Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Sir, I just received a call from Ian, and I believe he’s in danger.”
“Yeah, we think so too,” Wes agreed, and I was glad he was there. “We pinged his phone, we got nothing, so tell us about the call.”
“First, lemme give you the number to trace. I think it’s a landline.”
“Go ahead.”
After I read it to him, I said, “My phone rang, I answered, Ian said, ‘Harold of visions,’ and then the line went dead,” I recounted without any embellishment.
“The fuck does that mean?” Chris Becker, our supervisory deputy, snapped.
“Harold who?” Miro asked out loud. “What’s going on? First Eli and now—”
“Repeat what you said,” Kage ordered.
And I did, word for word.
“Okay, so not Harold like a name,” Kage intoned, “but herald, like an angel. Like the Christmas carol.”
Miro said, “I don’t under—”
“And the herald of visions is the archangel Gabriel.”
Everyone was silent.
“Wait. Gabriel?” Miro sounded unsure. “Are we thinking Gabe Brodie? He’s the only Gabriel I know.”
“Me too,” Becker agreed.
“That number is for a Catholic church on the south side,” I heard Wes say in the background. “We’re going now,” he informed our boss.
“Check the rectory first,” Kage threw out. “Ian’s probably there.”
“We’re out,” Wes announced, and then there was noise and I heard Kage shouting orders at Becker to put Miro in a vest and to not let him breach with the SOG team.
“Redeker?” Kage said.
“Yessir?”
“I need you and Callahan back here now. I have no idea what’s going on, but Eli was giving a press conference today, and someone tried to kill him.”
And suddenly I couldn’t breathe. “Would you repeat that, sir?”
“Someone tried to shoot Eli while he was giving his final press conference about what occurred with you and Crouse and that whole shitshow last Monday night.”
I wasn’t going to defend myself, because yes, everything had technically turned out okay, but it was still an absolute clusterfuck of the first order. “Why was he giving another one?”
“The Wexlers were taken into custody by the DST, the Directorate of Territorial Security, when they arrived in Paris this morning.”
I didn’t remind my boss that I knew what the DST was, as I’d worked with them many times when fugitives fled to France. The man was in full operational mode at the moment, so he was giving me the facts like he would to anyone.
“They flew there because they’re stupid, and as I said, DST picked them up. They’re being extradited as we speak.”
“So Eli was giving an update to the press about that.”
“That’s correct.”
“Is he all right?”
“Shaken but unharmed.”
“Thank God that whoever did it was a lousy shot.”
“They weren’t a lousy shot,” Kage corrected me. “Eli was fidgeting with a lapel pin Celso had given him. Apparently, he took it off before the briefing, thinking it was too over-the-top or whatever for the five o’clock news.”
Eli was a big believer in subtle and chic. He never wanted to draw attention to himself outright, never wanted to be ostentatious. But if you did look at him, or if he was giving a press briefing, he had to look flawless.
“So he’s got the stupid thousand-dollar pin in his hand, but he dropped it,” Kage explained. “And instead of letting it sit there on the ground next to his shoe and grabbing it after he finishes his remarks, because it’s from Celso, without a second thought, he immediately bent to retrieve the pin.”
“And missed being shot,” I said, seeing it in my mind.
“That’s right.”
“Holy shit, does Eli have a guardian angel or what?”
“If one believed in such things, then yes.”
But clearly my boss did, no matter what he said. He knew the archangel Gabriel at least. “Bodhi and I will be on the next plane home, sir.”
“I have no idea what’s going on, and until I do, I want everyone here.”
“Of course,” I agreed, because I could hear the tension in his voice. He wasn’t scared, it wasn’t that, but he wanted all of us where he could see us. And it was weird because Bodhi and I were safer on the other side of the country, but not in Kage’s mind. To him, we were safest if we were close to him. What was even stranger was that I agreed. With Sam Kage watching over you, a guardian angel wasn’t necessary. You had all the vigilance you needed right there in him.
“I want you at the airport now, do you understand?”
“Yessir.”
“I will keep you apprised of the situation with Ian the moment I know.”
“Thank you, sir,” I replied, and the line went dead. The second it did, I got an automated emergency text from the office of the chief deputy that I was sure Bodhi was receiving at the same exact moment. It told us to report in person immediately.
Leaving my room, I walked quickly down the hall to the kitchen, which was empty, and then out into the great room, which was filled with men in summer suits and loafers, and women in flowy dresses and lots of jewelry. People noticed me and turned up their noses, but I couldn’t be made to care. In my T-shirt and jeans, I stood out, but I needed to find Bodhi. When I saw him and Hayden out past the pool, standing apart, but both leaning on the thick stone railing overlooking the lake, I headed toward them.