Page 11 of I'll Be There
More silence.
“It’s Blue. Harmony Blue, your brother’s...friend.”
Conner stiffened, and a couple guys in letter jackets nearly plowed him over. “What—”
“I worked with him inside Sons of Freedom.”
The domestic terror cult that Justin had tried to dismantle from the inside out.
Conner swallowed, a knife in his throat. “Prove it.”
“You had a dog named Gracie. A black Lab. She died in your brother’s arms.”
The knife dropped to his chest, and now he moved outside, huddling under the awning as the rain dripped from the eaves.Blue was a woman?“The NSA said you were dead.”
“The NSA said a lot of things. None of them true. Why did you text me?”
Conner scrambled to keep up, couldn’t. “What are you talking about?”
“You texted me, about your wedding. I only turn this phone on once a month, just...I don’t know why anymore. But a day later I came home and my house was in flames.”
Across the parking lot, Jed had parked and was getting out, holding his bag of food.
“Why would—”
“Because they’re tracking my phone! Or yours. Or both, I don’t know. I just know my phone, which only one person knows the number to—or I guess, two people now—suddenly buzzes, and it’s you, inviting me to your wedding—”
“I swear I did not text you.”
“Then we’re in real trouble because someone has access to your phone. And that someone is trying to find me. Wants me dead.”
Silence.
Jed ran over and threw his garbage in the trash. Glanced at him, frowning.
“Why?”
“Why do you think? Because I know what Justin knows—knew. And it’s probably the same people who...who killed him.”
Jed came over and stood beside him.
Clearly Conner needed to work on his poker face. “Listen, Blue, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The other end of the phone was quiet for so long he thought she had hung up. “Hello?”
“I’m trying to decide if I dump this phone and walk away, or actually...” A curse on the other end. “Shoot. Are you sure Justin’s dead?”
What?“I...yeah. The NSA identified his dental records, gave me back his ring.”
He thought he heard a hiccup of breath. “Okay.”
Conner closed his eyes, remembering when his CO had called him into his office, delivered the news. The long trip home from Iraq. “I’m sorry.”
“Then he was betrayed.”
Conner managed to keep his voice from shaking. “By who?”
An intake of breath. “I’m not sure, but I have...I have something that might point in the right direction. I’m really tired of this, Conner. Of hiding. Of waiting. I want to end this.”
