dead.”
Jake slumped, the Vector slapping his leg. Morehead cursed. Amit looked relieved.
“Contact Carlos. We need to leave now,” Jake said.
“Yes sir,” Vazquez answered.
“And I was looking forward to the next dance,” Morehead said between clenched teeth. He staggered back into the room.
Jake noted a dark stain running down the big Brit’s left leg. He saw for the first time the blinking red light on his heads-up display.
“You took a hit,” Amit noted.
Morehead shrugged, his eyelids closing lazily.
“So? We all have to go sometime,” he said as he slumped forward, his eyes rolling up into his head as he fell.
Ming rushed over and felt his carotid.
He looked up at Jake and shook his head.
“Strip his gear. Leave it. Bring him with us,” Jake said.
He felt numb. Everything was going wrong.
This was why he preferred working alone.
Chapter Six
Big Girls Don’t Cry
“W hy are you crying, Mommy?”
Hallie blinked away the tears and managed a strained smile.
“Come sit with me, hon,” she said.
Macy jumped up on the bed beside Hallie. Her frown and furrowed brow made Hallie sad.
She put her arm around her daughter and hugged her tight.
“I was sorting these pictures,” she explained.
Macy blinked. She glanced at the photos.
“Are they sad pictures?” she asked.
Hallie smiled.
“Some of them bring back memories. Memories can make us feel good inside and sometimes we can feel sad.”
“Like when I think of Daddy?”
Hallie felt the tear run hot down her cheek.
“Just like that,” she said as she hugged Macy harder.
“It’s ok then. Because when he is here, we are all happy. And, Mr. Childs said Daddy will be back soon. He is the best at his job and everyone needs him.”
“That’s right, Macy-girl.”
Macy smirked.
“I know. It’s just that I need him, too.”
Hallie buried her face in Macy’s hair, kissing her head.
“Me too.”
They sat like that for a moment. Hallie needed her daughter right now more than ever. It felt good just to know she was safe. She considered announcing to Macy that she would soon have a little brother or sister. She discarded the thought for now. It was too big for her even to consider without getting emotional. Her hormones were enslaving her. She needed to get them under control.
Thankfully, Macy saved her.
“You know what would make me happier right now?” Macy said, placing her face in Hallie’s chest.
“Ice cream?”
Hallie could feel her smile.
“You know me so well, Mom,” Macy mumbled.
Hallie heard a shuffle in the hall.
She glanced up to see Agent Frank McKinley, her “husband.”
His face was in shadow, but she could feel the concern radiating from him. In the month of playing “father” to Macy, Agent McKinley had grown rather fond of her. It was hard not to. Despite this, Hallie found Frank a bit distant toward her.
She supposed it was a defense mechanism. It was safe to fall in love with a child, less so with the mother that was still legally and emotionally married to a man that supposedly no longer existed.
The most difficult thing about faking Jake’s suicide was keeping the whole farce a secret from Macy. For the first two weeks, they did not hook up the cable to the television. Frank and Macy spent hours playing cards, dolls, tea time, and Disney Scene-It.
Hallie was left making a new house a home, carefully practicing her new identity and coaching Macy on things not to talk about. Macy was strong. Hallie had approached the training as pretending to act. Macy enjoyed pretending. For just a little while, Hallie explained, Frank, Hallie, and Macy would be the Braxton Family. They would be a “normal” American family.
Avoiding Frank while keeping up the appearance of a marriage was not difficult. Frank was appropriately inaccessible. The word from her friends with the Marshall’s office and the DOJ, was that Agent McKinley had extensive experience at short-term assignments involving family
Jake slumped, the Vector slapping his leg. Morehead cursed. Amit looked relieved.
“Contact Carlos. We need to leave now,” Jake said.
“Yes sir,” Vazquez answered.
“And I was looking forward to the next dance,” Morehead said between clenched teeth. He staggered back into the room.
Jake noted a dark stain running down the big Brit’s left leg. He saw for the first time the blinking red light on his heads-up display.
“You took a hit,” Amit noted.
Morehead shrugged, his eyelids closing lazily.
“So? We all have to go sometime,” he said as he slumped forward, his eyes rolling up into his head as he fell.
Ming rushed over and felt his carotid.
He looked up at Jake and shook his head.
“Strip his gear. Leave it. Bring him with us,” Jake said.
He felt numb. Everything was going wrong.
This was why he preferred working alone.
Chapter Six
Big Girls Don’t Cry
“W hy are you crying, Mommy?”
Hallie blinked away the tears and managed a strained smile.
“Come sit with me, hon,” she said.
Macy jumped up on the bed beside Hallie. Her frown and furrowed brow made Hallie sad.
She put her arm around her daughter and hugged her tight.
“I was sorting these pictures,” she explained.
Macy blinked. She glanced at the photos.
“Are they sad pictures?” she asked.
Hallie smiled.
“Some of them bring back memories. Memories can make us feel good inside and sometimes we can feel sad.”
“Like when I think of Daddy?”
Hallie felt the tear run hot down her cheek.
“Just like that,” she said as she hugged Macy harder.
“It’s ok then. Because when he is here, we are all happy. And, Mr. Childs said Daddy will be back soon. He is the best at his job and everyone needs him.”
“That’s right, Macy-girl.”
Macy smirked.
“I know. It’s just that I need him, too.”
Hallie buried her face in Macy’s hair, kissing her head.
“Me too.”
They sat like that for a moment. Hallie needed her daughter right now more than ever. It felt good just to know she was safe. She considered announcing to Macy that she would soon have a little brother or sister. She discarded the thought for now. It was too big for her even to consider without getting emotional. Her hormones were enslaving her. She needed to get them under control.
Thankfully, Macy saved her.
“You know what would make me happier right now?” Macy said, placing her face in Hallie’s chest.
“Ice cream?”
Hallie could feel her smile.
“You know me so well, Mom,” Macy mumbled.
Hallie heard a shuffle in the hall.
She glanced up to see Agent Frank McKinley, her “husband.”
His face was in shadow, but she could feel the concern radiating from him. In the month of playing “father” to Macy, Agent McKinley had grown rather fond of her. It was hard not to. Despite this, Hallie found Frank a bit distant toward her.
She supposed it was a defense mechanism. It was safe to fall in love with a child, less so with the mother that was still legally and emotionally married to a man that supposedly no longer existed.
The most difficult thing about faking Jake’s suicide was keeping the whole farce a secret from Macy. For the first two weeks, they did not hook up the cable to the television. Frank and Macy spent hours playing cards, dolls, tea time, and Disney Scene-It.
Hallie was left making a new house a home, carefully practicing her new identity and coaching Macy on things not to talk about. Macy was strong. Hallie had approached the training as pretending to act. Macy enjoyed pretending. For just a little while, Hallie explained, Frank, Hallie, and Macy would be the Braxton Family. They would be a “normal” American family.
Avoiding Frank while keeping up the appearance of a marriage was not difficult. Frank was appropriately inaccessible. The word from her friends with the Marshall’s office and the DOJ, was that Agent McKinley had extensive experience at short-term assignments involving family
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