The man unzipped his jacket and tucked it behind his right hip. A large caliber revolver, a .45, possibly a .50, was strapped to his waist. He rested his hand on the handle of the gun in the holster, stroking it almost lovingly, not saying a word. He waited for her response.
Perhaps he thought she would cower or cry, or beg him to leave. Or he expected Jack to push their children down even further, leaving only the two of them exposed. Maybe he thought her husband would yank her to the floor. It wouldn’t have been an unusual act for Jack to take. But she continued to stand there, refusing to break eye contact, wondering where on earth their security could be.
“This is a place of worship.” Jack said quietly.
“Take your grievances elsewhere,” Caroline added, amazed that her voice was so steady.
“We’re watching you,” the man said, right before their security finally arrived to haul him out of the church.
Caroline grabbed the railing of the pew for support. Jack put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“We’re leaving.” He started gathering up their coats. “Now.”
They walked out as the organ started playing and the liturgists, altar servers, and the priest lined up to proceed toward the altar. Their pastor nodded solemnly at them as they whisked the girls out the door and back to the car waiting to take them back to the mansion. He looked very sad. Caroline felt bad they hadn’t been able to talk to him first. She very much liked him. She and Jack hadn’t wanted the beginning of Mass disrupted like that. The last place of refuge for so many people, and now it was one more precious thing that had been taken away. Faith couldn’t protect them anymore.
* * * * *
Caroline paced across the master bedroom later that night. Jack sat on the bed removing dress shoes. His tie was askew, his shirt wrinkled. She’d been avoiding him for most of the day, although they both knew what they had to do.
“We have to get them out,” she said. “Before it’s too late. It might already be too late. I told Christine and Tom earlier today. They’re ready. So is Jess. They’ll be here tomorrow. I-” She swallowed back tears. “I have to go tell Mo and Feef.”
“Do you want me to talk to them too?”
“No, this is something I need to do by myself. Although I know you’re going to want to talk to them at some point. I just need to be the one to say it first.”
“I know.” Jack sounded a little hurt. He considered himself more than just a stepfather to them. “Are you sure that Santos won’t get wind of this?”
“He probably will at some point. He may know now. I used code with Chrissy but they might still know something is up. I think it’s better for us to travel separately than together, don’t you think?”
Jack nodded. “That’s probably one of the only safe assumptions you can make right now. Although none of what we’re doing is particularly safe anymore.”
Caroline had been a federal prosecutor for years. She routinely filed requests for wiretaps, GPS trackers, and pen registers, and involved herself in other methods of surveillance. She would occasionally make jokes about being The Man or Big Brother, but her humor had a hint of veracity. She knew how much power the government had, even before Santos assumed the presidency. That aspect of her job always frightened her and made her incredibly uneasy, and she had been quite careful in wielding that intrusive sword. She never knew if she could truly be trusted with that kind of power. If anyone could.
She had no doubt that very few of their communications were private anymore. Maybe not even in their own home. But it would make them both incredibly paranoid to think about that aspect of it, so she hadn’t mentioned that possibility to Jack. Although it had probably occurred to him too. Among other unsettling thoughts.
“What if we waited too long?” she asked.
Jack heard the fear in her voice and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry about that. Let’s focus on the best way to deal with where we’re at now. It’s not as if we haven’t taken the steps to do this. We just have to change our plans a little.”
Caroline leaned into his shoulder, and he tightened the hug. His arms were warm. Strong. Secure. The one place