If there was anything that could immediately redirect Adrian's focus from his own misery, it was the knowledge that someone he loved was in danger. Natalie had seen this herself, not only in recent days such as when he rescued her from the Altman Aeronautics kidnapper, but it had been his pattern for years. Whether it was hanging out the window of a moving car to rescue her from a dump truck in a car chase, or throwing aside his fear of heights to the side to come save her on the rooftop, or instructing the voodoo salesman to ram into the back of an ambulance where she was just moments away from meeting her Maker at the hands of a deranged murderess, Adrian always came through for her when it counted most. And, it wasn't only her. She had heard of where he went down in the sewers to rescue Sharona and how he had rescued Ambrose from a burning building. All of this showed that this man Natalie had married was simple in so many ways and complex in others. He gave an appearance, at times, of being in his own little world where nothing else mattered but himself. But, below the surface, his love ran deep and there was no limit to what he would do to ensure that his loved ones were safe. With this in mind, it was predictable that he did not take the news of Natalie's visitor well.
"Natalie! You could have been killed!" he said, with exasperation in his voice.
"I know, I know. But, Adrian, I was only going to be gone a little while." She said.
"It only takes a little while! Preacher! Why didn't you…?" He said.
"I tried. She said no." said Preacher, throwing his hands up.
"Well..h-how did this guy even know you were going? Did you look all around before you got in the car and do what I told you to do to make sure you weren't followed?" he asked, pushing himself out of bed, powering through the pain as a man on a mission.
"Yes! I promise! I did everything you told me to do. I KNOW I wasn't followed. I KNOW it, Adrian. I was very careful." She said, with tears beginning to form.
Adrian did not notice her angst but instead he hobbled stiff-legged through the room seemingly aimless, trying to figure out what he wanted to do. Internally, he was so full of rage that he wanted to hurt someone and hurt them bad. This translated to an external demeanor that was easy to misread.
"Oh, Adrian!" she began to cry out of sheer nervousness. "Please! Don't be angry! I promise! I tried to be careful, I really did!"
Hearing the cry in her voice, Adrian stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes. What a Jerk I Am! She must be petrified! He thought to himself.
Exhaling loudly, he limped over to Natalie and put his arms around her as she buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed.
"Sweetheart. I'm sorry." He said softly. "Please…don't cry. I'm not mad at you. Not at all!"
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"I tried to be careful." She said, her voice muffled in his pajama top.
"I know, sweetheart. I believe you. Natalie…listen….listen sweetheart." He kissed her head again. "Here's the thing…What you just told me was terrifying! And, it made me angry – not at you. Not at all. I'm angry at who did this. I honestly want to hurt him right now. If I saw him, I honestly think I could kill him! Nobody touches you. Nobody."
He took her face in his hands and used his thumbs to wipe her tears. "Natalie, sweetheart, look at me. Don't you know it would destroy me if anything happened to you? I would be destroyed! It would be over. There would be no more Adrian." he said.
She bowed her head, "I know. I know. Oh Adrian!" she said throwing her arms around him. "I was so frightened!"
Preacher stepped towards them. "I hate to break this up, but we need some details while they are fresh. You said the man identified himself as Sammy Miller. What did he say to you?"
Natalie stepped back from Adrian's embrace and wiped her face with her hands. Then, she and Adrian went and sat on his bed.
"He knew everything about us. He knew we worked with the FBI and what we were working on. He knew you were sleeping and that I had gone to go get the babies medicine." She said.
"That sounds like he has this place bugged." said Adrian, looking around.
"I haven't seen anything out of order." Said Preacher.
"Well, there's more. He knew that we lived in Boston, that Julie lived near Harvard. He knew we have two children and that my parents live in San Francisco and that Ambrose lives there as well. He knew it all." She continued. "And he said that his boss has a 'certain affection' for our family and that he didn't want to kill us."
"His boss is someone we know?" asked Adrian.
"I don't know. I think that is what he inferred though. Anyway, he said that he was with the New America People's Liberation Front, and that complete domination of the US is their goal. He said the next target was going to be New York City and that it would happen in about ten minutes from that point." She said.
"And it did." Preacher interjected. "There was an explosion on Wall Street this evening."
"Anyone hurt?" asked Adrian.
"Noone." Said Preacher. "But I'll just bet all of these attacks start having their affect on the stock market."
"I'll bet you're right." Said Adrian. "People like their security."
"Sure do." Said Preacher. "Anything else?"
"Not that I can remember right now. It is all a blur." she replied.
"Okay, if you think of anything else." Preacher responded. "What next?"
"Well first thing we need to do is figure out how they knew these things. Let's search for listening devices." Said Adrian.
"Adrian, you don't feel well." Said Natalie.
"I don't care. The muscle relaxant took the edge off a little. Our personal safety matters more than my comfort right now." He replied. "Next, I need to talk to the Director."
"And Kennedy?" Asked Preacher.
"No Kennedy. Something about him…I don't trust him, sorry to say." Said Adrian. "Assume everything is bugged. Be very careful about what you say out loud. These perps have messed with the wrong people."
Adrian called the Director and told him that he wanted a one on one meeting first thing in the morning in a secure area. Nobody else was allowed to participate. The Director had an appointment with Stoddard at that time, but would work it in. Adrian decided that Stoddard needed to know as well. If they were going to continue supporting this effort, that feckless cousin of his was going to provide the Monks with security, 24/7. It wasn't that he didn't love his country at all, but there was simply no reason for him to risk his life and the lives of his family when they had all of the resources of the US Government at their disposal. He would ask for guards for Julie, Ambrose, and the Davenports as well since they were mentioned by name.
When he was finally done with setting things up for the next day, they did a sweep of the house and found nothing. Preacher went to bed and Natalie and Adrian brought the babies into the room with them and crawled into bed themselves. Sleep would not come easy as sheer adrenaline kept both of them awake through the night.
"Did he say anything else? What about Grier? Did he say anything about her?" he asked.
"Oh yeah. He said that she supported their revolutionary goals and had done so for years." She answered.
"So this is not a new organization?" Adrian asked.
"I didn't get that impression. In fact, he mention how this time was going to be different. They weren't going to be dissuaded from their goals like they were before." She answered.
"Before? Before what?" he asked.
"Didn't say." She replied. "Adrian. So far, their goal has been to cause instability and to avoid taking human life. But, I saw the look in Miller's eyes. He's just itching for blood.
"If he ever comes near you again, he is going to get that wish." Adrian growled.
"Honey. He didn't hurt me. Try to focus on the case and let the law handle him." she said. "Okay?"
"I will focus on the case, but I make no promises concerning Miller - or his boss, whomever that may be." He replied.
