Chapter 70

We rejoined the men now comfortable in the living room. Everybody talked and laughed just like normal people, but I had the sense that they were waiting for another shoe to drop. My suspicion was confirmed when Judge Jones' phone rang, and after listening for just a second, he said, "Ok.

Send him up." Turning to Mr. Bell, Judge Thorson, and the Secretary, he said, "Our update just arrived. My security detail is bringing him to us, now."

Before I could voice my questions, Mr. Bell gave Millie 'the look, ' and she gathered Mrs. Thorson, and Rebecca and ushered them all out of the room, leaving the rest of us alone. Colleen squeezed in tightly beside me, took my left hand, softly stroking it, and said, "Daddy got a very disturbing call this morning, and after consulting with the judges, they decided to come share it with you in person. They have some unusual information that concerns you. It should be walking through that door in just a few seconds."

Judge Jones took the floor and laid it out for me. Since I was the only one out of the loop, he was speaking just for my benefit, and I gave him my full attention. "Brian, we've updated Mr. Bell from time to time, as our joint and separate investigations went along. I presume he has faithfully shared those updates with you, so I won't go over old information.

"When you were attacked at the military base, and those attacks were aided by at least two FBI agents, full control of that part of the investigation was given to me by the President and Attorney General. The part of the investigation that included attacks by agents of the mob was assigned directly to the head of the DOJ Organized Crime Bureau."

The Attorney General took up the story then. "The President demanded answers and expects me to get them for him, so I've called out the big guns to drill down from the top and find those responsible for leaking the information that almost you three killed.

"What we found disturbed us very much, and we went after everyone involved with the full resources of the US Government, including the IRS, DOJ, DHS, FBI, CIA – incredibly enough – and the Federal Courts. His wishes were clear – for the good of the country, find those responsible, and put them in jail.

"We've done that, to the everlasting horror of the mob, and because the harder we pulled at each thread of this investigation, it just kept unraveling, we have over three hundred mid to high level mobsters in jail awaiting trial. It's far and away the largest break we've ever had in the war against organized crime." He nodded and the Secretary of Homeland Security took over.

"Brian, earlier today we heard from a paid informant that the mobsters in jail have found a way to communicate among themselves. They have hatched a plan to have all of us, ' he spread his arms to include Colleen, Mr. Bell, himself, the two judges, and the Attorney General, 'killed.'"

As fast as we knew, Mr. Bell knew. We quietly surrounded the hotel and this floor, with enough agents and firepower to start and win a small war.

"As you know, we failed last time, which is why we won't be failing now. We need to relocate all of you somewhere safe, buy time to burn their house to the ground, and take apart their entire organization. You might remember one of our people mentioning a female agent the FBI uses to protect younger people. She is in her late twenties, but looks not a day over sixteen. We are going to use her to supplement your personal protection detail, just as we intended to do so, before it all blew up in our faces.

"Our opponents have no idea what hell they have invited to rain down on them, but they're about to. The holes they've dug to protect themselves won't begin to protect them as my men bring them down. In the meantime, we are being proactive about protecting you all.

"I am deeply sorry son, that once again we have to lay this on your shoulders. With your health issues, I know this couldn't come at a worse possible time, and I am sorry. We should have seen this coming and cut it off long before now. As we speak, we are tearing them a new asshole, and it is a large one." He looked at Judge Jones and waited.

The judge cleared his throat and said, "We started to create a brand new identity for you." He turned to Colleen and Mr. Bell and said, "But your friend Jim talked us out of it. He's right; you have been through too much. So, instead of changing your identity, we're going to change circumstances.

"For the foreseeable future you, Rebecca, Jim, Millie, and Colleen will be taking a world cruise on a very luxurious private yacht. We can protect a yacht, because in the open water, it's impossible to approach without being observed. The yacht is over one hundred and eighty feet long, and we seized it from one of the drug lords we busted when we took down Grayson Foster.

He'll not be needing it again, since he blew himself up trying to kill several of our agents.

"There was a false wall on board protecting forty million dollars in cash, and we are liberating a chunk of that to use financing your protection. That way there's a much smaller group of people who know where you are, since we won't be doing normal bookkeeping on your case. What people in our Headquarters don't know, they can't pass on to our enemies.

"We hope this doesn't last long, but while it lasts, you will treated like royalty. That's the least we can do."

The silence when finished filled the room. Colleen started to speak, but Mr. Bell cut her off. "Judge, Brian booked a private jet to take him to see a special doctor in Sweden on the day after New Year's. There is no way he is willing to miss that trip," Mr. Bell would have continued and fully explained but Judge Thorson, and Judge Jones never gave him a chance.

Judge Thorson spoke loudest. "Guys, this boy is going to see that doctor. If the President has to send the entire fifth fleet to protect him, he needs to go see that doctor."

Judge Jones interrupted. "Mr. Secretary, Sweden is a friendly country with a special relationship with us. Why not have our Ambassador speak with their government and explain why we need to move agents in to protect Brian and his party while he does what he needs to do? Then when he's done, we can extract them all to the yacht."

Colleen spoke before the Secretary could respond. "Gentlemen, Brian's health is far more perilous than it was when he appeared in Judge Jones' court the last time," she said tilting her head towards the judge. "If he is injured in any kind of altercation, it will likely kill him on the spot.

"These people seeking vengeance against us came awfully close before and have already killed his mother. Whatever precautions you take must be forceful and over the top.

"Rebecca stays with Brian twenty-four seven in case of a medical crisis, and I will not leave his side under any conditions what-so-ever." Turning to Mr. Bell she said, "Daddy, you and Mother need to be safe but don't HAVE to go to Sweden. Why don't you two go on ahead to the yacht, and we'll catch up as soon as Brian is done in Sweden?"