I’m telling you, Tanner, Hadim is into some bad stuff, and has the potential to become a very dangerous man. Stopping him at this stage of the game will save lives. There’s no question about that.”
A few minutes later their conversation in the corner had concluded. Not a single person had come in or out while they talked, and the man working behind the counter was the FBI contact who had helped get Tanner placed in Khalud’s house. For a short notice meeting place, it had worked fine.
Shelby walked out of the store with a cup of coffee and a magazine. Tanner waited a little bit, then left with a candy bar and a large Coke. And a heavy heart.
He would do as requested and finish what he’d started. He could even admit adding a man like Hadim to the score was a big deal. It’s just that he’d been close, so close, to being done. He’d thought he was only days away from seeing Izzy, and instead, he was walking back to that putrid house to continue living with men so vile, life in prison was way too good for them.
He had to resign himself to keeping up the pretense for what would most likely be at least another month, maybe longer. It all depended on how quickly Hadim planned his visit.
Tanner had to forget about seeing Izzy and put his focus back on appearing to be totally devoted to carrying out a plot aimed at killing people whose only “sin” was being born in a western country—and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He was bitterly disappointed, but there was really no option. He had to finish the job.
***
Sitting in his room after finding out about Maliq Hadim, Tanner had formulated his next steps. He’d hoped all along the operation would end before he actually had to complete the bomb, but Agent Shelby had dashed that hope. Now that his time in the house had been extended indefinitely, he had to move forward. He’d planned the perfect bomb, and now he was going to have to complete it.
