“Much,” Phoenix responds with a satisfied smile.
“If you’re all done out there, I’d like to get started,” Falcon’s voice is heard from the boardroom. He then says, “Wire, get your ass in here and set it up. We’re cutting it close to the deadline.”
I hurry along, brushing past the happy couple, and sit down at the computer, logging in and weaving through my firewalls and into the secured network. It doesn’t take me long, but Falcon is pacing back and forth, raking a hand through his hair.
“We’re in with fifteen minutes to go,” I tell him, trying to lighten the mood, to no avail. I pull out my phone and see a text from Remmi.
Remmi: Maya is a huge help. Thanks for setting this up. Making headway. And, FYI, Vic is really strict. We can’t leave the workshop without him. LOL. She adds a kissing emoji face.
Me: He’s doing his job, babe. Glad you’re having a good day. XO
I tuck my phone away as the guys come in and settle into their seats. I enter the chat room and wait. We all wait. I show it up on the big screen and turn on the camera. After this call, it’ll be my job to confirm that her dilemma is as dire as she says.
Storm Enterprises has been involved in many cases, and although we’re careful, we know we’ve made enemies along the way. We never use our real names when we’re on a mission, and we cover our tracks extremely well. I make sure there’s no evidence that the team has ever been around. I’m going to track the IP address and get a line on where Maria and her son are hiding. Then I can have a satellite scan the area to see whether Maria is telling the truth or leading us into a trap.
I believe Maria, but trust does not come easily after all that the guys and I have seen. The computer bleeps to tell me Maria is online and ready.
“You ready?” I ask Falcon.
“Yeah,” he answers.
I hit the button and activate the video call. The picture is grainy at first, but it clears up quickly. I scan her background. She’s in a small room, with a bed in the background, and I see a tiny body curled up under the sheets.
“Wire?” she asks tentatively.
“Yeah, it’s me, Maria,” I answer. Falcon comes to stand behind me and bends down to show his face to Maria. “This is our team leader, Falcon. He wants to speak with you. Maria, we need you to be honest with us. If you’re in danger, holding back is only going to make it harder to get you to safety,” I warn.
She nods and says, “I need to save my son. I don’t know what else to do. We can’t keep moving every couple of days. I’m running out of money, and Franco is a smart little guy. He knows something’s off. He doesn’t want to sleep unless it’s in my arms. I just put him down. I can’t be more than a few feet away, or else he starts crying.” Maria sniffles and wipes her eye. The tears begin to flow, but Falcon wants to keep her on track.
“Maria, I know this is hard, but I need you to focus,” Falcon says in a firm but calm voice. He waits for her to take a deep breath. “All right, give it to me from the top.”
Maria tells us about the pregnancy and how, instead of aborting her child, she took off and had her son. “For four years, we lived a quiet life in a small town. Franco liked his preschool. He liked his friends and teachers. We were happy. Then one day, I noticed a car that was way too fancy for where we lived. At first, I thought it was a fluke. You know, some tourists passing through. But it came back, and one time, it was at the school, then another time in front of our apartment building, but when I saw it in the back alley behind the restaurant where I worked, I decided Franco and I were in trouble.”
She goes through all the places she stayed and how she finally reached out to us. Falcon follows up with more questions, pushing for more details. He knows that the more information we have, the better our chances are of finding out who is after them and why. Falcon tackles the big question. “Do you think Franco’s father is coming for him?”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why now? Why after all these years? His father is a powerful man. If he wanted Franco, he would have taken him by now. I honestly don’t know if he even knows of his son’s existence,” she replies.
“You’ve had no contact with him whatsoever?” Falcon questions. “He let you walk away, no questions asked? Not even to find out if you went through with the abortion?”
“The last time I saw Vito was when I was eight weeks pregnant. He handed me a check and told me our time together was over. He told me not to fuck up my life, to get an abortion and move on. I took the money and left. Franco was born in England, and I’ve made sure to use cash for everything. I work in cafés, restaurants, or anywhere where the owner pays me cash. I don’t even own a credit or a debit card, for that matter. Franco’s birth certificate has my last name, Sepia.” Maria lets out a heavy breath. “He told me to go, so I did.”
Falcon and I glance at each other. I can see we’re thinking the same thing. Maria’s problem is going to be a lot worse if the people looking for them are enemies of Vito Di Mille. They won’t give a shit about Maria and will kill her the first chance they get, leaving Franco at their mercy. Once he’s outgrown his use, they’ll kill him too.
“Where are you? I need to get my men to you, and we’re taking you out of the country. We’ll set you up in a safe house nearby,” Falcon tells her.
She’s nervous. Her hands shake as she looks over her shoulder at her sleeping son. She’s scared, and she has every right to be under the circumstances.
“Maria, we can’t help you if you don’t trust us,” I say. “I get it. You’re scared. I would be too, but what are your options? You can’t stay where you are. They’ve been looking for you, and you’ve just been lucky enough to disappear before they made their move. They’re not going to wait until the next time they locate you and Franco to act. You’re a runner, and they know it now. If you have enough food in the house, your best option is to not move until we get there. We’ll have to put you on a plane and get you as far from the threat as possible. Even then, this will only slow them down. The bigger issue is finding out who is behind it all. That’s the only way you and Franco will ever be safe.”
She scribbles down the address and puts it up on the screen. She’s even too afraid to state her address on the most secure and private internet connection.
“If something happens to me—” she begins in a whisper.
“Not happening,” Falcon jumps in and holds up three fingers. “Three days. Do not fucking move. Do not answer your door.” Falcon then writes on a blank piece of paper and holds it up on the screen. Written on it are the names Phoenix and Rebel and the code word “pistachio” to assure her they’re from Storm. How he comes up with these code words out of the blue is beyond me. “Get some rest.”
When we finally disconnect, Falcon jumps into action. “Wire, verify her information, and be thorough. Anything that looks suspicious, I want to know. Meanwhile, the rest of us will get an extraction plan in place. Phoenix. Rebel, and I will be doing the extraction. Bull, you’re handling the transportation. Plane, van, and making sure we can disappear in a hurry. Wire, you’ll be here, connected with us and securing a safe house. We have a lot to do and very little time to do it in. Let’s get to work,” Falcon says.
“Who does this kind of shit to a mother and her son?” Phoenix huffs. “If I knew Kailyn was pregnant, I’d lose my mind if they were out there alone.”
