Leverage (25 page)

I clenched my teeth and squeezed my eyes tight, but couldn’t keep the sharp yelp from escaping my lips as the familiar pain tore through me yet again.

“Hannah, give Nicole to Danny so we can birth the placenta,” Dr. Jelavich urged.

With a tearful nod, I did as he bid me then pushed one last time, feeling the warm rush of blood and tissue flood from between my thighs. Dr. Jelavich worked quickly to clean up the afterbirth and stitch me up as necessary. I kept my eyes pinned on Danny rocking Nicole as the doctor removed the bloody pads and helped me change into a clean gown. After administering a mild analgesic and more antibiotics into my IV line, he tucked the bedcovers around me.

“Feed your child, Hannah. Hold her, bond with her, and most of all, enjoy her,” he said as he stroked his hand across my forehead. “I’ll return later to check on you.” With a grandfatherly grin on his face, he grabbed the stuffed trash bag and swept from the room.

I sat up a little straighter and nestled back into the mountain of pillows Doc J. had tucked behind me, then called over to Danny as he paced the room with my tiny baby cuddled deep into his colossal embrace.

“Okay, I’m ready for Nicole,” I announced with an expectant smile.

Danny stopped where he was and looked over at me, the most peculiar expression on his face. He glanced down at Nicole, and a single tear dropped from his cheek onto hers. Then he looked back up and caught my eye.

“I’m so sorry, ‘annah,” he whispered, so softly, I thought maybe I’d heard him wrong.

“For what?” I asked, perplexed.

He peered back down at Nicole, his face so unbelievably despondent. “For what I’m about to do,” he replied, then turned and left the room, locking the door.

And I screamed out behind him.

Time crept by at a snail’s pace. The minutes felt like hours and the hours like days. With the most bizarre feeling of dread pressing down on me, I made Agent Liam call Maks three times within four hours, all with no new word on where Hannah and Katy were. The fourth time I asked, he huffed in exasperation and walked into the kitchen where he pulled a stack of takeout menus from a drawer and threw them onto the kitchen counter.

“Why don’t you and the kid order some food,” he advised. “I think we could all use the distraction.”

I shook my head at his insensitivity. “I don’t think we’re up for food just yet. The events of the day have us a little…preoccupied.”

He picked up a few menus from the top of the pile, sorted through them, then selected one. “Yeah, well, I’m hungry, so I’ll just order and you guys can eat whenever you want.”

After perusing the selection, he pulled out his mobile phone and dialed, ordering a large assortment of Chinese dishes and pre-paying with a credit card. Then he called Agent O’Day out front and told him to expect the delivery. When he signed off, Agent Liam stepped in front of me on his way back to the recliner.

“Mr. Karras, Agent Sidorov was trying to be sensitive to your anxiety, but I don’t have that luxury since I’m the one holed up here with you. This could take a while, so you and your stepson need to learn to relax.” Though his tone was impatient, his eyes expressed some level of compassion. He offered me a small grin then tapped me on the arm below my shoulder. “Why don’t you tell Conner the food will be here shortly,” he said then returned to his seat.

I did as suggested then returned to the family room where, much to Liam’s dismay, I resumed my pacing. His sighs and finger-tapping told me I was getting on his nerves. I felt bad for the guy. It was a lousy gig to be assigned protection duty, or so Aaron had informed me, explaining how difficult it was to be separated from family. I stopped pacing and ducked into the kitchen where I leaned my elbows on the counter and studied Agent Liam Ford. He was young, yes, but I caught the glint of light off the plain white gold band on his left ring finger.

“You married, Liam?” I asked.

He tilted his head back and peeked over his shoulder, his hand raised as he twirled the ring on his finger. “Two years next month,” he replied with a happy grin.

I returned a slack smile, worried. “Kids?”

He nodded, though his attention was back on the TV. “Yep. A boy nearly a year old and a daughter in the oven. Still three months to go on that one.”

Shit. A newlywed with babies.
Last thing I needed was another widow on my conscience.

He glanced over his shoulder again. “I hear you’re in the same boat.”

I nodded. “Yeah, my first.”

“Congratulations,” he said, his voice serious. “Maks will find them. Always does. Then you’ll know what a sleepless night really feels like.” He chuckled good-naturedly.

I straightened with a weary sigh and turned toward the kitchen window. The slam of a car door caught my attention, and I moved to the sink. With the tip of my finger, I lifted one of the slats on the dusty mini-blinds and peered out at the dark street. Agent O’Day had just climbed out of his car and was approaching the delivery driver, a young kid Conner’s age. He stood a few feet away from his white beater Toyota with a lighted yellow sign set crooked atop the roof.
Chan’s Authentic Chinese Food
it read in garish red letters.

The boy held two overstuffed white plastic bags, one in each hand. O’Day spoke to the driver, though I couldn’t make out what he was saying. The boy raised both arms and turned around in place. Then he stretched his arms toward O’Day, who relieved the boy of his burden. But the kid remained where he stood. He appeared nervous and skittish, glancing around and trying to retreat backwards by the inch as O’Day continued to speak to him. When the agent lifted his chin toward the rusty old Toyota, the kid spun around like a top and sprinted for his car. I heard the starter grind when the kid turned the key one too many times, then the tires squealed against the smooth pavement as the boy made a hasty escape.

O’Day turned toward the house with a shit-grin on his face. His shoulders shook as he laughed over the scared kid. The front door opened and the agent deposited the food on the kitchen counter. “Fifteen minutes, Ford. Make sure you leave me some,” he ordered with a stern glance at Agent Liam, who, from the well-worn recliner, waved him off without a glance.

Conner sauntered out of the back bedroom, his free hand cradling his casted arm against his stomach.

“Hungry?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “Not really.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I said as I slid the bags away across the counter.

“Take my advice,” Agent Liam said from the family room. “Eat when you have the opportunity. We might have to leave at a moment’s notice, and you never know when you’ll get the chance to eat again.”

I glanced over at Conner and raised my brow.

“All right,” he said then started pulling boxes from the bags.

I searched the kitchen cabinets and drawers, grabbing a stack of mismatched plates, a handful of forks with bent tines, and a wad of cheap paper napkins. I set everything down next to the food Conner had spread out over the breakfast bar. He opened each box and peered inside, taking inventory. With one of the misshapen forks, he shoveled chow mein onto a cracked plate, while I dug into the large container of steamed rice.

Conner stopped chewing mid-bite when he heard my fork hit something hard inside the box. “Wha’ wuzzat?” he mumbled.

I carefully pushed the rice aside and discovered a clear plastic baggie with what looked to be an iPhone stuffed down at the bottom. With a panicked glance at Agent Liam, I raised a finger to my lips, requesting Conner remain silent. Stepping back into the dark corner and turning to face the wall, I pulled the baggie from the rice and examined it more carefully. There was a note inside with a message scrawled across it in thin, black marker.

My heart went into overdrive, pounding so hard, I thought it would leap straight out through my mouth. Silently, and with his plate still in his hands, Conner stepped backwards until we stood shoulder to shoulder. He glanced over, his eyes widening when he saw the baggie with the note and phone inside. Our eyes met, and I recognized in him the same alarm I felt inside myself. He nodded once, indicating I should proceed, then positioned his body so Agent Liam couldn’t see me should he suddenly turn around.

I pulled the note and phone out, tossing the baggie away and rereading the note before I stuffed into my pants pocket. With trembling fingers, I pressed the home button on the front of the phone then slid my thumb across the glass when the homescreen appeared, terrified it might be a trick and explode in my hand. The normal assortment of symbols emerged on the lighted display, including the green
messages
icon with a small, red alert badge floating over its top right corner. The little, white number one seemed to scream at me, and my thrashing heart jumped up and lodged at the base of my throat. I tapped the icon and the app opened to a single text message.

At the top of the screen was the sender’s name—
Aaron Moody
. I sucked in a breath so harsh, it made me start to cough. Conner dropped his fork onto his plate with a clang then rushed to the far counter when the recliner’s footrest snapped down with a loud pop. I turned toward the family room as I shoved the phone into my back pocket.

“That bad, huh?” Agent Liam laughed as he sprang from his seat. He walked over to the bar. “What do we have here?” he asked, grabbing a fork and rifling through the collection of boxes. He dumped a selection of food onto a plate then raised his eyes and started searching around the kitchen counter. “No rice?” he asked as he flicked on the overhead light. “That douchebag O’Day,” he grumbled then halted when he discovered the box of rice on the countertop behind my back. “There it is,” he rallied as he reached for the container.

With my back to the counter, I shuffled to the opposite corner in the U-shaped kitchen and dipped my head to hide the flash of red scorching a path across my face.

Conner caught my eye then jumped in, blurting, “Sorry, my bad,” over a mouthful of food.

Liam waved him off as he heaped a spoonful of rice onto his plate. Once he had everything he wanted, he went back to the recliner. He popped the footrest back up, balanced the plate of food against his chest, and started shoveling food into his mouth.

I moved back into the other corner. Conner took up his position as shield while I pulled the phone from my pocket and opened the text app, my heart skipping as blood rushed through my ears in a loud torrent. There was a single, brief message on the left side of the screen:

“Keep this phone hidden and on silent. Text back immediately.”

I nudged Conner and showed him the message. He looked back at me with his brow drawn tightly together.

“What the fuck?” he mouthed silently.

I shrugged then leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Go sit and eat with Liam, chat him up, keep him occupied. I’ll go to the bathroom and answer this.”

Conner joined Agent Ford in the family room where he struck up a conversation on the lack of believability of the show he was watching. They started to argue amicably while I excused myself for the restroom.

As soon as I was locked in, I began to text whoever had sent me the message:

Me:
Who is this?

Them:
Never mind. RU alone?

Me:
Yes. Let me speak to my wife.

Them:
Shut up and listen. Find a way 2 get 2 ur office.

Me:
What? How the hell am I supposed to do that?

Them:
Not my problem.

Me:
You’re insane!

Them:
U want ur wife back? Figure it out. What is ur office alarm code?

Me:
What? Why?

Them:
Ur alarm code, please. I will meet U inside. No FBI. U have 2 hrs.

Me:
And if I don’t make it?

Them:
Then kiss ur wife and child goodbye.

I balked for a moment then finally texted back.

Me:
Fine. 48913290 Then press *

Them:
Very good, Mr. Karras. You have 2 hrs. Tick tock...

Tick tock? That was an expression Alexi had used on me four years ago, a number of times, urging me to hurry if I wanted to save my brother’s life. I nearly threw the phone against the wall as I swore a litany of profanities under my breath.
Fuck!
How the hell was I supposed to get to my office without the FBI while under the FBI’s protection? There was no way! I began to pace the small confines of the bathroom. From the door to the tub, it was only three short steps, hardly enough space to think, to plan, to scheme my way out.

I shoved the phone back into my rear pocket and leaned both hands on the edge of the pedestal sink. I turned the faucet knob and splashed cold water onto my face, then stared long and hard at my reflection in the mirror above. “I thought I fucking buried you,” I said to myself as the water rushed loudly down the drain.

I dropped my chin and squeezed my eyes shut as that old monster down deep inside growled and writhed, seethed and simmered, as it tried to crawl its way back up, to take control, all consequences be damned. My fists clenched tight at my side as I fought the urge to just let it go, run free and rampant, to do whatever it took to get my wife and child back.

Years ago, after losing everything, I swore I would never allow myself to lose control ever again, to cross that line and step over into the dark side. Why was the universe so intent on my complete, utter damnation? It wasn’t fair. Why should I have to play nice when every force in existence seemed bent on my destruction? How was I supposed to compete? Evil always seemed to have the upper hand in my battles, and the playing field was anything but level.

I sighed deeply, those old feelings of defeat swamping me like a storm surge. I couldn’t outrun it. I couldn’t fend it off. I could only raise myself high enough that it couldn’t reach me. I looked myself in the eye again and took a deep breath. I’d have to find a way to get through this, to beat it, to prove I was the man Hannah believed me to be. I’d be stronger for her than I’d been for Jillian. I’d be a better father for this child than I’d been for the last.

I just needed to find a way.

A knock at the door startled me. “You okay in there?” Agent Liam asked.

“Um…yeah.” I pulled the hem of my t-shirt down low and patted the phone in my pocket. With one last deep breath, I opened the door and faced Agent Liam. “Sorry,” I said. “Too nervous to eat, I guess.”

He nodded, but seemed suspicious, his eyes quickly scanning me then the bathroom beyond before stepping aside with his arm out to let me pass. When I returned to the family room, I saw Agent O’Day helping himself to the food, while Conner was back twitching on the sofa. Liam walked to the entry hall and shrugged into a trench coat, ready to take his turn on watch outside while his partner ate. Before he could open the door, I held up a hand.

“Agent Ford, would you hold up for a second, please?” I turned toward O’Day as he crammed a forkful of noodles into his mouth. “I need to talk to both of you, if you don’t mind.”

Liam stepped back into the room while O’Day continued to satisfy his hunger.

“Um…I need to drive to my office. I have some things I need to get from my safe before you move us.”

“No fucking way,” O’Day choked out as small bits of food flew from his mouth.

I stepped toward him. “Look, I’ve always known this could happen, that we might be uprooted with little or no notice. I prepared for it. I have cash, account numbers and access codes, everything we might need. I just need to get it out.”

I looked from O’Day to Liam and back. They exchanged glances. Liam shrugged his indifference, but O’Day shook his head.

“You give us the combination,” he said, “and we’ll send someone over.”