Page 44 of Somebody's Watching Me
Liam hesitated, obviously enjoying Klausen’s current predicament. But then, Simone made a noise, and he reluctantly went over to pull the man free. “We’re not going to get any information if our first reaction is to attack.”
“Talk,” Simone grunted through clenched, swollen lips. “Asshole.”
“There were no exact threats against Evie.” Klausen pushed off the wall once released and adjusted his pants that had slipped below his pronounced potbelly. “She was anexamplegiven on some of the message boards run by Toby’s followers. They’ve changed their tune over the last few months, talking in a way that’s even crazier than usual. More comments have been made regarding freeing Toby, and they have attempted to infiltrate the Bureau of Prisons at higher levels, thinking they can break him out.”
While Klausen talked, the panic ballooning in Jamison’s stomach pressed on her lungs. She tried to control it so as not to distract from what they were learning, but it was becoming almost impossible. Liam’s gaze flicked to her, and sensing something was off, returned to her side casually, not drawing attention to her distress. They stood shoulder to shoulder as they always did, and the tightness eased until popping into nothing with the brush of the back of his hand against hers.
“Zanmi is not even remotely connected enough to try something like breaking Toby out of prison,” Liam said, reading between the lines of what Klausen was saying.
“Membership has increased. Staggeringly. We’re seeing more in the thousands where there were once hundreds.” Klausen lowered his gaze to the floor. “And because of this, BOP has decided to have Miller transferred.”
From the beginning, Liam and his dad had worked tirelessly to keep Toby in the Missouri State Penitentiary, far from Florida. “Where the hell are they sending him?”
Klausen wouldn’t meet Liam’s gaze. “Florence.”
Liam’s hand snatched hers again, squeezing it hard enough to make Jamison flinch. “Tobias Miller has done nothing to merit a transfer to Florence. What are you not telling us?”
Calmer than before, Samuel shrugged off Rowan’s hold. “Are we talking about South Carolina?”
“Colorado,” Jamison replied. She knew only a little information regarding ADX Florence, but what she did know left her feeling breathless again. “It’s the most secure supermax prison in the country. But they don’t put people like Toby there, do they?”
“They don’t,” Liam confirmed. “Florence was created for the worst of the worst.”
“Forgive me for being so fucking ignorant,” Samuel seethed. “But what is worse than being a serial killer?”
“Threats to national security,” Liam told him. “Spies. Leaders of illegal organizations, like the mob or cartels. Men who have significant organized numbers at their back.”
Klausen’s phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
He left, and the room went eerily silent until Samuel spoke. “How bad, Liam?”
With his eyes roaming the ground as he worked through what they had learned, Liam approached Simone. “I need you to let them take you to the hospital now. Then I want you guys back here immediately. No detours.” He turned to Abe. “There are members of the new Fairweather security team out front. Take two of them with you.”
Abe nodded. “Got it.”
Allowing Liam to help her stand, Simone laid a hand on his cheek. Annabeth stood as if she were going. “I can do it.”
“Of course, you can.” Rowan came over to help keep Simone upright. “So, let’s do this.”
Simone allowed him to lead her out with the twins trailing in their wake. As they went, Jamison gave her father a push. He’d gone quiet and now seemed torn as he watched Simone struggle.
“Go see them to the car.”
Swiping a hand through his hair, he debated for a second. It was then she noticed his clothes. Joggers with a plain T-shirt and shoes that didn’t match. He must have gotten the call and threw on the first thing within reach to fly here. “Don’t discuss anything until I get back.”
Once the parlor door closed behind him, Liam texted his own father. “Why does he always let his phone battery run out?” he muttered. “Dad analyzed Sinclair for Homeland a few years ago. His help would be great right about now if he’d only answer his damn phone.”
Samuel headed for the door, and Jamison assumed he was going to check on Evie and the girls but was surprised when he locked the three of them in. “Tell me.”
Giving up on calling his dad, Liam dropped into a wingback chair. “If they’re transferring him to Florence, it means it’s more than chatter. The heads of Zanmi already have money, which didn’t prompt a transfer. That means they’ve acquired the next best thing. Power.”
Samuel sat on the small settee across from him and leaned forward. “Sinclair would have this kind of power?”
“The man’s resume covers more ground than most, and I’m talking highly skilled. Sinclair and his team were the best in the field,” Liam said. “They followed him. His team, I mean. Loyal to the end, more than half remained at Sinclair’s side to help him in his crusade.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that this guy is not one to fuck with, and now he’s mixed in with Toby’s people, and we don’t know how that happened?”
“But it makes sense.” Jamison joined them, volleying between wanting to sit close to Liam versus keeping her distance. “If he can convince men to tear down a country they were dedicated to serving, Toby’s followers should be easy prey.”
