“We do,” Jeremy replied just as Kellie stuck her head through the doorway.
“Coffee anyone? I made a fresh pot.”
“Hell yeah.” Travis tossed out the dregs of his previous cup and followed the marshal inside, while MacGyver brought up the rear.
Kellie handed him a full cup just as Charlie clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for what you did for my little girl last night, MacGyver.”
He choked on the first swallow of the hot liquid. Charlie was thanking him? What the hell had Kellie told him?
“She doesn’t sleep well since she came home from Baghdad. You on watch while she slept was a godsend, Son.”
The next swallow of coffee burned the shit out of his mouth, but he managed to smile. “Sure thing, Charlie. It was my pleasure.”Oh hell.He’d rather face the old man fighting mad than maneuver through a mine field of deception. MacGyver glanced toward Kellie, and her shit-eating grin made him sputter a laugh as he turned quickly away from her stepdad.
They all took seats around the table, MacGyver sitting across from Kellie. Chip, his tail wagging in time with his steps, dropped to the floor between Charlie and his stepdaughter. As MacGyver looked around the room, he settled on Travis. “Where’s Blake?”
“He called the airport last night, and they said he was good to go. Charlie offered his car, but Blake called a cab. Said to tell you thanks for the excitement in his otherwise boring life.”
That sounded exactly like something Blake would say, and MacGyver couldn’t help smiling as he glanced at Kellie for her reaction.
Apparently not paying their exchange any attention, she concentrated on her coffee for a moment before turning her head to face Jeremy. “Where is Anna? Is she all right?” Kellie reached for Charlie’s hand. “When can we see her?”
Jeremy got that deer-in-the-headlights look, and MacGyver had a pretty good idea what was coming.
“Anna is doing well. She’s worried about you, but she’s safe and healthy.” The marshal hesitated for a beat. “She’s in the witness protection program. Do you understand what that entails?” He was obviously treading lightly.
“Of course. You’ve given her another identity and moved her across the country—somewhere Tony can’t find her.”
“Right…but that’s not all. She had to give up everyone and everything she knew before. She couldn’t contact you or Charlie without putting you both in danger and, possibly, allowing the information about her location to fall into the wrong hands. The investigation into Tony Palazzi is ongoing and, believe me, he’d do anything to stop the source responsible for a good deal of our intelligence.”
“What are you saying?”
MacGyver leaned forward. “He can’t take you to her, Kellie, or even tell you where she is. If he did, he’d be putting you and Anna in danger. Palazzi would torture you for that information if he got the chance.”
Kellie’s chair scraped across the floor as she stood abruptly. “He doesn’t know Anna is my sister. I made sure—”
“Doesn’t he? Kellie, even Travis and I knew you were related to the girl in the picture you carry in your purse.”
Denial registered on her expressive face, quickly turning to defeat. “It was all for nothing then?” She glanced to Charlie, disbelief marked by the tilt of her head. “We’re this close and still we can’t go to her? Maybe not ever?” Misery filled her eyes, and she looked toward MacGyver as though pleading for him to change the circumstances.
If only he could. He caught the marshal’s attention with a glance. “Does the congressman have a secure line available? I assume the one you carry is.”
Jeremy reached inside his jacket and laid his cell phone on the table. “I know it’s not what you were hoping for, but I can arrange for Anna to call. It’s the best I can do for the time being.” He looked back and forth between Charlie and Kellie’s back as she walked away.
Charlie sighed. “We’ll take what we can get for now. Thank you, Marshal.” He shoved his chair back and rose. “I’ll go talk to her. She’s not trying to be unreasonable. She’s just disappointed. We both are.”
Chip pushed to his feet and followed Charlie out the door to the porch.
Jeremy palmed his phone, stood and punched in a number as he walked from the room.
What a cluster and there wasn’t a damned thing MacGyver could do. He scraped his hand down his roughened face, then noticed his friend watching him, an I-told-you-so-grin in full view. “Don’t start with your shit, Travis.” Apparently, MacGyver’s warning came with just enough frustration to make Travis think twice.Good.MacGyver didn’t need Travis’s questions on top of his own jumbled thoughts. Just some fucking peace and quiet.
Chapter Fourteen
Kellie paced the length of the kitchen and stopped long enough to rake her hand through her hair before reversing directions. She’d lost count of how many times she’d glanced at the marshal’s phone in the past thirty minutes. Jeremy had made arrangements for Anna to call him at four thirty. It was now four thirty-five, and the damn thing refused to ring.
Pop and Jeremy were playing cards at the table, both of them completely oblivious to her anxiety. The phone lay, dark and unresponsive, next to the marshal’s discards. MacGyver and Travis had each grabbed a beer and headed to the back deck to enjoy the last of the sunshine. It’d been a gorgeous day, but storm clouds were gathering again.
Suddenly, the phone came to life, the screen lit up and it vibrated against the wooden tabletop. Jeremy grabbed the device and raised it to his ear. “Anna, are you calling from a secure line?…Good. I’m fine. I told you not to worry about me…Listen, I’ve got a couple people here who are anxious to speak with you. One of them is almost as impatient as you. You’d think you were related or something.”