The Law of Motion (Law Series) (25 page)

             
I nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Thanks, Kristen," I whispered, gripping her shoulder before heading out the back door.

             
When she saw me she hit Hunter in the arm before swinging her leg over the bench, getting up, and coming over. Though her conversation was serious, she approached me with all smiles. “Hey handsome.”

             
I took her by the hand kissing her forehead. “Let’s go be alone.”

             
“Okay,” She grinned following behind me, letting me lead her to our room.
              She whimpered in her sleep, her body automatically snuggling closer to me. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her back to my chest, and her hand immediately sought out mine, linking our fingers together. Tucking my hand under her cheek, my girl released the sweetest, deepest, most contented sigh I'd heard from her since all this shit started.

             
I closed my eyes, inhaling the flowery scent of her still damp from the shower hair. As just her nearness calmed me, I silently prayed to Go
d

or whoever was listenin
g

to keep us all safe, to bring my girl home, to get those boys back, and to give me the strength to keep my emotions in check and my mind sharp. All our lives depended on it.




             
It was the crack of dawn when Cam and Tink exploded into the conference room.

             
"Guys! Get in here!" Cam called.

             
He'd just gotten back, but hadn't said a word except to Tink, who he'd pulled away from us to do some research. It was so damned early that the sun wasn't even up yet but every room of the office was frantic with movement, hushed conversations, and the sounds of weapons being checked.

             
Doc shoved some clothes, her gun, and a  cell phone into a bag and zipped it up. Then grabbed another bag just like it and slid it to Ross.

             
"Put the money in this," She ordered softly.

             
"But Pop Harris has already got it in a bag," Ross countered, looking at me like I was crazy.

             
"Humor me," she huffed, leaving her to it and joining them in front of Tink's screens.

             
"We have a few issues," Cam said, turning his back to the computers and leaning on the desk to face everyone in the room. “There's a reason they picked the train station."

             
A collective groan rumbled through the group of us as we waited for him to continue.

             
Cam pointed to the screen again. "Dr. Grubbs. told us that his son has access to a piece of property that he can't control, because his he inherited it from his grandparents. It's a rather large cabin set up in the mountains of New York, the Adirondacks."

             
Everyone looked at Chance. “Don’t look at me that’s a shit load away from Bronx. It’s hours away.”

             
"Look," Tink stated, pointing to the large screen above. "It's not just for camping. It looks like it used to be a farm, but, look here, its almost like a fucking bomb shelter is behind it. Based on when it was built, it was all set up in the Cold War."

             
"David's father thinks that if his son ran anywhere he’d go there, but that's just a guess," Cam said with a shrug. "However, they’re being used as a vehicle on this shit." He sighed, his eyes landing warily on me, and then Alyssa.  "They've asked for fifty thousand dollars and Chance in trade for those two boys, but I'm willing to bet that the next amount he asks for will be more in exchange for her back."

             
"They
aren’t
taking her.”  I snapped.

             
"I know, but these four are broke, out of options, and a shit-ton of taxes to pay on that rather large piece of property, or he loses it. His father said he wants to expand up there, but the price of land is steep, and he's repeatedly told his son no."

             
“The place that David used to work at with Terry Windsor at C&K Inc. It was owned by Neil Industries before it was shut down for not turning enough profit. Over ten thousand people lost everything.” Tink reported.

             
Alyssa sighed. “So let me guess, the people involved in this are probably former employees trying to get their lives back under my ransom.”             

             
“Looks like it.” Tink sighed.

             
"That's where they’d be heading too," Dad muttered, almost to himself, but Cam nodded in agreement. "If they get away today, that's where they'll head. It's where he'll feel comfortable and where he'll have backup."

             
Cam took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving the satellite image of the mountain. "And the second issue we have today?"

             
"Senator Lopez is speaking right across the street from the train station," Tink stated, raising an eyebrow. "You know, the one that's hiking property taxes throughout the state..."

             
"Oh damn," Jackson huffed. "That’s not good..."

             
"Exactly," Cam grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "There's more at stake here than we thought."

             
Victor's sharp, keen eyes landed on Cam, who looked beyond pissed. "Outside the legal box, Cam," he offered gruffly. "Tell me now..."

             
Cam sighed, shaking his head as he glanced around the room. "The plan stays the same. Nothing changes.” He thought for a second and then  sighed, “Liam..."  Gesturing to my father in a sign of surrender.

             
Dad walked a few paces, stopping at my side, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Macon, Danny, Hunter, and Dario...you're with me on the perimeter and the garage. Jeff and Victor, you're shadowing Alyssa from a distance. Adrian...the air is yours with Jackson and Ross. Cameron, you and your men can set up across the street to protect the attendees of this...political thing, but I need you low profile inside that damn station. The arrest is yours...if this goes smoothly."

             
Tink spun to me. "I have to set you up as media again, Adrian. You won't be the only chopper in the air, so watch yourself, okay?"

             
"Thank you, Tink," I said softly, my thumb rubbing a circular pattern over Alyssa’s knuckles.

             
She stood up, walked to her little work table that she used for small electronic projects. "Alyssa," she called, turning to hand me a few things. "Here. This is ready, and so is this," she said, handing her Juan’s stuffed bear and her earpiece as everyone around us broke away to load cars and the chopper.

             
"Thanks, Tinky," She whispered, tucking the bear under her arm and placing the earpiece in her ear. When I looked at her she just smiled. “He’ll be glad to see i
t

when we get him back you know?”

             
I nodded.

             
"Yup, yup, yup," she chanted, but her brow furrowed. "Please be careful," she begged, wrapping her in a hug.

             
"I will," Alyssa breathed, kissing the side of her head. "Stay sharp and do your thing, Tink."

             
I went off to check the chopper one last time leaving my girl to say goodbye to her friends. Though she was in a small huddle with mainly, Hunter, Doc, Tink and Kristen.

             
She walked to her Audi putting the bag of money in the trunk before checking over everything one more time.

             
She turned to wrap her arms around me when she was finished, holding out my black baseball cap putting it on backwards for me. She knew I never ran a mission without it. "You be so safe, Honeyface," I ordered, swallowing thickly.

             
"I will, I promise," She vowed, leaning up to kiss me. "You
focus
, Adrian. Please."             

             
"I don't know what I'll do if something goes wrong today," I groaned, my head falling back with his stress.

             
“You'll be fine. Just stay sharp,” She ordered, raising an eyebrow at me.              "I love you, baby," I vowed , capturing my mouth with hers. "And we'll get them back, love."

             
She nodded, her face worried, and panicked. Not calculating as it once was. We both turned when Dad called our names.

             
"Let's go! Load up!"

             
One more kiss, and I let my life go, watching her gracefully get into her car. Once the purr of her engine started, I fell into my pilot seat, starting up the blades.

              Cedrick scooted closer to me when the fat man jumped up from his chair. He walked back and forth by the window of the hotel over and over. He would look at his phone, let out a big breath, and then sit back down again.

             
We didn't want to be left with David. We liked Kris, but the mean lady and the new ma
n
who told us to call him Maveric
k
took Kris with them. The fat man was grumpy, and said mean things to us.  Like Myles did, he'd take away our food if we cried, complained, or spoke out loud at all, but at least he left the TV on.

             
I missed my mommies. I wanted to go home. I wanted my tia and the rest of my family, my tree house, and my room at home. I wanted movies on the couch with Mommy Roslyn, where she brushed my hair. I wanted to help Mommy Tawny cook, because she let me try it before it was dinner time. And I wanted my own bed, because I couldn't sleep without goodnight kisses from them, or without them telling me to have good dreams.

             
I jumped when David's phone rang and he slammed the door to the next room over.

             
"Did Kris mean it?" Cedrick whispered, keeping an eye on the door.

             
"I hope so," I whispered back. "He said he was going to get my mommy before we went to the last place."

             
Kris had been angry when the lady wanted him to go with her. He wanted to stay with us, but I really thought it was because he didn't like David. At all. They fought all the time.

             
"I have to potty," I told Cedrick, scooting down the bed.

             
"Don't leave me!" he squeaked, grabbing my hand and following me into the bathroom.

             
We tiptoed to the bathroom, remembering to leave the door open, because the last time we shut it, David got really mad. I went first, and then Cedrick went, and we both washed our hands.

             
Something slammed behind us, and we turned around to see the window in the shower bang against the wall. It was loose, and the wind outside was slamming it open and closed.

             
This was the scariest place we had been so far. The rooms were icky and old. They smelled funny, like smoke and the cleaner that Mommy used to mop the floors. The beds were covered in an ugly blanket with funny looking yellow and orange flowers on it; and the bed was lumpy.

             
When we walked back into the room, David did, too.

             
"What did I fucking tell you about getting up?" he yelled, and we ran back to the bed.

             
Cedrick started to cry, but I shushed him. "Don't cry...it makes him yell more," I whispered to him, and then looked at David. "We had to potty," I told him.

             
"
I don't care
," he said back, making fun of my voice. "I said don't move and just watch the fucking TV. You little runts make me nervous. Be still and stay the fuck quiet."

             
"I want my mommy," I told him, trying not to cry.

             
"We all want your mommy!" he screamed back, falling into the chair again and looking at his phone. "Soon, you little shit. Soon."

              The whole lot of us sped towards our destination, unhindered by the fear of getting caught for speeding. I was pretty sure that the caravan behind me containing the FBI wouldn't allow it anyway. Occasionally along the way, I caught sight of Adrian’s chopper off to my side, and I was pretty sure that he was doing it on purpos
e

speeding ahead, only to fall back to keep an eye on me.

             
My radio was filled with activity, communication with each other, with Adrian, and with the local police to let them know we were coming through. By the time I pulled into the parking garage at the Philadelphia train station, the sun was long up and I had about forty-five minutes to be in the waiting area. I listened intently as everyone called in with their locations, stated their observations, and Tink and Doc played ‘eye in the sky’ with Adrian back at the office. The three of them lived for the fucking camera mounted underneath his chopper.