Chapter 10

Ibit the bullet and called Cierra Mancini. It's been years since we'd seen each other in person, mostly due to the pandemic that took over the world for the better part of two years, but also because with a young child and her career, there just hasn't been time.

"Cierra, it's me, Brittany. I'm sorry to just call you out of the blue like this, especially since I'm calling to ask a favor. It's crass, I know…"

"What're you saying? Of course, it's not. Thanks for the gifts for the little one, by the way."

"Oh, it's nothing. We chatted for a bit about life and the mundane before I got to it.

I did feel guilty that I was burdening her with this, but by the time I was through laying it all out, she was the one making me feel better. She took my concerns seriously and seemed like she was taking notes because she kept asking me to repeat things to make sure she got them right.

Honestly, her response made me feel just a little bit spooked, especially when I mentioned Marcus and Mark's response to me calling him. "Okay, Brittany, don't do anything else just yet. I'll look into this and get back to you before the end of the day."

"Oh, okay, you think there's something there?"

"I think that your husband being who he is and the fact that Marcus Blair called him after talking to you means that there's more going on than just some girl trying to get in his pants. I can't say more right now, but if it turns out to be what I think it is, I'll tell you everything."

"You're scaring me here."

"By the way, check all your electronics for spyware. That's if you don't want your husband to know what you're up to. Oh, and your car. You may not find anything because they're getting more sophisticated."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're married to Mark Wilson. There's a better than good chance that he knows every move you make."

"How did you know? That's exactly what he said, but what does it mean?"

"It means exactly what you think it means. We're still trying to figure out what they've been using, but we're all in the same boat. Whatever they're using to keep tabs on us isn't easily detected by anything on the market, so we just had to learn to live with it. I'm sure your husband is going to know about this conversation. I would email you, but they can see that, too."

"Are you saying that my husband is spying on me?"

"That's not how they see it. To them, it's their way of protecting us. Us, kids, even the damn pets, are probably tagged in some way."

"How do you know this?"

"It's a long story. I'm almost certain this call is being monitored as well." I looked around the room expecting, I don't know what.

"You are seriously spooking me out right now."

"It's okay; you learn to live with it. After a while, you even forget it some days."

"But I don't hear any clicking sounds or anything like that."

"They're too sophisticated for that, but that's not how it works. They don't sit and listen to everything you say. It's mostly a defense thing, a way for them to know where we are and that we're not in any danger at any given time."

"Like the chip?"

"Something like that, I guess, but noninvasive."

"Oh, well, that's not so bad, I guess."

"It's a pain in the ass, and Hank Mancini needs to quit." The way she said that I got the feeling she wasn't talking to me but directly to him."

"Okay, well, I'll wait for your call then."

"I won't be long. Take care. And since he told you to stay out of it, we'll give them the impression that we are."

"I like the way you think." I hung up the phone, more confused than I was before. That sounds like a James Bond movie.

* * *

MARK

* * *

"What are you guys doing?How does your woman know that she's tagged?"

"You're late to the game. Is that why Brittany called my wife this morning? Did she figure it out?"

"No, your wife told her. Actually, I'm kinda surprised she never figured it out before now."

"So, how much does she know?"

"Not much, for now, she thinks it's about shaking me down for money. But your wife promised to get back to her after she looks into their backgrounds. There's no way she can figure it out, though, so I'm not worried."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"What do you mean? Their covers are rock solid; I doubt even the NSA could see through it."

"Yeah, well, my wife has access to things the NSA could only dream of. She'll have the information sooner than you think."

"The kids?"

"Yup!"

"They're really that advanced already?"

"They're way better than we ever were."

"I don't want my wife involved."

"Then you shouldn't have let her catch you?"

"That was a freak accident. I honestly didn't know she was going to come that way. I only knew when she was right up on me. Then, that idiot chose that moment to throw herself at me. I was waiting for Britt to make her presence known but she just sat in her car taking what I'm sure she thought were incriminating pictures."

"Smart woman. She didn't fly off the handle; she did her homework."

"You should've seen her. I didn't know she had it in her."

"Well, you married her, so you must've sensed something beneath the surface."

"Yeah, so what now?"

"Now, you let her get the report from Cierra because there's no way to stop it unless you want to lie to her."

"I draw the line at that. I can keep her out of shit as I have been for almost twenty years, but I won't lie to her."

"Good man! Well, so far, we've been able to keep them out of too much trouble, but if Cierra gets the kids involved, there's no telling which way this thing is gonna go."

"I don't know that I want her to know about this shit."

"It might be too late to stop that train, brother. I can tell you right now, those little shits will figure it out, and they will tell her what they've found, and then they'll try to take over your shit."

"But we still haven't figured out who he's working for. I'm not too worried about Jessica or whoever she is, but Jack is the one with the connection."

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. It's been more than two years already. I guess the pandemic slowed them down a bit, but now they're ramping up, which means it's time for them to move on. They've already spent too much time on this one job already."

"And you're sure they didn't target us because of Dad? They don't know who we are?"

"It doesn't look that way. They're after the business and your connections."

"As long as you're sure this isn't personal."

"What does your father say?"

"He agrees with you, but you know me. I like making absolutely sure about these things. My kids are away from home."

"They're protected, you know that."

"Yeah, but it's not the same as having them here where I can see them. Oh well, I guess I need to go have a talk with my wife."

"You do that."

Shit! How the fuck did I let this happen? I should've stopped her when she first started her detective shit. I just thought she was bored, and once she realized I wasn't having an affair, she'd back off and go back to her charities and hobbies.

I didn't see the call to Marcus or her realizing the severity of what those two were up to. For one, I never expected Jack to go to the apartment because a big part of their cover was appearing as if they didn't know each other. But she got him to go there somehow.

When I had a sit down with Dad earlier, he was no help; he was proud of his daughter-in-law, while I was worried for my wife. I don't know what the hell happened to my father, but the man who had kept what he was hidden from Mom for more than fifty years is all onboard with my wife sticking her nose in.

According to him, times have changed. Personally, I think he's fascinated with those damn kids, and the shit Mancini and Lyon allow them to get up to. He didn't let me get anywhere near this side of things until I was in my early twenties, but apparently, these kids are way more advanced than I was at that age.

I only know about the kids because, as part of what is now being called The Squad, we're briefed at least twice a week on what's going on. It's kind of like the way the country is run. The head guy gets briefed daily, and he passes on what needs to be done to his subordinates.

My father had been the head guy my entire life until roughly three and a half years ago, right around the time the world went to shit. Things are done differently these days, and I guess that has a lot to do with the fact that Lyon's handlers didn't bring him in when they were supposed to.

On the other hand, I guess it says a lot about the guy that he wasn't inducted when he was supposed to be and yet had lived his life according to the rites and ethics of the organization without having any affiliation. That's not an easy feat, but after meeting him, I can see why.

My own induction was crazy. That's when my own father sent me into hell and then sent Marcus in to get me. I guess that was both our inductions. It's not been easy living a double life. One as a businessman and the other as a glorified international rescuer.

Our thing has always been and will always be about rescuing trafficked kids and women. It's not a new thing; this has been going on for centuries and is more prolific than the rest of the world knows. I doubt three-quarters or more of the world is aware that there are human beings still being sold into bondage as we speak.

Or that most of the kids on milk cartons were actually trafficked for gain. These monsters are so fucked they actually kill a few innocent bystanders to make it look as though kidnapping is just about some sick fuck who's into kids, but it's much deeper than that.

The men and women behind this ugliness are a well-organized band of evil fucks that spread out to the four corners of the world. Their thing isn't about making money; they're the ones with money. You need money to do the shit they're into.

It"s an evil that, if the known world was aware of it, would strike nothing but fear in their hearts and minds, and my wife is on the cusp of finding out about this shit. I'm not sure why Lyon thought it was a good idea to let his kid get involved.

I know she's set to take over from him, but that's many years from now and she's too young, too innocent. At least, that was my argument when we took the vote, but he seemed to think differently.

From what I know now, he had no choice because the kid was just too smart, which is saying something because the way my Dad talks, there's no one smarter than Lyon. All of that aside, I have to decide how much I want my wife to know and figure out a way to keep her out of danger.

Jack Spears is not just some low-level bum out to make a quick buck, and he and Jessica aren't just trying to shake me down. Their game is more sophisticated than that. They want to use me and my company as a front for their trafficking shit.

As long as they have me in their pocket, they will have access to my clientele and connections. They will use blackmail to get me to do their bidding, and with my name and company at their disposal, they'll then have access to everything I know, including the owners of some of the biggest tech companies in the world.

What they don't know is that I've been onto them since the beginning. So, while they've been trying to play me, I've been trying to figure out who was backing them. It's not TV; these things don't happen within an hour or half an hour, these things take time, and the enemy isn't dumb enough to leave their ass hanging out.

It"s a delicate balance, and my wife is threatening all the work we've done in the last two years. Actually, I can't blame her. Jack wasn't supposed to be here this long, but the pandemic had thrown off his timetable. Jessica was supposed to be part of the game long before now, but since I've not been an easy mark, things have been prolonged.

Now I'm in a race to find their backers before my wife gets her ass in trouble.