31. Daisy #2
I swallow the bite of food in my mouth, then wipe my hands with the paper napkin. “I assume you mentioned all of this to make a point.”
“Not really. You brought up ‘purpose beyond the moment,’ and I thought it would be beneficial to see that catching the man who altered the course of your life was never your sole purpose; not in the grand scheme of things.”
When Grace stands up, she moves in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders.
“I don’t have any special insight into what God has in store for you all, only a sense of surety that He does.
With this mission, you hold a much greater power in your hands than Noctira’s NSR556TLR digitally-modified sniper rifle. ”
“And what power would that be?” I ask. “Prayer? Because I’ve been praying a lot.”
The corners of Grace’s mouth lift, and the edges of her eyes crinkle in delight. “Prayer is definitely the major weapon at your disposal, but I was referring to forgiveness. You’ve spent two decades focused on revenge, Daisy.”
“Justice,” I correct.
“Justice that isn’t yours to deliver, at least not in the way you’ve wanted it.”
No longer hungry, I put the food container back in the bag. “Death would be swift and better than rotting away in prison.”
Grace shakes her head. “Not for the unsaved. In death, there is no chance for redemption. There is no chance of receiving mercy. When you come face-to-face with your enemy, it could be a simple act of mercy from you that changes his fate.”
I sit there contemplating Grace’s words as life moves on around me. I don’t really pay attention to anything specific until I feel Angel’s calming presence next to me. “A penny for your thoughts,” he says, bumping his arm against mine.
“I had to shoot members of the cartel in Colombia, but it was a choice between their lives and the lives of my team. While I took no pleasure or joy in it, I also didn’t feel any remorse. They were evil men doing wicked things. Does that make me a bad person?”
“Where is this coming from?” Angel asks.
My eyes follow Grace across the room. “Just something she said. How a simple act of mercy could change someone’s fate. That death takes away a chance for redemption.”
Angel asks me to wait while he locates a Bible. He opens it up to Matthew. “You aren’t alone in those thoughts, Daisy, and there are times when one life is taken so another can be spared. When I faced the same dilemma as you do now, my father read me these verses. Matthew 5:21-26.”
He runs his finger down the page, apologizing for not having it memorized.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
“Comforting.”
“That was directly from the mouth of Jesus when He preached His Sermon on the Mount. He was talking about anger, Daisy. He was referring to the heart and the intent. You fired your weapon at the cartel to save the rest of us, not because hatred was fueling you. Not because vengeance was guiding your actions. That’s the difference between what happened then and what you’re facing now. ”
He hands me the Bible and leaves me alone with one parting thought. “When the time comes, and you have the choice to pull the trigger, will your decision be based on retribution or compassion? That will be the determining factor.”
I tuck the words away, and before I can get too deep into dissecting the advice from both Grace and Angel, the perimeter alarm sounds again.
Roger squints at the monitors, announcing to the team, “It’s Bennett.”
Grace and Dottie take that as their cue to leave because it’s time for the rest of us to get back to work. Vinny offers to walk Dottie to her car, which she gladly accepts, while Scott walks Grace to their shared cabin further down the hill.
I go over to the curtain and peek outside, watching as Bennett waves to the two couples walking by.
A smile creeps across my face when Scott walks Grace to the door and places something in her hand. He curls her fingers around it and then brings their entwined fingers up to his chest. The kiss he gives her is one that would make any girl blush.
Vinny is less affectionate compared to Scott, but his quick kiss to Dottie’s lips yields the same result.
Even from where I’m standing, I don’t need to peer through my scope to know that her cheeks are equally pink.
It’s adorable, and I pray that those two get a happily ever after.
Vinny’s waited long enough to find love.
I’m pulled from my overly romantic brain fog when Bennett raps on the door twice before entering. He looks tired, ragged, and like he drove from Colorado nonstop.
“Do you need sleep before we bring you up to speed?” I ask.
“Just a cup of coffee will do. I took a quick nap in Boise, so I should be good to go for a bit.” Bennett heads straight for the room with the bunks. “Where’s Kenneth Johnson?”
Owen takes great pleasure in delivering the news. “He’s currently being held at the FBI field office in Medford.”
Bennett seethes. “You promised I could question him.”
“And you can,” Roger says, stepping in. “At the FBI office in Medford. No one is stopping you from going there. But since another girl was taken, this case has officially been returned to the FBI where it has always belonged. The CIA is here in a support role only. That, and the last time you questioned Kenneth, he was thrown into a jail cell for weeks, and then you threatened a worse punishment if he didn’t stop looking into the missing girls.
That won’t be happening again on our watch. ”
With shoulders slumped in resignation, Bennett sits down and allows his hands to hang between his legs.
Eyes cast toward the ground, he admits, “My methods may not be sound, but they work more often than not when obtaining information. The first time our paths crossed, I told him to go home. Then he showed up at another abduction site a year later. What was I supposed to think? For the record, whatever sob story Kenneth told you is likely fabricated.”
“Well, he didn’t fabricate the gunshot to his shoulder or the kidnapping of Eva Vidal,” I say. “That’s enough to make me believe he isn’t involved in the abduction of the missing girls.”
That grabs Bennett’s attention. “Eva Vidal is here?”
“She was.”
Bennett stands up. “She’s a wanted murderer who falls under CIA jurisdiction! You know this, and yet you failed to tell me until now?”
Roger remains calm in his response. “We only know what we’ve been told, by you and by Kenneth. There’s quite a disparity between the stories. However, we know this to be true: the two of them have been working together. Kenneth wants to find his daughter while Eva wants to destroy Dominion.”
Angel hands Bennett the cup of coffee he asked for.
“Look, I get it. The CIA doesn’t do everything above board because we have to make the tough calls.
Wars get started or ended over the intel we collect.
But if you’re going to continue to be a part of this team, then we need you to follow our lead.
Everything done by the book, okay? Our primary goal is to find Genevieve before Dominion gets a hold of her.
As for Eva, if we find her in the process, then the FBI will handle her arrest and turn her over to the proper authorities. She deserves a fair trial.”
Bennett takes the cup gratefully. “All right. Tell me everything you know so far, and we can come up with a plan.”
I smile at Bennett. “We already have one.”