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“Oh! That’s so wonderful!” Gabriella exclaimed and began to cry.
“Are you okay?” Davis asked gently.
“So much better than okay. Sorry, Alex. I’m just so relieved. Thank you so much for calling me! And thank you for working so hard to get him back! We owe you so much!” Gabriella gushed.
Davis smiled at the happiness he heard in her voice. “Ben isn’t just an asset we protect. He’s a friend. We take care of our friends.”
“Thank you! I have to tell the others!” she exclaimed. “When will he be back home?”
“Well, he’s on board the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at the moment, getting a little medical treatment. The carrier needs to get back to active duty in the Mediterranean. We’ll get Ben to the mainland and on a plane for his flight home. I should mention that the ship Ben was on was carrying roughly two dozen children who’d been kidnapped for the sex trade. Ben made some extraordinary efforts to free them. There’s also the little matter of Ben claiming salvage rights on the yacht. He’s signed it over to the captain of the Truman for them to deal with the weapons and drugs on it.”
Gabriella’s voice was glowing with love. “Ben makes extraordinary efforts for those who truly need it. He’s a good man. Let me know which country you’ll get him to, and I’ll arrange to get one of Dennis Thomasson’s jets to that location to fly him home.”
Davis nodded. “That sounds like an excellent plan, as long as Evelyn and Liliya are on the jet as well.”
“I’ll make sure of it!” Gabriella said.
“I’ll speak to you soon,” the General said.
“Thank you, Alex. Talk to you soon!” The line went dead. He expected he’d get a busy tone if he tried dialing her back.
Smiling, he signed off on the official mission statement as a success. His lieutenant would complete the documentation as the situation room team was reassigned.
He knew the POTUS was looking for some good news, so he would give it to him. The temporary mission Davis had assigned to the Truman not only recovered their brilliant inventor but also recovered two dozen stolen surface-to-air missiles, captured four tonnes of hashish, and rescued a dozen people forced to be sex workers aboard the yacht. Best of all, it also rescued twenty-six abducted children who’d been destined for the sex slave trade.
The ship was a treasure trove of information on Kaan’s business deals and partners as well. The former communications officer was proving to be very helpful with that.
Davis also knew that the President’s son, Theo, would be graduating from West Point, so the General had news a father of such a son would welcome. He’d be able to tell the POTUS that their brilliant inventor just invented a new body armor design that exceeds all current standards. Armor that was tested in a live fire scenario the very night the inventor was abducted by a rogue CIA agent.
He frowned as he recalled the report stating that Stephanie Russo was in the wind. She hadn’t stuck around to be collected from the resort as ordered. That also meant she wouldn’t have heard that only one of her three operatives made it off Kaan’s ship alive.
Harold Gibson was likely killed the first night he was aboard. The guests and his cover story girlfriend, Nguyêt, were told he went back with the supply ship. Phan Thi Nguyêt was alive as she adapted to the new situation and her cover held, but Harper Lane died at the hand of Kaan after being tortured for a month. Ben’s statement indicated she’d fatally stabbed Kaan before he shot her.
The General saw the preliminary report on Kaan Sadik and knew Ben was omitting his contribution to Kaan’s demise. The man might have eventually died of the wounds he incurred before Ben caught him in the torture room, but what happened there would remain a sealed record.
He shook his head, knowing he’d have done the same to Kaan if he’d been in Ben’s situation.
He glanced at the clock and saw it was time. He reached for his phone as he was looking forward to this call, like the one he’d made to Gabriella.
With her lovely smiling face in his thoughts, he picked up his phone again.
-=-
Ed was sitting at the breakfast table with his family when his cell rang. As it was a rule not to use a cell phone at the table, he immediately got to his feet and moved to the other side of the kitchen to answer. He’d been on edge since he helped Ben’s security people identify the spy on the General’s team.
He’d been able to fill Grace and the others in on Ben’s abduction, and his entire family was on pins and needles, waiting to hear if they found him.
“Hello!” he said as he held it to his ear. He looked back at the table, and everyone was watching him.
“Ed? This is Evelyn. They found Ben. He’s okay.”
Ed sagged against the countertop. “Oh, that’s great news!” He saw smiles appear on faces around the table.
“An aircraft carrier found them and has taken them aboard,” the Sergeant said.
“Them?” Ed asked.
Evelyn’s voice had a smile in it. “The arms dealer’s yacht Ben was taken to had a dozen people working as sex slaves, and more than two dozen abducted children destined for the slave trade. Ben freed them. We’re flying to Europe to pick Ben up and bring him home.”
Ed grinned. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to be home.”
“Thanks again for all your help, Ed. I know Ben will want to thank you personally when he gets here,” she said.
“Oh! That’s all right. All I did was pass along a message he sent to me,” Ed said humbly.
“No, Ed. Without that message, we might have lost Ben forever. None of us will forget how critical your help was in catching the double agent and saving Ben. You’re our hero!” Evelyn insisted.
Ed was speechless. He was a hero?
“Listen, we have to go, but I just wanted to let you know we have him. Talk to you later!” she said and hung up.
Ed put his cell back in his pocket as he walked back to the table. He plunked himself back in his chair, thinking on Evelyn’s words.
“Good news?” Rachel prompted.
Ed nodded. “They found Ben. An aircraft carrier picked him up, Ben and a bunch of people and children he rescued from slavery.” He shook his head in dismay. “I don’t understand. How can there still be a slave trade in this day and age?”
Grace placed her hand on his and gave him a sympathetic smile. “It seems terrible, but there are still people who refuse to accept civilized behavior because of their greed.”
Zoe’s face showed her surprise. “An aircraft carrier?”
Ed looked at her and nodded. “Ben invents things for the Army. Maybe the Navy too.” He recalled Evelyn’s words. “She said Ben will want to thank me personally when he returns. Maybe we can have a welcome back party?”
Rachel and Zoe grinned at each other. “That sounds like an excellent idea, Ed!” Rachel said.
Ed nodded with a smile. The idea of a party with Ben and his family sounded really fun. He hoped Ben’s security issues were resolved by then so they could get everyone together.
Chapter 47
Ben was sitting in the officer’s dining room on the Truman. They’d found him some clothes that fit his larger frame, and he was delighted they belonged to one of the crew in the engineering department. It was just a coverall with underwear, socks, and boots, but a big improvement from the guest wear on Kaan’s yacht.
That vessel was currently being towed by one of the carrier’s support ships, which caught up to join the party. That was easier than unloading it at sea. With all those guns bristling from the ships surrounding the yacht, no one was likely to try to steal it back.
All the passengers from the yacht spent a night on cots in a quickly set up triage bay. It wasn’t the most comfortable night, especially for someone Ben’s size. The next day was spent in small rooms giving endless statements about what happened on the ship.
When dinner hour rolled around, Ben heard they were approaching their destination, where he’d be able to go ashore to catch a flight home. He still didn’t know what country that would be.
He was invited to dine with the captain and his senior officers, who were peppering him with questions regarding the ship’s capture. “Their ability to gang up on me was greatly reduced by the tight corridors under the deck level. The fire ax I found was a much more effective weapon than their stun sticks and had better reach than the knives,” Ben explained.
“But you took no prisoners!” one of the officers protested.
Ben stared at him incredulously. “How the hell was I supposed to take prisoners when I was one man against ten who were trying to kill me?”
The other officers chided the man for his question as the captain smirked at him.
“Benson has a very firm grip on his sense of law and order,” Garrick said to Ben with a smile.
“Perhaps he should try a paintball game against ten opponents to grasp the concept of survival,” Ben suggested with a light growl, and the others laughed.
Garrick nodded and gave Ben a frank look. “When you aren’t struggling to survive group attacks, what do you do to keep busy?”
Ben smiled and nodded. “I’m a mechanical engineer. I invent solutions to resolve engineering issues. I understand this vessel is powered by a nuclear engine. One of my first inventions was a valve used in nuclear power plants to increase safety and efficiency. I’ve been working on solutions for the army at the moment. I fixed an overheating issue with their M420 Assault Rifle. Then I designed a lighter but stronger backpack, and from that, I invented a new body armor that’s lighter but can stop armor-piercing bullets.”
The table was silent as the officers stared at him.
Garrick was smiling in satisfaction. “It makes sense to me now why the General was so insistent we get you back in one piece.”