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  “Crouch down,” Halls said.

  She did as they asked, but her knees hit the edge of the box and she was unable to lower herself.

  “Hmmm. Try this one,” she called out, undeterred, placing her hand on another slightly larger box. The gentle way she set her hand down on it was sickening—like she was patting a sweet child on the head.

  “Yes, ma’am.” The guards lifted Christy up and put her in another box. With each movement, her leg pounded in pain. The box was definitely bigger. But certainly not big enough. Her only defense was making sure she lowered herself in a way that prevented her from fitting. She crouched and made sure her knees and rear end hit the front and the back of the box.

  “Push on her.” Matron Halls eyes glittered with the challenge.

  “What?”

  “Oh, are you ready to tell us about your friends and where they are right now?”

  “I told you I don’t know. I seriously don’t know.” They looked skeptically at her. She glanced down at the box she was now standing in and her heart seemed to stutter. Maybe this was their way of scaring her. Maybe they weren’t going to really put her in it, not with a broken leg and finger.

  “We’ll see about that. After a little time in the box, your memory might suddenly clear.”

  The guards placed their hands on her shoulders and pushed. Christy pressed up with all her strength, desperation blocking the pain from her booted leg. To her surprise, it worked. She stopped her downward motion the second her knees grazed the top edge of the box.

  “She can’t be pushed.”

  “No? I thought that was the perfect one. It never takes me three guesses to find the right box.”

  Christy’s leg throbbed from the effort of pressing up.

  She pointed at the next box. It wasn’t a perfect square, but slightly rectangular. This would allow her hips, rear end, and legs to fit inside. She was sure of it and desperately wanted not to fit. She kept her head down as they walked over, frantically searching for a way to make it appear that she wouldn’t fit so that they would put her one size bigger still. Nothing. This would be her tomb.

  As soon as her feet were inside, it was clear that she could fit in this box. But still, she attempted to make it not so. An inch more of space would go a long way. She wanted—needed—a bigger box. She bent down when instructed and pushed her rear behind her, sticking it as far out as she could to try to make it appear that she couldn’t fit. Her leg raged with pain.

  Halls didn’t wait on the guards. She came up behind Christy in a sneak attack and pushed her down. Christy’s body crouched, the walls of the box touching her outer legs, her knees, and her back. She took a sharp breath in and couldn’t stop the scream that thrust itself out her mouth. The guards lifted the lid and she ducked, closing her eyes. The lid clamped shut.

  * * *

  MARYBETH

  The senator paced while he talked on the phone to several different people. Marybeth had her phone on speaker, listening through Jeremy’s phone still. His face held worry and deep contemplation. His stride was hesitant, unsure. He was struggling with something big. His eyes lingered on his wife and kids, who sat on seats in the designated waiting area, waiting for security to open so they could go to their gate.

  As if a bell had rung in a race, everybody showed up at the airport at the same time: agents, security, everyone. As if on a timer. By five-thirty, half an hour after the time they arrived, the number of people in the airport went from practically zero to hundreds. It was easier for her to hide in plain sight and more difficult to hide in the bathroom as people kept coming inside needing a restroom. She considered leaving the bathroom, but she still had to stay hidden. Miller could not see her. She erred on the safe side and stayed in the bathroom. While she waited and watched, she came up with potential plans on how to get the uniform and pass she needed to pose as a flight attendant.

  The senator continued to wrestle with something. With the onslaught of people arriving, he’d had to adjust his pacing path, making it smaller and smaller, his trajectory changing constantly. It was easy to see that Jeremy was frustrated as he found himself unable to hear everything the senator was saying. At first, he chartered a plane for one. Marybeth knew however, that it most likely held up to ten people. Ten minutes later, he called and canceled and chartered a 50-person plane. Then it became a hundred-person plane and he seemed to relax. He even sat down by his family, putting his arms around them, hugging and kissing his boys and being very affectionate.

  There was a sweet resignation on his face. It wasn’t happiness. What had he done? He said goodbye to his family as the security lines opened and he hugged his wife. He was sweeter than she’d ever imagined. He stood and stared at them until they disappeared. It actually brought tears to her eyes. He had just gone through a very traumatic day and evening. One minute it was a bomb threat against his family and in the next, it was armed men coming in to kill them all.

  He loved his family. The love he had for those two boys was incredible. But the look in his eyes was as if he had lost them in one of those attacks. Marybeth couldn’t focus on that anymore though. As if a switch flipped the senator’s demeanor, he turned looked straight at Jeremy and said, “Henry, I’m thinking I will take you along.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Well, that little detail is going to have to remain unsaid for the moment. In fact, I won’t tell you until we get there. I can say that we might be gone until tomorrow. Don’t worry, you won’t miss your graduation.”

  “So, it’s an overnight job?”

  “It might be. And I’ve got a feeling you’re going to earn your pay today. Again, confidentiality is key. I have to make this right.”

  “Senator, you look like a man who’s looking for redemption.”

  “Because I am. I’m going to set something right that was wrong from the beginning. But enough about that. We’ve got a flight to catch.”

  “Sir, I only have my backpack and a few supplies. We’ll get you whatever you need when we get to our destination. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  “Do you need me to get us boarding tickets?”

  “No. We won’t need those. Flying on a charter.”

  “Really? Which one?”

  He was asking all the questions that she needed the answers to. And she wasn’t sure she was going to get those answers the way the senator was so ho-hum about everything.

  “Against my better judgment, we’re using DWest. I wanted to use my guy, but he’s not available.”

  “Your chartering an entire DWest plane?”

  It was time for Marybeth to get moving, she pressed her phone earbuds back into her ears and left the shelter of the bathroom. She needed to find a DWest uniform. She headed toward the employee shuttle busses. She would steal the luggage of a couple attendants, hoping to find an extra uniform inside.

  “Not one of their big planes, just a hundred seater.”

  “Did they not have anything smaller?”

  “We’ll be the only ones going to our destination, but I plan on the plane being full on the way back.”

  “I guess I didn’t know DWest chartered.”

  “Yes. They’re easy to scramble, but they sure do want an arm and a leg for their services. We need to get to the other section of the airport. We leave in thirty minutes.”

  “You weren’t kidding about them scrambling. We better really hurry.”

  “It’s just a five-minute drive. We’ll end up waiting once we get there.”

  Marybeth needed to hurry.

  “So we get, what, six flight attendants to help the two of us?” Jeremy chuckled.

  “Oh no. I only paid for one on the way there. The other five will be added on the way back.”

  “Smart.”

  Marybeth scrambled onto the bus as the two of them disappeared out the doors that would eventually lead them to their parking spot. Now she had to wait for a DWest flight attendant to get on. Three women dressed in the DWes
t uniforms climbed aboard the bus, chatting about how crazy their morning was. They set their bags on the baggage shelf, two of which had their IDs attached to the handles. She sized the three women up. One was larger than her and the other two were about her same size. In less than one minute, she had to act. At the next stop, a bunch of employees hopped on and shuffled about, trying to find some standing room in the full shuttle. Marybeth grabbed both girls’ bags and slipped off during the confusion. She went inside the little hut where employees waited out of the weather for the next shuttle. When she opened one of the women’s suitcases, a blue outfit stared up at her.

  Quickly, she slid off her shirt and put the uniform shirt on, after making sure no one was near enough to the shuttle stop to see. There was no one. She slid off her pants and grabbed the skirt and slid it on. With dismay, she tried to pull it down a bit. It didn’t work. She eyed the other bag, thinking she would check for pants or a longer skirt, but several employees were headed her way. She stuffed her clothes into the small bag and grabbed the pull handle. She waited until everyone else was on the bus and then hopped on herself, leaving the second suitcase there for the one flight attendant to find. She was sure they would stay on the shuttle they had ridden once they discovered their bags were gone. When it came back around, at least one of them would find her bag.

  Chapter 25

  MARYBETH

  Marybeth rode the shuttle back to terminal one, got out and rushed in to grab her car from where it waited in short term parking. She drove it over to the chartered plane section of the airport. Before rushing inside, she looked up on the Internet how exactly she was supposed to look as a flight attendant for DWest charters. The major difference was in the shirt. Instead of having the word DWest embroidered on it, it said, DWest and underneath was Charter. There was nothing she could do about it. After parking, she hurried inside and, while she noticed the senator and Jeremy waiting by the boarding door, she walked right up to the other flight attendant. She swallowed her nervousness and tapped the other woman on the shoulder. “Headquarters sent me. I guess the FAA is requiring two of us on this flight even though there are only two passengers.” The girl rolled her eyes.

  “Of course they would. Why stick with one policy when you could have two separate ones?”

  “I know, right? There is one thing, though. I’ve only done this a couple times, I need a refresher.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You can just sit in the back if you want. It’s a short flight and there’s really nothing much to do. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Really? That would be great. That way I can watch and be ready for the return flight.”

  She smiled, and Marybeth followed her onto the tarmac.

  The next thing she knew she was sweeping up into the plane, followed by Jeremy and Senator Miller. He paused when he saw Marybeth. It was a very slight pause. He had probably seen her around D.C. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have a perfect recollection all of a sudden of where he had seen her before. She decided, because of that, that she should go ahead and hide in the back instead of help. Why she hadn’t used some supplies in her go bag to alter her appearance a bit more was beyond her. When would she stop making such rookie mistakes? She made her way to the emergency aisle so she’d have extra room. The flight attendant didn’t bother using the microphone. Instead, she went over everything in a conversational tone with the two men.

  After buckling in, Marybeth flipped up the window cover to watch as the plane took off. The plane didn’t need to push back, and they headed straight for the runway. To her horror, her eyes met Senator Alvarez’s. He stood on the tarmac, watching the plane, some kind of a package in his hands, which he waved above his head as he tried to flag down the plane. He lowered it, though, when he saw Marybeth. The plane continued to barrel forward. The look on his face turned from desperation to distrust in a mere moment.

  He had recognized her. She was sure. That meant trouble. What if he called Miller and told him about her and Jeremy? Then again, maybe he wasn’t even looking at her at all. Perhaps she was simply being paranoid. She would tell Jeremy the first chance she got. At the moment, she was required to stay seated. Once they reached cruising altitude, she’d find an excuse to go to him and tell him. Maybe she’d simply write him a note.

  But when they hit cruising altitude, Jeremy and the senator huddled and talked. They barely gave the other flight attendant any attention. She couldn’t think of a way to interrupt their conversation without giving herself and Jeremy away. It wasn’t like they could do anything about Alvarez while they were in flight anyway. She’d tell Jeremy the second they got off the plane. She was surprised when the captain announced they were landing. It didn’t seem like much time had passed at all. In the air, she had ordered a car to be there when she arrived. Jeremy knew this, so he made sure after they landed to hold the senator back. Delay.

  It hadn’t taken them long to get here and it wouldn’t take long for Alvarez to arrive either and she knew that he would come. She needed to alert Jeremy. She pulled her phone from her pocket to text him, but realized that if she texted him, she’d have to end her ongoing call with him. She had no guarantee that he’d be able to call her back, and she certainly couldn’t call him. No. She couldn’t risk it. She’d have to find another way to let him know.

  Her flight attendant partner was waving her over. Marybeth, hollered, “I’ve got to go into the offices to clear some stuff up. I’ll meet you at the hotel.”

  “Okay. Suit yourself,” the woman said, walking up to her. “Just be ready to go at any time. They didn’t give a specific departure time. It could be today or it might be tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay.” Marybeth smiled at the woman, and the woman left. “You be careful,” Marybeth called after her. The woman raised her hand in the air and waved without looking back.

  Marybeth listened once again to focus in on what was happening with Jeremy and Miller.

  “Can you fill me in on the danger now that we’re here?” Jeremy asked. The two men were facing away from her.

  “It comes from him.” She wondered what Miller might be pointing at. His phone? Possibly.

  “Who is he?” Jeremy asked.

  “Senator Alvarez.” Marybeth’s stomach knotted.

  “Really? A senator?”

  “Yes. Here’s the deal, don’t ask me for more details than I give you.”

  “Okay.”

  “The two of us started a business venture six years ago and let’s just say he’s not the business partner you would want to have. He’s made a mess of things, and it’s time to make it right. He has a bunch of people working for us illegally—most under duress. You and I are going to free those people.”

  What? Free them? Who? She tapped her fist against her lips. Was Senator Miller a good guy? She thought about all the rhetoric she’d heard come from Senator Alvarez’s mouth about Miller. She’d been led to believe Miller was the devil incarnate. Her chest tightened. Her world had truly been upended in the last few days. Now she was to believe Miller was trying to make a wrong, right? She felt hot, and not because she was in the Caribbean.

  “If you free them,” Jeremy said, “and they’ve been held captive or whatever, aren’t you afraid they’ll talk?”

  “I was. But I’m not anymore. Not now that my family is in jeopardy. I’d rather be in jail for the rest of my life than see them hurt in any way. Besides, if I don’t make this right this—this person with the bomb might actually succeed with his plot against me.” Little did he know that there wasn’t a plot against him. A pang of guilt hit her, but only for a moment. If their fake threat had made him decide to do what was right, then maybe it was okay they’d tricked him.

  Marybeth didn’t know why, but Jeremy kept pressing Miller. “But sir, there’s no going back from this. You’ll be arrested if you have slaves or whatever it is you have here.”

  “Stand down,” Miller growled. “I’ve made the decision and it has not been an easy one to make. I was wrong
in trying to ignore this, thinking I could wash my hands of it if I pretended it no longer existed. I finally have a clean and clear opportunity to make this right, and not you or anyone is going to talk me out of it.”

  “A man of integrity is found.”

  Marybeth wished she could see the expressions on their faces. It told so much of what was going on inside people’s minds.

  “I just don’t want it to be a story of redemption lost. I want my story to be about redemption found.”

  “An epitaph to be proud of sir.”

  “I’m going to be in jail for a very long time, but I intend to do much good from the jail. If only my bill would pass.”

  What bill? His healthcare bill that Christy loved so much? Marybeth thought that maybe she understood a little bit why Jeremy had pushed Miller. Jeremy had to make certain that Miller was truly committed.

  There was a car waiting for the senator and Jeremy as they stepped out of the airport. Driver and all. Again, no opportunity to talk to him alone without making a mess of things. A valet pulled up behind them, hopping out and holding up a sign that read, ‘Christy Hadden.’ When she’d ordered the car, it was the first name she’d thought of that the senator wouldn’t recognize. She accepted the keys from the valet and hopped in just as the senator’s car pulled out.

  Lush green greeted her the second she chose to look around. Short, squat trees that looked similar to palm trees were all around. The humid air filled her lungs, making it hard to breathe, and even this early, it was hot. She fanned herself and turned up the air conditioner. While there were buildings all around them, none were very tall and most were out of painted wood or stucco. Masses of green bushes and trees surrounded them as they drove. It was beautiful. Her first visit to the Caribbean. Too bad it was under such terrible circumstances.