Drawing the Line, page 17
I nodded, hating to not see him out to safety but knowing he could make it on his own. I grabbed a bottle of water from Mikey’s desk, removed my shirt, and wet it down to cover my mouth and nose, leaving only my undershirt to protect my skin from the heat. But it helped me breathe better in the smoke which was getting thicker by the minute.
I ran out of the room. The heat in the building was becoming unbearable but I had to go on.
“Hunter? Chris?” I called out between coughs, running toward the stairs that led up to the Director’s office.
I’d just made it to the stairs when I heard Hunter call out, “over here.”
He held his right arm immobile, bent at the elbow and I could tell he was in pain as he tried to drag an unconscious Chris down the corridor.
“What happened?”
“I got to him just after the first explosion. It looked like some debris fell on him and knocked him out. I think I dislocated my shoulder so, I couldn’t lift him well on my own.”
I ran to his side and slung Chris’s arm over my shoulder while Hunter took the other side. His head hung down, still unconscious, as we ran for the nearest exit. A support beam above us crackled and we barely dodged as it slammed into the floor. I burst through the exit on a sidestep with Chris and Hunter right behind.
“Mason. What happened?” Hana cried out and ran to us the moment she saw us stumble out of the door with Mikey close behind her.
The cool night air struggled to fill our lungs as we hacked up smoke but finally managed to breathe deep. We laid Chris down on the concrete walkway at a distance from the dangers of the burning building.
“Where’s Caroline?” Hana looked at us each with worry etched on her face. “Didn’t she come with you guys?”
Hunter shook his head. “Chris changed his mind last minute. Said he couldn’t leave his team. Since the Director was on leave anyway, he sent Caroline out of town with her dad so she would be safe.”
“Thank God for that.”
Fire truck sirens blared in the distance as Hana wrapped her arms around me, half hugging me and half holding me up.
Hana
As much as Mason wanted to go to the hospital with Chris, he was acting Director and needed to meet with the rest of the team to find out what had happened and who was responsible. The attack was as personal as it could be, going after their brothers in arms in their own headquarters.
I worried about him. He’d been coughing pretty badly after breathing in the smoke but after a few minutes of oxygen at one of the ambulances, he assured me he was fine. Hunter rode with Chris, promising to let us know the moment he heard anything.
Once Mason delegated the investigation tasks and handed over the main building investigating to his buddies at the ATF, I convinced him to go home and rest until we heard more. Neither of us slept much the night before and after everything, I just wanted to be in the safety of my own home with Mason by my side.
We walked into my house and Mason all but collapsed on the couch trying to pull me along with him but we both needed something to eat.
“I’m going to heat up some leftovers.”
“I’m not hungry. I’m too exhausted to eat.”
“You need just a little something and so do I. Don't make me eat alone.”
“Okay,” he finally gave in.
I went into the kitchen and dug through the fridge, finding some leftover pasta and salad I was able to throw on a plate for us to share. I poured us each a glass of water, needing to keep things simple in my exhausted state, then plopped down on the couch beside Mason.
We sat there, staring at the TV as news coverage of the bombing already filled the screen. Neither of us were really listening. It was more just to fill the quiet after we ate.
Having dozed off on the couch, Mason and I were awakened by the loud ringing of his phone. He glanced down at the caller id before answering.
“It’s Hunter.” Mason answered the phone and put it on speaker. “Hello?”
“Hey man, how are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. Hana is here too. How’s Chris?”
“That’s what I’m calling about. He’s stable, and awake but they are keeping him for a few days.”
“Good. How’s the shoulder?”
“Doc popped it back into place and it feels just about as good as new. He says I can’t do anything major for six weeks, but I say he’s crazy.”
Mason chuckled sleepily. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I’m going to wait around here and make sure he’s doing okay. Unless you need something?”
“No. Try to get some rest and keep a good eye on him. Let us know if there are any changes.”
“Will do. You guys be safe.”
“We will.”
Mason hung up with Hunter. He looked so weary and exhausted.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“I like the sound of that, but I don’t know if I’ll have the energy tonight,” He teased.
“Alright funny guy. Come on. Time for sleep.” I took his arm, pulled him up off the couch, and led him to the bedroom.
“Well now that doesn’t sound like nearly as much fun,” he sounded almost drunk from exhaustion.
“It will be a lot more fun once we both get some rest.”
“That’s true. I do like you energetic.” He tugged me to him and kissed me gently before we both climbed into bed.
He rolled onto his back and pulled me against his side so that my head rested on his shoulder, my hand instinctively found its place just over his heart and it didn't take long for me to doze off to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Chapter 25
Hana
“Hana, wake up. Wake up,” Mason whispered loudly, stirring me from my dreams. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep but judging by how late we’d gone to bed and the dusk-colored light seeping into the room, it hadn’t been long.
I rolled onto my back and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, finally bringing the world back into focus. Mason was dressed, his brow scrunched with worry.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s James.”
I shot up straight in bed, “What happened?”
“I’m not exactly sure. Hunter called. I need to meet him and don’t have much time, but I didn’t want to just disappear in case you woke up while I was gone.”
I tossed the blanket off of me and threw my legs over the side of the bed.
“I’m going with you.”
“No, this could be dangerous.”
“I don’t care. I’m going.”
“No. You’re not. You are staying here, and I’ll call you when I know something.”
“Mason, I am going with you. You said you were in a hurry. We don’t have time to argue about this. I’m a part of this thing now too so I’m going.”
Mason’s resolve faded before my eyes. “Hurry, get dressed.”
I hopped out of bed and threw on my clothes from the night before, not caring that they were slightly crumpled. I threw on a pair of tennis shoes, grabbed my purse, and threw my hair up in a messy bun on my way out the door.
Mason and I hopped in the car. He didn’t waste any time and was pulling out onto my street before I even had time to buckle.
Mason pulled up the GPS on his phone and sped out onto the road.
“So, what did Hunter say?”
“He said that something happened. He didn’t want to say what over the phone because it might not be secure. He emailed me the address to meet him. I’m not sure what’s going on other than it’s about James.”
“Do you think it’s Natalie? Do you think they...?” I couldn’t even get the horrible words from my mouth.
“I don’t know. We could speculate all kinds of things, but we won’t know for sure until we get there so there’s no reason to let ourselves get upset now.”
I nodded. Mason was right. There was no reason to get upset over possibilities and might-be’s. We just needed to stay calm and get there as soon as we could.
We pulled up to a small pool hall. All the lights were out, including the neon open sign in the front window, but Mason didn’t park there. He pulled around back where two other cars were parked near a back exit.
We climbed out of the car and Mason grabbed a faded dark green bag from the trunk before leading me to the door. He knocked a series of rhythmic knocks and the door opened revealing Hunter, and farther into the dimly lit storage room, the Director. We hurried inside and Hunter locked the door behind us.
“Director, I thought you were gone with Caroline.” Mason looked between the two men curiously.
He motioned at an old round table with four chairs in the makeshift breakroom-slash-storage room and sat down. “I was but this is too important to leave to just anyone. I left her with my brother-in-law out of state, so she’ll be safe.”
“What happened?” Mason and I took our seats after them.
“Petrov escaped.”
“What? How? I thought he was in a maximum-security facility.”
“He was moved off site for...questioning. He was due to be transported back tomorrow. The details of his escape are uncertain at the moment, but this was recovered from the tap on James’s phone by our guy.”
Director Applegate slid his phone over to us and I leaned into Mason to get a better view. It was another video of Natalie and I found myself holding my breath as we watched.
“James? I’m okay,” she sniffled, trying to keep calm. “The men holding me are really mad about how you tricked them with the files, but they said they are merciful and decided not to kill me as long as you do what they say.”
“What is it? Natalie, I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything,” James’s voice was pained and desperate.
“They want you to help one of their friends escape from a remote holding facility.”
“One of their friends? Who?”
“Someone named Petrov. They said you’d know who he was. That your team put him away. They say that your team is torturing him.”
“Natalie, I can’t. You don’t understand. That guy is a really bad guy. I would be putting so many lives at risk.”
“I know. I told them you’d never help them with something like this. That you are a man of honor,” her voice cracked slightly. “And I wouldn’t ask this for me. It’s just—” she cringed as though the words she was trying to say were burning in her throat. “I’m pregnant.”
“Shit,” Mason stopped the video and looked up at the Director. “She’s pregnant?”
“We’re not sure. They could just be making her say that as a way to get James to do what they want. I don’t even know if they were trying—”
“They were,” Mason interrupted.
“They were? You’re sure?”
“James had been talking about wanting to start a family for about a year now. He finally convinced Natalie to toss out the birth control six months ago. He told me one night over drinks. He was so excited.”
“Damn. Well, that explains the rest then,” Hunter added.
“How much trouble is James in?” I could tell Mason was worried by the sound of his voice.
Director Applegate rubbed a hand over his face showing his first sign of stress. “I’m not sure. As far as helping Petrov, I can appeal to the courts for him that he was under duress but if the Russians are involved, court could be the least of his problems.”
“We need to find him. Does the video say anything about how he’s going to get Natalie back?”
“They said once he delivered Petrov to them safely, they would release Natalie.”
“A hostage swap? Those things never go well.” Mason spoke to the Director, but Hunter sat back in quiet contemplation.
The Director sighed. “I know that. James knows that too but what does he have to lose at this point? If he doesn’t try, then he’ll blame himself for the death of not only his wife but of his unborn child.”
“He’s in an impossible situation and he’s going to get himself killed.” Mason roughly rubbed a hand over his face.
“Not if we can help him.” Hunter finally spoke up.
Mason looked to Hunter and nodded. “We need to find out where this meet is going down.”
“I’ve got Mikey tracing his phone, but it must be off. Same with his car’s GPS.” The Director added.
Mason let out a loud, frustrated breath. “Of course, it is. He's been trained by the same people we have. But he's emotional and reckless. We need to catch a slip up or start thinking outside of our training.”
Director Applegate leaned in with his elbows on the table. “What do you have in mind?”
Mason sat up straighter, more determined than I’d ever seen him before and looked to Hunter. “Call Mikey. Get him to send us anything he's got on Petrov. Places he used to go, any real estate he owns. If his name is connected in any way, I want those files.”
“You think they could be meeting at one of Petrov's places?” Hunter asked.
“I think Petrov is one of, if not the top dog. Whatever is going on people are trying to get him back at any cost because he's the one pulling the strings and he’s got loyal people on the outside.” Mason looked between the two men as he spoke.
“We also need to get any information they might have obtained during questioning while Petrov was in custody,” Hunter added.
“Good thinking.”
Director Applegate pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons and set it in the middle of the table.
“Director?” the voice came through the speaker on the phone.
“Mikey, hey I'm here with some colleagues and we need anything and everything on Petrov. Real estate holdings, locations he frequented even just a couple of times. We also need anything and everything he might have said during his incarceration in questioning.”
“You got it. Whatever you need. I was actually going to call you with something.”
“What do you have for me?”
“I was able to identify some background noise in the last correspondence between James and Natalie.”
“On James's side or Natalie's?”
“Natalie's. James's phone was accessed from his house at the time of the call. His GPS was deactivated after that. I eliminated the vocal sounds which took up most of the tape. I enhanced the background sounds. The first two videos I wasn't able to get anything but this time there was a slight sound in the background. I was able to use some enhancing techniques that wouldn't be admissible in court...”
“We're less worried about court and more worried about stopping James from doing something stupid. If we can get to Natalie first, then James has no reason to turn over Petrov to the Russians.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“So, what was it in the background?”
“I was able to isolate the sound of a ship horn.”
“A ship horn?”
“They're near water. What’s even better is that I was able to isolate the horn enough to run it through a sound recognition software. The type of ship horn that was heard in the video was from a larger vessel. I checked the records and they're only three marinas in the area that would have ships that large.”
“We need to send team members to all three?”
“No, sir. I contacted the shipyards and only one of them had ships that fit the criteria at the time of the call.”
“So that narrows down our search,” Mason said thoughtfully.
“But not enough. Do you have any idea how many ships, boats, shipping containers we would have to search?” The Director scowled.
“A lot but it's a start,” Mikey said with an audible sigh.
“I'll send out a team to do a sweep, but I want us to take point. We need to stop him before he gets close and get Natalie out of there, so he doesn't become combatant. Have a heli with thermal imaging to scan the ships and containers. That should help narrow things down.”
“You got it boss,” and with that, Mikey hung up.
“Let’s go. I’ll make the rest of the calls on the road.” Director Applegate stood quickly. We all jumped up from the table and followed him out to our cars.
Chapter 26
Mason
It didn’t take us long to get to the marina with the way me and my team drove. The sun was just starting to peek up over the water when we arrived. I turned to Hana and braced myself for an argument.
“I need you to stay in the car. This is way too dangerous for you to be out. I wish I could have gotten you to stay behind but I knew you’d fight me. Please don’t fight me on this?”
“Okay,” she spoke softly.
“Okay? That’s it? Really? No arguments?”
“Do you want me to argue?”
“No. Not at all.”
“I’m not completely unreasonable. I know this is way outside my abilities.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Try to stay down, out of sight. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I went to get out of the car, but her worried voice stopped me. “Mason?” I turned back to her, looking into deeply pained eyes and she continued, “please be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you either.”
I cupped the side of her face, forcing her gaze to meet mine, “I will be fine. This is what I do.” With those words, I pressed my lips hard against hers, sealing my words with the kiss.
I pried myself from her, resting my forehead against hers. My heart ached with the unspoken words I wished I could say. I love you. But the words couldn’t make it past my lips. It was too soon. I’d scare her away. I’d never before felt the way I did for her in that moment.
“Come back to me,” she whispered almost against my lips.
“Always.” My words were a vow. I kissed her one more time before forcing myself out of the car.
Missions had always been simple for me. I’d never worried, but that time, I worried. I worried something would happen to her. I worried something would happen to me and how hard that would be on her. I had to force those thoughts from my mind. Doubt like that could be just enough of a distraction to get myself killed.
I left Hana in the car with instructions to stay low. Hunter was already there with the Director and several of our men.
