45. Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Blake
O fficer Campbell, who insisted I call her Sammie, tried making small talk to distract me, but it didn’t work. I was too keyed up. I couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that might happen, and what they might do to me.
And about my father’s involvement.
Alternating between tapping my feet and pacing around the small conference room did nothing to calm my nerves.
My father, the man I’d looked up to, the man who'd always made time for me, the man who'd encouraged and supported me my entire life, had a warrant out for his arrest.
Was he guilty? Maybe the evidence was wrong or planted. “It has to be a mistake.” I said during a lap around the table.
“What’s a mistake?” Sammie asked, disrupting my pacing.
“My father can’t be guilty. He’s a good man. A loving father.”
Sammie watched me for a second before answering, “He can be both.”
Could he? How could I think of him as a good man if he took bribes, helped criminals, violated his oath?
Betrayed me?
I didn’t think I could ever see him the same way again. He’d always told me to be honest, to do good in the world.
All the while, he was in bed with criminals.
Did AJ know? And for how long? I couldn’t handle another man I loved and trusted lying to me.
“How long have you known my father was…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words out loud.
Sammie looked across the hall and into the large conference room. I couldn’t be sure, but I had a feeling she was trying to figure out if AJ wanted her to answer me.
I might not have military or police experience, or a PI license, but I wasn’t blind. If she was worried about what he’d say, the answer was obvious.
"You’ve known all along," I answered for her.
“We suspected early on, but didn’t know until yesterday.” Her emphasis on the words to differentiate them did nothing to lessen my anger.
They knew .
“Blake, I know you’re angry, but no one at SSI wanted to upset you unnecessarily.”
“He should’ve told me.” It came out before I could stop it. I didn’t want to admit the truth—Andrew Janerek’s betrayal hurt almost as much as my father’s.
I tried to read her expression, hoping it would reveal something, but her face was a blank page.
It shouldn’t surprise me; she wouldn’t rat him out. They worked together, and I was no one to her.
“I know this is hard, and I can’t even begin to imagine what you must be feeling, but we’re on your side.”
What I’m feeling? Hurt. Scared. Frustrated. Betrayed.
I was feeling everything. So much so I couldn’t land on just one to express.
Movement caught my eye as AJ left the other conference room. Two steps later, he was opening our door. His eyes locked on mine; the intensity was almost too much to bear.
“Can we have the room?” he asked.
“Of course,” Sammie answered as she stood.
After she left, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms around me.
He pulled back when I stiffened. “What’s wrong?”
“How could you not tell me about my father?” I failed to keep the hurt out of my voice.
“I told you there was circumstantial evidence pointing to his involvement. That was all we knew at the time.”
He did tell me, reluctantly, just last night.
“You really didn’t know about the warrant?” I asked.
“No, but I suspected it might happen. I wanted to believe in his innocence, for your sake.” He held my hands. “I’m so sorry, Blake.”
Not knowing what else to do, I hugged him and cried.
The man I worshipped, the man I wanted to be like, the man who shaped my choice of career, was a fraud. A criminal.
“I wish I didn’t have to say it, but we have to get you ready.” Judging by the raw emotion in his voice, his reluctance was stronger than his words suggested.
I stepped back and wiped my eyes. “Can I go to the bathroom first?” I wanted to wash my face and make sure my bladder was empty. I'd never tell anyone, but I was afraid my nerves might get the best of me, causing an embarrassing accident.
The room was a hive of activity as AJ led me to the back, where Doug and Maxwell were waiting.
“Hi Blake,” Doug said when we got close.
“You remember Doug and Maxwell?” AJ said, instead of offering a formal introduction.
“I do. Hi, Doug, Hi, um, Maxwell.” I felt weird calling her by her last name.
“You can call me Max,” she offered. “Did AJ tell you the plan?”
“You’re going to bug me.”
“That’s right,” she said, picking up a vest. “We put a recording and tracking device in the vest.”
“So I’ll be wearing a wire? Won’t that piss them off?”
“Yes, but they’ll expect it,” Doug offered, as if that was explanation enough.
AJ rubbed small circles on my back with his thumb, surprising me with his open display of affection.
“Won’t they find it?” I asked, sounding a hell of a lot calmer than I felt.
“Yes, we’re stroking their egos by meeting their expectations,” Max said.
“The second one,” Doug picked up something small and white off the table, “will be a hell of a lot harder to find.”
“So they can’t find it?” I asked, staring at the small device in his large hand. Where does it go?
“They can, if they sweep you with the right equipment after I turn it on. So, it’s not impossible, but it is unlikely,” Doug answered.
AJ’s voice came over my head. “This better work.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it does,” Doug said.
In an effort to calm my nerves, I forced myself to remember what AJ had told me about. He was in the Air Force, a tech geek. A grief-stricken widow, who’d lost her husband and son, kidnapped his soon-to-be stepson, Chase. He must have been terrified.
“I’ll be nearby, but out-of-sight, and will turn it on after they toss the bugged vest and finish their initial search,” Doug said.
“Search?” My voice shook as my fear revved up like a racecar on the starting line.
Maxwell answered, “They’ll likely do a thorough search for weapons and devices.”
AJ’s hand tensed on my back.
“How thorough?” I asked, getting more worried by the second.
Maxwell looked at AJ, then continued, “Thorough enough to be invasive. I don’t want to scare you, but I want you to be warned. It’s likely they’ll enjoy the search a lot more than they should.”
“Meaning they’ll grope me?” I shuddered.
“You don’t have to do this,” AJ said, his voice deep with concern. “Say the word and I’ll call it off.”
I looked at Jack; his ghost-white face boosted my courage.
“No, I can do it.” I turned to him. “You’ll come get me, right?”
“There isn’t a force on this Earth that can stop me.” His dark eyes stared into mine, willing me to believe him. To trust him.
I did.
Turning back around, I asked, “Where does that one go?” I pointed at the small one in Doug’s hand.
“In your mouth. Max will help you.” Doug handed the device to her.
“Let’s go to the bathroom so I can wash my hands. This may be a little unpleasant, but it’ll be over in a second.”
When AJ started to follow, I stopped, turned, and put my hand on his chest. “It’s okay, Andrew. I’ll be fine.”
The low rumble of people talking in the room came to an abrupt stop with a collective gasp. Thinking I’d done something wrong, I looked around to see shock on every face.
“What’d I say?”
He put his hand over mine and held it to his chest; his heart thumping a mile a minute under it. He grinned and whispered, “No one calls me Andrew. Except you.”
Right, he’d told me that.
He brushed my hair behind my ear before cupping my face and kissing me on the forehead. “Go.”
My skin was still tingling from his kiss when Max and I got to the bathroom. She set the tracker, now back in its case, on the counter before washing her hands.
“I’ll do my best not to hurt you, but it may be uncomfortable while I put it in place.”
“Is there anything I need to do?”
“Relax your jaw like you’re at the dentist,” she said before pulling on blue medical gloves. “And try not to bite my fingers.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath through my nose and forced my jaw to relax. I said, “Ready,” before letting my mouth hang open.
Max talked me through each step as she put her hands in my mouth, gave me directions to make it easier, and attached the device to one of my molars. She was right; it was uncomfortable.
After she finished, she said, “Alright, that should do it. Try closing your mouth, but don’t slam your teeth.”
I did what she said.
“How’s it feel?”
I ran my tongue over the small piece of plastic attached to the top and outside edge of my back tooth. “Weird.” Suddenly, I had a million questions. “Will it fall off? What happens if they find it and try to remove it? Will they break my tooth?”
“Slow down.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “It should stay on as long as you don’t chew on that side, and don’t clench your jaw.”
Panic rose in my throat.
“Don’t worry. We plan to get you before dinnertime.”
Some of the tension left my shoulders, but my stomach didn’t get the memo. It was full of butterflies. More like killer bees .
Max looked at the door, “I want to warn you, without AJ hearing.”
My lungs forgot how to work as the bees in my stomach went crazy.
“I meant what I said about them being thorough in their search. I’m sure you noticed his reaction when I mentioned it.” She waited for me to nod. “He’ll probably have to watch them do it.”
He wouldn’t handle that well.
“What can I do?” I didn’t want him doing something stupid, like getting himself killed, because he was mad some jerk was touching me.
“Try not to react.”
That sounded impossible. “What do you mean?”
“Try not to flinch or show any emotion. AJ will blow a gasket if he thinks they’re hurting you. They might not intend on hurting you, but they won’t hesitate to kill him if he steps out of line.”
I gasped, clutching the counter for support.
Max reached out to steady me, saying, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so blunt.”
“It’s okay.” I appreciated her directness, even if I didn’t like the news. I straightened to my full five-foot-two and asked, “What else can I do?” AJ can't die because of me .
“Keep being brave,” she said. “And comply as much as you can. Remember, they need you, so it’s not in their best interest to hurt you.”
Her words weren’t as comforting as she seemed to think they were. “We won’t be far behind you.” She glanced at the door. “We should go back before Janerek bangs on the door.”
I laughed. It sounded ridiculous, given all that was going on, but it was all I could do. In the last twenty-four hours, I’d not only come to expect his protectiveness—I realized I liked it.
I feel safe with Andrew . “Let’s go.”
Back in the conference room, Doug tested the tracker before turning it back off. AJ and Max helped me back into my vest, making sure all the wires were hidden. Which seemed silly if they wanted them to be found.
“You okay?” Andrew asked.
“As okay as I can be,” I answered with a soft smile, hoping to reassure him. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Max said—don’t let him see you react.
I don’t know if I have it in me, but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure AJ doesn’t have a reason to get himself killed.
John issued orders as we filed into the lobby. Jamie and Jaden would leave first and watch us from rooftops. Jack would ride with John and they'd follow us. Doug and Maxwell would drive together, making sure they stayed within remote control distance to me.
My life is an action movie . One I didn’t want to see, let alone star in.
“AJ will drive you to the first site, where you’ll get instructions on the meetup location. They’ll expect our non-compliance, but we won’t be too obvious.”
“If we’re only getting information, why does everyone have to go?” I asked.
“One, it may be a trap.” I felt AJ’s grip on my hand tighten. “If they think you’re not well protected, they may try to take you.” I looked at Jack, who was clenching his jaw and fists so tight I expected them to break. “Two, they probably won’t give you, us, a lot of time to get to the exchange site,” Jamie said.
“The team needs to be ready to roll as soon as we have the location,” John added.
“What happens if they grab me at the first site? Will they release Meg?”
Jack flinched. “Probably not,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Then we can’t let that happen,” I said with a bravado I didn’t feel.