Sanctuary Breached WITSEC Town Series Book 3

by Lisa Phillips

  Ben had breached the warehouse where Sam’s mom was being kept. Did it usually take this long to hear back? He didn’t have any new emails, not since the one John had sent ten minutes ago detailing the president’s instructions to Shadrach. The sniper was in jail now, like he was supposed to be, but if Shadrach was clever—and everything about his file said he was borderline genius, especially with strategy—John’s recommendation was to let this play out. To see if Shadrach could give them anything more to go on from the fake Abigail.

  Sam didn’t know how far they could trust a man who’d shoot at him just to warn him to ease up on his girl—if that was what Shad considered Remy to be. But marines were a breed apart.

  “I know who you are.”

  Bingo.

  Sam stayed still, like he was engrossed in his movie.

  Shadrach didn’t answer.

  Abigail pressed. “I do. I saw their hit list. I know you’re supposed to be dead, just like the lieutenant. But you’re here.”

  Shadrach might actually be asleep, given how still he was. But Sam somehow doubted the man relaxed ever. He probably didn’t even know how.

  Sam still dreamed about dark water, about his team. Hauling that huge black rubber boat through wet sand and freezing water. That bell. He always woke up right before he rang it, never knowing if dream-Sam actually gave up and quit. Maybe he did. Or maybe he just wanted to ring it and walk away like Sam had wished he could have done plenty of times. So much he now dreamed of giving up. Of quitting.

  But then where would he be? No family. No mission. Nothing but a failure.

  Abigail tried again. “You and I, we can help each other. Work together. Get out of here.”

  Nope. Sam held himself back, so he didn’t actually shake his head. He’d have had to chuckle so it looked like his movie got to a funny part. She’d played her hand too early. Now Shadrach knew exactly what she wanted.

  “And why would I help you?” Shadrach’s voice was lazy, like he was completely relaxed. It had to be uncomfortable sitting like that. The man really needed a bed to sleep in instead of the woods, but Sam didn’t think Abigail would give up the cot. And the marine certainly wouldn’t accept comfort in that circumstance.

  “Do you want to be in here?”

  Shadrach still hadn’t looked at her. Sam could see him over the top of his tablet, but not clearly. “You think you’re the one to get us out?”

  Abigail said, “If you’ve got any ideas, I’m all ears. But I have a sat phone and the means for us to escape this town.”

  Sam sent John an email to inform him that Abigail was not yet aware they’d compromised her communications equipment.

  Abigail continued, “Maybe you think you’ve found a home here. What with your girl, your sister, and your dog being here. Maybe you want to stick around. Have weekly visitations with your sister where she can tell you all about her boyfr—”

  That got her a reaction.

  Sam tacked on to the end of the email the fact Abigail apparently knew all about Remy and Nadia’s connections to Shadrach.

  “Catch up. Play happy families from the Sanctuary jail for the rest of your life while you rot and your sister lives her sad little life here.”

  Shadrach didn’t look at her. “If you know so much about me, how did you not know Remy was part of this? That seems like a pretty big fail. I don’t know if I want to trust someone who can’t put two ends together.”

  Abigail huffed. “We had a name, but that was all we had. Doctor Remembrance Wilder, no logical connection to Beth Myerson—they really hid that one well—but close friend of Gunnery Sergeant Shadrach Carleigh. It was your connection to Sanctuary that led us here. Too many coincidences, except for Remy’s ability to completely erase herself from existence. Even the year books were stolen from the academy where she attended high school. No pictures at her house or her father’s house. Nothing online. There was not one visual representation of that woman to be found anywhere. I’ll hand it to these witness protection people. They certainly know what they’re doing.”

  Sam figured it was more likely due to Remy’s hacking skills.

  “And I suppose you think you have it tied up neatly now? Call it in to your bosses, walk away clean. Collect your money.” Shadrach paused. “You’ve just neglected to take into account your part in the deaths of the president and his wife and two military servicemen.”

  “But the two of you aren’t dead.”

  “The world is under a different impression.”

  “You think I’m going to be...caught?” She sputtered and then laughed. “You do. Oh, how precious. I suppose everyone else here thinks the same thing. Too bad they don’t know just how high this thing goes. The syndicate has a reach the likes of which you can only dream about.”

  Chapter 15

  A phone was ringing. It stopped.

  A delicate sigh. Female. “No, thank you. I don’t wish to speak to him at present. Thank you for calling.”

  The pain in Ben Mason had an edge of disparity to it, like his body couldn’t decide what was wrong. His eyelids hurt, but he managed to get them open. A white tile ceiling. The steady beep of machines. His mom’s face. Ben lifted a hand, connected by the tube in his elbow to a bag that hung beside his bed. In the hospital. A thick bandage was wrapped around his head, but he managed to rub his eyes.

  “Benny.”

  He didn’t look at her. “Yeah, mom.”

  “You’re in the hospital.” She got up, moving her face close enough he could smell her perfume. It hit him like it always did. Home. “Your name is Benjamin Lawler. You’re a city building inspector.”

  “Thanks.” He took a breath, trying to remember what’d happened. “How long was I out?”

  “Thirty-nine hours.”

  He nodded. “What’s the damage?”

  She settled on the edge of his bed. Her warm, slender fingers curled around his. She was wearing her signature pressed slacks and light knit sweater, just enough makeup that he noticed, and her blonde hair short and straight where she’d intentionally placed it.

  Her nose scrunched in a way he’d always thought was adorable. When he got tall enough, he’d always kissed her there before he left the house. She’d told him to “Be good.” Like that was going to help.

  “You got yourself blown up again, Benny.”

  “And Daire?”

  She waved away his concern. “Checked himself out of the hospital almost as soon as he woke up. I confirmed his ID was clean when I got here and made sure he got in the cab without falling over. The doctor was not happy about that. And I did the paperwork for the woman you brought in.”

  Abigail Myerson. “How is she?”

  “Hasn’t woken up yet. They’re concerned about internal trauma. I explained my cousin’s…situation and asked them to take care with her. After all, she has a tendency to get confused about who she is.” His mom smiled. “At least until I can explain to her what’s going on.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome, Benny.”

  He gave her a grudging smile. A grown man should not be called “Benny” except by the grandfather of his family. And by family, he meant family. Sadly—or not, depending on how he looked at it—Ben Mason had not been born into the mafia.

  She scanned his face.

  “Sock it to me, Mama.”

  “Two broken ribs, you have a large bruise on the back of your shoulder so you’ll have to see your physio when you get home to make sure you didn’t undo all the healing you did after the surgeon fixed your shoulder.”

  He nodded. Though it hadn’t been so much “fixing” his shoulder, as putting it right after a round tore through it and didn’t leave much intact. His mom didn’t need to know that, however.

  “You’re so much like your father.”

  Ben didn’t answer. The two of them had lived wildly different lives, but he could see how she might think that. Still, his dad had married his high school sweetheart and then lived the life
he wanted to live. Strong. Happy. Dying much before his time, but content. Doing what he wanted. Coming home to his family.

  The same could not be said for Ben, who had nothing he wanted and did things he didn’t like doing on a regular basis. He did not live a clean life or a good life. Ben Mason wasn’t much more than a ghost to those who didn’t know him, that being his brothers, his mom, and his men.

  The soft pads of her fingers lit across his forehead and skimmed over the bandage into his cropped hair. His mom rubbed the top of his head like he was eight and he had the flu. She’d seen him do it with Pat sometimes, when he was sad.

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “So I can leave?” She paused. “Because you’re so fine. Not Benny, no nothing’s wrong with Ben. I don’t have to keep telling your brothers you’re off doing whatever, and it’s all gravy.”

  He snorted. It hurt.

  “No, because my Ben, he’s fine. Nothing’s ever wrong, nothing’s ever a problem.”

  He opened his eyes. “Mom—”

  “You’re not invincible, Benny.” Tears swam in her eyes. “You might be getting too old to get blown up. One time too many and you’re going to run out of lives.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “I mean, what is this about anyway? That woman—” Her phone rang. She reached for it, looked at the screen, and sighed. She answered it. “Yes?” She paused. “Please tell the president that I am unavailable at present. I’ve had a family emergency, and this isn’t a good time. Yes, thank you.”

  Ben’s eyebrow lifted, which only hurt a little.

  She sighed. “He’s been calling all day. Wants me to attend some ball at the White House on Saturday. Like I can just drop everything and fly to Washington.”

  Ben grinned.

  His mom rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Ben. I’m not interested in dating. Not right now.”

  It should be incredibly weird that they were even having this conversation, but it wasn’t. Ben was simply glad that she knew her own mind enough to stand firm when she was up against someone with that much presence. He’d have to ask Sam and Beth what they thought of the kind of man Thomas Sheraton’s running-mate had been. President or not, Ben doubted Alan Gunderson was good enough to date his mom.

  “Thank you for coming, Mom.”

  “Psh.” She waved again. “You’re the one who listed me as your emergency contact. I just wish it didn’t get used so much.”

  **

  The video screen split, showing him six eager faces. Six sycophants desperate to claw their way into the world he inhabited.

  “Good morning, ladies. Gentlemen.” He nodded. “The situation with Abigail Myerson has reached its conclusion, and she is no longer in our custody. Her location was discovered, a fact I would very much like to get to the bottom of. We have the identity of one of the men who broke in, but he was simply a building inspector.”

  “And the other?”

  He looked at the younger man who had the gall to ask such a question. “When his identity is ascertained, we will decide whether this requires further attention.”

  “And the building inspector?”

  “Recovering in hospital.”

  “So it was a fluke?”

  This…child required further attention first. “I hardly think fluke quite covers the extent of it. You will go to this hospital. Speak with Abigail Myerson and this building inspector. Doctors, nurses, and visitors. You will ascertain whether there is more to this story than a simple fluke.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Now.”

  The young man blanched. He got up and a second later his video screen went black. Off to do his duty like he had been taught. It was a shame all were not that amenable.

  “Now, do we have an update on the scientist’s daughter?”

  “Our surveillance in Sanctuary provided us with another grouping of pictures of all the women in the town that we are now running through a facial recognition program.” The woman shifted in her chair. “We have a possible match to Doctor Remembrance Wilder.”

  “So she is in Sanctuary?”

  The woman nodded. “The statistical probability is high.”

  “I want it confirmed that this woman is the one who stole our property. That missile belongs to us. The boss will accept nothing but success in this endeavor, and I will not tolerate failure.”

  He needed this missile more than any of them did. When he got his hands on it, the chairman would be gone. No more hirelings, no more scapegoats. He would be the boss and the whole organization.

  “Once her identity has been ascertained, we will move to a full breach.”

  “Yes, sir.” They all chirped like little chicks. Fragile things so easily crushed.

  He disconnected first and then picked up the phone.

  “Yes?”

  “Doctor Wilder is in Sanctuary.”

  “We need someone with the skills to do this properly. There can be no mistakes.”

  “I will make the call.”

  The chairman hung up.

  He sat back in his chair, exhaling as he lifted his snifter. The ice clinked as he brought it to his lips. This was going to cost him dearly. He was going to have to use everything he had to convince his man to do one more job for them. But in a world where nothing was free, what did he expect?

  He replaced the glass and got his phone. It rang twice, and the man picked up.

  “Yeah?”

  “Senior Chief Locan?”

  **

  Sam settled on the side of the bed. Asleep, her eyelashes were fanned on her cheeks, her pale skin not flawless but still beautiful. He lifted a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers before he brushed it back in place.

  Beth stirred and opened her eyes. “Hey.”

  Her gaze and voice were both cloudy with sleep. “Hey.”

  “You okay?”

  Was he supposed to be? His life was in shambles. Sam didn’t know what it would take to make it right, but sitting here with his wife, his son inside her, definitely helped.

  She shifted and sat up, looking at his shorts and T-shirt. “Are you going to go work out?”

  He shrugged. “I was thinking about it.”

  Getting pounded by Sam Tura wouldn’t make him feel better, but maybe he could ask the Bear why he felt like this. Find out how Tura got his footing back. If he had.

  “Okay.”

  Beth’s face was open enough, but there was so much beneath her surface, he didn’t think he’d ever discover all of it. His wife had always been selective in what she said and did. With the exception of jumping into their marriage, she considered everything at length. Which meant she’d either had enough information to decide quickly, or she’d been thinking about it prior to that night.

  Would he ever know?

  Sam’s dad had always said exactly what was on his mind. Forthcoming. So much it drove his mom nuts, until she’d been at work more than she was home. But his dad never changed for her. He’d only ever been exactly the man he was. The man God made me to be.

  Beth was more like his mother, who played everything close to the vest. He had to dig it out, but in doing so he was rewarded when he discovered the truth she hid deep inside. Mostly that it was full of love for him, and when that light shined out he was blinded by it. A gift only she could give him, one she had only given to her parents—in private, not where the world could see—and to him. It had been almost painful seeing the dull glow of her when she danced. He didn’t think anyone else had wondered if she even wanted to be there, but he had.

  “What is it, Sam?”

  He braced against the light and looked at her. He had to get out what he needed to say. “I get the position you were in. I get you didn’t have much of a choice, being dragged into this by Remy.” He took a breath. “But we had a week of being alone, and you didn’t once say a thing about your cousin being here.”

  Beth didn’t jump to defend herself. She laid her hand o
n his shoulder and climbed from the bed to lift the lamp from the end table. She up-ended it. In the hollow spot at the center of the base was a tiny, black chip of plastic.

  A listening device.

  “I don’t think these are here just because this is Sanctuary, and they’re all about security. John wouldn’t plant bugs. Every phone call within town is listened to, and every communication online to the outside world is checked, as is all the mail. But I don’t think they go to these lengths. At least that wasn’t communicated to us when we were briefed upon arrival.”

  “Someone else put that there, and they’re listening. But we were in the cabin for a week. We hiked plenty of times. You still didn’t say anything then. Or give me any indication this was about your cousin.”

  “I tried to keep the fact we were headed to Andra’s cabin under wraps. I only told her and John and Nadia. And still there were these same things there.”

  “Did you ask John about them?”

  “I haven’t had the chance.” She sat, shoulders slumped. “These people are everywhere.”

  “You had to know you’d be safe with me. We were outside plenty, you could have told me.”

  “I have to be safe without you, too. By myself. And there might not be any Secret Service agents here, but I’ve had to learn how to live without relying on you for everything.” Her shoulders hitched. “Remy put this on me. And I don’t need you to prove yourself, but I’m used to being alone. Having you here…it’s been amazing, and I really need you. I do. But you have to let me get used to the ‘together’ thing again. It takes time.”

  It took him about five minutes, it always had. Beth took longer to process what was going on. “But you had to know I needed to be briefed, Bethy. You kept this from me.”

  “She knew you would realize it was about her once you saw her. I tried to get her to come around, but she always blew me off. If you came to the bakery, she’d leave. I think she’s been hiding from you.”