A really dark chapter and as a warning, this chapter talks about sexual assault and murder.
Two months passed and Emma-Grace couldn't take it anymore. For the past week, she's been getting ready for her testimony with the lawyer AD Hayes sent but she wasn't sure if he was helping her or helping them. She was going mad and if she didn't get out of here, she was going to kill one or both her guard dogs. Getting herself ready, she braided her hair, pulled on her Converse, and grabbed her jacket. Opening the door, one of the agents turned towards her with an eyebrow lifter.
"Do you need anything, ma'am?"
"Yes, to get out of this hotel." Emma said as she closed the door behind her.
"You can't go anywhere. You have to stay in the room till you are…" The rookie started but she wasn't in the mood for him.
"Until I'm called. Yeah, I got the memo. But if you think I will spend one more minute watching the same show repeatedly, you're sadly mistaken. You can go do that and I'll go for my walk." Emma said as she walked away from them.
"Ma'am, you are under strict orders to stay in the room." The other agent started but they could see they would not have any luck.
"You can come with me, or you can stay and call your boss, but I'm going for a walk outside," Emma said as she entered the elevator.
The two men looked at each other and started walking towards the elevator. As soon as they were in, Emma pressed the button for the lobby and they were off.
"Good choice." Emma said with a smile.
As the doors opened, Emma was greeted by Agent Kib's face, but she just passed him and made her way to the door.
"Do you want to get them into trouble?" He said as he followed her.
"You and I both know it will be good for them to grow a backbone now." Emma said before she breathed in the fresh air. "A person isn't meant to be locked in a room 24/7. I need fresh air and would like to see what DC has to offer."
"Emma-Grace, please." The older man begged.
"Listen, I get it but they're right here next to us and all I'm asking is fresh air. I don't know anyone in DC so who will I talk to?" Emma said as she looked at him, "One museum? Then I'll go back into my prison cell and not ask you anything else."
"One and then we're going back." He finally said, not wanting to upset her.
"Thank you." Emma said as she looked at a map of all the museums. "Which one would you recommend, rookie?" Emma asked as she turned towards the two young agents.
"Depends, what are you looking for? Nature, art, history?" The taller one asked.
"Let's go with the Museum of Natural History." Emma said with a smile as she started to walk.
"I get why you're so stand-off-ish and feel like you're in a prison…" Kib started.
"Have you read my file, Agent Kib?" Emma started but saw him shake his head no. "This isn't the first time I've had bodyguards following me around. It's not my first time being in a place that feels like a prison. When I was younger, I had no choice but to do what I was told. I know you have your orders but I will no longer be a prisoner to people who think they're better than me. They're trying to put this on me and they want me to be quiet but I'm not that scared little girl anymore. I will not be quiet or take the fall for something I didn't do. I've come too far and I will not be pulled under again. I know you think I'm a brat and you're not the first to think that but I'm not a brat. I've had to put up walls for so long, that sometimes they pop back up without me knowing it."
"I get it Emma-Grace and I don't think you're a brat. Stand-off-ish but not a brat. I don't know what happened in your past, but you seem nice, and I don't want you to get in more trouble."
"I know, and thank you for that," Emma said with a smile as they approached the museum.
"I'll get security to check our weapons." Kib said as he opened the door for her.
As soon as all three agents' guns were checked in, Emma grabbed a map and looked it over. Deciding to go with the flow, she approached the dinosaur exhibits and looked like a little kid seeing it for the first time.
"I'll wait for you guys at the food court." Kib said as he pointed to it, "Keep an eye out for her boys, but don't make it obvious."
"Will do sir." Both said simultaneously, but Emma was already on the move.
Emma spent a good hour reading and looking at each exhibit, but she couldn't keep her excitement in when they made it to the butterfly garden. Kib joined her since he sent the rookies to get something to eat while he looked after her. Looking at her, he could see how young she really was and couldn't imagine what her life was like before she became an agent. Following her into one of the rooms showing a video on whales, he stood back to give her some space for a bit. Soon, he saw an older man sitting next to her, and he turned his back on them.
"Did you know Beluga whales are called the canaries of the sea?" Vance asked.
"Beluga comes from the Russian word 'bielo', which means white, but they're born dark grey and stay that color until they're three years old," Emma said with a smile. "And they use echolocation to find their way through the ocean."
"They are known for not being fast swimmers."
"They're related to the unicorn of the sea." Emma said again.
"How are you holding up?" Vance asked.
"I'm okay, I think. How's the rest of the team?" Emma asked not looking at him.
"Billy and Keaton were the only ones that didn't sustain life-threatening injuries. Ben had a broken leg but he's okay. Zach's awake but has a long road ahead of him. We lost Hunter, Alex, and Kyle but the village took the most hits." Vance said as he took her hand.
Emma wiped a tear, "This is all my fault."
"No, this has nothing to do with you," Vance said as he took her hand. "But you need to listen to me. You have to tell them everything, and don't leave anything out."
"The lawyer told me just to answer the questions and not be a 'smart-ass,'" Emma said.
"We both know he's not the smartest peanut in the packet. His AD Hayes' brother-in-law and he's good when he wants to be but I have a feeling he's being paid under the table by someone."
"And who would that be?" Emma asked.
"Director Matthews."
"Wait… Director Ashley Matthews?" Emma asked and he could see her starting to shake.
"Emma-Grace don't go there and don't give him the satisfaction. Go in there tomorrow and show him you are the bigger person."
"Are you going to be there?" Emma asked in a small voice.
"I'm not allowed in there while you testify but I'll be there when you're done." Vance said with a smile. "I think you better get back to the hotel." He finished as he helped her up.
"Thank you." Emma said as she hugged him.
"You're welcome, Emma-Grace."
Emma returned to the hotel with her bodyguards in tow, and when they got to her floor, she saw the new ones standing by her door. Ignoring them, she opened the door and went straight to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, she saw something she hadn't seen in 3 years… a scared little girl, but there was something else this time. She saw the strength everyone told her she had and felt like she could get through this if she reminded herself that she had them on her side. She got herself ready for bed, and once she was settled, she took out the little Maeve doll Andrew had left in her bag. She placed it on the pillow beside her, switched on the TV, and waited to fall asleep.
"You ready to go, Emma?" Kib asked as he walked into the room.
"Could you please help me with this?" Emma asked as she handed him the necklace to put on.
"It's beautiful." He said as he put it on.
"Thank you. Zach gave it to me a few years back." Emma said with a small smile. Grabbing her jacket and purse, she turned to him. "Let's get this over with."
Walking into the building, Emma started to worry, but she knew this was almost over and then she could go home and see Maeve.
"They're just finishing up. She can sit here and I'll call her in when it's time." The clerk told them.
"Mind if I go to the washroom?" Emma asked.
"There's one down the hall." He said before he went back in.
"Thank you." Emma said as she walked towards the washroom.
"I'll be right here, okay?" Kib said with a smile.
Walking in, Emma just sighted. 'You can do did, Em. One more day and you'll be free. Breath. Breath.' "Okay, Emma-Grace now's your time to tell the truth."
"The truth?" a voice said behind her.
"AD Hayes. What… What are you doing here?" Emma said with her hand on her heart.
"Let's just say your fairy godmother sent me to check on you and give you this." She said before handing her a diary.
"Where… you know I'm not going to say anything." Emma said as she took the diary. "Thank you."
"You're going to be okay and think after today, you're free, and you can start your healing," AD Hayes said with a smile. "You go ahead; I don't want them to get the wrong idea if we both come out simultaneously."
Emma took a deep breath before she opened the door before Kib could knock. "I'm here."
Walking next to him, Emma tried to keep her head up and make eye contact with everyone who walked past her. The clerk was already waiting for them outside, and Kib smiled at the girl before she went inside.
Sitting down next to her lawyer, Emma ensured her dress was okay before she set the diary on the table and placed her hands on it.
"Morning Agent Callen." Director Hill smiled, "We are here to discuss your action in the Abboud mission. You were sent over on the reference of Assistant Director Owen Granger. Your mission was to gather information on the stolen weapons for Army bases in the US and how they ended up in the hands of mercenaries in Afghanistan, correct?"
"That's correct sir." Emma said.
"You also collected information that one or more US soldiers were involved in these deals, correct?"
"That's correct sir." Emma said again.
"May I ask why Assistant Director Ganger thought you would be the best person to send on this mission?" Director Diaz asked.
"I don't know, ma'am. He probably trusted my training and the people who trained me." Emma answered.
"I find it hard to believe that." Director Matthews spat from his seat at her, "Why would a respected Agent trust someone like you?"
"Someone like me?" Emma asked, challenging the man.
"You were part of an organization called the Russian Dolls, if I'm not mistaken." Matthews asked.
"That is correct, sir. But I was…" Emma started but she was interrupted.
"You want to tell me that you were not one of the girls sent out to blackmail and extort information from high-ranking officials, board members and so forth?" Matthews asked again.
"I wasn't one of those girls, sir. I only belonged to one man and you should know his name really well." Emma said with a smirk.
"Let's get to the point, you were a common whore and you can't deny it."
"Director Matthews! You will speak with respect or we will have you removed." Director Hill said, and Emma could see Matthew's smirk.
Taking a deep breath, Emma knew this was it. This was the time to finally put her past where it should be… in the past.
"That's okay, Director Hill. Director Matthews has every right to call me that, and it's not the first time," Emma said. Her lawyer tried to stop her, but she gave him a look to shut him up.
"I don't understand, Agent Callen." Diaz said again looking between Matthews and Emma-Grace.
"He's deflecting. He's trying to make you think I'm unreliable, just a common whore who will do and say anything to make you think that you can't believe a word she has to say. But I'm here today to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Emma said while holding her head high. "See, Director Matthews has secrets he doesn't want to be revealed because it will bring him down and some of his 'powerful' friends. Does this look familiar, Director Matthews?" she said as she lifted the diary and saw him pale.
"You've been looking for this for how long now? Three years. You've spent hours and many favours trying to get this little book."
"Can I have it please?" Director Hill asked.
Emma handed the book to the clerk and said, "If you look through it, you find all the names of every judge, lawyer, senator, and director who had a hand in the Russian Doll organization. I once belonged to an organization without knowing I belonged to it. See Director Matthews was a close friend of a client of mine, Joan-Jacques Phillip. He would visit JJ and sometimes he would bring a friend with him. While one gentleman was busy with a business meeting, the other would be with me."
"How old were you when this all started?" Director Mendoza asked.
"I was 12 years old, ma'am. JJ had the habit of giving me something beforehand so I couldn't fight back."
"You're really going to believe the word of a call girl?" Matthews shouted.
"Sit down, Ashely." Hill yelled at him, "Please continue, Agent Callen."
"We are here today to talk about the mission in Afghanistan, but before I tell you what happened there, we need to start from the beginning. If you turn to page 6 of that diary, you will find a name that matches the name of someone who was in Afghanistan at the same time as I was, but he was there a few times before me."
"State Supreme Court judge Mika Wallace Sr." Hill read the name.
"The soldier I'm talking about is Mika Wallace Jr. And do you want to guess who his godfather is?" Emma asked all the faces in the room. "Director Ashely Matthews, director of the DOJ."
"See, Wallace Sr. and Director Matthews were childhood friends. Best buddies, went to the same law school, were roommates, and were each other's best men at each other's wedding. So, it was fitting that when Wallace Jr. was born, your best friend made you his son's godfather but you were more than that. You were the one to clean up all his messes."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Matthews said without looking at Emma-Grace.
"When Jr. was eight years old, he was caught molesting his 3-year-old cousin. The girl's father wanted to file charges, but he was paid off, and the family moved a week later. When Jr. was 10, he held a substitute teacher hostage in a class with a letter opener. Again, money was given, and her husband got a transfer to the next town over. Three years later, he moved up a level… he raped a 9-year-old girl. No charges, more money and again, a move. Do you know what happened to that little girl, Director Matthews?"
"All of this is lies." He tried again but was silent with a look from Diaz.
"She never dealt with that trauma and committed suicide on her 16th birthday. Her little sister found her in the garage. Two years later, her father did the same. He couldn't take it that he couldn't protect his little girls from the evils of this world."
"At 15, Jr. raped two sisters at knifepoint while they were walking home after watching a movie at a friend's home. No charges, money was paid and the family moved. Do you know what happened to them, Director Matthews? One got pregnant and not wanting to deal with a teenage pregnancy, she went to a back ally doctor to get an abortion and it didn't end well for her. They found her body the next day. The other girl ended up in a mental hospital after she tried to commit suicide twice."
"He did it again at 17 but this time he couldn't hide what he did. Money wasn't going to get him out of this one… the girl was pregnant and her parents forced them to get married. That poor girl went from one abusive house to another. Wallace Jr. beat her almost every single day and when his little girl was born, he had a new victim. He started to molest her at 1. One! And there was nothing her mother could do about it. She had to sit back and get beaten and raped over and over. And then one day a neighbour called the cops and he was taken away. She told them everything, and she got away, took her daughter with her, and ensured he would never find them."
"Why was it not on his file when he signed up?" de Sousa asked.
"Well, ma'am once again his amazing godfather paid for all the charges to disappear. But this time the payment came with stipulations. One: Jr. had to sign up to serve, two: never mention his name to anyone and three: if he ever sexually assaulted anyone again, he will not be there to bail him out." Emma said, still holding her head up.
"So, Jr. signed up for the Navy but didn't make it past the psych eval. If I remember correctly, the report stated that he had a narcissistic personality disorder, sexual narcissistic tendencies, and mental health issues. And then he tried the Marines, but he also didn't pass the psych eval. Then Wallace Sr. called Director Matthews, his best friend and you made a phone call to get him into the Army without a psych eval."
"It didn't take him long to break one of those stipulations. He sexually assaulted two trainees who were with him at basic training. One left a month in and then the other one followed in the rest of his victim's footsteps… she committed suicide a couple of weeks later because this was the second time it happened to her. But he didn't care what happened to them and wasn't done with the destructive path. On his first tour, he raped a 12-year-old girl, and do you know what happened to her, Director Matthews?" Emma asked the question she felt she'd already asked a million times today. "She was stoned to death by her uncles since she disgraced the family. Her mother had to stand by and she couldn't do a thing."
"He went on as if nothing happened, and he came back to the US and left victim after victim, and nothing happened to him because daddy was always there to clean up his mess." Emma spat.
"His second tour, her raped a mother in front of her children, and this time, he took it a step further. He cut her throat and shot two of her children but left one daughter to tell her father what happened. That 10-year-old girl was sent to the mountains where she was sold as a child bride. Then came his third tour; this time, he had a couple of friends with the same mindset. They took a 13-year-old hostage and raped her over and over and over for two days before they put her out of her misery. They left her outside her parents' home as a message not to mess with them." Emma finished.
"How do you know all this, Agent Callen?" Hill asked without looking up.
Emma opened her locket and showed him a micro sim: "Agent Young left this with Sargent Walker. He gave it to me when I arrived and told me I needed to read it before I took Wallace on. She had a feeling that he was involved in all of this, and she was right; everything pointed to him and his gang."
"But how does this tie in with the Abboud mission?" Diaz asked her.
"It all comes down to two people who tie back to my past. JJ introduced Wallace Sr. to Leonardo Aziz and Jr. to Michael Leighton. They serve together thanks to… want to guess?" Emma asked, "Director Ashley Matthews. He knew all about the break-ins and the weapons going over the border. He's friends with none other than Spencer Williams, the weapons dealer the ATF's been looking to build a case on for the last two years."
"But how do you get all the information and all the names?" Parza asked.
"The women in the villages told me because they were seen but not heard just like me when I was younger. They heard everything and trusted me and Young with the information to ensure we got it to the right people. They were sick of their families being torn apart with all the bombings and hated to think that their children would be next."
"Agent Callen, please forgive me for asking this but did Wallace Jr. do anything to you while you were there?" Diaz asked with sympathy.
"No ma'am he didn't do anything to me but his dad's a different story." Emma said shaking her head.
"Agent Callen, if you knew Wallace Jr. was involved in all of this, why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?" Hill asked the young agent.
"Killing people who kill children and put guns in their hands, is a different story. Mika Wallace Jr.'s a narcissist and psychopath so death would be too easy for him. I wanted him to be held accountable for his actions, finally. I want him to have his freedom taken away just like he took away the freedom of every girl he attacked. He has to sit in a cell for 23 hours a day and not be in contact with anyone so he can't brag about all his achievements. He has to close his eyes every night and hear the scream of every child he had a hand in killing, just like the rest of us." Emma said but her voice was shaking.
"Thank you Agent Callen for your testimony. Aggie would you call security and tell them to call the police to come and take Director Matthews into custody? I'll make a phone call to bring Judge Wallace in." Hill said, "As for you Agent Callen, even though you did what needed to be done, we feel like some of your actions warrant some kind of punishment."
"I understand, sir." Emma said looking down.
"60 days paid suspension and you have to complete 45 hours of therapy before you are allowed to be back in the field. Director Vance will inform you about your duties and where you will be placed. We will call you in if we need anything more from you." Diaz said with a smile.
"Does this mean I can be released today?" Emma asked.
"Released?" Parza asked questions.
"Sorry I meant, can I go home now?"
"Yes, Agent Callen, you can go home. Once the doctor clears you, you will be sent back to California," Parza said with a smile.
"Thank you for your time today, Agent Callen." Hill said before he got up.
"And that, sir, is how you put someone away." Emma said to her lawyer as she stood up, "I'm sure the money Matthews paid you, will be enough to live off while you wait for a new job."
Walking towards the door, Emma could see Walker standing by the door.
"That was interesting to watch." He said as he hugged her.
"That was terrifying." Emma answered back.
"You did great, and now everyone knows the truth. I bet Maeve's going to be so happy to see you."
"I have to apologize to so many people. My dad's going to give me an ear full for not telling him where I was."
"Tell him to call me and I can tell him how brave his daughter is. I have something for you." He said as he handed her a box, "You deserve this, and if you ever doubt yourself, call me, and we can talk."
Emma opened the box and gasped. "A Purple Heart?"
"The whole team got theirs, and you have yours. You all deserve it 10-fold. There is something else I'm struggling with."
"What's that sir?" Emma asked still not looking up.
Picking up a small box and a folded American flag, he reached out and handed it to her. "I went through Alex's file but couldn't find his next of kin. I thought you might know where I could find them."
"We were his family sir." Emma said with tears.
"Then take him home and find a place close to his family." Walker said with a sad smile.
"Thank you, sir. For everything you did for me in Afghanistan, and I feel it here too," Emma said as she hugged him.
"You're welcome Emma-Grace. Now go pack your stuff so you can go home." He finished as Kib opened the door.
Walking out of the building that day, Emma realized that now the real work begins.