Page 40 of Resolution

He sat in one of the chairs near the couch. “Okay. In an abundance of caution, we’re treating this as a step up from a normal FBI protection detail. Think of it as WITSEC without all the paperwork.” He flashed me a toothy grin which looked bright in his dark face. “You’ll have two agents with you at all times. Special Agents Rayburn, Michaels, Perez, McCallahan, Prince, and Dr. Reeves will rotate in two-person shifts. You are not to leave this room.

“As far as meals, you don’t need to worry about them. They will be brought in. They’re prepared in the hotel kitchen under the supervision of agents. If you have any dietary restrictions, let us know and we’ll make sure those are followed to the letter.” He turned to the small kitchen area before looking back. “There’s a full-sized refrigerator. We’ll stock it with whatever you want and it will all be checked before it comes into the room. Are we clear on everything so far?” He waited for confirmation that we’d understood. Raven and I both nodded.

“Good. The freezer makes ice so you won’t need any from the ice maker in the hallway. If you need laundry done, an agent will take care of that.”

“That’s a lot of eyes on our food,” Raven said. When I glanced over at him, he shrugged. “It’s like the FBI is afraid that we could be poisoned.”

“It’s been known to happen, Raven,” Snow said solemnly. “That’s why we take all these precautions. The ventilation system in the hotel basement has a security detail on it. No one will be able to get to you using a chemical or biological agent.”

I just had to ask. “A lot of this sounds like what the Secret Service does when the President is being threatened.” I searched his face. “Is there an active threat, Lincoln? I mean, something…”

“Specific?” He nodded. “There’s a contract out.”

I digested that as I heard Raven’s gasp. I glanced over at him, reaching for his hand at the same moment. He stared at me as he squeezed my hand. “It’s gonna be okay. Listen to Snow.” He nodded and turned back to Lincoln.

“Raven, we’ve learned that the Sanchez Cartel knows who you are. If they don’t already know, very soon they’ll learn you’ve been taken into FBI protective custody, but we don’t want you to worry. We’re here to protect you. Are you clear on what I’ve said so far?”

“Yes, but—”

“Let me finish and then you and Miguel can ask questions, okay?”

Raven and I nodded.

“Good. Let’s continue,” he went on. “We’re working on the threats to your safety as we speak. We know the cartel is looking for you but as far as we know, at this point, Alex Filmore and whoever else he has working with him, don’t know about your protection. But I can assure you, if the rogue CIA cell finds out about it, we’ve got that covered with the wall of protection around you. Got that?”

“Yes,” Raven said, heaving in a shaky breath. It sounded like he was about to hyperventilate. I squeezed his hand.

Snow nodded. “The cartel doesn’t do things in a sneaky way but that doesn’t mean they haven’t hired someone to do their dirty work for them. Any number of contract killers could be hunting you. We’ve covered every angle we can think of. We’re getting help from Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals office. We’re going to do our part but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your part too.”

“What does that entail, Lincoln?” I asked.

“No phone calls on the house phone,” Max Prince said.

I glanced at the tall man who stood beside Dr. Reeves with his arms crossed over his chest. I remembered that Prince was a former Marine like me, and he looked the part. Short hair, wide shoulders, fit body, and a serious glint in his light eyes. He was obviously very capable, which just confirmed that Lincoln Snow had hired the right guys. They were a solid team.

“What if I want to call and check on my grandmother?” Raven asked. “She’s in bad health.”

“Then you’ll use one of the phones we’ll provide for you, Raven,” Snow replied.

“What if we need something? More groceries or a refill of Miguel’s medication or—”

Snow held up his hand. “Everything will be brought to you.” He sighed. “Look, we know this isn’t going to be easy for either of you. Sitting around and waiting for something to happen or someone to get to you is going to be hard but until we put a stop to the threats, we all have to stick together and make sure that both of you make it through this. Can I count on you to listen to these agents?”

I glanced over at Raven. He was biting his lower lip, looking upset and raw. I knew it had to be killing him not to be able to take matters into his own hands and just solve it all. I also knew I had to be strong for him. Most of all, I just wished there was something I could do to help him understand how serious the situation was, especially since all I wanted to do was sleep and hope my body healed faster. I hated being down for the count.

“Raven,” I said, “Lincoln asked you a question. Are you going to be able to listen and follow orders because right now, Sunshine, I’m not completely sure I can do this alone,” I said. “These are our friends, and they’re going to take care of us for the foreseeable future.”

His eyes looked haunted and I knew he was scared. I’d been to war and seen horrible things. Compared to me, Raven was an innocent.

“But we have a business to run, Miguel. What are we going to do if we can’t get back to the office?”

“Raven?”

We both turned to Dr. Reeves. The man had kind eyes and when he walked around the coffee table to take the other chair close to the couch, we both paid attention.

“Listen. You have a job to do but so do we. Our job is to protect you and that’s what’s important here. You and Miguel have to be alive in order to get back to your lives. People are hunting you and…” He looked over at the rest of the agents, waving at them before turning back to us. “Me and the rest of these people know how to hunt them right back. That’s what we’re trained to do.” He pointed at Max.

“My husband came from the U.S. Marshals Service. His job was to track fugitives and bring them to justice.” He pointed to his chest. “I’m a criminal profiler and a psychologist. It’s my job to get into the heads of the worst of the worst…people who want other people dead for whatever reasons. This team is more than the FBI. If you allow us to not only protect you, but work with us in doing so, I will promise you that we’ll get you back to work alive and well as soon as we possibly can.”

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