Page 56 of Barbed Wire and Burglary
They probably thought they were being considerate by keeping quiet while he was sleeping, but he was suddenly sick and tired of being coddled. Yeah, he was recovering from a bullet wound. Yeah, it had slowed him down a bit, but they needed to remain on mission—now more than ever.
He started to speak, but his sister interrupted him.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” she exclaimed in a falsely bright voice. “Nice going, Bandit.” She reached for the rescue cat, who was perched like a furry little king on the chair between her and her boyfriend, lifting one of his paws andgiving it a high-five.
“You’re hilarious.” Aaron knew she was only trying to cheer him up, but he didn’t crack a smile. What he was about to share with them wasn’t the least bit funny.
“Listen, Uncle Cary is still missing, and he’s not answering my phone calls. I know most folks would assume it’s because he’s on the run, because that’s what thugs do.”But what if he’s not? What if he needs our help?He stared bleakly at his sister, trying to read her thoughts.
“I’m worried, too,” she confessed, lowering Bandit’s paw to the chair. “I’ve called and texted him a few times myself and gotten nothing but crickets.” She darted a rueful glance at A.J. as if worried about what he might think of her for caring so much. “I know what the evidence says, but my heart says he’d find a way to get in touch with us if he could. We’re security specialists, for crying out loud! The kings and queens of encrypted messages.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He debated their options. “Though we’ve been asked to camp on our phones in case he calls, we can take our phones anywhere we go.” They’d already given the authorities the green light to put a tap on them.
“Like New York City?” His sister looked hopeful.
“Yep.” He was glad they were on the same page. “If we can’t catch a flight on such short notice, we can throw our names on the standby list.”
“Count me in.” A.J. waved two fingers.
They pulled out their phones to research flight availability.
“Hold on,” A.J. said suddenly. “One of the guys I work with has a pilot’s license.” He dialed a number and tapped the speakerphone button so the rest of them could listen in. “Hey, Dave! It’s A.J.”
Aaron listened to him request the use of a helicopter, ofall things! He exchanged an amazed look with his sister while they waited for an answer.
“Affirmative.” Dave drilled down to the details and gave them a departure time and location.
“Thanks, man. I really owe you.” A.J. disconnected the line. “In case I didn’t spell it out, that was Dave Phillips, one of the owners at Lonestar Security.”
“And he just happens to own a helicopter?” Aurora’s eyes snapped with curiosity and interest.
“Yep.” A.J. looked gleeful. “And he’s got connections that’ll clear the way for us to access the Diamondback office without any issues.”
It was welcome news, indeed. Though the office on Wall Street hadn’t been designated as a crime scene, Aaron and Aurora had been informed that the FBI had tossed the place pretty good.
A.J. stood and circled a finger in the air. “Last person to finish packing is a rotten egg!”
The three of them stood and flew to their rooms. They piled clothing and necessities into a few carry-ons and duffle bags that A.J. provided.
In less than an hour, they were in the air. Aaron found himself praying to the God he’d never acknowledged before. His sister had been riding his case to join her and A.J. at church. He’d always believed in a higher power, but things were getting real. Maybe there was something to their faith after all. Never before had he wanted so badly to believe it.
Please keep Uncle Cary safe wherever he is.
He continued to call and text him throughout the flight, but he got the same response as before. Nothing. One by one, his calls continued rolling to voicemail.
Out of sheer desperation, he forced himself to swallowhis pride and dial Elise. She didn’t answer, either. It rang off the hook without ever rolling to voicemail, which he found odd.
Aaron leaned his head back against the seat rest, trying to stay calm.With each minute that ticked past, however, the ominous feeling in his gut grew stronger.
They landed in New York City by midafternoon. While Dave met with the FBI, the rest of them drove straight to the home office on Wall Street. The first thing they noticed when they walked through the door was the scent of fresh paint.
The ominous feeling in Aaron grew. He hadn’t been informed of any recent renovations taking place in the building.
Aurora made a bleating noise and rushed to their uncle’s desk. “His chair is turned over.”
Aaron followed and discovered it wasn’t the only thing that had been knocked over. Papers and folders were scattered across the floor behind his desk, and a crack ran down the center of his computer screen.
He bent closer to examine the crack. “The FBI isn’t known for tiptoeing through the tulips.”
