Chapter 80
Alex entered the interrogation room an hour later with lunch for the young man, but there was no sign of him. His books and iPod were still on the table but he was gone. She left the food on the table and went out in search for him when he rounder the corner looking lost.
"Sorry I went to the rest room and I got lost on my way back. This place is really cool. Glass offices galore." He explained in awe. "Yeah, it's all right." She shrugged. "Brought you some food you can't sit here all day not eating. And you and I will be taking a ride in a few hours." She said taking a seat. "First things first, we've got a house for your mother and your three siblings as well as your grandmother. The problem with that is, that there's no space for you there." She paused a little making sure he processed everything.
"Wait, where am I going to go then?" He panicked setting his sandwich down, looking at her with big eyes. "You're staying with my husband and I. We're actually not allowed to do that but our bosses agreed that for now that's the only alternative there is." Alex explained raising an eyebrow at Mark.
"Uuhhmm okay. Will I still be able to see my family? I can lay low out on the streets miss Alex, I really don't want to be a nuisance and bother you and your husband. Don't worry about me I'll find my way around." Mark shook his head.
"First house rule, don't argue with me." Alex whispered the second part. "You're not going to bother us trust me. There's a little human in the household who will bother you. I'll come back in a few then we have to let your mom know what's going on." Alex said walking towards the door. "Oh, and if you need some fresh air, take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor, there's a door at the back opening up to a porch. Don't run away though." She warned and he nodded.
She walked towards Ryan's office, he was busy on the phone arguing with someone on the other end. Alex didn't bother sitting because she just need to say this and then run before he starts bombarding her with questions about what she just did being against the rules.
"I don't know why the FBI have safe houses if only one is available for use right now." He said frustrated slamming the phone down. "About that, I might have a solution for that." Alex started and Ryan looked up at her not saying anything waiting for her to continue.
"Before you lose your marbles, Maranda told me it' fine as long as you sort this out with Liam. I kind of told Mark he can stay with us until this thing blows over." She started he opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him.
"There is no space for him Ryan you saw it. I'm going to see his mom and tell her about it and hopefully she'll agree to this. What's the worst that can happen? These guys looking for him don't know where we stay and I'm being a Good Samaritan in the process." Alex concluded waiting for him to answer.
"All right. He looks like a good kid, we'll see how it goes." He sighed. "You do know you're not supposed to do this right?" He asked and she nodded. "I know. But he told me it's fine he doesn't want to bother us or make a nuisance of himself. I'm sure he won't be trouble." She smiled leaning across the desk kissing him quickly.
Ryan shook his head as his wife left his office. He admired her, and the lengths she'll go through to protect people she believes in.
"Okay people, we have a case at hand where we have evidence but we need to find the killers in the footage. I need every one of you on this and be careful, these guys aren't afraid to play dirty. Be on guard all the time and if you have to talk to them take someone with you, do not go into this alone." Maranda briefed the rest of her team as they watched the video footage Mark handed over. Four guys beating a young man around the age of seventeen and the shot him four times, the last shot making it fatal and leaving his lifeless body on the sidewalk. The footage wasn't very clear for facial recognition but with technology today they'll get them.
"You ready to go? We have to stop by your mom's work and tell her about what's going on." Alex said when she entered the interrogation room and Mark started packing away his books. "Miss Alex you don't know my mom. She's a whole new level of crazy." Mark warned swinging his backpack over one shoulder. "Well then the two of us will get along just fine." She nudged him as they walked towards the parking lot. On the way there he informed her on his mom and his siblings and most of the things he thought she needed to know. They pulled up in front of the burger shop where Mark's mom worked and he was hesitant to get out of the car at first. "Well come on. I'm gonna need back up if she goes crazy on me." Alex smiled getting out of the car walking through the entrance.
A tall dark skinned woman with black curly hair were standing behind a counter and looked up when she saw the door open. She came around the front and crossed her arms over her chest looking at her son. "Terri Williams." The woman introduced herself extending her hand towards Alex.
"Hi, Alex Booth, don't worry ma'am he is not in trouble." Alex started before the mother went off on her son. "Is there some place we can talk?" Alex asked and Terri led them to an office.
"Mark came to see us this morning and gave us the footage of a shooting that went down. He said the guys knows he has it and has come to threaten you and your kids at home, and he might have a target on his back. We might have a solution for this whole thing until it blows over." Alex explained and Terri nodded her head.
"There's a witness protection program, where the FBI has a few safe houses that no one knows about. We got a house for you and your children and Mark's grandmother. The problem is that it's smaller than we thought and there wouldn't be space for Mark. My husband and I are willing to let him stay with us if we have your permission until it's done." Alex concluded looking at the woman who stood at the door.
"Mrs Booth, I can't let you do that. I don't want to disrupt your household. What if these guys find out where you live and your lives' will be in danger too?" Terri panicked.
"No, it'll be fine really. We wouldn't have offered if we thought he'd be a disruption. Plus, he seems like a good kid. We'll get him a tutor so his schooling doesn't lack behind and someone will bring him over so he can come see you guys everyday." Alex answered hoping to put the mother at ease. Having your child move in with a stranger is bad enough but the fact that it's FBI agents must make be even scarier.
"All right then. But the minute he gives you trouble, you bring him to me, and he'll sleep in an overcrowded house." Terri warned Mark more than Alex.
"Momma, come on. I'll be on my best behavior. Those ones you taught me like we're living the high life, remember?" He smiled and a smile creeped onto his mother's face. "Don't get smart with me, boy." She hugged him for some time before letting him go.
"Thank you, Mrs. Booth. For doing this. I really appreciate it." Terri said hugging Alex as the two of them left the shop. They drove to his house and he packed some clothes while Alex waited outside scanning the area before they drove off towards home. She kept looking in the rearview mirror making sure no one followed them but they were in the clear.
"Home sweet home." Alex announced when they pulled up to the house. "Come on." She got out the car and took his bag out the trunk opening the front door so he can walk in, but he stood stagnant. "Miss Alex, I can't stay here, this is too much. I'll just.."
"No this is not too much, come in." Alex pulled on the backpack strap on his shoulder and he entered the house. Walking down the hallway. "Okay, this will be your bedroom, you can unpack your clothes and hang them in the cupboard if you want to. Bathroom is through that door, I'll get you clean towels." She said and Mark stood in the middle of the room.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay. You'll see. If you're hungry, we just passed the kitchen scratch in the fridge and get yourself something to eat. You can watch TV if you're bored and go bonkers. I'm gonna go fetch Phoebe at day care real quick." Alex told him and he nodded taking a seat on the bed. On her way to get Phoebe she wondered if she's doing she right thing, he barely said three words when they got home. Hoping she can get through to him and let him know that he's safe there.
Ryan and Alex pulled up at the house together. He took Phoebe from her mother and Alex walked inside. Mark sat on the couch watching cartoons, looking up confused when they entered. "And we have a new friend staying with us. That's Mark." Ryan explained to Phoebe who looked at her father intently until her gaze stopped at the stranger. Alex said something about a little human but he didn't think the human would be so small, and he didn't know she and Ryan were married. At least it's someone he knows and he didn't have to re tell the story, he thought gratefully.
Phoebe looked over at Mark on the couch and smiled at him. "Hey Phoebe." He greeted carefully and she wormed herself out of her father's hold and into Mark's. Smiling he took the baby and settled her on his lap, handing her a round rattle that laid on the couch as the two of them continued watching TV. He more than her since she was more concerned with the noise the rattle made whenever she moved her hands.
Ryan and Alex watched them from the kitchen. "Are we doing the right thing, Ryan?" She whispered looking at her husband. "He's a good kid. And from what he told us earlier, being more concerned about his mom and siblings that himself, we don't have anything to worry about while he's here. " He assured her kissing her cheek. "And it'll be nice having equal rights with two guys in the house for a chance." Ryan laughed walking over to the fridge.
During dinner they discussed the way forward on what will happen from tomorrow onwards until these guys are caught. How everything will work in order to keep Mark and his family safe and his home schooling system Mark sat there and listened intently to what they said and asked questions when he was uncertain about something. "I know this is a lot to take in, buddy. But we're here to help you through this okay. " Ryan assured the teen and he nodded his head. Thanking Alex for dinner and cleared off the table.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked when she heard the water running and Mark stood over the sink. "Uhhmm, doing the dishes?" He questioned not sue if he did something wrong by doing it.
"No no no, leave that. It's Ryan's job, he's not getting off that easy."
"Miss Alex I really don't mind, I mean this is the least I can do, for everything you and Mr Ryan did for me." Mark argued not moving from the sink.
"I'll help you, she's not gonna let either of us off the hook that easy." Ryan stood up and help him, drying the dishes and packing them away.
Alex took this time to change the sheets in the bedroom where Mark sleeps and put fresh ones on, and clean towels and soap in the bathroom, when Mark came in and saw the bundled up sheets on the floor when she emerged from the bathroom with towels she added onto the heap.
"All this really is not necessary, miss Alex." The teen said shyly. "Are you kidding me? Of course it is, you're like a fellow FBI agent in hiding right now." She told him and he laughed taking a seat at the desk against the wall where his school books were packed. "And besides, I don't think these sheets have been changed since Ryan last slept in here."
"Mr Ryan sleeps in here?" Mark asked confused.
"Only when he's bad. Okay, seems like everything is done here. Our bedroom is upstairs if you need us. Good night." She smiled with the bundle of sheets and towels in her hands.
"Miss Alex, thank you." Mark smiled back at her. "You're welcome." She ruffled his curls and closed the door behind her, putting the sheets and towels in the laundry, turning off the lights and headed up the stairs.