by Nancy Adams
“Honey,” I said, “this is the future wife of the CEO, and if you don't put me through to Mr Davenport right this very minute, I guarantee you you are going to have a very, very, very bad day. Do I make myself clear?”
The girl sounded like she coughed once, and then she said, “Yes ma'am, no problem, just one moment, please.”
I heard it ringing, and then, “Mike Davenport.”
“Mr Davenport, this is Katelynn Burke, and I know you're busy and I know that you're talking to Nate now and then, but I've just got to talk to you for a moment.”
“Of course, Katelynn, what can I do for you?”
“Mr Davenport, there's a man that I met a few weeks ago, and I want to try to reach him now. Do you know how to get hold of John Tarsikes?”
Mr Davenport sounded like he was smiling. “Of course I do. John and I went to high school and college together. I'm the one who brought him in when you were abducted.”
“Okay, great!” I said. “Do me a huge favor, get him on the phone and give him this number, and tell him to call me as soon as you possibly can. Would you do that please?”
“Yes ma'am,” he said, “I sure will.”
I hung up the phone and kept driving around the estate. There were so many roads on the estate that I didn't need to keep going in circles, I could just keep driving around as if I were in the countryside. Pretty nice, to be honest; take a road trip, and never have to leave home.
After about 5 minutes, my phone rang and I snatched it up.
“Hello?”
“Miss Burke? This is John Tarsikes. I got the message you wanted me to call.”
“Yes, John, and I thank you so much for calling. Have you heard what's going on with Nate?”
“Yes, ma'am, I have, and please trust me when I tell you that he is a good man in that type of situation, and will be back safe. It'll take a lot more than a few stupid terrorists to get rid of Nate Simmons.”
“I know, John,” I said, “but I'm not going to sit around and wait. I know that if I call anyone else, they're going to give me a bunch of static, so I'm going to ask you right now, point blank. Will you help me get to New York today?”
He seemed to choke for a moment.
“Miss Burke, if I do, I'm probably going to get myself in more hot water than I've ever been in my life. Why on earth would you want to go to New York City right now?”
“Because my husband is out there, he's in danger, and I'm going to get him! Did he hesitate when I was in danger? No, he called you, and then he came and got me. Now, if he can do that for me, then I can and will do it for him. Now are you going to go with me, or do I have to do this all by myself?”
“Miss Burke, this is an entirely different situation from when you were kidnapped. Nate, your father and I, we've all been in tough combat situations before. Do you really think anybody is going to be happy if I take you into a situation like this?”
“Let me put it this way: if you won't help me get there, I'm still going to go one way or another. Now would it be better for me to go with you watching over me? Or do you think that Nate and his family and all of the rest would say it was better for me to just go on my own?”
I could hear John sigh. “Miss Burke, give me an hour and meet me at San Francisco International. I'll be at the private gate.”
I hung up the phone, turned the car around and headed back to the house. There were a couple of things I needed for this little trip. The trick was simply going to be getting them and getting out without being seen.
Luckily, when you park in Nate's garage, there are different doors you can leave through. That means that you can slip around the side of the big house without being seen, and go in through a different door, depending on which direction you're coming from. I made it around the back of the house, and managed to sneak in through the kitchen entrance. No one saw me go in, no one saw me go up the stairs, and no one saw me sneak back out 10 minutes later.
I don't know if they saw the Nova driving out or not.
John
Chapter Nine
T R O U B L E
* * * * *
If you're going to get yourself in trouble, you might as well do it right. That's always been my motto. That's why, when Katelynn Burke called me and said she wanted to go to New York City to try to help rescue her husband to be, I was stupid enough to say yes. She needed help, and since she knew me from when we had rescued her from her kidnappers, she decided I was the one she was going to get involved in this mad, insane project.
Knowing full well that I would end up with all the Simmons Family thoroughly angry with me, I decided to go ahead and help so that she wouldn't manage to get herself into any serious trouble. If she got herself hurt, trying to get in there on her own, I'd never forgive myself. And that doesn't even touch on the fact that Nate would probably rip me a new you know what.
I called a friend of mine who had a little Learjet similar to the one they had crashed in not long ago. It took a little haggling, but I got him to let me use it for this sneaky trip into New York, pilot and all. I knew that, with a terrorist attack going on, there was no way we were going to be able to fly right into the city's airports, so we'd have to fly in somewhere else, and then drive in the on the ground.
My buddy found the answer, and by the time she and I got to the airport, the pilot had a flight plan laid out that would take us to within 20 miles of New York City. I called ahead and arranged a car, so that it would be waiting for us when we landed.
The flight would take about four and a half hours, and of course, we'd be losing three hours off the clock on the way. That meant, since we left San Francisco at just before 1 p.m., it would be after 8 p.m. when we arrived in New York City. The chance that Nate would get himself out of this mess in less than five hours was pretty slim, especially since the police were already involved in negotiating with the terrorists. If there's one thing police can mess up, it's a negotiation with terrorists.
Katelynn met me at the airport just as she was supposed to, and we got into the plane and took off within minutes. I had explained to her how late it would be when we arrived, because of moving to Eastern time from Pacific time, and she understood. It didn't matter, she said, she just wanted to get there.
The plane had no sooner than left the ground when her cell phone rang. I raised an eyebrow as she pulled it out and looked at it, and then held it to her ear to answer.
“Hello?” She said to the caller. “Oh, hi mom. Well, that's not going to be easy; you see, I've sort of gotten on a plane and I'm headed for New York City. Mom, calm down ! There's no sense in getting yourself all upset, I'm already gone and there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm going to New York, I'm going to be there when Nate gets out of this mess , and then I'm going to bring him home and never let him out of my sight again.”
The conversation went on that way for a few moments, and then she finally got off and hung up. She looked at me with a sheepish grin, and shrugged her shoulders.
“Parents,” she said.
I could tell that she was nervous, being inside the small plane again, especially after what had happened to her a couple of weeks back. I'd heard all about the crash and their adventures in the wilderness , and I could just picture Nate tackling that grizzly bear.
She managed to keep calm, however. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her, but she managed.
I had brought along some snacks and bottles of water, and shared with her on the flight. As I suspected, she hadn't thought to bring anything along for herself. No problem; if I was going to be a babysitter, I was going to be a good one.
We did talk a little bit on the flight, although she didn't want to discuss what we were going into as much as she wanted to hear stories about Nate and his father from before. I told her what I could, because I've known the family for a while. Nate was a good man and had been a fine marine, so when I had to stand at his side during her rescue, I felt I was in good company then.
We landed on schedule, just a
few minutes after 8 PM Eastern Time, and the car was waiting. I was a little surprised to see that the car I had arranged was a Hummer, but at least I wasn't worried about being able to get through. if something got in my way, I could simply go over the top of it. We climbed in and headed towards the city.
“Katelynn,” I asked as we drove, “just what is it you plan to do here?”
“Whatever I have to,” she said. “Mostly, I just want to be here when he comes out of that building. But if anything goes wrong, I just have to be close by. I couldn't bear the thought that something bad could happen to him, and I'd be all the way across the country in California. I need to be close to him, and somehow I need him to know it.”
I took out my phone and called Mike Davenport. If anyone would know how to get a message to Nate, it would be Mike.
“Mike? It's John. I guess I might as well go ahead and throw my neck on the chopping block, because I have the future Mrs. Simmons with me at this moment in a Hummer, driving into New York City. Yeah, I figured you would have known. Okay, Buddy , thank you. I'll let you know when I know more.”
I turned to Katelynn. “Well,” I said, “He knows. Apparently your mother and his folks told Mike Davenport That you had headed out here, and he put two and two together and figured out who could have arranged that for you, namely me, so he told Nate that you are on the way. And then there was something about the being turned into a hamburger, when Nate gets hold of me, but that's okay, I can deal with it.”
She grinned. “Don't worry, I won't let grind you up too fine. Being the fiance does have some benefits. Did they say whether he's still safe?”
“All Mike knows at the moment is that he and the others with him, including your dad, are holed up somewhere they consider safe. The police are supposed to be making progress in their negotiations, so with any luck, this will all be over by morning.”
“And what if there isn't any luck? How long do you think this could go on?”
I shook my head. “I wouldn't know how to guess. There's just no telling how long it can last, to be honest. I don't have a lot of faith in the police to handle this kind of negotiation.”
“I just want him home. I just want him out of there and safe.”
I felt sorry for the poor girl, but there was only so much I could do.
We drove toward the courthouse, using GPS to get us there the fastest way, and found the edge of the police cordon about nine o'clock. An officer waved me around it, and I found a place to park about two blocks away.
I looked at Katelynn. “About the only place they're going to let us be is around the press area, I suspect. We'll stand around like we know what we're doing, and odds on we'll learn more from the reporters than we would from the cops. If we get in the way, we'll be run out of here like cockroaches from a five star restaurant, so don't bother any of the cops. If one of them speaks to you, nod your head and move away. If one asks you a question, say you've got to find your boss, and get me.”
She nodded her understanding, so we got out of the car and began moving toward the courthouse. I had no intention of letting her do anything stupid, of course, but being close to her fiance would help her, and I had no doubt she'd have found another way to be here if I had refused. I'd rather Nate be mad at me for protecting her than for failing to protect her.
We walked to where the reporters and news crews were segregated into a rectangular area near one of the corners of the block. No one said a thing as we stepped into the arena; everyone was watching for their glory moment, that one exclusive picture or scene they might get that no one else saw. We wandered as close to the front as I felt we dared, and found a spot to wait near the coffee truck. I got us each a cup, and we drank it as we watched.
“The real irony of this,” Katelynn said suddenly, “is that I'm probably within five hundred yards of Nate, but I might as well be back in California. I can't get to him, I can't really help him.” She looked at me sheepishly over her cup. “This wasn't a very good idea, was it?”
I grinned. “Probably not,” I said, “but you weren't gonna listen to me or anyone else on that. If it helps you to know he's not that far away, or if it helps him to know you came, then what's the harm? That's how I look at things.” I took a drink. “Besides, when this is all over, you can at least be the first one to grab him, right?”
We stood there without speaking further, listening to the reporters and their crews as they mumbled to each other, listening to the police radios that were turned up so loud you'd think they were trying to make sure the bad guys inside could hear them. The whole thing looked like a bad comedy movie, to me.
We'd been there about an hour when we saw the first sign of life from inside the building. A light came on, not very bright, in a second floor window, and then a man's face appeared in it. He held something up that must have been a megaphone, because we could hear his voice magnified through it.
“Attention, attention,” he said. “I am one of the hostages, and I've been ordered to tell you that if anyone tries to come inside, our captors will detonate a bomb that is sitting in the center of the first floor lobby. All of us are being held in that room or the one above it, so we'll all be killed.”
He disappeared from view, and the light went out instantly. The reporters began buzzing all around us, but something didn't feel right to me. I tried for a moment to put my finger on it, but then I shrugged. This wasn't my problem, so I wasn't going to let it distract me from the job I was on: keeping Miss Burke out of any danger.
The cops were milling around like disturbed bees, and I watched them from the corner of one eye. They didn't seem as intense after an announcement like that as I would have expected, but maybe they already knew about the bomb; after all, I knew that they had a source inside the building, and Nate may have gotten a look at it.
Katelynn was looking at me. “What?” I asked.
“I was just wondering what you were thinking. There's a look on your face, like you know something no one else does.”
I grinned and told her what had been going through my mind. “If Nate's tipping them off on things the terrorists want to use as surprise leverage, that will make a difference in the cops' entire approach. I'm watching to see if I can catch any sign of what they're up to.”
I took out my phone and called Mike Davenport. “Mike, what's the good word?”
“Well, the NYPD is now talking to Nate without me; they got a master cell line and dedicated it to the phone he's using. He's still creepin' around the building, telling the cops what he can. I'm guessing you and Miss Burke are there?”
“Yeah, we're here. Cops aren't acting like they're in any hurry to move, but I think that may be because of Nate keeping them informed. Just wanted to check in. How high did he jump when you told him his girl is here?”
“Through the roof. I'm fired, you're on his personal hit list, and I have a feeling she's gonna get the worst spanking of her life when he gets hold of her, but other than that, he's glad you're watching out for her. Better not let her stub a toe, man.”
“Not a chance,” I said. We hung up, and I told Katelynn the gist of it, leaving out the part about being on Nate's hit list.
“At least he knows I'm out here,” she said, and I caught a smile on her face for a moment. It faded as the gravity of the situation hit her once more.
That's when we heard the gunfire.
Nathanael
Chapter Ten
The Unknown Soldier
* * * * *
It took a little time, but the cops finally got something working in the phone system so they could call me directly, and that gave me a liaison officer for when I had any intel to pass on. At first they didn't want me to do anything, but I managed to get through to them that I was former Marine Recon, and probably one of the best men they could have in this position, so they finally accepted my help.
I had been using the judge's phone sparingly, trying to conserve the battery as much as possible. It had been close to fully
charged when she'd given it to me, so I had a little time before it would be an issue. As I moved through the halls and stairways, I was texting with my contact at the NYPD, keeping the keys on silent mode.
I'd gotten a look into the main lobby, and what I'd seen there was not a bit comforting. There were four barrels at the back of the room, and they were connected together with tubing and wires. It looked like a bomb to me, and probably a good sized one, but the worst was that it was surrounded by what I gathered were hostages, people who worked or had business in the building that day. Most of them were just sitting on the floor, but a few were laying down, obviously in some kind of distress. I saw one woman who looked very pregnant, and hoped that the stress wouldn't send her into labor.
I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the device and send them via SMS to my police contact, an officer named Warren. She sent back that it looked like a fertilizer bomb, similar to the one that was used years ago in Oklahoma City. If it was, then it would likely be just as devastating to this building as that one had been.
Just above the lobby on the second floor, I found another group of hostages stuffed into halls, offices and storerooms, and the placement was obviously meant to make sure that if the bombs went off, they'd die with the ones that were on the first floor. I realized that my own small group was actually just above the same area on the fourth floor, so I went back and moved them down to the third floor, but all the way to the back of the building. I found a room there that was small, and had a chance of survival even if the rest of the building collapsed, and put them there. We brought along a lot of the bottled water and snack foods that were in the break room, just in case we were there a while.
I stayed there and rested for a bit, then went out and looked things over again. I was almost caught that time, because one man was making a sweep through the building, looking for anyone they'd missed. I'd told Jim to lock the door behind me as I left, and not to open it for anyone who didn't knock three three five: three knocks, three more knocks, and then five knocks, very softly. I wasn't too concerned the sweeper would find them unless he actually had a key to that door.
