by Gunn, Autumn
“Small thorn.”
“Small thorn that became a big thorn.”
“You mean a big, huge, briar patch of terribleness.”
I laughed. “I like that description better. Maybe even a briar patch covering barbed wire. That thorny.” I winked.
“Yeah, you are right, but why didn’t he take you out that night?”
“Maybe he planned to if I didn’t finish Hrytsenko off. There was a lot of traffic in and out that night. Maybe he just missed me or more likely he thought I had killed Hrytsenko. I left him in bad shape, but I knew he’d recover eventually. By the time he, or whoever was monitoring me that night, arrived to check on Hrytsenko it was too late. They thought it was open and shut when they saw me drive away, but upon close examination I’d left and Hrytsenko was still alive which ruined their setup.”
“A lot of coincidences.”
“Maybe, but maybe not.”
I have a plan. I’m going to check on something tonight when we get home.
“Let it go. We got the happy ending. We got each other.”
“I agree one hundred percent, but if we don’t know, there will always be questions. That and I want to prove to you I didn’t hang you out to dry at that phone booth. I know I didn’t.”
“It’s OK. I know you wouldn’t intentionally hurt me.”
“I wouldn’t ever hurt you. Intentionally or unintentionally and I’m going to prove it.”
Kate looked at me and raised both eyebrows. Her body language was clear…give it a rest. Let it go. I couldn’t. I had to know for myself and didn’t want her to wonder for the rest of her life why I would make such a careless decision. One I knew I didn’t make.
“Please, Kate. Where were you the exact moment Jerry was taken?”
I stepped inside a shop to look at a pair of shoes. Jerry tapped me and said he saw a motorcycle and wanted to look. He went outside to look.”
“Where was the motorcycle?”
“Across the street.”
“Could you see it from the shop?”
“No, it was blocked from view. It was parked in a corner on the sidewalk.”
“Could you see it from the pay phone?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so or no.”
“Jeez, Jax. No. No, I couldn’t see it. Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
“The exact opposite.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“We were both fooled. We were fooled by who we thought was the other.”
“What? What secret do you have now? What have you been hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything. It’s the full truth that’s hiding.”
“You realize how crazy you’re starting to sound?”
“All geniuses sound crazy at first.”
“And now an ego.”
“It’s not cocky if you can back it up.”
“Not exactly, but anyways, how do you plan on doing that?”
“I’m going to show you. Real soon.”
“Um, OK?” Kate didn’t seem to optimistic but she seemed even less enthusiastic about continuing this conversation. I quickly changed the subject, but the thoughts were bursting to get out. I knew what I had to do.
When we got home I went back to the one woman I had always trusted. The one who was always there for me and I was hoping she could deliver just one more time.
“Jax. How’s the quiet life?”
“Suddenly not so quiet.”
“Why don’t I find that hard to believe?”
“Maybe because you know me too well.”
“Maybe or definitely?”
“OK, definitely.”
“Thank you.”
“Laura, I know I already owe you 100 times over, but I have one more favor to ask of you?”
“I’m always here to help you guys. You know how much working with the SEAL Teams means to me. Active duty or not.”
“You’re the best. Here’s the thing. At the moment Jerry was kidnapped, there are conflicting verbal messages between Kate and I. If that wasn’t enough, there are also conflicting text messages from Kong and what Kate spoke.”
“OK, so Kong’s trying to confuse you. How is that strange?”
“That in itself wouldn’t be strange, but the way he went about it.”
“And how would that be?”
“I know this sounds crazy, but it makes sense. Kong is Korean. Korea is home of Samsung and a lot of other technological inventive marvels. A lot of the parts in an iPhone are actually made by Samsung. The wifi speeds are even up to 100 times faster in Korean homes than in U.S. homes.”
“What’s your point? You’re sounding nationalist or something.”
“Not nationalist. I think Kong has access to technology we don’t have or he’s using the technology we do have better than we know.”
“Do tell.”
“He was texting Kate at one point and later he texted me. He had our numbers. At the moment of Jerry’s kidnapping he sent conflicting information to both allow him to find and kidnap Kate, and to flush me out.”
“If he kidnapped Jerry, wouldn’t he know where Kate was?”
“Yes, but he lost track of her for a second. He wanted them both at once, of course, but he got Jerry and then realized Kate wasn’t right there. He needed her quick. He doesn’t want to create a scene.”
“And you think he used technology to pull this off?”
“I’m almost sure.”
“Can you check cell tower records for our phones for 10 minutes before the kidnapping to 10 minutes after? GPS and also routing?”
“Sounds strange, but I guess so if you think it’s going to make a difference.”
“A huge difference. It’s going to show us just what Kong was capable of and more importantly it’s going to improve the trustworthiness between Kate and I?”
“Jax Justice doesn’t trust women? What else is new?”
“But that’s the thing. I do trust Kate. I love her and I want to show her. I think we were played against each other.”
“Are you sure, Jax? I thought you already had her. Sounds like you are risking a beautiful relationship and a happy ending just to possibly prove some point of yours. A point that may ultimately not even be true. You’ve got a lot on the line here.”
“It’s all on the line. We’ve got each other. We do. It’s great, but that trust isn’t one hundred percent. I want that. Full and unquestionable trust.”
“You sound like a chic flick, but OK. I’ll check.”
“Thanks, Laura. It’s going to make all the difference. Believe me.”
“I sure hope so. Call you back.”
I heard the dial tone and then the waiting process began. I walked into the living room.
“Kate, was the agency monitoring Kong’s phone calls?”
“Of course. We were building a case against him.”
“And they were recorded?”
“Almost certainly.”
“Who has those tapes?”
“Someone on our team. Or maybe now they’re in storage.”
“But you were on the team so you can access them, right?”
“Only on official business, but yes.”
I paced around the room.
“What are you conjuring up, Mr. Justice?”
“I have a plan.”
“I can see that, and I must admit, you look extra sexy when your mental wheels are spinning like that. Intelligence is sexy.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to look even sexier when my plan is right.”
“And confidence is even sexier.” Kate winked. She was right. Confidence is sexy, and I was confident I knew something we had overlooked.
Chapter 23
I finally passed out at 0400. Still no word from Laura. There were a lot of records to dig through. It would probably take her some time, especially in between juggling her official duties. At 0737 my phone rang.
“What do you have for me
Laura?”
“You know I thought you were crazy last time you called, but maybe you’re a genius.”
“I’m ready for it.”
“From what I can piece together, Kong had cloned both of your cell phones. Not only that, he had cloned a lot of phones. A lot. Many were high-ranking government officials and CEOs. I don’t have access to what was said though. Only times, dates, GPS, text messages…things of that sort.”
“I new it! Kate’s team has access to the voice files. I think he even found a way to clone voices.”
“You’re joking?”
“Nope. He was able to guide people wherever he wanted. He even used the word pawn when describing Hrytsenko. I think that’s how he saw all of us. Everyone is a pawn in his game. Disposable pieces.”
“When will you have access to those voice files?”
“I’m going to find out. Kate has them. She’s not feeling well at the moment. Still in bed.”
“You might want to get her up. Blame it on me if you have to. This could be huge.”
Now I finally get to say this to you.”
“What’s that?”
“Call you back.” I hung up the phone.
I had to convince Kate to let me listen to those tapes. That meant she had to convince her supervisor and to get the proper clearance. It could take weeks. Due to the nature of the investigation and my role, it took 15 minutes. A file was made of the tapes and it was in Kate’s email in less than two hours. I didn’t know the bureau was so efficient. She downloaded and unzipped the file. We began listening.
“That’s not me! I didn’t say that! Oh my —”
“Jackpot! I knew it.”
“You were right. He cloned our phones and he cloned our voices. Unbelievable. Super creepy. Super creepy.”
I just looked at Kate and smiled. Not so much of victory, but of relief. She recognized what I was thinking.
“Thank you. I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t make me feel better. It’s creepy and weird and a lot of things, but I’m glad I now know.”
“More importantly we have to get this information to the bureau. No telling what other plans he had in the works. What decisions he may have been directing politicians or business leaders towards.”
“Politicians? Not just politicians and business leaders. Our entire country!”
I just shook my head side-to-side.
“This is going straight to the director.”
I was silent.
“What are you thinking now?”
“I thought we had some bad apples in the bureau. I shouldn’t have questioned those men and women. They were getting played. It wasn’t a matter of not being able to trust them, it’s a matter of them being manipulated causing confusion all around.”
Kate looked at me. “This trust word, it’s such a big thing with you.”
“The biggest.”
“I mean it’s big for me too, obviously, but you really went out of your way to prove your point. You wanted to clear your name even though everything was already pretty much one hundred percent OK.”
“Pretty much one hundred percent and one hundred percent are one hundred percent apart in my book. I don’t like gray area, especially in matters such as these.”
Kate gave me a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for doing all this. Not just for us, but what has turned out to be for the country.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t feel like I needed to, or wanted to. A man shouldn’t be rewarded or accept praise for doing what he’s supposed to do.
Chapter 24
The bureau spent the following weeks sorting through the information and calling in those affected for briefings. I couldn’t imagine speaking to so many high ranking officials and business people and explaining to them that their identity had been cloned. How do you even process that news and that feeling of being violated in such a manner? Your own identity taken.
Kate received numerous awards from the agency. Laura also received a lot of recognition and was offered her choice of promotion and positions should she decide to transfer. She was still deciding. She truly enjoyed working to support the SEALs. They really won the lottery when they found her. A smart, loyal girl with a heart of gold.
Kate couldn’t seem to shake her lingering sickness. In light of her work the agency put her on leave to rest up and get well. They didn’t come right out and say it, but I think the time off was also as somewhat of a gift. Although they did a great job of keeping this information from going public, the appropriate people knew how important this case had become and how much of a national hero Kate now was. A little time off was well deserved.
After another week of waking up queasy, I tricked her into finally seeing a doctor. I really did need to get some tests run, but of course I knew once I got her to the hospital I’d be able to get someone to take a quick look at her.
“Ma’am, how long have you been feeling ill?”
“A few weeks now.”
“And it’s all day?”
“Just in the morning usually?”
“Please come with me and we can take a look.”
The doctor took her to a different wing of the hospital. It was much different than the one we had entered. We were greeted by a nurse that asked me to step outside while she ran some tests. I read a few magazines and then Kate stepped out of the office.
“Everything OK?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m sure you noticed which part of the hospital we’re now in.”
I laughed. “So I wasn’t the only one?”
“Definitely not.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Let’s say I’m wondering what you’re wondering.”
“And is that a good thing?”
“It’s a great thing, but…”
“A bit of a surprise.”
“A bit?”
“I guess in the midst of our passion that first night we did forget to —”
“Hush.”
“Hey, I’ve got those SEAL genetics…and we were in the tub so it just makes sense that they’d get the job done.”
“Really?” She tried to look mad at my choice of humor, but busted out laughing.
The nurse stepped outside. She had no expression. “Ms. Koval, is this Mr. Koval?”
“Not exactly, but something like that.”
The nurse gave me the once over. “Would you two like to step inside my office?”
“Sure.”
We walked inside and she shut the door behind us. She walked around and faced us directly. Before she could even offer us a seat I saw a huge smile appear on her face.
“Congratulations! You’re pregnant!”
“Oh my!” Kate turned and looked at me and I to her. We hugged and turned back to the nurse.
“You’re one hundred percent sure?”
“I’m one hundred percent sure, and not only that…it’s twins!”
I threw my head back and laughed.
Kate looked at me. “What’s so funny about that?”
“Only with us. Always a surprise.”
“But a pleasant surprise.”
“Of course, honey! I can’t wait!”
We hugged some more. For the first time since I was a little boy, lost and feeling alone at that orphanage, I cried. But these were not tears of sadness. These were tears of joy. I had the woman of my dreams. One I knew I could love and trust. Forever. And now we were going to have a child together. The ultimate display of love and togetherness. And not just a child…children!
Chapter 25
We packed up the kids and headed to the airport. They were excited to soon have a little brother and sister. I had always thought of twins being the same sex, but I was in for a bit of biology lesson myself. We were going to have a beautiful blessing of both types. We were still undecided on the names. We hoped this quick holiday would give us some time to relax and also to think of n
ames. When we returned we knew the real work would begin.