Forever Freed

by Kathleen Brooks

  “And them? That’s just family.” Dylan smiled at her and Evie didn’t know if she should faint from a hot flash or fear. “Jace, the doctor, is my little brother. We’re all very close here. And the Rose sisters are basically the entire town’s great-grandmothers.”

  Evie turned to Jackson with wide eyes. “You said you had a large family . . .”

  Jackson grimaced. “That’s only a few of my cousins. And you haven’t even seen the aunts and uncles.”

  “Back to business,” Abby said, drawing their attention back to her. “We need to hear what’s going on. Who is behind these attacks and why are they after you?”

  “You might as well just come out and tell us all so I don’t have to relay it to the rest of them,” a scratchy, shaky voice said through the door.

  “Did you get a new hearing aid, Miss Lily?” Jackson asked as he shook his head and gave in to the smile he was trying to fight.

  “Yes, and it has a humdinger of a reception on it. I can hear you as if I were right next to you.”

  “Just come on out and we’ll all listen,” a man called out. “Trust me, from personal experience it’s easier to just tell the group one time and then they’ll share it a hundred times and you won’t have to.”

  Jackson opened the door and Evie looked around Dylan to the man introduced as Cole Parker. Ah, that’s where the cop face came from. He and Jackson looked identical except for the age difference. “Evie, welcome to Keeneston where nothing is secret. Miss Lily and her sisters put together a plate of snacks and made some tea. Would you join us and tell us what required three doctors at the crack of dawn?”

  “Evie, I promise you’re safe,” Jackson said, holding out his hand. Evie took a deep breath and then placed her hand in his. It was time for her to trust and one thing was crystal clear, these people all cared deeply for Jackson. And since she trusted him, she was going to put her faith in him and trust these people. After all, they did all run into the bedroom to protect her when she’d screamed.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Parker. I’m Evie Scott.”

  “Call me Cole. Now, let’s see if you can beat the story of how my wife and I met.”

  13

  Evie sat back against the couch cushions and the room was quiet. She’d told her story just as she had told Jackson. She bit her lower lip nervously and then stopped as she realized people were staring at her. Did they believe her? Ryan was the head of the Lexington FBI. Would he arrest her?

  Ryan’s look changed, and she felt like shrinking into the couch, but she didn’t. She lifted her chin and prepared to fight. “Do you give Jace permission to share his medical findings with us?”

  “Yes,” Evie said after thinking about it for a second.

  Ryan then turned to Jace. “What did you discover upon your examination?”

  “While we aren’t psychologists, we all have experience with mental disorders coming into the hospital, and we’ve all done psychology rounds. We all agree there is no evidence of any mental defects. We believe Evie’s of sound mind and we each came to that conclusion independently.”

  Ryan nodded before turning to Jackson. “Have you verified DeMille took the call and ignored it?”

  “I was going to email everything to my boss this morning but got interrupted,” Jackson said with censure. Evie looked over at him and gave him a small smile to thank him for sticking up for her.

  “Let me make some calls and see what I can find out. Is that okay?” Ryan asked her.

  “What are you trying to find out? Whether or not to believe me?” Evie felt as if she’d been pushed around enough. She was going to stick up for herself.

  “No. If my brother believes you, that’s good enough for me. However, it may not be enough as we go higher up the chain of command. If I can get everything in order with all of the proof to show you’re the one who is trying to help the investigation, then I can take you under my watch as a witness.”

  Evie shook her head and without thinking reached out to grab Jackson’s hand. “I’ll only work with Jackson.”

  Ryan nodded and Jackson moved his hand so that his fingers could cover hers. There was a warmth and strength in them that calmed her. “I understand. It doesn’t work like that, though.”

  “Evie,” Cole, their father, said, cutting in. “I used to be a special agent in charge. Here’s a brief rundown on how the FBI works. Everywhere there was a bombing has the local special agent in charge, or SAC, leading that investigation. So, the Seattle SAC will want you, as will the Albuquerque SAC and so on. They’ll get into a jurisdictional pissing contest that Ryan is hoping to avoid all together by jumping over them in the chain and going to the top of command. Ryan will state that you only want to work with Jackson as he’s the only one you trust. But, as his brother, Ryan is in the unique position to work with you too.”

  “But Jackson’s FBI,” Evie said, looking between father and son.

  “Yes,” Cole confirmed, “but he’s Hostage Rescue. His job is to bust in and save people. His job is tactical, not investigative. Ryan is investigative. Ryan can keep you here, with Jackson, with all of us looking out for you, if you agree to let him go to bat for you. Jackson will be doing the same with his boss, and I’m not without my own connections that I will be calling in as well.”

  Evie looked around the room and everyone was nodding. “Okay. Tell them I’ll only work with Jackson and Ryan and refuse to talk to anyone else.”

  “Evie,” Abby said, taking the sat on the couch Jackson just vacated as he, Cole, and Ryan met in the kitchen to begin cutting through the red tape of the Justice Department. “Dylan and I need to get back to DC to report on this. We will be working this separately from the FBI.”

  “What are you going to be doing?” Evie asked as Dylan stood in front of them.

  “We’re going to begin tracking down members of American Rebellion. Is there any place we should start? Does your apartment building have security cameras?” Dylan asked.

  Evie nodded. “I think I heard grumbling about one of them not working. Do you need my address?”

  Abby shook her head. “I have it. What was the date and time of the meeting at your apartment?”

  “The tenth. I don’t know what time it started, but I arrived around close to three.”

  “Good. And did you recognize anyone else in the room?”

  Evie shook her head. “No. But I can tell you the man who shot at me showed up at the police station with my brother a little before five.”

  Abby smiled. “Great. We’ll get the security footage. You said their main target was for three weeks from now?”

  “Well, it’ll be around a week now. It was three weeks from the tenth.”

  “You’re very brave,” Dylan surprised her by saying. “Not many people could keep their head during a time like that. I am going to notify Agent Castle in Charleston and Sheriff Fox in Shadows Landing. We’ll get bomb dogs in there and clear the town before anyone else enters downtown this morning, just in case.”

  “Yes, please. Everyone in Shadows Landing was so nice to me. I don’t want anyone hurt.” Evie grabbed Dylan’s and Abby’s hands. She could tell she surprised them. “Please, keep them safe.”

  “We’re on it,” Dylan said solemnly as he and Abby got up and walked over to the Parker men. They said a few words and then they were gone.

  “Here you go, dear. You must be famished. I’m Miss Lily,” the older woman who had wielded the broom told Evie as she handed her a plate of food. “And this is my sister Violet and my sister Daisy.”

  “Thank you for the food and for coming to protect me when I screamed.”

  Paige snorted. “They look for any reason they can find to smack someone with a pan.”

  Miss Violet shook her head. “Oh no, dear, not anymore. The crepe pan is too heavy with my arthritis. But I can still give a good slap with the spatula.”

  Greer’s lips flattened as she fought off the impulse to laugh, but Evie couldn’t stop the smile on her
face. “Well, I appreciate any aid you can give. I don’t want you hurt, though. I don’t want Jon seeing you all as friends and coming after you. I think it’s best if I go into hiding.”

  “We might not be able to fling pans anymore, but we still have our talents. You don’t have to worry one bit about us, dear. Let us worry about you for a change. We’ll see you at the café tonight for dinner. Our treat.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Miss Daisy,” Evie said as she reached out to pat the old lady’s hand.

  “Don’t worry about a thing. Jackson will keep you safe. You just stay close to him. Such a handsome man, isn’t he?” Miss Violet asked with the fakest innocent look Evie had ever seen plastered on her face.

  “Um, yes. Very.” Evie felt the blush on her face and saw that the women standing in front of her all saw it too. Greer pulled out her phone at the same time Paige did and the two seemed to race each other before putting their phones away when the three old ladies got up.

  “We’ll see you tonight, Evie. Welcome to Keeneston,” Miss Lily told her before the three of them headed out the door with their heads put together.

  “Mom!” Jackson suddenly yelled as he and his brother and father all looked down at their phones. Jackson looked pissed; Ryan and Cole looked thrilled.

  “Yes, dear?” Paige asked with the same innocent expression Miss Violet had used.

  “What the heck?” Jackson asked. Evie was lost but Paige wasn’t. Then he looked down at his phone again and his head shot up. “Greer, I’m so getting you back for this.” Head down and then all of a sudden, Jackson gave the middle finger to Ryan and his dad who just busted out laughing.

  “How did you beat me?” Greer asked her mom.

  “Older, wiser, and a bet I’d been waiting to place for the past five years.”

  “Bet?” Evie asked, looking between the two of them.

  Paige smiled with that fake innocent look again. “Nothing to worry about. How do you feel about letting off a little steam while the boys cut through the boring bureaucracy of the FBI?”

  Evie took a deep breath. Blowing off steam sounded great. “Let’s do it. But only if I can take this with me.” Evie held up the plate of goodies and Paige laughed.

  “Oh, honey, I insist that you do. And I’ll grab the basket on the way out so we have extras.”

  * * *

  “Honey,” Jackson’s mother said to his father while Ryan was madly talking and texting at the same time in the corner of the kitchen. “Greer and I are taking Evie out to blow off a little steam. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  Jackson looked at Evie who gave him a smile telling him she was okay with it. He watched his mom lead Evie out the door as she carried a basket of food. “Greer,” he said softly to his sister, but she heard him and stopped.

  “Yeah?”

  “Protect her.”

  Greer looked seriously at him. “You know I will.” Then a sudden smile broke out on her face. “Because you liiiike her,” she sang. “You want to marry her. In April.”

  “Greer!” Jackson yelled as his sister slammed the door behind her. Her laughter could still be heard as she danced her way down the outside stairs.

  “Don’t worry, son. Nothing will happen to Evie. But your sister is wrong. March all the way for a wedding.”

  Jackson rolled his eyes. “Dad, not you too.”

  Cole shrugged. “You would make a great dad.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Aliens. It has to be aliens.” He looked down at his phone and saw it was his boss. Thank goodness.

  “Parker,” Jackson said as way of answering the phone.

  “I got your email,” Fortin said.

  “What do you think? Do I have authorization to bring in my team to protect the witness?” Jackson asked.

  “I think there were multiple screw-ups along the way. And I hear your brother is making a stink, trying to push this up the chain of command. Let me cut to the chase. You can’t touch this. It’s not HRT’s job to investigate. I’m patching the director in. Hold on.”

  Jackson snapped his fingers at his dad and pointed to Ryan. His dad tapped Ryan on the shoulder and when he turned around, Jackson crooked his finger to beckon him over. Ryan threatened someone on the phone and hung up.

  “Director,” Fortin said, “my recommendation is to put Special Agent in Charge Ryan Parker in command of this investigation.”

  “Director, I’m going to put you on speakerphone,” Jackson said. “In the room are Special Agent in Charge of the Lexington office, Ryan Parker, former SAC Cole Parker, and Dr. Jace Davies. Does that meet with your approval?”

  “Tell the doc to scram. I got his notes on the case, but this is classified. Your father shouldn’t even be there, but he had the former director call me so I know he’s already involved.”

  Jace held up his hands when Jackson looked up at him. “I know. I’m the only one without a badge. Today is my day off. Call me if you need me.”

  “Thanks, Jace,” Jackson told his cousin as he waited for him to leave. “Okay, director. It’s just us.”

  “I got DeMille’s phone logs and pulled up the recording of Miss Scott’s call. Here it is.” The director of the FBI played the recording and they all heard exactly what Evie had told them. “This all goes back to Seattle. They messed this up and now they need to fix it. Ryan, that’s all you. If you have issues, call me in.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ryan responded, already pulling up the number for the Seattle field office.

  “Parker,” the director said.

  “Yes?” all three men answered.

  The director actually laughed then. “I hear Greer Parker is taking an interview with HRT. This is a right family affair.”

  Cole’s jaw tightened and Jackson wondered if his dad didn’t know about the interview. “My daughter is a great leader. If the FBI was smart, they’d move her up and fast.”

  “Interesting, Cole. You don’t think your daughter has what it takes for HRT,” Fortin said.

  “No. I think she has exactly what it takes,” Jackson’s dad replied to the director and Fortin. “I just think she’d be wasted there. Leading the FBI, on the other hand.”

  “Isn’t that my job?” the director asked with a small trace of humor to his voice.

  “Ah, but you’ll be ready to retire in ten years. Wouldn’t you like to leave the HRT and the FBI in good hands? Hands that you helped mentor?” Damn. His dad was good.

  “I’ll follow her closely, Cole. She’s never been considered for a desk job before. Maybe you’re just a nervous dad?”

  “Follow her career and you’ll see what I see, sir. It’s not a nervous father situation. It’s a father who knows his child’s true potential.”

  “And what about Jackson’s potential?” the director asked.

  His father looked at him and smiled proudly. “I think you’ll see that soon as well. He hasn’t fully reached his yet either. Ryan knew what he wanted and he’s doing great things here in Lexington. But with Jackson, there’s still more to come. Where Jackson saves the world, Greer will change the world.”

  Jackson swallowed as his father kept eye contact with him. His dad had told him he was proud of him, but this was more. This was complete faith in him and it meant the world to Jackson.

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Cole. Now, Jackson, whatever information you can get from Miss Scott, pass it along to Ryan. He’s point on this now. Keep Fortin and me in the loop. American Rebellion wasn’t even on our radar before, but now they’re all over it. Social media is buzzing with veiled messages of support and now to know these bombings are most likely linked . . . we need to find out their next target and fast.”

  Jackson hung up and looked at his brother and father. “One thing is bothering me. Do you all think it was wise to let Mom and Greer take Evie?”

  “Wise?” his dad said with a grimace, “Probably.”

  14

  “You want me to do what?” Evie asked with shock. They had driven out to
a beautiful farm and walked over the hills until they came to Paige and Greer’s “relaxing spot.”

  “Pick your weapon. Rifle, handgun, axe?” Paige asked, laying out her own rifle and Greer’s handgun. She then unlocked a cabinet under the table of this outdoor range and placed a small axe on the tabletop. “Which calls to you?”

  “Sorry, I don’t understand. Are you going to shoot me?”

  Greer grabbed one of the axes, turned, and threw it. It sank into a nearby wood target with a satisfying thunk.

  “Oh,” Evie said, her eyes wide. “You think I can do that?”

  “Axe it is!” Paige said, pulling out a few more small axes.

  “I’ll show you,” Greer said as she broke down the hold and throw of the axe.

  Evie nervously took the handle and threw. It dropped a foot from the target. “Try again. You’ll get it. Don’t be afraid of it. Most women can overpower an attacker if they put aside their fear. Don’t fear messing up. Don’t fear embarrassing yourself. Don’t fear what others think. Go for it, full force, all the time,” Greer instructed.

  Evie nodded her head. Her whole life had been ruled by fear: fear of her mother’s chaotic life, fear that her mother would die from an overdose, fear of raising a child when she was one herself, fear of not doing a good job at work, fear of speaking up when she had ideas or suggestions at work for fear of being labeled pushy. And that was all before the fear she had of Jon and American Rebellion.

  Full force. Okay. Evie took a deep breath and let it out as she threw. The axe went the distance and slammed into the wood, but didn’t stick.

  “Again,” Greer ordered and Paige handed her another axe.

  Over and over Evie threw and then . . . thunk. The axe sank into the wooden target. She let out a breath as the adrenaline spiked. “Okay, that was awesome!”

  “That was fantastic, Evie,” Paige clapped. “Doesn’t it make you feel better?”