“Let’s go back,” I said to Dakota. “They need more help.” I knew if I stopped, grief and pain would overtake me, and I’d be completely useless.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Just give me a minute.” He bent over to tie his shoe and when he did, I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was Jeremy—coming out from behind an ambulance. His arm was bound in a sling, and he was limping. He was alive. Fireworks exploded in my gut.
I thought my heart would burst on seeing him, but I was frozen in fear that he wasn’t real, an apparition, a ghost come to haunt me. He was dead, and it was my fault. He blew up in that hospital because I told him I’d be there, and he went there to save me.
He turned just right and our eyes met. Apparently he was real because he screamed, “Christy!”
I tried to shout back, but it came out as a croak. All my doubts, all my concerns flew out the window. Jeremy was alive.
He came to me because I was frozen to the spot. I felt Dakota move off to the side, giving us room. After Jeremy hugged me soundly, he whispered in my ear, “How? Why?” He pushed back, his hands held my upper arms searching my face. My tears wouldn’t stop falling, and I noticed his face was wet with tears, too.
“I thought you blew up in that building,” I cried.
“I thought you were gone, back with that madman,” he whispered.
My eyes searched every inch of his face.
“Not here,” he said, looking around us and then guiding me to a large white van and helping me in. “How are you here?” he asked once we were inside the van. “What happened?”
“Sterling changed the plan on me this morning, and—”
“I know. I got the messages.”
“They worked? Both of them?” I gaped.
“I don’t know how you did it, but because of you, the president and most of the workers in that hospital are safe.”
“What? But how—?”
“We got your messages in time, and I just had this feeling it wouldn’t be enough just to get the president and his entourage out of there. So I started an evacuation. The president didn’t know what was going on, but he was shuttled out of the hospital shortly after arriving and taken to a helicopter landing pad and flown to Maryland to Walter Reed for treatment. He’s not out of the woods, yet, but the doctors are optimistic. We easily discovered the agent who was the traitor and forced him to signal Sterling that the assassination was successful. And here you are.”
“Sterling had me kill the vice president—”
“You killed the vice president?” He gasped, reaching for his phone.
I reached out to stop him from calling whomever it was he thought he was going to call.
“Hear me out first. I tried to get Dakota’s phone to tell you, but I couldn’t. I was supposed to kill the VP—”
“You had access to Dakota’s phone?”
“Didn’t you get a text from me?”
“Never.”
“That’s probably how Sterling found out about you.”
“He knew about me?”
“He knew I was talking to someone on the outside named Jeremy, and I think, no I’m sure, he orchestrated me being with the VP so that you would all die. He thought you worked for the FBI.” I sucked in a deep breath.
“But you didn’t kill the VP?”
“No. I poisoned him instead, making him appear dead. At least, I hope the poisons didn’t kill him. I didn’t get to test them before I gave them to him. Theoretically, he should still be alive. Sterling engineered it so that a ton of press would be on hand to get the story, so it’s probably already all over the news.”
He moved up to the front of the van and switched on the radio. The news of the attempted assassinations of the president and the vice president was all over the radio. He had lived. I sighed deeply. All sorts of speculation whizzed around. Everyone wanted to guess at what was going on, including the idea that terrorists had done it.
“I looked everywhere for you, but you weren’t there.” He moved next to me again. “You’re real. I can’t believe it. When I couldn’t find you in the hospital, I figured he was making you watch from a different location, and I left the hospital to find you. That’s what saved me. When the hospital blew, I thought I’d lost you forever, that I’d been wrong and you were somewhere inside.” He touched my face.
I felt a pull, a draw, to move toward him. I wanted to feel his lips on mine and let him comfort me. For an instant, I thought he felt the same pull. The moment passed as quickly as it had come. I was letting my emotions run away from me. I had to take control or I’d do something I regretted. I’m a spy. He’s my handler. I had to be professional. I let the flush that had overtaken me rush away. Jeremy seemed to feel the moment disappear, too, and sat up straight. He punched some things into his phone and then said, “Division’s on their way for Dakota.”
“Dakota is Sterling’s son.” I looked out the window in Dakota’s direction. He stood on the sidewalk looking around like a lost puppy dog.
“What?” Jeremy looked, too.
“Dakota is Sterling’s son. He killed his dad to save me. You’ve got to protect him.”
“Christy, he’s done horrible things. We can’t just let him off the hook. He’s going to prison. I’ll put in a good word for him and do everything I can to make his sentence lighter, but he will spend time in jail.”
“But he saved me. His dad forced him to do everything. He put himself in total danger for me. I’m here because of him. I owe my freedom and my life to him.”
“I understand that. But you have to understand that he must be turned over to the authorities. He has to pay for his crimes.” He pulled out his cell phone and texted. A few seconds later, he looked back at his phone and said, “We need the intel on the compound that he can give us. What I really want to know is how he was able to disappear when we were tailing him. We even bugged him, and he’d slip through our fingers. It was the craziest thing. We couldn’t track him. He seriously disappeared into thin air.
“We couldn’t believe it when you got that first letter to us. We figured if we couldn’t get him to take us to you, we’d try and get him to take information to you. As you know, he took the bait.”
“I cried and cried when I got that first letter from you.” I shifted in my seat.
“You did a great job in persuading him to do that. I’m sure it was at great peril to both of you.” He nodded his head.
“It was awful having to pretend with him.” It felt even more awful knowing my feelings for him were partially real.
“You are a great spy. You do what you have to do and more.”
“Are Agents Wood and Penrod here?”
“Yes. Well, not here, but at the building Dakota will be going to.” He frowned. “They were supposed to go with you to the Callahan Mountains. They said you left before they were ready. Is that true? And why didn’t you get your tracker replaced?”
I shook my head. “I was going to do it at lunch, but that’s when Frankie got me and we headed for the mountains. I texted Wood and Penrod, but figured they’d have a hard time catching up with us. Did they ever make it?”
“Yes. But, they said they had no clue where you would be climbing, and your tracker wasn’t working. They found the van, only after you’d been taken. They’re lucky you corroborated the story. I was going to get them fired. You’ll have to write up a report.”
“No problem.”
He looked at his phone. He must’ve received a text. “Division is ten minutes off. Let’s go talk to Dakota.”
I grabbed his arm as he reached for the door handle. “Those kids, in the compound, they need major help.”
“About how many are there?”
“A good 200 in the training center and maybe the same amount in another building. About half of those have Stockholm syndrome. They love Sterling and won’t go without a fight. Don’t underestimate them because they’re young. They’re trained assassins, and they’re well trained at that. They al
l need major counseling.”
“We’ll see to it. That’s a lot of kids.”
“I know. It was scary. And he has other facilities somewhere.”
“Are you kidding me? Hopefully, this facility will lead us to his others.” He texted someone.
“We should go out to Dakota and let him know they’re coming for him,” I said. “He’s going to have a hard time.”
“Yes he will. How’s this going to end with Dakota?” Jeremy kept his eyes trained on me.
“I don’t know. Help me.”
“You are going to go out there and say goodbye.” Jeremy looked at me, a deep sympathy in his eyes.
I sighed. “I hate this.”
“I know. But I have faith in you that you will find a way to separate your feelings from your missions.”
“You have to admit, I did better this time.”
“That’s true. But you can do better still.” Did I detect a hint of jealousy in his tone?
We climbed out of the van and made our way to Dakota. He watched us walk up. Jeremy stopped walking with me when we got within about ten feet.
“Dakota,” I said as I reached him. “They’re coming to take you into custody.”
“I had a feeling.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
“Jeremy and I are going to speak for you so that you get a lighter sentence. It wasn’t all your fault.”
“No, but when I got old enough, I should have turned him in. It was wrong of me to do what I did. I never should have helped him. I deserve to be punished.”
“But you’ve been punished your whole life. You need to fight to get your life back and then do good once you get it.”
“I don’t even know who I want to be anymore. I’m lost.”
Dakota leaned into me, his chin resting on my shoulder, his face nestled in my hair. “I’m lost without you.” I held him tight.
He pulled back. “Are you a spy then, sent to bring my dad down?” Resignation filled his voice. His shoulders slumped.
I wanted to die rather than tell him what I had to tell him, but I had to make sure he understood where I stood. “Yes,” I said, looking at him straight in the eye.
“It was all an act then?” His chin was angled down, his eyes at me.
“Not all of it, but most.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, heat rushing through me. In his case, most of it was real, but I couldn’t tell him that.
“I should have known. You were too perfect.”
“Don’t become jaded toward love because of me. You’re easy to love. After you get out of prison, you’ll find love again. Be open to it. You’ll find someone better than me.”
Division agents arrived, and following Jeremy’s directions, they handcuffed Dakota. I grabbed him into a big hug. I wanted to rip his handcuffs off him so that he could hug me properly. Then he sobbed. His chest heaved, rocking us gently. There was nothing worse than seeing a grown man cry from sadness. He had lost everything. The only family he had, me, and all his connections.
They pulled us apart, and after we took one last long look at each other, they led him away to the car that would take him to jail.
Jeremy stood with a group of three others, throwing his hands out while he spoke. I walked cautiously in his direction, not wanting to interfere. When he saw me out of the corner of his eye, he waved me over, still talking to the others. I took that as a green light. Once I reached him, he said, “Well, I’ll catch you all later.” He turned from them and led me back to the van.
“Division is setting up the mission to free the compound early in the morning. We need your take on the area. Dakota is telling them everything he knows, too. You’re coming along. You need to see these kids go free.”
My heart burned with excitement. To see that compound fall would be the best thing to ever happen.
We climbed into the van and drove away.
“You know some won’t want to be freed.” My insides twisted.
“That’s how it often is in cases with kidnappings.”
“At least half really love him. You’ll need an army of restraints to hold them back. They are trained assassins, vicious, brutal killers with skills. Don’t underestimate them because they’re young.
“Three Avengers are at the training school, and four are wherever they keep the support staff. It’s made up of kids who didn’t make the cut to be assassins.
“Houston will be your hardest to subdue of the three Avengers at the training school. Frankie and Duncan are just confused.
“I’m sure Dakota knows more about the compound than I do, but I’ll tell you everything I know.”
As we drove, I told him all about the security of the compound and the layout and how important I figured it would be to cut the power, including the generators. Just outside the city, he pulled into a docking station at a big warehouse. Men opened the back doors, and then we climbed through them into what turned out to be a satellite building for Division.
We went into a big room with about fifty agents, and we all created a plan for ambushing Sterling’s compound with the least amount of casualties. Dakota was conferenced in. He couldn’t hear us, but we could hear him. A man sat next to him with a headset and when we needed some info, he would ask Dakota.
It shocked me to find that Dakota had lied. He hadn’t been blindfolded when he came to the compound. He knew exactly where it was.
He told the man who asked him the questions, “Tell Misha I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t want her escaping without me.”
A bit of anger fired in me. Jeremy could have found me several months earlier had Dakota not lied. The people who died in that explosion would also be alive, but then I remembered Dakota’s hug, his sobbing, and I let it go.
He gave them a detailed survey of the compound. He didn’t know about the guards, but I did. Between what I had found out myself and what the subversives had given me, we were able to knock out a pretty accurate picture of the compound and the security that was involved. I made sure they knew about the neckbands and re-voiced the concern that a majority of the kids would be protective of the compound and Sterling. They would need to be prepared to fight.
The plan shaped itself beautifully as the team discussed possibilities. We were going to go in like a SWAT team and take out all the outer security first. Next, using stealth, we would use Dakota’s codes to get into the computer control room and take over that part of the operation. From there, at four in the morning, the agents would cuff the hands and feet of every person in the compound and gag them, leaving them in their own rooms. After that half hour, the captives would be taken out to the baseball field in two to three waves. Once they were all out on the baseball field, they would be sorted. I would help with the sorting. The Blackie compound would then be raided, and those kids would also be cuffed and gagged.
At that point, medical personnel would be on hand to evaluate the kids and sort them again according to how much help they needed. I wondered if some would ever recover.
The plan went down smoothly. Snipers took out all the guards in the towers and the ones roaming about the compound. A team of eight men then raided the control center and opened several gates that were built into the walls. Jeremy and I arrived with a helicopter just as the prisoners were being taken out to the field.
I helped sort those I knew would be problems from those I knew would not. As I walked down the rows, several boys and girls called me traitor while others yelled, “Thank you, God bless you, you saved us.” They cried, sobbed, and ached to escape this place. My heart hurt looking out over the several hundred kids on the field. Their families would finally find out what happened to them. I imagined some reunions would be joyful, while others wouldn’t. For some of these kids, this had been the one place they had felt acceptance and love. Most of these kids would be in therapy their whole lives and many would never get to leave government custody because their brainwashing was too complete. There were many that I didn’t know where their allegianc
e lay. Frankie and Duncan were two of those people.
When I came upon Zoey, my heart about jumped out of my chest. I swept her up into a hug, holding her tight. She couldn’t hug me back, but I didn’t care.
“I knew you were the one to save us,” she choked out. “I just knew it.”
“I don’t know how you managed it, but both the email and the radio transmission met their mark. Hundreds, including the president, were saved because of you. You were incredible.”
“So, you really didn’t believe I could do it?”
“Let’s just say I hoped above all hope you would.” I looked at her for approval.
She laughed. “I know what you’re saying. I was so worried about you. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
I called a guard over. “She’s safe. You can uncuff her.”
“Sorry. No one from those buildings that are on this field can be trusted, no matter what you think.”
“Can I at least help her to the subversive section.”
“Sure,” he said, moving on.
We ran into Frankie on our way. I looked at her, pain filling me.
“You were the one, all along.”
I gave her a half smile and shifted my weight.
“I’m sorry I believed anything Sterling said. I’m an idiot.”
“No you’re not,” I said. “Sterling was a genius. He had you where he wanted you.”
“I’m sorry I was so cruel to you after…you know.” Her face screwed up in pain.
“You had every right to be. I’m sorry that happened to you.” I meant it, too.
“I know now it was Sterling that did it, not you.”
I hugged her and then got a guard to help me move both of them to the subversives’ area. I was pleased to see Duncan, Lunden, Maddie, and Anna already there. I smiled at them and they smiled back.
I watched as the three distinct groups took shape: the subversives—those against Sterling, the advocates—those who were for Sterling, and those that were hard to classify, like the Blackies.
I found Jeremy, standing at the edge of the diamond, his arms crossed looking over the field of Sterling’s madness.
Adrenaline Rush Page 28
