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Chapter 13 - See ya, Atlanta

Early morning arrives, and Preach comes banging on the fellas' doors. Kyle, the youngest, is already up and ready. Being proactive, he's used the coffee maker in his room to have a cup ready for both Alex and Justin.

"Well, I see you're an early bird!" Preach teases, giving Kyle a playful jab to the shoulder.

"What can I say, Cuz? Got to impress you a bit, you know. I was the weak link the other night, and yeah, gotta make it up to my boys."

Preach goes from playful jabbing to a soft pat on the back.

"Just takes times, youngling; all you can do is simply live, learn, and repeat. I would say live, learn, and get Luvs, but you ain't got kids yet. At least I wouldn't think; do you have kids?" Preach says in his rambling.

"Not yet, but I'd like to one day. Be a better parent than my folks were. They uh, were real pieces of shit..." Kyle pauses, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Preach can laugh, but Kyle overlooks his friends behind him, listening as he picks up the story.

"...Sorry, Preach, but yeah, they're real pieces of work. I had a younger sister who they would use as a guinea pig after she turned fourteen. They gotta bad batch of heroin, and it killed her."

Preach's expression turns from listening to giving this poor soul a warm embrace. As Preach holds this kid saying a silent prayer, Kyle finishes the story.

"That's when they ran and dumped her body. They left her in a garbage bag in a dumpster. I was barely home by then because I knew what kind of people they were. I didn't know about my sister. I still feel responsible for her death. I should've been there." Kyle says, trying to fight through the pain.

"She's in our Lord's hands now, my brother. She isn't hurtin' no more! You're still here for a reason, but always hold her in your heart and honor her through good works." Preach says, realizing he needs to get this kid out of harm's way.

Justin and Alex come up from behind, placing their hands on Kyle's shoulders. It's a momentary silence as they allow Kyle to collect himself before they get moving.

"Oh wait, in my room on the end table, there's a couple of cups of coffee," Kyle remembers telling the other two.

"It's all good little brother. We'll get something good on the road. We gotta fill up anyways, but it's a hell of a gesture." Justin admits as they walk away.

They don't know that Kyle hid his phone under the mattress out of fear of it being found in his bag if he gets searched. He manages to leave Brooklyn one last message before he ditched it.

By the time Brooklyn wakes up to read the message, Kyle is nearly half-way to Florida. She's shocked by his message and immediately calls her father.

"C'mon, pick up, dad!" She groans, bouncing in her bed.

Right before she's sent to voicemail, Josh answers, sounding groggy.

"Uh, hello."

"Daddy! It's Brooky; listen, Kyle texted me, and they're on their way to Florida. He didn't say where, but he said he left his phone in his room and said they wouldn't be using their radios most of the time. What's going on, daddy, and don't you dare lie to me." Brooklyn says, impatient.

"He's working undercover for me, Sweet Pea. He's safe with Uncle Justin and Alex. I'll get up and get over there to get his phone. He's not in danger, but he's making sure he doesn't get burned. It's okay, my sweet girl, I promise."

That's when the Gwen side of Brooklyn appears.

"If something happens to him, daddy, I'll not only not forgive you, but I will kick your ass!" She threatens and sounds like her mother.

"I'm getting dressed now, so relax and go enjoy your time at the beach. I have my way of keeping tabs on him. I promise I'm on it. I have some friends down in his area where he'll be safe, so calm down." Josh replies, slipping on his jeans before he wrestles with his shirt.

Her attitude doesn't help his overall mood when she huffs into the phone and simply gives him a "whatever" then hangs up.

"I hate a teenager's attitude!" Josh says, putting his phone in his pocket.

While he's on the elevator, he experiences the blurriness with voices all over again.

"Don't leave me, Josh... Keep fighting... You're strong, babycakes!" He hears swirling around in his head with the odd sensation of someone holding his right hand again.

"SHUT UP!" He yells out loud to pull his focus back into his world and gets down to the ground floor.

Josh doesn't waste time dashing for his car. It's the first time he'll be behind the wheel on the streets. The roar of the classic V8 purrs as it warms up, and soon Josh slides on his sunglasses and peers into the rearview mirror.

"I make this car look good!" He tells himself, placing the shifter in first gear, and heads over to the motel before the rooms are cleaned.

He arrives then proceeds into the lobby, where he flashes his badge to the desk clerk to access the room.

"Hi there, I'm Agent Bradshaw with the DEA. I've had a young man in room 115 that left something for me in his room. I need a key to get in there, please, and thank you."

Within a minute, Josh has what he needs and begins to search the room. He finds Kyle's phone hidden under the mattress and doesn't waste time taking off.

James comes two and checks on the GPS trackers. When he can't find a signal, he activates the hidden microphones listening to Justin and Preach go back and forth.

"Hey bro, why do they call you Preach?"

"Simple explanation actually, even though I do what I do; I pray and watch out for those who are under me. It's my way to balance things out. I came from the streets of Atlanta. My dad was a preacher Hench the nickname."

Justin gets a chuckle from his quick story. They share some more small talk allowing James to record it to try to get information on Preach.

"Come on, Justin, get his real name." James pleads, trying to find anything on this guy.

He continues to listen, but Justin never once gets around to asking Preach about his real name. Josh makes his way through the door and takes the chair from the table over to the work area. Preach's voice strikes a nerve because he's heard that voice in his past.

"Wait! I recognize his voice. I can't remember where, but I am certain that I've heard it before. Did you run him through NCIC or any other federal agency to cross-check it with arrests, active or former agents?" Josh asks, making his request a simple search.

James works his magic and comes up with nothing at first, but he continues to search through every agency, one photo at a time.

"This is going to take forever!" James mentions, frustrated.

"You remain here. I'm heading to Jacksonville. I can't allow them to be that far from us." Josh mentions before James stops him dead in his tracks.

"Call your boy that's already down there. I can send them the details and photos of our guys. Don't go blowing their cover. You're a marked man, and you know it. Let your friends from Interpol handle this one." James reminds him while staring at the computer screen.

"Damn, man, you're right; I'll call Owen now and get him up to date," Josh mentions as he writes down Owen's email address for James.

It is a phone call Josh isn't happy to make, but he realizes being out in the field won't help his team if it burns their cover.

"Hello, old boy, what's the word on our birds?" Owen answers.

"My team is on their way down to your location. I have their photos and information coming via email. I need a favor though, Justin is riding in a black 70's GTO with someone. I need a photo of this person to get his background." Josh says, bringing Owen up to speed.

"I believe that's an easy thing to procure, my friend. Let me know when they're here and where they're staying, and I'll get that right quick to you."

"Thanks, Owen; I'm still a headhunter's dream at this point. You're my eyes and ears, my friend. I can't thank you enough for doing this."

"It's my pleasure, and oh before you go. Lucas was questioning me about Emily. Could there be a way we could get together after this and let the two of them spend some time together rather than simply talk online? He fancies her old boy. She's quite a sight." Owen goes on about the kids.

"Absolutely! Once I'm finished with this case, I need a vacation, and spending time in London sounds like the perfect escape." Josh admits in some relief.

"Cheeky then! See you soon, my friend, much love to your family. Cheerio!"

Josh returns to James' room to listen to what he can about where their team is headed in Florida. It's about four and a half hours before Justin is given directions to a location where they will crash momentarily.

"Don't take the exit for J-ville." Preach orders pointing straight ahead.

"You're staying outside the city. It's a quaint little house we have in a subdivision in the Orange Park area."

Luckily James is already pulling specs on the town. He sees several smaller private airstrips and a handful of abandoned airports near that location.

"That would explain the three locations. Operate the smaller, less monitored airways, and you can transport this substance anywhere you damn well please." James says with some irritation in his voice.

"You gotta find a way to locate them now!"

As luck would have it, Kyle switches on his radio long enough to be traced.

"That a boy Kyle!" Josh calls out, shaking his fist for a moment.

James records the coordinates and hands them to Josh with some advice.

"Lay low! You can't afford to get killed or get them burned. Be careful and good luck!"

Josh walks away without saying a word to his longtime friend. He quickly returns to his room, gathering his belongings, and makes a quick call to check on Gwen and the kids.

"Hey, there, sweet stuff," Gwen answers the phone.

"Hiya lover, I was about to depart for Florida, and I wanted to see how everyone is enjoying the beach house."

Gwen begins to inform him of everything.

"Don't sugarcoat this; if you do anything, don't try to play me for a fool. The kids are having a blast. Brooky knows you're making progress as she's talked to Kyle over the last couple of days. Are you ever planning on being here with us?"

Josh takes in a deep breath.

"I hope so, we're searching for the ways this stuff gets around without being detected, and we're only getting inches compared to the miles we have left to go. I'd rather be there with you and our kids, but right now just ain't possible."

"Make it possible because of as much fun as we're all having; it's not going to be long before we have to head back home. I mean, I have an entire house to replenish, get the kids settled and prepared for school, and more. Speaking of which, how are we doing this? Do I take Connor and Emily with me, or are they staying with Ms. Cline?" Gwen wonders, asking Josh some serious questions.

"They go with you. On their records back in Virginia, I always kept you on their emergency contacts if something happened. You can take care of all that for me. I have no doubts you'll have them ready."

Gwen shifts the subject from the serious stuff when she finally has some answers to fill him in on some other events since they started the vacation.

"That's great. But you missed it. Audrey took to the water and got sunburned pretty bad the other day. Oh! You'll also be glad to know that our oldest son has a car again, thanks to our youngest."

At first, Josh can't put the pieces together.

"Ugh..."

"Connor is a true hustler like you. He got into a race for pinks, and well, he gave the car to Aaron." Gwen explains, still sounding a tad mad.

"What kind of car did he win?" Josh asks, excited about this boy able to pull a stunt he's done quite a bit back in his day.

"Oh, it's um Toyota. All I know is that the engine is in the back like a Porsche."

"An MR-2, now that's my boy!" Josh boasts, feeling enormously proud.

"Yeah, yeah, but hey, I don't wanna do this, but I have to cut this short, baby. I have some errands to run. It can wait, but it's good stuff I need to tell you about a little later."

Her statement makes Josh feel a little uneasy, but he plays along like it's not in the back of his mind now.

"Yeah, sure...Talk soon, love you."

"Love you too. Bye!" Gwen replies, then hangs up.

After he regains what senses he has left, Josh picks up his bag to make his way down to his car.

With the team now split into three units, Justin and the others arrive at the ranch-style hideout. Preach takes them inside to get comfy. Once they're inside, a phone call comes in on Preach's phone.

The call is placed on the speakerphone while on the coffee table.

"Afternoon D, what's up?" Preach asks.

"Change of plans; I'll need to talk to you alone later in person. As for your new team, well, I have an alteration of plans. One of you will drive to Tampa and meet with our people there. One of you will return to Atlanta for some pick-ups, while the last one will take you up to location two. And well, for that, we will need to talk. Enjoy today, tomorrow, and the next day y'all. It'll be how you say recharge then heat the streets you feel me."

A collective "yes sir" comes from the team staring at the phone on the coffee table.

"Preach, take me off speaker, and go outside." The voice orders in a harsh tone.

Alex's curiosity gets the better of him when he tries to crawl up to the front door placing his ear against it to listen in on the conversation. He can barely make out some of the things Preach says to his boss. When he hears the call is about to end, he tiptoes back to his seat. Right as he settles in place, Preach enters the house to relay the plans.

"This is what's up, gentlemen. Alex, you're driving to Tampa and waiting for further instructions. You'll have a ride-along that's coming in the day after tomorrow. Just sit tight. Kyle, you're heading back to Atlanta after we all leave. I know that sucks because we just drove almost six and a half hours to get here. Now you're going back for a special job."

Kyle's head dips with only a thumbs-up gesture that he's on board with the change in plans.

"Justin, my man, it's you and me on a long haul which the boss said we have to get moving in the morning. It's the longest drive of your life. We must make a pitstop in Memphis and then up to Detroit. As for why I can't say that I know because I don't. Saddle up got a long road ahead of us.

As luck would have it, James sends Josh the information. Josh then forwards it to Owen. He travels down to that area, and during one of the other calls that come in with orders from the higher-ups, Owen manages to snap a picture of Preach to send back to James for recognition.

What's about to happen is unknown, with tension beginning to mount between Preach and the fellas. The more calls that come in, the less he passes along to the team.

Justin's gut instinct churns like never in his life. Knowing there isn't anything he can do just yet, he prepares for the long road trip crashing early in the front bedroom while Preach crashes on the couch.

They're out before the sun can rise. It's a long day for Alex as he waits for his ride along to arrive at any moment for their drive across the state while Kyle doesn't feel right about his odd return to Atlanta. Those instincts are about to go into play.

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