The secret is out

Chapter 13

"Well, that's a new one, Mikey. We are going to kidnap her back from a kidnapper, thereby doing a re-kidnap." Sam summarized.

"That sums it up pretty well, Sam," responded Michael.

Nate's phone rang again. Everyone froze.

Nate looked at the ID. His hand began shaking, as he looked for reassurance from Michael.

"It's him, Bro, what do I do?"

"Go ahead and pick up," Michael said as Nate pushed the "send" button again.

Static. Then the mechanical voice instructed:"…No more time, no more excuses. This Wednesday. Leave the package and the money under the zoo bench by noon. And just to make sure you comply, I will leave you with this one thought."

At first there was silence from the phone. After 10 seconds, Elizabeth and Nate jumped at the sound that came next from the receiver.

It was a sharp, sudden female scream.

"AHHHHhhhhhhh!"

"Ruthie!" yelled Nate into the phone.

The threatening voice added, "Just remember...it doesn't bother me to hurt people. In fact I enjoy it." That was it. No further instructions.

They all stared at the now silenced phone. Hearing Ruth's painful shriek brought everyone back to the seriousness of the kidnapping. Images of what would make a woman cry out such a blood-curdling scream entered each of their minds.

This second phone call had been brief, yet effective.

"Ruthie! What are they doing to my Ruthie?" Nate sounded panicky after the phone call. He turned and looked accusingly at Michael and Sam, "And here you both thought the video showed she wasn't kidnapped! What do you have to say for yourselves now?"

"Nate—" began Sam.

"...and Lizzie..." snapped Nate, as he turned towards her. She stiffened at his harsh tone, "You've practically guaranteed that he would never hurt Ruthie! Did you hear her screaming? What do you think about that?

She watched him with frightened large eyes.

"Nate, stop! You are directing your anger at the wrong people!" said Michael.

"No, I will not stop! Why are we just standing here, Bro? Let's go get those guys!" insisted Nate.

"Maybe we should just give Vespi back the ledger!" suggested Elizabeth desperately, "Anything, anything, to get Ruthie back! Nate, tell us what we should do!"

"Nate is going to tell us what to do?" said Sam, "Everybody clear your heads! No need to start talking crazy!"

Nate nervously paced, looking agitated. Keeping his head down, he watched the top of his shoes as he rigidly walked back and forth. Images of Ruthie swirled around in his head, as fear played out on his face.

He suddenly stopped and focused his attention on Elizabeth again. She slightly cowered as she readied herself for the expected onslaught of accusatory words.

"Lizzie," he began, "I'm not a spy." The last part was stated like a quiet announcement.

Elizabeth straightened up, before glancing questionably at Sam, then Michael, and finally at Nate.

"W-What?" Elizabeth was lost, "I don't understand..."

"Lizzie, I am not a spy. Not ever." Nate admitted, as Michael nodded approvingly, "There is a kidnapping we need to deal with instead of this nonsense."

Michael never heard such a humble, rational tone coming from Nate as he continued.

"The truth is,"confessed Nate to Elizabeth," all my so-called spy adventures came from watching movies or hearing snippets of Michael's life. I wanted you and Ruthie to think I had lived this very exciting, important job. Sounds rather insignificant, now, in the light of things, doesn't it?"

"You are important, Nate," said Michael gently, "You are important to all of us here and you are most important to your wife and son."

Elizabeth also looked at Nate with a reassuring smile.

"Nate, Ruthie loves you for the person you are, not for the job you held."

Nate's eyes watered slightly as he pleaded to Michael.

"Help me get Ruthie back, Michael. I need her back home. She and Charlie are my life!"

He buried his head in shame as Elizabeth put her arms around him.

"Oh, Nate!" Elizabeth empathized.

"God! I am such a screw-up!" Nate mumbled in his hands.

"Nate," said Michael, "Nate, look at me." Nate slowly lifted his head, sadness registering on his face.

"You know," Michael said to Nate, "to admit a fault; to admit you are not who you envisioned you should be, is as brave an act as anything a spy might do."

Nate watched Michael's face for any signs of exaggeration.

"Really, Bro?"

Michael reached out his arm to touch his younger brother's arm.

"Really. And we are going to get Ruth back," Michael said it with certainty. He next turned to Sam, "Sam, you know what to do?"

Sam nodded. "I'm on top of it, buddy."

Michael and Sam worked like a well-oiled machine. There was no discussion required; Sam knew what to do. The first thing they required was to find the origin of that call.

Sam flipped up his cell phone and called one of his contacts at the phone company. He gave his contact Nate's cell phone number and asked her to trace the caller's number. Sam was halfway through his call.

"Sam, do you want the address, too?" asked the female friend over the phone.

"Anything you can give me, honey," Sam said.

"Ooo, Sam, I'll hold you to that promise…" the woman's voice seductively replied.

Sam grinned. He still had it. The magic of Sammy.

People who watch too much television think tracing a call takes a long time. Spies know better. That "keep him on the line a little longer" is pure Hollywood schmaltz. Traces are instantaneous. Any operator worth her grain of salt can just plug the number into her computer and presto.

"Sam, I've got it," she said. It didn't take the phone company employee very long, "The call was made from a payphone inside the Dolphin Mall off 12th street."

Sam wrote down the number as he relayed the message to everyone in the room. He then ended the call with a promise to thank her later, mojito-style.

At the end of the call, Michael looked baffled.

"Sam, your contact stated the call originated from a mall? Is she sure?" Michael asked.

Sam looked exasperated, "Of course she's sure! It's her job, Mikey. Do we second guess you when you steal a file?"

"But it doesn't make sense," Michael stated.

"Why not, Bro? Okay...so the call came from a mall. What's the prob?" asked Nate.

"Why make kidnapping demands from a paid phone in a mall?" asked Michael.

"Mario is a smart man," reasoned Elizabeth, "He would not want the call traced back to him. He probably sent one of his underlings to make the call, and that person randomly picked the mall."

"But a public mall?" repeated Michael, " The kidnapper dragged Ruth to a mall and made her scream into the phone"?"

"Hey, yeah... "Sam sounded doubtful, too, "Who would be dumb enough to make her scream in front of all those shoppers?."

No one could answer that question.

"Nevertheless, we have enough to proceed," said Michael, breaking up the silence, " I still think the plan can work."

Michael decided that he would go check out the payphone at the mall. See if the location held any clues. He wanted Sam to work on securing an arsenal of weapons they would need to rescue Ruth. After all, they were going up against a mob boss.

"Wait...weapons?" an unsure Elizabeth asked, "You plan to have a shoot- out with Mario's gang?"

"Not quite," said Michael, "Vespi definitely outnumbers us, so we'll pull a con instead. The weapons will be the back-up plan. Hopefully, it will not come to that."

"Uh, Mikey," said Sam, "Shouldn't obtaining weapons be Fi's department?"

"That's right, we should get Fiona!" agreed Nate, "I remembered she was kinda good with weapons and all."

"Who is this person Fi?" questioned Elizabeth.

Oh god, Fi. How he wished to see her again, mad or not mad. But Fi did not want to see him. Her weaponized snow globes said it all. And he didn't want to think about how she would react to seeing Elizabeth in person. It would be best to keep her out of this case.

"Fi will not be with us on this assignment. We can handle this mission without her. That's it, end of discussion," Michael spoke with a firm tone.

Sam looked surprised but knew better than to say something.

"So what will Nate and I do?" asked Elizabeth.

"Stay here," said Michael, "and let me know if the kidnapper calls again."

"But it's Ruthie!" insisted Nate, "I should go with you!"

"I said to 'stay here' where it's safe. Let Sam and me handle it!" insisted Michael.

Elizabeth, and especially Nate, did not look happy with the decision.

"Please, Michael, I'd like to help some way," Elizabeth pleaded, "It's my fault that they have Ruthie."

"No, Elizabeth," Michael didn't know why his voice suddenly sounded so kind, "It's not your fault. They have Ruthie because they are cruel, dangerous people who chose to do illegal activities. Don't take it out on yourself."

Elizabeth looked at him with huge eyes, "Be safe, Michael."

She looked so helpless then. Unlike Fi, who could more than handle herself in any situation.

At the thought of Fi, his heart dropped.

As beautiful and nice Elizabeth was, she wasn't in Fi's league. Just the image of Fi made his breathing grow a little shallow. It always had been like that around her. As far as he was concerned, he and Fi were not over yet. They had something worth keeping. At least on his side.

Unexpectedly, Elizabeth leaned over and gave a light peck on Michael's cheek. It was definitely a pleasant sensation, but that was all. She followed it up with one of her 'make- a -man- melt' smiles.

Yet all Michael had to do was think about Fi again and it took away the effect of the grateful gesture.

Sam cleared his throat.

A spy could not afford to be distracted while on a mission. That split second of not focusing on what needed to be done could be the second that gets a spy injured or killed.

Michael retrieved his gun and left with Sam.

The loft dwindled to half its occupants. The tenseness in the room seemed to lessen as Elizabeth turned to Nate.

"Do you think we have a chance getting Ruthie back?" Elizabeth sounded scared.

"Don't worry, Lizzie. I have faith in my brother. He's the best there is."

"But Nate, just the two of them? Against all of Mario's people? I'm honestly scared for them!'

Nate paused.

"I know, Lizzie...I'm scared too."

"I just wished we could do something to help!" Elizabeth sounded exasperated.

The words that Michael said about Nate being as brave as any spy echoed in Nate's mind.

"You're right, Lizzie...we've already done some brave things!... Michael and Sam are good, but...this is Ruthie, after all! Michael and Sam might just need our help!"

"...by help, I hope you don't mean for us to fight the bad guys, too(?)" Elizabeth sounded apprehensive.

"I'm not exactly saying that, Lizzie..." said Nate, as he started to return to his usual animated self, "Look, we know where Michael is headed so we'll just do surveillance on him. We'll watch him, you know, to make sure everything is on the up and up. If it's good, we'll leave, I promise! If not... we'll be there for him!"

"Well," Elizabeth's uncertainty was weakening, "if you put it like that..."

Nate felt revitalized. Yes! A chance to save Ruthie AND redeem himself! He liked that.

"Let's go!" Nate excitedly said, as they headed out the door. With how he was feeling now, he knew he could take on anything in order to get Ruthie back...a beating, a broken bone or the worst punishment of all...a tongue lashing from his real life super- spy brother.

.

.

(Yay! Exposition over and now the action begins! Look out! And yes, Fi does appear in the next chapter)

Please review.