Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Roger
The meeting finally concludes, and Carter departs for Marathon.
Jerry assures us that he’ll get the file to our research analyst, Rosie, who will go through each and every document with a fine-tooth comb.
He also sends a copy of the file to us so that we can get our eyes on it and see if anything in particular stands out.
Savannah signs off with a promise to update us after gleaning information from Carlos first thing tomorrow morning.
Now that Carlos and his family are settled in, there is no reason to delay any further—even if we don’t expect to learn much.
As far as Patrick is concerned, he tells us that Eloise was last seen entering a grocery store but has yet to come out.
He’ll continue to keep in contact with Jaxon.
Ethan and Ben are the last to disconnect from the call, telling my team and me to get some rest—rest that we desperately need but won’t get for a little while longer.
I glance at my watch and rub my eyes because the numbers begin to swim in front of me.
“I need to lie down for a few minutes, but I’m waiting for the link that Agent Simms said that he would send,” I say to anyone willing to listen.
“It’s not quite seven, and the sun is about to set. You have four and a half hours before the showdown begins,” Jessie says with a wide yawn. “Go take a nap. Elijah and I can hold down the fort, even if we have to take shifts.”
Harper stands in front of me, holding both hands out in invitation. “You might have a concussion. Although it’s safe for you to sleep, someone should keep an eye on you in case there are any issues.”
Jessie snickers. “That’s the best excuse I’ve ever heard to get in some snuggle time.”
I half expect Harper to scowl in Jessie’s direction—once again offended by our group’s humor during times of stress—but I can’t stop the grin that appears on my face when Harper sasses right back. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
Harper winks and then drags me into the bedroom, closing the door behind us. She lets go of my hand to pull back the covers and pats the bed, urging me to lie down. “Can I get you an aspirin or ibuprofen?” she asks.
“That would be great, but I’ll have to decline,” I tell her. “Pain medication can increase the risk of bleeding. What I really need to do is rest and stop my mind from going into overdrive.”
Harper pulls the cover over my body and then shuts off the light. “I’ll get you a cold compress and then wake you in an hour.” She doesn’t wait for me to respond, and I get the feeling she needs to keep herself busy so that she doesn’t spend her time worrying about me.
A few minutes later, Harper returns and sits on the bed beside me. She squeezes an instant ice pack to activate it, then presses it gently to my head. The cold feels amazing against my skin, but it’s her soft touch that eases my pain. I close my eyes and sigh in contentment. “Thank you.”
Harper is silent for a long moment. “You really had me scared today,” she whispers. “Carter and I prayed for you. Well, Carter actually did most of the praying because I was a mess. The not knowing was the worst part.”
I snake my arm around her waist and lace my fingers with her free hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m grateful that God answered your prayers in the affirmative and decided that it wasn’t my time just yet.”
“Me, too,” she says with a warm smile. She continues to hold the compress to my head, and I eventually begin to doze off. The coolness against my wound is replaced by the soft touch of her lips as she kisses my forehead. Thinking I’m asleep, she says, “I love you,” and then leaves.
As promised, every hour for the next few hours, Harper comes into the room and shakes me awake. After the third time, she says, “Simms just made contact.”
This day feels like it’s gone on forever, but it’s not over just yet. My eyes pop open, and I sit up a bit too quickly. I need to get my bearings after being hit full force by a dizzy spell. “Ooh, that’s a doozy,” I quip, swaying back and forth.
“Take it easy. There’s no rush,” Harper says, sitting down beside me. “We can record everything and let you get some more sleep.”
I let my head clear and stand up slowly. “I want to be present more than I want sleep.”
“But you need sleep more than you need to be present,” Harper snaps back but helps me anyway. She supports my elbow and grabs my hand as I shuffle toward the door. “Roger, you’re always there to take care of others. It’s time you let us take care of you.”
“Next thing you know, you’ll be offering to change my diaper,” I say jokingly.
Harper doesn’t laugh.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “This is not how I ever wanted you to see me.”
“And how do you think I see you?” she asks. When I look away, she moves to block my exit and stands like a sentinel in front of the door. “Tell me.”
“Weak. Feeble. Unable to keep up with you,” I say under my breath.
She laughs mirthlessly. “That is not how I see you at all. I see you as courageous, strong, and steadfast. I see you as a man of God—faithful, dedicated, and loving. Your physical attributes, while quite appealing to me, aren’t the first thing I notice when I look at you.
What do you see when you look at me? Is it my age? ”
“No,” I say adamantly. “It’s not the first thing I see, but it is a factor, Harper. Your father isn’t happy with us right now, and that probably has more to do with the fact that I graduated high school while you were still in diapers than it does with him considering me family.”
She lets go of my elbow and moves in front of me, placing her fists on her hips and pursing her lips.
“When you put it like that, it sounds creepy, Roger. But when I’m 60 and you’re 77, will it still seem weird to you?
Nope, and that’s because the gap diminishes the older we get.
And as far as my dad is concerned, he’ll just have to deal with it.
He gets to live his life, not ours,” Harper admonishes.
When I move toward Harper, she takes a small step backward until her back is against the door and there’s nowhere left for her to go.
I cage her in by placing one hand near her head, paying particular attention to the way her breathing accelerates at my proximity.
I gently stroke the side of her arm until I reach the ring on her finger.
“I don’t want to be the wedge that comes between you and your parents, Harper. ”
Harper entwines our fingers together and glances down at them, then at me. “If there is a wedge, it won’t be because you placed it there. It would be because they do.”
“And you can live with that?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “Can you?”
I bring her hand up to my mouth and kiss each finger tenderly, moving my lips to the inside of her wrist. My eyes never leave hers when I whisper, “Yes. I’d prefer to have your father’s blessing, but I can live without it.”
The corners of Harper’s mouth lift. “My father’s blessing isn’t the one that matters. It’s our Father’s blessing that’s important. I firmly believe that God made me for you and you for me.”
It’s at that moment that the love I have for Harper shifts from friendship and attraction to something more; something deeper and more meaningful.
I close the gap between us, lifting our joined hands above her head. I kiss the dimple on her cheek and slowly make my way to her soft, supple lips. She slides her hand around my neck, deepening the kiss. A low growl escapes me when she runs her fingers through my hair and then tightens her grip.
Before we can get carried away, there’s a knock on the bedroom door. “Save the hanky panky for later! We have work to do!” Jessie exclaims, her voice becoming more distant as she strides away.
Harper giggles. “There’s nothing like a good dose of reality. Jessie’s timing is impeccable.”
I touch our foreheads together and close my eyes. Letting out a long sigh, I reply, “She’s like an annoying little sister who manages to always ruin a moment.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have it any other way,” Harper says with a genuine smile.
I chuckle as I let go of Harper and motion toward the door. “Maybe just this one time, I would have,” I say, giving Harper a light peck on the lips. “However, Jessie’s right, and we have a case to solve. No rest for the weary.”
A few minutes later, the four of us are seated around the coffee table as Elijah connects to the link that Agent Simms provided. We have almost half an hour before the drop is supposed to occur, and all we have is a black screen. “We have audio but no visual. Why?” I ask no one in particular.
Elijah answers anyway. “It’s dark outside, and there’s nothing to see. Agent Simms warned us that they would be ‘lights out’ and using night vision goggles to monitor the situation. We can’t communicate with them, but we can listen in.”
I can’t get Simms’ parting words out of my head as his and Monroe’s voices filter from the speakers. “Maybe you’ll learn something.”
We all fall silent when we begin to hear voices. “Did you deliver the schematics?” Monroe asks.
“I did. Just knowing they won’t fall into the wrong hands brings me a little peace,” Simms says.
“I wish I had your confidence. The blueprints are replaceable and can be downloaded from the dark web for the right price.”
“I can’t argue with that, but we have a team monitoring specifically for such a thing,” Simms replies. “And having a suspect helps. The tech team will be keeping a close eye on any traffic coming from his IP address.”
There’s a full minute of silence between the two agents, and I check the connection to ensure it’s still intact. Monroe finally speaks. “After so many years of dedicated service to this country, I can’t believe he would do such a thing. I’ve always respected him.”
“Me, too. For now, he’s just a suspect since we’re not in the business of assigning guilt until all the facts are presented.” Simms replies. A few beats go by, and then he adds, “We have movement.”
“The boat approaching has ten men heavily armed. They are boarding the charter boat,” Monroe says.
“Jordan and his crew are being held at gunpoint and being forced off their vessel! Can you see who is in the boarding party?” Simms asks his partner.
“Not clearly,” Monroe replies. “Even with night vision, we’re too far away to make out any details with such poor lighting. Wait! It’s The Demon Kings!”
“Crap! I knew it! It’s a trap!” Simms declares. We can hear the static from him cueing up a walkie-talking or CB radio. “Juilette-Zulu, this is Bravo-Sierra. We can confirm that it’s a trap! Ten of The Demon Kings are heavily armed. Approach with caution! This op just took an unexpected turn.”
“Copy, Bravo-Sierra,” says a voice that comes in broken. “Our ETA is five minutes out. Pick up the charter crew once they are clear of the area, and we’ll take care of the problem. This mission is still salvageable if we can manage to take them into custody.”
“Juliette-Zulu, we’re in pursuit. Bravo-Sierra out.” There’s a squelch as Simms depresses the “talk” button on the radio.
With Simms and Monroe in pursuit of the crew, we can barely make out Monroe’s words over the wind as it whips past his microphone. “What made you think it was a trap, Simms? For all we know, The Demon Kings could be planning to steal the cargo for themselves.”
“Naw. The Demon Kings wouldn’t have let the crew go and take their boat if they weren’t working for the same person.
They would have killed everyone on board.
Thomas told Jordan that they may be boarded, but he never said by who.
Thomas made sure to give Jordan the details while they were on the boat, which he suspected was under surveillance. ”
“Thomas is a puppet, but who was the puppet master trying to draw out with this ploy? Finnegan and his men, or us?” Monroe asks.
“Both.”
A barrage of gunfire pops off in the background, followed by screams and shouts just before we lose the connection. I begin praying for the safety of the agents as they battle it out and for those on the side of justice to prevail.