Page 65 of Wired Ghost

“FBI! Stand down!” Pillman put his hands up as he responded. “This is a law enforcement interview, and you are disturbing the proceedings!”

“Hell it is! That’s our CEO you’ve got tied to the chair, and that’s illegal last time I checked,” Janner replied.

“Let us show you our identifications,” Pillman insisted. “Or I’ll slap you all with an obstruction charge.”

Sophie rocked her chair back and forth. “Cut my restraints, please, Mr. Janner.” Janner darted forward and slashed Sophie’s zip ties with a combat knife. “Thanks.” Sophie didn’t want to stay and be caught up in the pissing match that would follow, and end with her being taken into custody. She had to get outnow. “Mr. Janner, remove their weapons and keep these gentlemen here—they’re pretending to be agents. Take their credential wallets, and call their agencies to check on their identifications. I have some phone calls to make.”

“Absolutely, Ms. Smithson.”

“Don’t let her out of here!” McDonald howled as Janner moved forward to take their weapons and IDs.

Sophie darted out of the room. She headed for the restroom to retrieve the burner phone.

The process of figuring out who was who would take a while, and hopefully she’d be in the air and on her way to Thailand before it was sorted out.

Chapter Forty-Six

Sophie

Sophie sleptfor most of the thirteen-hour flight to Phi Ni, but when she wasn’t sleeping, she was on her satellite-enabled laptop—hunting for Connor, Armita, and Momi.

The house at Phi Ni was as safe from digital incursions as anywhere could be. Connor had never granted her access to his server except when she was using his equipment in the house. Even using her best programs on the laptop, Sophie was unable to breach his security to tap into the video surveillance camera at the house, which might have allowed her to see what was going on there.

She sent Connor an encrypted email to their secret chatroom telling him about the interview with the agents.“I hope you have my daughter and nanny, even if that means they’re at the compound. I can deal with just about anything, but not threats against them.”She signed with her old screen ID, MMAFighter.

She stared down at the small green cursor pulsing against the black DOS background, and hit Send.

The pilot came on the intercom, announcing that he was descending into Phi Ni. Sophie watched the brilliant turquoise ocean come closer and closer, the beach and palm trees whiz by, the smooth black tarmac rise to meet them in landing.

They taxied over to the large metal hangar. Sophie let herself out of the jet, lowering the stairs and hurrying down them. Usually, Nam or his wife met them at the hangar with their utilitarian pickup truck, but no one was there. She approached the hangar, and stopped at the sight that met her.

The side door had been marked in a big X with bright red plastic NO TRESPASSING tape. More tape crisscrossed the windows. A notice was taped to one side of the entrance.

Sophie approached to read it.

NOTICE OF SEIZURE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:

This Property is Forfeit in a Criminal Proceeding as a Result of Felonious Activities that Violate Statutes. . .

Sophie read on into legalese citing the statutes under which the property was forfeit, namelyCrimes of a Felonious Nature Against the Citizens of the United States.

Her heart beat with heavy thuds.They’d executed their raid, and confiscated Connor’s property.

But she had to see what, or who, might still be up at the house.

Sophie returned to the jet and told the pilot team to wait to hear from her before leaving. “I’m going up to the house to see what’s going on. I hope to be back soon with my daughter and her nanny.”

She had the key to the hangar on her fob; she broke the tape and opened the small side door to the huge steel barn. She retracted the rolling garage style doors so the team could make sure the jet had everything it needed for the return trip.

The estate’s quad all-terrain vehicle was right where she remembered it, keys in the ignition. Sophie fired it up and took off up the winding, crushed coral road to the house.

Warm late afternoon wind blew in Sophie’s face, and she squinted behind her sunglasses as the ATV roared between her thighs. The road to the house was always longer than she remembered. She hit a pothole and lurched up from the seat—and rougher, too.

Likely Connor had taken Armita and Momi with him. All three of them were probably at the remote compound in Thailand, out of cell phone reach.

But Nam would be at the house. He would know what was going on; he would fill her in. Nam, a quiet, dignified, graceful Thai man, had become one of Sophie?s favorite people.

As she zoomed uphill, past the turnoff to the boathouse with its abandoned coconut plantation, past the turnoff to Nam and his wife’s separate cottage and garden, and finally up to the mansion, Sophie tried to calm her racing heart.

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