Once, and For All

by Kendra G. Johnson

  * * * *

  Back at the hotel, Danny Mac sat with his head in his hands, surrounded by the people who shared his grief and fear. They were all immobilized. Jake noticed that Angelo’s posture mirrored Danny Mac’s anguish. Bridget and Carter seemed to be the only ones still processing and strategizing. They paced back and forth in the back of the room, Rough pacing closely at their heels.

  The door opened and Blade came into the room, rubbing his eyes from sleep. “What is going on? I woke up and mom was gone from our room. Why are you having a council of war without me?”

  Everyone looked at him but no one spoke. His mother went to him and wrapped her arms around him. He scanned the crowd and realized that Kenann was missing. He knew from their faces what had happened. He looked at CJ.

  “Give me your phone.”

  CJ looked at him quizzically but handed his phone over to the boy. Blade did not waste any time but scrolled through the photos and found the ones he sought. He turned it to the band, holding up the phone. They came toward him to inspect more closely.

  “I think these two have been following us.”

  No one reacted save Granny. She fell soundly into the nearest chair.

  * * * *

  Kenann regained consciousness, realizing she was tied to a straight-back chair and thought, Well, this is pretty cliché.

  She kept her head down until her mind cleared, and she could get the read of the room. Hearing nothing, she raised her eyes. Her heart seized. All breath escaped her. It was not possible.

  She croaked, “Mother?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The man had finally made it deep into the United States. He was tired and confused, but as he walked up the lane to the farm in the river bottom land along the Ohio River, he almost collapsed to see the home locked up and uninhabited. He saw several cattle in the fields, well-tended and fat for market. He saw the next farm and decided. He trekked the most direct route across the field instead of returning to the road and made it to the farmhouse in short order. A woman came to the door at his knock. She was taken aback at his appearance. He was dirty, battered, and bruised.

  “I’m sorry. I was looking for Moira James. Can you tell me where I can find her?”

  The woman immediately softened. “Well, any friend of Moira’s is a friend of ours. Come in, come in.”

  He did and found that Moira had leased her farm to these neighbors and gone to live with a friend in Memphis. He knew he did not have the time or the energy to travel there on his quest for answers. “Do you have a number where she can be reached? I really need to talk to her.”

  “Oh sure. Let me get you the phone and the number.”

  The woman did and also brought him a cup of coffee and some cookies to complete her hospitality. He took the cookies and coffee greedily, then took the phone she offered and dialed the number. A man answered right away.

  He was the epitome of politeness but gave no real information. He agreed to contact his employer to get a message to Mrs. James. And that was all he was going to get. He hung up.

  He dropped his head slightly, not sure what to do now.

  The woman considered and decided. “Will you excuse me for just a few minutes? I need to talk to my husband.”

  The man looked up, not really focused. “Sure, ma’am. Would you like me to leave?”

  “No, no. Just sit tight. Have more cookies.”

  He smiled despite being bone tired and confused. Some people were just nice. This blew a breath of fresh air into his weary mind.

  The woman came back several minutes later followed by a man dressed in tan coveralls. His face was lined and weather beaten, but his eyes were kind. He said, “My wife says you are a friend of Moira’s?”

  “Well, actually I am a friend of her…” he hesitated, “…granddaughter’s.” He could no longer say he was a friend of her son’s. Not until he got more answers.

  “Kenann? Oh, we love her,” the woman said. “She is such a dear.”

  The husband spoke again. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you look a little worse for the wear. Are you down on your luck?”

  “You could say that,” he answered and laughed ruefully. “Look, I don’t want to trouble you any further. I will just be going.”

  The woman spoke with conviction. “Absolutely not.”

  Her husband joined her. “She is right. You are going to stay right here until you get your bearings, son. We don’t turn away people in need. You got that?”

  The man was baffled. “Why would you do this?”

  The husband grinned. “Well, the good Lord says that if we entertain strangers, we might be entertaining angels without knowing it. And I’d sure hate to turn away an angel of the Most High God now, wouldn’t I?”

  * * * *

  Kenann looked around. “Where’s Daddy?”

  Ann James did not even consider softening the blow. “He’s dead.”

  “We were told your plane crashed in the jungles of Borneo.”

  “Oh, it did. Well, actually, we were in the Amazon. We had been keeping our location from National Geographic. Ken was killed outright. I was unconscious for a while. Unfortunately, when I regained consciousness, I found Adam going through our things, trying to put together a survival pack. He was always so resourceful.”

  “Why do you say unfortunately? Oh, never mind that, why do you have me tied to this bloody chair!?”

  “Temper, temper, dear. You know how I hate your displays of emotion. So tedious.”

  Kenann glared at her, remembering the years of coldness she had felt from her mother. She had always been too ashamed to speak of it or even acknowledge it. Because somehow it was her fault. Not anymore. The woman before her was a stranger, yet all too familiar. An enemy. Her enemy. “Oh, yes, Mother.” She said the name with contempt. “I would hate to upset you. You are being such a gracious hostess.”

  Ann eyed her beneath hooded lids. “Well, well, our little Kenann has grown a backbone.” Her hand struck Kenann’s face with the speed of a cobra. Kenann refused to react. Ann stood as if nothing had happened and continued talking. “You have done quite well for yourself since I sent you off to school. So sorry Daddy and I never visited. Too busy, you know.”

  She turned and smiled over her shoulder, still playing the part of sympathetic mother. “But look at you, landing that simply delicious Daniel MacKenzie. However did you manage that?” She did not wait for a response. “And now you are jet setting across Europe with the fashionable set. I am still not sure what it is you are supposed to do for me, though.” She tapped her forefinger against her lips. “Perhaps simply to introduce me to society? That one, powerful person?” She raised an eyebrow at Kenann.

  Kenann was not sure what she wanted her to say. She continued to glare and kept her silence.

  “Well, as usual, you appear clueless. You always were such a stupid girl. I never knew what Adam saw in you.”

  At the mention of her surrogate father, she broke her silence. “What happened to Adam?”

  “Oh, once we made it out of that jungle, I contacted my people and they put Adam in a remote prison compound and took me away to recuperate.”

  “Prison? But why?”

  “As I told you, stupid girl, he was looking through my things. He may have seen something he should not have. He began acting strangely. I couldn’t afford to take that chance.”

  “He had just survived a plane crash and I assume buried my father! He was allowed to act strangely. What were you so afraid he would discover?”

  Ann continued to pace the room. Kenann used the time to scan her surroundings. It was not an apartment. It appeared to be a house. She heard no city noise. She heard birds, and was that the sound of a tractor?

  “Your mother is quite important in her own right.” She appeared to be very pleased to reveal this to Kenann. Proud mother. “I met a very powerful man in Barcelona several years ago, when you were a baby. He opened a world I never knew and introduced me to a life withi
n a life. An underground network of powerful people who guided me along the way and allowed me to feel the intoxication of power—pure power.”

  “And Daddy? Was he a part of this, too?”

  “Oh my, no. He indulged me in my every whim but he never knew any of this. He also never knew I had taken Pierre as a lover.”

  Kenann froze. She whispered, “Pierre?”

  Ann smiled. “Yes. He moved on to much greater things, but he always made sure I was taken care of. That I had protectors and mentors to guide me in my development.” Her face took on a sudden look of pain. “But he is dead now. Someone killed him. He died with Katerina. You obviously met her in your travels. I saw how you reacted when you saw Magda.”

  Kenann’s mind whirled. Pierre had once been her mother’s lover. And she thought he died when Katerina did. Why? Did the Order keep his debility a secret except only to the top echelon? Also, her mother had been the waitress at the table tonight. The truth hit her. Her mother had been stalking her. Kenann looked at her mother in shock and disgust. To have come from this woman was almost more than she could bear. She wanted Danny Mac. He was her center. Her anchor when she was adrift in her mind and heart. Wait. There was another she could turn to. Oh, Lord Jesus, be with me in your mighty power. Protect me from the Evil One through the power of your name…and protect me from this woman.

  Her mother continued to look at her, waiting on a response.

  “I had met Katerina, yes,” Kenann finally said. “She was not a nice woman.”

  Ann threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, my dear, you have no idea.”

  Oh, I think I do, Kenann thought.

  Her mother’s eyes suddenly became alert. “Did you meet Pierre then?”

  Kenann swallowed. “Perhaps.”

  “Oh, my dear, you must have. He and Katerina had become inseparable. I was in Alexandria a week before he died. I was still recuperating and he was the most gentle of lovers.” She looked away, lost in her thoughts.

  Kenann’s mind continued to spin with this knowledge. Her mother had been in Alexandria at the same time as herself. She was obviously part of the Order. She almost laughed when she wondered what her mother would think if she knew Pierre considered Kenann the fulfillment of their prophecy. And more importantly, that Danny Mac had crippled him, and then a few months later, she had put the final fatal bullet in the brain of her precious lover.

  After Kenann’s prayer, her mind had sharpened and clarified. It was time to get to work. Her spine visibly straightened.

  Ann James frowned when she saw the smile that crossed Kenann’s face.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Everyone turned their attention to Moira. Rough came to her side and stood guard against the unknown threat. Danny Mac knelt in front of her. His anguish momentarily set aside.

  “Moira, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  She looked at Danny Mac. The realization of what was transpiring began to take shape in her mind. “It’s Ann.” She saw the blank looks. “Kenann’s mother,” she explained.

  There was a collective stepping back.

  Danny Mac was the first to speak. “You can’t be serious?”

  “There is no mistaking her.”

  The significance began to dawn on Mrs. Gage as well. She stood to pace the room and considered their options. She turned and looked at Moira. Their eyes locked in joined concern and determination. They had been given the vision for a reason. And if for nothing else, to protect Kenann from the coming storm.

  Danny Mac continued. “What does this mean, Moira? Why would she be alive and not let anyone know, especially Kenann? And why would she be following her incognito?

  She looked at Danny Mac sadly. “I don’t know, sweetheart. But I am sure it is for no good.”

  It was then he, too, recalled their shared dream/vision. He had forgotten it altogether in the focus of their other mission. He turned and cocked his head at Mrs. Gage in question. “What do you think this means, Mrs. Gage?”

  “Danny Mac, you know as much as I do. We can only bring the others up to speed and try to strategize. But I agree with Moira. Due to the nature of our advanced warning, this must be significant. I think we need to seek higher council.”

  She looked at Jake. He took charge of the situation. “Folks, if you will indulge me for a few minutes?” And he began to pray. “Holy Father, the Most High God, we come to you now in need of your wisdom and power.”

  Carter rolled his eyes and walked away, pouring himself a drink from the small bar across the room.

  “You alone, Holy Father, know what we are facing. Protect Kenann with your mighty power. Help her to feel comfort knowing we are coming. And it is through the power of that Holy Name that we all say…”

  Several voices joined to say, “Amen.”

  Carter turned to them. “And now, can someone tell me what is going on?”

  * * * *

  Everyone had been brought up to date on Ann, the vision (despite Carter’s skepticism), and the question of Magda’s role in any of these current situations. As they were discussing strategy, the phone rang in Mrs. Gage’s suite. She answered and listened intently to the caller on the other end of the line.

  “Do you have the number? Thank you.” Mrs. Gage scribbled quickly on the notepad beside the phone and turned to Moira. “There is a man at your neighbor’s in West Virginia who is claiming to be Adam Johnson.”

  Judy asked, “Johnson as in our Whittaker and Johnson? Hey, where are those guys anyway?”

  Carter waved her question away and continued to focus on Moira.

  It was Danny Mac who answered. “He is Kenann’s family bodyguard.”

  Moira came to her feet in alarm. “Are Betty and Bud in danger?”

  Mrs. Gage said, “We don’t know that. Let’s call and see what we see.”

  She handed the number and the phone toward Moira, who reached out and took them. She dialed and held her breath until she heard Betty’s voice.

  “Betty, this is Moira. Are you all right?”

  “Why, honey, couldn’t be better. But I got a young man here asking for you. Want to talk to him?”

  “Yes, please. Is Bud there with you?”

  “Just left for the barn. Do you need him?”

  “No, just wanting to make sure you weren’t alone.”

  “No, he never gets too far from this old farm,” she replied and laughed, handing the phone over to Adam.

  He took the phone and asked hesitantly, “Mrs. James?”

  “Yes, Adam. How are you? We had heard you were killed along with Ken and Ann.”

  “I know. And I am sorry to say Ken was killed. He is buried near the downed plane. I was imprisoned for a time. I managed to escape and came here looking for answers.”

  “Answers?”

  “Yes, Ann had me imprisoned and then went off with my captors. I want to know what is going on.”

  Moira covered the mouthpiece. “How much should I tell him?”

  Danny Mac reached for the phone and raised an eyebrow. Moira was only too happy to relinquish it. “Adam, this is Daniel, Kenann’s husband.”

  “Husband!”

  “Yes, and we think Ann may have abducted Kenann today. Do you have any information or idea why she would do that?”

  On the other side of the world, Adam sat down and ran his free hand through his hair. He loved that girl like his own. He had seen firsthand that Ann was not who she pretended to be. And that she was dangerous.

  “Adam?”

  “Yes, I am thinking. Nothing makes sense at this point. I knew Ann was a shrewd woman and she never treated Kenann right.”

  At this, Danny Mac felt his whole body go rigid. That anyone would mistreat Kenann enraged him. The fact that she was in that person’s power right now terrified him.

  Adam continued. “She always seemed to view Kenann as a nuisance, except when she needed to dress her up and parade her somewhere. Why would she abduct her?”

  “That’s what we are trying
to find out.” Danny Mac could not keep the edge from his voice. They were no closer to finding her with this man than they were ten minutes ago.

  Adam said, “Where are you? I am coming there. I have to help. I know I am not offering much now, but I can’t just sit here if Kenann is in danger.” He paused, then added, “Please?”

  The pain and sincerity in his voice broke through Danny Mac’s anger. He sighed. “Hang on. Let me check.”

  He conferred with the group. The consensus was that he knew Ann better than anyone, including Moira. He would be an asset. Mrs. Gage asked Moira for the closest and fastest airport and began making arrangements while Danny Mac returned to the phone.

  “Can you get to Charleston?”

  “South Carolina?”

  “No, West Virginia. It’s the capital.”

  “I’ll find a way.”

  “Okay. There will be a ticket waiting on you at the United counter…” He paused, looking over his shoulder at Mrs. Gage.

  Mrs. Gage responded after ending her call on her cell phone. “His flight leaves at 7 p.m. their time tonight.”

  “Seven tonight,” Danny repeated to him.

  “Got it. I’ll be on that flight if I have to walk to Charleston.”

  * * * *

  As it happened, Betty and Bud were more than happy to drive him to Charleston in their pickup truck. Betty had outfitted Adam in Bud’s Sunday best for the trip. Betty saw it as a grand adventure and chattered all the way to the airport. She said she had been intrigued by Mrs. Gage ever since Moira had started talking about her. She elicited a promise from Adam that he would return and tell her all about Mrs. Gage and any adventure he might have.

  Adam laughed and willingly agreed. He retrieved his ticket and said good-bye to Betty and Bud, repeating his promise to return to them with news as soon as he returned to the States.

  The flight felt interminably long. He was not fully recovered from his abuse in the prison as well as his long journey from Central America. So when he finally made it to the Venetian airport, he had some difficulty walking. Despite being in excellent physical shape all his life, he stopped to rest several times, wondering if he could make it. The last several weeks had taken their toll, not to mention his months in captivity. He ate only what was available. He slept only when he collapsed. The long flight gave him time to reflect. He did not have much in his life. He was a man for hire. But when Kenann was born, he found a purpose. She was a delight to him. A joy. And he spent the next few years committed to loving her and teaching her anything he felt she needed to know. She had desperately needed him. She really had had no one else. Her parents were distracted. They paid no attention to her unless it was to their advantage. Ken was distracted by his work and whatever Ann wanted. He indulged her completely. She was harder. An enigma to him. So he tried to fill the gap. He and Kenann became inseparable. It was easy, really. They travelled together as an insular group. Just the four of them. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her, so he had a free field to be there with her and for her. And now she needed him again. He would not fail her.