Page 89 of Avenging Angel
We’re pulling into the hangar when Owen claps his hands and then rubs them in glee. “Who’s the man?!” He points to himself. “This guy! I just hacked into the onboard entertainment system of the plane my sister is on. November-seven-four-two-Oscar-India is now owned by yours truly!”
Roger rolls his eyes. “Can you please put their comms on speaker?”
“I’ll do you one better. Once we’re airborne, I’ll tap into their cameras and get us video footage.”
When Owen pulls up the audio, all we hear is the sound of ice clinking in a glass.
Owen is the first to get out of the vehicle and head to the aircraft so he can get to work. The rest of us unload our equipment that the FBI commandeered from our cabin while we were executing our operation. We couldn’t take it with us from the start because we needed Bennett to believe that he wasn’t a suspect. Turns out Daisy’s vision was correct, though I don’t think anyone truly doubted her.
I turn around as my brother’s SUV pulls up behind ours, followed by my father’s 1990 M998 Humvee. Jordan exits the driver’s seat, followed by my brothers. Mom and Dad emerge from their vehicle and begin unloading gear.
“Did you drive all the way from Klamath Falls just to say goodbye?” I ask.
Jordan removes two rifle cases from the Humvee. “Don’t flatter yourself. We’re coming with you. Our ‘go bags’ are in the back of Dad’s vehicle, so make yourself useful.”
“You’re not coming. It’s too dangerous and you’re not federal agents.”
Seth grabs a duffle bag and heads toward the plane. “How is this any different from Colombia? When one of our own is in trouble, borders don’t matter.”
“That’s because it was our sister who was in trouble in Colombia. Daisy isn’t family.”
Benjamin laughs as he carries a rifle case and duffle past me. He stops, spins around, and sets his equipment on the ground. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he says, “Angel, you might be the oldest, but you clearly aren’t the smartest. We’ve all seen how you look at Daisy. It’s only a matter of time before she is officially family, and we’re here to ensure it happens. I’m literally betting my life on it.”
Faith takes my hand and pulls me toward the plane. “Let’s not dally any longer or argue over a lost cause. Roger already gave them the green light and is putting them on the payroll as contractors to make it legal.”
Dad slaps my back as he and Mom sneak up behind me. “We’d do it for free, Son. Daisy and this team risked their lives to save Faith. I’m even getting a son-in-law out of the deal. Now, we’re praying that this endeavor will prove just as fruitful, assuming you put a ring on Daisy’s finger the first chance you get. Then she and Faith can duke it out to give us our first grandbabies!”
Mom pinches my reddened cheeks. “You’re still so cute when you blush.”
“It’s not blushing. It’s a tactical response to parental interference.”
She pats them one more time as she laughs. “Fine, we’ll let the matter lie for now. When you’re ready to pop the question and lock down the woman who’s perfect for you, then know that I have your grandmother’s wedding ring waiting on standby.”
I board the plane last, shaking my head as I traverse the stairs and close the door. It’s going to be a long flight.
The engines roar to life, and the plane taxis out of the hangar. Within minutes, we’re airborne. I’m sitting next to Owen, who is waiting until we pass through 18,000 feet to link up to the mission-ready SATCOM system on board and start hacking a plane that’s two hours ahead of us.
“I have visual,” he says, pulling up a camera feed from the onboard security system of the Gulfstream.
We watch as Daisy slowly comes out of a state of unconsciousness and tests the restraints. Ten minutes later, she utters the words, “How long have you known?”
Bennett swirls whiskey in his glass, which explains the clinking of ice we heard earlier.
“Known what? That you’re Sadie? Since the beginning. You definitely weren’t the 14-year-old girl sniveling in her own snot, but it’s the necklace that gave you away. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure though until you mumbled words I’d said to you 20 years ago.”
Daisy repeats the words, and we listen to the conversation unfold. “Please tell me you didn’t forget to hit the record button,” I say quietly. “This is the confession we need.”
“Yes, Brad will be happy to know that he’s been exonerated.”
Brad was left behind in FBI custody and will remain there until after the story hits the front page of the news.
With Director Ludlow willing to throw himself under the bus to help us, there’s a spark of hope flickering inside me that maybe all is not lost for the future of the CIA. I’m still glad I resigned, but with a man like Ludlow at the helm, there’s a chance that organization will be viewed as one with integrity. It’s a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. All we can do is reveal the truth and minimize the fallout. In the meantime, we don’t need Brad running around and telling a story where he doesn’t have all the facts. Nor do we want to paint a target on his back.
When the conversation between Daisy and Bennett is over, I watch in horror as he jams a needle into her neck and then does the same thing to Eva when she begins to stir.
Dear God, please be with them both, and let us get to them before something worse happens.
We touch down in LaGuardia and immediately transfer to another plane that’s fueled and ready to go. Finnegan delivered on his promise to have a team monitor the Gulfstream without engaging, noting that they only stopped to refuel and file another flight plan.
