Hands shot up all around, and he nodded to a sandy-haired boy sitting in the front row.
“Have you ever killed someone?”
He rubbed his hands on his pants and turned his eyes to Miss Killingly. She gave him a look, as if saying he were on his own.
“My team had been responsible for taking down numerous threats to the safety of our country. When I joined the military, I took an oath to do everything in my power to protect this country. I still keep that promise, even to this day.”
“I want to be a seal trainer when I grow up,” Thomas said, a look of awe on his face.
Alexander smiled, scanning the intrigued faces in the classroom, catching Melanie’s eyes. She had a look of pride on her face. He hoped the day would never come that he did something to make her resent him.
Alexander’s phone buzzed in his pocket, startling him. He blinked, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. He glanced down to see that Olivia had fallen back to sleep. He must have dozed off at some point, too. He had been running on maybe five hours of sleep over the past three days and his limbs ached from exhaustion. His back throbbed from falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position. After everything Olivia had been through today, she deserved better than sleeping on the floor.
He gingerly extracted himself from her and stood before picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Heading toward the door, he pulled it open and carefully ducked under the yellow police tape, then padded down the long corridor and into their master bedroom. The bed had been left unmade, everything precisely as it was the last time he stepped foot in this room…before he realized Melanie had been taken. It was like it had been frozen in time, a moment of their history he would do anything to change.
Olivia stirred slightly when he placed her on the bed and pulled the duvet over her. A small moan escaped her lips as she nuzzled into the warmth of the silky sheets and down pillows, comforting her, regardless of how short-lived the relief was. Alexander paused and gazed upon his wife lying in the bed they had shared for years. Too many nights, he’d worked late in the office and came home after she had fallen asleep. There was nothing like waking from a dreamless sleep to the feeling of his wife and daughter, who had found her way into their bed at some point during the night, snuggled next to him. He had taken those moments for granted.
Never again.
When this was all over, he wanted to give his wife and Melanie something he’d yet to provide them with…a normal life.
He placed a soft kiss on Olivia’s forehead and retreated from the bed, allowing her this time to sleep and forget about the reality of what had happened twenty-four hours ago.
Stepping into the hallway, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a missed call from Simpson. A momentary flash of hope filled him. He’d been having Simpson do everything he could to keep tabs on the FBI’s investigation. Alexander was more than aware that Moretti probably wouldn’t share everything with him, but Simpson would, and he had the talent to access the FBI’s computers without their knowledge. Most of his other agents had the brawn and training from years of military service. Simpson had never worn a uniform of any kind. Alexander often joked that he was born with a computer glued to his hands. He knew more about firewalls and secure IPs than most people could ever fathom. He truly was the brains behind the security firm.
Dialing his number, he waited for the call to connect. Simpson picked up almost immediately.
“You called?” Alexander muttered quietly as he headed down the stairs and toward the east wing of the house where his office was located.
“Sorry for calling so early, sir, but this couldn’t wait.”
“What is it?” He glanced at his watch and saw it was after five in the morning. He wondered if Simpson ever slept. He kept stranger hours than Alexander did. Regardless of the time of day, Simpson answered whenever he called, sounding as if he were wide awake.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the FBI’s investigation into…” He cleared his throat, “well, everything.”
Alexander knew this was his way of trying to avoid saying Melanie’s name. Aside from Martin and Tyler, Simpson probably knew Alexander better than anyone else at the office.
“What did you find?” he pushed, running his hand over his face and rubbing his tired eyes. His body screamed for rest, but his brain wouldn’t allow it, not until Melanie was safe. He’d already wasted too much time sleeping tonight. So much could have happened in the last five hours.
“The forensic report on the explosion at the press conference came back.”
“I don’t follow.” Alexander entered his office and sat behind the desk. He had hoped Simpson was calling with some sort of identification from the sketch he had sent him.
“Well, normally I wouldn’t think anything of it, especially when an extremist group is involved…”
Alexander’s pulse quickened. He straightened his spine, staring out the windows at the dark, snow-covered lawn, only shadowed trees visible.
“The design and chemical makeup of the bomb was pretty much identical to an explosion credited to the Islamic Union that happened one year ago.”
“One year?” Alexander tightened his jaw, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to ward off the words he knew were about to come out of Simpson’s mouth, but nothing could stop the truth.
“Yes, sir,” he said reluctantly. “It could certainly just be a coincidence, but the chemical makeup of the bomb that caused the explosion at City Hall is practically identical to the bomb that destroyed the shelter in Afghanistan Mr. Tate was operating.”
Alexander let out a slow breath, running his hands through his hair. All day long, he had held out hope, regardless of how small, that Melanie’s abduction was completely unrelated to him and what he did for a living. That hope had been squashed in the blink of an eye. Now he knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Melanie’s abduction was tied to his company’s involvement overseas and Landon’s disappearance.
“Anything new on Mischa?” Alexander asked.
“I thought the same thing. I’ve been looking through Boston PD’s files on her death. Aside from her being Landon’s sister, there’s nothing in her background to tie her to the shelter, so any connection to Melanie’s abduction would be tenuous at best.”