It was about 9:15 when John’s burner rang. “Yes?”
“Hold for Deputy Director Smothers,” said a formal, female voice.
John turned to Sara and put the phone on speaker. He held his finger to his mouth in a shushing motion and Sara nodded.
“John?”
“Deputy Director Smothers, I’m surprised to hear from you.” He used the director’s full name so that Sara knew who it was.
“We have a problem.”
John glanced at Sara. “We?”
“Yes. John, I have information that shows a couple of my guys, meaning agents, left Miami and flew to Billings last night. They are working for Berenson and Montoya, his Miami trafficking manager. They are probably on the road pursuing you right now. I spoke to Mr. Smithson and impressed on him the danger and he provided me this number. I have people enroute to Rapid City right now and I want you and your support team to get to the Pilot truck stop just before Rapid City as soon as you can. I suspect they are on the road chasing you now. They will most likely wait for you to stop. I want you to stop and immediately enter the restaurant there. I will have agents there to apprehend these guys. My plane will land there in 30 minutes. I’ll be there, too. Questions?”
“No. We are about 45 minutes out. See you there.”
Smothers ended the call and Sara stared at him. “You know the Deputy Director of the FBI?”
“We met a few years ago and have had the chance to work together a couple of times.”
There was a silence that stretched too long, becoming uncomfortable. John looked over at Sara. “You okay?”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll be there, Marty and George will be there, and a bunch of FBI agents will be there. You don’t think they want anything to happen with a Deputy Director there, do you?”
Sara looked at John. Her face said she was not sure. “I guess not.”
About 10 minutes later, Marty called. “We’re coming up to pass you now. We’ll park in a spot along the side of the restaurant. Come up alongside us and we’ll assist you getting into the restaurant if the bad guys are already there.”
“Roger. See you there.”
30 minutes later, John and Sara saw the signs indicating the Pilot Travel Center was at the next exit. John could feel the tension coming off Sara. He reached over and put his right hand on her arm. “Relax. This will work out fine.”
They pulled off the exit and turned right toward the truck stop. As they pulled in, they spotted the U-Haul and John pulled up next to it so that Sara’s passenger door was on the side of the U-Haul. Things happened fast after that.
Marty and George stepped out of the U-Haul and over next to John’s vehicle. John and Sara opened their doors to step out. Sara was closest to the U-Haul and Marty and George were there. They stood next to her, ready to escort her into the restaurant. John got out to head around toward the front door.
Suddenly, a Jeep screeched to a halt right in front of the restaurant and two guys got out, guns drawn toward them. “FBI. Hands up! You are all under arrest!”
The four of them froze and slowly raised their hands.
John was trying to stay steady and used his eyes to roam the immediate area, wondering where the other FBI agents were, the ones that Deputy Director Smothers had said were there to protect them. These two started approaching, looking menacing and not very concerned about anything else. There were several people in the area starting to stare.
These bad guys were reaching for their handcuffs when John saw five other guys appear from behind their Jeep with their guns drawn.
“Everyone freeze! Johnson, Martinez, put your weapons on the ground and your hands up and behind your head.”
Obviously, Johnson and Martinez were the two bad agents. John and the others looked on with concern as all these conflicting emotions went across the faces of these two agents. John was ready to bolt to somewhere safe while the others were considering diving behind John’s vehicle. Johnson and Martinez still had guns pointed at them.
After a few moments of considering what might happen in this situation, Johnson and Martinez looked at each other and seemed to come to a decision. They both stood up straight, then showed that they were holding their guns loosely, and then bent to put them on the ground. They stood back up and put their hands behind their heads. They both seemed to be looking scared, not chastised.
Two of the good guys approached Johnson and Martinez. They grabbed their arms, pulling them down to put handcuffs on them. The two of them looked cowed, but still scared. John wondered about that.
Deputy Director Smothers then came around the corner. “Good job, guys.” He turned to John and his group. “You guys did great, too. Sorry about the scare there. I didn’t think they’d approach outside in plain view. Anyway, let’s head inside and see what we can find out.”
John hesitated. “I have a deadline to meet. I’m supposed to be in Ames later today.”
“Is that right?” Smothers looked at Sara. “And is this the woman known as Sara O’Connell?”
Sara looked at him, her eyes wide, and fear all over her face. “Y-yes.”
Smothers stuck out his hand. “Benjamin Smothers, Deputy Director, FBI.”
Sara shook his hand hesitantly.
Smothers turned and watched the two bad agents disappear into the restaurant, led by two and followed by the other three good guys. “We have a room in the back where we will get some information from these guys. Every indication is that they became slightly entangled in this operation, just ignoring some minor misdemeanors, and now Montoya, the manager for Berenson of his southern trafficking operation, has been threatening their families. We got the families safe, but now need some information on Montoya.
“Miss O’Connell, or should I say Linda Conners, we need something from you.”
Sara gasped a little. “You know who I am?”
“Yes, we do.” He waved over at another man, who walked up to the three of them. “This is U.S. Marshal Gus Howard. He has come to help us with this situation. We need more evidence from women who were held at that hotel. Montoya managed to either transfer somewhere else or scare off most of the other women who were being held there. You, however, can identify Montoya and his methods, testify that you saw Berenson, and help us put these people away. Gus is here to offer witness protection, should you choose it, in exchange for you helping us put these people away. I know this is short notice, but will you help us?”
Sara looked at John.
John spoke up. “Let us have a couple of minutes.”
Smothers looked back and forth at the two, then said, “Sure.”
John led Sara over to the side. “This is probably a great chance to be safe from these guys. The Marshal’s service will continue to watch you and look out for you. I suggest you take it, but the decision is yours.”
Emotions flashed all over Sara’s face. She was so conflicted. She couldn’t think about doing what she had done in Seattle all over again. Starting over without support. Maybe she should take this offer. What choice did she really have? If she didn’t, Dani would have to use another of her identities and help her get settled. Then Dani would have to leave her and Sara would have to be vigilant for herself. Dani helped people nobody else would help. If she took this offer, she could at least have someone watching over her new life while Dani could help others.