Chapter 36
36
“I fucking hate this.” Sisco rolled his chair back from the table, frustration filling every cell in his body.
The Bureau worked slowly, and it was even more so with the DEA involved. The FBI's jurisdiction covered the hospital, the kidnapping of Lenore, and the attempted kidnapping of Evie. The DEA wanted Raul and the cartel's pipeline from Mexico to Canada through the United States to be shut down.
He was glad Logan wasn't sending him on another assignment now that would take him away from Lenore and Evie, but sitting in front of the computer and following Sam on the hospital's security feeds was making him twitchy.
Devil walked over and grabbed Sisco's shoulder. “Come on, man. Let's get out of here.”
He sighed, then jumped to his feet and followed Devil to the locker room attached to their gym. “Get changed. Let's run.”
Soon, he and Devil were joined by Landon as they headed on one of the trails that led up into the hills behind the compound. No one spoke as they ran. The cool fall wind evaporated the sweat as soon as it appeared, but he barely felt it as he pushed himself onward and upward. Finally, they stopped at a clearing that offered a vista worthy of a professional photographer capturing the scene.
They eased down onto the ground and drank from the water bottles they brought with them. As he lifted his gaze, he caught sight of the top of the light tower that had once been used to ensure planes would fly safely over the mountains in the dark. In the early days of LSIMT, Logan had brought all the Keepers here to emphasize how their name reflected the aquatic lighthouse keepers of old… they protected, guided, and served those in need.
“I never thought I'd fall for someone when in the middle of a crisis. I know a lot of the other Maine and California Keepers have. But me? Too practical. I figured that any feelings that developed on a mission were just due to adrenaline, heightened sensory perception, and exaggerated emotions. Hell, even just pure lust. But, to actually know that what you feel is real. To fall in love with someone.” He sighed heavily and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I always want to protect our mission. But this? Christ, it's like all I want to do is keep Evie out of school, Lenore from working, and lock them away in my house or this compound.”
He looked over to see Landon's lips quirking upward. Lifting a brow, Sisco offered a narrow-eyed, “You got something to say?”
“Always wanted to feel something like that for someone but never have. Who knows? Maybe I never will. But I've never seen you lose your focus like this. I sure as hell have no words of advice, except to keep their safety at the forefront of your mind but not in front of your intuition and experience. At least, that's what seemed to work for all the Keepers at LSI West Coast. I watched one after the other of them fall in love, usually on a mission. And every one of them will tell you that they lost focus because it was hard to maintain any objectivity. But somehow, they managed it. And I think it's because they never lost sight of keeping the person they fell for safe while letting the rest of us work the problem.”
Landon stood and offered his hand to Sisco, who accepted it and stood as well. Devil took to his feet, and the trio ran back down the mountain trail toward the main compound. The run was exactly what Sisco needed—a physical release from pent-up frustration. As they arrived at the main building, Landon headed inside, but Sisco slowed as he turned toward Devil.
“You okay?”
“Sure. Why wouldn't I be?”
Sisco held his friend's gaze long and hard. “Seriously? We've been friends for a long time, bro. And I confess I haven't thought of the past much lately, but Landon's words about never having found someone yet?—”
“Fuck, you don't have to explain. I get it, I get it.”
“You had it,” Sisco said, his words soft with no judgment in his tone.
“Yeah, and then I blew it to hell, didn't I?” Devil argued.
Sisco sighed. It had been years ago, but Devil wasn't wrong—he'd found love, then lost love. Choices and mistakes had been made. He'd felt bad for Devil back in the day and spent time with him as he alternated between rage, getting drunk, and even tears. But as much as Sisco sympathized at the time, he couldn’t truly understand since he'd never felt that strongly about anyone until Lenore. Now, the idea of not having Lenore and Evie in his life seemed impossible.
He clapped Devil on the shoulder. “Maybe that ship hasn't sailed. You ever think about that?”
Devil snorted and shook his head. “Thought about it, brother. And the way we exploded… there's no coming back from that. Anyway, it was years ago.” Standing straighter, he sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. “Enough about me. Let's get inside and see what needs to be done to keep your girls safe.”
In the middle of his own fucked-up situation, Sisco had to smile at hearing Lenore and Evie referred to as his girls.
“Anything, so far?” Sisco asked when he and Devil arrived back inside the main compound room.
Sadie turned in her seat and grinned. “Guess who just made a mistake?”
Sisco stared around the room at the other Keepers, then shook his head. “No idea? Sam?”
“Bingo!” Timothy said. “He's an idiot… or going for the dumbest criminal.”
Hustling over to his seat next to Sadie, he looked at her computer, but the screen held no obvious indication of what they were discussing. “Tell me.”
“He made a call from his cell phone. It seems he got confused and forgot to use a burner, which I'm sure Raul gave him.”
“You can't be serious? He used his personal cell?”
Sadie nodded and grinned. “Now, we don't have a lock on who he called because they were on a burner, but as soon as the person picked up, they called him an idiot before disconnecting. We were then able to ping where his call was going, even if we couldn't identify the actual phone. Culiacán in Sinaloa, Mexico… right in the heart of cartel territory.”
“Now, why would a hospital food manager be calling someone who's in the middle of fuckin' cartel territory?” Dalton asked with a cheeky grin. “Must be wanting more tomatoes and corn.”
“And before you ask,” Sadie said. “This has been sent to Everett.”
“I've been keeping tabs on his financial situation,” Frazier added. “His brother appears to have no connection to what happened, but Sam opened a new bank account in his name only three days ago. He's deposited small cash deposits… two deposits of three-thousand dollars each time, but that's too coincidental when you factor in his aborted phone call.”
“I want to talk to him again,” Sisco complained, knowing Logan would deny his request. He'd barely looked over to see Logan's lifted brow.
“No go, man. Everett calls the shots on this one. Plus, it seems the DEA has assigned someone to the territory. Our mission is to protect Lenore and Evie.”
“Anyone heard from Todd outside the school?” Sisco asked. Todd was the Keeper on duty to be placed where he could watch the schools' front entrances.
“He reported in twenty minutes ago—all good,” Sadie replied.
Sisco nodded, his muscles finally relaxing for the first time that day. Maybe they were getting closer to Lenore and Evie not being under a threat. And then their time could truly be just all three of them.
Todd sat in his vehicle parked on the street between the high school and elementary school. From where he was located, he could see the entrances to both. Logan and the others hadn't wanted anyone to know he was there, but a vehicle parked on the street outside of schools filled with children might be reported as suspicious. Everett notified the high school and elementary school principals that someone would provide security.
He watched as a change in classes signaled the herd of students coming outside the front and side doors of the high school. During the period changes, they were allowed outside for fresh air, to chat with friends, or to use their cell phones. A few teachers rotated duties, and Lenore was one of them today. She smiled and talked with some of the students as she casually patrolled the groups.
She looked down and reached inside her purse. Pulling out her phone, she held it to her ear. Her head jerked toward the elementary school, and she nodded, already moving toward the door to disappear back inside.
Suspicious, Todd wanted a Keeper at the compound to check her phone. He tapped his earpiece to report in, then twisted to the side to keep an eye on the teens heading back inside the building. “Check Lenore's phone. She got a call?—”
A pop from a silencer and then the crack of glass shattering hit his ears. His body jerked forward, pain slicing through his upper shoulder. “Shit!” he grimaced as blood covered his shirt. Looking around, he spied a man in joggers heading away.
“Todd? Todd?” Sadie called out. “Sitrep!”
“Shot…” he moaned. “I'm fuckin' shot. Man… jogging… dark clothes… going north on foot…”
“Emergency is being alerted,” Sadie said. “Hang on.”
He fought the black that crept in, seeing Lenore coming out the front door of the school with her coat and purse in her hands. Then he saw no more.