Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
On her way to Julia’s house, Sarah stopped at a bakery and stocked up on sandwiches, pies, cookies, and cake. Then, to make herself feel better about feeding people that many refined carbs, she called into a fruit shop and loaded up there too. It wasn’t perfect, but considering it was almost lunchtime, she figured Ryan would have already eaten his way through the Barone fridge—and probably most of their pantry too. So, arriving with supplies was the least she could do.
After parking outside the house, she texted her husband, and he came out to help her unload, along with a guy he introduced as Beast. Sarah had heard about the famous Belinda and her husband, but as they were always traveling and working, this was the first time she’d met him. He was sort of scary, all muscle and tattoos, but his eyes were kind.
Ryan appeared overjoyed to see her, and she suspected it wasn’t only because she’d come bearing food. “I wondered what was taking you so long,” he said as he unpacked platters of sandwiches from the boot of her car. “Now I see your genius was being practical again.” He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. “I was about to call out for pizza.”
“Yeah.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s been a whole three hours since your second breakfast, so I figured you’d be starving by now.”
It was one of life’s eternal mysteries that Ryan could eat continually and still have washboard abs, whereas she just had to think about cake and she’d gain two pounds.
Leaving the men to unpack, she made her way to Julia’s bedroom. Sarah was familiar with the layout of their house, having become close friends with Julia over the past few months. She often popped in to see how she was doing on bed rest and keep her company. Of all the women connected with Benson Security, Julia was the one she understood the most. Neither of them was in their natural habitat, surrounded by action men and women.
“Sarah.” Julia beamed at her as she entered the busy room. There was a touch of relief in her expression. “I’m so glad you came. I really need the help.”
“Hey!” Isobel said. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Yeah.” Claire sounded affronted too. “We’ve been helping. Loads.”
Isobel and Claire did a complicated fist-bump thing before glaring at Sarah—presumably because glaring at a woman on bed rest wouldn’t look good for either of them.
Thankfully, Sarah didn’t have to respond because one of the most recognizable women in the world suddenly hugged her. “I’m so glad to meet you. Julia talks about you all the time. I’m Belinda, her sister.”
Like an introduction was necessary. “She talks about you too,” Sarah said, trying not to blush. It wasn’t every day you met a famous movie star. “I loved your last movie. You’re so talented. I can only imagine how much work you put into your craft. I read somewhere that only two percent of actors make a living from it, and you’ve made it right to the top in your field. You don’t get there without hard work and dedication.” Yep, she was babbling. Her cheeks heated anyway.
To her surprise, Belinda hugged her again. “Thank you. You are too kind.”
Sarah unwound her long, multicolored scarf and placed it on the dressing table. Her dark green coat followed as she scanned the whiteboards set up at the bottom of the bed. There was a photo of the police commander causing all the issues and neat lists of notes around him detailing his career, contacts, and history. It didn’t look good because Sarah couldn’t see anything on the board that would make his superiors worry about his behavior.
“No skeletons in the commander’s closet?” Sarah asked as she perched on the end of the bed.
“None that we can find,” Julia said.
“Am I reading this right?” Sarah pointed at a name on the board. “This guy’s uncle is the minister of state for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention?”
“We just found that out,” Isobel said. “According to Julia, that means he oversees all UK police. Talk about family in high places. The little weasel is a nepo baby.” She scowled at the photo on the board. “Anybody mind if I stick pins in his eyes?”
“Knock yourself out,” Claire said.
While Isobel went all voodoo witch on the image of Commander Fitzwater, Sarah turned to Julia. She looked like she was waning. Her honey-blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore pale pink pajamas. There were dark circles under her eyes and tight little worry lines at the corners of her mouth.
“How about I get you one of those fruit-flavored vitamin drinks, and we go over everything?” Sarah stood, but Belinda stopped her by holding up her hand.
“No, I’ll get it. I should have thought of that anyway. While I’m there, I’ll rescue some snacks from the boys too.”
“I’ll help.” Isobel got to her feet. “I need coffee.”
“Me too.” Claire glanced at Sarah. “You brought chocolate cake, right?”
“Was I born with a double X chromosome?”
Claire grinned before following the others out of the room.
Sarah considered Julia. “How are you doing, really?”
For a second, Julia looked a little lost. She worried at her bottom lip before replying. “The baby’s due any day now, and my husband’s in jail.” Her eyes filled with tears, and her voice was small. “I need Joe.”
“Aw, honey.”
Sarah moved to the head of the bed and sat beside her. She put her arm around Julia’s shoulders. “It’s okay to be worried and afraid. We’re all feeling it. But your Joe is smart and capable, and he’ll get himself out of there as fast as he can.” She reached for a tissue box on the nightstand and handed it to Julia. “Have you heard from the lawyers? Did they say anything about Joe?”
“I didn’t want to bother them. They’ve got a lot to deal with.” Julia blew her nose into a tissue.
“To hell with that,” Sarah said. “Gimme your phone.”
Before Julia could protest, Sarah picked it up and tapped the screen. She held it in front of Julia’s tear-stained face to open it, then found the lawyer’s contact details and put the call on speaker.
Thankfully, it didn’t go to voicemail. “Julia, do you have any more information that will help me?” Ms. Patel got straight down business.
“This is Sarah Granger.” She used her best work voice. “As you’re aware, Julia is pregnant, close to her due date, and on bed rest. She’s also very worried about her husband, Joe. Do you have an update on what’s happening with him?”
“Wait,” Ms. Patel said. “Julia’s pregnant too? I thought it was just Rachel.”
Sarah looked at Julia’s belly, then glanced down at her own. “We’re having a bit of a population explosion at the moment. I’m pregnant too. But it’s Julia I’m worried about right now.”
“Let me check in with the lawyer I’ve assigned to him, and I’ll get back to you.” The line went dead.
“She’s not one for idle chitchat, is she?” Sarah said. “I wonder what conversations between her and Rachel are like.”
“Terrifying.” Julia sniffed and dabbed at her eyes.
“Who broke Julia?” Isobel demanded as the rest of the rag-tag team filed back into the bedroom. “We were only gone five minutes. Didn’t anybody tell you she’s not meant to get upset?”
“She’s worried about Joe,” Sarah said. “So, we called the lawyer for an update. We’re just waiting for her to call us back.”
“Well, okay,” Isobel said, returning to the oversized chair under the window.
“Oh no, you’re crying!” Belinda rushed into the room and straight to her sister’s side, making Sarah jump up to get out of the way. “Crying’s not allowed. I think it’s on the list of things that will make your blood pressure go up. Beast, check the list. Julia, think happy thoughts.” She climbed into bed beside her sister and wrapped her in a hug.
“Crying won’t affect her.” Claire entered the room, carrying a huge chocolate cake and one fork. “I cried through all my pregnancies. It’s cathartic. Plus, you’re filled with hormones, all the time, and feel like you’re carrying a whale in a part of your body that’s not meant to carry heavy loads. Like, why build up your biceps when you have to heave around a baby with your uterus? It makes no sense.” She waved the fork. “She’ll be fine. Julia, let it all out. You’ll feel much better.”
Isobel cocked an eyebrow at Claire. “Are you going to share that cake?”
The taller Scottish woman faced off against the shorter one. “Are you going to make me?”
Before a fight could break out, Julia wailed, “I want chocolate cake too.”
Panicked, Claire thrust the plate at Isobel. “You deal with it.”
Isobel frowned, put the cake on the dresser, and stomped out of the room. “Guess I’ll go get a knife then.”
The phone rang, and Sarah answered immediately. It was the lawyer. “You’re on speaker,” she warned her.
“Okay.” Ms. Patel was all business. “Here’s the update. Joe is scheduled to be interviewed in a few hours. We expect he’ll be released soon afterward.”
Julia slumped into her sister’s arms.
Ms. Patel continued, “Unless they decide to hold him while they investigate terrorism charges, but as far as I can see, they appear to be reserving those for Lake and Callum, as well as your two techs, Elle and Evan—although, they do like using the term to apply pressure during every interview.”
“Are you kidding me?” Isobel exploded.
Sarah looked up to see her standing in the doorway, a large and very sharp knife in her hand. Slowly, not taking their eyes from the knife, Ryan and Beast closed in on either side of her.
Isobel didn’t seem to notice them; her focus was on the phone. “They’re investigating Callum for terrorism? What a load of crap! He pretty much single-handedly took down a terrorist cell in Scotland before handing them over to the police, and they think he’s a terrorist?”
“Technically,” Ryan said as he eased the knife from her hand, “the whole team was in on that.”
“Gimme back my knife,” Isobel growled.
Ryan wisely backed away.
“All we can do,” Ms. Patel said, “is follow procedure, which means sitting through each interview until the police case becomes clear. Right now, I’ve no idea how they could possibly bring terrorism charges against anyone on the team, but saying that they plan to do so means they can keep suspects in custody for up to fourteen days.”
“Two weeks?” Isobel screeched. “Callum can’t stay in there for two weeks. He needs his wheelchair, and moisturizing cream for his legs, and his pain meds.”
“I’m sure we can arrange to have all of that brought to him,” Ms. Patel said. “Let’s see what happens first. Also, they’ve released Rachel and her husband because it appears Rachel is having contractions. I assume they’re on their way to the hospital.”
“Rachel’s in labor?” Isobel gasped.
Julia looked stricken. “She can’t have her baby before me. I’m due first!” She began to cry again, and Belinda rocked her in place.
Ms. Patel cleared her throat and carried on as though the outburst hadn’t happened: “The head of the American office, along with one of her American team members, a Rodrigo De la Cruz, have also been released. Their lawyer tells me that they’re on their way to the US Embassy to lodge a complaint.”
“Maybe that will help,” Sarah said hopefully.
“I wouldn’t pin your hopes on it,” Ms. Patel said. “Now, I really must go. Please call me if anything changes at your end.” She ended the call.
“I’ll call Rachel, Katrina and Rochelle to update them on what we know.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair, making it look like he’d just gotten out of bed. “But why the hell would they think Lake, Callum, Elle, and Evan are involved in terrorism?”
Sarah went to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. He pulled her close. She pressed into him, lapping up the security of his strength and knowing he was more than capable of dealing with anything that came their way. He was a rock. Her rock.
“It doesn’t make sense to me either,” Beast said, sharing a worried look with Ryan.
“Fourteen days…” Julia muttered, making everyone turn to stare at her.
She’d stopped crying and appeared to be wrapped up in her own thoughts. Pulling from her sister’s hold, she dragged her laptop toward her.
“Fourteen days,” she mumbled again.
“What is it?” Belinda asked her.
Julia made an uncharacteristic shushing sound that left everyone shocked and bemused.
“You got any insight, Stats?” Ryan whispered.
Sarah kept her voice low so as not to disturb Julia, who was rapidly tapping on her keyboard and staring at her screen with intense focus. “I know it’s the maximum number of days the UK police can hold a suspect while they build a case, and that terrorism is the only charge that allows such a long detainment.”
“And the commander’s pushing for terrorism charges.” His muscles tensed under her hold, and he got that same look in his eyes she’d noticed whenever he resolved a tricky plot point in his book. “I think he wants them locked up for fourteen days.”
“You mean he’s trying to keep them off the streets for the next two weeks?” Unease gripped Sarah’s stomach, making her nauseous. “Why would he want to do that?”
“I don’t know,” Ryan said. “But it feels like it fits.”
“Where is it?” Julia muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “There was an article. I know there was. Where did I see it?”
“What article, Julia?” Sarah asked softly. “Can I help you find it?”
Julia’s bleak eyes met hers. “I can’t remember. It’s like it’s on the tip of my tongue, but just out of reach. All I know is that it’s important. I just need… something.”
“Baby brain,” Claire said with sympathy. “Pregnancy stuffs up your memory.”
“Well, we need to unstuff it because I need to remember.” Julia appeared on the verge of tears again. “I know it will help us.”
“Okay.” Sarah stepped away from Ryan, picked up a whiteboard marker, and flipped one of the boards to the clean side. “Then we brainstorm, and I’m sure it will come to you.” She wrote “fourteen days” at the top of the board. “This is what made you think of the article, isn’t it?”
Julia nodded. Thankfully, the tears had stopped.
“Good.” Sarah glanced around the room. “Why don’t you all go get something to eat? This could take a while.”
“Thank you,” Julia mouthed as the room cleared.
Ryan was first back into the room, his plate piled high. “I called Rachel and told her about Fitzwater’s uncle being a government minister, and she said they’d head to his office now to talk to him.”
Sarah eyed his plate and was relieved to see some fruit on it. “If anyone can just rock up to parliament and demand that a minister sort out his nephew, it’s Rachel.”
“I also spoke to Rochelle. She’s worried her team’s going to lose their minds and do something stupid if we don’t get them out soon.” He shrugged. “Not surprised. Half of them have anger management issues or criminal records. Anyway, she’s hoping the American Embassy can pull some strings and get her team out of there.”
“I don’t see how they can help. They aren’t all American citizens.”
“No. But it’s worth a try.”
“Yes,” Sarah said as she glanced at Julia’s tear-stained face. “Anything’s worth a try.”