by Mike Ryan
“What are you looking at me for?” Mia said. “I didn’t tell them.”
Jones rolled his eyes. “Of course not. But… you are known to them, are you not?”
“So?”
“Hospital records.”
Recker knew where his partner was going. “Personnel files.”
Jones nodded. “Yes.”
“They looked at hers.”
“What do you mean they looked at my file?” Mia asked.
“Your personnel file has your address, phone number, all that.”
“They don’t even have my right address. They still have our last apartment.”
“But they do have your phone number.”
“They could have used that to track down signals,” Jones said.
Recker suddenly looked concerned. Jones knew what that look on his face meant. If they could trace her to their apartment, they could have traced her back to the office, too. Recker went over to Mia with his hand out.
“Give me your phone.”
“What? Why?”
“Just give it to me.” Mia took her phone out of her purse and handed it over. Recker immediately threw it on the ground and smashed it with his foot. After Recker was done, Mia put her arms out to her side.
“You wanna tell me what you’re doing?”
“If they could trace you there, they can trace you here,” Recker answered.
“Well you could’ve told me that instead of just demanding my phone and smashing it.”
Recker immediately went over to the window and looked out, suddenly expecting a wave of Scorpions sitting out there. He was thankful that there were none. At least not that he could see. But that didn’t mean they weren’t coming or wouldn’t be there at some other point.
“Relax,” Jones said. “We should be fine.”
“How you figure that?” Recker replied, turning around.
“I’ve taken safeguards and precautions to prevent things like this. Any signals, IP addresses, phone calls, texts, everything that comes in or goes out of here gets routed and rerouted to other places. It would take a computer genius at my level, not to be boastful or conceited, to figure it out. And I feel confident in saying that I doubt they have one.”
“They had somebody bright enough to trace a signal to our apartment.”
“Child’s play. Any six-year-old with their own laptop could do that.”
Recker looked at Mia, then back at Jones. “Just how many six-year-olds do you know with their own laptop?”
“Obviously a figure of speech. But trust me, I did work at the NSA, if you remember.”
“I do.”
“So trust me. In order to break through what I’ve got going here, it would take someone with NSA, CIA type of ability to beat me. And once again, not to be boastful, they don’t have it.”
Recker smiled and nodded. “Not to be boastful.” He then turned back to the window and looked out.
“There won’t be anyone out there.”
“Uh, am I the only one that sees additional problems here?” Mia asked, putting her hand up as if she were a student in class.
Jones turned his head toward her. “Which are?”
“All of this means that they know where I work, right?”
“Yes?” Jones didn’t see what she was getting at yet.
“Uh, well, as much as I love you guys, I can’t stay in here forever.”
“It won’t be forever,” Recker said.
“Yes, but, you also can’t tell me it’s gonna be over tomorrow either. At some point, I’m going to have to go back to work. I’m going to have to go out. Go to the grocery store, gas station, run errands, things like that.”
Recker sighed. “You can’t go back to work yet. Not with them out there.”
“But, Mike, what if this lasts for months? I can’t just sit here.”
“We’ll find another apartment.”
“I don’t even have a phone anymore.”
Jones instantly pulled out a drawer and stuck his hand in, pulling out another phone. He handed it over to Mia. “You’re welcome.”
Now Mia was the one that rolled her eyes. “OK. I have a phone now. But what do I need it for if I’m going to be cooped up in here all the time? I can’t just…”
Recker knew what she was saying, but couldn’t let her go back to work. Not with those animals out there. “Mia, you know what they’re capable of. You know what they’re willing to do. We’ve seen it with Chris and Phillips. You’ve seen it firsthand back at the apartment with what they were willing to do to you. You can’t go back to work.”
“Mike, I’m… I know what they can do. But I can’t just hide for the rest of my life either.”
“I’m not asking you to. Just until they’re eliminated.”
“But how long will that take? You can’t say for sure. It could take months for all you know.”
“Just give me a few days.”
“Mike, you really think this is gonna be over in a few days?”
“Mia, I really can’t let you be at that hospital alone. We’ve seen what happens when you’re there alone when people want to send me a message. If I’m guarding you all day there, that means I can’t be finding them.”
Mia threw her arms up. She didn’t know what else to say, but she also wasn’t going to back down. She didn’t want to be used as a target, but she just wasn’t going to hide, either.
“If Mia is intent on going back to work, then perhaps we should get some additional protection,” Jones said. Recker shot him a look, as if he were annoyed that he seemed to be agreeing with her. “I’m just saying, if she goes back to work. I’m not saying definitely.”
“Um, excuse me, both of you,” Mia said. “Whether I go back to work or not, is my call. Not yours. Neither of you. No matter how much you both love me and care for me and want nothing bad to happen to me, it’s still my decision.”
“Mia…” Recker said.
“Don’t Mia me. It’s my decision.”
Recker groaned, but knew how stubborn his girlfriend could be about such matters. “Mia…”
Mia put her index finger in the air. “Mike.”
Recker put both his hands up, wanting both of them to take it easy and not get too heated or argue. He spoke very calmly. “Mia, I just want you to be safe. And if you’re out there alone, I cannot adequately protect you.”
“Well then find someone who can.”
Recker stared at her for a few moments, folding his arms. Mia returned the gaze, putting her hands on her hips. They were at a standstill.
Jones hoped he had a solution. “As interesting as this is, watching the two of you look like you’re about to leave the saloon to find out who the faster drawer is, I may have an idea.”
Recker and Mia both turned their heads at the same time to look at him. “We’re listening,” he said.
“We have resources. Why don’t we just use them?”
“What resources?”
“What are you getting at?” Mia asked.
“We do have a business relationship with a certain…”
“No.” Mia put her finger in the air again, this time waving it around. “No. I know what you’re gonna say. And no. No, no, no. No.”
“Would you stop saying no?” Recker said.
Mia was still defiant. “No.”
“Now you’re just being stubborn.”
“I learned from the best.” She stared at him with her arms crossed.
“Vincent has the means and abilities. He’s also done it before.”
“And I hated it before!”
“He’s got the men that can do it.”
“No!”
“Mia…”
“Don’t Mia me!”
Recker was starting to get agitated, but was holding his temper in check. He moved his mouth around to keep himself calm, though it was a significant challenge. He clasped his hands together and started pacing around the room as he thought of a way to convince his girlfriend to a
ccept the help she was being offered.
“Mia…”
“Mike.”
“Would you stop doing that and let me finish a sentence?”
“No, because I know how your sentences finish.”
“You’re getting frustrating, you know that?”
“Join the club.”
“Now, now, let’s keep our heads,” Jones said, hoping to keep them from blowing up at each other. “I’m sure there’s a solution here.”
“Yes, there is,” Recker said. “Let me have Vincent…”
“No. I don’t want his help anymore,” Mia said.
“Why not?”
“One, I don’t trust him.”
“Listen, our enemy here is The Scorpions, not him. He’s not involved with them.”
“OK, this is the problem I’ve always had with him. You trust him more than I do.”
“He’ll do what I ask.”
“But I don’t want to rely on a criminal.”
“He’s a criminal that can help you.”
“I’d rather do it myself.”
“Mia…”
“Mike.”
Recker grunted, feeling like he was about to explode. It was one of the few times he got so mad at Mia that he wanted to yell. “He’s got the…”
“I don’t care what he’s got. I don’t want to rely on him. And it makes me feel dirty.”
“Why would it make…”
“Because it does. OK?”
Recker huffed and puffed, then started pacing around the room again before he got so mad he started saying things that he would regret. After a minute, he stopped and looked at Jones.
“Would you like to join in here and try your luck?”
“Don’t get mad at him for it,” Mia replied.
“I’m not mad at him.”
“You sound mad.”
“You want me to start sounding mad?”
“Guys, guys,” Jones said, standing up and putting his arms out towards both of them. “Arguing is not going to get us anywhere. I’m sure there is a compromise in here somewhere if we keep calm and think about it. Now doesn’t continuing to talk about it intelligently sound like a better option than ripping each other’s throats out?”
Mia still had her arms folded. “I guess.”
“Michael?”
Recker sighed. “I suppose.”
“Now, since you two seem incapable of finding a solution yourselves, I guess I will moderate.”
“Hooray.”
“Would you let him talk?” Mia said, still a little huffy herself.
“Everyone calm down,” Jones replied. “Now, I think we can all agree that some protection for Mia would be the sensible thing to do, correct?”
“Yes,” Recker answered.
Jones then looked at Mia. “Right?”
Mia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
“OK then. Since we all agree that’s the right thing…”
“I’m not taking Vincent’s…”
Jones put his hand out to prevent her from speaking more. “Since we can all agree on what we want in principle, now we just have to figure out the best way to accomplish that.”
“Yes, let me call Vincent and set it up,” Recker said.
Jones pointed at him. “No. You want Mia to have protection, she has agreed, but she doesn’t want Vincent. So the easiest solution to solving this problem is to just get someone else.”
“What do you mean, someone else? Who else are we gonna get? We’re not exactly swimming with friends who are capable of something like this.”
“There are other alternatives.”
“Yeah? Like who? Are we gonna call Jerrick to see if he can lend a helping hand?”
“There’s no need to be facetious.”
Recker lifted his arms in protest. “Well, who else is there? You? Tyrell? Who else are we gonna trust?”
“Well there are private contractors who perform such services.”
“What do you mean, private contractors? What are we gonna do, hire a bodyguard?”
Jones nodded. “Yes, that’s just what I had in mind.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Most of those guys aren’t capable of handling something like this. They might be OK pushing around someone smaller than them, but when it comes to serious criminals like this…” Recker shook his head. It didn’t sound like a viable plan to him.
“I’m sure David has something in mind other than just hiring the biggest guy he can find on the street,” Mia said.
“As I said, there are people who perform such services,” Jones replied.
Recker still wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, but the whole trust thing. I mean, do you really think I’m gonna be OK just putting her life in the hands of a complete stranger?”
“What if he had special qualifications?” Jones asked.
“Like?”
“Let me worry about that.”
“You’re asking me to put my girlfriend’s life in someone else’s hands.”
“I’m asking you to trust me that I will not jeopardize her.”
Recker took a deep breath, not sure if he should say what he was thinking. He knew it wouldn’t come out right, but he wasn’t holding back. Not with Mia’s life. “I don’t mean any offense with this, David, but we put our trust in you when you brought in Phillips. And that didn’t turn out so well.”
“Mike!” Mia yelled. “That’s so unfair.”
Jones looked at her and put his hand up to stop her from saying anything else. He faked a smile. He appreciated her defending him, even if he didn’t think he deserved it. “No, it’s OK. I absolutely deserve that, and it is totally fair.”
Recker felt bad about how it came out. “David, I didn’t mean…”
Jones put his hand up again. “No, you are totally within your rights to feel that way. I’ve lost some trust with some of my decisions, and it will take a while to build that back up. I totally get that.”
“David, you don’t have to build any trust back up with me. You should know that. I’m just trying to say… a stranger coming in…”
“Why don’t you just let me bring someone in first before you make a decision? I’ll bring someone in, and before we agree to hire him, you meet him, talk to him, then you make your decision off of that. If you think he’s wrong, that’ll be the end of it and we’ll think of something else. You make the final decision.”
Recker still wasn’t sure. His eyes danced between the two of them. Not wanting to seem like he’d lost his faith in his friend and partner, he reluctantly agreed. “OK. OK. But if I don’t like whoever you bring in, we then call Vincent.” Recker then looked at his girlfriend. “Agreed?”
“Fine,” Mia replied.
Recker turned his attention back to Jones, who had sat back down and started typing again. “From the way you’re talking, it sounds like you already have someone in mind.”
“I do,” Jones replied.
“Mind sharing a name?”
“Uh, well, his name is Nathan Thrower.”
“Who? Is that supposed to ring a bell?”
“His specialty is protecting people. They call him The Bodyguard.”
“Wow. That’s clever.”
“He’s supposed to be the best.”
“Did he recently earn his merit badge?”
“There’s no need for sarcasm.”
Recker let out a grin. “And just how have you come across this guy?”
“I’ve heard some stories, read some things.”
“Does he advertise in the paper?”
Jones glared up at him. “Really, Michael.”
“I’m just wondering how you know him.”
“I don’t. Not personally. But he’s got a reputation.”
“Not with me.”
“Do you want the help or not?”
“Fine, fine, bring him in.”
“From what I hear, I think he’ll be just the guy we’re looking for.”
Recker scoffe
d. “We’ll see about that.”
12
Recker was sitting in his car outside the hospital. He desperately wanted to go in and see his friend, though with the police presence there, it wasn’t feasible. He hoped that just by being there, it would give Haley some support. There hadn’t been much of a change in the last couple of days, but Haley was still hanging on, which was as good of news as they could have hoped for.
Though he knew that nothing that happened was his fault, Recker still wondered if anything would have changed if he’d have come back on his own a week earlier. He was out in Hawaii for three months, but if he’d just cut it short by a week or two, would Haley still be in that hospital? Would Phillips be dead? He wondered if he was being selfish by being away for so long. He didn’t have a long time to ponder it, though. Jones texted him and asked him to come back to the office.
Once Recker got there, Jones and Mia were waiting for them. They were both standing, looking like they were ready to get moving.
“Did I miss something on the schedule?” Recker asked.
“Our appointment is going to be here soon,” Jones answered.
“Our appointment?”
“Mr. Thrower?”
“Oh, the bodyguard. He’s finally here?”
“Yes. He said he’d be here in two days, and here we are.”
“You’re bringing him here?”
“I said nothing of the kind. Bringing someone here is obviously a bad idea, especially before we’ve actually hired the man.”
“Well, you said he’s going to be here soon.”
“Here in the area. Not here specifically.”
“Oh.”
Recker glanced at Mia. “We’re all going?”
“Well, we both want to make sure he’s right for the job, correct?”
“Yeah?”
“And I don’t think we should leave her here alone, right?”
“Right?”
“And it’s probably a good idea if she meets him too, to make sure she’s good with him. Right?”
“Right again.”
“Well there we have it.”
“So where we going?”
“His hotel room. He just checked in.”
They all left the office and drove to the hotel that Thrower was staying in. It was a place they were all familiar with, especially Recker, having been there for business on a few occasions. They went up to the fourth floor and found the room number, with Jones knocking on the door. Thrower immediately answered. Recker immediately sized him up. For a man with Thrower’s reputation, he looked a little younger than Recker pictured. Though Recker had seen the man’s file, with Thrower being in his early thirties, Recker still expected him to look like a grizzled veteran, with scars and lines all over his face. Thrower was a clean-cut looking sort, though. He still had that military haircut and no facial hair. And if he had a scar, it wasn’t visible.