Max felt his blood pressure rising with each passing moment. He was seated at a table in an FBI safe house in Atlanta. Around the table sat Elena, Sydney and Brian’s boss, Special Agent in Charge Tom Hilton.
Sydney had barely said a word since they’d walked in, but Tom had a lot of questions and concerns. And Elena was trying to take the temperature down in the room, but it didn’t appear to be working.
“When Brian told me about his undercover operation, I had no idea he’d be putting himself in this much risk,” Tom said. “Had I known, I would’ve specifically forbidden it.”
Max was about to speak up, but Tom kept right on going.
“And there’s an APB out for the two of you.” Tom pointed to him and Sydney. “Max, I don’t have any idea what you’ve gone and done here. So someone needs to start at the beginning and tell me everything.” Tom’s light blue eyes were full of intensity. Max knew the seasoned FBI agent wasn’t going to be easy to deal with. But they needed him as an ally.
It took about an hour between Max and Elena’s explanations and Tom’s questions to get him caught up to speed. Tom confirmed a few points specifically with Sydney as they went.
“And where is Davies now?” he asked Max.
“I don’t know, sir. He’s supposed to text me a time and place to make the exchange.” He looked at his watch. “It’s almost eight p.m. now, but Davies correctly assumed we weren’t in Atlanta and that it would take us a number of hours to get back.”
“What’s your theory on how Brian’s cover was blown?” Tom asked.
Max shrugged. “Davies isn’t stupid. He was probably skeptical of Brian from the start. I think Davies probably decided to try to make sure Brian was legitimate and in that process was able to figure out he was working undercover.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But how did Davies get out of the hospital so quickly?” He looked at Elena.
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“I’m more concerned about what we’re going to do now,” Tom said. “I can bring in additional FBI resources.”
“We have to be careful, sir,” Max said. “We don’t know if any of the agents have been compromised by East River.”
“I’d handpick the team myself,” he said. “So there wouldn’t be any concern about that.”
“Think about it. If we’re wrong about any of those guys, then Brian is dead. We’ve got to give him a fighting chance.”
Tom looked down for a moment and the room was silent. Then he made eye contact with Max again. “I hear you. So for now it’s you and me against them, while Elena protects the witness.”
Max shook his head. “No. Elena will help you. I’m not leaving Sydney. That’s nonnegotiable.”
Elena must have sensed the tension building in the room. “Sydney, let’s give them a couple of minutes to hash out these details.”
Sydney didn’t argue and left the room with Elena.
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Max?”
“I think you’re insinuating something, so why don’t you come out with it?”
Tom crossed his hefty arms. “I’m a bit disappointed in you, Max. After all the years I’ve known you, I would’ve never expected it.”
“Expected what, sir?”
Tom leaned forward. “There’s something going on between you and your witness.”
Max chose his words carefully. “There is, sir, but not what you think. Yes, I care about her. But we are not in a physical relationship.” How else could he say it?
Tom raised a curious eyebrow. “I know we had our share of disagreements during the time that you worked for me. But I trust your instincts, and I know that Brian does, too. He wouldn’t have gone on this assignment otherwise.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“But let’s just hope you didn’t send him to his death.”
“Please don’t say that.”
“I hope not. But someone had to say it.” Tom shook his head. “Back to the issue. What were you thinking the plan would be?”
“You’d go to the meet with Davies, keeping Elena far enough back to make him believe that she’s Sydney.”
“The problem with that is that he’s going to know I’m not you.”
“Will he really care as long as he thinks he’s getting Sydney?”
“It will definitely raise his suspicions.”
“Like I said. That point is nonnegotiable. I’m not going to leave Sydney.”
Max’s cell buzzed, and he picked it up to read the incoming message. “It’s Davies. He just sent the address. He wants to meet at midnight tonight.”
“Where?”
“The address is 55 Century Park. It’s in Atlanta. But that street doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Tom pulled out his smartphone and typed in the address. He gave his phone to Max and pointed. “There it is. On the south side past the airport. Basically, it’s an industrial zone with some local manufacturing plants. Lots of trucks and warehouses down that way.”
“So I’m thinking that you’ll get out to meet Davies, leaving Elena in the car. You tell him that you have to see Brian first before you’ll do anything.”
“Davies knows how the FBI and marshals work. He’ll know that we would never turn over an innocent civilian in exchange for an FBI agent.”
Max stood and started pacing. “True, which means our main goal at this point in the operation should be to apprehend Davies. And we have to be prepared for anything. That this could be a trap of some sort. Davies knows protocol, and he has to know that if he dangled Brian in front of us, we’d have to agree to a meeting. For all we know Brian may already be dead. At the very least, there’s no guarantee that Davies will actually bring Brian with him to the meeting. You’re just going to have to go with your gut. I’ll be there, but I won’t be able to get too close.”
“We better explain the plan to Elena and Sydney.” Tom rose from his chair. “We’ll also want to get there well in advance of midnight. Especially so I can scout out the best place for me to be.”
“You’re right.”
“Go get Elena and Sydney so we can brief them,” Tom ordered. “It’s going to be a long night.”
* * *
Sydney knew she had to be prepared for anything. She and Max sat in the car in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. She could smell the pungent smoke that filled the air from the manufacturing plants that surrounded the entire area.
Max and Tom had briefed her and Elena on the plan. A plan she didn’t like because she wanted a more active role. She hated sitting on the sidelines, feeling as though she was the cause of everyone’s problems. Not only had she been trained in self-defense, but she also knew how to shoot. And she was a good shot. She’d convinced Tom to get her a gun for tonight, and she had the feeling that this operation might go south.
She watched Max use his FBI night-vision goggles Tom had provided. Tom seemed to be completely prepared for anything, as he had a basement full of supplies. She guessed someone in his position had to take every precaution.
She scanned the area. It wasn’t very well lit and just thinking about the implications of everything had her on edge. A chill shot down her arms in anticipation of what was to come.
“How’re you doing?” Max asked.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m ready to take action if I need to. I won’t just sit back and watch others get hurt because of me.”
Max shook his head. “Remember what we all talked about. Just because you have that gun doesn’t mean you’re supposed to use it. That’s only for protection and not for anything else.”
“I know that, but I feel better knowing that I have it.” She looked down at her watch, struggling to see the time.
“It’s almost midnight,” he said.
“Thanks.” They were in his car stationed behind one of the 18-wheelers. But they had a line of sight to where Tom and Elena’s SUV was parked, which was directly in front of the address Davies had provided.
The minutes passed slowly as she waited and watched. Then another SUV drove up and parked near Tom’s.
“Game time,” Max said. “Stay alert and listen to any cues I may give.”
“Got it.” Sydney had her gun out just in case. She wasn’t taking any chances. She tried to breathe normally, but it was difficult. Lord, please keep us safe here tonight. She controlled her breathing and stayed focused.
“That’s Davies,” Max said.
Sydney watched as a man stepped out of the driver side of the SUV. She didn’t have night-vision goggles, but he fit Davies’s body description.
Tom hopped out of his SUV and the two men walked toward each other. Sydney wanted desperately to hear what they were saying, but all she could do was try to read their body language.
After a minute Tom took a step back. And that’s when everything changed. Gunshots rang out—from where, she couldn’t tell. Multiple shots were being fired at the SUV—with Elena inside it.
“Do something, Max!” she implored.
“I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“I’m fine. I’ve got my gun. You’ve got to help them. Now.”
More gunshots rang out in rapid succession. Tom ran for cover behind a nearby building, and Davies retreated toward his SUV. Three men ran toward the SUV that held Elena.
“Go, Max. Go!”
Max jumped out of the car and drew his gun. He started shooting, taking down the first man with a shot to the leg, and the second man with a shot to the shoulder. Even at that distance Max was a stellar shot.
She prayed that Elena hadn’t been hit by the attackers’ bullets.
A loud tapping sounded on her window, she turned and her heart stopped.
Staring at her with a gun pointed right at her face was her biggest nightmare—Rick Ward.
“Get out of the car now, Sydney,” he said.
He must not have seen her gun as it was cloaked in the darkness. She actually had the upper hand. But what if she made a move and he was quicker? What if he shot first? She weighed her options as he stared at her through the window.
“Don’t make any sudden moves. Get out nice and easy,” he said. His eyes were filled with pure hatred, and it took every bit of her strength not to curl up in a ball and give up. But no. She wasn’t that woman anymore. She was going to fight back. She hadn’t trained and fought to become strong to let him see her weakness now when it mattered most.
Given the situation, she decided it was now or never. She had to catch him off guard while she could.
“Okay,” she said, keeping her voice calm and steady. She moved slowly to unlock the door. Then with all of her strength, she swung open the door making him stumble backward. She drew her gun and didn’t hesitate. She got off a quick shot, but he was able to duck just in time and she missed by a few inches.
She fired again, and he was thrown off balance dodging her bullet. He hit the ground, his gun falling out of his hand. She was about to take another shot when he stood up and charged her like a raging bull. This time she did hesitate for a second—one second too long. He knocked her to the ground hard with him on top of her. The gun fell out of her grasp.
Here she was again. In a place she’d prepared and trained for years to handle but prayed she would never have to be. Fighting with this man. But one thing had changed. She was no longer afraid and unable to protect herself. No longer defenseless against him or any other man wanting to do her harm.
Her training and instincts all kicked into action. Even though he was on top of her pressing his weight down, she knew what to do. He had her arms pinned to the ground, but her legs were her best and strongest defense. She’d learned that the first day of her most basic self-defense class. So when he lifted up slightly she took the opportunity to act.
In one well-practiced motion, her left knee slammed into his stomach as she pushed as hard as she could against his hip with her right leg. He hadn’t seen that coming, she thought, as she was able to get to her feet. Her instructor would have been proud.
But now she’d made Rick angry.
“Where did you learn your little moves, Sydney?” he spat out. “You think taking one little self-defense class taught by some idiot at a rec center is going to keep you safe from me?” He laughed, but it was a laugh filled with hatred and evil.
Little did he know she hadn’t just taken basic self-defense. Yeah, that’s where she’d started, but it wasn’t where she ended. Over the years she’d moved on to advanced martial-arts training. And she was prepared to use those moves on him now.
She looked over, but the gun was still out of her reach.
He lunged toward her but she quickly sidestepped, avoiding his grip. Then she delivered a strong kick to his shin. He dropped to his knee and spouted words so foul that she never wanted to hear them again.
But now wasn’t the time to cower. While he was kneeling down, she delivered another swift kick, this one to his head. He rolled over and howled. But he grabbed her ankle, yanking her down to the ground hard. Dirt filled her mouth mixed with the taste of blood.
She rolled over and got back to her feet as he staggered up off the ground.
“I have to admit, this is almost fun,” Rick said as he breathed hard. “I’m enjoying this new side of you, Sydney. You’ve become fiery.”
Hearing those words sent a jolt of energy through her body. She wasn’t going to let this man make a mockery of her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her gun not far from where she stood. She made a move for it as he lunged toward her with his hands open wide, reaching.
She was able to grab the gun, but he pushed her down, and they wrestled on the ground. Using her training, she managed to get the upper hand. A part of her wanted to kill him, yet something held her back. She’d come so far and taking his life wouldn’t do anything to heal her wounds. So when she had the kill shot she didn’t take it.
Instead she jumped up off him and pointed the gun at his head.
When he dove toward her she took the shot, but purposely recalibrated and aimed for his leg. He hit the ground yelping in pain. But likely she’d only grazed him.
Strong hands grabbed her from behind. She struggled against them.
“It’s me, Syd. We’ve got to get out of here,” Max said.
“What about him?” she yelled.
“Leave him. East River is sending in reinforcements. We’ve got to get out of here right now.”
“This isn’t over,” Rick yelled, adding a few nasty words as he writhed on the ground.
She jumped in the car and Max sped off. She looked down and realized her hands were shaking as she held on tightly to the gun.
“Sydney, talk to me,” Max said.
“I fought him,” she said. Hot tears rolled down her face at the enormity of what had just happened. “I stood up to him.”
“I’m so proud of you. And I’m so sorry I left you alone.”
“It wasn’t your fault. He came to the car window with a gun and ordered me to get out. But he didn’t see that I was armed, too.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“A little but nothing like before. I hurt him worse than he hurt me.” She blew out a breath. “Max, I had the shot. I could’ve killed him. But I didn’t take it.”
“You did the right thing, Sydney. Taking a life is no small thing.”
“I know that. But in that millisecond when I had to choose, so many thoughts ran through my head.”
“What stopped you from doing it?”
“I didn’t know if I could live with myself. I’ve come so very far, and I didn’t want to have him win. I’m better than that.”
He reached over and grabbed her hand. “Yes, you are, Sydney.”
She silently thanked God for getting her through that. Then it hit her that she hadn’t even asked about everyone else. “What happened with you? The others? Are they okay?”
“We don’t have Brian. I don’t even think he was with Davies. But Davies brought more East River backup than any of us expected. He isn’t even trying to hide the fact that he’s full on with them now.”
“What about Elena and Tom?”
“Elena was grazed by a bullet in the SUV, but she’ll be fine. Tom is also okay. We’re going to meet back up at the FBI safe house. Davies took another bullet, this time from Tom, but it didn’t look life threatening. Seemed like Tom got him good, though, in his other shoulder. He’s going to be in quite a bit of pain.”
“So what was this all about, then?”
“It was about you, Sydney. This wasn’t about Brian at all. Honestly, I don’t even know what’s happened to him. They might be keeping him just because they see him as a bargaining tool since he’s an FBI agent in the gang unit. But we really don’t know if he’s still alive. I hate to think about what they could be doing to him.”
“Me, too,” she said softly. “This is all my fault.”
“No. It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of Rick Ward and Phil Davies and everyone involved at East River. They have a two-part agenda, as I see it. Stopping you from testifying is the most important. But it appears to me that they’ve let Ward step in and take over where you’re concerned.”
“And we know what Rick’s agenda is. Revenge. Making me pay. Then killing me.”
“That’s not going to happen, Sydney. I am beating myself up about leaving you in that car.”
“It was the right call. You know it and I know it. Tom and Elena could both be dead if you hadn’t gone. I held my own.”
“You did a lot more than hold your own, Syd.”
She thought back to Rick’s reaction when she’d drawn her weapon and when she’d fought him off. “He was surprised. Shocked, really.”
“About what?”
“That I was able to fight him. That I didn’t just roll over and cry like I used to. The look on his face was something I’ll never forget. He said such awful things to me, Max. Things that I don’t know if I’ll ever get out of my head.”
“You can’t change a man like that, Sydney. There’s nothing you’re ever going to be able to do about how he chooses to act.”
She nodded, knowing he was right.
* * *
Back at the safe house, sitting at the big table that they’d only been at hours before, Max felt a flurry of emotions run through him. He was exhausted but nowhere near being able to think about going to sleep. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins.
The biggest thought that played over and over again in his mind was that he’d left his witness behind. By providing backup to Tom and Elena, Sydney had been forced to fend for herself. That was not only against everything the US Marshals stood for, but it ate at him from the inside out on a deeper level. What if something had happened to her? It would’ve been his fault.
He was grateful for one thing—Sydney’s training. It had paid off big time. She’d more than held her own with Rick. And for the first time Max wondered if God had had anything to do with it, because he was seriously starting to think God was watching over them all.
“Max, did you hear me?” Tom asked.
“Sorry, what did you say?” He watched as Elena and Sydney entered the room and took a seat at the table. Elena’s arm was bandaged where the bullet had grazed it.
“I said, are you ready to talk about where we go from here?”
They’d already debriefed on what had happened earlier that evening. Now the goal was to come up with a new plan.
“We’re still no closer to finding Brian or putting a stop to Davies. Or for that matter getting the evidence we need to tie Lucas Jones to Kevin Diaz.”
“What if we’re thinking about this the wrong way?” Sydney asked.
“What do you mean?” Tom replied.
“What if Kevin Diaz has nothing to do with the threats against me? What if it’s all coming from Rick and by extension East River with the help of Davies?”
“I still believe that Diaz and Jones are connected,” Max said. He wasn’t willing to back down on that idea.
“That could be true,” Elena added. “But that doesn’t mean that Diaz was behind it all. Maybe East River saw this as an opportunity. Pure and simple. Get rid of Sydney, which helps Diaz and settles an old score for Ward. Who now seems to be Lucas Jones’s right hand man.”
Max thought about it for a minute. “I’ll give it to you,” he said. “That’s a viable theory. The only reason we had discounted Ward’s involvement with East River was because of what Davies had told us to throw us off the trail. We now know that Ward is a key member of East River.”
“It makes you wonder why East River would be willing to go to such lengths to help Ward get revenge,” Elena said. “Maybe Jones owed Ward a favor. We should look more into why Ward went to jail. There might be some answers to explain it. Because I can’t see Lucas Jones going this far for any random member of East River.” Elena thought for a moment and then voiced another question. “How did Ward elevate his status to work so closely with Jones? That’s a very important piece of information we need to understand.”
“What if Ward took the fall for Jones or someone else very important in East River? That could explain it.”
“This is all well and good,” Tom said. “I get that you want to figure out the root cause and motivations. But in the meantime we need an immediate action plan.”
“I think we have to widen the net at the FBI,” Max said. “Get this manhunt off me and Sydney. Now with the four of us able to provide information about Davies’s involvement, that should help. We can’t operate successfully looking over our shoulders at legitimate law enforcement. We have enough threats from East River.”
Tom nodded. “But I think you’re going to have to go to the upper echelon of the marshals now, too. Elena, I know you were worried about this being bigger than just Davies, but we have zero evidence to support that theory. It will make everyone’s life easier if we have the power and resources of the FBI and marshals behind us instead of against us. I’m willing to go with you to talk to whoever we need to talk to at the marshals to get this all straightened out.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said.
“Why don’t we all grab a few hours of sleep? Then we’ll go deal with the FBI and marshals,” Tom said.
Everyone agreed. Tom and Elena left the room talking about logistics on dealing with their respective agencies, leaving Max alone with Sydney.
“You still doing all right?” he asked.
“Yes, but now I think fatigue is starting to set in.”
He walked over to her and took her hand as she stood up. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re standing here right now, safe. Thinking otherwise makes me sick.”
“Then don’t think it. I’m here and I’m okay.”
He took a step back. “You should get some rest.”
“You, too.”
She started to walk away, and he grabbed her hand again. He had a question he wanted to ask. “Syd, do you think God was watching over you out there?”
She smiled and gripped his hand tightly. “I know He was.”
Would God be willing to watch over him, too? And someone else? “I hope he’s watching over Brian, too. I can’t even process if...” He started to get choked up.
“Try to stay positive and not focus on the what-ifs. I’ll say an extra prayer for Brian tonight.”
“Syd, it’s really been on my mind since we last talked about it. What would I need to do if I wanted to go back to my faith—to being a Christian like I was as a child? Is that something I can just do?”
“It’s never too late, Max. God is forgiving and will take you back if that’s really what you want.”
“I know I’m not perfect, but I really want to start over. I want to put my trust in the Lord again. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I’m ready to embrace my faith.”
Her heart filled with joy. “That’s wonderful, Max. As I told you, it wasn’t until all of that craziness happened with Rick that I found faith. So it wasn’t that long ago that I was right where you are. I know how you feel. I understand having questions and concerns. While our situations are different because I didn’t have any foundation of faith to return to, I understand the apprehension that goes along with making big decisions like this and not knowing exactly where to start.”
He laughed. “I don’t think you were ever as skeptical as me.”
“What’s important is the end result. And if you’re going back to your faith in God, that’s what matters the most.”
“Yes, it is.” He squeezed her hand and thanked God for bringing Sydney into his life.