Justin, AJ, and Regan emerged downstairs to find an unmarked van at the door. AJ went first, opening the back door of the van and entering. Justin and Regan followed him inside. AJ pulled the door closed, and the van sped off. Like the mini-bus Lizzie and Michaela took earlier with AJ, this van had comfortable lounge chairs with seat belts.

As their van left the premises, an unmarked car pulled away from the curb and followed them.

Ten minutes later, the van came to a stop, and the back door opened.

A man in a delivery uniform awaited them. “Please step out here.”

They found themselves inside an underground garage. Their van stood in a row of vans, all identical. Regan and Justin got out, and AJ led them to another van where a technician sat next to a laptop and some electronic equipment. He jumped out and invited Regan over first, running a scanning wand all over her. He did the same with Justin and AJ. Returning to the van, he worked with his laptop for a couple minutes. “Okay.”

AJ led them to yet another van, inviting them inside. Once they settled into the usual lounge chairs, he pulled out a Polaroid photo and showed it to Regan.

“Friends of yours?” She observed the photo and saw a slightly blurry shot of two men sitting in the front seat as seen through the windshield. “They've been following us.”

Regan shook her head. “I left orders that no one should follow us.”

Justin reached for the photo. “Let me see that!”

The delivery man handed him the photo. Justin looked more closely. “That is Haven Donahue, the security manager at my estate. And that is Ward Porter, the man who visited me at the house the night my daughter was kidnapped!” he said angrily.

“They're from your bank?”

Justin nodded.

The delivery man retrieved the Polaroid, and closed the door. They heard a number of engines start. Apparently, all the vans planned to leave at once.

“Multiple targets,” Regan said approvingly. “That should confuse them.”

“Confuse who?” Justin asked.

Regan smiled enigmatically but said nothing. As they started off, Justin pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

“Who do you plan to call?” Regan asked him.

“I want to leave a message for that snake, Donahue, that he is fired,” Justin steamed as he tried unsuccessfully to work his phone.

“Don't bother,” AJ said. “Your phone won't work in here.”

“Why not?”

“This part of the van is lead lined. No electronic signal can get in or out.”

Justin put the phone back in his pocket. He sat fuming for the next 20 minutes until the van came to a halt once again. When the doors opened, they found themselves in another underground garage, one which AJ recognized instantly, although he didn't say anything. They disembarked and walked into the only door they saw. Passing through, they came to a desk with a female security guard behind it.

“Welcome, Mr. Knight,” the guard said, “We've been expecting you. And you, Special Agent Regan. Please sit down,” she gestured to chairs across the desk. The two sat.

“First, Special Agent Regan, I'm afraid we have to ask you to turn your weapons over to us for safekeeping during your visit.” Regan stiffened. “No need to worry,” the guard continued pleasantly. “We'll keep them safe, and they'll be returned to you when you leave us.”

Regan reluctantly pulled out her service revolver, examined the load briefly, and placed it carefully on the desk.

“The other one too, please.”

Regan pulled up her right pant leg and removed a small derringer velcroed to a strap around her leg and placed it on the desk as well.

“Thank you,” said the guard as she typed something into her computer, and a printer started printing. In a moment, she grabbed the paper and handed it to Regan. “Your receipt.”

Turning to Justin she said, “Mr. Knight, as you know we provided protection services for your daughter and her tutor, after we rescued them from your bank's...employees, shall we say? We presume your willingness to cover the expenses we have incurred toward that end.”

Another paper printed out, and she handed it to him. She kept talking as he scanned it.

“Mr. Knight, we generally only do business with people we have done extensive background checks on. In your case, we waive that because of your very public position. Also, forgive us, we did extensive checking on you before your tutor went to work for you. So we can forgo that part of the procedure.”

“Your services do not come cheap,” Justin commented as he read.

“Do you object?”

“No, I just thought I would mention it, that is all. I am quite grateful to you people for rescuing my daughter...and her tutor, of course, although I thought you already assumed responsibility for Elizabeth's safety.”

“A fair point. I can charge her expenses to TST.”

“No problem. I will gladly pay them.”

“Very well. We also need you to agree to our terms of service.”

A set of pages printed out, and she handed them to Justin when it finished. He read them carefully, and their thoroughness impressed him.

“Looks like you have some good lawyers in your little revolutionary group,” he commented, and he reached for a pen to sign the papers.

“Special Agent Regan, you arrive here as our guest,” the guard stated. “We normally don't allow guests not yet vetted inside this facility, but we will make an exception for you today. I must request that you not wander around at all during your visit and limit your activities to only those places our people take you. Do you agree?”

Regan nodded.

“Good,” the guard said, pressing another computer button, and a new set of credentials for each of them soon appeared. “You have people expecting you on the third floor. Enjoy your stay.”

AJ, Justin, and Regan went to the elevator and climbed in. When they reached the first floor, they transferred to the other elevator, and AJ pressed the 3 button. Moments later, the door opened and AJ led them off to the left.

“Dad!” Michaela screamed with joy upon sighting her father, and she rushed over to leap into his arms. Relief flowed over him as he experienced the exhilaration of reuniting with her. Tears poured from his eyes as he held his only daughter close, as if he would never release her again.

Lizzie came over too and smiled broadly at the father and daughter reunion.

Justin noticed her and said, “Elizabeth,” releasing his daughter to reach for her.

“Mr. Knight,” she said, slightly embarrassed, pulling back ever so slightly.

“I think we're long past that, don't you, Elizabeth? Call me Justin.” He took her hands and drew her closer and held her gently for a moment. He released her slightly so they could see each other more clearly, still holding on.

“Yes...Justin,” she whispered after a moment, her cheeks turning quite pink. Her hair around her neck enhanced her femininity for him just as it always had. The blood rushing to her head and neck made her beautiful and enticingly vulnerable.

“Thank you for my daughter's life,” he said to her in an intimate voice, “and for mine.”

Then he took her upper arms, gently pulled her to him and kissed her warmly on the lips. She stiffened at first, then wrapped her arms around his neck to pull them even closer together and kissed him back just as warmly, perhaps even more so.

Michaela's mouth dropped open, and it rendered her speechless for a rare moment. Her eyes widened as she watched this display.

“Ohhhh!” she exclaimed, although she didn't smile.

AJ, on the other hand, though clearly surprised, flashed a big smile. He laughed his slow, gentle laugh.

Regan didn't show much reaction, other than to nod quietly. She’d suspected something like this from the moment she met them.

When Justin released her, Lizzie could hardly think of anything to say. She continued to blush, squirmed a bit, stammered for a moment, then said to him, “'Elizabeth' is so formal. Do you think you could call me Lizzie?”

Now Justin had to to smile. “All right...Lizzie.”

She smiled, and her smile grew even bigger than his. This gave him warm chills up and down his spine and into his legs. Michaela decided that her tutor had quite enough attention for now and pulled her father away, talking to him at her usual 300 words a minute. Regan and AJ watched quietly, as did another person in the room.

Justin noticed her and asked, “Who is this?”

AJ stepped in and said, “Mr. Knight, let me introduce you to Janice. She coordinated your daughter's rescue, and Lizzie's too, of course. Janice, meet Mr. Justin Knight and Special Agent Regan of the FBI.”

Janice stepped forward to shake hands with each of them.

“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” she said in a contralto voice and turned directly to Justin. “I've enjoyed getting to know your daughter for the past hour or so. She's quite an interesting, enthusiastic, and energetic young lady!”

She stood taller than average, about 5'9”, with an average build. When Lizzie and Justin kissed, she stood in the shadows and didn't react, although Justin thought he'd noticed a smile right after he released Lizzie. He estimated her age around mid-to-late forties. She wore her black, curly hair down, and Justin thought he saw some streaks of gray in it. He wondered if she permitted the gray on purpose, perhaps to add to her air of being in charge, an air which she possessed quite naturally already. The streaked effect contrasted nicely with her creamy mocha skin tone.

“I'm ever so grateful for all you have done for my family,” he told her as he shook her hand.

“You're quite welcome,” she said with a warm smile. “I don't want to rush this wonderful reunion,” she said, “but I believe we have a tight schedule.”

“Yes, of course.” Justin turned to Michaela. “Sweetheart, these people must help me do something very important right now. Then we can have a late dinner together, and you can tell me everything. Would that be all right?”

“But you just got here!”

“And I plan to be here all night, too.”

“And tomorrow, and the day after?”

“We will be together quite a bit from now on.”

Slightly put out, Michaela scanned all the adult faces and grimly resigned herself to the inevitable.

“Why don't we all sit down,” Janice said, indicating the comfortable chairs in the room. Someone had arranged the group of them in a circle so that the conversation would include everyone.

After they sat, AJ outlined for Janice what they discussed at Federal Plaza. He described the plan to meet with Holloway and record the conversation for both AU and FBI use.

“And for my use as well,” Justin pointed out. “I want that conversation on record in case I need to use it later.”

Janice said to Justin, “I take it Mr. Holloway is in town?”

“Yes. He has offices just off Broadway.”

“And what about your uncle?”

“I want to call him afterward and talk with him based in part on what John has to say to me. I am sure he will fire me, but I also want to corner him about his plans and intentions, if I can.”

“He'll fire you?” Michaela asked quickly.

“Do not worry,” Justin assured her. “It will work out for the best.”

“We've prepared a meeting place for you and Mr. Holloway. Do you think he'll agree to be taken to the location with a blindfold?”

“He might. I scared him when I mentioned the wire transfer's description. He will do whatever it takes to reassure me about it.”

“All right, then. Call and tell him a car will be sent to his office. Give me the address, so I can arrange it,” she said, and he wrote it out for her. “Tell him to expect us at exactly 6:20.”

“Will my cell phone work here?”

AJ interceded, “No, the walls are shielded.”

Janice smiled and said, “Come with me, and you can use the office phone, a secure line.”

She led him to an office, unlocked the door with her thumb print, and gestured toward a desk with a phone. Justin sat down, selected Holloway's number from his cell's address book, and dialed the number. A digital clock on the wall showed the time as 5:39.

“John Holloway, please…Justin Knight.”

A moment later, he continued, “John, I have worked out a way for us to meet. I can send a car over to your office at precisely 6:20. The driver will take you to a hidden location where we can meet. Does that suit you? Good...Yes, I will gladly hear what you have to say...Yes, I hope it does too...Okay, John, see you soon.” Then he disconnected.

Janice had left the room to make a call of her own. She returned just as Justin completed his own call.

“We will have a bit of a wait. Would anyone like anything, something to eat or drink while we wait?” she asked around.

One of the wait staff appeared next to her, ready to take orders. Michaela jumped up first.

“Come on, Dad,” she said, pulling him to his feet. “I want to give you the grand tour!” The two of them went off together down the hall, with Michaela once again gabbing along at top speed.

They returned a short while later to find the others chatting amiably over drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Michaela's patter had played itself out, and she mainly just sat with her father as they joined the party. A man came into the room at 6:45 and whispered something to Janice, who turned to speak to Justin.

“We picked your friend up. He resisted the blindfold at first, but then he accepted it. He should be at the rendezvous in about five minutes. We prepared everything. You should leave now to arrive on time.”

He nodded and got up to go. Michaela didn't want to let him go, but he hugged her close, assured her he would return soon and left with Janice's aide.

“Wait a minute,” Regan said suddenly. “You forgot something.”

Everyone froze and turned to her.

“He needs a wire to wear to this meeting!”

Janice spoke up, “Don't worry. The room is completely wired for sound and video. We'll get a good recording.”

This concerned Justin. “Do you make it a practice to record all your guest's private conversations?”

Janice shook her head, “No, but we have rooms like this one available in case the need arises.”

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