Shot at Redemption
Page 33
Kyle stood behind his mother, “Hi, Dad.”
Daniel reached out and grabbed Kyle’s hands and pulled him toward him. Kyle hugged his father for the first time in fourteen years and let the tears flow.
“You made me really proud, son. I watched you grow up from a distance. And the way you took control of the helicopter was truly amazing. You saved so many lives.”
“What do you mean, you watched me grow up?” Kyle said. “You were close by?”
“Yes, I was never more than a few miles away from you and your Mom, but I was locked up and never allowed to leave without somebody watching me. It was so terrible. I wanted to scream!”
“Why didn’t you try to escape,” Jillian asked.
“Because they threatened to kill you, as well as Marty and his family. I couldn’t take the chance.”
“Dad, what do we do now?”
“I’m not sure. I need to go into witness protection until after Kathleen’s trial.”
That could take years?” Jillian said. “I can’t wait that long to spend time with you. Can we go with you?”
“The marshalls said we could go as a family. They will give us new names, jobs, and a house to live in.”
“That’s what we’ll do then. Is that okay, Kyle?”
Kyle didn’t answer. He was crying again.
“I don’t want to go,” Kyle said. “I can’t leave Charlotte and my friends. Plus, I’m going to MIT in the fall. So where would I go to college?”
“You will make new friends,” Daniel said. “We’ll find a college for you to go to for your first year, and then you can transfer to MIT after the trial.”
Kyle shook his head, “No, I don’t want to go. Please, Mom. Let me stay with Marty and Aunt Lindsey.”
* * *
Jay waited for Jillian to come out of the family conference room, but when the door opened, only Kyle stepped out.
“What’s going on?” Jay asked. “Where’s your mother and Daniel?”
“They’re going into witness protection.”
“Both of them?”
Kyle nodded and said, “They wanted me to go, too, but I insisted on staying. I guess I need a ride home.”
Jillian stepped out of the room and came over to Jay. He hugged her. He didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you for everything, Jay. You brought Daniel home. I’ll never know how to thank you. Can you help Marty watch over Kyle? He’s staying on the Cape.”
“Of course, I’ll look after him. He’s part of our team now. We’ll all look after your boy.”
EPILOGUE
Jay kept his promise and took good care of Kyle. In fact, the entire Maravista team kicked in. Gia was Kyle’s personal trainer. She woke him up at 5:00 A.M. for a three-mile run. Then McCoy and Jay showed him how to rescue swim in the ocean. Every afternoon, Carla took Kyle and Brendan to her Dad’s gym and taught him mixed martial arts. He even spent a weekend in New Hampshire, where he hiked the white mountains with CJ and Madman. The crazy pair taught him how to shoot everything from a BB gun to a sniper rifle.
Charlotte kicked in by giving him dance lessons. At first, Kyle was embarrassed by how clumsy he was. But, by the time they were ready to leave for college, he could dance the tango, swirl to a waltz, and even two-step to a country song.
He didn’t neglect his microbots and even applied for a patent. Marty also agreed to help him start his own business, and Kyle named it Maravista Technologies.
As the summer came to a close, Kyle looked and felt like a new man. His body was tanned and fit. He eventually cut his hair to a short, military-style cut and looked like one of Jay’s special operators.
Kyle and Brendan took the girls for a night out in downtown Falmouth to celebrate the end of summer.
As the two couples walked down Main Street, Art McCaskill and Tony stepped in front of them.
“Hey, Charlotte,” Art said. “Aren’t you going to say hi? Or are you too good for us local kids now that your boyfriend is famous?”
“Art, bug off,” Carla said. “You’re such a loser.”
Tony walked up close to Carla and said, “Who asked you, miss dyke?”
“I’d shut up if I were you,” Brendan said.
“What are you going to do about it, frat boy?” Art replied.
Carla pushed Brendan back, “Guys, cool down. You don’t need to get in a fight over us. We can take care of ourselves.”
Carla nodded to Charlotte. The two girls moved in unison. Charlotte turned and kneed Art in the balls. Carla followed up by punching Tony in the face. The girls stepped to the side, allowing Kyle and Brendan to finish the two bullies off. Art and Tony laid on the ground writhing in pain as the two couples stepped around them.
“Okay, let’s go. I’m hungry,” Charlotte said with a massive grin on her face.
* * *
Jessie jostled for the best camera angle outside the Boston federal courthouse. Hundreds of TV crews from around the world waited for the verdict of the most-watched trial since O.J. Simpson. It was a sunny day in the Seaport District of Boston. Abnormally cold for a May morning, Jessie shivered in her designer dress.
“How long is it going to take?” she asked Roger, who stood behind the camera. “The bailiff said the jury was coming out ten minutes ago.”
“Joanne said the jury is sitting down now. She’s going to share her audio feed with us.”
* * *
Jay sat with Olivia, Kyle, and Marty in the front row of the spectator gallery. McCoy, Mack, and the rest of his team sat scattered in the rows behind him. Jay watched Kathleen walk into the courtroom dressed in a dark gray suit. Her long dark hair was straight and limp. She wore no make-up or jewelry. Kathleen stared at the floor, unwilling to make eye contact with Jay or anyone else.
Mack was right. Her defense team didn’t let her testify. So instead, she listened to Jay testify about the bombings and their investigation. Sammi described the night the bomb destroyed their family, and Kathleen vowed revenge. He also described presiding over Kathleen’s secret wedding in Pakistan to al-Mujadin.
Then Daniel McPhee took the stand. Jillian sat with Jay and Kyle and listened to how McFarland kidnapped him off the beach while Kyle played in the sand. He described how they tortured him and threatened to kill Jillian daily. McFarland bragged about how he lured Jillian to Newfoundland to attend the marine academy and mentored young Kyle in electronics and robotics. Daniel was forced to watch his family on video but never allowed to see them or talk to them.
Then Kathleen met with McFarland and Bishop Ramirez in Boston. She recruited them to participate in a plan to wipe the Catholic church off the planet. They coordinated their attack in the United States with another terror cell in Italy. When Jay foiled the attack in Boston, Kathleen was hysterical. She ordered McFarland to kill him, his friends, and his family. But McFarland was insane, Daniel said. He wanted to play with Jay’s mind. Torture him by attacking the people around him.
* * *
Jessie heard the verdict in her earpiece. She faced the camera and waited for the light on Roger’s camera to go on.
“This is Jessie Bessie of GNN reporting live from Boston. The verdict in Kathleen Amejian’s case is in. The jury found her guilty on all counts. I repeat, Kathleen Amejian is found guilty in the Papal bombing case. We’ll have reactions from the Attorney General and the United States President coming up shortly. The next stage is sentencing. A second jury must decide if Kathleen will get a life sentence or face the death penalty.”
“That’s a wrap,” Roger said. “Let’s go inside and find some people to interview.”
“Go ahead, Roger. I want to see Jay.”
* * *
Jessie found Jay standing at the water’s edge overlooking Boston harbor. Seagulls hovered overhead, looking to snare their next meal. She looked up at them to make sure they weren’t targeting her. Then, she put her arm around his shoulder and hugged her big brother.
“Jessie, I can’t believe it’s over. For now, at leas
t.”
“It is over, Jay. Kathleen is never stepping out of jail. After that, you should be able to sleep better.”
“I don’t know, Jess. I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last word from Kathleen. For instance, we still don’t know who was responsible for the Vatican bombings. Plus, they never found the sniper who shot Natalie. And who the hell is The Master? Were they connected to Kathleen? All I know is I want to head back to the Cape and go fishing.”
“Sounds like a plan, big brother.”
* * *
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* * *
COMING SOON!
THE MASTER
A JAY MENDES THRILLER, BOOK THREE
About the Author
A Boston native (and rabid Red Sox and NE Patriots fan), Ken has spent most of his professional career writing marketing content and helping small businesses grow by implementing effective marketing communications programs. Earlier in his career, he traveled extensively around the U.S. and Europe discovering the natural beauty and culture abundant in each country. Ken also enjoys serving others through his membership in the Knights of Columbus, supporting prostate cancer research (as a prostate cancer survivor), and volunteering for a variety of charities.
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Also by Ken W. Smith
The Final Mission, a Jay Mendes Thriller, Book 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0871KJ55T
As the leader of a covert hostage rescue team, Jay Mendes is responsible for finding and saving people who have been kidnapped for political or other nefarious reasons. But when his own team members disappear, the mission becomes personal.
While Jay is on a rescue mission in Europe, his commanding officer learns terrorists may kidnap a billionaire businessman and his celebrity wife. Jay’s boss assigns two intelligence officers to go undercover to prevent the kidnapping, but the mission goes awry, and the agents disappear along with the couple they were charged to protect. Jay flies halfway around the world to lead the search and rescue. After attempting a treacherous rescue-at-sea, Jay risks his life more than once to bring them home safe. But his nemesis has other plans. In a surprise attack, the hostages are snatched away for a second time and the team suffers an agonizing loss. A devasted Jay, refusing to give up, soon tracks down the hostages, only to learn the kidnapper is not his only enemy.