BROKEN HOPE (Broken Redemption Book 2)

Chapter 34

Lucas

"Lucas," Ben's steel-toed boot slams into my shin, sending searing pain shooting through my leg.

"Christ! What the fuck?"

"Dude, what's up with you?" Owen pipes in through the speaker that sits at the center of the table.

"My sentiments exactly, you need to pull your shit together and stop being so damned distracted," Ben adds with a piercing glare that would normally piss me off.

"Fuck off," I attempt to bark back, but it comes off as a half-hearted retort. The hits just keep on coming, and the thought of disappointing her with yet more bad news is daunting.

"So? What do you want us to do?" Owen repeats, unaware of my embittered mood.

Dropping my head, I do my best to breathe through the anger as I remember Kessler's words when he threatened Embree and the girls. It's been a little over a month since the FBI dropped their investigation into Emilia and with the evidence we turned over, Agent Robert Kessler was fired, two federal judges are facing impeachment proceedings, and several others at the FBI, CIA, and DOJ are under investigation.

Given how deep the rot seems to go, I have little faith that those who are pulling the strings behind the scenes will be identified, let alone be held responsible. Kessler was but a small fish in a sea of corruption, and with the amount of noise this investigation has kicked up, it's a certainty that whoever sits at the head of this mess has gone to ground, leaving us in limbo. We're exactly nowhere with no way of knowing if Embree's still in danger.

"We stay the course," I respond, certain it's our only choice.

Even so, I know what these men have sacrificed to protect Embree, the girls, and her ex-husband over the past seven weeks. Looking over at my friend, it's not hard to miss the worry lines on his face. This case has amounted to an all-hands-on-deck situation, which has meant the reallocation of resources from Offset Tactical's paying clients. More importantly, it has made it impossible for the company to take on new jobs, so Ben's concerns aren't just about Emilia's situation, but about keeping his men employed and his business afloat.

"Listen, Ben. We've shored up security to the point we don't need three of us to be here 24/7. The girls are out of school for the rest of the summer and Embree's doing a great job of keeping them busy so they don't notice they're essentially prisoners here." Those words churn like acid in my gut, especially as it was Embree who said them last night in a moment of frustration. It hurts to know that's how she feels, even as I know that keeping them locked away behind the walls of the property is what's safest for them.

"With Pastor David retiring, and coming to stay with us, we got things pretty well covered. It will free up James and Zeb, so they can be redeployed to other assignments."

"Pastor David was Navy, right?" Ben asks, his eyes focused on the screen of his phone.

"Yep."

"Can he still hold his own?"

"Damn straight. You know I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think he could."

"Okay. Until we see how things go, I'll leave James and pull Zeb. Now Owen," he shifts his focus to the speaker at the center of the table. "What do we know about Kessler? He hasn't been seen since he got fired and Hunt hasn't had any luck getting eyes on him. He hasn't been to his home or visited his dad's nursing home nor any of the other places he frequents. It's like he's vanished." Ben adds.

"I'm aware and already working to locate him. For now I'm not too worried about it. Even if he has Emilia in his sights, there's no way he'll get remotely close without us seeing him coming." Owen notes. "If he's stupid enough to try, we can easily take him out of play then."