Page 92 of The Flame of Carson
“Stacey, babe, what is it?”Gage asked, moving to her side.
“I don’t know Gage.I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.”Stacey answered.
“Off?What do you mean?Ethan as well as Cain and Jimmy verified these guys and...”
“No, it’s not the MP’s or even the safe house.The situation, I guess.I mean, Tony and Elias just stumble across those messages and what happens?You and I are suddenly plucked from my house and locked away.Does that seem right to you?”
Gage frowned, as he thought over what Stacey had just said.He also applied what he remembered about Anderson and what was in the information that Ethan had shared the day before.Pieces slid around in his mind.He recalled that Anderson was exceptionally good at slight-of-hand back in the day.Several times he had seen how Anderson would deflect blame and confuse those in charge, but since he could never prove it, he had told only McCandles.
“Oh shit!It’s a set up.”Gage breathed.
Stacey opened her mouth to speak when she and Gage heard a loud crash.They spun toward the living room where the MPs were posted.“Stop right there!Hands up Anderson!”
“Freeze!”
A series of muffled shots were heard and the tale-tale signs of two bodies hitting the floor.Without a word, Gage gripped Stacey’s left hand and silently pulled them toward French doors of the library.He had just opened one when his world went black.The last thing he registered was Stacey crying out his name.
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“Fuck.”Ethan hissedseeing the front door of the safe house kicked in.He and the rest of his team moved silently inside.He spotted the two MP’s laying unmoving in the living room.Both had bullet holes in their foreheads.“Gage!Stacey!”
“Ethan!In here!”Harker called from the library.
Ethan and the rest ran in to find Fortner and Harker helping Gage sit up slowly.Ethan and Lance kneeled in front of him.“Gage, talk to me.”
“It was a set up Ethan.”Gage groaned rubbing the back of his head.Stacey and I were in here and she said something felt off.I started thinking about what I knew about Anderson, and I realized what she meant.We heard a crash, the MP’s yelling for Anderson to freeze.I turned to grab Stacey and get out but then everything went black.Where’s...”
“Gage, Stacey’s not here.”Grant answered carefully.
“He’s got her.”Gage breathed, a million emotions running through him.“We must find her.Figure out where he took her.”he stated, getting to his feet.
“Sir, we found this on the back porch table.”One of Harker and Fortner’s agents said, handing over a small square envelope.
“It feels like a disc of some kind.”Fortner commented.
“Let’s get to where Eli and I are set up.If he left further clues or instructions, everything we need to track him is there.”Tony spoke up.
Gage was the first to head for the door.He didn’t even cast a glance at the fallen MP’s.His mind was focused on one thing.Finding Stacey.He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder as he stepped onto the front porch.Turning, he saw it was Grant.
“Gage, I know you’re worried about Stacey, but you’re also angry.You can’t have it both ways.I, as well as the others, know that you want in on getting her back, but if you can’t keep a level head, that won’t happen.You hear me?”Grant stated quietly.
“I hear you.You’re right.Look, I promise, by the time we get to Tony and Eli’s hole, I’ll be good.Well, as good as I can be, until I have Stacey back.Fair enough?”Gage replied.
“Ooh-rah.”Grant nodded, as the rest of the guys stepped outside.
Fifteen minutes later, Blackout, along with Fortner and Harker.were at Eli and Tony’s office at the Federal Building.As they drove over, Tony had called Elias and filled him in.When the group entered, they found Elias typing away at a keyboard and looking between two different screens.
“What have you got?”Ethan questioned as Tony sat beside Eli and slipped the disc from the envelope.
“Either Anderson is sloppy, or Stacey is just that smart.I’m tracking her cell phone.Or rather I was until about five minutes ago.”Eli smirked.
“Wait, she has her cell on her?I thought she left it at the house.”Gage frown in confusion.
“She leftAcell phone at the house.Gage, she has two.Her personal and her work cell.I’m tracking her work cell.I lost the signal on I-35.They were heading North.Tony, what’s on the disc?”Eli reported.
“It’s an encrypted link.I’ve got the tracer on it now and once we click it; we should have more.”Tony answered.
