by Kris Calvert
“Right now I just need you to listen to me, okay? Stay off your computer. Stay off your cell phone. Randall is on his way to Lone Oak now to collect all of you and take you to safety.”
“Randall? Why aren’t you coming home?” she asked in a frenzied whisper.
“I am. I’m leaving now. But he will be taking you and the kids someplace safe until I can figure a way out of this.”
“You’re not listening to me. I’m not leaving. I have three hundred people coming to our home in two days. Do you hear me? They’re coming to Lone Oak. The President of the United States is coming to Lone Oak. I can’t go anywhere.”
She was right. If I pulled her from the house and closed down the party, it would send up a red flag as big as a Titan rocket. If I was supposed to be backing off the case, the only way to make that appearance real was to act as if nothing happened.
“Fine. But the kids and Celia go. Understand?”
I could hear Samantha quietly sobbing on the other end and my heart was breaking. If she only knew the half of it.
“Fine, Mac. What do you want me to tell Boone?”
“Boone.” Just saying the man’s name now sent a pang of rage through my body. Was the young senator orchestrating this entire fiasco from the comfort of our guest room? “Stay away from Boone. Find reasons not to be around him. Trust no one, Samantha. And I mean no one.”
“Mac.” A long pause filled the space miles between us and I felt like the worst husband in the universe. All I ever wanted was to love and protect my family. And then she said it. She uttered the words I never wanted to hear from her lips. “I’m scared.”
“I’m coming to you as fast as I can. Pack up the kids and Celia. Don’t try to call this number. I’ll call you from a new phone soon. And Samantha?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was nearly two in the morning when I boarded the Gulfstream. The plane had to fly from Alabama to the private airfield at Dulles to pick me up, but I’d be home by sunrise.
Using my own phone, I called Dan, leaving him a voicemail. “Dan, it’s Mac. I’m heading back to Alabama tonight. I think the boys at the Bureau and Metro have a pretty good handle on things. I learned tonight that Micah and Frankie had a fight before she left for New York City, and now I’m thinking we have a good old fashioned runaway case on our hands. Anyway, just wanted to give you an update. Call me if you need me and tell Fuller I said thank you for all his help this week. He’s a good kid, Dan. Let him head up his own ops. He won’t disappoint you.”
I hung up only for it to ring. “Callahan.”
“Mac, it’s Jackman.”
I took a beat to think before saying another word.
“Mac?” he asked again.
“Yeah, Agent Jackman. It’s kinda late isn’t it?”
“Look, I know you’ve got some shit going on. Tell me what I can do to help?”
I played it close to the vest. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not retired yet, Mac. I’m still privy to everything that goes down in the Cyber Crime division. You were sent a threatening email from a Tor server through an untraceable IP.”
“How did you know that?” I asked.
“I get flagged on every anonymous IP email that comes through the Bureau. Look Mac, I’ve seen the videos. I know what’s going on. Now tell me what you’re up to?”
My shoulders dropped with relief. A mentor I felt I could trust—and what’s more, I didn’t have to make the decision to tell him anything, he already knew everything.
“My house is bugged, Harlan. Bugged.”
“I know. I have to tell you, I checked out your home myself just to prep for the Secret Service detail. I walked your house thoroughly. Someone has tapped into the video security system in your house.”
“Where are you, Harlan?” I asked.
“I’m at the inn in Shadeland. I have to get an early start at your place in the morning. Senator Henry is currently at Lone Oak, as is his Secret Service detail. That alone should make you feel at least a little better. Whoever’s hacking into your system may be watching, but they can’t get into the house to harm anyone. The place is buttoned up like Fort Knox.”
“Look, I’m on the plane now. I’m wheels down in Alabama in sixty minutes and a half hour car ride from the airport to Lone Oak.”
“I know you’re too smart of an agent not to have some idea as to who’s doing this, Mac. What’s your theory?”
“Not on the phone. You’re too close to retirement to get tangled up in something like this. As your friend, I’m begging you to take my advice—back as far away from me as you can.”
“And I’m telling you as your mentor, don’t shut me out. I’m here to help you. I’ve got your six.”
“I appreciate that. I do. Just do me one favor?”
“Anything.”
“Turn off the camera feed they’ve hacked into.”
“Consider it done.”
I jolted in my seat as we landed. Without sleep in nearly forty-eight hours, I’d dozed off. My mind was frantic, my body exhausted. Opening the hatch before the plane came to a complete stop, the flight attendant had words for me. He wasn’t my usual attendant, Michelle, but because we made a flight plan and took off in emergency mode, I got someone from the corral of attendants available at the time. I didn’t care. He’d barely uttered a word since I climbed aboard. That is, until this moment.
“Sir!” he shouted. “Sir, you can’t do that!”
“Watch me,” I said, walking down the steps as the plane came to a halt.
I took off for the car waiting nearby, noticing another jet parked on the tarmac for the night.
Climbing in the back of the black sedan, I expected a stranger in the front seat. Instead, I found Timms.
“For the love of God, it’s five in the morning. What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like, son? I’m picking you up.”
I shook my head at him as if I was upset—I wasn’t. I was relieved. Timms had grown older in the last couple of years and life was starting to show on his face and the way it took him a little longer to get in and out of the car. But he was part of my family, and the Callahan clan stuck together like glue. Outwardly, I opposed his being up in the middle of the night to take care of me. Inwardly, I’d never been so happy to see a familiar face I knew I could trust in my life.
“Did you happen to see Sam before leaving Lone Oak?”
Timms shook his head, no.
“Did you speak to Celia before you left?”
Timms nodded.
“And what was that like?”
“She’s none too happy—but I’m pretty sure you knew that already. I’d be expectin’ an earful when you arrive.”
I nodded. “I’m sure I’ll get it double barrel—Sam and Celia.”
“Wanna talk about it?” Timms asked.
“I don’t understand how I get myself tied up in all these things. I’ve tried—God knows I’ve tried to stay out of harm’s way. I’ve given up taking dangerous cases—but somehow this one fell in my lap, Timms. I couldn’t walk away.”
“Nor would I expect you to. Miss Samantha knows that. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Unable to control my frustration and anger with the entire situation, I let out a sarcastic scoff. “Does she? I mean, does she really?”
“Of course she does. She married a hero. Heroes don’t turn away from the firestorm—they walk into it looking for people who can’t take care of themselves.”
“And what about Sam, Dax and Katy? They can’t take care of themselves either.”
“And so here you are.”
I took a deep breath, leaning my head against the back of the leather seat. “I’m here, Timms. But I’m going to have to go back—soon.”
“I know, son. I know. I’ll be ready to take you wherever you need go. The jet has orders to stay on the tarmac and not go to the hanger. Everyone is ready to step up with you and do
their part. Samantha will too.”
“I hope you’re right.”
I closed my eyes for what seemed to be only a moment, opening them again twenty minutes later as we pulled into the lane that led to Lone Oak. Lights were on and I knew even though it was only five-thirty in the morning, plenty of people were up and moving around.
Walking past a couple of Secret Service officers, I tapped the security code into the backdoor and watched it open. Giving them both a nod, I entered through the kitchen where I found them all: Celia, Sam and Randall.
Samantha stepped forward first, throwing her arms around me. “This is crazy, Mac. Please tell me what’s going on.”
I kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight. I wanted to say how sorry I was for everything—the stuff she knew about—and the things she didn’t. Instead, I just hugged her tightly, giving Randall a nod to silently thank him.
I walked to Celia and hugged her too, first kissing her cheek.
Giving Randall a firm handshake and a bro hug, I took a good look at him. He’d saved our asses more than once in the past four years and he was fiercely loyal to our family.
I looked back to Sam, and took her hand in mine, giving it a kiss. “Are the children packed?” I asked.
She nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “Celia is too.”
I glanced back at the woman who’d been my rock for too many years to count. She looked away from me and to the floor. I knew that look. She wasn’t happy about any of this. How could she be?
“Get the kids and meet me in the car. They can just wear their pajamas on the plane. Timms is waiting. I don’t want to talk in the house.”
Celia broke from the group to wake the children, and Randall and I picked up the two suitcases by the door and proceeded outside—Samantha followed.
“Mac,” she said once we made it to the garage where Timms was fueling the car. “If we can’t speak in the house, how bad is this? Tell me. Tell me now.”
I tossed the bags in the trunk and turned to face her head on. “I’m not going to lie. It’s bad. I don’t know who to trust anymore, so until I figure it out, I want the kids gone. You can stay for your party, but if this isn’t resolved in the next couple of days, you’re going too.”
“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten who you married or not, McKay Callahan, but this is me you’re talking to. You don’t get to boss me around. We’re a team—we’re in this together.”
Randall turned on his heels, walking back to the house, not wanting to intrude on our conversation.
“We are in this together. And I promise I’ll work it out. But until that happens, the safety of our family takes priority over everything—everything.”
Celia carried Katy in her arms and Randall carried Dax. Timms had placed their car seats in the back of the sedan and they were ready to go. I wanted them off the property and in the air as soon as possible.
No one said a word as Sam and I both kissed the children goodbye and shut the doors. Turning to Randall, I shook his hand. “Timms will fill you in on the way to the airport. The plane is fueled and ready to go. Multiple flight plans were filed. You’re only using one.”
Randall nodded.
“Don’t call me,” I said, handing him a satellite phone. “I’ll be in contact with you.”
“Miss Samantha,” Randall said. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to the kids.”
Samantha nodded and shook his hand. “Thank you.”
“I promise,” Randall began. “Miss Celia and I will bring them back to you safely.”
“Soon,” I added.
The sedan roared down the driveway and I turned to Samantha who wiped an endless stream of tears from her cheeks. “Walk with me,” I said taking her by the hand, quickly bringing it to my mouth for a kiss.
She didn’t say a word, but followed me through the grass wet with morning dew and past the tent to the horse barn. When we arrived, I turned the horses out into the field for the morning and closed the barn door to face her.
“While setting up a simple money exchange to get Frankie back, I’ve stumbled into a human trafficking organization that is fraught with powerful Washington insiders.”
“What?”
“It wasn’t my intention—it just unfolded in my lap. I’ve pissed some very important people off. I’ve been told by the Bureau to back off and now our home has been bugged. We’ve been threatened.”
“Threatened how? By whom?”
“Anonymously. When I was sent a set of videos from inside Lone Oak—the children sleeping, you working on your computer and ah…”
With a gasp, Samantha covered her mouth and her eyes widened. “Oh my God. And what?”
When I didn’t answer, she tugged at my arm. “And what, Mac?”
“They taped you last night—when you were in the bath—”
“Don’t say it. Mac, don’t say it.”
Samantha’s tears turned into a sob. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am, baby,” I said hugging her tight. “I’ve got Agent Jackman debugging the house. We need to cover all visible cameras.”
“But,” she hiccupped between sobs. “There isn’t a camera in the bathroom.”
“I know. Someone has put one there. He’ll find it.”
She pulled away from me and shook her head. “What kind of people can do this?”
“People with power in Washington. I’ve hit a nerve with this human trafficking ring Frankie inadvertently got involved with. By getting her out, I’ve turned over a rock in D.C. with a bunch of corruption hiding underneath.”
“Then stop turning over rocks!” she shouted.
“Believe me, it wasn’t my intention to get involved in anything like this, Sam. But I can’t just walk away now.”
I watched her shoulders rise and fall as she took a deep breath and paced back and forth in the barn. “Look, I’ve studied the atrocities of these young people being bought and sold. I know something has to be done. I just never thought it would hit so—”
“Close to home?”
She nodded. “And Frankie is tangled up in this?”
“Yes. But hopefully tomorrow she won’t be.”
“Why? What’s happening tomorrow?”
“I bought her. She’s being delivered.”
“What?” she shrieked.
“Samantha, it was the only way to get her out quickly and quietly.”
Sam continued to pace, tapping two fingers nervously on her lips.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m wondering how we take down the bastards and rescue these kids?”
I took her by the arm, turning her body to face mine. “We can’t go about this half-cocked Sam. These are dangerous people.”
“What we can’t do is leave these young people to be sold or worse.”
“Well, look who’s walking head first into danger now?”
“Oh Mac.” She sighed, letting whatever energy she had left in her body dissipate.
“Listen to me,” I said. “We have to do this the right way. If we don’t, we’ll be looking over our shoulder for the rest of our lives, wondering who’s watching and what they may do to us.”
She sat on a stool in the corner of the barn, dropping her face into her hands. “Where are the children going?” she asked.
“To the family island off of Pensacola, Florida. There’s no internet connection. No way to reach them except by boat. No one knows about it except for family. They’re officially off grid. Celia’s familiar with everything about the place and we have Randall to watch over them.”
Samantha stood and opened the barn door. The light of dawn shone through the crack. “Right now the Bureau thinks I’ve dropped the case. The fact that the kids have left is no big deal—especially in the wake of all the activity here. Why would we keep our children around this weekend in the middle of the gala?”
She nodded.
“We
need to act as if nothing is wrong.”
“What do I tell Boone?”
“Nothing!” My tone went from calm to over the top. Now armed with what I knew, Boone Henry bothered me even more. He was just a little too good to be true.
“Mac.” Samantha blanched, taken aback at my sudden reaction.
Taking each of her hands in mine, I stared into the blue eyes I fell so hard for. “Listen to me when I tell you to trust no one. No one. I don’t care if the man fights human trafficking right beside you—hell I wouldn’t care if he fought it beside me—we are closing ranks. We need to act as if nothing is wrong, Samantha. We carry on. Plan your party. I will be right there by your side in black tie, holding your hand and greeting our guests.”
She nodded.
Brushing my fingers across her blushed cheek, I wiped a single tear from her eye before pulling her to me. Parting her lips with mine, I kissed her hard, pressing my body to hers. My words and actions could never convey the love I held for Samantha deep in my heart. It was as if she was a part of my soul from the moment I was born. I didn’t know how empty I was until she filled my life. I’d die before I let anything or anyone come between us.
“You’re my sun, my moon and all my stars, Samantha. I love you more than words can say.”
“I know,” she sniffed. “I love you, too.”
Pulling away from me, her face changed from worried to determined as she took a deep cleansing breath. I watched her body relax when she released the air from her lungs and the tension from her stance.
Through the barn door, I could see a delivery truck making its way to the tent—the first of what I assumed would be many today. I stared into the now determined eyes of the woman I loved. “Are you ready for this? Are you ready to deal with all these people?”
She turned to me, narrowing her gaze. “The question you should be asking is whether these people are ready to deal with me. If someone thinks they can scare me and harass my family, they don’t know me. They’re fucking with the wrong southern girl.”
20
MAC
Samantha stormed off ahead of me, stopping at the tent to greet a florist with their goods for the gala. I gave the inside of the tent a fleeting glance. It was beautiful, but I wasn’t surprised. Samantha had many gifts and one of them was bringing together the kind of project that seemed insurmountable. It didn’t look like a tent at all, but a banquet hall in a five-star hotel. She’d truly outdone herself.