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It was all beginning to unfold. He felt much better now that he had talked to Charlie and had Sergio as a contact. He had one further piece of information he needed to get. It was always a good idea to plan for the unexpected, even though at the time it might seem overkill. But there had been so many times on his missions where something they had done wound up saving their lives he was going to make sure that all the stones were turned over.
He dialed his friend Riley.
“Hey there, stud. How’s married life treating you?” Riley asked.
Brady heard the kids screaming in the background.
“What are you doing to those kids, Riley?”
“Oh gosh, Cassie’s gone to a Jazzercise class. I thought no big deal, I’ll just take care of the girls for a little while. Geez, it’s been two hours, and I’m beat. I mean I need a nap. I can’t handle this shit.”
“You better be careful, or your kids are going to start swearing like us. You remember the stories Kyle used to tell us? About his kid Brandon cussing out his preschool teacher? I’m learning fast, but you should start worrying about it now.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard the stories. So what’s up Brady? You’re not one for idle chit-chat, so how’re things going with Maggie?”
Brady hesitated just long enough for Riley to begin to swear again. He was anticipating some kind of a story he really didn’t want to hear, Brady guessed.
He interrupted. “Hold it! No, it’s not bad, Riley. She wants to go back to Mexico and finish the job she’d been doing before, and this is just a temporary situation. She’s been asked to train some aid workers at a clinic run by a Catholic priest. He’s a pretty good guy; I’ve checked him out. I tried my damnedest to talk her out of it, but, Riley, you know how she is.”
“Oh yes, I remember. How long is she going to be there? You said it was short. How short?”
Brady knew it didn’t take long for someone to get killed, so he already knew that Riley was going to react. “Thirty days or less. And she left today.”
True to form, Riley reacted like he was going to toss the phone against the wall. Brady heard the sounds of him pacing, creaking the wooden floors of the house. He chose some fairly choice swear words, which elicited someone to cry in the background.
“Now you’ve done it.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Riley barked back at him. Then, in a muffled tone, Riley addressed one of his children. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy’s just upset. No big deal. I’m just talking to my friend, Brady. You know Brady. Here, you want to talk to him?”
Brady heard the very definitive shout, “No!” followed by what appeared to be a one-footed stomp on the floor.
“Well, I deserved that I guess,” mumbled Riley. “She’s going to be there for thirty days. Anybody go with her as far as security?”
“No, but she is going to be working with a priest, and he has a small staff. I’m not sure about security; it’s just for training. She’s not going to be going out into the field, or at least that’s what she promised me. All her work is going to be done in the clinic they are running. I have a contact person there in San Felipe—”
“San Felipe? You mean Baja, the place where they kidnapped her and practically killed her last time?” Riley roared.
“Not the same place, but yes, it’s a few klicks away, and this clinic is being monitored by the priest and his staff. They want Maggie to train some of the aid workers there so that once that’s done she can come home. She’s not going to be staying there for a period of time actually running the clinic.”
“You believe her?”
“You asshole, Riley. Of course I believe her.”
“Well, what if she gets there and it’s all different?”
“That’s where you come in, Riley. I’m supposed to stay home with Emma. But if something happens and I have to go there and find my wife again, can I count on you and Cassie to watch her for a bit? Maggie doesn’t want me to assist her or to join her there and leave Emma alone. But she’d be okay with Emma staying with you if it was an emergency. I just need to know if you’re going to be available.”
“Shit, with this brood, we aren’t taking any vacations for probably five years. Do you have any idea how much kids cost? Just as soon as we get out of debt, we need a new car. Or the heater gives out, or somebody needs something like braces. It never ends!”
“You use up all the money you got from the last mission already?”
“Invested in a college fund. Not touching it.”
“I got you. So is that a yes or a no?” Brady asked him.
“Yes or no about what?”
“If I have to, in an emergency, can I leave Emma with you guys?”
