Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(63)
“It was him,” she whispered. “I knew it. Thank God. He’s alive.”
Gabe tugged her into his side. The man looked as if he needed a long rest, but Shelby couldn’t stop looking at him.
“Come on, Kelsey,” he murmured, squeezing her tight. Tears brimmed those gorgeous green eyes of his. “This was supposed to make you happy.”
She leaned into her hands, covering her face. “I am. I’m really... so happy.”
“But happy isn’t supposed to leak out of your face like this,” he teased, a tear tracking down his cheek. He brushed his face against his shoulder.
Shelby couldn’t pull her eyes away from the tender scene. The man loved Kelsey. There was no other way to put it. They really were family.
Zack had taken up position in front of his computer screen instead of watching the replay. Both brows descended into a V. His forehead crinkled with worry lines and his cell phone tucked against his shoulder and cheek. “Yeah, Kels. You’re supposed to be dancing off the ceiling right now and drinking a beer.”
“I’m happy.” She wiped her eyes and glanced up at her ceiling. “Believe me, my heart’s up there. It really is. I’m just afraid to believe it.”
“Yeah. Me, too,” Gabe said. “We were with you at the hospital, remember?”
Shelby reached for the box of tissues on the end table beside her. She offered it to Kelsey, then Gabe, before she snagged one for herself. Nothing about this job was easy.
“Wow,” Kelsey whispered. “I haven’t cried like this in years, huh?” She turned to Gabe, cupping his jaw in the palm of her slender hand. “You poor thing. You could’ve drowned out there.”
Shelby turned away. It really was true. He would die for Kelsey.
Eagle Two became top priority and Mark was glad. For once, everyone focused on something besides proving Alex was alive. Steven had located Sam Becker. Izza, Taylor, and he were staked out at a warehouse next to the Gangplank Marina off Water Street in D.C.
Becker had gone inside with another male. Izza had already forwarded a couple of photos of them when they’d entered the warehouse. His takedown appeared imminent, but for now, it was a game of wait and see.
“Hey, Boss,” Rory said. “We’re running some traffic cam footage through Ember’s facial rec program to see if we can spot our suspects, but check this out. Connor’s been busy.”
Connor turned on the overhead screen in the Sit Room. “These are kinda choppy because I had to piece a few downloads together, but watch.”
The Sit Room was filled with the remaining agents and Mother. Connor’s satellite footage tracked the man in black after he’d driven Kelsey to the vacant summer home. Once there, he picked the front door lock and carried her inside.
“He’s got a lot of nerve.” Mother summed it up for the group. “Who was that guy?”
Connor keyed in another command. “You tell me. This guy must have disabled the security system, too. It sure went off when Gabe picked the lock to get to Kelsey.”
The overhead screen now showed three enhanced close-up shots of the man when he arrived on the scene, when he dove into the river, and again as he worked to resuscitate Kelsey. Dressed entirely in black, he’d kept his face concealed with a balaclava. All except for when he’d dived into the river.
“That’s not much help,” Mother exclaimed petulantly.
“No?” Rory asked. “Look closer.”
Connor zoomed in again until it became obvious this person was indeed a Caucasian male, around six feet tall, give or take an inch or two, and whose body shape looked as if it weighed around two hundred pounds. He moved like a man who knew exactly what to do, but what cinched the deal was the tender way he handled Kelsey as he carried her from the water and administered first aid on the riverbank. He stroked her cheek once she started breathing. He knelt over her on hands and knees, so close that it looked as if he’d kissed her forehead. Only then did he replace the black mask over his head.
Mark sat back with a gasp of denial. “It can’t be. I saw him die.”
Rory stared at Mark across the room. “Then who else is it?”
“Wait. Not done here,” Connor spoke up. “You all know the airbag and seatbelt in Kelsey’s were sliced. Who always carries a blade with him? I mean, besides Taylor and Izza?”
Maverick and David answered at the same time. “Alex.”
“Anything else?” Mark asked evenly, his logic card overloaded by this additional evidence. Until now, Connor and Rory hadn’t been able to bring this portion of the video into sharp enough focus. They’d all seen this stranger place Kelsey inside his sedan. It had looked as if he’d kissed her then, but as David had pointed out, he’d been wearing his balaclava. He could’ve simply been checking to make sure she was still breathing. But now?
Mark gulped. Could this guy be Alex?
“One more thing. Watch this.” Rory signaled Connor. The video came to life again, showing an aerial shot of the Olsens’ home on the day of the anonymous tip.
Exactly two hours before Zack and Gabe roared up to Olsens’, another black sedan rolled slowly into the driveway. Two men exited the vehicle and entered the house. Moments later they reappeared, escorting another guy to their vehicle, this one with his head covered again.