Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations (17 page)

The reply came back after a minute.
I’m just special, I guess. You will find that you need to extrapolate the intel from the garbage they encrypt it with. I will send you coding.

Luke sat for a moment waiting to see what they were sending, but he already knew it would be invaluable. He would be able to figure it out alone, but having his mystery assistant help would make the job go quicker. Finally, his email alerted again and he downloaded the program sent.

Thank you,
he typed.
I wish I could repay you.

No need. Just keep me a secret. Until next time.

Luke immediately let the program begin to do its work, watching as lines and lines of code ran across his screen. Several months ago, he had been contacted by this person who could see what he was working on, even though his system was equipped with the best encryption available. But they needed to be anonymous, saying it was too dangerous for them to be discovered.

When the other Saints inquired about his mystery helper, he told them that there were leagues of brilliant computer geniuses and the ones not snapped up by the big companies would sometimes work independently. For the most part, legally. But there were some employed by the criminal underground, and the money was good. Some had no idea what their genius was being used for, thus entrapping them when they wanted to leave. He often wondered if this was not the scenario of his mystery assistant.
At least, I hope so. I’d hate to think they were willingly involved in criminal acts!

He stood to leave, knowing the programs would run all night. As he made his way up the back stairs to Jack’s garage, he slipped out to his jeep. Driving home, he felt the loneliness seep in. He thought of his fellow Saints, whom he loved like brothers. Many of them were now involved with someone special. Like them, he was a tall man, physically fit, and sure of intelligence…if a little rusty in the social graces. Allowing himself a moment of pity, he wondered who would go for a man like him—one who preferred the quiet life.

F
eet up in
the stirrups, Dani decided she had to be in the most vulnerable position for any woman to be in. Her shirt was pulled up to under her breasts and a sheet covered her bottom half. Glancing nervously to the side, she met Chad’s grinning face and pretended to glare.

He leaned forward, taking her hand in his, lifting it to his lips and placing a kiss on her palm. His lips were warm and comforting. They both jumped as the doctor came in.

“Mrs. Turner, how are you?” the friendly doctor asked, her eyes moving between Dani and Chad.

“I’m doing well,” she replied. “Um…this is a good friend of mine, Chad Fornelli.”

Chad stood and shook the doctor’s hand.

Smiling, the doctor nodded and proceeded with the examination. We’ll move to the sonogram in a few minutes, but everything looks good now. You’re approximately fourteen weeks along so we won’t be able to determine the sex at this appointment, but we should be able to by the next one.”

The doctor left after answering Dani’s few questions and the sonogram technician came in. Lowering the sheet, exposing Dani’s small baby bump, she squirted the cool jelly on her stomach and began moving the sonogram transducer around.

Swush, swush, swush
immediately sounded throughout the room.

“Baby’s heartbeat sounds good,” the sonographer said, as she continued her work.

Dani’s eyes filled with tears as she turned her head, capturing Chad’s gaze. His eyes were riveted to the screen before dropping down to hers. Linking their fingers, they peered in awe as the sonographer completed her measurements.

The machine printed out a length of pictures, showing the tiny baby against the black background of the amniotic fluid. Tiny legs and arms stood out and its head was clearly visible.

“Oh, my God!” Dani cried as the pictures were handed to her. Chad stood and leaned over, seeing the images. He kissed her forehead and whispered, “Congratulations, little mama.”

Lifting her eyes from the picture of her baby, she turned to Chad, her anxiety replaced by gratefulness at the smile on his face.

As the sonographer left them, he assisted her from the table before handing her pants to her. She dressed quickly and then turned nervously back to Chad, her eyes at chest level.

He lifted her chin with his fingers, saying, “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me
nothing
, because I can always tell when something’s wrong.”

“This is a lot…I mean, the pregnancy is a lot for me to take in so I can only imagine this is a lot for you. I don’t want you to feel…trapped.”

“Trapped?” he said, his voice dropping an octave.

Sucking in her lips, she nodded. “You said you wanted to be here, but Chad…I’m afraid of…of…”

“Of what? That I’ll turn tail and run? That I’ll wake up tomorrow and feel trapped? Don’t you know me better than that?”

Her nervousness was now replaced by irritation. She grabbed her purse off the chair and tried to move around him.

“You do that, you know? When you’re pissed,” he commented, his feet apart and his hands on his hips.

“Do what?” she glared.

“Try to maneuver around me without actually looking at me.”

Stopping, she grumbled, “Well, if you weren’t the size of a barn, maybe I’d have an easier time getting around you!”

“Babe,” he said, his voice now gentle. He waited until she looked up at him, her gaze uncertain. Stepping closer, he cupped her cheek. “I’m here because I want to be. Not out of guilt. Not out of a misplaced sense of duty. I’m here because you’re the woman I want to be with. You’re everything to me. And this baby,” he said, placing his hand on her slightly rounded stomach, “will be mine to love as well.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up into his beauty. He pulled her in, and as her cheek rested on his chest, his steady heartbeat comforted her. “My life is so crazy right now,” she whispered, her voice catching on the words. “And this,” she held up the fetal pictures, “just makes it all so real. Chad, I can’t screw up again.”

“I know. And I’m here to be with you every step of the way. I promise.” He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her warm lips, feeling them curve into a smile underneath his. “Now how about we go feed this baby?”

*

A week later
the Saints were meeting, this time with Roscoe and Mitch on video-conferencing, now that Luke’s programing analysis was complete. He had sent the results to both ATF and FBI the day before.

“We appreciate the information you sent to us. Of course,” Roscoe added, “we don’t want to have any knowledge about how the intel was discovered.”

The Saints grinned as Bart and Cam fist bumped each other.

“Our analysists are using it to pinpoint where we think more cells will be located and to see if we can interpret what their next moves are. Good work. We have a couple more for you to do the same with and then that should complete the original contract with the Saints,” Roscoe finished.

Jack looked up quickly. “Original? You have more?”

Mitch nodded, saying, “We’ve got intelligence telling us that another local location may be created for the purpose of bomb making.”

“Fuck!” Chad cursed, the memory of Adam fresh in his mind. Ever since he took Dani to the doctor and heard the heartbeat, he had Adam in his thoughts—wondering what he had gotten mixed up with and how the situation was now carrying over to Dani and the baby.

“We’ve got no location and no specifics at this time, but are hoping to gather more intel from what we got from the computer links that we now have access to,” Mitch added.

“So what do you need from the Saints?” Jack queried.

“Right now, just the same mission as with Robbie Carter. I’m sending you two more. One in Dallas and a new one in Atlanta. Once we obtain their computer information, we hope to know more about the local cell.”

After Mitch and Roscoe signed off, the Saints continued to process their cases. As the others reported on what they were working on, what had been completed, and new missions assigned, Chad continued to turn his mind over and over to Adam.

We were heading to a call in a Metro station outside of D.C. and as usual, Adam was driving while I was coordinating with the other team members.

Tamping down the adrenaline that always ratcheted up before a mission, I was shocked when out of the blue, Adam said, “This never gets old, does it?”

Shooting him a curious look, he continued, “This. You know, heading into the unknown. Someone reports a strange bag and we get called.”

Still not knowing where he was going with his thoughts, I waited, aware that Adam would keep talking.

“We always hope it’s nothing, but in this day and age…that bag represents all the possible evils in the terrorists’ arsenal.”

I nodded, understanding dawning. He was right. The old days of an unidentified object in a public place would not signify anything. But now…we went in with full protection, robots, and a desire to keep others safe.

Not finished, Adam kept going as we drew nearer to our destination. “Every single time we head to one of these, I always wonder if it’ll be my last. And swear to God, Chad…when it’s my time to go, I’ll be damned if it’s at the hands of a fuckin’ terrorist.”

Nodding my agreement, we pull up to the blockade at the Metro station and show our identification. My mind flashes to Dani—it always does nowadays.

Glancing over to Adam as we hop out of our SUV to begin suiting up, I wonder who he’s thinking of.

Suddenly realizing all eyes were on him, Chad looked over at Jack. “Sorry, boss. My mind’s on Adam. And Dani. And the baby.”

The others gave him their attention as he heaved a sigh. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I’m committed to Dani. I’ve loved her for almost two years and I’m not fuckin’ things up again. I want her…and I want the baby. Adam was a good friend, at one time, and I’m determined to care for the child as my own, but always let it know who Adam was.”

Looking around at his friends, he added, “At least, as long as I find out he wasn’t a traitor.”

“That’s maybe why Dani is so defensive about Adam,” Blaise observed. “She’s under a lot of stress and the thought that her husband was in the deep pockets of terrorists, may be more than she can deal with.”

“Jack, I realize you’re handing out new assignments, but I’d like to focus for a few days, continuing to find out what Adam may have become involved with. If for no other reason than to protect Dani. If someone at MES is involved, then this may be bigger than what we think.”

Jack nodded his agreement. “I think you’re right. Take time to see if you can dig up anything on what Adam was doing.” Pinning Chad with a hard stare, he added, “But Chad? Be prepared to accept whatever you learn…even if it’s not what you want to.”

Accepting that piece of tough advice, he offered a head jerk before leaving the compound.

*

Dani looked at
the time on her computer and realized she needed to prepare for the afternoon meeting. Before she left her office, her phone rang. Seeing Adam’s mother’s phone number on the display, she answered. “Janice?”

“Hello, Dani,” Mrs. Turner greeted. “I know you’re at work and don’t want to bother you, but Terry and I wanted to thank you for giving us some of Adam’s things.”

“Oh, Janice, you don’t have to thank me. I’m still going through some of the pictures and will make sure to send copies to you as well.”

“That would be lovely, dear. I also wanted you to know that we found a key in the things you gave us. It was somewhat buried in the box, but it looks like a bank’s safety deposit box key. We thought you included it by mistake or maybe didn’t see it, so I’d like to get it to you.”

A key? We didn’t have a safety-deposit box.
“Um…okay. I don’t really know what it goes to, but I’ll certainly come pick it up.”

Dani settled on a time she would come by before they disconnected. Glancing back at the clock, she hustled down the hall to the conference room, her mind whirling.
Key? Oh, Adam, what now?