The Unseen Enemy Series

Chapter 255

“So, I’m sorry to be rude, but I do need to ask if you’ve brought the money.” The sweet old lady really did look apologetic.

“Right here.” Sully set the briefcase on the table.

“Oh, wonderful! Please open it, slide it over.”

Sully complied and she quickly checked the money, smiled sunnily when she saw that it was the demanded half-a-million dollars.

She clicked it closed and sat back a bit.

“Well, now that that awkwardness is over, let me tell you what happens next.”

“Alright,” Sully said. “That would be great.”

“So, I’m afraid now the hard part begins,” she said. “Because now you have to wait.”

“How long?” Cordelia asked, and decided to throw out the name of the woman at the adoption agency. “Tiffany said it would happen quickly once we paid the money.”

The woman was genuinely puzzled. “I don’t know who Tiffany is, dear, but she was right. It usually takes about five days to actually meet the sweet children.”

“And we can choose any one we want?” Cordelia asked, her hands clasped together tightly. “We can look until we find ours?”

The woman laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. “Oh, yes. You’ll be taken around the temporary homes until you find the child that makes your hearts sing.”

“How many places are there to visit?” Sully asked.

“Three.”

Cordelia felt her heart stop. Three places where they had stashed a bunch of stolen kids?

“And can we visit them all in one day?” Sully asked the woman, as if he wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed at the news that there were so many kidnapped children hidden away somewhere in Kansas.

“Oh, indeed. No problem.”

“Good,” Cordelia breathed. She was sure that that was going to be an awful, horrible day, but on the other hand, she had no desire to drag the visits on over a week or two. She wanted to physically get into the places where the children were being kept, see them all, choose a kid to start the process, and get the hell out. Get back to Sean and hold him like she’d never let him go.

“And you never know!” the woman said. “You may well see your child within seconds of setting foot in the first home. Love at first sight is real, I can assure you, and it can happen with children too.”

Exhausted, upset, Cordelia just nodded. Sully saw that she was seconds away from tears, and he rushed to conclude the meeting.

“So will you be calling us?” he asked.

“Oh, no, dear. This is all I do… you’ll hear from someone else.”

“Do you know their name?”

“I’m sorry, no. I don’t know anybody’s name, except for the man who calls me to come and meet you.”

Fuck, Sully thought. Clearly, everybody got just enough information to handle a small part of the bigger operation… nobody was told more than they needed to be told. It kept everyone higher up safe, kept everyone else in the dark, and made them useless if they were caught and questioned.

“OK,” he said aloud. “We’ll wait.”

“It’ll be difficult, I know,” the woman said with great sympathy. “But it’ll all be worth it, when you’re holding your sweet baby in your arms.”

Cordelia nodded, got to her feet. She extended her hand. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, no, dear… thank you! You’re going to change a tiny soul’s life for the better. That’s a miracle, and you’re wonderful people to do it.”

Neither Sully nor Cordelia could look at the faith and kindness on that sweet old face for one second longer. They managed to murmur a few more words, get out the door, get to the SUV. The drive back to the house was silent. They both had a lot to think about.