Outside 4251 Maplewood Dr.

Time moved very slowly for Lee and Williams in the surveillance van. Lee had called Billy to relay the information Amanda had given him. “Billy,” Lee started without preamble, “we are going to need a tac team.”

“I have one on standby. Dr. Smyth authorized the use and the apprehension of the trafficker. How’s our girl?”

“She was drugged. Billy, she wanted me to leave her.”

“If her information is correct then this could right a lot of wrongs, Scarecrow. She knew what she was getting herself involved in. She chose to take the risk.”

“I know. Who do you have for the team?”

“I have cleared several personnel. How many do you want? I have Cho, Spenser, Parker, Duffy, Charles and Francine, of course.”

“I’ll take them all. Have Cho and Parker meet me here and we’ll go to the helicopter. Francine and the others can be on the boat.” Lee decided. “I don’t want a chance of losing these guys once they move Amanda.”

“How do you want to play this?” Billy asked.

Lee gave a humorless laugh. “Just the way Amanda wants it. Let them start the transfer then arrest everyone there.” Lee held his thoughts on his wife and her convictions. He knew she had been devastated when they couldn’t get any more information on the traffickers two years ago. It had become her personal project one she needed to put aside more often as their case load and personal lives began to interfere.

“Are you sure you want to be on the helicopter and not the boat?” Billy inquired once again.

“No!” Lee spat out. “I’m sorry, Billy. I want to be able to watch over her. But it’s best if I am in the air and be able to call for a change in the plan.”

“Fine. I’ll send Cho and Parker now to your location. I’ll have Francine and the others prep the boat.”

“Thanks, Billy.”

Lee watched and waited in the van. Sooner than he expected he saw movement in the house. Lights began to turn off and the gray sedan was backed out of garage. We watched as the dome light came on and two people loaded a third into the car. ‘That’s it.’ He thought ‘they’re moving her.’ “Cho, Parker get ready to move. We’ll follow in the surveillance van. I’m still tracking her bracelet. Stay back, we don’t want to get made.”

“Right.” Cho’s voice came over the radio.

Lee watched as the car pulled out of the driveway and began to make its way slowly down the street. Cho and Parker followed behind from around the corner. The car made its way to the Columbia Island Marina just as Amanda said.

They parked close enough to see but not close enough to the boat for Lee’s taste. Lee checked in with his teams. Everyone was ready. He watched as two people helped a third out of car. There was a woman and a man. The man was Det. Marks. Lee didn’t recognize the woman but he assumed it was Alexandra Montgomery. “I knew that guy was crooked.” Lee muttered to Williams. Lee watched as Marks and Montgomery propped Amanda up between them and laughed and talked as if Amanda had just too much to drink and they were helping her to the boat. “They’re really clever. Moving her like that.” Lee said as he watched them board a boat. “All teams.” Lee reported “They’re on a Hattaras 80 named Recovery Queen. I repeat they are on a boat named Recovery Queen.”

“Roger, Scarecrow. The Hannah team is ready. We have enough arms to take over a small country.” Francine’s voice reported over the radio. We are about to leave the dock and will take up station keeping outside the harbor.”

“Roger, Francine. Cho, are you and Parker ready?”

“Roger Scarecrow. We are on route the helicopter waiting for you and Williams.”

“Roger. All Teams. We are waiting to see when they leave.”

Lee and Williams waited in the van until they saw the Recovery Queen leave dock. Lee watched with binoculars as he saw the Hannah pick up the tail. He knew he and Williams had a long drive ahead of them to the helipad they had chosen. This was the big gamble of the whole plan they had hatched. Once the Agency was aware that the transfer would take place on the water they had to have the helicopter in a place where it could cover the most distance without refueling. They decided on a helipad close to Chesapeake Bay. With Cho and Parker on the way in their car, and Lee and Williams following, they would be able to back up the Hannah team from the air in 3 hours. Lee demanded periodic check-ins from the Hannah. According to Francine, Amanda’s tracker was still active and moving.

Lee watched the scenery of Virginia pass and thought back to the last time he and Amanda had taken a weekend together to Virginia Beach. They had just wanted to be alone. That ride along the highway had been much different than this one. They had held hands and talked of the boys and their future. It was the little moments they had together that he had learned to treasure. The thousand little things they did for each other as husband and wife that kept him going now. His stomach clenched at the thought that Amanda was out there alone without him. His nerves were stretched tight as he tried to put himself in the right mind frame. He remembered the pleading in his wife’s eyes to leave her and the feel of her hand in his and began to feel his body calming and settling.

Finally, they arrived at the helipad where Cho and Parker greeted them with equipment and tac team uniforms. They quickly changed and began to check their weapons.   Lee got in the co-pilot seat while the other agents climbed in the back.

“Hannah team, status check.”

“Everything’s fine. Recovery Queen is in the Bay. We are still reading Amanda’s tracker.”

“Good. We are about to take off.” Lee signaled for the pilot to take off. “When we get within range cut to whisper mode. I don’t want these people to know we are following them. They may just dump Amanda and run.” That and other scenarios had been running riot through Lee’s mind all day. He wanted to be where she was. His need to protect her was overwhelming. He suddenly realized that Amanda didn’t need Lee, the anxious husband, she needed Scarecrow, her partner and fellow agent to have her back. He mentally reviewed the plan as they raced through the air to catch up with the boats.  Time passed as shadows of building and trees sped past them. Eventually, a blip began to sound on Lee’s transmitter. They were within a half of mile of the boat and Amanda.

Lee told his team. “Remember we are going for arrests. Disable only if you have too. Watch out for Amanda. We will descend to the boat they are going to transfer her to. It will be the Hannah team’s job to disable the Recovery Queen so that she can’t move. We know there are two aboard her. They will join us when they have secured those suspects.

The helicopter skimmed over the night sky following the blip that was the Recovery Queen and Amanda. Lee checked in with the Hannah and Billy as they inexorably moved out to sea. “Make sure we keep an eye on them I don’t want to lose them in open water.” Lee reminded Francine.

“Scarecrow, stop worrying. We have a good lock on them.” Francine assured him.

As they helicopter and the two boats moved farther to sea, Lee’s team began to prep their ropes and double check their weapons. On the horizon they saw a yacht at anchor and the Recovery Queen seemed to be making her way there.

Lee signaled all teams “Look alive everyone, the target seems to be the yacht ahead.” As they got closer, Lee put on his night vision goggles and looked at the boat. “The name of the boat is Nightwave. Billy, can you run a registry of that boat?”

“On it Scarecrow. Stand by.”

The Recovery Queen came along side of the yacht and a ladder and a stretcher was lowered to the deck. “Wait until she is on the Nightwave. Acknowledge.” Scarecrow called into his mic.

“Roger that Scarecrow.” Came Francine’s crisp reply. “Standing by”

They watched from a distance as the stretcher with Amanda was hoisted into the boat and two people began to climb the ladder. Lee gave the command “Go. Go. Go.”