by Mel LeBrun
He placed the thin, flat, battery under the center of her bra, where the two underwire cups were joined, hoping it would just feel like part of the bra.
“I expect you to protest if they start feeling your breasts,” he said as he finished taping it in place.
“That goes without saying,” she agreed.
She put her shirt back on and he performed a practice frisk to see if he could feel the device. He still could, which wasn't very reassuring. The fact that he knew it was there didn't make him the most objective person to check.
“Do you mind if I ask Josh to frisk you?” he asked.
“Why not? I'll probably have strange men doing it later.”
He frowned. “I didn't need the visual.”
They exited the bathroom and Michael asked Josh to frisk her.
“Only if you don't watch,” Josh insisted. “I know how you get. I don't need a black eye.”
“I just want to see how noticeable the device is.”
“Fine. Turn around.”
Michael sighed heavily. He glanced at Jessica and then back at Josh before resigning himself and turning around.
As Josh moved from her neck down to her ankles, feeling every inch of her body, the thought of a creepy guard doing the same thing was almost unbearable. It was hard enough allowing Josh, who was like a brother to her, do it.
“Okay, done,” Josh announced.
Jessica crossed her arms, trying to appear unaffected. Michael turned and immediately could tell she was unsettled. “You all right?” he asked.
She quickly nodded. “I'm fine.”
Though clearly not the case, Michael let it go. He turned to Josh.
“Bra felt a little strange,” he reported.
Michael wasn't thrilled. He ran his hand down his face. “It'll have to do.”
Chapter 19
Just out of sight from Jeffrey Bowen's estate, Michael and Martin sat in a car provided by Gatti, listening to the bug on Jessica. Josh was in the woods with a two-way radio and binoculars keeping a visual on the house.
Jessica drove to the house in the Mercedes they had taken the night before. She left the car in the driveway with the keys in the ignition and walked to the front door. Her heart pounded in her chest as she rang the doorbell. Soon the door opened and the butler, James, graciously invited her inside. He led her toward the back of the house where her father was enjoying his breakfast in a large sunroom overlooking the pool. Two muscular men she hadn't seen before sat just outside, guns stowed in clearly visible shoulder holsters. New guards, she assumed. They gawked at her as she walked past them and into the sunroom.
Jeff beamed at the sight of her. He smiled enthusiastically and gestured toward the chair across from him. “Please have a seat. Are you hungry?”
She forced herself to smile back and accepted his offer of something to eat. It would seem suspicious if she immediately began questioning him. He asked James to bring her some fresh fruit and yogurt. She was relieved at not being frisked. Perhaps her father was naive when it came to her.
“I'm happy to see you,” he said. “I thought you would have gone home with your husband.”
“Not yet,” she replied.
“So to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked as James set the food in front of her.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Despite feeling sick to her stomach, she ate a piece of cantaloupe, trying to appear calm and relaxed.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“I want to understand how you came to do what you do.”
“Well,” He took another bite of his meal. “I started with one horse, that was given to me. From there, I began breeding. I also tried my hand at wine-making. Importing the grapes at first, but then as I became more successful, planted my own vineyard. It all snowballed from there I guess.”
Jessica was clearly displeased with his answer. “Aside from that whole story being preposterous, you know that's not what I'm talking about,” she said angrily. “When did you get in bed with Meier, helping him sell women and children?”
His smile vanished. Appearing disappointed, he sat for a minute looking her over before placing his napkin on the table. “Come with me.” He stood, waiting for her to join him.
The guards also began to stand but Jeff waved them off. She followed him outside. He walked to the pool and stood looking out over the horizon. She came and stood next to him, waiting for him to answer. He turned to her and smiled. Without warning, he pushed her into the pool.
Michael was on the radio with Josh the second they lost audio. Josh had watched the scene play out and knew Jeff must have suspected the bug. He assured Michael that she was all right.
Jessica lifted her head out of the water cursing loudly at Jeff for pushing her in. Fully clothed, she struggled to tread water. Jeff stood at the edge of the pool and held his hand out to her. She swam to him and grabbed it. Instead of letting him pull her up though, she pushed against the side of the pool, pulling him in with her.
Michael had just declared his intention to go in and bring her out when Josh came over the radio laughing. “I think she's fine, Michael. She just pulled him into the pool with her.”
Michael didn't seem any more at ease. He left Martin in the car and went to join Josh in the woods watching the house.
Jessica pulled herself out of the pool while Jeff thrashed, cursing at her. She caught a glimpse of the temper she remembered he had. His bodyguards came running when they heard him yelling. One of them grabbed her as the other went to help Jeff out of the pool.
While the water inside the pool was heated, the air outside it was not. Drenched from head to toe she started shivering. As Jeff stormed towards her, she braced herself for what she knew was coming. When he got near, he slapped her hard across the face.
The blow hurt more than she expected. Josh watched anxiously, thankful Michael couldn't see what was happening.
She looked fearlessly in his eyes. “Old habits die hard, huh?”
He wanted to do more than just slap her, but restrained himself. He walked away from her and headed back to the house. His guard escorted her inside after him.
“Go change your clothes,” Jeff commanded gruffly.
“No,” she replied in defiance of him trying to order her around.
He turned to her. “Either you do it ...” He gestured toward the guards. “... or they will.”
Gritting her teeth she went to the bedroom she had been held in just hours prior. The guards followed her, staying just outside the door. She walked into the enormous closet and found a pair of jeans, a long sleeve purple shirt and a black wool sweater that looked handmade. She took a pair of clean socks from the drawer and put on a new pair of white sneakers. She stopped in the bathroom to brush her hair and put it up in a ponytail. Now in clean, dry clothes she exited the room and was lead to the study where Jeff was already waiting. His hair was still wet but his clothes were fresh and dry.
The room was bright and spacious. A large marble fireplace commanded your attention upon entering the room. Antique books and decorations were displayed on built-in shelves that lined the walls. Two elegant wingback chairs were placed in front of the fireplace, a delicate coffee table sat between them.
He stood in front of the fireplace leaning on the mantle with a glass of wine, paying no attention to her as she entered. The guards left them and she stood in the middle of the room for a good minute before he even looked at her.
“You were wearing a wire, weren't you?” he finally asked.
In answer, she took the, now useless, device from her pocket and tossed it on the chair near him.
He pursed his lips and nodded. “You wanted me to confess everything to you so you could send me to prison?”
“You deserve to be behind bars,” she retorted.
A strange smirk crossed his lips. “Same goes for you.”
She scoffed at the remark. “I haven't done anything wrong.”
“Really?” He put
the glass of wine on the mantle and turned to her with his arms crossed. His expression turned serious. “I have a documented attack on my home network. My Internet service provider was hacked, my security was breached, malicious software was installed and sensitive data compromised.”
Jessica remained silent while he spoke, knowing all of that was in fact illegal.
“Subsequently, a large sum of money was stolen from my account,” he added.
“I didn't steal any money!” she vehemently denied the accusation.
He smiled wickedly. “I know. I did that. But it looks like you did.”
She felt ill. Her heart pounded in her chest, fearing what her father could do to her.
“How much time are they giving hackers for crimes like that?” he taunted. “I haven't really been keeping up on those things.” He waited for a reaction. She looked sick to her stomach but didn't say a word. He continued, “But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You could perhaps avoid jail time. Now your career. Well. That would effectively be over. I don't imagine many companies lining up to hire you after that.”
Feeling weak, she walked to one of the chairs and eased herself in. “Why are you doing this?” she asked faintly, her hands trembling.
“You're forcing my hand, Jessica.” He sat in the seat across from her, placing the listening device on the coffee table.
“This isn't going to help our relationship,” she numbly remarked.
Jeff laughed. “Oh, and you sending me to prison will?”
“What I've done doesn't even compare to what you've done, and you know it.” She made no attempt to hide the loathing anger in her voice.
“It's not about what you've done. It's about what can be proven.”
She shook her head in disgust. “You're amazing.”
He gazed at her during the period of silence that followed. He was at a loss for what to say. He knew he would never have the kind of relationship he wanted with her. The way things stood now it was likely they wouldn't have any relationship whatsoever.
“I'll give you Meier,” he finally spoke.
She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“I'll help you take him down. Gather the evidence you need.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked.
“For you,” he replied.
She wasn't sure what to make of his offer or even if she could trust him. “How am I supposed to believe you would bite the hand that feeds you?”
“Like I said, it's not what you do, it's what can be proven. I wouldn't be taking him down. You would.”
“But you'll lose money, income. A lot of it, by the looks of things.”
He shrugged and glanced around the room. “I have enough money.”
She didn't buy it. “He's not your only source.”
He smiled but didn't respond to her assertion, in effect, confirming it.
“I'll have to think about it,” she said.
“Take as long as you want. I'm in no hurry. But you should know he will be in the US in two weeks meeting with some pretty powerful buyers. It's an opportunity that may not arise again for years.”
“What do you mean powerful buyers?”
“A US Senator for one, who shall remain nameless until we have discussed the terms of this arrangement.”
“Terms?”
“Yes. Terms,” he repeated. “Things both you and your husband need to agree to before I supply you with the information you need.”
“I should have known you had an angle,” she sneered.
“Oh, it's not as bad as you think,” he assured her. “Take some time, talk it over with your husband. When you're ready to discuss it, you can come over for dinner.”
The thought of having dinner with her father was not appealing, to say the least. To take down Meier, though, it might be worth the sacrifice.
“Does he make you happy?” Jeff asked, breaking the awkward silence. “Your husband. Is he good to you?”
She answered without hesitation. “Michael is very good to me. Always has been.”
“You didn't seem surprised when he killed the men guarding you,” he remarked.
“You were watching?”
“I wanted to make sure you were safely out before I brought Pierce back.”
She shifted in her seat, not sure how she felt about that. “It wasn't my first time being kidnapped.”
His eyebrows raised. “You were kidnapped before?”
“Some mess with a Russian mob a few years ago,” she answered.
He suddenly became very concerned. “You don't mean Vladimir Milovich?”
“You know him?” she asked, somewhat surprised.
Jeff's mouth gaped open in shock and then he appeared to have a major realization. “Of course. Michael and Jessica. Your name isn't Graham, it's Cailen.”
“What do you mean 'of course?' And how do you know our real names?”
“I heard that a computer hacker and an ex-soldier brought him to his knees, nearly crippling his organization. It was you, wasn't it?”
She looked curiously at him. “We've been in hiding from him ever since. He gets fed bogus information on where we are to keep him from getting too close. Though with you finding me, I'm not feeling quite as secure.”
“I don't understand. If the government knows where he is, why don't they arrest him?” Jeff asked.
“They're trying to weed out government officials on his payroll. It doesn't matter though. We won't be safe even when they do. He can get to us from prison.”
She watched her father's reaction. He appeared deeply troubled.
“What is it?” she asked.
He seemed to shake off whatever was bothering him and smiled warmly. “Nothing. You should go, before your husband storms my house.”
As she stood to leave, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her.
BECOMING INCREASINGLY concerned for Jessica, Michael and Josh were preparing to go in when they spotted her exiting the house. Michael called Martin on the radio, asking him to pick her up. A few seconds later, they watched as Martin met her in the driveway and she got in the vehicle. Josh and Michael joined them on the street after making their way out of the woods.
The first thing Michael noticed when he got in the car was the red mark on Jessica's face where Jeff struck her. Josh hadn't told him about it. “What happened to your face?”
“He didn't like being pulled in the pool,” she answered.
He clenched his fists, shaking his head. “What did he say?” he asked, changing the subject.
“He offered to give me Meier,” Jessica answered.
“Give him to us how?” Michael asked.
“He didn't say exactly,” she replied. “Just that he would help us get the evidence to put him away.”
“Sounds too convenient,” Martin interjected.
“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “Did he say why he would give up his income?”
She shrugged. “He said he would do it for me.”
“I don't see how we could possibly trust him,” Josh remarked.
“He said Meier is coming to the US in two weeks and will be meeting with buyers. One being a senator. When we're ready to talk terms, we're to come over for dinner.”
Michael gave her a look. “Talk terms?”
“He said there were things you and I would have to agree to.”
Michael knew what that meant. He wanted something from them. Michael didn't want to find out what is was. “Maybe we won't need him. I'll call Tim and see what he can find out about Meier's trip. Are you sure there is no way you can hack your father's laptop again?”
“Not without being up close and personal,” she replied.
“Do you still have the information you took? Bank account information?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, but I'm sure he's changed the passwords.”
“It's still something,” said Michael. “We'll hand it over to Tim and see what he can dig up. If we can
do this without your father it would be better.”
“I'm not sure we should do that,” Jessica said.
“Why not?” Michael asked.
She hesitated, not wanting to hear I told you so. “He threatened to turn me in for hacking his computer.”
Michael didn't say a word, though she knew what he was thinking.
She continued, “He also claims he framed me for stealing money from his accounts.”
“When are you going to listen to me?” Michael asked, unable to hold back.
She remained silent.
Michael shook his head in disbelief. “I'll tell Tim. We'll tread carefully.”
She nodded.
Chapter 20
Gatti called back five hours after Michael briefed him on the situation. He looked into Meier's travel plans and after retrieving Jessica's laptop from her house, checked into Jeff's bank accounts.
“What did you find?” Michael asked.
“Meier is coming to New York to host a fundraiser. It's a dinner auction to benefit various children and battered women's organizations.”
“What a guy,” Michael remarked sarcastically. “Did you get anywhere with the bank accounts?”
“Not yet. They're numbered accounts, and at first glance their activities appear completely benign. We're trying to track where the money comes from, but it gets filtered through many other various accounts. It would be nearly impossible to prove exactly where the money came from.”
“How about the money that Jessica supposedly stole?” Michael asked.
“He did a great job framing her.” He paused. “It was done from your house.”
Michael looked up at the ceiling trying to absorb that.
“The money was transferred to a bank account in Jessica's cover name,” Gatti continued. “So far, the only illegal activity we can find, is what Jessica did.”
“Fantastic.” Michael gave Jessica a look of extreme displeasure. “Any ideas on how to go about this?” he asked him.