Wrong Number

by Rachelle Christensen

  “So what? If he’s that powerful, why would he be looking for me?” Aubree folded her arms and scowled.

  “He knows who you are, and someone is looking for you,” Jason said. Then he glanced at Agent Sanderson.

  “What? What aren’t you telling me?” Aubree asked Sanderson directly.

  “Your picture’s been passed around in some of our monitored circles. Someone’s looking for you.” Sanderson sighed and wrinkled his brow. “We don’t know why. We only know they want to find you.”

  Aubree sat back in her chair and looked at her hands. They were puffy and bruised from the IV. There hadn’t even been time for her to heal from giving birth yet. She wished she didn’t have to think about any of this.

  She didn’t want to believe what they were telling her—that her life was still in danger. Her skin prickled with fear. “How could they even get a picture of me?”

  Sanderson shook his head. “I wish we knew how these criminals managed to do half the things they do.”

  Jason stood still and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “I feel like we’re still missing something. It seems like Aubree can’t possibly know anything to threaten these guys, but they think she does.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll do it. I’ll go wherever you tell me—whatever I need to do to keep Scarlett safe.” Aubree spoke quietly, but with a firm resolve. It was time she quit fighting against those who were trying to protect her.

  “I’m sorry. I know it’s not fair, but it’s the only kind of life we can offer you.” Jason folded his arms, and Aubree watched his fiery tattoo move with the twitch of his muscles. She bowed her head and angrily wiped her eyes.

  “It’s going to be a few weeks. You need time to recover, and we need time to get everything set up,” Jason said.

  Sanderson stood and offered her his hand. “Now go take care of that baby, and try not to worry.”

  Aubree stepped onto the cold tile of the kitchen and heard the office door shut behind her. She shuffled to her room and collapsed on the bed. It took some time for her to calm down enough to tell her mom she was entering protective custody permanently.

  Madeline cried with her and then blew her nose and said, “That’ll have to be enough crying. We’re not going to worry about your uncertain future right now. We’ll enjoy Scarlett and the time we have together.” She rubbed Aubree’s back and stroked her hair. “And when it comes time, you’re going to take hold of that life they’re offering you—no matter how upside-down and turned around it may seem—and live it.”

  ELEVEN

  JASON POPPED THE BACK off the cell phone and slid the battery out. He flipped over the tiny transmitter and inserted it in the phone, and then he replaced the battery. Working quickly, he programmed a few numbers into the phone and nodded. He would be able to track every phone call and text message from this phone without looking into the FBI’s mainframe. He hoped it would be enough.

  “Mom, it’s coming too fast. I’m afraid to be alone.” Aubree folded a brand-new pink sleeper and put it in a box. She was packing clothing to be shipped to their new destination. Four-week-old Scarlett slept in her bassinet, ignoring the bustle of activity surrounding the preparation for their departure.

  Madeline tucked some of her clothing in a suitcase. “I keep praying they’ll find whoever did this and put them in jail so you can stay,” she said. “But I know this won’t last forever.”

  They continued to pack their belongings in silence. Scarlett’s soft breathing blended with the rustle of clothing. Madeline would leave in the morning, and Aubree knew she would be next. Glancing at the freckles on her arms, she wondered if she would ever return to California. Her life as she had known it—the life she was supposed to be living with Devin and their child—didn’t exist anymore.

  “I’ll wait this out a few more months, Mom. If they haven’t found any more evidence on my case by then, I’ll come see you.”

  “Promise me you’ll be careful and do what they say.” Madeline zipped her suitcase shut. “I trust them, and if they say you’re in danger, I’d rather not see you if it means you’ll stay safe.”

  Aubree continued folding clothing. “I’ll try, Mom. Did you get a security system installed?”

  “Yes, Jason suggested I go with Platinum, and they set it up right after Devin’s funeral. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve got round-the-clock surveillance, and Jason said the FBI is keeping tabs on me.” She held out a spiral-bound notebook. “I made this for you.”

  The brown cover was decorated with pink polka dots, and Aubree could tell the pages had all been written on. “You made me another notebook?” Aubree took it and held it to her chest. “Thank you.”

  “I hope it’ll remind you that although life is difficult, it moves in stages.” Madeline hugged Aubree. “This stage you’re in is terribly hard, but I believe it will pass on to better things.”

  After a painful good-bye the following morning, Madeline left on what she called her “wild goose chase” to get back home. Aubree didn’t know her mother’s travel plans, but Jason said Madeline wouldn’t be home for two days.

  Later that evening, Aubree watched the minute hand crawl through the hour. Madeline’s FBI transport was scheduled to check in with Jason at eight o’clock. At 8:15 p.m., Aubree clenched the sofa pillow as Jason paced the room, hitting redial.

  They both jumped when his phone rang. “You’re late.” He frowned, put a hand on the back of his head, and closed his eyes. He walked through the kitchen and into the office.

  Aubree sucked in a breath and slid to the edge of the couch, listening to the murmur of Jason’s voice. She straightened her shoulders and stood before tiptoeing through the kitchen and leaning against the outside wall of the office. She heard Jason push a button, and the speakerphone clicked on. Her heart pounded, and she held her breath. She heard the other agent talking.

  “We were being tracked. We went silent so that they wouldn’t pick up any signals.”

  Jason cursed. “When did you lose them?”

  “About thirty-five minutes ago.”

  “What evidence did you collect?” Jason asked. Aubree heard him opening drawers. Papers shuffled, and she heard the click of a pen as he began taking notes.

  “Three males, wired and armed.”

  Aubree gasped, and Jason poked his head out of the office. He raised his eyebrows at her and punched another button on the phone to resume the conversation in private. She was too angry to care that she’d been caught eavesdropping. Folding her arms, she stepped into the open doorway of the office and glared at Jason.

  He didn’t seem surprised that Madeline had been followed. She watched with a sick feeling in her stomach as he scribbled notes. Had he used Madeline as bait? She felt the heat of anger coursing through her veins, and when Jason ended the call she narrowed her eyes.

  “Why were you listening in on my conversation?”

  Aubree ignored his question. “What did you do?”

  Jason took a step back. “Whoa! Your mom is okay, and we may have a lead on whoever was tracking them.”

  “Did you use my mother as bait?”

  “What? No! Why would you think that?” Jason held up his hands.

  She folded her arms and stared at him for a second before answering. “Because you don’t seem surprised that she was followed.”

  Jason clasped his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling. “Of course I’m not surprised. I’ve known for a while now that someone might have been leaking information. I put a note out in the witness protection department that you were leaving today, not your mom.”

  Aubree leaned back against the wall, bewildered.

  “We’re getting closer to isolating the transfer of information, but I can’t tell if this information is moving on your case only or on all new placements in the witness protection program.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “They’re going to kill me, aren’t they?” She lifted her head slowly and met Jason’s gaze.


  Jason’s eyes flickered, and he hesitated, “No, they’re not going to hurt you.” He took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have told you anything. I would never put you or your mother in danger. She’ll be home tomorrow. There’s a lot more to these investigations than you would ever understand.”

  “I understand, Jason, but I’ll never get my life back, and I hope you don’t think I’m ungrateful because I’m worried about my family.” She walked down the hall. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.” She closed the door to her room.

  In January, Aubree was given a file of papers on her new location, identity, and other kinds of information pertinent to her protective custody. She took her mother’s advice. She kept her chin up through all of the planning and briefing on her new life. She tried not to think about the doubts she had and the difficulties with the investigation. Jason kept her busy, quizzing her on small details.

  “What’s your name?” he asked for the thousandth time as he paced around the backyard garden.

  “Jolynn Dobson,” Aubree answered automatically.

  “Where do you live?”

  “Omaha, Nebraska.” She cuddled Scarlett and shaded her eyes from the sunlight.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Oh, around—how about you?”

  “Good, Aubree. That’s what I want you to keep practicing. Deflect the personal questions and become a great listener to other people’s information.” Jason sat in the deck chair next to her and smiled at Scarlett. “She’s a cute baby. Where’s her daddy?”

  “He’s missing her right now, that’s for sure. Good thing we have digital cameras these days. He’s in Europe on business.”

  “Really? Where in Europe?”

  Aubree didn’t miss a beat. “Pretty much anywhere he can sell his new software program. What does your wife do?”

  Jason clapped his hands. “You’re really getting the hang of this.”

  “Yeah, well, let’s hope I don’t have to use my skills too much,” Aubree said. “I’d rather keep to myself.”

  “You’re lucky you have Scarlett for that.” Jason twirled a small blue flower in front of the baby. “You’ll have your hands full caring for her, and what better excuse do you need?”

  “Hey, you guys ready for some grub?” Sanderson poked his head out the door. “Aubree, maybe you can practice with me while we eat.”

  “Looks like I’m going to have to get really good with excuses.” Aubree sighed, and both the FBI agents chuckled.

  After being quizzed during lunch, Aubree retreated to her bedroom to feed Scarlett and rest. She rocked the infant in her arms, amazed at how much she’d already grown. In a couple weeks, it would be time for her two-month check-up, and Scarlett already weighed twelve pounds, with fat rolls appearing on her arms and legs.

  She kissed Scarlett’s dark curls and thought about the new life being built for her in Omaha. A stay-at-home mom married to a software guru. She would try to blend into a small, two-bedroom home in the quiet neighborhood the FBI had selected for her.

  The witness protection program would cover her expenses for now, so all she had to do was concentrate on staying undercover and alive. Aubree shivered as she thought about the self-defense skills Sanderson was teaching her. This definitely wasn’t the way she’d planned to spend her time as a new mother. The FBI allowed her time to recover and prepare for the move, but the house was on close watch.

  Aubree wrote a letter to her mother but couldn’t give any details about where she was headed. It was hard to believe she was going halfway across the country to a state she’d never visited before. Jason told her it wasn’t as if they’d just drawn the name of the state out of a hat. A lot of planning went into the assignment. Jason would still be her case officer during her time in Nebraska, and few people would be privy to the information concerning Aubree’s whereabouts.

  “Are you ready to go?” Sanderson knocked on the open bedroom door.

  “I think so.” She picked up Scarlett and the diaper bag.

  “I’ll load these in the car, and we’ll be on our way.” Sanderson smiled at her as he hefted her luggage.

  Aubree followed slowly and stopped to glance in the mirror. Within the hour, her appearance would change significantly. She fingered her shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Jason said it would be a drastic change, and she had never been a daredevil when it came to her hair. She looked in the mirror again and shrugged. “Guess there’s a first time for everything,” she told her reflection.

  Unfortunately, Jason hadn’t minced words when he said drastic. A couple hours later, in a small salon in an FBI office, a government image specialist twirled the chair around to face a large mirror. Aubree gasped. She had watched as long pieces of her hair fell to the ground, but she wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw.

  A raven-haired woman looked back from the mirror. Her hair was short, and it framed her chin line. Aubree reached up and touched the back of her hair, which rose in an A-line style. Her neck was bare, and her eyebrows, which had always been blonde and non-descript, now accented her face in a dark brown color. She turned her head from side to side and noticed reddish highlights streaking through her black hair.

  “What do you think?” the hairdresser asked.

  “Wow . . . I guess.” Aubree pasted on a smile. “I don’t recognize myself. Thanks for your help.”

  “I know it’ll take some getting used to, but pretty soon you won’t freak out every time you look in the mirror.” The woman smiled and winked at her.

  Aubree laughed. “I hope so.”

  “I’ll go tell them you’re ready.” The woman exited the room.

  A minute later, Aubree heard the handle turning and looked up, expecting to see Jason. Instead, a tall brunette walked into the room.

  “Hi, Miranda.” Aubree hadn’t seen the agent since she’d been reassigned a few months ago. Aubree knew Jason didn’t like her, but she’d never had any problems with Agent Olsen.

  “Wow! Is that really Aubree Stewart in there?” Miranda walked around the chair and stared at Aubree. “It looks nice.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes. Now smile as if you like it too, and let me take a picture of you for your file.” Miranda held up a small digital camera.

  “I thought this wasn’t going in my file,” Aubree said.

  “Because they don’t keep many pictures of people in the witness protection program?” Miranda said and winked.

  Aubree shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “Everybody has a file on everything. Some of the info is just hidden deeper.” Miranda clicked the camera. “The inside of the file folder will probably be the only thing to ever see this picture.” She pushed the button on the camera again. “Now you take care of yourself and have some fun, okay?”

  “I’ll try.” Aubree ran her hand through her hair and smiled.

  “Sorry to shoot and run, but they like to keep me busy around here.” Miranda waved and opened the door.

  “Good-bye,” Aubree said. She wondered if she’d ever see Miranda again or any of the other people who had helped her lately. She doubted it.

  Scarlett fussed, and Aubree realized it was time to feed her again. In a few hours, she’d be saying good-bye to California and taking an indirect route to Omaha. While she fed Scarlett, she thought about the changes taking place in her life. The room was quiet, and the light overhead illuminated everything with a false brightness. Aubree listened to the hum of the heating vent and cuddled Scarlett. Glancing in the mirror again, she wondered if the old Aubree would be lost forever. Would Jolynn Dobson overtake the fading memories she held of Devin before he died?

  A staccato knock announced Jason’s entrance to the room, and Aubree quickly wiped the pained expression from her face. Jason was surprised at Aubree’s new look. He lifted his chin and smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about. You’re going to do fine.”

  He quizze
d her again as they drove toward the airport and reassured her that everything was in order. “I don’t want you to worry,” he said. “When you’re nervous, you make mistakes.”

  “I know,” Aubree answered. She looked through her new purse and the unfamiliar ID cards with Jolynn Dobson’s name all over them. She took a deep breath and pushed the desperate feelings of anxiety away. “I’m ready to do this.”

  Jason shook her hand at the airport. “Now, remember. We have you flying under the name Kelsey Riker on the first flight. Do not use the name Jolynn Dobson until you are on the second flight into Nebraska.”

  “I hope no one asks me my name,” Aubree said.

  Jason smiled. “They probably won’t. Here’s where I hand you off, but don’t worry, there’s an FBI agent flying with you.”

  “But I thought no one is supposed to know who I am.”

  “He doesn’t. He thinks you’re someone connected to an entirely different case. He’s supposed to be alert for any kind of suspicious behavior and be ready to protect you and Scarlett.”

  Her eyes stung, and she put a hand over her trembling lips. Scarlett cooed from her car seat, and Aubree swung it back and forth, blinking back tears.

  “There will be someone to pick you up at the airport in Omaha. They’ll be holding a sign that says ITEC Convention,” Jason whispered. “Just walk up to him and say, ‘Do I have time to use the restroom before we go?’ and he’ll deliver you to the next point.”

  “Okay.” Her mind buzzed with all of the information. Jason had warned her the previous week that there would be last minute details she’d have to remember about her arrival in Nebraska. She tried to calm her mind and repeat the information he’d just given her. “Are you sure this is safe?”

  Jason’s jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed. “I thought you trusted me.”

  “I do, but I’m scared.”

  He pulled her to his chest. “It’s my job to keep you safe, Aubree, but this is more than a job to me.”