Assassination Authorized

by Erin Wade

  “Two pretty ladies like you shouldn’t be in this part of town alone,” the larger of the two men said, his smile revealing cigarette-stained teeth. “Why don’t you come in, and we’ll get our car and take you home?”

  “Do you know how far we live from here?” Jericho weaved toward them. “Because I don’t.”

  “You know your address, don’t you?” The men moved to stand beside them.

  “I think I do.” Mecca pretended to fall forward, and the large man caught her. She wrapped her hands around his forearm and began to talk. “I’ll bet a big fellow like you could tell me if General Carson and her husband are in that building.”

  “What the hell?” The other kidnapper screamed as Jericho drove her fist into his vocal cords.

  “Yeah, they’re in the warehouse. Southwest corner. In an old shipping container.”

  “Are there any other guards?”

  “No, just Orica and me.”

  Mecca grinned. “Thank you. I want you to drag your friend to the end of the pier, and both of you jump into the river. I want you to drown yourself.”

  Jericho watched in stunned silence as the big man grabbed his partner’s arm, dragged him to the end of the pier, tossed him in, and then jumped in after him.

  “Let’s get the Carsons and get out of here,” Mecca said.

  ##

  General Carson gasped as they removed the duct tape across her lips. “Jericho! Thank God! I knew you’d come for me. The key to these handcuffs is on that table.”

  “Not a minute too soon,” Dr. Carson exclaimed after Mecca pulled the silver tape from his mouth. “Damn, that hurt.”

  “We need to get out of here,” General Carson insisted. “It’s just a matter of time before the others return.” She reached for the two cell phones on the table.

  Jericho caught her hand. “Leave them,” she growled. “They’re too easy to track.”

  Jericho helped the general stay on her feet as they moved toward their car. “We’ve been tied up in there for days,” General Carson said. “It was freezing.”

  The squeal of tires announced the impending arrival of another vehicle. “Behind the dumpster,” Jericho yelled, half carrying, half dragging the general. They huddled behind the dumpster as the car drove past them. “Into the car. It won’t take them long to figure out you’re gone.”

  Jericho didn’t bother fastening her seatbelt. She whipped the car around and slammed the accelerator to the floorboard, hoping to disappear before the newcomers ran out of the building.

  “Did they see us, honey?”

  “No,” Mecca gasped. “I didn’t see anyone come out before you turned the corner.”

  “Do you have a safe house, General?” Jericho asked.

  “Yes, but I’m not certain anywhere is safe for me right now. These thugs had inside information on my whereabouts. Can we get out of town?”

  “I’m taking you with us to New York,” Jericho informed her.

  “To our home?” Mecca said, wide-eyed.

  “To my safe house,” Jericho mumbled. “One that isn’t on anyone’s radar, not even the FBI’s.”

  Jericho stopped at a post office in DC and mailed their mobile phones to their apartment in New York. “Just in case anyone is trying to track us,” she told Mecca. “This will keep them busy for a couple of days. I’ve got burners if we need them.”

  Chapter 37

  The increasing snowfall slowed their speed and finally forced them to stop at midnight to check into a small, family owned motel in the middle of nowhere. Jericho paid cash for two adjoining rooms.

  “We’ll sleep with the door between us open, so I can hear if you have any problems,” she said as she placed a chair back under each doorknob to prevent anyone from entering their rooms.

  “It’s colder than hell in here,” Dr. Carson grumbled.

  General Carson walked through the two bedrooms. “Where are we?”

  “In the Adirondack Mountains,” Jericho informed them. “I own a log cabin in a little town called Jay in the Lake Placid region. No one will find us there. It’s in an alias, so it can’t be tracked to me.”

  The motel had no heat, and the rooms were cold and drafty. Jericho pulled all the blankets she could find from the closets and piled them on their beds. When she finally tuned out the lights, she was shivering.

  “Mmm,” Mecca cooed as she wrapped her shivering wife in her arms. “Bet you wish you had pajamas, Miss I-Like-Sleeping-in-the-Nude.”

  “Shush,” Jericho whispered in her ear. “They’ll hear us.”

  “The way they’re snoring, I doubt they’d hear a freight train go through here,” Mecca murmured, rubbing Jericho’s back to warm her. “At least you had a clean T-shirt.”

  ##

  The next morning Jericho was up before the sun. “We need to get moving,” she said as she pulled on her jeans and searched for her shoes.

  “I’ll get dressed.” Mecca yawned and slid out of bed. “Damn! It’s freezing in here. I can’t wait to get into a warm car.”

  Jericho woke the Carsons and returned to her room to help Mecca gather their things. “I’m going to start the car and get it warm. Get them out of here as quickly as you can.”

  “Abigail will be ready in a minute,” Dr. Carson said, rubbing his hands together. Mecca caught his hands in hers and warmed them.

  “Do you know anything about Abigail’s abduction?” she asked.

  “No. When she didn’t come home, I began asking questions about where she was, and no one would talk to me. That afternoon, three men showed up at my office and took me. I have no idea what’s going on.”

  “I may have some idea,” General Carson said as she entered the room. “Let’s get moving, and I’ll tell you who I think is behind this.”

  A light snow began to fall as they pulled away from the motel. Jericho cast an eye skyward. “Unless this gets heavy, we should reach my cabin before dark.”

  “Is there any chance of stopping for breakfast or a cup of coffee?” Dr. Carson asked.

  “Sure.” Jericho tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice. “Food should always come first.”

  Mecca placed a calming hand on her wife’s thigh. “I’ll watch for a restaurant, honey. You just keep your eyes on the road.”

  They had driven seventy miles when Mecca saw a sign advertising “Oma’s Home Cooking.”

  “There’s a restaurant that serves breakfast all day,” Mecca informed Jericho. “It’s six miles ahead on the right.”

  Jericho nodded without taking her eyes off the road. “These roads are getting slick,” she muttered.

  “Just take your time, baby,” Mecca said. “Your cabin will be there when we arrive, no matter what time it is.”

  A smile flitted across Jericho’s face as she took one hand off the wheel to squeeze her wife’s hand.

  “General, you said you had an idea who is behind your abduction,” Jericho said. “Care to elaborate?”

  General Carson began her story. “Washington is more corrupt than ever. When I was in the field, I constantly butted heads with President Lockleer. He was the most corrupt lowlife we have ever had for a president. He truly was hell-bent on destroying America. Fortunately, he and his cronies underestimate America and Americans.

  “They pulled every dirty trick in the book to win the election. Not so much because they wanted to be president, but because they didn’t want anyone in office they couldn’t control.

  “As you know, Tom Reynolds is his own man and as honest as the day is long. He owes no one special favors, and that is driving the establishment crazy. After they got over the shock of him winning the presidency, they immediately went into attack mode and have done everything imaginable to block the good things he’s trying to accomplish.

  “Washington is in the midst of crippling partisan infighting, and nothing much is getting done. There are groups that hope to exploit these divisions to grab power and further their own agenda. We need to help narrow those divisions a
nd get Washington working again. I have great faith in America and the American people. They’re fair, open-minded, and smart. Now that we’ve moved beyond the Lockleer scandal, we may be in a better position to bring the country together. The people who ordered my abduction are trying, once again, to throw the country into chaos. My sense is that this is their last chance to undermine our government.

  “The man in charge of the terrorist cell that abducted us was called Aym. He seems to be hell-bent on killing me. The two you took out were his henchmen. Someone in the White House is in cahoots with them. We have a traitor in our midst.

  Mecca shivered as she listened to the general’s words.

  “Is President Reynolds in danger?” Mecca asked.

  “The president is in a great deal of danger,” Carson acknowledged. “Unless we’re successful, the country could be in for chaos and gridlock.”

  “What about Evelyn Turner?” Jericho asked.

  “The Turner family is involved in all sorts of nefarious activities . . . organized crime, drugs, trafficking. Basically, if something horrible comes to mind, they’re mixed up in it. But I don’t think Evelyn is involved in her family’s corruption.”

  Mecca interrupted the conversation. “General, Evelyn Turner told me her father was running a huge Ponzi scheme and has bilked investors out of millions, and she was involved in his activities.”

  “Please, call me Abby. All my friends do,” General Carson insisted. “It looks like we may enjoy each other’s company for a while, so we can do away with the titles.”

  Abby mulled over Mecca’s statement for a minute. “You must have misunderstood, Mecca. Evelyn has always been a perfect lady.”

  “There’s the restaurant,” Jericho blurted out, interrupting the standoff between her wife and her boss. She pulled onto the plowed parking lot and stretched.

  “Let’s get inside,” Dr. Carson said. “I’m starving.”

  Abby and her husband headed for the restrooms while Mecca and Jericho were seated at a table in the corner. Jericho sat facing the door. “I like to see who’s coming in,” she told Mecca.

  “Honey, I’m not wrong about Evelyn Turner,” Mecca said as she caught Jericho’s hand. “I . . . I’m never wrong.”

  “What makes you so infallible?” Jericho narrowed her eyes and studied her wife. “What’s so special about you, other than the fact that you’re brilliant, gorgeous, and sexy as hell?”

  “You really don’t know?” Mecca whispered.

  Jericho shook her head as the Carsons headed toward their table.

  “You go wash your hands,” Jericho suggested. “I’ll stay with Abby and Roland until you return. You want coffee?”

  “Yes, please, and breakfast.”

  Jericho watched her wife until she disappeared through the ladies’ room door. “General . . . uh, Abby, are you certain Evelyn Turner is okay? That she’s not involved in her family’s criminal empire?”

  Abby nodded. “The most unscrupulous family in DC is Steven Turner’s. When the smoke clears, he’ll make Bernie Madoff look like a Boy Scout. It does disturb me that the president has ignored the scandals involving Evelyn’s family. I guess love really is blind.”

  The waitress filled their coffee cups and took their order. Jericho couldn’t hide the grin that captured her face as her wife returned to the room. She stood and headed toward the ladies’ room. “I ordered for you,” she said as she touched Mecca’s arm.

  “Thank you,” Mecca purred.

  How can two words sound so sexy? Jericho thought as she walked away.

  ##

  “What are you doing?” Mecca asked as she followed the Carsons back to Jericho’s vehicle.

  “Changing my license plates,” Jericho said, grinning at her wife. “Just in case someone is looking for us. I have different identifications and plates. For instance, these plates will come back as being registered to a steel worker in Pittsburgh.

  “Thanks to General Carson, I have several aliases with deep history and background, complete with driver’s license and credit cards.”

  “Do you carry them with you at all times?” Mecca asked.

  “Yes.”

  General Carson raised her brows. “I told you she was my best,” she said to her husband.

  ##

  They drove for a couple of hours in relative silence. Then Jericho pulled into the parking lot of a busy general store that carried everything from butterfly nets to bearskin rugs.

  “This is our last stop before we reach the cabin,” Jericho informed them. “Stock up on everything you might need . . . toothpaste, soap, dental floss, whatever. I’ll get food and other supplies. At the far end of the store you can find clothes. Everyone should buy what they need to tide them over for the next few days.”

  She turned in her seat to face Abby. “You and Roland go in ahead of us and begin shopping. Buy clothes first. Try not to end up in the same area we’re in, so people won’t think we’re together. I’m going to gas up the car, and then Mecca and I will enter the store. I’ll leave the car unlocked, so you can leave the store and get into the car ahead of us.”

  Jericho laughed as she watched the couple enter the store. “Your jeans don’t look quite the same on General Carson.”

  “You mean you have no desire to pull them off her?” Mecca teased.

  “None at all!” Jericho leaned in for a soft kiss.

  Chapter 38

  The relentless snowfall and slippery roads slowed their progress, and it was after dark before Jericho pulled the SUV as close to the cabin’s wraparound porch as possible.

  “Honey, hand me the flashlight in the glove compartment,” Jericho said. “You stay in the vehicle, and I’ll turn on the electricity and get a fire going.”

  “I can help,” Mecca insisted. “I’m not some shrinking violet.”

  “I promise you, Mecca, I’ve done this a hundred times. I can move quickly and get it done. As much as I’d like your hand in mine, I’d only worry about you.”

  Mecca gave her a nod and an understanding smile. “As soon as the lights come on, we’re going to start unloading the SUV. You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting.”

  Jericho slogged through the deep snow and carefully climbed the wooden steps. She keyed the code into the lock on the front door and held her breath until the steel bar slid back. “Thank you, God,” she whispered, happy that the lock wasn’t frozen.

  She walked to the back of the cabin, located the breaker box, threw the main switch, and said another silent prayer as light filled the cabin and the refrigerator kicked on. She always left the fireplace with logs ready to light and quickly located the box of matches on the mantel to start the fire. Smoke began to fill the room, and she realized she hadn’t opened the flue. She pulled the handle that would release the smoke into the cold night.

  She walked through the first floor of the cabin to make certain no vermin had taken up residence in her house. Mecca and the Carsons pushed through the door, groceries and new clothes in hand.

  “Let me look upstairs and start a fire in the fireplaces,” Jericho said. “Then I’ll help unload the vehicle. I want to make certain no creatures have hibernated in the cabin.”

  When she returned, she was pleased to see her companions had unloaded the SUV. Mecca handed her the fob. “I killed the engine and locked the doors,” her wife said proudly.

  “Where do you want us?” Abby asked.

  “I’d feel safer if you’d sleep upstairs, just in case someone does find us. That way they’d have to go through me to get to you.”

  “Works for me,” Roland said, grunting as he picked up the sacks of clothes they had purchased and headed upstairs.

  Jericho carried their clothes and luggage to the downstairs bedroom and lit the fireplace. Abby helped Mecca carry the groceries into the kitchen.

  Mecca seasoned beef patties, placed them into the frying pan, and put on water to boil for rice. She emptied canned green beans into a quart pan and lit the burner
beneath it.

  “I’ve never cooked on a gas stove before,” she told Abby. “I’ll have to pay close attention to make certain I don’t burn anything.”

  “Something smells incredible,” Jericho said as she entered the kitchen. “I was expecting sandwiches or canned soup.”

  “After all the driving and heavy lifting you’ve done for us today, the least we could do is make you a hot meal.” Mecca slipped her arm around her wife’s waist.

  “I’m just happy to ride on your coattails.” Roland laughed as he patted Jericho on the back. “I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”

  “That’s how it is when you’re married to the woman who’s tasked with protecting the free world,” Jericho said.

  “I should keep you around all the time,” Abby said with a smile. “You’re good for my ego.”

  Jericho turned on the TV and fiddled with it for a few minutes before a clear picture appeared on the screen. She tuned in one of the mainstream news stations.

  “According to unnamed sources, a nationwide search is underway for retired General Abigail Carson,” the news anchor informed the nation. “General Carson heads a joint task force to protect American citizens. She and her husband are unaccounted for.

  Jericho flipped to a cable news channel. “The president has called a meeting of the FBI, Secret Service, Secretary of Homeland Security, and the National Guard early Monday morning in the Situation Room.

  ##

  The four discussed their plan of action over dinner. “I need to contact my team,” Abby said. “Now that I know I’ve been targeted and my life is in danger, I’ll be prepared. We need to round up the masterminds who instigated this attempted destruction.”

  “Do you know who to trust?” Jericho asked.

  “Yes, I have fifty highly trained personnel on my security team, a special unit that has been vetted. I know each of them by name and appearance. I trust them completely.”

  “Who vetted them?” Jericho queried.

  “I did,” Mecca said.

  Jericho glanced at her wife before returning her attention to Abby. “What’s your plan?”