"Why are you keeping me here?"
Kim glared at the ISA agent seated across the table from her. The agent was an attractive woman in her mid-40s, who gazed back with a placid smile. When she spoke, she reminded Kim of how she might speak to Andrew when he asked for candy for the tenth time on a shopping trip.
"I'm sorry, but I have orders that you are to remain here until we have confirmed that conditions are secure." She gave that dopey smile again. "I assure you that this is for your own safety."
"My own safety?" Kim scoffed as she got out of the chair, wincing as the rose. Falling earlier had left her a little sore. Forcing away the slight pain, she walked to the glass wall of the interrogation room. She knew that the room was visible to whoever was on the other side. "I doubt this is for my own safety," she said, forcing herself to remain calm. "Ivan Marais is dead and you have the toxin. I already I gave you my statement, so what else do you need?"
The woman did not respond, but went back to looking through the file folder in front of her. That left Kim to stew. Annoyed, she called out to the wall, "You can't keep me in here." Then she turned back to the ISA agent at the table. "I want to call a lawyer. If you won't let me go, you have to let me call a lawyer."
"You're not under arrest, Mrs. Brady."
Instinctively, Kim started to say, "It's Ms., not-" But she stopped short. It felt wrong to say that. She closed her eyes, her heart yearning to be with Shane. Finally, she sighed and asked, "If you won't let me go, would you at least tell me where Shane and my family are?"
The agent shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mrs. - I mean Ms. Brady, but I am not liberty to divulge any information at the moment."
"Of course not," Kim muttered under her breath. That was how it had been ever since she and Roman had been taken from the school. Tarrington had handed them off to some agents who had brought them to the ISA field office, where they had been separated. Kim had been put in this room for at least an hour and she had no idea where Roman was. She suspected he was in another room like this. Otherwise, he would have probably broken down the door to get her out.
Smiling slightly, she pictured her older brother's red-faced fury when the agents insisted on "escorting" them to the Salem P.D. Despite Roman's demands to contact his units, the agents had refused to let him touch the radio or make any calls. They also had refused to tell Roman anything about what was happening at the refinery.
Kim stared at the wall and, with no other choice, went back to the table and took her seat. She told herself everything was fine. If something had happened, they would have told her. At least she hoped they would have.
She also reminded herself that, if something had gone wrong with Shane, she would have felt it. But she didn't. Gone was the chill that had been with her since the day before and she no longer had that feeling of dread that she had first felt when she had last seen Shane.
The thought quelled her anxiety, but it did stop the aching need to see him. She just wanted to hold him, finally knowing that this nightmare was over. Kim glanced at the ISA agent, but the woman was focused on her files. For a moment, Kim debated rushing the door and pounding on it, but she suspected nothing would come of it.
A moment later, it became unncessary. "Damn it," came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. "I'm going to see my Sis." The voice got louder, the door bursting open as Roman finished the final words. He surged through the doorframe, a tweedy man behind him. It took Kim a moment to remember that he was the field office director; Shane had introduced her to the man once before.
"See, Commander Brady, your sister is fine," the man said.
Shut up, Benson." Roman glared at the man. "I'll let her speak for herself." He looked back at Kim. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I just want to go home," she said. "I want to see Shane."
"You got it." Roman looked at Benson. "They told me they had taken you already. I was dealing with some agents, and just found out they kept you here." He wrapped an arm around Kim and turned her to the door. Looking again at the ISA field director, Roman aid, "I don't know what kind of games you're playing here, but I don't like being lied to. Now I'm taking Kim with me to the hospital."
Kim looked up, suddenly worried. "The hospital?"
"It's okay," Roman said quickly. "They tell me Shane's okay. Steve was shot, but he's going to be fine. Everyone's okay."
The fear that had started to rise within her began to subside. Everyone is okay. We stopped them from hurting our family and friends. That thought was still in her head when Roman continued.
"Lawrence is dead."
That almost did not register. Dead. Kim felt a wave of emotions wash over her, but the dominant feeling was relief - relief that Lawrence Alamain would never threaten anyone she loved ever again. And she also felt some pity. She had thought, for a time, that there was an innocent boy trapped inside Lawrence Alamain. She had learned the hard way that he was not innocent, but he was a boy, trapped behind a wall of arrogance and pride.
"You okay?" Roman asked.
Kim looked back up at him and nodded. "Let's go. I want to see Shane."
Field Director Benson tried to block their path. "Roman, I'm sorry, but you and Mrs. Brady are supposed to stay here until Chief Tarrington authorizes that you can leave."
Roman sneered. "'Mrs. Brady' is my wife, and she's not here to stick around. My sister, on the other hand, has people that she needs to see, and I'm going to take her there. And you tell Tarrington that if he has an issue with that, he can come discuss it with me at University Hospital." He stepped forward, forcing the ISA man out of the way and Roman led her toward the exit. "Let's go see our family, Sis."