“You’re in there by yourself?” Jesse asked. “No one’s watching the cameras?”
“Nope. Most of the time there’s only one guard on duty in there.”
He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Your brother’s in the nurse’s office right now.”
“Yeah, he had a headache.”
“Hmm…convenient.”
Toby, Jesse knows that something’s up. Tell Rebecka to get out of there—now, Tyler thought.
Stall him for a minute, Toby thought back. She’s still trying to find the right medicine.
I don’t know if I can. Tell her to hurry.
Jesse turned to the guard. “Get back in the control room and see if there’s anything suspicious going on in the nurse’s office.”
“The nurse’s office?” the guard questioned. “What am I looking for?”
“I don’t know. I just have a strange feeling that these two might be up to something.” Jesse stared intently at Tyler in an obvious attempt to read his thoughts.
“I just fell down the stairs,” Tyler said. “Believe me, I wouldn’t hurt my ankle on purpose. We aren’t up to anything.”
“Well, we’ll see about that.” Jesse turned to the guard and snapped, “Go on. What are you waiting for?”
“Are you okay if I let go of your arm?” the guard asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tyler assured him. The guard slowly released his arm, and when he was confident that the patient wouldn’t fall over, he hurried back to the control room.
Toby, tell her to get out now! Tyler thought.
She’s got it, Toby thought back.
The guard poked his head out of the security room. “I don’t see anything unusual, Jesse. His twin was lying on a cot, and the nurse was with him. It all looked fine.”
“Okay, well, that’s good. Still, keep a close eye on those monitors from now on. I want to make sure that nothing gets past us.”
“You got it, Jesse. I’m all over it.” He returned to his post and the door slid shut.
Jesse released his arm and looked squarely at Tyler. “If you and your brother are up to something, you won’t get away with it, so don’t bother trying anything.”
Tyler shook his head. “We aren’t up to anything.”
“For your sake, I hope not. I like you two. I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you.”
“Understood,” Tyler said and smiled. “Do you think you could help me down to the nurse now?”
*****
Two hours later, right on cue, Rebecka informed Toby that the guard was out for the count.
You’re sure? Tyler heard his brother ask silently from his room.
Positive, Rebecka thought. I’m standing in the control room right behind him. He’s out good.
You didn’t give him too much of the stuff, did you? Toby asked.
Hmmm…I hope not. I wonder how much I was supposed to give him?
Are you serious?
Tyler heard a chuckle in her thoughts. No I read the directions on the bottle. I gave him just the right amount. Don’t worry. Now hurry up and get down here. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs.
Even though Tyler could have easily unlocked the door with a simple touch, it was faster to use the access card that had remained hidden in his shoe throughout the day. The plastic card served a dual purpose; it would open any door within the compound and, when inserted into Henry’s computer, would grant them access to his records and files.
Within moments, Tyler was out. He released Toby from his room as well, and a minute later they met Rebecka outside of the security room. From there, they followed her up the stairs, to Henry’s office.
When they reached the door, Toby whispered, “You don’t think Henry will still be in his office, do you?”
“No, he always goes home after lights out,” Rebecka whispered back. “There are others who might be in their offices though, so we need to hurry and get inside, before anyone sees us.”
Tyler pulled out the access card and ushered everyone in. Then he slid the door shut and looked around. “I’ll work on getting logged into the computer. Why don’t you guys check out the file cabinets and see if there’s anything worthwhile. Rebecka, we’re going to need a flash drive. Do you have any idea where I might find one?”
“Yeah, there should be something in his desk. Let me see what I can find.”
Tyler inserted the access card and entered the password, and suddenly a world of information awaited him. Now he just needed to figure out where to go.
“I found a flash drive,” Rebecka announced. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” He accepted the small device and inserted it. “Now then, what sort of information should I be looking for?”
Toby and Rebecka peered over Tyler’s shoulders.
“I would start with the access list,” Rebecka said. “Anytime someone uses their access card, their entry gets documented. The list will show who entered the compound and when they entered. There are some people who might not want the public to know that they were here.”
“Perfect,” Toby said.
“Okay, what next?” Tyler asked after the access list had been downloaded.
“Well,” Rebecka said, “besides the CIA, I know there are other groups and individuals who provide funding for their own gains and purposes. They wouldn’t want a list like that to become public knowledge.”
It took a few minutes, but Tyler eventually found what they were looking for. Not only did the list include dignitaries from other countries, it also included certain politicians and a few celebrities.
He saved the list of names to the flash drive and then noticed a folder labeled, ‘tunnels.' After he clicked on it, his eyes widened when he realized that the new page contained a list of hidden tunnel locations and their corresponding passwords. Not surprisingly, Edwards Air Force Base was among the list. Another click and Tyler opened maps of the underground locations. With a few more clicks, the tunnels folder was also saved. “You never know when access might come in handy, again,” he explained. “And I’m sure they wouldn’t be happy if proof of the tunnel locations became public knowledge.”
“Good thinking,” Toby said. “See if you can find the list with our names on it. If other people on the list start to go missing, it could spread suspicion toward the agency.”
Tyler located and downloaded the list. He found their names, along with Eddie, Liliana, Grace, and Sarah, and at least fifty others. He also downloaded a few interesting emails—emails he was certain the agency wouldn’t want falling into the wrong hands.
He removed the flash drive and held it up. “I think we have more than enough information here to secure our safety.”
“So what happens next?” Rebecka asked.
“Eddie should arrive with the Federales in the morning. Before they get here, we need to make Henry aware that we have this information. And then, in theory, we just need to sit back and wait until Henry and his friends are detained."
Tyler removed the access card from the computer and placed it in his pocket with the flash drive.
“Can you think of anything else we should do before we go?” Toby asked.
“Nope,” Tyler replied. “I think we’ve done enough damage for one evening.”
His brother spun toward the door and stared with intent. “Shh, someone’s coming.”
Rebecka looked up and turned an ear to listen. “Are you sure? I don’t hear anyone.”
“I don’t hear him either, but I can see him, in my mind. There’s a man who just walked into an office down the hall. Would anyone else have reason to come in here besides Henry?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“He went into a room a few doors down. Come on. Let’s get out of here before he comes out, again.”
Toby peered into the hall to ensure that it was clear and then ushered Tyler and Rebecka out of Henry’s office. He closed the door, but before they could turn for the stairs, they were stopped by a muffled nois
e that came from a room down the hall.
Tyler looked down the hall; every instinct told him that he should run. They still might have time to sprint down the stairs and remain undetected, but for some unknown reason, he stood frozen—not from fear, but from curiosity. He saw that Toby was equally as curious.
“What are you two waiting for?” Rebecka whispered. “Come on.”
“Whoever’s down there…I feel like we know him,” Toby said.
“Yeah, well, whoever it is, you don’t want him to catch you here, do you?”
Before they had time to contemplate further, they heard a door open. They stood motionless, afraid to breathe, as they watched a man step into the hall. His back was to them, but he seemed oddly familiar.
“It can’t be,” Toby said.
“Is it?” Tyler asked.
“Who? Who is he?” Rebecka whispered.
The man turned toward them then, and he appeared just as shocked at their appearance as Tyler felt.
“It’s Dad,” the twins said in unison.
CHAPTER 20: FEDERALES
With strong-willed insistence, the girls conquered the battle of dinner selection. They would not be eating in their motel room.
“We’ve spent a week hiding from the IIA, and now you want to throw that all away by parading yourselves in public?” Eddie had argued when the girls proposed that they go to the restaurant located on the bottom floor of their motel.
“Do you really think a tracker is going to be looking for us here?” Grace had retorted. “This is probably the last place they would expect us to be. And besides, if they are looking for us, they’re going to find us whether we’re in a motel room or in a restaurant. We’d actually have a better chance to escape out in the open. If they come to our motel room, there’s no other exit except for the door.”
“She does have a point,” Liliana had agreed.
Eddie had made an attempt to look serious but failed horribly when he tried to hide a smile. “Why do I feel like I don’t have a choice?”
Grace had grinned. “Because, you don’t. Come on. It’ll be fun. This might be the last night that the three of us get to spend together. Don’t you want to have a little fun?”
As the only male in the group, and the eldest of the three, Eddie felt a weight of responsibility to keep the girls safe. At the same time, he had to admit that a couple of hours spent downstairs, did sound more appealing than sitting in their cockroach-infested, rundown motel room.
“Fine,” he had agreed. “But, Grace, if you get any visions or feelings that something might be wrong, you have to promise that we’ll leave right away.
“Does that mean we can go?” Her eyes twinkled with merriment, and he couldn’t help but smile in return.
“Do you promise?”
“Of course. I’m not stupid. I promise, if anyone even looks at us cross-eyed, we’ll get out of there. Is that good enough for you?”
“Until we’re all safe, it will never be good enough, but I guess it will have to do.”
“Thank you! Let me get changed and then we can go.” She turned to Liliana. “I have a couple of dresses in my bag. They might be a little long, but otherwise they should fit. Would you like to borrow one?”
“Sure, thanks.” She examined the dresses Grace had laid out on the bed. “I don’t know how you have such a wide assortment of clothes. I just packed enough to fit in my small bag. I feel like I’ve been wearing the same clothes for days.”
“That’s only because I packed for a vacation to Florida. I planned to lay out by the pool every afternoon and hang out with my boyfriend every evening.”
Their conversation piqued his attention, and he turned to Grace with interest. “You have a boyfriend?” He shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Grace was stunning. She probably had a handful of guys lined up and waiting back home.
Grace had looked slightly embarrassed, and it was obvious that she didn’t want to answer. “Um…yeah. I mean, we’re dating, and I call him my boyfriend, but he really isn’t more than just a friend. You know? I just don’t feel that…spark.”
“Well, give it time. Sometimes the best relationships start out as just a friendship.”
“Yeah…maybe.” She had promptly changed the subject and then excused herself to the bathroom to change.
So now he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the girls to ‘pretty up,' as Grace had explained. He contemplated the fact that she had a boyfriend. He found that he was both jealous and relieved and couldn’t decide which emotion was stronger. He couldn’t deny that she was gorgeous and fun to be around, but a relationship with Grace could never work. For one, there was no way her parents would approve of a long-distance relationship with a college student from another state. There was also the fact that he couldn’t shake off the attraction he felt to Sarah. He knew that she was married, and he had no desire to break up her marriage; but nevertheless, the draw to her was there and it wouldn’t go away. It wouldn’t be fair to Grace if he was with her, but his thoughts were of Sarah.
Then he reminded himself that Jenna waited back home. He needed to decide if he would ask her out when he returned.
Life had been easier when his sole focus had been on school. Just a week ago, he had been concerned with his research project and had told himself that he wouldn’t get involved with a girl until he was finished. Now, only a week later, three girls occupied his mind. How had that happened?
*****
The moment they entered the restaurant, all eyes turned to the beautiful blond and the exotic Chinese girl, who were both donning flattering, form-fitting dresses. Eddie’s protective instincts kicked into overdrive; he stepped between the two, placed a possessive hand around each girl’s waist, and steered them to a table in the corner. His body language and facial expression stated that the girls were his, and no one ought to get any ideas.
The town wasn’t exactly a hot tourist location, and it appeared that they were the only Americans in the restaurant. The tables were filled with some families but mostly men who looked like they had just gotten off of a long day of work on the farm, men who would like nothing better than to befriend the beautiful girls. He began to question the legitimacy of his agreement to eat out; perhaps room service would have been a better idea after all.
Grace placed a hand on his forearm. “Relax. Look, there’s no sign of any trackers. We’re fine, and the place looks fun. See? They’re getting ready to start a band, and there’s a dance floor. Let’s just enjoy dinner, okay?”
“Yeah…it’s not trackers that I’m worried about,” he mumbled. But then he saw the happiness written on her face and didn’t want to spoil the mood. “You’re right. We’re here. We might as well have fun.”
After the waitress took their orders, the girls watched the band set up on stage. Eddie brooded over the conversation that would take place in the morning, with the Federales. He had gone over the dialogue in his head, visualized how it would play out, and considered various questions they might ask. He hoped that he was prepared.
Liliana tapped his shoulder. “What did he say?”
Snapped out of his musing, he turned to her. “Who?”
“The guy at the microphone.”
“Oh, um, it sounds like their fiddle player is out tonight, so he apologized that they might sound a little off.”
Liliana turned to Grace. “You play the violin, don’t you? Isn’t that kinda like a fiddle?”
“Um, sort of. I guess so. I’m not going to get up there and play, though. I don’t know any Mexican music.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. It would have been fun to hear you play.”
Their food arrived a few minutes later, and while they ate, they listened to the band and watched patrons take to the dance floor.
Grace tapped her foot to the music and grinned at Eddie. “This is fun. Aren’t you glad that we came? Much better than sitting in a motel room.”
“It is fun,” Eddie agreed. “Though I think the band w
ould sound a little better if they had a fiddle player.” He winked at Liliana.
“Oh, absolutely,” Liliana caught on. “A little bit of fiddle music is exactly what they need.”
Grace laughed. “I told you, I don’t know any Mexican songs.”
“Haven’t you noticed that they’ve played some American music, too? Maybe you know some of the same songs.”
Grace didn’t respond and looked toward the stage.
Eddie took advantage of her hesitation, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll introduce you to the band.” He hauled her to the front of the room before she could argue.
He waited until their song ended and then beckoned the guitar player to the edge of the stage. He explained in Spanish that Grace was his friend from the U.S. and that she would love to join in and play the fiddle.
The band leader looked Grace up and down, and for a moment, he wondered at the wisdom of putting her on stage. He immediately explained that Grace was his girlfriend and let him know, in no uncertain terms, that she was his and his alone.
“I understand,” the man told him, in Spanish. “I will guard her as if she were my own daughter.”
“Thank you.”
“Can she sing?”
Eddie looked at Grace, who waited patiently, with a smile on her face. He knew she hadn't understood a word they'd said. “I have no idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Ah, well then, maybe we can get her to sing for us, too.”
She nudged his arm with her elbow. “What did you say to him?”
“I said that you’re very happy to help them out.”
“Oh, well, okay then. He doesn’t mind?”
“No. He’s happy that you’re willing to play.”
The man presented Grace with a wide grin that revealed several missing teeth. He offered her a hand and in Spanish said, “We will be honored for you to join us.”
She looked blankly at Eddie for translation.
He nudged her in return. “Go ahead.”
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 24