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“I had little to no choice. We were on an operation, and orders were followed.” Connor rubbed a hand across his face as his wife stepped back in horror. “However, they wanted to place the little girl into the system. We had been trying for so long to have a baby and couldn’t. We had talked about adopting, and a few strings were pulled.”
“The FBI kidnapped a child from her parents, and you didn’t think to tell me until eighteen years later?” Sarah backed up until her legs touched the coffee table. “I’m going to be sick.”
Noah ground his teeth, and his right hand clenched into a fist. Despite the knowledge of who was playing puppet master behind the scenes, before him was the one who perpetrated the crime. Right. There.
Originally, Connor had longer shoulder-length hair and a beard, but that could have been part of the disguise.
“It all worked out.” He gave a nervous look about the room but received zero sympathy from anyone.
“Amanda barely spoke for the first thirteen months and had nightmares for years.” Sarah turned to Noah and Angie. “Can you give us a few minutes alone? I have some things to discuss. Trust me. He’s going nowhere.”
Despite the height difference, there was little doubt about who wore the pants in their relationship. “We’ll be outside.”
Sarah didn’t wait for the front door to close before she started in on her husband.
“Strangely, that felt pretty good.” Dickinson couldn’t help but grin.
Noah agreed. “However, my intentions haven’t changed. I’m still here to help Angela ... now Amanda.”
“How much do you want to tell the Rawlings?”
“I’m sure Connor must know more. At least minimal background on the Taylors. There would have been intel briefings as they ran through various scenarios as the team prepared.” The inner fire wasn’t extinguished but banked and smoldered within. Noah hardened the emotions into resolve.
“Where do you think they took Amanda? Do you think she’s all right?” Angie looked worried.
“These types of people are worried about one thing. Retaining power. Amanda will be used as a bargaining chip or bait until this is all over. No doubt she will be treated well. They are after me, and with Miriam coming out of hiding, they should have a secondary target.”
From inside the home, they could hear muted yelling. It appeared to be one-sided, and Sarah wasn’t holding back. So far, there hadn’t been the sound of dishes breaking or gunshots. Noah took that as a positive sign.
After five minutes, Sarah opened the door. She had changed into a blue T-shirt and track pants and appeared to be flushed. “Thank you. Come back in, please.”
Noah and Angie sat back in the living room as Connor came down from upstairs. He carried some photographs. “I owe you both an apology.”
“Here are a few recent pictures of Amanda.” Sarah handed over the recently printed photos. The young woman had long blond hair, a straight nose, and high cheekbones. “Hopefully, they will help.”
“I’m here to let you know that I’m going after the person responsible for orchestrating the abduction. I didn’t know Amanda was missing until we arrived.” Noah passed the pictures to his partner.
“What can we do to help? How do we get our daughter back?”
“For now, we need information. How were you contacted through the FBI for the assignment?”
Connor had problems meeting their eyes, and he stared at his hands. “Taskforce assignments are common, and they are a good opportunity for advancement, should you do well. I was chosen, and we monitored the subjects for two months. As the husband-and-wife team went on vacation, we received the orders. We managed to delay them in Cheyenne and got ahead of them to the motel.”
When Noah was in the military, he could be ordered to charge a machinegun nest firing on his location, and he would have to comply. However, if he were ordered to shoot civilians, he would refuse. It came down to the type of order given—was the command lawful or not? Illegal orders can be rejected without repercussions. Noah had no idea if the FBI had such directives built into their chain of command, but common sense should prevail. However, in this case, it failed horribly. But now wasn’t the time to fix past mistakes.
“Leslie Taylor was the mother, and Joe Taylor, the father. They named their little girl Angela. I’m not here to judge if what the FBI did was right or wrong, but I’m here to make sure she is safe and those that made those choices are held accountable.” Noah stared at Connor, who finally looked up. “There is no doubt you will be called to testify on your actions. I would find a good lawyer.”
“Connor has agreed to make amends if possible.” Sarah elbowed her husband. “Didn’t you, dear?”
“Yes.”
“What else can we do?” Sarah perched on the edge of the couch. “Please. Anything. We love Amanda and have raised her as our own.”
When Noah shifted on the couch, the missing weight on his hip gave him pause. “Well, there is one thing I could use ...”