Forever Freed Page 4

  That night, he’d reached out to the president of the small country and set up this meeting for six months down the road. Jackson’s commander was working with the higher-ups in DC and was sending the messages from Mr. Thorn’s phone to Jackson as he, Lucas, and Jimmy waited for Mr. Thorn to arrive.

  “I can’t believe he used the cell phone the city pays for to send these messages,” Jimmy said with a shake of his head. The team got the news that Mr. Thorn and four armed guards were on the way back to the compound and would be there in five minutes. An armed drone was following the car and David was in a sniper position nearby as backup.

  “Thorn is the one who provided the information on all the soft targets in Los Angeles the FBI has been foiling,” Jackson told him as he finished reading the texts. He put the phone in one of his pockets and checked his gun once more. “That asshole was going to be on his nightly sports talk show while his wife and innocents were blown up in a terror attack he planned. Then, as the grieving husband, he’d find the strength to take over his wife’s position as mayor and take down the terrorists that he’d sent.”

  “I see lights,” David said over the coms.

  Jackson, Lucas, and Jimmy stopped talking. Jackson pulled a knife from his vest of tricks. “It’s going to be that way, is it?” Jimmy asked.

  “It sure is.”

  Jackson nodded and the three of them turned on their body cams. He’d get the evidence the court needed to make sure the world knew what a horrible person Thorn was.

  He heard David giving a countdown, but he didn’t need it. This wasn’t his first rodeo. He’s rescued children from far worse fates than a sports reporter, but this wasn’t just for Gladys. This was for all of Los Angeles. The FBI was taking the drone footage of Thorn’s meeting straight to President Stratton. From what Jackson knew about him, President Stratton wasn’t going to take kindly to a foreign president facilitating terrorist attacks against Americans.

  The world narrowed to only what was important at that moment: the sound of an engine, the sounds of people talking, and doors closing. The front door opened. Shouts of greeting as men walked through the halls with the mistaken impression that no one could touch them.

  “Hello, Mr. Thorn,” Jackson said calmly as chaos erupted. The guards raised their weapons. Jackson, Lucas, and Jimmy shot the second the guards’ weapons had risen toward them.

  “Thank goodness! You saved me!” Thorn began crying as he dropped to his knees. Then he looked around. “My daughter! They took my daughter!”

  Jackson never got up from his chair as he looked down at Thorn. “I have a question, Thorn.” Thorn looked up, his brown hair spiked and gelled as if he were still in college and not forty-two years old. “Did you know that as a city official your wife receives perks for the job? Perks like city-issued cell phones for herself, her family, and her staff?”

  “Is this a trick question?”

  “Why would we need to trick you, Mr. Thorn?” Jackson asked in such a malevolent tone Thorn visibly shook.

  “I . . . I . . . I don’t know.”

  “Answer the question about the phone, Mr. Thorn.” Jimmy snapped the order, causing Mr. Thorn’s face to blanch the same color as his white button-up shirt and four- hundred-dollar tennis shoes.

  “Yes, I knew that.”

  Jackson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Did you know that because those are government-owned phones, all voicemails, text messages, and emails are stored and can be retrieved without court order if the mayor asks for them or are instantly handed over with a court order?”

  “What?”

  “I have just been listening to the little chat you had at the palace and had my boss call your wife. She was more than happy to pull your phone records. It’s been some very interesting reading. It’s not everyday a husband partners with a terrorist cell to commit a terrorist attack on US soil just to kill his wife so he can become mayor. Although, they do say politics is murder.”

  Jackson sat back as Thorn’s mouth opened and closed like a floundering fish.

  “So, Thorn, you wanted to be mayor so badly you became a terrorist. How did you even know this president was on the same page as you?” Jackson asked calmly.

  Thorn tried to bluster, but in the end he told Jackson everything he wanted to know. When he and his wife were visitors at the White House, Thorn had overheard a private conversation that indicated the Middle Eastern president wasn’t happy with the straight and narrow. Thorn had reached out to him. It had been as simple as a social media private message.

  “But none of this matters,” Thorn said, feeling a little smug. “I’m not in the United States and I’m not going back. The president here will protect me.”

  “Is that right?” Jimmy said with a smirk before turning to Jackson.

  “This here is called a smash-and-grab,” Jackson said with a smile as he tapped his thigh with his knife. “You could try to run. You could try to signal the guards right outside, but I doubt you’d . . .” Jackson began to say but Thorn leapt back into the other room and then Jackson heard him running.

  Jackson slowly unfolded himself from his chair and stood at his full height. “I guess he’s evading capture. I better go get him.”

  Lucas shook his head. “There are no guards outside.”

  Jackson just smiled and took off after Thorn. He might be a sports reporter, but he was no athlete and Jackson caught up to him instantly. “Stop, Thorn!”

  “Help me! I’m the friend of the president!” Thorn screamed as he continued to run toward the SUV that had just delivered him.

  Jackson let the knife fly. It landed in Thorn’s butt cheek. Thorn tried to hobble away even as he was screaming. Jackson rolled his eyes and easily jogged up to him. With a quick kick to the back of the knee, Thorn went down to the ground.

  “Where you going, buddy?” Jackson asked as David came down from his sniper position and a second helo could be heard drawing closer. “Let’s go have a little chat.”

  “Mr. Jackson!” Gladys ran across the tent set up as the lounge area and jumped into his arms. “You’re back! I thought you left me behind. We watched three princess movies.”

  “I told you I would be back. I had to keep my promise that your mommy was safe. She is now. She’s going to meet us in Washington, DC tomorrow. Won’t that be fun?”

  “Thank you, Mr. Jackson!” Gladys wrapped her little arms around his neck and hugged him. This was why he did what he did. A little part of his blackened memories turned to brightness.

  “Talon,” Lucas said with surprise and laughter in his voice, “you make a very pretty princess.”

  Jackson looked over to the large man who’d come to his feet. A bed sheet was wrapped around his waist to look like a skirt, and it appeared he had a crown made out of plastic forks on his head.

  “I made his crown,” Gladys said proudly.

  “Did you make me one too?” Jackson asked.

  Gladys nodded and wiggled in his arms so he set her down as the guys began to tease each other. “I made them for everyone,” Gladys said as she ran to a table in the back filled with fork-and-spoon crowns held together with duct tape.

  “Does this one have a polar bear on it?” Lucas asked with wonder at a spoon with four small black paws on it.

  “That one’s yours, Mr. Lucas,” Gladys said, handing it to him. Lucas went down onto one knee and bowed his head for her to put it on him. “Thank you, Princess Gladys.”

  By the time the larger helo arrived to take them to the airfield, Jimmy and Jackson’s team all had crowns and princess skirts on. The commander refused. Instead, he had a tail made and was Princess Gladys’s trusty steed, Sir Horsey. Jackson and the others snapped pictures and promised Gladys he’d send them to her mommy. He’d also send one up the chain of command to get Jimmy and his team some well-deserved time at home.

  “Where is she?” Gladys asked as the military plane touched down at Andrews Air Force Base. They’d been flying for thirteen hour
s. Gladys looked out of the window, searching the tarmac. The sun had set not long ago. It had been a little over twenty-four hours since he had been getting ready to storm the house and arrest Hassan.

  “She’s here. I promise. The deputy assistant director told me your mom jumped on a plane as soon as she was safe. She’s very excited to see you.”

  Gladys hugged Jackson’s arm and held on to it tightly as the airplane slowly made its way to a stop. Jackson could feel the little girl’s excitement strumming through her body as she clung to him.

  When the plane finally came to a stop, Gladys tightened her grip on his arm. “You’re not leaving, are you? You’re going to come with me and Mommy to keep us safe, aren’t you?”

  “I’m sorry, Gladys, but I’m going to my own home in Kentucky. Do you know I’m an uncle to a little boy even smaller than you? I also have a mom who will be very mad if I don’t come home since I haven’t gotten to see them in months. But your mom will have my phone number and you can call me anytime you want. Deal?”

  Gladys leapt into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her little body shudder as she tried not to cry. “Deal,” her pitiful voice said from where it was buried in his neck. “I’ll miss you.”

  “Come on, princess. Let’s go see your mom.”

  “Mommy!”

  How quickly he was forgotten. Jackson smiled to himself as he carried Gladys from the plane, down the steps, and into the chilly night air. He used a military blanket to wrap around Gladys as they walked off the tarmac and toward the large hangar where he saw Deputy Assistant Director Fortin. There was a woman in a suit standing next to him, Mayor Thorn.

  “Gladys!”

  “Mommy!”

  Jackson set Gladys down on the ground as Mayor Thorn lost all political dignity and took off running toward her daughter who ran just as fast to her.

  “I hope Bertha welcomes me home like that,” Lucas said with a sigh as Talon punched his arm. “Ow.”

  “That’s why we do this,” Jackson said as they watched the mother drop to her knees and her daughter fling her whole body into her arms. There were tears and sobs as they clung to each other.

  Talon was suddenly interested in the ground and Lucas blew his nose loudly as he sniffled. “We did good.”

  “Yes, we did,” Talon told Lucas.

  “Enjoy your week off, men,” Jackson told his team as local FBI agents flooded the area. They were securing prisoners and taking possession of the evidence Jackson and his team had brought back.

  “Fortin,” Jackson said to his boss. Fortin was one rung up the chain of command from Jackson.

  “Welcome back, men.” Mathis Fortin was in his mid-fifties and still looked as if he could not only be in a firefight, but also easily win it. His dark brown hair was cut short with some gray sprinkled throughout it. “I got the pictures you sent. You boys make very pretty princesses.”

  “Thanks, boss,” Lucas grinned.

  “I also sent the praise and the pictures to the right people. The Ranger Team there will be home shortly for some well-deserved R and R.”

  “Good. They earned it,” Jackson said as he watched Mayor Thorn stand up with Gladys in her arms.

  “Now, enjoy your leave. I’ll see you back at Quantico for some training in a couple weeks. I don’t want you to go soft on your time off. Lucas, there’s a plane leaving for Alaska right over there. And, Talon, are you going to Australia or are your parents here?”

  “Here. I’m going to see them for a couple of days. Maybe swing by Keeneston for a wedding.”

  “Yeah, we can’t miss it, boss,” Lucas added as he picked up his bag.

  “Hell, I’ve heard so much about it that I expect to be there too,” Fortin grinned. “Good job, men. Enjoy your time off.”

  His boss walked toward Mayor Thorn, but Gladys spotted them turning to leave and cried out, “Mr. Jackson! Mr. Lucas! Mr. Talon!” She pulled her hand free from her mother and ran toward them.

  The three men went down on their knees as she ran to them with open arms. They wrapped the little girl in a hug as she kissed each cheek. “Thank you. I’ll miss you.”

  “You too, little joey,” Talon told her.

  Gladys giggled as she let go of them. Lucas gave her a high-five before running to catch his plane and Talon gave her a princess wave as he headed out, but Gladys wouldn’t let go of Jackson’s hand.

  “Are you the man who saved my daughter?” Mayor Thorn asked as she approached with Jackson’s boss.

  “I’m one of them.”

  “This is Mr. Jackson, Mommy.” Gladys finally let go of his hand as Mayor Thorn stepped forward and in the next second was giving him a hug. Her body shook with silent tears as he held her.

  “Thank you,” was all she managed to get out.

  “You’re welcome, ma’am.”

  Mayor Thorn stepped back and he could see her throat working as if she had a thousand things to say but didn’t know how. Finally, she stopped trying and just bowed her head at him before turning to take Gladys into her arms and carrying her to the waiting town car.

  Jackson took a deep breath. It was time to go home.

  5

  Keeneston . . .

  * * *

  “You’re pregnant,” Dr. Ava told her as they sat in her Lexington office. Her stomach had been upset off and on since her cousin Wyatt’s wedding to Camila. After it persisted through her trip to Shadows Landing for her cousin Ridge’s marriage, she decided to see Dr. Ava when she got back to Keeneston.

  “I can’t be. I’ve been having my periods,” she said with disbelief.

  “Regular periods or just spotting?” Dr. Ava asked clinically.

  “I guess just spotting. They were light and lasted just a day or two, but they hit around the time my period was due.”

  “That’s very common, especially early on in the pregnancy,” Ava said with a smile and then patted her knee. “Do you want to take a look? I can snag an ultrasound from the maternity floor real quick.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Ava hurried from her office at the hospital and down the hall. She took a deep breath, her head shaking from side to side. Pregnant? She felt stupid that she hadn’t known. But there had been bleeding. She rubbed her hand over her still-flat stomach in disbelief and prayed to everyone who would listen to keep the baby safe.

  “Here we go,” Ava said, wheeling the machine into the room. She closed the door and shut the blinds. “Lie on the couch and let’s check this baby out.”

  She did as she was told. There was pressure and then the screen came into view as Ava moved the device around. The sound of rapid fluttering echoed in the small office.

  “That’s the heartbeat. It’s nice and strong. And there’s the little guy or girl.” Ava sounded thrilled as she pointed to the blob on the screen. There was a rounded head and little rounded limbs.

  She broke down in tears. She was pregnant. It was real.

  “Hello?” Riley yelled as she knocked on her twin sister’s door.

  “In here!” Reagan called out, her voice sounding tired. Riley opened the door to Reagan and Carter’s house on Ashton Farm and walked in.

  “Where are you?”

  “In here,” Reagan groaned.

  Riley rolled her eyes. It was like playing Marco Polo as she followed the voice to the downstairs bathroom. Her sister was hung over the toilet as she sat on the floor. “Are you okay?”

  Reagan took one look at Riley and threw up.

  “Whatever you’re carrying, throw it away. It smells so bad.”

  “I got you your favorite breakfast burrito,” Riley said as she wrinkled her brow in confusion as Reagan promptly threw up again.

  Riley raced into the garage and tossed the offending burrito out and was halfway back to the bathroom when it hit her. “Reagan!” Riley rushed into the bathroom, only stopping to grab a cup of water for her sister.

  “What?”

  “Are you pregnant?” Riley asked as she ha
nded her sister the cup of water.

  “What?” Reagan looked offended. “No, I’m not.”

  * * *

  Half an hour later, the front door opened without a knock. The sound of high heels clinking along the hardwood echoed through the house.

  “I got it!” Riley and Reagan hurried from the living room to see Aniyah running toward them on high heels holding up a pregnancy test.

  The front door opened again. “Honey, I got your text. What’s the emergency?” Carter called out. He froze at the sight of Aniyah and the pregnancy test. “Congratulations, Aniyah.”

  “Oh no, this isn’t for me,” Aniyah told him, handing the test to Reagan.

  “What are you doing? Oh my gosh, are you pregnant?” Carter asked, his face comically in shock.

  Reagan rolled her eyes. “I’ll know in about three minutes.” Reagan disappeared into the bathroom and Riley tried not to laugh at Carter. His eyes were as round as his open mouth.

  “You’ll catch flies like that,” Aniyah told him.

  “Start the timer!” Reagan yelled from the bathroom. That got Carter moving as he rushed to the door and wrapped her in a tight hug as soon as she stepped into the hallway.

  “Got it,” Aniyah said as she set the timer on her phone. “This is so exciting.”

  Riley nodded her head in agreement. Everything in her wanted to be holding her sister’s hand, but this was between her and her husband.

  The knock on the door had everyone jumping since they were so focused on the bathroom door. “I got a text about an emergency?” Riley’s husband, Matt, called out as he opened the door. “Hey, babe, is everything okay?”

  * * *

  Matt Walz looked around and took in Carter’s pale face and the way he clutched at his wife. As sheriff of Keeneston, Matt was on duty and Riley never sent out an emergency text unless it was a true emergency.

  “What happened? Carter, are you hurt?”