“I tried,” he said. “I wanted to.”
“And you didn’t.” She stared at the watch again. “Two low level workers with far more courage than you had the guts to get me out.”
“I almost died for my efforts. I did what I could to make up for what I’d done.”
“Well, you didn’t.”
Edwards hung his head. “I expect you to hate me. I deserve it. But don’t you want to know how Murdock got that watch?”
She wanted the truth so badly she could taste it. Could she trust him to give it to her? Caroline put the watch in her pocket. He didn’t deserve to look at it anymore. “I’m not sure you’re worthy of my time. How can I believe anything you say?”
“I have nothing to lose. Neither do you. Please let me tell you what I know.”
Caroline crossed her arms, throwing a glance at Schroder, who was doing his very best to pretend not to pay attention. “You have five minutes.”
Edwards gestured with his hands, like he was using an imaginary map. “There’s an outpost in rural New York. Fort Covington. The northern part of the state. One of the last facilities they shut down. The Border Patrol stopped a car and flagged it for some reason.”
His story could be rehearsed. A bunch of lies. She needed more than his bland factual recitation. “When?” she asked.
“Early February of last year. A couple of weeks before you were transferred to The Fed.”
Lucky guess. “Go on,” Caroline said.
“It was late at night. Hardly any people. The occupants figured out what was going on and fled toward the woods, near the Canadian border. Agents chased after them and exchanged heavy gunfire.”
She didn’t like where this story was going. “What kind of firearms were the occupants carrying?”
Edwards shook his head. “How the fuck am I supposed to know that?”
“You claim to know everything else.”
“Semi-automatic pistols, I don’t know. The agents had long guns.”
Another lucky guess. And not nearly specific enough. “Of course the agents had long guns. Wouldn’t want ordinary civilians to overpower them.”
Edwards smiled. “There’s a double meaning to your statement. I like that. Would you care for me to continue?”
She decided to stop asking questions. “Yes.”
“That watch was taken off the body of an older gentleman in the woods near the outpost. A younger woman was located nearby. The two of them managed to dispose of four agents before the rest retreated for backup.”
She swallowed hard. Tom. Jess. It had to be them. No one else would have dared handle those guns. At least they made it count. “Both dead?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry. But there’s more. And I’m sure you know what it is.”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what he was going to tell her. “Why don’t you fill me in.”
“There were two minor children and an older woman traveling with them. They were never located.”
Mo. Feef. Chrissy. “What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
A person could say and do desperate things when confronted with a loss of freedom or, perhaps more significantly, of life itself. But even under these circumstances, even with that nice, neat setup, Caroline could not have expected the words that came from him next.
Edwards leaned forward, looking her straight in the eyes. “I believe your daughters are still alive.”
End of Part Five
I hope you saw that one coming! You did, didn’t you? One book left…and hopefully all your questions (or most of them) will be answered.
IT
ALL
ENDS
HERE
With Triumph, coming in 2017!
Books in The Bellator Saga
Dissident (March 17, 2015)
Conscience (August 17, 2015)
Sojourn (December 7, 2015)
Phoenix (May 2, 2016)
Rhapsody (September 13, 2016)
Triumph (2017)
The first three books in the saga are also available in an ebook only box set with bonus material (The Bellator Saga: The First Trilogy (February 29, 2016)).
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Acknowledgments
I’ll keep this short, mostly because the acknowledgments section for Triumph will be ridiculously long.
First off, let me thank my beta readers – Terri, Amanda, Rachael, Liz, and Jx – without you this book would not be nearly as strong as it is. I am so grateful for your feedback.
To Penny Watson, Claudia Burgoa, and Heather Guimond, I am so grateful for your author support!
And of course, a special shout out to all my Stealth Bombers…you’ll get your own sappy paragraphs in the last book. But you know who you are.
Finally, I have to give giant virtual hugs to Irene and Liz, who have been there in whatever capacity I need. You are true friends and I love you dearly. My life is better because you are in it.
To the fans…thank you for believing in this story. Only one book left…for now! ;)
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Rhapsody (The Bellator Saga Book 5) Page 34