Page 28 of Dark Medicine (Strange Gifts #2)

Crossing the Canadian border was easier than the three had expected. A quick show of their passports, all fake of course, and they were on their way to Wyoming. From Calgary, they traveled south through Montana and some of the most beautiful scenic views God has to offer. The highways had only a scattering of cars, which made for easy driving. By the time they reached Wyoming, Uri took over the wheel while Adam stood watch in the passenger seat, and Fiona slept.

“What made you buy a place so remote?” asked Adam.

“I think you know the answer to that. I suspected that something was fishy with Moore long before I could admit it to myself. I think subconsciously, I knew that I needed to start making preparations. Melanie and my family are everything to me, doctor. Losing my parents the way I did, showed me the importance of relationships, and yet I still fucked it up royally.”

“You haven’t fucked it up yet, Uri,” said Adam, staring into the night. “You’re doing the right thing now, and that’s all you can do. Your family is being watched by three of the best men we know.”

“Special Forces?” asked Uri.

“You would think so, but no. Well, one of them is. The other two were ex law enforcement, but SWAT and bomb squad. Kane uses them a lot in some of his cases.” Uri nodded his head, a dour expression covering his face.

“If this goes badly,” he said, looking down at his hands, “If my family…”

“Uri? Everything will work out,” said Adam, gripping his arm.

“If it doesn’t, Adam, I need you to promise me that you will end my life. I’m not sure I’ll have the courage, and I’m not sure what I’m capable of if my family dies.” Adam watched the stoic face of Uri Bellum fill with hatred, remorse, anger, and compassion all at the same time. He nodded at the man and hoped he would never have to fulfill his promise.

The secure satellite phone beside Adam buzzed, and he looked down at the text message from Spook.

“They’re at the cabin with your wife and daughter. All are safe. The extra men are staying on for security. They’re waiting for us.”

“Thank you,” said Uri with a shaky breath. “I knew they were safe, but still, I worried.”

“It’s okay, you know,” said Fiona in a sleepy voice from the back seat. “We understand that you weren’t given much of an option here. I don’t know what I would have done if they threatened my family.”

“It’s not just me,” said Uri. “The others are threatened as well. The only one willingly walking through this gauntlet right now is Groome, or at least, that’s what it looks like. He doesn’t have any family. Parents are dead, no wife, no children, and no siblings. I’m not sure how he got mixed up in this.”

“Do you think they’d help us?” asked Adam.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know if we can trust them yet. They’re all scared, and Moore and K have them brain-washed to believe there’s nothing for them to do. I’m not sure they would listen to us.”

“Their families are being held as well?” asked Fiona.

“Yes. Cullen left the military because of his sexual preference. He thought he would be free of the scrutiny, and Moore played right into that promising him things he could never deliver. Cullen’s husband, Bill, is bisexual, but he didn’t know that when he married him. He was actually seeing the woman, K. Cullen had no clue who she was or what Bill was doing. She has pictures, e-mail messages, you name it. She would destroy them both.

“Dan Henry and Norris Fredricks both have families. Dan’s wife and three children are under lock and key by Moore. He has no idea where, but they are able to Skype once a week. Fredericks, he tried to escape once and paid the price. Moore damaged his leg so badly they made sure he could never run again. His wife was killed, but they’re keeping his sons under house arrest to keep him under control.”

“And Groome?”

“He has no one, but he seems willing to follow this chaos to the end.”

“Wait, if Dan Henry’s wife and family can Skype with him once a week, shouldn’t Spook be able to track the Skype call or trace the previous calls?” Fiona leaned over the front seat, looking from Uri to Adam and back again. A huge smile spread across Adam’s face.

“And that, Uri, is why I love this woman,” said Adam, smiling. He leaned across the seat and kissed her soundly. Uri couldn’t help but grin, even with the pang of wanting for his own wife. “Let me call Spook.”

“Spook, yea, we’re good, brother. Listen.” Fiona and Uri listened as Adam explained the situation, wondering if Spook could truly track down Henry’s family. “Let me check. Is there a certain day of the week he gets to speak to his family?”

“Yes. Yes, it’s Tuesday. I guess I never thought about that before, but it’s only on Tuesday mornings at 10:10 a.m. Always 10:10 a.m.”

“Yea, brother. That’s right. Tuesdays at 10:10 a.m. Got it.” Adam hung up the phone and looked at his carmates. “Spook said he can track them. He’s going to try and find the signal from the last Skype call, but if not, tomorrow is Tuesday. If we can locate Henry’s wife and children, we can send in someone to get them. That should make Henry come to our side for sure.”

“He definitely would. Dan Henry is a good man. They’re all good men forced into something they never wanted to be a part of.” The phone rang once more, and sure enough, it was Spook.

We found them. They’re outside of Boulder in a cabin up in the mountains. Kane is sending Flip and calling in Ted.

Uri and Fiona listened as Adam placed the call on speakerphone. Uri’s eyebrows lifted at the thought of Spook finding them so quickly. He still didn’t understand the man’s skills, but then again, he didn’t need to.

“Thanks, Spook. I won’t even ask how.” Spook laughed on the other end of the line as it went dead.

“Let’s stop for some food,” said Adam. “If I’m hungry, I know that both of you must be, too.”

“I could eat,” said Fiona, grinning.

Uri pointed to a blue highway sign indicating several fast-food restaurants and hotels. Within a few miles, they pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant specializing in tacos.

“Tacos? In Montana? Well, I’m hungry enough I’ll try anything,” said Adam.

Fiona marveled at the amount of food Adam consumed. Uri was close behind, eating a half-dozen tacos and one massive burrito. She shook her head as she ate her one taco and a small portion of nachos.

Finished with their meal, the team felt rejuvenated and headed in the direction of Wyoming and Uri’s family. As dawn broke, Uri nudged Adam, careful not to wake Fiona.

“We’re almost there,” he said quietly.

Adam sat up straight in his seat, turning his neck, the familiar popping and cracking echoing in the car. Looking out the windshield, he admired the massive rock peaks, thick forests of pines, cottonwoods, and aspens. It was the most peaceful place Adam had ever seen.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Uri nodded, smiling. He turned down a rough dirt road, the rental car taking a pounding on the potholes and large rocks.

“Where are we?” asked Fiona sleepily.

“Almost there, baby,” said Adam.

“Geez, do we need a four-wheel drive for this?”

“Normally, that’s exactly what I use,” said Uri. “I’m sure Melanie picked it up. We have a secure place we keep the jeep. It’s an old abandoned mineshaft. When we come up, we park our family car in the shaft and then take the jeep. I have all the necessities, just in case, in that dusty old mine. Gas, food, blankets, everything.”

“Smart,” said Adam admiringly. “I would have done the same thing.”

Uri pointed ahead to a classic mountain cabin, the colors blending in perfectly with the surroundings. Two men stood on the porch, weapons drawn until one held up his fist. Uri stopped the car and waited.

“You thinking on shooting me, asshole?” said Adam, stepping from the car.

“I always want to shoot you, Doc, but not today,” grinned the gray-haired man. “How the hell are you?” Adam reached for the older man’s hand, his bear-like grip squeezing his fingers.

“I’m great, Ben, but try to spare my fingers. I need those to operate,” he laughed.

“Sorry, Doc. Who’s the beautiful redhead?” he asked, looking around Adam’s shoulder.

“Back off, old man. She’s mine,” growled Adam protectively.

Fiona rolled her eyes and stepped forward, offering her long fingers to the older man. She pulled her cardigan around her tighter, the cool brisk morning air causing her to shiver.

“Ignore him,” she smiled, “I’m Fiona Graham, sir. Thank you for being here.”

“Sir? I like her, Doc. Hello, Fiona Graham. I’m Ben Rollins.”

“Pleasure, Mr. Rollins,” she smiled. “And you?” Fiona turned to see the large, bronze-skinned man standing at the edge of the porch.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m Juan.” The big man was quiet, almost shy. He was nearly as tall as Flip, but his muscles more defined, his legs long and thick like the trees behind him.

“Juan. Do you have a last name, Juan?” The man winced slightly and then shook his head.

“No, ma’am. I don’t.” He turned, stepping off the porch and walking toward the tree line.

“Did I say something wrong?” asked Fiona.

“He really doesn’t have a last name,” said Ben. “At least not one he knows of. I found him on the streets of Mexico City when he was a boy. I brought him here to the states and raised him.”

“So, you adopted him?” she asked.

“Can’t adopt someone who doesn’t have a name, honey. I have no clue what that boy went through before I found him, but he was a mess. I strongly suspect he’s more than just the average Mexican kid. He’s massive, as you can see, highly unusual for the people of that region. I was able to forge papers for him so he could join the military. But Juan Smith hardly fits, don’t you think?”

“I’m really sorry. I had no idea. I’ll apologize to him,” she said, chasing after him.

“Wait!” yelled Ben, but Fiona was already following the footsteps of Juan toward the forest.

“You can’t stop her, brother. She’s a whirlwind of independence. Most annoying fucking thing ever!”

“Which is why you love her,” said Ben.

“Yea,” laughed Adam, “exactly why I love her.”

Uri stepped from the car, finally thinking it was safe. He looked up at the porch and walked toward the two men.

“Uri Bellum.”

“Mr. Bellum, I’m Ben. Your wife and daughter are inside safe.” Uri broke down, falling to his knees on the porch.

“I-I can’t thank you enough. I can never…”

“It’s okay, Mr. Bellum,” said Ben, grabbing the man’s arm. “Let’s go see your family.”

Uri, Ben, and Adam entered the house, but not before Adam looked over his shoulder to see Fiona talking to Juan. The man looked so uncomfortable he almost thought he should go rescue him. Fiona had a way of sneaking beneath people’s defenses, and Juan needed a little of that right now.

In the large living space, Uri was hugging his wife and daughter, Kane and Aislinn watching from the open kitchen space. Spook sat at a makeshift desk, his electronic gear surrounding him. He held up a hand to quiet the noise.

“Flip’s at the location. Two men on the outside, one on the inside.” Kane stood over Spook waiting for the news when suddenly, on the computer screen was a shaky Dan Henry. “I have feed from both computers. Flip is waiting until they’re done with the call. Then he’ll take out the three men. That will give us a week before anyone knows what’s happened.”

“I love that big guy,” said Aislinn, smiling.

The call lasted exactly ten minutes, the man standing behind Henry’s wife shutting the laptop. What the man didn’t realize was that the Skype call was still connected, and both he and Henry could hear what was happening.

Spook heard the distinct sound of grunting and then the dragging of feet. He heard Flip hush someone and then a female voice shakily saying, ‘okay.’ Three minutes later, the screen was live again.

“It’s done,” said Flip.

“What’s done? Who are you? Oh my God! Where is Karen?” Henry’s panic was palpable, and Spook felt for the man.

“I’m here, honey. This man… this man is helping us.” The weary face of Karen Henry filled the screen.

“Helping? I don’t understand.” Uri Bellum sat next to Spook.

“Dan? Dan, it’s Uri,” he said.

“Uri? You’re supposed to be dead. What’s happening?”

“I need you to listen, Dan. I’m with the girl and the others. They’re helping us. My family and now yours are safe. They’re going to bring them to me here. You need to be our man inside, Dan. We need your help.”

“Help? What help? You know what it’s like here, Uri. I can’t do anything. We’re always being watched. How… Oh God, they’re watching this!”

“No,” said Spook. “I’ve scrambled all signals for the next four minutes. I need you to shut up and listen. Can you do that?” Dan Henry tentatively shook his head and listened to Uri. At the end of the call, he nodded and agreed to help.

“Take care of my family, Uri,” he said with a tear in his eye. “I would very much like to see them again.”

“They’ll be safe no matter what, Dan. Just know that.” The call ended, and Spook closed all the Skype connections, releasing the interference.

“What now?” asked Uri.

“Now, we wait for Flip to return with Dan Henry’s family,” said Kane. “That will give us time to figure out our next move and time for you to explain some things to your wife.”

Uri started to protest, but the look on Kane Jackson’s face told him this was not optional. He nodded, taking his wife’s hand, leading her down the long hallway to their bedroom.

The front door opened, and Fiona and Juan walked in, one of them with a big smile, the other completely and utterly perplexed by the crazy red-haired woman dragging him behind her.