Page 51 of Waiting for Him
He didn’t give a crap that the deputy director of the FBI was entering the Oval Office. Not when Kat, Jake, and the others were in danger. “No, it can’t.”
Larry Keon sighed heavily over the phone and then murmured something to someone else before returning. “You’ve got two minutes.”
After filling the man in, Ian told him what they needed. “How fast can you get me a chopper back to the compound? And as much as I hate to ask, can you send Stonewall’s SWAT? If they haven't already, things may go to shit by the time we get there.”
The Tampa FBI Special Agent in Charge, Frank Stonewall, and the men of Trident weren’t the best of friends after a few past incidents. The man hated Carter even more, with the feeling being mutual. An order from the SAC’s superior would ensure no arguments or delays in the SWAT team’s response.
“I’ll call you back in a minute. Text me the coordinates of their house. And tell Carter to stay out of trouble. I'll need him by the time my meeting ends, and I don’t want to bail him out of jail.”
“Will do.” He hung up just as a slew of police officers and paramedics filled the house. Burke and Dusty had met the cops outside and told them the suspects were long gone, so no weapons were drawn. Brody, Marco, and Devon moved out of the way for the emergency personnel to take over but stayed close to assist if needed. Carter stood by Eileen, holding her hand as a female EMT assessed her for injuries.
Next to Ian, Boomer’s brow was scrunched in confusion. “Why didn’t they kill both of them? I mean, I’m thanking the good Lord they didn’t . . . but why? These guys don’t give me the impression they have any ethics, so why let them live?”
“For this." Ian gestured to the organized chaos with his hand. "This is to hold us up even further. It’s giving them more time to get to Kat and force her to give them the money. If we walked in, and there was nothing more we could do here, we would’ve already been on our way back to the compound.” He was about to say more, but his phone rang. “Keon, what’ve you got?”
“State Police chopper will land in the schoolyard up the street from the Michaelsons’ within ten minutes. SWAT is on the way to the compound. Give me the officer in charge at the scene, and I’ll clear you out of there.” Waving over a sergeant, Ian explained who the other man on the line was and then handed him the phone, ignoring the supervisor’s astonished expression.
* * *
Boomer was being torn in half. He wanted to stay with his folks, but Kat needed him. As the paramedics placed his father on a gurney, he approached his mother as she sat on the couch with Carter. Boomer knelt in front of her, taking her attention away from Rick. The pale complexion of her face made the tape’s sting glaringly obvious, and he winced, knowing it had to be painful. “Mom . . .”
Eileen cut him off. “Katerina’s in danger, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is. We have a chopper coming to take us back to the compound. I want to stay with you and Pop, but I?—”
“No. You get her and bring her back with you. Your dad will be okay, and I’m fine.” She cupped his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “She’s your future, Benjamin. Go save her.”
Boomer swallowed the thick lump in his throat. Standing, he helped her up and hugged her tight. “I’ll be back soon—with Kat. Call my cell . . . shit . . . I broke mine and didn’t have time to replace it. My calls are being forwarded to Ian’s. I’ll call Aunt Margaret to meet you at the hospital. Okay?”
“I’ll contact Margaret. You just do what you have to. I love you. Stay safe and bring her home.”
“I will. Love you, too, Mom.”
With the help of the female EMT, Boomer escorted his mother to the waiting ambulance. The medics said his father was stabilized, but he was still unconscious. As they loaded his parents into the back of the rig, he heard the thump, thump, thump of the approaching helicopter in the distance.
Ian sidled up next to him. “Our ride is almost here. Keon cleared us to take off and file the police reports later. Burke and Dusty are taking one of the SUVs and following your folks to the E.R. I want them guarded until this is over.”
The ambulance doors slammed shut, and the vehicle started down the driveway. “Thanks, Boss-man. I appreciate it.”
Ian clapped his teammate on the back as they started jogging toward his SUV. It was faster to drive the quarter mile to where the helicopter was landing on an empty baseball field. The rest of the team was already in the communications van. “It’s what family does, Baby Boomer. Now, let’s go get your girl.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
For about fifteen minutes, Kat tried to get comfortable on the couch in the recreation room above the offices, but her mind wouldn’t settle down to let her. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t brought her problems to Benny, then his parents would have been safe. Now, she had to pray the team got to their house in time to save them. The wait was killing her.
Finally giving up on getting some rest, she stood and headed for the stairs with Beau at her heels. Instead of going toward the offices, she went out the front door for some fresh air. She smiled when Beau made a beeline for a hard rubber ball and returned to drop it at her feet.
“So, you want to play, huh?” The goofy-faced dog seemed to grin at her before answering her with a low woof. “Fine, we’ll play fetch for a few minutes. Maybe it’ll make the time go faster.”
Beau gave her another woof and then took off after the ball she threw across the compound. As she waited for the dog to return, she glanced to her left and saw Murray standing guard at the front gate. In the opposite direction, the man from Blackhawk Security, who had been introduced to her as Jason “Tuff” Tanner, was walking toward the back of the compound, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary. Both men were armed, and Kat felt safer knowing they were there.
Beau ran up to her and dropped the ball, which was now covered in dog drool, but she didn’t mind since she was often slobbered on by the dogs she trained. As she threw the ball again, the office door opened behind her, and Colleen walked out carrying her purse.
“Are you leaving?” Kat asked.
The younger blonde woman stopped beside her. “Yes. The team has been training me to shoot, but I still have to take a course to obtain my firearms permit before I can carry a gun. Ian and Reggie want me to get it because of all the guns on the premises. With the bad guys they deal with here, they wanted to be sure I could use one if I had to. I have to admit, though, it makes me feel like some bad-ass chick when they take me shooting.”
Kat laughed as Colleen giggled and posed like one of the stars of a popular TV show from the 1970s with her fingers forming a pretend weapon. “Oh, that’s awesome. I love the Charlie’s Angels reruns. Maybe Kristen, Angie, and I should join you. I think the original three were two brunettes and one blonde, and then another blonde replaced the first, so we’d be perfect. And I love those retro clothes.”
