Chapter Twenty-Four
The calm serenity of the night had descended so rapidly into chaos, Lily’s head spun. One moment, they were all together enjoying the cool breeze of the summer night. One phone call and a rush into the house later, anxiety and panic had them in a stranglehold. Theo was barely holding onto his composure as he raced through his home, drawing curtains and dropping the blinds while calling out to the children. Taz trailed behind him, wringing his hands and cursing under his breath. All she could manage in contrast was stunned silence as she froze in the middle of the hall, confused and overwhelmed by the unknown. It was clear that there was an emergency, she just didn”t know what it was.
“Guys, just sit in the hall here.” Theo reappeared, herding Anna, Toby and Parker in front of him.
“Why? What”s going on?” Toby waited until Anna and Parker sat against one wall before sitting opposite them.
“I don”t know. It”s going to be okay… we just need to wait here.” Theo rushed to the door leading to the garage as a loud knock sounded from the other side.
Lily”s head spun even faster as a trio of Secret Service agents joined them in the suddenly too crowded hallway. Two broke away to clear the house as the third stepped closer to the children, speaking into a mic at his wrist.
“Visual confirmation, Wiggle and Willow are secured. Over.”
“Th-Theo?” Anna”s voice sounded smaller and more insecure than ever. It was what finally spurred Lily into action. She nimbly maneuvered around the bodies and sank to her knees between the children. It was easier for her to focus on their distress rather than her own.
“Sweet girl, we’ll be okay. The agents are here and we’ll know what’s going on soon.” Lily smoothed her palm over the little girl’s curly blonde hair, keeping her words quiet and soothing.
Lily helped Parker and Anna through some breathing exercises for lack of any other solace to offer as the hallway became increasingly crowded. A glimpse through the front door as it opened and closed flooded the space with flashing lights and exacerbated the heightened tension. A sidelong glance revealed Theo’s pale face as he palmed his inhaler and clutched it tight to his side. It was as much a comfort item as it was a life-saving medical device for him. She nearly beckoned him closer when arms appeared around his waist. Taz’ arms. So long as he wasn”t adrift and alone with his rising panic, he would be all right.
FBI agents and MPD officers came and went with purposeful strides as Toby, Anna, and Parker tucked in closer together with her. Just when she thought the chaos couldn”t get any worse, the front door flew open again. Footsteps clambered closer, and then they were all swept up into trembling embraces.
“Connor!” Toby was on his feet and moving before Lily could even register the faces swirling around her. The young boy crashed into Connor as Connor crashed into Theo. Anna was hot on their heels. The tears she’d withheld finally broke free.
With a grunt, Lily caught her own serenity in the storm. Abriella and her landed in a heap on the floor with the force of Abriella”s body. Lily’s distress peaked with relief. The unknown was less terrible when she wasn”t facing it alone.
“Bell, what’s going on?” Lily clung to Abriella”s frame even tighter.
“Mierde, I do not know. I”m just happy you are safe.” Abriella pushed herself upright and searched Lily’s face. “Someone was in the yard with you. Dios mio, I”m so glad to see you.”
Lily and Abriella climbed to their feet, and that”s when the small boy still seated against the wall caught her attention again. Parker looked forlorn and lost. Anna and Toby had Connor and Theo. She had Abriella. Parker had no one. In an instant, Lily pulled away from Abriella and scooped the poor child into her arms. He was just a bit too heavy to make the move an easy one, but she had determination on her side as she hoisted him to her hip and held him close.
“Thanks, Lil.” Parker wound his arms tighter around her neck and whispered softly in her ear. “I was trying to be brave. This helps.”
“You”re very brave, Parker. It”s okay to be scared. I”m scared too.” Lily tucked his head against her shoulder and looked toward Abriella’s grim expression.
“I”ll call them if Theo hasn”t.” Bell nodded toward Parker and Lily understood the unspoken message in her gaze. Elias and Caleb were both stuck at the White House for a dinner engagement. She could only imagine the devastation they”d feel once they learned of the disruption to what should have been a fun evening for Parker.
Lily stepped out of the way, still holding Parker in her arms. The credenza beside the front door became a perfect perch for the young boy, and she made sure to keep him close and in constant physical contact. They both kept quiet, absorbing what information they could from the agents and officers coming and going in groups of two and three. The information was sparse, but for Lily, any scrap of knowledge she could glean from them was a reassurance.
There were teams searching the backyard. Teams sweeping the street. Teams fanning out across the neighborhood. Theo’s proximity to the First Children made it a high priority threat, so the amount of manpower was large. Technical analysts appeared and were working on Connor, Luke, and Abriella’s cell phones in the living room. Lily startled when a pair of men appeared in front of her with notebooks in hand.
“Doctor Ward?”
“That”s me. How can I help you, Officer?” She turned her body, but maintained contact with Parker. She”d likely not let go of him until Elias or Caleb appeared. It calmed her just as much as it consoled Parker.
“A few quick questions,” the Officer responded as he flipped through the pages of his notebook. “Did you tell anyone outside your group about your plans tonight?”
“No.”
“And did you notice anything strange or unusual when you arrived?”
“No.”
“How about during your visit, specifically while outside the house?”
“If you mean in the backyard, no.” Lily exhaled and tried to breathe through the rising anxiety over realizing how vulnerable they”d all been while talking on the patio. “No sounds, no movement. Honestly, I wasn”t paying attention. It”s a fenced yard. Privacy fencing. The only thing I was paying attention to was the conversation.”
“And who was watching the children during this time?” The officer never looked up from his notes, scribbling non stop as she answered his questions.
“We had only been outside maybe twenty minutes. The children were inside playing on the console. They were there before we went outside and still there when we came back inside.”
“Yessir, she’s right.” Parker pushed his glasses higher up his nose and met the second officer’s gaze head-on. “Mario Kart. We didn”t even move off the couch. Toby won, and then he let me win. And then Anna, Sir. We were in the middle of a new match when Theo came and told us to sit in the hall.”
“Thank you, young man.” The officer with the notebook nodded, presumably marking Parker’s words into his notebook as well. Lily gave the little boy a tighter squeeze. His voice had come out calm, collected, and sure. His trembling hand clinging to the back of her blouse was the only indication of how shaken up he was.
Eventually, the number of officials began to dwindle, leaving only a handful of FBI agents and the Secret Service assigned to Toby and Anna. Abriella had been reluctant to leave Lily’s side, hovering in and out of the room in between talking to her coworkers. Everyone was wound tight and running on fumes by the time it settled down enough for them all to reconnect in the kitchen. Parker replaced Lily with Anna, hugging her tight and refusing to let go of her hand as they picked at cookies from the container that had appeared at the center of the kitchen table.
“Did someone get in touch with Elias?” She prompted once they”d gathered on the opposite side of the kitchen.
“I just got a hold of him.” Theo pulled the hair tie from his bun and let the curls fall free around his shoulders. “They”re on their way now.”
“Good. What do we do next?”
Abriella tucked herself in close beside Lily and wrapped her in her arms. “We go home. Officers in a patrol car will escort us. Same for Luke and Taz.”
Lily stole a glance toward Theo and Connor with an unspoken question.
“Yeah… we”re not sure yet.” Theo slumped against Connor”s side with a soft sigh.
“Director Moore and Director Robins are working on something.” Connor pulled Theo around and hugged him to his chest. “We gotta do something.”
“Do you want us to stay?” Lily glanced between the two men and then back to Abriella. Lastly, she looked toward Luke and Taz for guidance.
“No, I think we could all do with some rest.” Luke dipped his head toward Connor and then the kids. “Especially these guys. If you want, we can head out together?”
“Si. I want to sleep and pretend all this is just a bad nightmare.” Abriella pulled back and brushed a strand of Lily’s hair from her face. “You are okay, mi amor?”
“I am. I”m just tired.” Lily swept her gaze around the kitchen once more before nodding. “If you”re all okay, we’ll go. Please call?”
“Of course,” Theo enthused, slipping from Connor’s arms to turn toward her. “Let us know you got home safe?”
“Always, Theo.” They hugged, holding on a little tighter and a little longer than they normally would. They both needed reassurance. Hugging was the best form of it.
More lingering embraces were shared between them all, with Lily paying special attention to the children. Toby’s hug was the tightest and the longest. He was so like his older brother, it ached in Lily’s chest. She kissed the top of his head and whispered soft encouragements into his ear before finally moving toward the front door. It was hard to walk away from them all. It was even harder to step outside into the darkness of the night.
Officers walked Lily and Abriella the short distance down the street to their car. It felt more for show than anything else. The fact of the matter was, they couldn”t promise safety. Whomever it was that was following them had already managed to evade the FBI and the Secret Service on multiple occasions. It was knowledge that settled in Lily”s stomach like a block of ice.
Even once they were in the car and headed toward home, something nagged at the back of Lily’s mind. Something just out of reach that felt wrong. Like something out of place but she didn”t know what. She slid her gaze over the darkened interior of the car as a wrinkle formed between her brows.
“Bell… do you smell cigarette smoke?”
Abriella’s eyes quickly darted in her direction before returning to the road. “No… si? Maybe a little bit.”
The car slowed as Abriella sniffed audibly. Lily reached up and turned the overhead light on before skimming the car again. Nothing seemed out of place, nor did she see any cause for the smell. It was just odd enough to leave her feeling unsettled. With a sigh, she turned the light off and turned her attention out the window. It was likely her nerves and mind playing tricks on her.
The remainder of the ride home was spent in silence as the stress from the night began to wear them down. She couldn”t wait to get home and put it behind her, if only for a short time. By the time Abriella had the car parked and the engine off, Lily was desperate to crawl into bed and hide under the covers. She bent down and grabbed her purse from the footwell and that”s when she found it.
The source of the smell was a cigarette butt that had been hiding beneath her bag. She froze in place as she tried to reconcile its existence. Every option that came to her was worse than the last.
“Bell… please tell me you haven”t taken up smoking. Or do. Maybe do.” Lily stared at the small squashed filter with the charred end, motionless but for her lips moving. “Otherwise… I need an evidence bag.”
“What are you—Dios mio.” Abriella leaned over the console and swore under her breath when she noticed what had stolen Lily’s attention. “We didn”t lock the car?”
“I don”t remember… maybe not?”
“Don”t move.” Abriella jumped out of the car and circled to the hatchback. When she had gotten what she needed from the back, she returned to the passenger side of the car. The door opened and Abriella stepped into the space, gloves donned and plastic bag in hand.
Lily held her breath for no real reason other than it was hard to get her lungs to work properly as her nerves ticked higher. Abriella carefully gathered the cigarette and only once it was sealed inside the bag did she exhale.
“I’ll call Marissa.” Abriella examined the cigarette through the bag with narrowed eyes.
“Actually… I might have an idea?” Lily set her purse on her lap and dug her phone out. “We don”t know who is working for who anymore… but I can call someone.”
“What if it”s evidence?” Abriella’s voice hissed quiet and low.
Lily shot her a sidelong glance. “Exactly. Do you trust anyone anymore?”
“I… no. No, I don”t.” Abriella searched Lily’s face and that”s when Lily got the first real glimpse of how truly scared her girlfriend was. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the only person she could think of to trust. The call nearly rang out before a warm, lyrical voice came through the line.
“Ahh, sweet girl. It is very late. Tell me what is the reason for this pleasure of your call?” Dr. Anand Desai’s words immediately gave her the smallest hint of relief.
“I have a personal favor to ask you,” Lily met Abriella’s fretful gaze as she continued. “Can we meet tomorrow outside the White House?”
“Oh, goodness. Of course, my child. Of course. I”m feeling donuts, how about you?”
“Donuts sound lovely. Thank you, Anand.”
“Pish posh. It is nothing. Sleep well, my girl. Tomorrow is a new day. I will see you bright and early.”
Lily dropped her hand to her lap once the call disconnected. This was likely one of the biggest mistakes she”d ever make, but if they were going to get answers, she was confident they”d come from somewhere outside the realm of the agencies they”d been dealing with so far. It wasn”t much, but it was something, and she needed a little something to rest her hope on, if only to make it through the nightmare their lives had become.