by Robin Mahle
“But not before we make the exchange and get the kids and Celeste outside.” Will glanced again through the rear view.
“And that’s where we’ll meet them,” Colburn said.
“They’ll see you before we’re ready,” Aaron began. “I thought the whole point was for you two to wait until we were leaving.”
“We will wait, but there aren’t any windows in the front of the house. It was designed that way on purpose. So, if you can get them outside, we’ll take it from there and lead them to the car.”
“And once they’re safely away,” Will added, “we can give them what they want.”
“And hopefully, they’ll let us go,” Lacy said.
“They won’t let us go without guarantees.”
Will’s final words reverberated in Lacy’s ears. That was the million-dollar question. What would they ask for in exchange? They would have the flash drive containing Jian’s files. But she knew that wouldn’t be enough and assumed a bargaining would take place. Drop the investigation and accept Kendrick’s story to let the terrorist group take the blame, or take the information to the top, have Kendrick arrested and ties with China damaged.
They would come back for her and her family if that happened and that made Mendez’s part of the plan all the more important.
♦♦♦
Mendez waited impatiently while the director considered the strategy. “Sir? Will you help?”
“You realize there will be huge political ramifications as a result of this?”
“I do.”
“And we’re in the middle of an election year.”
“I am aware of that too, sir, and I’m willing to risk my job for the truth to come out. We can’t continue to perpetuate this falsehood so that political and economic ties with China will remain unaffected. Sir, they already push the boundaries of our trade agreements. They control much of our debt, our companies. This goes through and we’ll end up risking more than our own political aspirations. We’ll be risking the very freedoms inherent in our country.” Mendez knew he was laying it on thick, but what choice was there? He was asking the director to risk everything and he had to appeal to his sense of patriotism. Allowing such an egregious act to go ignored could not be tolerated.
“Then we’d better get started.” The director picked up his phone and made the call. “Have Agent Porter at Headquarters bring me his files on the Fairfax mall attack and I’ll need a team assigned to me immediately.” He paused. “This is for top security clearance only. There’s no time to wait. Get them here ASAP.” He ended the call. “It’s done.”
Mendez checked the time and knew he only had thirty minutes before Caison and the CIA agents would arrive at the house. “Sir, you mind if I step out and make the call to Agent Caison to let him know we’re on board?”
“Go ahead. Porter will be here soon, so be quick.”
Mendez stepped into the waiting area adjacent to the director’s office. A small balcony was visible behind the assistant’s desk. “You mind if I step outside?”
“Not at all.” She motioned him toward the doors.
Mendez stood on the balcony, peering over the streets below and made the call. The line rang and eventually went to voicemail. “Damn it.” He’d waited too long and that meant they were probably at the house or near it. He walked back inside. “Thanks. I’m going to head back in to see the director, if that’s okay.”
“He’s waiting. Go right ahead.”
Within minutes of his return, Agent Porter stood outside the doorway. The assistant announced his arrival.
“Porter, thanks for hustling down here,” the director began. “I hear you have some information regarding a member of the State Department?”
Porter’s eyes shifted to Mendez because he knew the information hadn’t been obtained through legal channels.
“It’s okay. Mendez filled me in. We’ll worry about the legalities later. Just tell me what you’ve got, son.”
Porter opened his laptop and showed him the audio transcripts of the conversations. “These go all the way up through to about twelve hours ago when Lacy Merrick received the last audio file.”
“Good. Thank you.” The director began to review the files when his intercom buzzed. “Director Mobley, your team is here.”
“Send them in, thank you.”
Three agents entered the room, not in tactical gear, but in street clothes.
“Thank you for assembling so quickly. As you know, time is of the essence here. Lives are at stake.”
“Of course, we’re honored to serve, sir. I’m afraid we weren’t briefed on the situation.”
“That was at my request and, in a minute, you’ll understand why.”
♦♦♦
The car rolled to a halt alongside the curb. “This is your stop.” Will threw the gearshift into park. “It’s time.”
Axell nodded to Agent Colburn and tossed a glance at Lacy and Aaron. “You two know what to do?”
“Yes,” Lacy replied.
“Good. Stick to the plan and we’ll get your kids back safely.” The two began to step out of the car and onto the sidewalk. The sun shone down through a cloudless sky and the heat had begun to rise. It was ten a.m., yet it felt as though it was two in the afternoon.
Lacy stepped out of her side and walked around to the front passenger seat, noting that the agents were already on their way to the safe house. She slid inside and closed the door. “Let’s go.”
Will put the gearshift into drive and pulled away from the curb. No one spoke for that final block toward the house. Each had a job to do and there was no going back.
The house appeared in the distance, shrouded in greenery with faux windows installed at the front.
“You’re sure they can’t see through those?” Aaron asked.
“They’re fake. Just to make the house blend into the community. Agents are usually posted outside, but Jian’s men must’ve ambushed them.” Will pulled onto the driveway and stopped when he reached the top. “I’m sure they’re listening for our arrival or have men of their own somewhere out here, but right now, they’re expecting three of us and that’s what they’re getting.” A final toss of the gearshift into park and Will cut the engine. He regarded Lacy with compassionate eyes that mirrored her own resolve. “You ready to get your kids back?”
“I sure as hell am.” Lacy opened the passenger door without waiting for any final instructions. She knew what she had to do but wished she had a weapon. Will had a gun holstered at his side and she was sure they would confiscate it before allowing them entry. But all her mind could focus on was the kids and holding them in her arms again.
Aaron stepped out and finally Will was outside. The three nodded their readiness and proceeded to make their way to the front door. Will insisted on being the first and he knocked.
Lacy’s heart pounded so hard, she began to feel lightheaded as though there simply wasn’t enough oxygen to pump to her brain because the rest of her body required it to keep her on her feet. She looked to her friend, searching for reassurance and she could see he was trying to offer it, but this was a situation neither had ever faced and it scared the hell out of both of them.
The door opened and a man stood; tall, slender, and wearing an expensive suit. Lacy thought he looked like he belonged on Wall Street. Nothing like she expected. Nothing like the men who had stormed the cabin. They looked like thugs; Jian’s henchmen. But it was clear their situation had escalated and brought out the top-ranking men on Jian’s team.
“Agent Caison, glad you all made it, and with some time to spare. Well done. If you’ll so kindly surrender your side arm?”
With one hand up, Will disengaged the latch on the holster and withdrew his weapon, handing it to the man with the butt of the gun facing him.
“Excellent. Please come inside.” He glanced at Lacy. “I’m sure you’d like to see your children.”
Anger simmered inside her
again. She couldn’t stand for him to even mention the children. Who knew what they’d done? How they’d treated Jackson and Olivia.
The three walked inside the cool, dark, and unadorned house inside the innocuous neighborhood.
“Where are they?” Lacy skimmed the living room.
“We’ll bring them out in a moment. But first, I believe you have something that doesn’t belong to you?”
The time was now and Lacy retrieved the flash drive that contained the information on Jian’s servers. “Is this what you’re looking for?” She held it between her thumb and index finger. When he began to reach for it, Lacy retreated. “Not until I get my children. That was the agreement.”
The man looked at Aaron. “You must be the one who was able to bypass the security measures to gain access. You’re an intelligent man, so tell me, why would you do such a thing?”
“My friend needed my help,” Aaron replied.
The man raised his weapon and pointed it at Aaron’s head. “I see.”
“Hey! Hey! Anything happens to any of us and this deal goes away, you understand?” Will shifted in front of Aaron.
“I could kill you all right now and we wouldn’t need any deal.”
“You think we didn’t make provisions for that? This isn’t my first rodeo,” Will replied.
The man finally lowered his weapon. “Of course no one will get hurt.” He looked to another man who stood nearby. “Go get the children and their nanny.” The man returned his gaze to Lacy. “You must live a very comfortable life to afford a caregiver for your children. Although no one can really replace the love of a good mother now, can they?”
Lacy had had enough but tried to keep her cool. It was in that moment when the other man brought the children into the living room. Her eyes immediately welled. “Oh my God.” She raised her arms for them and watched as their faces lit up.
“Mommy!” Jackson tried to break free from the man’s grip, but he wouldn’t let him loose.
“The flash drive, Mrs. Merrick,” the man continued.
She raised her arm to shoulder level and began to walk toward the man to hand it to him. “My kids. Now.”
The man nodded to his colleague and the kids were freed. Both ran toward her and she dropped the drive into his hands, then quickly turned to pull her children close.
“I’m so sorry, babies. You’re okay now. You’re okay.” She kissed their tear-stained cheeks. “We’re going home.”
“While this is a lovely little reunion, I must insist we finalize our deal.” The man turned to Will. “There are a few things we need to sort through before we part ways.”
“I’m listening.”
Lacy stood up and peered at the man. “Before we continue, you agreed to let the children and Celeste leave. We have a car waiting.”
“Of course.” Once again, he summoned his colleague. “Bring the woman out and escort them outside so that we may complete our business.”
Celeste emerged from beyond the corridor. A tender but frightened smile appeared as she gazed at Lacy.
“It’s time to go home now,” Lacy said.
The other man led the three of them toward the front door and walked outside, but turned before closing it behind him. “You want me to wait out here with them?”
“My man will wait until they are safely away and we won’t have any problems, will we?”
“No,” Will answered.
“Good.” He returned his attention to his partner. “Wait with them until their car arrives.” Once the man was outside, he continued, “As part of our agreement to resolve this peacefully, we expect the information to go no further than this room. And in the event you break that agreement, the consequences will be severe and there will be no further dialog. Your lives, as you know them, will be over. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Will replied.
27
A man stood next to a waiting car and signaled for Celeste and the children that it was safe to go with him. Uncertain and unwilling to risk the safety of Olivia and Jackson anymore, Celeste studied the man.
He must’ve sensed her fear and a moment later moved toward them. “It’s okay. I’m taking you all home now. I’m one of the good guys.”
When he flashed a badge, relief swept over Celeste. “Go on, kids. We’re going to get in the car. Your mother won’t be far behind.” She placed her hands against their backs and gently nudged them to move forward. After being held captive for the past several hours, they were terrified and didn’t know who to trust.
“Come on, Jackson. We’re going home,” Olivia reassured her brother.
“Isn’t Mommy coming too?”
“Yeah, she’ll be right behind us.”
Agent Axell waited until the car with Colburn pulled away. The deal was done and the family was safe. Now it was time to get down to business. Once Jian’s man was back inside, Axell emerged from beyond the house. But the time had not yet arrived. Agent Caison and Lacy Merrick were still inside, still negotiating the settlement ensuring the information would never make it out to the public.
Several moments passed and Axell grew concerned they had not yet appeared. But perhaps Caison was buying time to allow Mendez to do what he needed to do. Precise coordination efforts were falling into place and the timing was critical.
♦♦♦
Director Mobley pushed up from his chair and leaned over his desk, studying the evidence against Kendrick and Lei Jian, whose ties to the MSS were now all too apparent. “We have enough to bring him in.”
“You know the issue of how this information was obtained will define the success of his prosecution.” One of the director’s hand-chosen team members seemed to be playing devil’s advocate.
“I agree,” Mendez began. “But what you’re forgetting here is the optics. A high-ranking official in the State Department colluding on a terrorist attack, then diverting attention to an Islamic terrorist group? The American people aren’t going to give two shits about how we got the evidence. The point is, this man is a traitor to his country and hundreds of people’s lives were lost as a result.”
“Mendez is right. The resulting evidence far outweighs our gathering techniques in this situation,” the director replied.
“Sir, that is a very slippery slope,” the agent continued.
“Look, we don’t have time to discuss political fallout or civil rights abuses. Right now, this very minute, lives are at stake. The lives of FBI agents and civilian workers and the lives of CIA agents assisting them, not to mention two children. We need to act and we need to act now.” Mendez turned to the director. “Can we move forward with apprehending Undersecretary Kendrick?”
Director Mobley studied the faces of the men and women who’d spent the past hour piecing together information that clearly pointed to Kendrick’s involvement. It would be a defining moment in his career. “We move in and we do it now.”
♦♦♦
The team marched into the Office of Political Affairs and approached the lobby desk.
The woman behind the desk stood up, her eyes widening at what she seemed to comprehend as an FBI raid. “Can I help you?”
“We’re going to see Undersecretary Kendrick,” the director began. “Do not call him, do not alert him in any way or we will arrest you for obstructing a federal investigation. Do I make myself clear?”
She nodded and sat back down while they swept past her toward the elevators.
The doors parted and the agents along with the director, wearing their FBI windbreakers, made their way to Kendrick’s office, ignoring the stares and stunned expressions of staffers they passed in the corridors.
As they reached the assistant, her mouth dropped. “I’ll need to call you back.” She placed the phone back in its cradle and gave them her full attention. “Can I help you?”
“Is Undersecretary Kendrick inside?” the director asked.
“Yes, sir, I’ll let him k
now he has visitors.”
“Don’t.” The director made his way to the door and pushed it open to see Kendrick on the phone. “Undersecretary Drew Kendrick, you’re under arrest for violating U.S. Code 18, part 1, chapter 115, misprision of treason.” He retrieved his handcuffs as he approached.
“What the hell is this? Do you have any idea what you’re doing? This is a mistake,” Kendrick said.
“I don’t think so, Mr. Undersecretary. I wasn’t the one who helped the Chinese government conceal the fact that they were the ones who executed the mall attack, killing several hundred American citizens.”
“You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.” Kendrick was spun by his shoulders and his arms pulled behind his back.
“You’ll have to come with us, sir.” Mendez walked to the other side and helped pull Kendrick from behind his desk. “I hope you never again see the light of day.”
The agents continued to lead Kendrick toward the exit, though he struggled defiantly. They reached his assistant’s desk and she peered at him with disgust.
“This is a mistake.” His eyes pleaded with hers. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”
♦♦♦
Will waited for the man’s reply. “We are in agreement then?” he repeated.
The man nodded and walked toward the front door, pulling it open. “It will be nice to get back home. I’m glad we’ve put this issue to bed.”
Will waited for Lacy and Aaron to walk outside before following. Lacy looked for Axell but didn’t see him. They stepped down from the porch and began walking toward the car.
The man’s phone rang and he retrieved it while walking alongside his colleague as the others continued toward the car. He stopped dead and peered at his partner.
Axell appeared from behind the shrubs near the front of the home. “Drop your weapons. Drop your weapons.” He aimed his gun at the man’s head. “Caison, get in the car. The three of you need to get the hell out of here.”