Chapter 9
9
The helicopter landed on the LSIMT compound, and Sisco carefully unbuckled the seat belt. As he maneuvered out of the seat with Evie in his arms, Devil jumped down and turned.
“Need help?”
He felt Evie's arms tighten. “Thanks, man, but I don't think she'll go with anyone else.”
He looked toward the main house to see Vivian walking toward them with Mary in her wheelchair rolling at her side. Logan and Landon were just behind them, giving the women a chance to greet him and Evie first. Evie's little arms tightened again, and she pressed close to him. Once more humbled by her trust, he said, “These are my friends. They'd like to say hello.”
Sisco had discovered early on that Vivian was not only a scientist and college professor but made the perfect match with Logan as his wife and partner. Mary Smithwick had served as a colonel’s support staff for three tours in the Air Force, but an explosion caused the nerve damage that ended her military career. The Air Force’s loss was LSIMT’s gain. Logan was boss, but Mary could run the place.
Vivian's eyes lit as she approached, and she lifted her hand in a little wave. “Hi! You must be Evie. My name is Vivian, but you can call me Viv if you like.”
Evie smiled shyly and ducked her head underneath his chin.
“I heard that Sisco was bringing a pretty little girl here to see some kittens,” Vivian continued.
Evie nodded and then dropped her gaze on Mary. “I used to be in a wheelchair sometimes,” she said softly.
“You did? Then you and I can be friends, can't we? My name is Mary.”
Sisco jiggled her slightly in his arms. “Evie, would you like to go into the house with Vivian and Mary? They'll make sure you have something good to eat and drink and can then show you where the kittens are.”
She shifted to stare at him, her small hands still clutching his shoulders. “I want to be with you. Will you come see the kittens?”
“Baby, I will if that's what you want. But I really would like Vivian and Mary to stay with you while I go with my other friends, and we find out where your mom is. That way, we can bring her to you.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “If I go see the kittens and the horse, then you can go find Mommy?”
“That's the plan. But for me to do that means you need to go with them while I go somewhere else to figure out how to get your mom back. Can you be a big girl and let me do that?” Her eyes stayed on his face, but his expression never wavered. He wanted her trust, but if she needed him with her, he would easily acquiesce. He knew he could count on the others to continue looking for the helicopter, but he was once again split between the two women coming to mean so much to him. He wanted to look for Lenore, knowing that Evie was now safe.
“Do they have ice cream?” she whispered loudly.
He shot a glance toward Vivian, and she nodded.
“They sure do, sweetheart.”
She finally nodded, and he asked, “Can I set you down?”
“How about I take you?” Vivian said, lifting her hands in invitation. “I've even got some chocolate milk and cookies.”
Evie nodded again, and Sisco transferred her into Vivian's arms. Vivian turned and started to walk toward the house as he bent toward Mary. “I know you've probably already researched her, but she had some testing today. So far, from what I gathered, she's clear of cancer, but I don't know how much her system may have been compromised right now.”
“Sadie has pulled up her medical records. We'll take care of her,” Mary promised, patting his arm.
Bert stepped forward. “If she's up to it, we'll take her to the barn later and let her see the horse. If she's content with the kittens for now, she could probably use the rest.” Bert Tomlinson had worked with Logan, Devil, and Sisco as part of the SEAL support team until an explosion knocked out the hearing in one ear. He’d been an excellent addition to the Keepers when Logan started the business. Bert knew weapons and equipment, handling them for LSIMT. He also ran the compound. He would be sure Evie was safe when away from the house.
“Thanks, man.”
He watched as Vivian, Mary, Bert, and Evie disappeared into the house and felt his chest squeeze with the realization that she was out of his arms for the first time since they had left her hospital room. And strangely, his arms felt empty. Turning to Logan and Landon, he said, “Let's go. You can get me up to speed so we can get out of here.”
They hastened into the compound's central Keeper workroom after moving through the various security systems Logan had in place for LSIMT. Once inside the main room, he looked at the others gathered around.
“What have we got?”
Sadie said, “Your timing is perfect. The helicopter they used had filed no flight plan, but the Air Force was able to send satellite pictures. They headed northwest toward Glacier National Park.”
“What have you got on Raul?”
Timothy responded. “According to the intel we got from Landon's FBI contact, Raul was being held at Great Falls jail awaiting a hearing for drug running. He was caught with drugs in his vehicle, but once he was arrested, his name came up in a DEA report as a possible cartel member transporting drugs between here and Canada. Got in a fight last night and was stabbed with a shiv. He had to be taken to the hospital, where he was secured to the bed, and a deputy was placed outside.”
Sisco snorted. “Yeah, the deputy they assigned was too fuckin' young. He wasn't even looking our way as we approached. We'd gotten almost to him before he glanced over and had a bullet hole in his head before he could have even lifted his weapon.” He grimaced while shaking his head. “Fuck—right in front of Lenore and Evie.”
“We're getting a lock on their location,” Sadie called out.
“Cole is refueling and will be ready to go as soon as we know where we're headed,” Logan confirmed.
“That girl seems mighty taken with you,” Devil said. “Hard to believe y'all just met.”
“It's a helluva story,” Sisco said, still shaking his head. “I saw Lenore in the cafeteria, but the only thing we shared was a glance. I had some time to kill and went to check on old Tom. On my way out, I passed by the chapel. Maybe it was missing my parents since I'd just talked to my sister on the phone, but I had the sudden urge to go in. Fuckin' surprised to find the woman sitting in there by herself. We started talking and probably spent half an hour just chatting. Couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to her. Found out about Evie and her condition, how the dad isn't in the picture, and Lenore's mother, who usually helps out, is on a cruise. When she needed to return to the room to pick Evie up after the tests, I found that I wasn't ready to say goodbye. Plus, I really wanted to meet the little girl.”
He looked around at the faces of the other keepers, expecting to see smirks and hear laughter. Instead, every pair of eyes was on him, and there was no derision in their expressions.
“Her tests came back all good, and I simply offered to walk them to the car. That was going to be it, but I hoped I would have a chance to get Lenore's phone number in the process. The elevator wasn't working, so I carried Evie, and we were headed down the stairs when the gunmen entered the stairwell and headed straight toward us, pulling weapons on us. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up as hostages.”
“First, I couldn't believe you were taken as a hostage,” Devil said. “Then when you were able to call and said you had a little girl in your arms, I realized you were in a tough position.”
“Had no choice for heroics with Lenore and Evie between me and the assholes.”
“We've got it!” Sadie said, looking up at him. She sent a map onto the screen, and Logan stepped closer. Logan had been in the area longer than the others and used to fly over all the mountains, getting to know them well. He'd made sure that all the Keepers had studied the topography of the area in case they needed it. While their missions could take them anywhere in the world, they still did volunteer mountain rescues when they could.
Staring at the maps, he realized that radar had the helicopter set down near Yellow Mountain East. Not far from the Canadian border and just outside the Blackfeet Reservation.
“Is this an area where they store drugs if they're going to be taking them across the border?” Todd asked, staring at the screen before looking back at Sisco. Todd Blake, former Marine RECON, was also part of the extended LSI family. His sister worked for the West Coast branch of LSI, and his brother was a Keeper for the original LSI in Maine.
“Don't know, but that's for DEA to find out. All I want to do is get in and get Lenore out. DEA and FBI can deal with Raul, Freddy, and whoever the hell else is involved.”
“Cole is piloting. Who's going?” Logan asked.
“I want in,” Devil stated.
The others chimed in, but Sisco said, “It's got to be me.”
“What about Evie?” Bert asked. He had just walked back into the room. “She's fine, by the way. She's having a snack and playing with the kittens.”
He hesitated, finding the desire to see her before he left overwhelming. “Fuck,” he groaned. “I want to see her, but the next time she's in my arms, I want it to be with her mom at my side.” Sucking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly as the others around nodded.
Holding Bert's gaze, he added, “She'll be safe with the rest of you here and with Vivian. And I don't give a fuck who shows up to take her. She does not leave here until I get back with her mom.” Looking at Landon, he added, “Keep the FBI off her. No one comes or tries to question her.”
“You got it, man,” Landon agreed.
Offering a chin lift, he and Devil followed Bert into the equipment room. Suited with body armor, night vision goggles, and backpacks filled with everything they would need, they grabbed their weapons and headed out.
He had almost reached the hangar where Cole had refilled the helicopter when he turned and grasped Logan's hand. “If she gets scared, just tell her I've gone to get her mom. She's a tough little girl who's faced worse than this. And beaten it. But try to keep her distracted.”
Logan held on to his arm. “We've got this. Make sure you come back safe. You've got to keep your shit together. It's different when emotions are involved.”
He opened his mouth to refute the assumptions about emotions, but staring into his boss's eyes, he realized Logan understood. Sisco had no idea what was going on with him and Lenore—if anything. But there was no way to escape the fact that he wanted the chance to see if their initial attraction could develop into more. And if not, then he was determined to become friends.
With a dip of his chin, he climbed into the helicopter and buckled in. Looking out, he grimaced at the sun's descent over the mountains to the west.