Rick Mofina - Whirlwind

“I’d rather not say.”

“Do you want to discuss the next steps? The adoptive mother is extremely anxious to have him, and we need to provide you with full payment.”

“That’s just it. I’m scared.” Remy stopped and began crying.

“Take your time, dear. I understand. Take your time. Why are you scared?”

“Just before I had him I had second thoughts about giving him up. Then when I had him, he was so beautiful and something just happened. I was overcome with these powerful feelings to keep him, so Mason took me away to have him and to think about everything.”

“And what are your thoughts now?”

“I’m ready to honor our agreement and give him to you and sign all the papers I need to sign.”

Hedda looked to the sky and heaved a sigh.

“That’s good. I’m happy to hear that.”

“But there’s a problem. The storm made things hard on everybody. Mason and I are facing a tough situation, real tough.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re going to need more compensation, or whatever it’s called. A lot more.”

Hedda didn’t respond for several seconds. “How much?”

“We need one hundred thousand.”

Hedda never expected that this trailer park girl and her loser boyfriend were going to shake her. She misjudged them being satisfied with sixty. Realizing that she had few options, Hedda was inclined to reach an agreement when Remy continued.

“I’ve been doing some research on the internet and was thinking about the way you recruit surrogates, and use a Russian clinic, then actually sell babies, because that’s what it looks like. I was thinking it might be something the FBI would be interested in hearing about.”

Hedda said nothing.

“So what’s it going to be, Hedda?” Remy asked.

Before Hedda could respond the line was muffled. She heard Remy talking, arguing with someone, before a new voice came on the line.

“This is Mason. All I’m going to say is you got thirty minutes to agree to one hundred. We’ll call you back. If you don’t agree, we go to the FBI.”

Fate, Texas

The half-hour wait was excruciating.

Remy and Mason sat at the picnic table in the backyard under the shade of the cottonwoods. Remy had put the baby on a blanket on the table and was gently rubbing his tummy.

“Did we make a mistake demanding a hundred thousand?” she asked.

“Hedda will go for it. She has to. She doesn’t want us telling the FBI.”

“But what if she saw the President’s speech and got suspicious? Or saw the stories with the pictures? Mason, she knows me.”

“Take it easy… She never said a word about it. Besides, she’s implicated. If we go down, she goes down.”

“But what about the two idiots in there?” Remy nodded to the house. “They watched the President’s speech with us. What if they figure it out? Or turn us in? I went online. The FBI’s now offering a fifty-thousand-dollar reward for information.”

“I know. Arlen and Brice are assholes and I don’t trust them.” Mason turned to the house, taking in all the satellite dishes on the roof. They were likely stolen. Hell, they even had a little one poking from Brice’s bedroom window. “Look at that. They sure got the place all tricked out.” Mason looked at his phone. Twenty-four minutes had passed since their call to Hedda. “Close enough.”

He called Hedda Knight.

“Time’s up,” Mason told her. “After I hang up, I’m going to call the FBI unless you give me reason not to.”

“I agree to one hundred thousand,” Hedda said.

Mason nodded to Remy, big nods.

“Cash,” Mason said.

“Cash,” Hedda repeated. “I’ll be on the next available flight to Dallas. I will withdraw the cash there. I’ll have the papers to sign, and I’ll be with an assistant to help me with the baby. Give me a number to call when I arrive so we can arrange a location for the exchange.”

Mason fished in his pockets where he had several prepaid disposable phones. He gave Hedda a number, finished the call and looked at Remy.

“Done,” he said. “We’ll have one hundred thousand in forty-eight hours.”

“That’s good.”

“Damn straight.” Mason was thinking fast before noticing how Remy was nearly in tears again looking at the baby.

“Listen,” he said. “This is more money than we ever dreamed of. It’s what we wanted and it’s going to happen, okay?”

“Okay.”

“First, we’re getting out of here as fast as we can. You take the baby, go inside and start packing while I make some calls to set things up.”

Remy took Caleb into her arms, and once they were both in the house Mason used one of his disposable phones and called a number.

Time to take care of my deal, he thought as it rang to a recorded message.

“This is Varno. I’ve secured the investment for my buy-in. Call me ASAP on this new number.”

Less than two minutes later his phone rang.

“The expiry date on your spot has passed,” Garza said.

“No, wait. I’m solid with the money.”

“As a late entry, your buy-in number is now fifty.”

“Fifty?”

“That’s the number.”

“Yes, yes, I’m good for that. I’ve just secured it. You’ll have it in three days.”

“Three days? It’s a stretch. As a show of good faith I want five up front, nonrefundable, now, today.”

Mason made a panicked calculation. Five thousand was almost all he and Remy had left from the fifteen the agency had given her.

“Okay,” he said. “But I need some help. I can give you the deposit today, but I need a place for a night or two. You’ve got safe houses, right?”

Garza sighed and let a beat pass.

“You have the deposit, Varno?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve secured the buy-in?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to give you an address. Memorize it… Do not write it down. I’m only going to say it once.”

Mason listened and locked onto the address.

After the call he sat alone for a moment and absorbed everything. It was all coming together. Buoyed by how all the pieces had fallen into place, he entered the house.

When he got inside he froze.

Remy was in the kitchen. Her eyes were as large as saucers. Her mouth was sealed with duct tape, her body bound to a chair with tape and ropes. The baby was on the floor.

Brice was bent over him, caressing Caleb’s cheeks with a gun.

Mason reached behind his back for the Smith & Wesson that he’d tucked in his waistband. Before he could get to it, Arlen stepped from behind him, seized it, then pressed a sawed-off shotgun to Mason’s temple.

“Just be cool, Mason, be cool. Don’t move. Don’t try anything.”

Mason raised his hands in cooperation.

“We know everything about your deal with Garza.” Arlen threw a look to his brother. “Amazing what Brice picked up on the parabolic microphone he’s got in his back window. He loves his gadgets. We heard your whole deal.”

Mason said nothing.

“Now, this is how it’s going to go down,” Arlen said. “We’re going to relieve you of your windfall and then guess what we’re going to do? Why, we’re going to hand you to the FBI and collect another fifty thousand. I’d say that’s not bad work for two idiot assholes, wouldn’t you?”

Mason said nothing, and Arlen jabbed the gun harder into his head.

“Get on your knees so Brice can tape you up. Then you can watch what I’m going to do to your little woman. You know she’s always wanted it from me! Ain’t that right, Remy?”

Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas

Kate’s morning began with two punches to the gut.