Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (43 page)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Day Forty-five - Minnesota

IN THE MORNING, BECKIE WAS still on East Coast time and Amy wasn’t far behind; they both beat the sun. Beckie finally opened her eyes and realized the warmth came from Amy; they were spooned together, front to back. Amy was trying to wriggle out from Beckie’s grasp.

“Sorry,” Beckie said with a chuckle. “I thought you’d have had it the other way ‘round. Joke, joke!” she cried as the girl gave her a look to fry her on the spot.

With no delay, they prepared to head back to Beckie’s home for breakfast. Melissa opted to join them, so with Shalin they piled into Beckie’s car for the short trip. Still bleary, everyone admitted to having slept hard.

Breakfast went off without a hitch and Beckie took her second coffee to the outside picnic table, holding Noorah’s hand as she went. Beckie watched with some amusement as the rest of the group followed.

The weather was nice. Chilly, as foretold last evening when she walked away from the chimenea, but clear. The sun was up; she could feel it warm her as she sat.

“Amy said you had some news?”

The girl blushed, but Beckie saw a smile beneath the embarrassment. “Yes, Miss. It is good, I think.” She stopped, looking down at the table.

“Can you tell me, or should we find a more secluded place?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Should we leave the others?”

“No, no. They all know, anyway.” She took a deep breath, blew it out and drew another. “Haleef Al Hosni will take us in.” She looked up with the smile still intact. “Well, his family will. In London.” She shook her head, still smiling. “He talked to his sister, Saliha. And he allowed me to talk, too!” Beckie reached out to touch Noorah’s arm; the girl had begun to bounce in her excitement. “His family will act as our… I’m sorry, I don’t have the correct word. They will allow us to live with them as though we were their children.”

“That sounds excellent, Noorah. I’m happy. Or I will be, once it all works out.”

“Do you doubt his word?”

“No, that’s not it. I worry about something coming up that we haven’t planned for. But, that never happens, does it?” she said with a heartfelt laugh. Then she sobered. “What does that mean for your mother?”

Noorah gave her a look before glancing at Tahirah. Her sister returned her gaze, but said nothing.

“Haleef talked to his grandfather before speaking with his parents.” She sat up straight, staring at Beckie. “Our mother was… disciplined… She didn’t survive.”

“Oh, no!” Beckie cried. She clasped Noorah in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

Noorah leaned out of the embrace. Her sorrowful expression faded, changing to become satisfaction. “Haleef said… her distant family sought revenge, and earned it. It was he who…” She lifted her arm.

“Oh.” Beckie was surprised to find herself taken aback. She glanced at Tahirah, wiping her eye. Guess the killer training affects more than I thought. She began to rise, then dropped back. “And between you and Haleef?”

She blushed again, this time behind her hand. “He asks for permission to suit me once I am of age.” When her head came up, the smile had been replaced by a look of determination Beckie had seen before. “I told him I am of age.”

Beckie started to protest, but Noorah ran her over. “But I also told him that, even though I am of age, I am not ready to be suited. He said he would wait.” She giggled. “I think he asked us to live with his family so he would be close at hand when I am ready.”

Beckie nodded. No idea where she got the ability to read his mind, but I’ll bet she’s dead right! “Well, it sounds great. I met Saliha in London. You’ll both like her,” she said, including Tahirah. “Nasir, too. And their parents were very nice, also.” Beckie reached over to tap Noorah’s nose. “Just remember, no matter what his reasons are, you’re not bound by them.”

“I know, Miss. But he is nice.” She slid around to face Beckie directly. “He was angry with Mr. deVeel for telling me that he made the mission in London a success.”

“Well, he did. Without his help…” Beckie made a fluttering motion with her hand. “Pffutt!”

“That’s what Mr. deVeel said, but Haleef became upset and said even if it was true, it wasn’t important.”

“And you don’t understand why he believed that, right?” Noorah nodded and Beckie continued. “I think Haleef is a… wonderful man who has… Well, he was shot and left for dead.”

“He never said
that
!”

“I’m sure he doesn’t want to remember it, or the beating he got first—”

“His hand?”

“His hand and his face and his ribs and insides. And he did it to help us, without knowing… I like him, a lot, and I’m proud he helped save many lives.” She reached again, this time to hug the girl lightly. “We’re not allowed to tell anyone about the details, especially if you’re gonna live there, so…”

“Yes, he told me.”

“Well, all in all, very good news. What did your mom say, Amy?”

“She thought it sounded great, and she and Mrs. Go have people working the details already.”

Melissa dropped to the bench across from Beckie and Noorah. Meili stood a step behind. “Anything else? Meili wants to see Hoshi and Duskie before the weekend’s over, and…”

Noorah shook her head with the smile still in place. “We wish to see also.”

About half-past six the next morning, Jean-Luc called Beckie’s cell to tell her he’d left Ft. Lauderdale; get ready to be picked up. They had an early breakfast, and were waiting at Flying Cloud when the Gulfstream landed and taxied to the ramp area.

“We’ve got a few minutes,” Jean-Luc said, “while we refuel and such. I’m going to grab a coffee.” Everyone declined his offer to bring something back.

“We need to go to Kansas City,” Beckie said, walking beside him. “Find a friend of Shalin’s. She needs our help. We might take her back to the Nest.”

“You are going to collect a reputation, Beckie. Not a bad one,” he hurried to add as she stopped and faced him. “One for doing your best to help others.”

She took his arm and pulled. “Okay. I can live with that.” She pointed off to their left. “That’s the place for coffee. Have you ever been to Kansas City?”

“Never. A new experience is something else you are becoming renowned for,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh, well,” she replied, trying to hide her amusement.

“I guess you have not, either.”

She took the coffee from the server and shook her head. “Not much looking forward to it this time, either.”

“How long will it take? If she travels, Shalin’s friend will require a passport. I hope that doesn’t make for an issue.”

“Yeah. I’m so used to flashing mine every time I turn around that I forget real people aren’t as likely to have one.” She sipped, but the coffee was still too hot. Jean-Luc took his. Beckie passed over bills to pay and they started back to the plane.

“I don’t think… Well, I don’t even know how far the airport is from where we’re going. But an hour or two to talk to her and either convince her to leave, or make other arrangements. You can publish the required forms early, right?”

“I can, but DHS requires a wait of 60 minutes after the last one, and since the passenger list has to be included…”

“Gotcha. Well, we’ll do our best. At least you know as much as I do.” She looked up at him as they approached the plane. “How’s Mathilde working out? She really helped in London. I hope she passes probation okay.”

Jean-Luc’s smile gave her the answer before he did. “She is doing quite well.” His face lost some of its happiness. “Unfortunately, that means she will move up to command pilot instead of continuing to sit next to me as copilot.”

The flight to Kansas City was slightly more than an hour. After landing, she and Shalin walked to the rental car counter and filled the reservation she’d made from the plane. Amy stayed in the plane with Meili, Noorah and Tahirah after extracting a promise that they tell her everything. Beckie had no problem in agreeing.

Chapter Forty

Day Forty-five - The Nest

A TROPICAL STORM—NAMED ED—came out of the Eastern Caribbean on Sunday. While the Florida Keys were damaged, the impact on the Nest was small. When Ian awoke and saw dark clouds and heard heavy drops splatting on his window, he sighed. In the kitchen, Boynton had started the coffee maker; as Ian entered, the done signal buzzed, proved by the flavorful aroma.

As he sipped, nibbling on one of the fresh fruits Boynton always had available, he mused over the several topics on his mind.

Rebecca. He had done her to death on the airplane. I’ll come back to her.

The task of finding the man responsible for the London terrorist attack. This showed promise, but he admitted that without more information he could do no good there, either.

South America. With the addition of Willie, Susan and Abigail, Barbara needed no assistance as of her last report. That job should end in the next two months.

Finding a new base before the rising ocean floods us. This task, while important, was not a time-critical one. I can use spare time for a while.

He ran through the other activities the team had in process; all were proceeding apace. More fee-paying work would be required, but not before the end of the year.

The storm made him hurry more than usual, but otherwise was not a factor. The bilge pump in the skiff was operating; the solar cells charged the battery even in the gloom of the thunderheads.

In the hospital, Millie gave him a quick exam, then said, “Where are you off to now?”

“As we are in an enforced idle period, I will clean up some paper work.”

“Such fun you have.” He nodded and closed the door on her chuckle.

The next morning, Monday, Else Meyer requested a meeting at eleven. She recommended Shen’s conference room so he could attend without leaving the office. Ian reviewed the group: Else, a tall, thin Teutonic woman with hair as blonde as Ian’s own. Kevin. Shen. Elena Rios, a slightly shorter than average Mexican. Skilled at hand-to-hand combat, she was capable of speaking effectively first.

Else sat at the head of the table, shuffling a small stack of papers. “Well, Mr. Billy America—his working name is Reverend Billy—is the pastor, owner, however you want to describe it, of an evangelical Christian church, The Love and Faith Temple. The church itself is in Olathe, in Kansas, while the offices and business are located in a new building in Kansas City, Kansas, about thirty kilometers to the north.

“He’s been providing financial backing for the support Israel while they bomb Iran faction. There are intimations his donations only began after a published assessment that any action of the sort would bring a devastating war to the region.

“Politically and socially, he’s a little to the right of, say… Actually, he’s to the right of almost everyone. Creationist, anti-gay bigot, anti-abortion, the Bible is the actual word of God…” She looked around. “You get the idea, I’m sure. The difference between Billy and most other people who espouse his views is threefold. He’s a very good speaker with at least the appearance of empathy. He’s got a lot of money behind him. Many people in the Mid-West are comforted by his ‘old white guy’ appearance, attitude and beliefs.”