***
The plane landed back in DC at 6 p.m. EST. Daniel had stared at the mini bottles of whiskey the entire trip back. He sat by himself on the plane, away from Jones and his henchmen. They didn’t bother him, and he didn’t cause a fuss. It was a nonverbal agreement they’d entered upon boarding the plane. Once they’d taxied down the runway after landing, the door to Jones’s private jet opened, but Daniel remained in his seat.
“Daniel, we’re leaving,” Jones said.
He was hunched low in his seat with his back turned to the group, so they couldn’t see him. He was playing with the end of his tie. “I need to go and visit my family.”
“We don’t have time for that,” Jones replied.
Daniel’s hand found his neck. The red marks from where Jones had choked him still lingered. He ran his fingers over the raised bumps. “Make time.”
“Fine. But I need you back by tomorrow,” Jones said. “I’ll have the pilot take you to Charlotte.”
The whine of the jet engines filled the cabin. Daniel remained motionless as the pilot and crew went about their preflight duties. The captain came over to him at one point and mouthed something about refueling and taking off in thirty minutes, but Daniel wasn’t paying attention. He stayed in the same position until they finally landed in Charlotte.
Daniel grabbed a taxi and gave the driver his address. The sun had gone down, but the sky still glowed with faint oranges and pinks, the last push of dying light until the night finally took over. He rested his head on the windshield, feeling the vibrations of the cab as it drove him home.
The yellow lights from inside Daniel’s house glowed from the windows. He knew Amy wasn’t expecting him until tomorrow, but something was compelling him to come home. He couldn’t explain it. All he could feel was the burning urge to see his family. Like a horse driven to water to drink, he needed to replenish himself with the people he was doing all of this for. He needed to go back to the source.
When Daniel walked inside, his jaw dropped. Additional chairs had been added to fit everyone at the kitchen table. Amy was the first to see him.
“Daniel?” she asked.
Everyone turned to face him. He was standing in the living room, still dressed in his suit and reeking of booze. “Hey.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Brooke. “How did you get here?”
Amy got up from the table and walked over to him. “Honey, I didn’t think you were coming home until tomorrow.”
“I was… I mean I did. I just… wanted to come home,” Daniel said.
Brooke got up from her seat and walked over and gave him a hug. He kept his arms at his sides as Brooke squeezed. “It’s good to see you, Daniel.”
“Yeah.”
“Hi, Uncle Dan,” John said.
“Hey, John. Emily.” Daniel turned to Amy and whispered in her ear. “Can I talk to you?” he asked, motioning to the other room.
“Sure.”
Daniel led her upstairs to their room. He shut the door behind him and turned on this wife. “What is your sister doing here?”
“I told you she was trying to get out. She made it. She’s staying with us until this thing blows over.”
“Blows over? This thing isn’t going to blow over, Amy. This isn’t a temporary problem, it’s a permanent one!”
Amy sat on the edge of the bed. Daniel could feel himself getting hot. He hastily removed his tie and tossed it on the ground.
“Daniel, she’s family. You said yourself that she had to get out. And now she has. What do you expect me to do? Just throw her and the kids back out onto the streets?”
“And who was that man she was with? You didn’t tell me she was seeing anyone.”
“They’re not together. He was a friend of Jason’s who is helping them out.”
“We don’t know anything about him.”
“Brooke trusts him.”
“Are you stupid?”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you fucking stupid?”
Amy jumped from the bed and got right in her husband’s face. “Are you drunk again?” she asked, the hint of disgust creeping into her voice.
“Order is hanging on by a thread. People are turning in any illegals left and right for the reward, and anyone helping them is being thrown into jail alongside the people they help. I can’t protect us from this, Amy, if we get caught. Do you understand? Your sister put our family at risk.”
“She’s staying, Daniel,” Amy said. Then, inching closer and clenching her jaw, she shoved her finger into his chest. “And if you ever speak to me like that again, I will throw you out of this house.”
She turned the door handle angrily and stomped down the stairs. Daniel turned to try and say something, but she was already gone. He stumbled backward until the backs of his knees hit the bed, and he collapsed on top of it.
The ceiling above started to spin. He closed his eyes, afraid that opening them would make the spinning worse and he would fly off the bed. Then, after a few minutes, he felt the heaviness of his chest pin him down, sinking him lower. His mind grew foggy, and after a few minutes, he fell fast asleep.