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“Not today,” Laura Lee said. The boys had already settled themselves back on the couch in front of the television. “Donna, this is my coworker, Garcia. We need to talk to you.”
“What do you mean not today?” Donna argued.
Garcia stepped closer to Laura Lee in the small kitchen area, and he motioned Donna over close. “One of our other coworkers will be here shortly. And then we’ll all fly to Miami, where you and your kids will have a free beach vacation to be near your mom while she is in a special Parkinson’s research hospital for the next few days, maybe a week.”
“What?” Donna asked.
“What our unit does is classified top secret,” Garcia warned. “Your family needs to be temporarily relocated and protected.”
“Protected from what?” Donna asked in a loud voice which drew both of Laura Lee’s nephew’s stares.
“Shh,” Laura Lee warned.
“That is classified,” Garcia said.
Donna’s gaze went to Laura Lee. “Is this a joke?”
“This is no more of a joke than us pulling all your state aid,” Garcia warned in a harsh tone of voice. “Which will happen, and you will be prosecuted if you divulge any of what you’re being told.”
Yikes, there was the Garcia that Laura Lee had been afraid of. Donna didn’t seem fazed though.
“Does Mom know about this?” Donna asked.
“Not yet,” Laura Lee replied. “Her house is our next stop, but she won’t know about the protection, so you can’t tell her.”
“You want me to lie to Mom?” Donna demanded in a hushed tone.
“I want you to protect her from getting stressed out, which will cause a major flare up of her symptoms,” Laura Lee said. Why did she have to explain that to her sister?
“And you don’t think she’ll find it odd that somehow I got the money for my kids and I to follow her to the beach?”
“We’ll just tell her that is on me as well. Hopefully, I’ll be able to drop in towards the end and spend a few days with you guys. This is temporary and then you’ll all be able to go home,” she said.
“And this random guy that will be along? How do we explain him to Mom?”
“That he is one of my coworkers. She doesn’t need to know he’ll be with you,” Laura Lee said.
“What’s going on?” Donna demanded.
“I can’t tell you,” Laura Lee argued.
“You expect me to just accept that you do something that we have to be protected from without knowing what’s going on? You’re an engineer. You don’t do anything that would put us in danger,” Donna said in a condescending tone of voice.
“Stop,” Garcia warned. “This is no joke. It’s a matter of national security and you can either be protected at the beach enjoying a vacation with your children or in a holding cell while your sister takes your kids to the beach. We’re done here. You need to call into school that they’ll be out for the next week, and then you need to pack for your trip.” He glanced back at the baby, still in the high chair. “And will you get your sister some damn wipes to clean her up before the oatmeal dries and has to be chiseled off?”
Donna sputtered a few words. She dug through towels on the counter and produced a package of wet wipes. She handed them to Laura Lee. “I don’t know if we have the necessary clothes clean. Jeriah doesn’t even have a bathing suit that fits her.”
“The condo you’ll stay in will have a washer and dryer in it. Bring the dirty clothes with you and you can wash them there if you have to. And we can buy you any absolute essentials, like a bathing suit for your daughter,” Garcia said. Then the text message chime signaled that Burke was there. “Our coworker is here now. You’ll introduce him to your kids as a friend of yours.” He stepped back to the front door and swung it open.
“Who is that?” Donna whispered as Charlie Team’s Rich ‘Handsome’ Burke entered.
“My coworker and friend, Rich. He’ll be your protection. The five of you will pose as a family,” Laura Lee told her, watching her sister’s eyes light up. “He’s a good guy, Donna. I trust him to take care of you and the kids.”
Introductions were made, and Donna’s attitude regarding the situation greatly improved. She even profusely apologized to Rich for the mess in the apartment, insisting they caught her on a bad day. He would ensure she packed and then drive them to the airfield as Laura Lee and Garcia went to her mother’s house.
After Garcia turned the engine over and shifted gears, he shook his head. “Why do I think I should feel bad for Burke?”
Laura Lee chuckled. “Because you should. He deserves hazardous duty pay for this assignment.”
