“I have no memory of my earliest years, what were they like?”
Amanda shook her head.
“No. I don’t think I should tell you that.”
When he spoke again, there was a tone of pleading in his voice that Jessica had never heard before,
“Amanda, please don’t hold back, I need answers, and I’ve needed them my entire life.”
Amanda hesitated, and then said two words,
“Ritualistic killings,”
“Murder? Billy Gant, my father, he made us watch as murders took place?”
Amanda sighed.
“William Gant, I believe he started the cult as just another con, but in the end, he was mad. The cult members became believers in an ultimate ‘Day of Deliverance’, a doomsday, and began making sacrifices in Gant’s name. They were all women, all raped and killed with a knife. Your father thought of women as playthings, and he wanted his sons to feel the same way, and so, he made you watch, and you were just babies, toddlers.”
“He was truly a monster,” Jessica said in a whisper, and Amanda nodded in agreement.
“I found out what he was doing to you boys and that’s when I became determined to make contact with the FBI. I tried sneaking out of the compound one night to talk to them, but got caught by one of Billy’s friends. Fortunately, I was rescued by a man who was already undercover and looking into the atrocities.”
“An FBI agent?” Jessica asked.
“No, he was a young private detective working for another detective, Jake Caliber. He was in his twenties, had long hair, and so fit right in, but he was working with Caliber to bring down the Gants.”
“So, it was Jake Caliber that helped you escape?”
“In a way, but it was actually the younger private eye who took care of me and my boys. The Gant’s had a stockpile of money, cash. When the compound was finally raided by the FBI and the Texas Rangers, he shoved a suitcase of money at me and gave me the name of a contact that would help me start a new life. William Gant died that night, but Billy escaped, and I knew that he would come looking for me. If he found me, he would find you, you and your brothers, and so I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done... and I let you go.”
“My mother told us that the paperwork you gave her concerning me was never questioned, how did you accomplish that?”
“It was the contact that I got from the detective. He was a man in an art studio in Amarillo. I supplied the names and he made the forged documents. I doubt you could do that now, what with all the computers, but he made your new birth certificates, created an identity for me, and used some of my money to pay off a county records clerk. I left there and began, began giving my boys away.”
“Michael was the first? My mother said that when you came to her, that Jeffrey was also there.”
“Oh no, you were the first, no, Michael was asleep in the car.”
“Why was I first?”
Amanda looked alarmed by the question.
“It wasn’t because I loved you less; it was just, just logistics. Betty was closer than the other girls I’d chosen.”
“Why did you choose my mother?”
“There was little choice. I knew so few people outside the cult and whatever failings Betty had, she was light-years better than what you came from.”
“And so you paid her, and you paid Jeffrey’s mother, but then Michael ran away,”
“Yes, and now you know how things came to be.”
He looked over at Jessica and saw unspoken sympathy in her eyes, birthed by what Amanda had just revealed of his early childhood.
“What became of your parents, my grandparents?”
“I don’t know; a lot of cult members died that night because William Gant armed them and sent them against the FBI and Texas Rangers. I do know that he died that night, because I saw Jake Caliber kill him in self-defense.”
He looked over at Jessica, and down at her belly, where his unborn children resided.
“That’s quite a legacy I bring to the table,”
Jessica shook her head.
“You’re not all Gant, through Amanda you have the blood of the Calibers running through your veins, and that’s a legacy you can be proud of.”
He looked at both women, as a pained expression crossed his features.
“I try, you know? I try every day of my life to choose the right side.”
Jessica reached over and caressed his cheek.
“Oh no, baby, you succeed, you succeed,”
CHAPTER 7
Early the following morning, Lawson stood on the grounds of the UK Consulate in Indiana and spoke with Carter, who sat on stone steps with his head in his hands, as he was still recovering from the drug that Matthews had slipped him.
“There are people wondering why you’re still alive, Colonel Carter.”
“What the fuck does that mean, Lawson?”
“Why didn’t Matthews kill you as well?”
“Because he’s not a killer, he’s a man such as yourself, a pompous little bureaucrat.”
Lawson sighed.
“I wasn’t accusing you, just stating a fact, and right now your culpability, if any, is meaningless. The horse has left the barn, not only does Matthews have the flash drive, but he also has the tracker, and with no way to track it, he’s gone.”
“I can find him.”
“How?”
“Nevermind how, but I’ll need help, and I want your man John White, or whatever his real name is.”
Lawson shook his head.
“White is off the board. His wife is about to give birth to twins.”
“I don’t give a damn if she’s about to birth a rugby team, if I go after Matthews alone I’ll likely fail and after last night I trust no one on your side or mine.”
“Except for White?”
“He’s proven himself trustworthy, and he’s capable as all hell. Get me White and I’ll bring that bloody drive back, along with Matthews’ head.”
***
He and Maggie had gone out for a run along the stream that ran by their house. The dog was with them, and in between bouts of scent sniffing, he would gallop along beside them. When he spotted the girl walking towards them, he reached down and grabbed the dog by the collar.
“Who’s she?” Maggie said.
“I don’t know her, but she might be a new neighbor. The old neighbors, the Patels, relocated to New York City about a month ago.”
The girl smiled and waved to them. She had honey-colored hair and looked to be about sixteen.
Maggie waved back. “I’m gonna go talk to her.”
“All right, but I’ll stay here with Stitches in case she’s nervous around dogs.”
As Maggie reached the girl, an older man appeared around the bend. He had short gray hair and looked to be in fantastic condition, but was too far away to see his features well. The man and the girl began walking back with Maggie, and as they grew closer, he realized that he knew the man, but had not seen him in many years.
He was the man he thought of as Number Twenty-eight, a former boyfriend of his mother’s.
The man grinned as he came closer.
“Well I’ll be damned, how are you, kid?”
“I’m good, Mr. Beck, and I see you’ve met my sister, Maggie.”
“She’s Betty’s girl? Well, that explains where she gets her looks, and this gorgeous girl right here is my daughter, Heather.”
“Hello Heather,”
Heather smiled shyly as she began petting the dog, “Hi sir,”
Jack Beck pointed back the way he’d come.
“I just bought the property back there, looks like we’re neighbors.”
“Yes.”
“How is your mother?”
“She’s a little under the weather, but nothing serious,”
“Well now, tell her that I said hi, and that I hope she gets better.”
“I’ll do that.”
“I can see you stay in shape, son, but tell me, have
you kept up with the Judo and fencing I taught you?”
“The Judo, yes, the fencing, occasionally, and I can see you’ve stayed in shape as well.”
Beck smiled. “There’s no other way to live.”
“It was nice to see you again, sir, but Maggie and I have to get back, my wife is due any day now and I don’t like to be away from her for long.”
Beck smiled warmly at him.
“Look at you, a family man, you turned out good, kid, and I’ll see you around.”
“Dad?” Heather said. “Can I go by their place later and see Maggie?”
“It’s fine with me, honey,”
“You can come by anytime, Heather, but Maggie is only visiting for a few days.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No problem.”
They decided to walk back to the house, and as they walked along, Maggie asked about Mr. Beck.
“He used to date, Mom?”
“Years ago, when I was about your age,”
“You liked him a lot, didn’t you? You both seemed happy to see each other.”
“I did like him, and I respected him. He was a former Marine and he taught me a lot.”
“Do you wish Mom had stayed with him?”
“Not at all,”
“Why not?”
He smiled.
“Because then she never would have had you.”
***
They arrived back home in time to see Lawson show up without warning, with a pair of black SUV’s.
“Who’s that guy getting out of the car?” Maggie asked.
“An associate,”
“He looks like a fed.”
He smiled; even a teenager could make Lawson.
“He is a fed. I occasionally do work for the government.”
“But not today, right?”
“No, not today, now please go inside and tell Jessica that we have company.”
“All right, but what’s his name?”
“Just tell her it’s Lawson, Thomas Lawson,”
***
“No.”
“I understand that it’s a lot to ask at this time, but—”
“No.”
“Just meet with him, listen to what he has planned and—”
He gestured at Jessica, who stood beside him.
“Today is her due date, today, and you want me to leave her?”
Lawson glanced back at the SUV’s parked in front of their house. Four heavily armed men stood outside the rear vehicle dressed in the all-black para-military garb of Homeland Security.
“I could insist, White, and I will if I need to.”
He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice as he fought to control his anger.
“Take that route and I won’t resist, because if I did, Jessica might be injured, but know this, there will be a reckoning.”
Lawson stared into his eyes and saw the rage building. He then turned around and spoke to his team.
“Stand down and get back inside the vehicles.”
There was a chorus of, “Yes sir.” and the men did as ordered.
Jessica spoke.
“Mr. Lawson?”
“Yes, Jessica?”
“It’s now Dr. White to you, and by backing down you may have just saved your own life.”
Lawson smiled sheepishly.
“It was always just a bluff, one I didn’t think through. However, this is truly a matter of national security.”
“Explain that,” Jessica said.
“I’m sorry, Doctor, but it’s need-to-know,”
“I see, but is that need greater than your need?”
“You have a point. All right, may we go inside and talk?”
“No,” he said, but Jessica answered, “Yes.”
“What are you doing? I can’t leave you; you could go into labor at any moment.”
“Yes, but I want to hear him out. Look at him, take a good look, he’s worried, and that worries me.”
He studied Lawson, and understood what she meant,
“Let’s go inside,”
***
“Contingency plans? That’s what’s on that drive?”
“Yes, detailed plans for the overthrow or invasion of such countries as Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, and even Russia. Mind you, these were created as NATO war exercises only, a game of ‘what if’s’, but without that context, they look damning, and would undoubtedly cost lives if revealed.”
“I understand the embarrassment, but how would it cost lives?” he said.
“When I say detailed, I mean detailed. These plans name the people we have embedded in those governments, not by name of course, but by position, which is just as bad. If these plans came to light, those people, brave men and women, would be in chains or dead within hours.”
“Is that what Matthews and his people are after? Are they trying to damage the country’s reputation, or maybe even start a war?”
“Yes and no, we believe that he and his people, if he even has any people left at this point, we think they will expose one set of plans, and then make contact and begin blackmailing us and our allies.”
“For money?”
“For power and influence, to shape government policy as they see fit,”
“But if any of this comes to light it would cause severe damage,” Jessica said.
“Yes.”
“Matthews has had the drive for hours, what if he’s made copies?”
“It’s not a normal drive; it’s highly encrypted and even with luck, our experts think it will take them days to unlock it.”
“Still, they could be anywhere,”
“Carter assures me that he can track them, and he wants your help. He trusts you.”
“Why is this information out there at all?”
“Needless to say, the information on that drive can’t be transmitted over the Internet, and so whenever there were updates in the scenarios, they were hand delivered by armed couriers, somehow, Matthews and his people discovered what they were transporting and began planning this seizure. Matthews was in charge of the transfers on the UK side.”
“The men I fought earlier, who were they?”
“They were some of the current and former couriers, American and British agents tasked to transfer the drives back and forth across the Atlantic. These transfers weren’t half-assed; it was always done with a team from each side and each side had a tracker, while the drive was kept locked in a small safe. Carter was a last-minute replacement and found out what they were going to do. He managed to tip us to it, but by then it was in motion.”
“Excuse us, Lawson,” Jessica said.
“Right, I’ll be outside awaiting your decision.”
Once Lawson left the living room, Jessica took his hands in hers.
“I want you to do this.”
“Why?”
“Our children are coming into a world with enough turmoil. If you can prevent this from happening, it may actually make the world safer.”
“I wanted to be there when you had them.”
“And you still might; there’s no guarantee that they’ll come today, on their due date.”
“What about Maggie?”
“I’ll explain things to her.”
“All right, I’ll do it, and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.”
***
When he returned outside, he was wearing all black and had a special shoulder rig under his jacket with a modified Glock 17. The gun had a threaded barrel with a sound-suppressor attached.
Lawson took one look and said two words.
“Thank you.”
***
Miles away, Jace was meeting with an associate of his new attorney, Jeff Roman.
The lawyer’s name was Curtis Roberts. He was a black man in his mid-forties with green eyes and a receding hairline. At this meeting, Jace was unshackled at Roberts’ insistence.
“Tell me why you’re in solitary confinement. You haven’t been in any
fights have you?”
“No man, they stuck me in there for my protection.”
“You’ve been threatened?”
“These dudes wanted me to join a gang and I said no.”
“Well, after tomorrow you’ll no longer have to worry.”
“That’s up to the judge, ain’t it?”
Roberts smiled at him.
“Son, let me explain to you how this works. You, or in your case, a representative of yours, hired the law firm of Jeffrey P. Roman to defend you. Mr. Roman, my boss, has spent the last few decades building relationships throughout the continental United States. The judge overseeing your case is the brother of a man who clerked for a friend of Mr. Roman’s. Mr. Roman called his friend, who then spoke to the brother, and he in turn spoke to the judge. The bottom line, the judge is very much disposed to rule in your favor.”
“So, the fix is in?”
“Not a fix, more like professional consideration, but now, let me warn you that the facts of the case must be as you represented them. If the prosecutor brings forth new evidence, then all bets are off.”
“That won’t happen, there’s video of my uncle and the guard shooting each other. I was there, but I never fired a shot or threatened anyone. Hell man, once the shooting happened, I was sure the cops were gonna waste me.”
“I read the transcripts, and while it’s true that you didn’t harm anyone yourself, under the law you were still culpable.”
“What are you telling me?”
“Your sentence is being reduced to ten years, minus the two years you’ve already served.”
“Eight more years?”
“Yes, but they’ll be served on probation,”
“So I’ll be free, but if I screw up it’s back in here? Hell man, I’m gonna be Little Goody Two-Shoes once I get out of here, believe it.”
“There’s more. You must have employment and a place to stay.”
“How can I find a job and an apartment while I’m in here?”
Roberts smiled again.
“It’s already taken care of,”
“How’s that?”
“Mr. Roman secured you a position at a nearby mall as a janitor, and it so happens that he owns a number of apartment rentals in the state.”
“A janitor? You mean like cleaning toilets?”
“You could always stay in here.”
The TAKEN! Series - Books 9-12 (Taken! Box Set Book 3) Page 27
