by Robin Mahle
“Eric’s taken Jake to soccer practice. He’ll be home in an hour. I’ll talk to him then and will get you an answer by the end of today. Will that be okay?”
A measured sigh of relief escaped her. “Yes. Thank you, Megan.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I have to consider my husband and my own kids in this.”
“I understand. Please use this number when you’ve decided one way or the other. Goodbye, Megan. And thank you.” Lacy ended the call and peered upward toward the cloudy skies. “What more do you want from me? What more do I have to give?”
♦ ♦ ♦
Lacy knocked on Olivia’s bedroom door. “Honey, Celeste has come to say goodbye. Will you open the door, please?” When there was no answer, she tried the handle and regarded Celeste. “It’s locked.”
“Let me try.” She moved in closer. “Liv? Sweetheart, will you let me give you a great big hug before I go? I’d be very sad to leave without that.”
A moment later, the door opened slowly and the small girl with strands of hair clinging to her tear-stained cheeks looked up. “I don’t want you to go.” She rushed to Celeste and threw her arms around her. “You can’t leave. You have to come with us, just like before, remember?” She looked up with a small sliver of hope gleaming in her eyes.
“Not this time, sweetheart. You’re going to visit your aunt and uncle and cousins. Won’t that be a wonderful adventure?”
“No! I don’t know them. I don’t want to stay with them. She’s making us go and she’s making you go too.”
Lacy’s lips began to quiver as she tried to hide the pain of her daughter’s scathing words.
“Oh, it won’t be forever. You’ll be home before you know it. And I’ll be back too. But for now, we must say goodbye.” Celeste kissed the top of her head and slowly crouched down on crackling knees. “I love you with all my heart and I will think about you every single day.”
The two embraced and Lacy looked away, wiping the tears that pooled in her eyes. Jackson came out of his room and approached them. “Can I have a hug too?”
“Oh, sweetheart, of course you can.” Celeste pulled the boy in and hugged both children tightly. “We’ll all be back here before we know it and everything will be just fine.”
Lacy couldn’t offer such a guarantee, but prayed Celeste was right.
“Okay, I have to go now.” She raised upright again with a little help from Lacy. “I have a plane to catch.”
Lacy followed Celeste down the steps where her bags sat by the door. Outside, a cab waited to take her someplace safe—a place Lacy did not know and asked that she keep to herself. “Wait.”
Celeste stopped in the doorway.
Lacy wrapped her arms around the older woman who’d been like a mother to her and a grandmother to her children. “I’m so sorry. You’ve done so much for the kids and me. I love you and I’ll miss you.”
“Just promise you’ll call me whenever this is done. Finally done.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Goodbye, Lacy.” Celeste took hold of her luggage and pulled it along on its wheels down the steps and along the path to the curb where the cab driver waited. She turned back to see the kids standing next to their mother. “Goodbye, my loves.”
When the cab pulled away, Lacy closed the door and turned to the kids with a tender smile.
“I hate you.” Olivia clenched her fists. “I hate you and I’m not going to live with Aunt Megan and Uncle Eric.” She ran up the stairs, wailing with sorrow. “I hate you! I hate you!”
Olivia’s bedroom door slammed and Lacy flinched. She placed her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes while tears streamed down her face.
“It’s okay, Mommy. She’s just mad. I don’t hate you.”
Lacy knelt down and pulled Jackson close and began to cry.
♦ ♦ ♦
Aaron spotted Lacy walking down the stairs and as she reached the bottom, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No. I need to do this on my own. The fewer people who know, the better.”
“Did Caison tell you that?”
“No. Trevor did. And he’s right.”
“And you’re not second-guessing your decision?”
“Of course I am. And I have been every second of every day for the past three days. But until this is resolved, I can’t be sure we’ll ever be safe and I can’t risk that. I can’t risk their lives—not again.”
Aaron reached for the suitcases. “Let me at least get these loaded up for you.” He walked outside to the cab.
Lacy called out. “Kids, we need to go now.” She held the banister for support. Her energy was drained. She hadn’t slept and it had taken everything she had to make this happen in such a short amount of time. Once Megan called with the okay, the arrangements had to be made quickly. And Lacy wondered how much energy she had for the flight ahead. If Jian wanted to destroy her, he’d already done that by forcing her to send her children away. But no one would find them with Jay’s sister. When he was alive, they rarely saw each other, hardly spoke to one another, and only sent the occasional Christmas and birthday cards. Not that they didn’t love each other; they just weren’t close. Megan had her family and Jay had his and they were miles apart.
Now Lacy needed her more than ever and, in the end, Megan had come through. She’d convinced her husband to allow the kids to stay for an indefinite amount of time, perhaps even forever, if Lacy didn’t make it. Of course, she’d not said as much to Megan and hoped not to have to cross that bridge. Although unspoken, it seemed Megan understood what was at stake.
The kids appeared on the landing, their backpacks slung over their shoulders, wearing expressions not much different to those they wore on the day of their father’s funeral.
“Come on, guys. The cab driver’s waiting for us. Our flight leaves soon.”
They made their way outside where Aaron stood, holding the rear passenger door open. He smiled at the kids, but they didn’t return one. He turned to Lacy. “You have everything?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re coming back tomorrow?”
She nodded. “I need to get them settled in. I owe them that much.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The modest Long Island home stood in the distance as the cab approached and rolled to a stop.
“Thank you.” Lacy handed the driver the money and stepped out. “Come on, guys. We’re here.”
Neither said a word, but did as she asked.
Lacy grabbed the suitcases the driver placed on the sidewalk. “Let’s go see your cousins.”
The kids followed with their backpacks in tow and the front door opened to the clear late afternoon skies.
Megan stepped outside to greet them. “You’re here! Wow. You two have grown. Haven’t seen you since…” She trailed off.
“Since my dad’s funeral,” Olivia finished with a tinge of anger in her voice.
“Yes, that’s right. Please, come in. Your cousins can’t wait to meet you.” She eyed Lacy. “How was your flight?”
“Good. Thanks. The kids are pretty tired, though.”
“I’m sure you all are.” She closed the door behind Lacy. “Just leave the bags. I’ll get Eric to take them up to your room.”
“You have a beautiful home, Megan. I wish we’d all come to see it sooner.”
“It’s not much. Nothing like what you guys have, but we like it.”
A wave of shame washed over Lacy. For what, she didn’t know. Perhaps guilt that she and Jay had been much better off financially. But a lot had changed now that he was gone.
♦ ♦ ♦
Olivia and Jackson stood in the entryway as Lacy said her goodbyes to her in-laws. “What you two are doing for me—I’ll never forget it.”
“I know you would do the same for us,” Megan replied.
And she would have, no questions asked. Just exactly as they’d done for her now.
“Guys, your mom’s leaving. G
ive her hugs.”
Jackson didn’t hesitate and rushed to Lacy’s side. “Bye, Mommy. I love you. Don’t be gone too long, okay? Promise?”
“I promise.” Her voice cracked as she looked to Olivia. But Olivia didn’t budge. “Come on, sweetheart.” She opened her arms. “Please. I’ll miss you so much.”
Olivia stared her mother in the eyes and held that stare. Lacy saw the anger seething beneath them. “I’ll be back before you know it and we’ll all go home again.”
“That’s what you said the last time.” Olivia turned and marched up the stairs.
“She just needs some time. She’ll be okay,” Megan seemed to try to soothe the tension.
“I hope she’ll forgive me one day.” Lacy held Jackson a final time and turned to Megan. “I’ll call as often as I can. But if you don’t hear from me, please don’t try to reach out, unless it’s urgent. I’ll have someone else call you if I can’t. And, in the event, well, like we talked about.”
“I know. This will all work out and you’ll be back with your kids as soon as you can. We all know that, Lacy.” She turned to her husband.
“It’ll be okay,” Eric replied. “You have a safe flight home, Lacy.” He offered a distant and brief embrace.
Lacy looked up the stairs a final time and spotted Olivia peeking around the corner. “I love you, baby, and I’ll miss you more than you’ll ever know.” She watched as her daughter disappeared again.
6
Headlights traveled past the living room window and pulled Lacy’s attention from the persistent visions of her daughter’s face. A face full of anger and perceived betrayal. The flight home offered no respite, and now curled up on her sofa, still her thoughts swirled. But the shining headlights outside belonged to someone she had predicted would arrive in this moment.
The doorbell chimed and it was all she could do to heave her body from the static position and answer the bell. “Come in.” Lacy stepped aside.
“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I already have my answer.” Will entered and stood before her, taking hold of her hand. “I won’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. All I can say is how sorry I am.”
She closed the door and led the way into the kitchen. “You want a drink?” Something she’d found herself reaching for more often as of late.
“Sure.”
“I know why you’re here.” Lacy placed a glass of wine in front of him. “I have no other place to go.”
“You can’t stay here, Lacy, but you already knew that. Aaron can’t stay in his place either. Lei Jian knows where you both live and until we know his exact location or that of his associates, this is a no-brainer.”
“You’re right. I do know that, which is why I had to send my kids away—again. And for the same reason.” She sipped on her wine. “I won’t let him get away this time. If we don’t put an end to this, my family will never be safe. I see that now.”
“I spoke with Axell about it and we both think you two would be safer with me. Jian might know I’m here, but he doesn’t know where I live.”
“And how long do you think that will last? A day? A week? How long before he finds all of us again?” She looked away as her eyes reddened. “No. I won’t leave my home. He’s taken everything away from me and I won’t let him take the only thing I have left of Jay. This house. Our house.”
“Lacy, I need you to be objective about this. Look at the big picture.”
“I won’t run away again, Will. If he wants me, he can come and get me. But as for Aaron, he should stay with you. I love him dearly, but he isn’t cut out for this.”
“You’re a stubborn woman.” Will regarded her tenacity. “If you won’t leave here, then we’ll have to make arrangements to keep our guard up. Aaron should stay here and Axell and I will organize a detail.”
“You can’t do that. No one can know what’s happening. We can’t trust anyone in either agency. We have no idea who Jian has in his pocket now. Someone had to reveal Kendrick’s location. Someone else is helping him take out those of us who knew his plan.”
“I’m starting to think it’s possible that it was the deputy secretary. He stands to lose the most.”
“I don’t know about that. It wouldn’t serve him any purpose. In fact, just the opposite. He has to be fuming knowing that Jian’s been freed. It puts his department at risk. The secretary, maybe even the president. The problem is, we still don’t know how far Jian’s reach extends.”
“Or if it stops with him. He could have other collaborators on his side—in the ministry itself.” Will tossed back the rest of his wine. “I suppose it’s Axell’s job to figure that out.”
“Which is exactly the reason why Aaron is in place at Langley. To help him figure that out. Something we thought we had time to do.”
“I’ll leave it to you to speak to Aaron, then. I don’t think he’ll have any qualms about staying here. In fact, I think he’ll be glad to.”
Lacy detected a chary tone in his voice and noted a shift in his gaze. “Why do you say it like that?”
Will raised his eyes to meet hers. “You don’t see it?” When she didn’t respond, he continued, “For the past several months, he’s had you all to himself. I was in Louisville, trying to get my transfer. Axell was doing what he needed to do to get Aaron on board and you were biding your time until everything came together.” He ran his index finger along the rim of the empty wine glass. “Lacy, there is no doubt in my mind that he has feelings for you. You’ve both risked your lives and come through it. You knew each other before all of this. Both of you loved Jay. It makes perfect sense, except that his feelings for you could get in the way and be a distraction from what he needs to do.”
“You’re wrong. He feels responsible for what happened to Jay and has told me so. If he’d known the information he’d given Jay that day—the day of the attack—he’d have done things differently. I know he loves me, but not in the way you think he does.” Although she believed the words she spoke were true, there was a hint of uncertainty behind them.
“Okay. If you say so. You know him better than I do. I’d better be going.”
“You don’t want to stay and have something to eat?”
He paused to consider her invitation. “No—thank you. I should go home. Seems strange to say that and not be headed on a plane to Kentucky.” He chuckled before standing from the stool. “From this point forward, there’s no turning back. Concerns about Jian wasn’t in our initial plans, but we’ll have to adapt. I’ll do my best to find a solution to keep you here as long as possible, but if we get intel on movement...”
“I understand.” Lacy followed him as he made his way to the door. “Thank you for checking in on me. It means a lot.” She unveiled a thin smile before wrapping her arms around his neck. “This is the beginning of the end, Will, and I’m doing my best to remember what’s at stake.”
“I hope so. Good night and we’ll talk more tomorrow after I’ve had a chance to get with Axell.” A final nod and Will stepped out into the darkness.
Lacy watched him pull away until the red glow of his taillights was no longer visible. She closed the door and turned in, realizing she was alone in a cavernous space that used to be filled with love and laughter, all of which were gone, but she was determined not to leave this home. No one, not even Lei Jian, was going to make that happen.
♦ ♦ ♦
The attractive presentation of food on her plate did nothing to stimulate Lacy’s appetite. The restaurant was too loud and too busy and while those attributes didn’t usually bother her, they did today.
“You’re not hungry?” Aaron asked.
“Not really. I’m sorry we didn’t get to catch up this weekend, but you know…”
“I know. It’s okay.” With his napkin, Aaron wiped the corners of his mouth and placed his hands against his thighs. “I’ll be on my own from here on out. No one looking over my shoulder. Well, not directly, anyway.”
“What’s it like
there?”
“I don’t have anything to compare it to, I suppose, but it’s okay. People are nice enough, although I’m pretty sure they don’t like me.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Something Axell said about contractors being former employees. It seems like a pretty tight network.”
“Still hard to imagine you holding down a 9 to 5.” She smiled. “I’m glad you stuck with me, though. I don’t know what I’d do…”
“I wanted to do this. No matter what happens in the end, this was my choice.” He inhaled a deep breath. “And, now that I’ll have some autonomy, I should be able to do what needs to be done.”
Lacy peered through the window at the sea of people passing by. “Have you talked to Trevor or Will about—um—security?”
“I understand I’ll have to take up residence elsewhere.”
“And are you okay with that? In the short-term?”
“Yes. The thought of you alone in that house.” He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be alone there and if I can offer a shoulder or anything like that, you know I will, without hesitation.”
“Thank you. It’ll be good to have you near. I don’t know if Trevor and Will can protect us as much as they would like, but this was my decision and I’m sticking with it.”
“They’ll do everything in their power, Lacy.”
“How soon can you get your things?”
“Tonight. But for now, I’m afraid I need to get back to the office.” He reached for his wallet.
“You don’t need to pay for my lunch.”
“I’ve got a steady job now. I can afford it.” He dropped two twenties on the table. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way this evening.” Aaron left the restaurant and passed by the window while Lacy looked on. He raised his fingers in a slight wave and continued toward his car.
