She followed Braden to the last table in the back of the room by the window. “Do you talk to yourself?” She demanded.
“When I’m nervous I talk to myself.”
“Well, you don’t have to be nervous today.”
“I know. He grabbed her hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.” She felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her skirt pocket. Keeping it below the table, she opened her latest text message, Maitland didn’t tell Tony to get you back. I don’t know what Tony is doing but you’d better watch your back. Maitland didn’t accept your resignation. He said that you had better not have burned those papers.
She quickly texted back: Is Marshall coming?
She instantly got the reply: Have you seen the man outside of Braden’s school, yet? Sheba turned off her phone just as Dr. Johnston said, “Braden’s aunt is here visiting from the United States. Miss Bentley, please tell us about yourself.”
About eleven, Braden tapped Sheba’s arm. “It’s almost time for what they call PT. That means Physical Training. It seems a lot like recess to me but that’s when I usually see that guy.”
Sheba grimaced. “I hope he shows up because I’m ready to kick some butt.”
Frustrated at not seeing the man that Braden described, she began walking around the field following the fence. She had just turned the corner closest to the soccer field when she noticed the bushes moving. She could see the flash of a reflection. As she shifted position she was startled to see a hand and a wrist with a large silver watch resting on a branch of a tree. Shaking her head to clear her vision, she tried to see what the arm was attached to. As she slowly searched the bushes with her eyes, she saw the outline of a man. He was using his hand to hold the branch down so that he could watch the students playing soccer.
Slowly, she walked back to a gate in the fence, sliding through, she grateful that her dress was a dark green so that she wouldn’t stand out. Leaning on her crutches, she eased through the bushes, trying not to make any noise. After several nerve wracking minutes, she could see him clearly while she was still hidden. Carefully, she raised her phone, snapping three pictures, quickly sending them to the woman she still thought of as her boss.
Suddenly, Braden shouted. “Aunt Sheba, where are you?” His voice was shrill with panic.
She began backing away, but the man spotted her taking his picture. He lunged through the bushes toward her.
Hastily, she backed toward the fence. She had to get her phone to safety. She had to get herself to safety. She had to get to the fence so she could throw her phone over the fence. At least it would be safe.
As she gained the grass, he lunged out at her, grabbing her arm and slamming her against the fence. As he reached for her phone, she kneed him in the groin, but he felt her leg move and twisted away from her.
Shoving him aside, she tossed the phone over the fence, throwing it as hard as she could. I just hope it survives. Then the man reached for her throat.
Contorting her body, she dodged his hand, putting her face within inches of his. Pushing her head hard against the fence, she slammed her forehead into his nose. Instantly, her face and dress were splattered with blood. He screamed in pain as his nose broke. He grabbed it with one hand as he raised his hand to strike her, she flipped to the side, her crutches going one way while she went the other.
When he saw several of the male faculty running toward him, he disappeared into the bushes.
“Aunt Sheba, are you okay?” Braden had stuck his fingers through the fence and began patting her hand. When she turned toward him, he gasped, “You’re bleeding.”
When she saw he had her phone in his other hand, she gasped. “Push send on the phone.”
He looked at her like she was completely crazy. “Sweetie, push send. Please.”
Nodding, he pushed on the screen. “Thank you, sweetie. Thank you.” She gasped.
One of the teachers knelt by her. “Where are you hurt?” He asked looking at the blood on her face and dress.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she said, “I’m not hurt. Just a little shaken.”
“But you’re bleeding,” he said, touching her face.
“It’s not my blood,” she said, putting her hand to her face.
She looked at Braden’s scared face. “Hey, sweetie, I’m okay. Remember, Marshall said we needed to be brave when bad things happen.”
He nodded.
“Good boy,” she said softly. “Thank you for sending the pictures for me.”
The teacher said, “I’m Jacob Roberts. I have Braden for British History. Do you think you can stand up?”
Sheba smiled. “I’m okay. Did anyone go after that man? I hate the idea that someone like that is watching these children.”
He helped her to her feet. “You don’t think he was watching Braden?”
“I don’t know to be honest. I assumed he was, but until I get an identification back from my boss, I won’t know for sure. He could be watching any of these students. I would assume most of the children who go here have wealthy or important parents.”
Roberts frowned. “I hadn’t thought about that. We live in unsettled times. We should talk with our headmaster. We may need to beef up security.”
As Sheba stood, Braden whispered, “Did you hurt your knee again?”
Sheba looked surprised at his question. She grabbed on to the fence, then slowly put her weight on it. Still holding on to the fence, she took several steps. “It’s okay.” She said to Braden.
“You damaged your knee?” Roberts asked, looking down at the crutches.
“I twisted it when I got on the train yesterday. I’m wearing a brace which is supposed to protect it, but I’m not sure the doctor’s guarantee includes attacking strangers.”
He handed her the crutches. They began walking around the fence toward the gate.
A man in a black robe came hurrying up. “I’m Headmaster Sims. What is this I’m being told about a man watching the children?” Suddenly, he noticed her face. “This is horrible. I can’t believe that this is happening to my school.”
Roberts said soothingly, “Ms. Bentley got some pictures of the man who has been watching the children. She sent them off to her boss. When they find out who he is, we should know better what is going on.”
Sheba noticed that Roberts didn’t tell the Headmaster who she worked for. Maybe he doesn’t know or maybe he knows the Headmaster can’t handle that kind of information. This may not be the best school for Braden.
A man in a uniform hurried up. “I’m sorry. We lost him. He ran out into the street, dodging traffic, jumped into a car and took off before we could catch him.”
“Thank you for trying.” She touched her cheek. “Is there somewhere I can wash my face. I don’t want it to upset the other children.”
“Right this way,” Sims said. He noticed Braden walking next to them on the other side of the fence. “Braden, you’d better come with your aunt. I’m sure that you will want to make sure she is all right.”
Braden smiled suddenly. “Thank you, sir. She looks pretty bad.”
Sims said severely, “That isn’t correct English, young man. You should have said ‘She isn’t looking very well.”
Sheba smiled, squeezing Braden’s hand. When he looked up she winked. The headmaster led the way to his office. “There is a water closet through there where you can wash up.” He looked down at Braden who was still gripping her hand even though she was using it to hold on to the crutches. “You can take this young man with you, if you wish.”
Sheba smiled at the head master. “Thank you. Everyone here is so kind.”
When they got into the bathroom, Braden whispered, “Why are you telling everyone such good things. They haven’t been nice to me at all.”
Sheba smiled, “Because if I tell them they are kind, they will want to act kindly because they have an image to live up to.”
He frowned. “Oh.” He paused adding, “I think.”
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Sheba walked over to the basin. Looked at herself in the mirror she saw that there was dried blood on her forehead, cheeks and chin. There were a few drops of blood on her dress, but they were small. She grabbed a bar of soap and began lathering her hands. Then she carefully washed her face making sure that she got the blood that was in her hair. Braden put his arms around her waist as she was bent over the basin, gave her a hug. “I’m glad he didn’t hurt you.” When she was finished, Braden handed her a large piece of paper towel. She blotted the blood and water off her face then looked in the mirror.
“It doesn’t look like any of the blood is mine. It must all have come from his nose.”
“Was he after me?” Braden asked with a tremor in his voice.
“I don’t think so,” she lied cheerfully. “There are a lot of children from wealthy families that go to school here. He was probably watching one of them.”
She threw the paper towel into the trash can. “We’d better get back to class.”
“It’s lunch now,” Braden proclaimed happily. “That’s my favorite subject.”
She smiled, Hopefully there won’t be any more bad guys waiting for us.
Chapter 16
They were walking toward the limo when it happened. A car raced up the drive skidding to a stop in front of them. A man with a nylon stocking over his face reached for Sheba. Bravely, Braden pushed Sheba away, so the man grabbed him.
“No,” Sheba screamed. Before she could reach him, someone caught her from behind, pulling her back. The masked man threw Braden in the van as it screeched down the drive.
Sheba turned to the man who had her. When she saw that it was Tony Bond, she lost control. “You idiot,” she screamed, hitting, kicking, and scratching him. “Why did you keep me from rescuing him?”
“Orders.” He snapped as he clasped her wrists.
“Miss Bentley, what happened?” Captain Coombs, the head of security, ran up.
“They took Braden. He’s been kidnapped. Call the police. The license number is 84T11BC.”
She shook off Tony motioning for the limo driver. Then she felt a sting as something slid into her arm.
When she woke up, she was lying on a couch in the NSA office. Wyatt, Maitland, Nagle and Bond were arguing back and forth. She lay there for a minute, her brain fuzzy, then she remembered that Braden has been kidnapped. She flew to her feet, but a wave of dizziness hit her. She flopped down on the coach.
“So you’re awake,” said the much hated voice of Allen Wyatt. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t burned those papers we’d have a bargaining chip. But no, you had to turn on us. Now your precious nephew has been kidnapped. We’re supposed to pick up the pieces.”
Adrenaline surged through her body. She lunged from the coach, her hands rigid. She raked his face with her nails. Pivoting on her good leg, she kneed him in the groin. As he bent over, she brought her clasped hands down on his head.
As Tony moved to stop her, she grabbed a heavy ash tray off the table. “Go ahead, make my day.” She snarled.” I swear to you Tony, that if anything happens to Braden, I will kill you.”
Strong arms grabbed her from behind. As she struggled, Marshall said, “Easy, hon. It’s me.”
She started to sob. “Where were you? I tried to call you. Braden tried to call you. As soon as I figured out that Tony hurt my leg, I tried, but you didn’t answer.”
Marshall gently took the ash tray, setting it on the table, then he turned her to face him. “I was at my grandma’s funeral. It was out in the boondocks of South Carolina. There wasn’t any cell service. I came as soon as I got back.”
“I’m sorry about your grandma,” Sheba said into his chest.
Ignoring the others in the room he said, “Tell me what happened.”
Quickly, she told him everything that had happened finishing up with. “That jackass, Tony grabbed me to keep me from getting to Braden.” She took a deep breath. “Marshall, I could kill him. I am so angry that if anything happens to Braden, I will kill him.”
“Easy sweetheart.” He held her away from him. “If anything happened to Braden, you’ll have to stand in line. You can’t think when you’re angry. Take a deep breath.”
When she did as he told her, he said, “Another.” When she was breathing normally, he took some tissues from the box on the desk. “Here.”
She took a shuddering breath, then wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
Ignoring the others in the room, he said, “We’ll get him back. They aren’t going to hurt him. They need him to get you.”
She took a deep breath. “I know. That’s why I’m so angry. If Tony hadn’t grabbed me, I could have gotten him back without letting them take me.”
“I was following orders,” Tony said stiffly.
“Yeah, his orders,” she said derisively, pointing at Wyatt who was just getting to his feet.
“I could have you arrested for assaulting me,” Wyatt snarled.
Straightening to her full height, she looked him, “Like I said before—go ahead and make my day. You’d be taking on me and my sister and the United States diplomatic service and the media, so if you think you can beat me, go right ahead and try.” Her tone was very soft but the hiss cut through the air.
Maitland stepped forward. “So it is true. Tony has been a double agent, working for both agencies.”
“Why not?” Wyatt snapped. “It’s more efficient. There is no need of NSA when we have the CIA. It’s a waste of tax payer’s money.” He straightened his tie. “If I had been handling this, she wouldn’t have destroyed those papers. In fact, I would have confiscated those books and sent agents into the Middle East to find Sheba. An amateur like her would never have been involved.”
Nagle said, “So letting Braden be kidnapped is nothing but a power play with you. If he was kidnapped, Sheba would work with you. You’d get Breckenridge and the glory.”
“Only if we can prove that Breckenridge kidnapped her nephew.” Wyatt said coldly.
“He did. Michael Slater was driving the car. I saw him when Tony grabbed me.” Sheba closed her eyes and said through gritted teeth. “All this arguing isn’t helping Braden. It’s wasting time.”
She looked up at Marshall. “Will you take me back to the embassy? I need to contact Breckenridge and Ambassador Barrus will know how.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “I also need to tell my sister. She is going to kill me.”
“We need to think this through before we make contact,” Nagle said.
“Like I said before, if she hadn’t destroyed those papers, we’d have a bargaining chip.” Wyatt snapped.
Sheba looked up at him. “You don’t think I did destroy those papers. You think I’ve got them hidden. You think I’ll tell you where they are. You think that you can convince me that if you had those papers, you’d use them to get Braden back.” Her eyes were hard. “You may think I’m dumber than a box of rocks, but I’m not dumb enough to give you those papers, even if I did have them.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you’re dumb.”
Turning her back on him, she said to Marshall, “Please take me back to the embassy. They,” she waved at Maitland, Nagle, Wyatt, and Bond, “Have lost their humanity. They only think in abstracts like power, not in people, not in children like Braden.”
Maitland said, “You won’t have to contact Breckenridge. He will contact you. He’ll want those papers. Wyatt is right. When you destroyed them, you destroyed your ability to bargain.”
She snorted. “You’re another person who thinks I’m dumber than a box of rocks. It must be the red hair. I read everything Aschler sent. Breckenridge knows I have a photographic memory. My sister was bragging about it. He’s going to want me.” She looked up at him. “He can have me and my information. In fact, if it comes down to it, I’ll help him find Sheba if it will save my nephew.”
“You’re such a Pollyanna. It won’t matter if you help him find Sheba. Once you do, he will kill both you and your nephew.” Wyat
t snarled. “Don’t you care what you could be doing to the United States? You could throw us into World War III.”
She started to walk toward the door. “I love my country, but some of the people who work for it deserve to be shot.”
Marshall put his hand on her arm. “Sheba, I know you don’t really think that way. You’re hurt and angry. I think we need to make a plan to get Braden back. If we all work together, we can rescue Braden and get Breckenridge. If we don’t work together, a lot of people will be killed including you and Braden.”
Maitland nodded. “Sheba, if you work with us, I promise you that we’ll get Braden back safely.”
Sheba looked at him in disgust. “Yeah, right. Don’t make promises that you don’t intend to keep.”
Maitland said, “Sheba, if you’ll work with us, I’ll move heaven, earth and Delta Force to get your nephew back. However, you should understand that my plan will be risky to you personally. It could be risky for your nephew because Breckenridge is a complete Narcissist, but it won’t be any riskier than where he’s at now.”
“Does it involve using Tony?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Why?” Her tone was totally hostile.
“Because he knows how Breckenridge thinks. He knows the Middle East. In fact, he’s our resident expert on Breckenridge.”
“Right. I should trust him after he disabled me? Don’t you realize that he could be working for Breckenridge? He could be the mole inside of the CIA. He could be the reason why Breckenridge has never been captured. You want me to trust him with my nephew’s life. I don’t think so.”
Maitland looked at Tony. “She has a valid point. If you’ll work for Wyatt behind my back, how can I be sure that you aren’t working for the highest bidder as well?” He motioned for the Marine standing at the door. “Take him into custody. He’ll be held until we can determine his loyalties.”
“Now wait a minute. He works for me.” Wyatt said nastily. “You don’t have any control over him."
“That’s why I didn’t fire him. But I don’t trust him. I certainly don’t trust you. Sheba is right. You only care about you. I’m not sure you’re not working for Breckenridge.”
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