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“Given by who?” Killion asked, his demeanor suddenly eerily calm.
“I don’t know. That’s the thing. Nobody knows. Everyone on my team was as surprised as you all are.” Carter went on. “Even my boss, whose hands can get dirty, was surprised. The cases were all excused, sealed, and classified.”
“We hold the highest clearance there is, so I can get into them,” Killion said. “And if I can’t, we know the sitting president. He’s one of us – at least for a few more months.”
“I already called him. Ransom is on it and made it a top priority. Dillon is with him in DC, so I’m sure he gave her the access and let her at it,” Carter explained.
Ransom Wyatt was a friend of BK Security, a war hero who now served as president of the United States. His brother, Mercy, served as a Keeper for the firm, as did Ransom’s soon-to-be wife, Dillon.
“It appears that the orders to release came from his office, but they didn’t.”
“Ran would never do that. He was here. He knew what went down. Knows these are the worst of the worst and would never release them back into society.” Killion defended. “Someone had a work-around. We need to know what that work-around was and who was behind it. But first, we get Rainy.”
Killion started on his way, on a mission with everyone hot on his heels, but Carter wasn’t done.
“There’s more.” Everyone paused and turned to him. “It gets worse. Lindstrom.”
“What about him?” Killion nearly whispered like he knew he was about to take the biggest blow yet.
Omar Lindstrom was the ringleader behind the human trafficking ring that had been in operation for years, and he personally held, abused, and used Rainy. He’d been apprehended years before and in custody serving a life sentence in a super max facility since. His second-in-command had been behind the recent uprising but was neutralized during a showdown only months before. Everything had come to a head, and Rainy had paid the price and nearly lost her life and her then-unborn babies.
“Isn’t he dead?” Wit asked.
“He’s out. And no one knows where he is,” Carter said.
“I thought he was on his deathbed battling cancer.” Killion fumed. “On hospice care in a super max.”
“He was. The only thing on the file is that he was released to his family so he could continue hospice and die in their care instead of in the damn prison where he belongs.” Carter tossed his hands in the air. “A case of mercy or some shit.”
“That’s bullshit.” Killion went on. “I can’t think of a single case where that has ever happened in the past. He’s a monster. Convicted of international crimes. Some of the worst acts of crime against humanity in recent history, to be precise.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Carter said. “I’m on your side. Until we know where he is, what he’s up to, and where all his damn associates are, we lock it down around here.”
“Consider it done,” Killion said, nodding to those around him. “Bringing Rainy home will require a different plan. We all know what this means, and you know your role in it.”
The crowd dispersed in different directions, taking the threat seriously. Danger was on the horizon once again. When one of them was caught in the crosshairs, they all were. They weren’t just a team, they were a family who protected one another and fought to the death if needed. Rainy was in danger, and she was as much one of their own now as anyone, and they were preparing to go to battle for her once again with even more on the line than before.
Hen rejoined the group, sliding his phone into his pocket. “I got a team assembling now. We’re headin’ over to the rehab facility now to offer support to her current detail until you figure out how you want to get her out of there safely.”
Carter grinned, seeming impressed with the swift response. “We don’t even know if the threat has made it here and infiltrated her location—”
“Aye.” Hen interrupted. “If Rainy’s safety is on the line, I can only imagine. I don’t need details to protect my sister. We act on the assumption that they’re here, been here, and watching everything.”
Carter nodded. “Precisely my thinking and why I knew better than to hand this piece of the case over to anyone else.”
Wit slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Good work. I’ll be in touch just as soon as I have an extraction plan in place, Hen. We’ll need the added support. Maybe get some recon going when you get there, see if anything or anyone stands out. It’ll help make this thing go smooth, especially given the lack of time we’ve had to get ahead of this.”
“An extraction?” Sheridan questioned, reaching for one of the babies. “That’s what we’re calling it? You really think they’re coming here for Rainy?”
Killion pulled his son from the carrier and cradled him in his arms, “Yes. Until we know the why, who, and where. She’s a key witness and a means to get to us… and the ledgers.”
“Give me the kid,” Ayelish said, making a funny face at her nephew. “I know that look. You’re going.”
“Damn right I am,” Killion said, stroking the back of his son’s head. “It’s their mother we’re talking about. I’d do anything for… them.”
“For them.” Fin snickered. “Right. Just them.”
Killion sent a look of warning. “Something you want to say, little brother?”
