Chapter 5

There were ten people in the conference room down the hall from Gus' office. Anya knew two of them by name. The others were all strangers except for her boss, Jimmy Broughton. Everyone had full mugs of coffee and another pot was brewing on a little table in the corner. She tried to make sense of what everyone was saying but her brain seemed to be stuck in first gear. Nothing had penetrated since Gus had delivered the terrible message.

She sat next to Gus, inwardly quaking but doing her best to maintain outward control. In her hastily donned jeans and t-shirt she felt not only rumpled but also exposed, as if everyone in the room could see beneath her clothing and identify what she and Gus had been doing.

Although he was all business, Gus had taken her hand in his,holding it tightly, his warmth and strength seeping into her with a reassurance she desperately needed.

"That's the oldest trick in the book," he said again. "Pretend to be sick, get transferred to the prison infirmary and then get busted out. But he had to have help. And he had to set it up ahead of time."

Jimmy Broughton was pacing. Had been since they'd all arrived and laid out the problem.

"I've got someone on it," he told them. "We're checking the visitor logs as well as his activity logs for the past month. Best guess is, besides the outside help, he bought off someone in the infirmary. We're pulling the history on everyone who works there."

A man in jeans and a rumpled polo shirt stood up to refill his coffee mug. "If you ask me, there's entirely too much of that shit going on right now."

"True," Jimmy agreed, "but that doesn't solve our problem. We need to find out who and how. And most importantly, where Branson is now. That man is a dangerous psychopath."

His words chilled Anya to the bone. She certainly didn't need reminding of Virgil's cold and twisted mind hidden beneath that charming veneer. Or the things he'd planned for her after he "broke her in". Anya tightened her fingers around Gus' and he gave her an answering squeeze. She wondered if she'd ever be safe from the man. Ever be able to relax and enjoy her new life with Gus.

"You should let us put her in a safe house away from here," Jimmy went on, looking directly at Gus. "She'll be out of danger and you can help us nail down this bastard."

"No." Gus didn't shout but there was n mistaking the power in his voice. "She stays with me."

"Hell, Gus. Make a decision with your brains for a change. You might both be in danger."

"I'll handle it. She stays."

Jimmy shoved his hands through his hair. "Listen, I'm just—"

"Jimmy."

The man at the head of the table spoke up. Anya recognized him as Dean Barton, the Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio office and the man both Gus and Jimmy reported to. Anya had only met him once but the agents all spoke of him with complete and utter respect.

"Yeah, boss?" Jimmy stopped pacing and turned to the SAIC.

"Let Gus handle this his way. Our first order of business is to find out who helped Virgil. That will give us an idea where he might be hiding. Or at least who to question about it."

"I'd like to get my hands on whoever it is," Gus growled. "They'd spill their guts in ten seconds."

Dean shook his head. "As a matter of fact, Gus, you're going to have to keep a low profile here."

"Wait a minute," Gus began.

Dean cut him off. "You have other priorities." He looked at Anya. "Miss Kane's safety is at the top of the list. I'm making it your assignment to personally take care of that."

Anya sensed Gus stiffen beside her.

"I already figured that out. But that doesn't mean—"

"What it means is neither of you can go back to your place. Not even to collect personal belongings."

Anya tightened her grip on Gus' hand as she leaned forward. "But where will we go, Mr. Barton?"

He gave her a strained smile. "I have a safe house set up. Only those of you here in this room will know which one it is. I promise you, you'll be safe there, Miss Kane."

His words were somewhat reassuring but she put all of her trust in Gus. And she'd leave the details up to him. He'd told her the night she'd called him that he wouldn't let her down and he hadn't.

"It's critical for me to have a pipeline into what's happening with this," Gus protested.

Dean nodded. "And you will. Jimmy will be your contact when I'm not available. You'll know everything that's going on at all times. I'll need to pick your brain because you ran the original case."

"What about backup? Someone with eyes and ears when we sleep?"

"That's one of the things we'll discuss after this meeting."

Anya sat back in her chair, letting the rest of the discussion wash over her. She was still trying to absorb the fact that Virgil Branson was on the loose. He'd looked her in the eye when she walked out of the courtroom and mouthed, "I'll kill you, sweet thing. You can't hide from me." A cold shiver skittered over her as she remembered the deadly promise and she hitched her chair slightly closer to Gus.

Finally it seemed the meeting was over. Everyone had their assignments and was heading to their desks or their cars to get started. Dean Barton left them for a moment, then returned carrying a large aluminum briefcase which he handed to Gus. Then he locked the door and sat down across from Anya and Gus, shoving the case at Gus.

"Your go bag," he told him. "Open it when you get where you're going."

Gus nodded and waited for the SAIC to continue.

"Obviously we don't know how extensive Branson's network is," he told them. "It's much larger than we thought. Gus, it's entirely possible that he knows of your relationship with Miss Kane and is aware the two of you are living together. He could even have someone watching your place."

"I already figured that," Gus told him.

"As soon as we wrap up some details here we're going to get you out of this building and do some bait and switch."

Anya tried to concentrate while Dean went over details with Gus. He explained, among other things, that someone had already shopped for clothes and whatever other necessities they'd need. That everything was waiting for them at the safe house. But all she heard was a buzzing in her head, a result of the tension gripping her. Why had she ever accepted that first date with Virgil? She had been such a stupid, gullible small-town fool. She hadn't really been aware until the trial of just how little like a "good ol' boy" Virgil actually was. Rather he was a viciously evil entrepreneur, dealing in human flesh, with a network that extended globally.

Anya looked at Gus, her forehead creased in worry. "What about my friends Stella and Amy? He'll go after them, too."

Sorrow flashed in Dean's eyes. "I hate to say this, Miss Kane, but if they were with Virgil willingly when you saw them last, it's possible they're already in his pipeline."

"Oh, god, I hope not." She twisted her hands together. "Can you check on them? Please? Is that possible?"

Dean nodded. "I'll make sure we send agents to scope out the situation. If they're still around, we'll offer them protection."

"Thank you," she breathed.

"Okay, then." Dean stood up and slapped his hand on the table. "Time to go," he said, and looked directly at Gus. "You all set?"

Gus nodded and urged Anya from her chair. Bending low to her head, he whispered, "I promise it will be all right. I'll take care of you and keep you safe."

"I trust you," she whispered back. But she was still frightened.

She clung to Gus as Barton led them from the conference room to the elevator. Around them activity hummed in the various cubicles, despite the unreal hour. Rather than punching the button for the parking garage, Dean took a key from his pocket and slid it into a tiny lock on the elevator panel.

"We don't need company right now," he told them. "This is just in case."

He pressed the top button and they rode silently to the roof. The moment that Dean pushed open the heavy metal door to the roof Anya heard an unfamiliar noise and a strong breeze nearly knocked her off her feet. She shaded her eyes against the wind and saw a black helicopter waiting with its rotor already in motion.

They headed for the helo, bending low to avoid the rotor wash. Gus helped Anya in first and motioned for her to buckle herself in. Then he climbed in next to the pilot, nodded at Dean and slammed the door shut. In seconds they were lifting off the roof. Anya folded her hands tightly in her lap and tried not to look at the city falling away beneath them.