Chapter Fourteen
CAM
I sat in a chair at the small table while Mom napped, scrolling on my phone as I looked at Mars every once in a while.
He was seated in the desk chair, doing the same thing, surreptitiously checking on me under his lashes as he pretended to play a game on his phone.
About an hour later, there was a quiet knock at the door, and I followed Mars’ progress as he answered it.
He pulled his weapon, holding it down at his side as he put his eye to the peephole.
He opened it a moment later, reholstering his gun.
Mickey stood in the doorway, and Mars stepped aside to let him in.
Mickey nodded to me and glanced at the bed where my mom stirred, rolling over and sitting up. “Sorry to wake you, Mrs. Demarco,” he said.
She reached up, putting a hand to her cheek as she looked around. I went to sit at the side of the bed where she smiled at me, reaching for my hand. “Hello, Cam.”
I smiled back, relieved that she knew me, and leaned forward to peck her cheek. “Did you have a nice nap, Mom?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” She eyed Mickey and Mars, then pulled the sides of her sweater closed over her chest. “Please introduce me to your friends.”
They’d both met her at Shady Grove, so I gave them a knowing look before I turned back to her. “Mom, this is Mickey and Mars.”
Mickey smiled at her, stepping forward to offer his hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
When he stepped back, Mars did the same. “’Ello, ma’am. Nice to meet ya.”
“Who are you again?”
“These are FBI agents, Mom. They’re here to take us to Los Angeles.”
She glanced at me in surprise and I could see the questions flitting through her eyes. “Why are we going to Los Angeles?”
I looked helplessly at Mars, not knowing what to say. I didn’t want to remind her of what had happened since she quite obviously didn’t remember, but I didn’t want to lie either.
“Camden is ‘elping us with one of our FBI cases, Mrs. Demarco.” Mars exchanged a look with Mickey, doing that thing where they communicated without words for a few seconds.
“You’re helping with an FBI case, dear?” Her eyes searched mine.
“It’s nothing bad, Mom…just…ah…they’re trying to catch a guy stealing cars and they think I might know him.
” I smiled to punctuate my words. I wasn’t going to get into that.
I checked my watch, deciding to quickly change the subject.
“You must be hungry, Mom. Let’s get some lunch.
” I glanced at Mars. “That’d be okay, right? ”
“Course,” he said. “Our boss is ‘ere, he texted before. ‘E’d like to see all of us downstairs in a conference room ‘e reserved. They’ll ‘ave lunch set up.”
I nodded and held out my hand to her. “Come on, Mom.” I stood and let her get up, busying my hands with folding the blanket as she went back into the bathroom to freshen up. “What does your boss want to talk about? He’s not going to say anything to her, right?” I gnawed on my lower lip.
“No, he just wants to let you know what he’s decided about how to move forward,” Mickey said.
“Okay.” I waited for my mom to finish up in the bathroom before taking my turn and then we left the room, flanked by Mickey and Mars.
I felt safe with the two, armed agents around us.
When we got downstairs, they took us over to the hotel’s business center.
I was surprised by the sheer number of people waiting for us.
Along with Mars’ teammates, Mom and I were formally introduced to the two women who’d protected her so well this morning.
I made sandwiches for myself and my mom from the large buffet table which had been set up in a corner and settled her into a chair before sitting down beside her.
Captain Sorensen came over and sat across from us, wearing a smile. “How are you both doing this morning?” He checked his watch before smirking. “I should say afternoon.”
I nodded back at him, glancing quickly at Mom as I swallowed a big bite of sandwich, chasing it with a sip of water. “We’re both good.”
“Good.” He reached up and tugged on his long, red beard. The long scar which ran from the corner of one eye, down his cheek seemed starker, now that I could see him up close. Whatever had caused that, had been bad.
He looked thoughtful. “I must apologize that we didn’t arrive sooner. I trust Special Agents Michaels and Rayburn did their best under the circumstances.” He watched my mom who just turned to look at me. The vacant expression was back in her eyes.
I set down my sandwich and nodded. “They were really great and we’re both okay.” I reached for Mom’s hand, giving her a little squeeze.
“That’s good.” He cleared his throat, looking slightly hesitant to say more, but went on anyway. “I had hoped to have Mars and Mickey drive you both to Los Angeles, but now that we know who we’re dealing with—”
I stopped him as I stood. “Can we talk about this over there?” I pointed to an empty corner of the room. I didn’t want to discuss this with my mom around.
“Yes, of course.”
“Be right back, Mom.” I bent down and kissed her cheek before following the captain. “I didn’t want you to discuss anything in front of her. I don’t know if you know she has Alzheimer’s, and because of it, I don’t think she fully understands everything that went down this morning.”
He nodded. “Yes, I know about the Alzheimer’s. It’s probably good that she doesn’t completely realize the danger Sterling’s men were to her.”
“Agents Michaels and Rayburn were very brave out there,” I said, not fully trusting this big man.
It was obvious that he was very much like Mars and Mickey, extremely capable but all business when it came down to protecting lives.
I didn’t trust any of these guys to have a solution to my Josiah problem, but I did know that they’d probably all lay down their lives to protect us.
“I’m sorry I cut you off over there. You were saying something about getting us to L.A. ”
“Yes, and I hope I can be honest with you, Mr. Demarco.” At my nod, he went on.
“The FBI now knows that Josiah Sterling is hip deep in shit and now that he’s sent men hell bent on kidnapping your mother to get you to do whatever he has planned for you, I’m going to put you both on a plane. It’s not safe to drive.”
I gaped at him. “First…what do you think he has planned for me? And second, I don’t know that planes are much safer.
Before all this went down, I wasn’t sure about just how dangerous Josiah really was.
Now, I don’t trust him at all. It’s not going to take him long to realize that FBI agents took my mom if he doesn’t already grasp that fact, and if he thinks I’m working with you, that makes me disposable.
What use am I to the FBI as some sort of undercover informant against him now?
That is what you planned on having me do for you, right? ”
“Yes.” He smiled in an almost self-deprecating way which was so different from his calm, take charge demeanor, that it threw me off for a few seconds.
I opened my mouth to ask another question but he lifted his hand to stop me.
“Let me answer your questions, because they’re good ones and I think you deserve to hear the truth.
First, we’re not at all sure what Sterling has planned for you, but our best guess is that now he just wants you dead.
And to answer you about the safety of taking a plane, you won’t be traveling commercial.
You’ll be flying to L.A. on an FBI jet.”
I deflated, all my bravado leaving me. “Oh, okay.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “Mickey said you’ll be putting us in a safehouse in Los Angeles, but my mom is used to a routine. She had that at Shady Grove.”
Another thoughtful look. “I understand that. Unfortunately, Shady Grove is no longer safe for her. We honestly believe that until we have Sterling in custody and have rolled up his entire operation and arrested all his accomplices, we’ll have to keep you in protective custody in Los Angeles where he can’t get to you.
I’d arrange to have her housed in a facility similar to Shady Grove, but the FBI is afraid that Sterling will look for her there.
That would just be asking for trouble. We can’t justify putting Mrs. Demarco or anyone else working or living in that kind of setting in danger. ”
I was hesitant to disagree. “Don’t you think that having us in L.A. is more dangerous? That’s where Josiah is moving his business. He as much as told me so.”
“Yes, that’s true. We believe he is relocating everything to L.A.
, and since that’s where we are, we know we can keep you safer than if we left you in Vegas.
We never know whether he might decide to send someone back to Shady Grove or to your apartment.
” He looked past my shoulder, and I turned to see Mars walking over, holding a couple of water bottles.
When he got to us, he smiled and held one out to me.
I nodded gratefully at him. “Thanks,” I said, taking it from him.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Mars said.
I loved his accent. The sexiness of it had a predictable effect on my body as shivers raced down my spine.
I nodded and took a long drink of the water.
“Your boss was just telling me that the FBI is taking me and my mom to L.A. on a jet rather than having us drive, but I can’t leave until I have the stuff I told you about, Mars. ”
“What stuff?” Captain Sorensen asked.
“I told Mars that I have to go back to my apartment to get some things before I leave Vegas and before you ask, no, you can’t send agents to pick it up in case Josiah’s guys are watching it. It’s stuff I hid so it has to be me.”