Page 16 of Liberating Mia
As he pulled out a chair, Larry indicated he was almost done with his call.
Hanging up, he said, “Seems our mole is active again. I’m headed back home for a few days to put the final pieces into place and start shutting this problem down. I’m leaving you in charge while I’m gone, and you can keep me up-to-date via video call.”
“Sure thing, Boss. I’m looking forward to getting this thing shut down. And getting back home.”
“I hear you. When all of this is over, I’m going on retirement, for sure. Leave this shit to you youngsters.”
“Come on now, sir. You’re not old.”
Larry laughed. “Old enough to be tired of this shit, that’s for sure.”
With a snort of laughter, Finn shook his head at the other man.
They made short work of their breakfast, both eager to get to the meeting room they’d been assigned by the hotel. The sooner they got started, the better. They had a lot of ground to cover. And he was eager for them to review the footage of the woman being abducted from the hotel. He prayed they’d get something useful out of it.
Walking into the room behind his boss, Finn scanned the room, doing a mental roll call. Seeing everyone was present and accounted for, he made his way to the front and called for order.
“Good morning, everyone. I hope you’re all well-rested. Today’s going to be a long one. Before I get started, however, Deputy Director Keon will address us. Sir?”
Larry stepped forward and spoke to the team members gathered in the room. An hour and a half later, he took Finn aside. “I need to get going if I’m going to make my flight. No one knows I headed back except you and Tahlia. I’m hoping to catch our ‘friend’ off-guard.”
“Have a safe flight and happy hunting, Boss.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch. Stay safe, yeah?”
Finn grinned, saying, “You know me. Mr. Safety is my middle name.”
“Exactly. I know you. That’s why I’m saying it.” Larry shook his head, a smile on his own lips. He gave Finn a light punch on the shoulder as he walked past on his way to the door. “Over to you. I’m out of here.”
Finn watched his boss leave the room, thoughts on the reason why the man was going back to the States on his mind. He couldn’t wait for all of this to be over. Turning his attention back to the group in the room, he started assigning partners as he and Larry had discussed prior to the man having to leave.
Chapter Twelve
Jetlagged, hungry, and way past pissed off, Larry finally made his way into the FBI building. This confrontation was the very last thing he wanted to be doing. Even though he knew it had to be done, it made him feel like shit. He hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight home knowing it was coming. And then, Tahlia’s disappointment over him not being able to go home first before heading into the office had made him feel worse. That his flight was delayed and the airline had lost his luggage just aggravated an already sour mood.
Stalking into the outer office, he spotted Mary-Beth at her desk, guarding the door to his inner sanctum. Bracing for a confrontation, he paused at her desk. A look of surprise crossed her face as she looked up at him.
“Mr. Keon. Sir. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in South Africa.”
“I have some important business I need to attend to in person, so I’ve had to come back. Join me in my office a moment?” he replied before continuing to his own office.
Unable to face doing this seated behind his desk, he went over to the window. Stood waiting for his secretary to join him, hands in his pockets to hide the tell-tale clenching. A timid tap warned him she’d entered the room, but he kept his gaze focused on Pennsylvania Avenue below. “Have a seat.” The words came out clipped.
Confusion clear on her face, she replied, “Th–thank you, sir.” A beat of silence. Then, “Is everything okay, sir? You seem a little off this morning.”
“To be honest, Mary-Beth, I’m feelinga lotoff today. I’ve had a situation come to light I need to deal with, and I find it quite distressing.”
“Oh dear. That doesn’t sound good. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Larry closed his eyes against the sudden wash of sorrow. Right in that moment, he’d rather be anywhere else but where he was. “Sadly, there isn’t.” Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Mary-Beth. He let his gaze roam over her, almost clinically. He saw an attractive middle-age woman who was dressed in what appeared to be modest attire that still managed to flatter her frame. Understated makeup, neat heels. Nothing that screamed “look at me”, that made her stand out in a crowd, but still managed to make the most of what God had given her.
Beneath it all though, he saw the lonely woman who would be easy pickings for a man with an agenda.
“It’s recently come to my attention that we have a problem in the department. Since you’ve been a trusted member of this team for so many years, I was wondering if you’d be able to help me out.”
“Sure thing, sir. What seems to be the problem?”
“Well, it seems someone’s been leaking sensitive information regarding one of our ongoing cases.”
