Body

"I'm sorry." Jim's brow furrowed slightly. "I just assumed Rosalyn would have explained our family history to you." If Chad was really serious about pursuing Rosalyn, he had a lot he needed to know. One thing Jim couldn't deny though - and that was the seriousness with which Chad promised to do his best to take care of Rosalyn. Whether Jim liked it or not, this man seemed genuine.

Coming back around to the other topic, Jim's gaze fell again. He wasn't so sure he believed Rosalyn had missed him. Not after the way he'd treated her. He nodded anyway, though. She needed to know what was going on as much as Chad.

It took a few minutes of silence before he finally got to his feet. "Okay. Let's go inside." He would just as soon have Chad present in case Rosalyn decided she really didn't want to hear this.

Back in the living room, Rosalyn sat up straight and tensed as her father entered with Chad. With...Chad? Together? And nobody had any black eyes? Her gaze bounced back and forth between both of them as she stayed frozen in place. What was going on?

Jim wandered to a chair and motioned to it with question. When Rosalyn nodded, he sat, still fiddling with his hat. "I, um... have a few things we need to talk about."

Rosalyn's hand found Chad's as he joined her on the couch. Her face had gone pale. "Okay..." She wasn't going to give up Chad. She couldn't. She refused.

Seeing the fear on her face made Jim even more sorry. "First, I want to apologize for all the things I did and said to push you away. It wasn't my intent, and I never wanted to hurt you..." He went on to explain the same things he'd told Chad about his eyes and how that's what he'd really been angry and scared about.

By the time he'd finished, Rosalyn's fear had turned more into pity. She swallowed hard. "You...seem to see fine."

Jim nodded. "It comes and goes. Any given moment, everything goes blurry and dark. Sometimes it lasts a second or two, and...sometimes several minutes. But it's getting worse and...one of these times, it will just stay that way. I shouldn't have driven myself into town - I had to pull over twice. But they're locking down the ranch and no one else knows about this so I couldn't very well ask for a ride."

Rosalyn frowned. "What? Why? Is everything okay?"

Jim shook his head. Next came the story of Travis.

"I didn't know Angel had a nephew," Rosalyn commented, confused.

"She didn't either. But at any rate, that's it and, um... I came to... make sure you had someone looking after you."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "And...you're okay with this?"

He shook his head. "Not really. But I love you. And I trust you. I just want you to be safe and happy."

A tear trickled down Rosalyn's cheek and she quickly swiped it away. She'd thought those words would never come.

Jim cocked his head. "Chad tells me he doesn't know who the Agency is."

She hung her head. She should have told Chad about all this sooner. She'd just hoped she wouldn't need to. That somehow she'd be beyond the Agency's grasp since she was the next generation. And perhaps she feared it would have scared Chad away. Her fingers fiddled with his.

"The Agency is a crime organization that has been subtly destroying lives for a very long time," Jim explained. "The public doesn't really know about them because of how well they infiltrate and fool the system. But basically they like to play games and torture people - psychologically or physically. Their leader is a psychopath that sees humans as lab rats he can experiment on just to see how they react. For reasons we still don't know, our two families - the Hensons and Pents - were targeted when we were children - perhaps even before that. We've been battling them all our lives. They've lured several of us into their fold, they have kidnapped a number of us and our family members, they have wreaked havoc in ways such as destroying property, and they have torn apart marriages, like Mick's fist. Anything they can do just to see how we react, and see how long it takes for us to break."

It all sounded so horrible. Rosalyn's grip on Chad's hand tightened but she didn't dare look at him.

Jim studied Chad's face to see if there was any fear. "When my kids were still small, I left in order to protect them - they'd already been kidnapped once right after they were born. We even gave up our third child just to ensure he wouldn't grow up with the dangers of the Agency. That's how serious it is." He paused and looked again to Rosalyn. "If all goes well and we get Travis out, this whole thing could be over in the next couple days. But there's always risk of retaliation from the Agency. So...I've asked Chad to make sure you're safe. Whether that means he stays here or...you leave with him."

Rosalyn's mouth opened slightly in shock. Not only had her father apologized, but he was now suggesting - asking - that Chad take care of her, even if it meant taking her away? Finally, she dared turn to Chad and searched his eyes. What did he think of all this? Would he even want to stick around now? She knew he couldn't stay because he needed to get back to his home on the coast for work, but...it was asking an awful lot of him to take her with him, not to mention it could be looked upon as inappropriate. Surely he wouldn't want the responsibility anyway - not yet. Not when they were just starting out...would he?


Chance followed Xander to the living room and eased down onto one end of the couch, moving a doll over before he sat on her. It made him grin at the corners of his mouth. "No, no late reports." He leaned forward to prop his elbows on his knees. "Long story short, the FBI is getting involved..." He went on to explain how the FBI wanted to force the Elite to work beside them instead of on their own, and while there was some good in it, that move would form a long string of new restrictions, and it would also open up all the Elite files to the FBI, which, in turn, would expose anyone like Xander who had been working undercover in the Agency. Once the change happened, the Agency would undoubtedly know a lot more than anyone would like to think. "Reese is afraid for your family's safety," he continued. "So that's why I'm here."

He pursed his lips in thought. "And...on top of all that, there's a situation in Texas that needs our attention as well." He might as well just get right into the second reason he was here - time was of the essence. "Consider it your last act undercover. I assume you remember Angel Lachey - now Trahern, and you might remember her brother Lane, who used to go by Mississippi. It's his eighteen-year-old boy. The Agency has him." He explained the situation in detail - all they knew from Lane, along with the intel from Con.

"They need someone who can walk into their camp without being questioned. While we can't intercept their communications, we can throw them off balance for just long enough to get the kid out. You walk in, flash your identity with a phony story about being handed the task to move Travis. That should give you just enough time to get to Travis and be on your way out. By then, they'll probably have contacted their superior and found out you have nothing to do with it. We've got a sharpshooter - Conrad Gibbs - who will be within range - he'll take out anyone in your way, then meet you with a vehicle to get Travis back to the ranch." He grimaced. "It's a risky plan with a lot of holes and a lot of assumptions, but it's all we've got and there's no one else to help."

He glanced around to where he knew Abby was in the kitchen with at least one of the kids. "Your family will need to move as well. I can stay here with them until they're ready to go, and I'll bring them to join you in Texas. From there, we'll need to find a secure location where you can get settled again. The Elite will take care of you until a new plan of action is formed."

Folding his hands, he studied Xander's reactions. "I know this is an awful lot all at once, and I'm sorry. I wish we weren't so pressed for time. It's up to you, though. You have the right to decline this case, or even moving at all. But it's Reese's recommendation for your family's sake." 


Garret just nodded and followed Nate to get ready to go. Though confident his judgement call was right, he knew in the pit of his stomach that if anything went wrong, Reese would blame him. 

It wasn't hard to lay everything out with Wyatt and set up communications with Dalton in case they needed anything, and doing a quick check on the warehouse complex went without a hitch. It didn't appear there was any kind of setup, and Garret was convinced there would only be one Agency operative inside, just as they had suspected. Now there was only one thing left to do - go in. It was agreed Nate would stay with the vehicle to get them out of there fast when needed. Garret would go in first as a decoy, allowing Wyatt to get to the girl. Anything else in between would have to be played by ear...


"It's going to be okay." 

Jared glanced up at his brother from the same spot in the break room where he'd been for hours now. Sitting in his chair all day was causing more pain than he'd like to admit, but he wasn't going to ask to go home. Not when they were so close to getting Grace back...or so he hoped. "You really think so?"

"Of course." Justin was standing near the open doorway, leaned back against the wall with folded arms. Although he remained calm on the outside, his insides were still churning with worry. Something wasn't right. He didn't know what, but even with the plan to rescue Grace, it didn't feel like everything was alright. He again glanced to the table where Jared's cell phone sat. No more calls...and they were considering that a good thing. Despite his uneasiness, he gave his brother a nod. "They're going to find Grace, and she's going to be just fine. You'll see." 

"How long have they been gone?"

Justin's lips curled into a small grin. "Not long. Want anything to eat?"

Jared shook his head.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to call Ma and make sure she and Beth are doing alright back at the house." He'd rather be there, but while the Agency was still contacting him through Jared, he needed to stay put so the Elite could act if necessary.

The warehouse complex was dark, except for a couple dim lights near the perimeter. Both dressed in black with black ball caps, it would be hard to spot Garret and Wyatt making their way to the rear row where they suspected Grace was. Garret remained in the lead, moving without hardly a sound. Even Wyatt was impressed - and it reminded him just how experienced this ex-Agency man was. Which was a comfort and unsettling at the same time. Both were armed, and both wore earpieces to keep in contact with each other and with Nate as he waited for them. 

"Nothing so far," Wyatt mentioned quietly as they approached their targeted building. 

Garret silently motioned to a side door that had been left slightly open. All the other buildings appeared to be locked up tight. This one's padlock was lying broken on the ground. Wyatt hadn't even noticed it, and quirked an eyebrow. Garret nodded to the door and cautiously slipped inside. It was even darker, except for a single light at the far end with a messy desk where someone sat. There was a single, separate room set up, which looked like it probably used to be the office for a foreman or the like, before this place was abandoned. Old crates and empty pallets were haphazardly stacked around the perimeter, and several old vehicles had been left in rusted heaps. 

The man at the desk stirred, and Garret pointed, then motioned for Wyatt to stay back. Wyatt understood, and hid in the shadows to wait until the coast was clear. Garret went about half the length of the warehouse before stopping. Glancing around, he tested a stack of boxes, finding most of them were empty. Making sure he still had a clear route back outside, he gave the stack a hefty bump. As they all tumbled onto the floor with a clatter, it was inevitable that the thug would get up, spot Garret and come after him. Garret immediately sprinted for the door, despite yelled warnings. A bullet whizzed past his head, but he kept going, then skidded outside and around the corner. One quick glance over his shoulder warned him to slow down just a little - he needed to stay within sight so the operative would keep following him. 

Once both men were outside, Wyatt aimed for the closed room. "The chase is on," he reported to Nate as he ran. "Garret just ran out with the guy hot on his heels - and by hot, I mean shots were fired." Finding the door locked, he didn't hesitate to give it a swift kick, breaking it open before shining his flashlight inside. The beam met the face of a frightened looking young woman. Thankfully she was on her own two feet. It looked like she'd been through the wringer, but not nearly as bad as could have been. "Grace?" He lowered the flashlight. "My name is Wyatt. I'm with the Elite and I'm here to get you out, but we have to hurry." He held out his hand. "Come on."

Outside, Garret dodged another bullet and gritted his teeth. His own gun remained in its holster though, despite his desire to drop, roll and fire to end this now. At least the idiot was still behind him. Best case scenario was to bring the thug in. Worse case scenario was simply avoid getting caught himself, and making it back to the waiting vehicle empty-handed. But Garret was going to try for the best case. Skirting around the corner of a building, he skidded to a halt and waited, his ears calculating when to step out and stop his pursuer. No one else would know for certain exactly what happened after that, but the scuffle lasted only a few moments. It would be up to Garret to explain what he'd just been told, and why now he would be carrying a body to the car instead of leading a prisoner.