Page 44 of Complicated Past

He had breakfast underway when Jalen wandered into the kitchen.

“I have school today?” He climbed onto the bar stool and started spinning in circles.

“Not today. It’s an Uncle-Linc’s-in-town holiday.” As much as he banked on Bri being home today, he didn’t want to get Jalen’s hopes up. “We’ll go see Grams at the hospital later. First, we’re having breakfast—withorange rolls.”

Jalen stopped spinning, his mouth and eyes opened wide. “They’re my favorite!”

“I know.” Bri’s too. Hopefully, she’d get to have leftovers tomorrow. “We’ll also have bacon and eggs.”

“Cheesyeggs.”

Linc laughed. Could this kid be any cuter? It would suck to have his nephew’s life turned upside down.

Kendra joined them a few minutes later. She’d already dressed and had on a touch of makeup.

“Water in the pot is hot if you want tea.”

“You’re spoiling me.” She added water and a tea bag to the mug he’d set out, then came to his side and laid a hand on the small of his back. “What can I do to help?”

He leaned in and kissed her. “That’s a start.” It was hard to tell if she blushed, but her bashful smile was a nice way to start the morning.

His phone finally rang as he pulled out his semi-crisp bacon from the skillet. “Did you get my message about finding Tawnya’s car at the airport?” he asked Clara.

“Yes, we were already on that. I wanted to see if it would be okay for me to come by and fill you in on the plan for today.”

“Of course. We’re about to eat breakfast.”

“I’ll be there in less than ten minutes. I haven’t eaten yet because I’ve been working on this case,” she added.

Kendra shook her head. Laughing she grabbed more eggs. She cooked Jalen’s eggs and added cheese.

By the time Clara arrived, Jalen had finished his food, and Linc had set him up with the iPad and noise-cancelling headphones so they could discuss the plan without him picking up on their conversation.

Clara devoured an orange roll and a piece of bacon before she sat. “It looks like Malloy will survive. He’s conscious, and we have him under guard. The hospital staff have all been informed not to let him have access to any telephones or computers.”

“Has he given any information?”

“We haven’t questioned him or pressed charges yet because he may ask for a lawyer. If he does, whomever they work for will get word. We want to get Bri back safely first.”

“Smart,” he concurred. Any big crime organization would have lawyers who’d report back that the police had Malloy. That would put Bri in even more danger.

Kendra slid a plate of eggs and bacon to Clara.

“HSI located Tawnya’s vehicle. They’ve got a long-range tracker on it, and they’ll have someone in the lot eyeballing it. They will not let Bri get in the vehicle with her,” Clara assured him. “You’re right about needing to be at the airport, along with Jalen. And it’s best if Kendra comes too. However, while you can use the app to impersonate Malloy over the phone, you can’t pass in person. HSI has an agent who’s about the right size and coloring. He’ll drive Malloy’s van and get Jalen out if necessary. In addition to planting the tracker and letting Bri know not to go with Tawnya, their agent will slip Bri a button cam so we can see and hear what’s going on after she gets through security. That’ll help us know how to react.”

“I’m impressed with your planning for contingencies,” Linc stated.

“Glad to hear you approve. HSI tends to be the best of the best at whattheydo.” Clara winked at him. “When you retire from the military, maybe you’ll consider Homeland Security as an option. You’d make an excellent police officer, though here might be a little tame for you.”

“I’ve got another eight years left before I’d consider retiring.” He decided to put that on the table in case she intended that as a hint of a way to get her family’s approval.

“We’ve got a couple of hours, but I’d like to get out to the airport early to get an overview of the layout and where we need to be. Hopefully, their last flight is on time, but you’ll want to bring some things to keep Jalen occupied.”

“I can help with that,” Kendra offered.

“I sent Bri’s driver’s license and passport pictures to HSI, but forward me any recent pictures you have, and I’ll pass themalong. I’ll be back at noon. The van only has the driver and passenger seats, so we’ll need to take another car. Thanks for the food,” she said to Kendra.

“Thank him. He did most of it.”

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