by Mel LeBrun
The man gritted his teeth but then called out to his men. “I got them!”
His men looked at each other, both thinking that was way too easy. They began heading to the front door. As they did, Josh and Martin snuck up behind them and quickly subdued them. They tied the three men up and threw them in the room with the other man they had taken the night before.
Michael called out to Gatti, letting him know it was safe to come out. Gatti opened the door and stepped out.
“Let's go get your family now,” Michael said.
Chapter 36
Thompson was lost in his perverted thoughts fantasizing about the great time he would have later with Gatti's daughter when his secretary announced that Director Douglas was there to see him. Thompson couldn't imagine what would bring Douglas back to his office.
“Show him in,” Thompson replied through the intercom.
Douglas stepped in a few seconds later. He took a seat in front of his desk and smiled at him.
“Why are you here?” Thompson asked.
“I have something I'd like to play for you, if that's all right?”
“What is it?”
Douglas pulled his phone from his pocket and hit play on an audio file stored on it. Thompson then heard his entire conversation with Meier, just less than an hour ago. Including his request to have Gatti's daughter as a reward.
Thompson was speechless. His breathing was labored and he broke out in a sweat. His hands shook as he place them on his desk and leaned forward.
“And what is that?” Thompson tried to pretend it wasn't him.
“Well that's you,” Douglas replied calmly.
Thompson shook his head. “No, that's not me.”
“Hmpf. Well, I suppose our voice recognition department can clear that up.” Douglas pursed his lips. “Of course, I'm not sure how you would explain how that call was made from the phone in your pocket. The one I have a video of you purchasing.”
Thompson knew then he was sunk.
“The bug in my office was a nice touch,” Douglas continued. “After I heard what happened to Gatti. I had it swept. I told no one what Gatti was working on. How could you have known? But then I remembered, you came to see me. They found it under the chair you were sitting in. No fingerprints of course, so there's no way I could prove it was you. But now I have all the proof I need, don't I?”
“I'm sure there's something we can work out.” Thompson's voice was weak and pathetic.
“Oh, you misunderstand,” Douglas said. “I'm not trying to blackmail you. I've already played this for the Attorney General as well as your contacts in the White House. Your career is over. In fact, your life as a free man is over. I just wanted you to know it was me who did it. Oh and don't worry about Agent Corvo. He was released from the hospital yesterday. The hitman Meier hired is in custody. Gatti is also fine. I'm sure we'll have his family back soon as well.”
Douglas paused for a reaction. Thompson looked like he wanted to throw up.
Douglas smiled condescendingly. “I told you I had it under control.” He stood and turned to leave.
“I won't go to prison,” Thompson asserted.
Douglas looked back at him. “Do you have a choice?”
Douglas walked out of Thompson's office. He stopped briefly to chat with the secretary on his way out. A single gunshot rang out from Thompson's office. It was what Douglas had been waiting for. He told the secretary to call security and not to enter the room. He then continued on his way out, determined not to waste another minute on that sorry excuse for a man.
MICHAEL PARKED a block away from the address Jessica provided with Gatti and his son in the car. He hadn't planned on taking them along but now it wasn't safe to leave them.
Michael turned to Gatti in the passenger's seat. “You know you're not coming right?”
Gatti looked away and ran his hand down his face. He wanted to go more than anything but knew Michael. He would never allow it.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I don't need to remind you of Josh's and my experience with this sort of thing. I'll do all I can to keep them safe.”
Gatti closed his eyes and nodded. “I know, Michael. There isn't anyone I would trust more than you.”
Michael took a deep breath and looked out the window. He was waiting for Josh and Martin to pick him up in whatever car they managed to acquire. They pulled up a few minutes later and Michael got in. They drove away, leaving Gatti and his son who could only wait helplessly until it was over.
Martin stopped the car down the street from the kidnappers' house. Michael and Josh scoped out the house with binoculars. The shades were open in all the rooms but one. It was either the room where Eleanor and Julie were being held or someone was in there sleeping. At any rate, they decided that room would be a priority. Not having much intel on the house and how many men were inside, invading the house was an extremely risky move. They didn't have other options though. Time was running out and if they didn't act now, it might be too late.
They geared up with the shotguns and flashbang grenades and stealthily made their way to the house. While Josh crept up to the backdoor, Michael and Martin snuck up to the front. The downfall of most criminals is due to overconfidence. The men inside were no exception. They were too busy lounging around, smoking and watching TV to realize their impending doom.
Michael and Martin breached the front door and seconds later Josh came through the back. Two men who had been relaxing on the couch leaped up and drew their weapons. Martin switched to his sidearm and took them out while Michael rushed past him toward the bedroom. He opened the door enough to toss in his flashbang. Bullets flew through the door as he did. After the grenade went off, he opened the door and put a bullet in the head of the stunned kidnapper. There was no sign of Eleanor or Julie in the room. Michael cursed and hurried back out.
Josh took out one man in the kitchen as he worked his way to Martin and Michael. They met up in the living room and Michael gestured that they needed to continue searching the house. Silently, they spread out. The other rooms were empty. That left the basement. The inner staircase was the only way down, leaving them with a tactical disadvantage. They had one flashbang left and hoped it would be enough.
Josh opened the basement door and Michael tossed the grenade down the stairs. As soon as it went off, Michael bolted down the stairs followed by Josh and Martin. One man fired blindly toward the stairs. Michael fired one shot and the man fell to the floor.
The basement was partially finished with drywall and baseboards but the floor was still just concrete. There were two rooms off of the main room. The men took positions on the sides of the doors. Michael quickly opened the first door and there they found Eleanor and Julie. They were alive and immensely relieved to see Michael. They both began crying uncontrollably. Michael gestured for them to wait one minute. He shut the door and then prepared to search the other room for any remaining kidnappers. The only things in the second room were the furnace and boiler. They returned to the girls and Michael and Josh pulled out their knives to free the pair. After freeing their arms and legs, they carefully cut the duct tape wrapped around their heads. They first cut the tape off of their faces and then slowly worked the rest off of their hair.
They hugged Michael, Martin and Josh and thanked them profusely for rescuing them. They still couldn't believe it was happening.
“Your husband isn't far,” Michael told Eleanor. “He's very anxious to see you both.” He glanced between them.
“Yes. Yes, let's go.” Eleanor stood up and held Julie tightly.
They escorted the women from the house as sirens wailed in the distance. They were headed their way. Not sure if the CIA was still compromised, Michael didn't want to get picked up by local police. They piled into the car and quickly drove to meet up with Gatti.
When the car stopped behind them and Gatti saw his wife and daughter in the backseat he leaped from the car and ran to meet them. Todd was just a second behind him.
>
Gatti clutched his wife and daughter tightly and cried into his wife's neck. Todd came up behind them and wrapped his arms around them sobbing and telling them he was so happy they were okay.
Gatti kissed his daughter's head and looked at Michael, Josh and Martin.
“Thank you,” he said tearfully. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and held onto his family so grateful to have them back.
“We really need to move,” Michael finally said. The police had already arrived on the scene and the neighbors were sure to give a description of the vehicle they left in.
Gatti reluctantly pulled away from his wife and kids. Michael instructed Josh to go with Gatti and his family in the other car while he and Martin ditched the one the police would be looking for.
Michael didn't tell Gatti what he and Martin would really be doing. Michael was going to pay Douglas another visit to find out what exactly he had been up to. At the very least, he had used them as bait and Michael was not pleased about it. Michael wanted Martin with him since he had worked for the CIA and was more familiar with how they worked than he and Josh were.
They arrived at Douglas' home a short time later sporting a different stolen car. They walked right up to the front door and rang the bell. Douglas' wife answered the door.
“Mrs. Douglas?” asked Michael.
“Yes?”
“I need to speak with your husband. Is he home?”
“Um ... Who are you?” she asked suspiciously.
“It's okay sweetheart, I've been expecting them.” Douglas' voice boomed through the house. “You can let them in.”
She smiled at them and gestured for them to come inside. As they stepped in the doorway Douglas rounded the corner and greeted them with a smile.
“Come to my office,” he said then turned to lead the way.
Michael looked at Martin who just shrugged. Douglas was extremely calm and Michael didn't know if that was a good sign or not.
The office was a good size with a wall of bookshelves to the right with a small space carved out where a flatscreen TV was hung. Across from the door were two bright windows elegantly decorated with window treatments. A dark green leather love seat was placed in front of them. Off to the left sat a large wooden desk with a computer on it.
Douglas shut the door and turned to them. “Nice to see you again, Michael.” He turned to Martin. “Josh Lavene, I presume?”
“Close,” Martin answered.
“Ah, Martin then. You both look so much alike. I read all of your files after Tim filled me in on what was happening.” Douglas walked to the desk and leaned on the edge. “You three are inseparable,” he remarked. “Did you find Tim's family yet?”
“Yes,” Michael answered. “No thanks to you.”
Douglas ignored the remark. “Nothing you couldn't handle, Michael. How is Tim holding up?”
“How do you think?” Michael's tone wasn't hard to read. He was angry.
“You're still mad about the safe house?”
“What if we hadn't answered the phone?” Michael asked angrily.
Douglas pursed his lips. “That's why I kept calling.”
“It better have been worth it,” Michael said.
“It was,” Douglas replied cheerfully. “I assume you haven't been watching the news?”
“I've been a little preoccupied.” Michael crossed his arms.
“Yes, I'm sure.”
Douglas grabbed a remote off his desk and turned on the TV. There was a news update on a fatal car crash in which Bruce Thompson, the Director of National Intelligence was killed.
Totally disregarding what the reporter was saying, Martin turned to Douglas. “How did he really die?”
Michael looked at Martin and then Douglas.
“He shot himself after I played back a phone conversation he had with Meier,” Douglas answered.
“Nice. How did you manage to get that?” Michael asked.
“I just finished what Tim had started.”
“You took the videos?” Michael surmised.
“Yes. I tasked another agent with looking through the security tapes. We hit the jackpot and got video footage of Thompson purchasing one of the phones that is in regular communication with Meier. We intercepted the calls and caught him red handed giving Meier classified information. And some other disgusting things I don't care to mention.”
Douglas muted the TV.
“So that's how you knew the hit squad was coming,” Martin said.
“Yes. Thompson couldn't wait to tell Meier where Tim was. I also led him to believe Corvo was still in the hospital. We picked up some more of Meier's men when they tried to kill him there. We've identified most of the men in Meier's videos. He won't be able to evade justice this time.”
“So that's it?” Michael asked, not really believing it could be over.
“That's it, Michael. It's over.” Douglas smiled.
“So the Gatti's can go home?” Martin asked.
“Well, until we pick up Meier, they should stay in protective custody.”
“Yeah, that's probably a good idea,” Michael agreed.
“Go be with your wife, Michael. I'll make sure Tim and his family are safe.”
“I don't know whether to thank you or punch you,” Michael admitted.
Douglas chuckled. “I would prefer a handshake.”
Michael shook his hand. “Thank you.”
Martin also shook his hand and then they both left.
Chapter 37
Jessica was really beginning to tire of hospital life. She was ready to go home and was starting to have anxiety that she was still there. Not having Michael around made it worse. Dmitri tried his best to keep her content but increasingly she just wanted Michael.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone stop in her doorway and turned to see who it was. Her face lit up at seeing it was Michael. He was grinning from ear to ear and she knew he carried good news.
He stepped over to the bed and shook Dmitri's hand. He thanked him abundantly for staying to watch over Jessica. Dmitri shrugged it off like it was nothing. He smiled at Jessica, knowing how happy she must be feeling and then excused himself to give them some privacy.
“You're back.” Jessica reached her arms out to him.
He bent down and gently hugged her and kissed her lips. “It's all over,” he said as he looked in her eyes and stroked her hair.
“What do you mean it's over?”
“Tim is safe. Bad guys are gone.” Michael smiled. “Everything is good.” He kissed her lips again, relieved that they were back together again, his friends were safe and they no longer had to remain in hiding.
“I want to go home, Michael,” Jessica said with tears in her eyes.
He smiled softly and stroked her hair. “I know, baby. I spoke with the doctor. He thinks in a few more days you'll be good enough to go home.”
“I can't wait a few days. I hate it here.”
Michael squeezed her hand. “I want to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?”
He pulled the chair close to the bed and sat down, still holding her hand. He took a deep breath.
“I know you want kids.”
He looked in her eyes. She was immediately concerned wondering what was coming next.
“Would you consider adopting?” he asked.
Jessica didn't know how to respond. She wasn't expecting him to ask that. She had never thought about adoption. She scrunched her brow, not understanding why he was asking her about it.
“I kinda want kids of my own,” she answered.
“I know. We will. But ...” He sighed and looked down at the bed.
“What is it?”
He looked back up at her. “One of the kids we rescued. A girl. She has no family. No one is looking for her. They think maybe her family sold her into that life.”
“You want to adopt her?”
Michael looked in her eyes as he nodded yes.
“How old is
she?”
“Six or seven. They're not sure.”
“Does she speak English?”
“A little. She speaks Russian better.”
“You really want to do this don't you?”
He nodded again. “I've already talked with the social worker. We can start the process if you want to.”
As she considered his request, her eyes teared up. “My heart goes out to her.” She looked at him. “If she wants to live with us, I would love to give her a good home.”
Michael smiled as he let out a sigh of relief. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“I love you,” he said softly.
“I love you too, Michael.”
ONE MONTH later, when Jessica had recovered enough to move around on her own, she and Michael waited in a quaint room at social services. Michael sat at the table tapping his heel on the floor while Jessica paced behind him. Michael was dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a button up shirt while Jessica wore a beautiful butterfly pattern dress.
Michael stood as the door opened and a social worker entered with a tiny girl who appeared nervous but at the same time a little curious. Jessica moved to Michael's side and reached for his hand. He squeezed it and they both smiled at the small girl with beautiful brown hair and hazel eyes.
Before entering the room, the social worker had explained to the girl that Michael and Jessica wanted to provide a home for her and that it would be her choice if she wanted to go with them. She didn't have to decide today, she could just meet them.
The social worker introduced Michael and Jessica. Michael stepped forward and knelt down to her level. When he spoke to her in Russian her eyes lit up.
“My name is Michael,” he said in Russian. “This my wife, Jessica.” He gestured to her. “What is your name?”
“Tatiana,” she answered so softly it was barely audible.
Michael smiled. “That's a pretty name. Do people call you Ana?”
She nodded yes. “You speak Russian.”
“Yes, I speak Russian and English, but my wife only speaks English,” he explained.
Michael looked back at Jessica who was beyond terrified. She didn't know what to say and was afraid she would say the wrong thing. Michael held out his hand to her. She took it and moved closer to them.