“Good, good,” Dr. Hennigan said. “Ms. Wilson, anything else?”
“Nothing from my end. The estimated time from your location to the Emerald City is approximately thirty minutes.”
“Let’s roll,” Dr. Hennigan said. The operatives split up and headed to different vehicles. Dr. Hennigan took the one in the middle. She walked to the US driver’s side of the BMW, opened the door and entered. She nodded at the operatives already in the SUV. Everyone had their balaclavas pulled down except for the driver, who wore the same pair of sunglasses she did. Dr. Hennigan looked through her sunglasses and was given an immediate readout on each person in the vehicle on the LCD screens in front of her eyes. She was still trying to get used to augmented reality, but she found the instant feedback and information very useful.
The first SUV left the airport, and the others followed, keeping two lengths behind each other. The caravan of five black SUVs was a well-oiled machine. All she could do at this point was sit back and wait until they invaded Emerald City.
* * * *
Zach
Zach had spent the rest of the morning rallying the troops and getting them in on his plan to storm the FBI in Houston and get Ethan back. He’d gotten Rawlins and Hightower to agree to the five-hour ride from New Orleans to Houston to save Ethan. Sally Higgins had not been thrilled about canceling yet another rehearsal. Still, Zach had convinced Rawlins that the publicity they could garner for the upcoming tour, if they played their cards right, made the day trip worthwhile. By eleven a.m., Zach, Orr, Ric, Rawlins, Hightower and Higgins, along with their bodyguards, had loaded into their SUVs for the five-hour trip. Zach had convinced everyone to let Stephanie come along for her safety. Rawlins had not liked the idea, but Zach finally got him to cave in.
Zach looked at his watch as they pulled into the Houston metro area. They made excellent time.As long as we don’t get stuck in traffic, we should be there by four.Zach looked out of the window, watching the skyline pass. He was holding Stephanie’s hand.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“I could be better. To say the last few days have been a crazy whirlwind is a colossal understatement,” Stephanie said. “I wish I could make sense of this. I’ll be curious to see if Ethan knows what’s happening.”
“When I talked to him, he seemed pretty clueless.”
The two sat silently until the SUV turned off the highway onto a frontage road. Zach could see a strange-looking green building in front of them.What the hell is that?He was even more dumbfounded when the SUVs turned into the parking lot.This is an FBI building?
As Ms. A. parked the SUV, Zach posted a message to the local fans across his social media feeds. He figured he could garner attention by letting their fans know where they were. He had told no one about this little part of his plan.
He opened the door and exited the SUV, not waiting for Ms. A. to do it for him. After stretching for a second, he offered his hand to Stephanie and helped her exit the vehicle.
“Okay, troops,” Rawlins said, “follow my lead.”
The entire group walked to the front of the FBI building and entered. Rawlins immediately approached the reception desk.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked, a blank look on his face.
“Yes. My name is Dan Rawlins, and I’m here to see my client, Mr. Ethan Bond. It’s my understanding you are detaining him here.”
“And you are?”
“His lawyer.”
“Let me get someone who can help you.”
The receptionist made a phone call and talked to someone in hushed tones. “You can wait over there,” the young man said, pointing to the lobby’s sitting area. “An agent will be with you shortly.”
Zach walked Stephanie to the waiting area, but neither felt like sitting down after the ride from New Orleans. Zach noticed Rawlins hadn’t moved from where he stood, leaning against the receptionist’s desk staring at the elevator bank. There was a dinging sound from the elevators. Zach glanced over and watched as a middle-aged guy in a dark navy suit exited.
“Who’s Dan Rawlins?” the guy in the suit asked.
“I am,” Rawlins said as he moved to greet the agent as he extended his hand. “And you are?”
“I’m Agent Raymond Anderson. How can I help you?”
“I demand to see my client, Ethan Bond,” Rawlins replied.
“Interesting. He’s already got a lawyer with him,” Anderson said as he crinkled his forehead.
“I’ve been Ethan’s lawyer for many years now. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to see my client now.”
“I don’t mind, but the agents questioning him might care,” Anderson said. “I’ll have to get their permission.”
