Page 32 of Avenging Angel

I push past the man and start making a pot of coffee. It’s going to be a late night. “We can try. We’ll be more successful if you tell us who he is.”

Owen sits down at the makeshift desk, which is a small folding table often used for picnics or yard sales. He opens the broken laptop, presses a few keys simultaneously, and waits for it to reboot. “I’ll get you guys up and running soon enough, but please leave any more searches to me.”

Vinny gestures for him to do what he does best. “What or who will you be searching for?”

Bennett clears his throat. “You’ll need me to send a kill command to disable the shutdown virus first. But that will be unnecessary since I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

Owen laughs. “That’s a great start, but the information I want goes beyond need, Officer Gray. I want the information you’re unwilling to share; the information that protects the CIA.”

“You’ll jeopardize missions that are in play, Agent Zurkowski. Those missions could cost people their lives. Are you really willing to sacrifice the many for the one?” Bennett asks.

Suddenly, there’s a loud scream outside. It’s not one of distress, but one of pure fury.

Owen waves his hand toward the door. “That’s your cue to go, Angel,” he says before turning to Bennett to answer the question. “Yes, I’d be willing to sacrifice the many for the one because it’s never just one. Each abduction affects the person, their family, their friends, and so on. It’s a ripple effect, and it’s time to stop the stones from being thrown into the pond.”

I rush after Daisy because her anguish is so real and palpable that I can feel it wrap around my body in a vise grip. When I emerge from the cabin, I find Daisy down on her knees, her head and hands touching the ground.

She’s sobbing when I kneel beside her and place my arm around her back. “I’m here, Daisy. Let it out.”

Whispered words leave her mouth between hitches of breath, and it’s then I realize that she’s praying. Instead of letting go, I rub her back and wait until she’s finished.

Ten minutes later, I ask in a soothing tone, “Are you okay?”

“God and I just had a little tête-à-tête. We’re all good now.” Daisy wipes her eyes before shifting into a sitting position and wrapping her arms around her knees. “Sometimes I feel like a child arguing with a parent, asking, ‘Why? Why? Why?’”

I mimic her pose, keeping us shoulder to shoulder. “What do you mean?”

She smiles, and there’s the briefest twinkle in her eyes before she says, “Have you ever argued with your dad because you wanted something so badly but were told ‘No’ for your own good?”

“Me? Never,” I tease. “I was the perfect Angel and lived up to my name.”

Daisy snickers. “I sincerely doubt that. Faith is my best friend, and she’s shared enough stories about you and your brothers for me to know you were all kinds of trouble.”

“To answer your question, yes, I argued with my mom and dad over quite a few things. Like the time I wanted to go to a party. I was seventeen and a senior in high school. They knew what kind of party it was. The kind with cheap beer flowing from a keg and mishap written all over it. All I could see at the time was a chance to hang out with the football team and maybe get a kiss from Allison Dawes.”

Resting her chin on her knees, Daisy grins. “I bet you went anyway. Not for the beer, but for the kiss.”

I smile right back at her. “I did. I waited until my mom and dad were asleep and then snuck out. But do you know what happened? By the time I arrived at the lake, the party had been broken up by the cops. Five of my teammates were arrested for underage drinking and lost their scholarships, while another twenty-seven students were suspended for a week, missing all the homecoming festivities and the dance. The argument with my parents delayed my arrival, sparing me from the same fate.”

“Did your parents find out?”

“Oh yeah. In fact, they knew what I was planning before I even left the house. They let me go because sometimes we need to learn the hard way for a lesson to really sink in. I was grounded for a month, and I never did get that kiss from Allison.”

Daisy’s eyes crinkle. “That was the real punishment, wasn’t it?”

I shrug. “We don’t always get what we want because it’s not what’s best for us. So, do you want to tell me what you were asking God about?”

“It was more like me venting while begging for clarity. Why would God spare me and not the other girls? With a snap of His fingers, He could have saved them all by intervening. So why did He save me? What you heard, and what likely drew you out here, was me letting out all of my frustration so that I don’t blame Him. Still, it’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of God allowing evil to exist in the world when He could snap His fingers and make it disappear.”

She raises her hands to stop me from sharing my opinion before she’s finished. “I can’t imagine a world where being taken away from all you love and hold dear was best for those girls.”

“In the moment, it might not have been what was best,” I tell her. “But if they don’t want to return home, then maybe they’re exactly where they’re supposed to be. Tragedy can alter the course of a person’s life, Daisy. You know that firsthand. You’re here where you belong because of your abduction. Granted, you escaped, which I honestly believe is part of God’s plan. But that doesn’t mean He can’t use those women too. Trust Him.”

Daisy stands up and offers me her hand. “I know, and you’re right. I guess every once in a while I need a reminder, especially after hearing that there are people out in the world who stand by and allow bad things to happen. Thank you. However, if I’m part of the plan, I should get back inside and do my job.”

“Are you ready to talk to Bennett?” I ask. “You didn’t seem too pleased with him earlier.”

“Yeah, but before I do, I need you to be honest with me. Is what Bennett said in there possible? Can the CIA lose track of someone?”