Chapter 18

Jesse and Maddie had an even bigger challenge trying to find Michael and Fiona. Based on his check of Fiona's fake social, he discovered that her last job was as a manicurist in a nail salon in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Maddie approached the salon and questioned the owner.

"I can't really tell you much about Shannon," the woman said, but the look on her face told Maddie she was being cautious.

"Shannon used to do my nails in St. Louis, and I was hoping that I could have her do them again, since I just moved here."

"Sorry. I don't know where she went. One day she came in and said she needed her last paycheck and had to leave town. It was an emergency." She paused. "I gave it to her in cash, because I figured if she was in a hurry she wouldn't have time to run to the bank. She was a good employee. My regulars miss her."

Maddie grinned. "See? Now you know why I want to find her! Do you have any idea where she was going?"

"Sorry. I think her husband was into some tech stuff. Maybe they went to California or something."

"Thanks. That's a little far for a set of nails," Maddie said with a disappointed grimace. She left the shop and dropped into the passenger seat of the car.

"Well?"

"Nothing. She knows absolutely nothing." She let out a breath and lit up a cigarette. "I knew this was a waste of time! Although, she said that Shannon's husband had some kind of IT background, and she thought maybe they might have gone to California."

"Yeah. While you were in there, I talked to Dani. She said that she and Elsa found out that Sam was definitely in Grandy and moved on." He gave her a quick rundown what Dani learned about an accident, Sam's time at a ranch, and how he obtained a new truck. "After he left the ranch, he went north."

"North. Probably wherever he met up with Michael and Fiona. But after that?"

"Looks like we all hit the wall, Maddie. Let's go find a motel for the night and I'll do some more digging, see if I can find something. I have a feeling that California might be the place to start."

"That's a big state, Jesse."

"Yeah. Don't worry, Maddie. We'll find 'em eventually."

Yes, but will we be in time? Maddie sighed and turned toward the window.

Shortly after Jesse and Maddie settled into their rooms, Dani called Jesse again. "Hey, Dani, what's up?"

"I was sitting here stewing, and I have an idea. I went looking for old friends and associates of Sam's, and I found something very interesting."

"What is it?"

"Sam's ex wife is married to an old high school buddy of Sam's, named Kurt Monroe. After graduation, Kurt worked some odd jobs, and eventually he joined the Marines. I think we should start with him, see if he knows anything about Sam's whereabouts." She paused. "Any luck with Michael and Fiona?"

"None," Jesse replied. "So where is this guy?"

"He lives in Encino." She gave Jesse the man's address.

"Okay, we'll head out tomorrow and meet you there. Sound good?"

"It'll take a couple days for us to arrive, unless we drive straight through. Never mind. I'll ditch the truck at the nearest airstrip, see if I can trade it for a ride for Elsa and me." She said. "I have this feeling that time is running out. We can't mess around trying to find them."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. "Maddie and I'll get on a plane in Des Moines and meet you there. I'll call you back when our travel arrangements are set."

"Okay, thanks." He got up and went next door, and he knocked on Maddie's. When she peered through the space between the door and the jamb, the chain preventing it from going any further, he said, "I just talked to Dani, and I arranged for us to fly to LA tomorrow. We'll meet her and Elsa at the airport and then we're going to check out a guy named Kurt Monroe. He's an old friend of Sam's, and hopefully he knows where he is."

"Oh, good." She breathed a sigh of relief. Then she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Jesse. Now I think I might be able to get some sleep."

"Night, Maddie." Jesse returned to his room. Maybe you can sleep, but I'm afraid the nightmare is just starting. He went to bed and hoped that the next day would hurry up and arrive, because he was getting tired of hiding and running what seemed like a fruitless chase to find his friends. His phone rang in the middle of the night and woke him. Jesse ran his hand over the bedside table, found his phone in the dark, and answered it.

"Yeah, who is it?"

"It's Tom Card, Jesse."

"Card. You're calling me at four in the morning?"

"It's after five here, bucko. Up and at 'em!" Card answered smartly. "Pearce called me with a report last night, and I did some checking. This Monroe guy, I found an article in the Encino local rag about a gang hit on his house several days ago."

Jesse sat up, his eyes wide open. "A gang hit?"

"Don't worry, they weren't gunning for Sam. Monroe's sister-in-law was shot, and she barely survived. The article mentioned that a friend had been visiting him." He paused. "Guess who that friend was? No, don't bother, your brain's too fuzzy right now. It was our buddy Jake Baldwin."

Jesse sat up at the news. "Woah. We're going to LA tomorrow to meet Dani and Elsa, and we were planning to interview this Monroe guy."

"Not anymore. I did some more digging, and I found another buddy of Sam's who was contacted by Jake Baldwin. His name is Roger Holt. Roger had a little one-on-one with the west coast CIA director to give up some dirt, and he told him that Michael, Fiona, and Sam are all in San Francisco right now, enlisting the aid of another of Sam's buddies, trying to find Anson."

"Are they having any luck?"

"I don't know. You need to track them down. This buddy of Sam's owns a company called Roxy Communications. I'd start there."

"Thanks, Tom."

"Don't mention it. Look, I know you don't think the world of me, but I really do want to see Team Westen back together."

"Even with Fiona."

"Yes. She's proven herself to the agency. She's a good woman, a good partner for Michael. I trained him, and I know who's a fine fit for him. That fiery little Irish woman is it."

Jesse knew that was true. "Okay, well, we'll have to rearrange our travel plans."

"I already called Dani, and she's got that covered on her end."

"Great. Maddie and I will take care of ours, and I'll talk to you later, Tom."

"Yeah. Be careful, Jesse. I don't like having all these civilians involved."

"I know that. It always makes me kind of squirrelly myself." Jesse snorted. "'Night."

Wow. That was a lot to take in. Jesse lay down and contemplated the fact that Card was able to do so much in so little time. He was a little envious, and annoyed. Due to his limited access to government files, so much time had been wasted. He thanked God that Anson had been cut off from so many of the same resources as well. It kind of evened the playing field.

Maddie was much shorter than Jesse, but she was so anxious to find Dani and Elsa, Jesse had to stretch his legs to keep up with her after they got off the plane. "There they are, Maddie." He directed her shifting eyes to the two women who stood among other travelers in a hub containing dozens of seats with boards listing arrivals and departures.

"Hello," Dani said with a thin smile. She recognized Maddie's nervousness for what it was and understood. "I took the liberty of renting a car, so we just need to go out to the lot, get in, and head downtown. I have the location of Roxy Communications."

"Oh, good! Let's go!"

"Mrs. Westen, relax. We have to do this calmly." Dani held Maddie back and slowed her down. She fell into step with her and held onto Maddie's elbow until she was sure that the woman wouldn't bolt.

Dani led them to the rental car lot and opened up the Jeep's back so everyone could store their luggage. Then they got in, and she drove them to the city center. No one said a word, but she imagined that thoughts collided in their heads as much as they did in hers. She hoped that they would find Michael, Fiona, and Sam together. At least Sam would be around, since this was his friend. According to Card, they were all in the city together, so she really had nothing to worry about. But if Anson found them... she tried not to think about that.

She located a parking garage nearby and took a spot. The four walked to the building, rode the elevator up to the fifth floor, and entered the reception area.

"Can I help you?" The same receptionist smiled sweetly up at the small group.

"We're here to see Ms. Fox. She's probably in a meeting with some friends of ours."

"Oh, Ms. Fox has been in some serious consultation with a few people for the past couple of days. She's not seeing anyone else right now. I'm sorry."

"Yes, I know that." Dani held out her credentials. "We're here to be part of that meeting."

The receptionist studied the CIA ID card intently. Then she glanced up at Dani, returned her attention to the credentials, and hit a button on her phone. The woman was well trained to spot a forgery, and she must have been satisfied that it was legitimate. "Ms. Fox? I have an Agent Danielle Pearce here with three others to see you and your clients." She listened a moment. "Yes, ma'am, I'll hold them." She broke off the contact and swept out her arm toward a line of chairs against the wall. "Please have a seat. Ms. Fox will be with you shortly."

By the time they seated themselves, Tricia came through the doors. She studied each one of them with a critical eye. "Which one of you ladies is Agent Pearce?"

"I am." Dani stood and approached her. "I'm here with Jesse Porter. He works with Michael. And this is Michael's mother, Madeline Westen, and Sam's girlfriend, Elsa Pfister."

Tricia's eyes locked onto Elsa, sizing up the woman who won Sam's heart. Even in her casual clothes, she looked elegant. Tricia's jealous heart couldn't see why Sam chose her. "You're Elsa?"

"Yes." Elsa stood next to Dani.

She thought hard and then asked, "What is Sam's favorite drink?"

"You mean when he's not drinking beer? A mojito at Carlito's." She smiled. "Come on, Ms. Fox, surely you can come up with a harder question than that if you're trying to trip me up. How about asking me where Sam was the first time he said he loved me?" She paused, the memories of that day still raw. "He was in the Everglades, and he thought the woman who kidnapped him was going to kill him. He called me and left a message saying he loved me. I was in a meeting, or I would have picked up."

With a sad little smile, Tricia responded. "That's exactly what Sam told me. Come in."

She led them through the doors and into her office. With so many people, she was glad for the space. Michael, Fiona, and Sam sat at the conference table poring over the computer and printed files, and when the door opened, they looked up. No one said a word as Tricia ushered Elsa, Maddie, Dani, and Jesse inside. For a few seconds, they stood looking at the three sitting at the table. Then Sam pushed himself out of his chair, rounded the long table, and snatched Elsa out of the line. Lips crushed together as arms wrapped around each other. Michael and Fiona rose in synch and approached Maddie.

"Ma." That's all Michael could say before a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh, honey," Maddie whispered through her tears as she took him into her arms and rocked him back and forth. "It's so good to see you safe!" She reached out an arm and pulled Fiona into the embrace. "And you, my daughter-in-law!"

Jesse, Dani, and Tricia stood back and watched the reunions. He gave Tricia an embarrassed smile and held out his hand. "I'm Jesse, the fifth wheel in all this."

"Just one of them, Jesse," Dani added softly.

Tricia laughed and shook his hand. She spoke softly. "Now you know how I felt when I found out how crazy Sam was over Elsa. I reserved my belief until now." She glanced at the couple. The two were still locked in an embrace, but Sam held her face in his hands and planted small kisses all over it. Tricia cleared her throat to distract him.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Sam laughed nervously as he tore his attention away from Elsa and looked at Tricia, but he still held onto her tightly. "I couldn't help myself. I missed this woman terribly!"

She tried not to look envious. "I can tell. Maybe we should halt this investigation for the rest of the day, so you can all spend time with your... loved ones... and we'll get right back on it tomorrow. In the meantime, I can look into some more avenues."

"I'll be happy to stick around here and see what you've got," Dani said. "Jesse?"

"Oh yeah, let's go over this and see where you're at so tomorrow we'll all be on the same page."

"You're sure you don't want us around," Michael asked even while he still held onto Maddie.

"I'm sure. Go and enjoy your family time." Tricia smiled. She glanced at Sam and Elsa. "You too."

She didn't have to ask Sam. With a grin and a quick goodbye, he and Elsa strode out of the office like he was on a mission. All the while, his arm was around her waist and he wouldn't let go. After all he'd been through, he was afraid this was some sort of strange daydream and that if he woke up she'd be gone. He wanted to get her alone so badly, it almost hurt! But he had to restrain himself when they entered the elevator and found themselves with a bunch of other people. The doors opened and deposited them in the lobby.

"Where are you staying," Elsa asked.

"Some cheap little place on the outskirts of the city. Why?" He grinned.

"That's unacceptable. Come with me, we'll find someplace nearby." She pulled out of his grasp and took his hand, smiling at him the entire time. "I think I saw a hotel a couple blocks from here. It's one of my competitors in Miami, but sometimes a girl's just gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

He laughed with her and let her lead him up the hill. Squeezing her hand, he replied, "I couldn't agree more. I can't believe how much I missed you! And I still can't believe you're here!"

"Well, you were expecting to see me in Colorado. Why is this so odd?"

He let out a deep breath, pulled out of her grip and put his arm around her shoulders. "Until Mike gave me the message from Maddie that you deciphered my code, I wasn't counting on seeing you because I didn't want to be disappointed. I hoped you'd be there, but this... this was unexpected. Not in a million years would I have thought you'd find me here."

"Why not?" She stopped in front of the hotel and caressed his cheek, her eyes filled with emotion. "Sammy, I love you more than anything. I couldn't live without you anymore, so I decided I would do whatever it took to find you. Even at the risk of my own life, I was determined to look for you until you and I were together again."

"Ohh, Elsa," he groaned and cut himself off as he kissed her. When he came up for air, he found her just as breathless as he. He smiled. "Let's go get a room, huh, Baby?"

When she booked the suite, Elsa didn't have enough cash, so she used her corporate credit card. Then the lovers took the key, rode the elevator to the top floor, and hurried into the room. Sam made sure the Do Not Disturb sign hung on the handle and the door was locked, and he and Elsa spent the afternoon in a homecoming that was far from home, but neither of them cared.