I hastily look over my shoulder to check if Mina’s watching me, but her eyes are still trained on her phone as she attempts to make another phone call. I assume she’s calling Ben again. Right now, I won’t worry about it. I’m just grateful for her distraction.
I unzip the duffel bag, quickly taking the gun out, stuffing it in the holster, and then, under the pretense of dropping the bags on the floor and zipping them up, I strap in the holster on my ankle. I’m thankful I had the good sense to wear my oversized sweats and chunky sneakers today. My weapon is not visible.
I check the clock, taking note of the time. I make Adrian a bottle, wearing the diaper bag on my back. I grab the bag on the floor and head back to my son. As soon as he sees his bottle, he raises his arms up, asking to be carried. I lift him back into my arms, giggling at his overeager hands. I rock him while he drinks, smiling a little at his eyes drooping as I make my way over to Agent To.
“Mina?”
Pursing her lips, she turns to me but just as she’s about to say something, her phone rings. Relief crosses her features when she checks the caller ID.
“Walker! What’s going on?”
Mina’s relief is short-lived when her eyes widen in alarm. She takes the duffel bag from me, using it to nudge me out the door with Adrian in tow. She stops me just outside her door, her phone still glued to her ear as she listens to Ben. I watch as she grabs her own duffel bag from her bed. That should frighten me if I didn’t already know Mina and her incessant need to be prepared.
But when I see a barrel of a gun poking out of the zipper which she hastily stuffs back in, my trepidation comes rushing back.
Adrian gets fussy, sensing my increased state of panic and I hold him close to my chest, shushing him as I wait for Mina to fill me in. I take the bottle from his hands and muster up a smile, clutching him close to my chest as I rock him to sleep.
Mina gestures for me to head towards the living room while she heads straight to Ben’s tech. She throws our bags on the couch next to the monitors before doing something on the computers that looks a lot like pulling up data. She yanks a USB drive from the desk drawer and starts transferring data and then she starts grabbing the stacks of paperwork from the desk and shoving them into the shredder underneath the desk.
I feel useless watching her do all this, but I can feel a panic attack coming. My breathing starts coming out in spurts and I struggle to catch my breath. My eyes dart around the room like some unknown enemy is about to jump out from the shadows.
Mina turns to look at me, her eyes narrowed and focused. She’s in agent mode, and I know better than to try and have a conversation with her but I’m feeling incredibly out of sorts. I need to do something. Anything.
“How-how can I help?”
She shakes her head, opening her mouth to speak when her forehead burrows and I hear the distinctly deep rumble of my husband’s voice replacing Ben’s on the other end.
“Understood.”
Nodding her head, she hands me her phone then turns back to finishing her tasks. The loss of the phone speeds up her process-- she’s in a hurry.
We’re leaving.Soon.
“Ria?”
My husband’s voice grounds me. My panic is still simmering beneath but somehow, I’m calmer just hearing the sound of his voice, safe in the knowledge that he is okay.
“Ree, I need you to listen to me and not panic, okay? Can you do that?”
I try to extinguish every trace of panic from my voice.
“Yes. What’s going on?”
“In about five minutes, several agents will be at the door to escort the three of you to a secure location. Mina will identify them, but do you remember Agent Smith from the DEA?”
“Sarah? I remember her from the hospital.”
“I’ve already told Mina this, but if Sarah isn’t at the door, do not leave. Do you hear me?”
“Noah, what’s going on?”
He lets out a frustrated grunt and his voice fades away, followed by a car starting. I hear him barking out orders at Ben or whoever he’s currently with.
He comes back shortly after, his voice filled with unchecked anger.
“Baby, I’m on my way to where you’re being transported but I’m still about an hour away so just follow whatever Agent Smith and To say. They will keep you safe.”
My frustration with his nonanswers is climbing to an all time high.