Assassination Authorized

by Erin Wade

  “I need to contact the captain of my security detail and have them assemble so I can be on hand when the president gets his daily briefing.”

  “The map you sent over was the plan for creating gridlock in DC so an assassin could kill the president. The only thing we don’t know is when they plan to make their move. We have increased security on all the targeted bridges. We’ll apprehend the bombers before they have a chance to plant their devices.”

  Jericho’s attention was drawn back to the television when the meteorologist began reporting a blizzard that was threatening to bury the Eastern Seaboard.

  “That’s headed straight for us,” Jericho declared. “If it hits us tonight, we won’t be able to get out of here for days.”

  Mecca glanced nervously at the stack of logs beside the fireplace. Jericho knew she was concerned about their ability to survive for a long period of time in the cabin.

  “I’ll bring in more firewood,” Jericho declared. “There’s plenty in the shed. We keep it stocked for weather like this.”

  “I’ll help you,” Roland said. He pulled on his heavy coat, and Jericho grabbed her fur-lined parka from the closet.

  “We won’t be long, honey.” She touched Mecca’s arm.

  “We’ll clean the kitchen,” Mecca said, gathering plates from the table. Abby followed her.

  As they rinsed the dishes, Abby cocked her head and studied Mecca for a minute. “You and Jericho . . . are you sleeping together?”

  “Yes, we are.” Mecca placed her hand on Abby’s arm and smiled at her. “And you are okay with it.”

  Abby nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  ##

  Dr. Carson was unprepared for the ferocious wind that pelted them with sleet and snow. By the time they made one run with logs, he was shivering uncontrollably.

  “You’d better get him into bed,” Jericho advised Abby. “He’s chilled. We don’t want him to get ill.”

  She quickly unloaded the log wagon and started back outside.

  “You’re not going back out in this storm?” Mecca blurted.

  “I must,” Jericho said. “We need to keep all three fireplaces going tonight to keep water and butane lines from freezing.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “Please, honey, stay inside and get the Carsons settled for the night. I can do this in no time.”

  Mecca hesitated. She didn’t like the idea of Jericho going out into the blizzard alone. She knew it was snowing so hard that one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.

  “You could lose your direction and get lost in this storm,” she argued.

  “I have a rope running from the back porch to the shed. I always keep one hand on it. I’ve taken all necessary precautions. I’ll be fine.”

  Mecca caught Jericho’s arm and pulled her head down for a kiss. “I’ll warm you up when you return,” she promised as their lips met.

  Mecca anxiously watched the time as ten minutes ran into twenty. She began to worry. The woodshed was only about thirty feet from the cabin. Jericho should be back by now, she thought.

  Thirty minutes passed, and she considered calling on the Carsons for help. I’ll give her five more minutes.

  Three minutes later, the door slammed open. Mecca shouted with glee when her wife trudged into the cabin.

  “I thought something had happened to you!” she said as she helped Jericho remove her heavy parka and gloves. “What took so long?”

  “Everything was frozen together. I had to pry the logs apart before I loaded them on the wagon.” Jericho blew a warm breath into her frozen hands and held them out to the fireplace to warm. Mecca began to unload the log wagon.

  “Let me do that, honey,” Jericho said. “That rough bark will tear up your hands.”

  “No,” Mecca barked. “You’re freezing. Stay in front of the fire.”

  “At least put on your gloves.” Jericho pulled a pair from Mecca’s coat pocket.

  “Where are we, exactly?” Mecca asked as she stacked the logs beside the fireplace.

  “About thirty yards behind us is the west branch of the Au Sable River,” Jericho answered. “It’s glorious here in the summer. We should return when it’s warmer.”

  “Are there wolves and bears?” Mecca shivered as she thought about the wild animals in the mountains of New York State.

  “Wolves once roamed the forests around here, but they’re extinct in this area now. There are bobcats and black bears. Neither will bother you unless you corner them or make them feel threatened. I did notice some bear scat out front when I parked the car in the carport.”

  “Shouldn’t they be hibernating right now?”

  “Black bears do hibernate, but they usually come out sometime during the winter and scavenge for food. Cubs are born in January, so they sometimes come out when the little ones are one or two months old. There are probably a few families holed up nearby.

  “There, that should hold us for several days,” Mecca huffed as she placed the last log on the stack and removed her gloves.

  “I made a fresh pot of coffee,” Mecca said. She slipped her arm around her wife’s waist as they walked toward the kitchen.

  “That sounds great.” Jericho grinned. “I think I’ll just sit in it until I get warm.”

  “You get back in front of the fireplace. I’ll bring your coffee to you.” Mecca turned her around and gave her a gentle push.

  Jericho sat on the hearth, warming her hands. She couldn’t remember ever being so cold. She wrapped her hands around the cup of hot coffee Mecca handed her. “That feels so good,” she said softly.

  “What will happen if we get stranded here for several days?” Mecca whispered, not wanting to be overheard.

  “Let’s discuss this in our bedroom.” Jericho’s hushed tones told her she didn’t want the Carsons to overhear their conversation either.

  Chapter 39

  Mecca put more logs on the fire as Jericho got ready for bed. She quickly pulled on an oversized T-shirt and slipped between the sheets. Jericho was snuggling into the downy mattress when her wife joined her. The howling wind and relentless snow continued to bury everything under a blanket of white.

  Mecca wrapped her arms around Jericho and cuddled the blonde against her breasts. Jericho sank into the warm softness of her wife and relaxed for the first time in days.

  “Lord, Mecca, you are so soft and warm. This is what I look forward to every day. I love when you wrap your arms around me and hold me.”

  “I know,” Mecca cooed. “Warm your feet against my legs. They’re cold as ice.”

  Jericho drifted off to sleep as Mecca caressed her and held her tightly.

  ##

  The silence woke Jericho. She lay still, listening for the howling wind or any sound of the blizzard. She heard nothing. Mecca stirred beside her and snuggled closer. She thought about putting another log on the fire. The flames were small flickers, and the room was beginning to get cold.

  She gently moved her arms from around Mecca and slid out of the bed. She checked the time and put several logs onto the fire. She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. Snow covered the bathroom window. She wondered how much of the white stuff had fallen during the night. She brushed her teeth and returned to the warm woman waiting for her.

  “I thought you were going to spend the day in there,” Mecca said, pulling Jericho into her arms. “I’ll get you warm, and then I need to visit the bathroom too.” She lightly brushed Jericho’s lips with her own. “Mmm. Minty. You think you’re gonna get lucky, don’t you?”

  “Maybe.” Jericho gave Mecca her best little-girl grin and wrinkled her nose.

  “Let me brush my teeth,” Mecca whispered as she slipped from Jericho’s arms. “I’m positive you’re gonna get lucky.”

  Before Mecca could return to bed, a loud knock announced the Carsons were stirring. Jericho groaned and considered tossing Abby and Roland into the snow and locking the door behind them.

  Mecca stood lookin
g down at her wife. Silky black hair tumbled around her face, and she ran her hand through it to push it back.

  Jericho gazed at her wife, fighting the fire burning in the pit of her stomach. “I may not live through the day,” she whispered.

  ##

  Abby Carson was frying bacon, and Roland had a roaring fire going. The cabin was warm and inviting. “Coffee’s ready.” Abby gestured toward the pot with the fork she was using to turn the bacon. “Scrambled eggs okay with everyone?” It was more a command than a question.

  Jericho tried to put on a cheery face as she poured coffee for Mecca and herself. “Sounds good to me. Anyone need a refill?”

  “I’ll take a refill,” Roland said, joining them at the kitchen island. “Forecaster said this is just a lull in the storm. A second blizzard is right behind the one we had last night. It’s supposed to hit around noon.”

  “Did you sleep okay?” Mecca inquired as she put biscuits into the oven.

  “Heavenly mattress, Jericho,” Abby said. “I can’t remember when I’ve had such a good night’s sleep.”

  “I suspect you were exhausted, Abby.” Jericho grimaced. “I know I was.”

  Mecca massaged her wife’s shoulders. “Relax, baby. You’re neck and shoulders are hard as a brick.”

  “I don’t like to be stranded with no alternatives,” Jericho said, scowling. “My only consolation is that this blizzard is shutting down Washington too.”

  Roland looked out the front window. “The trees lining the drive seemed to protect it from the brunt of the storm. I can see the river from here. It’s frozen solid.”

  “It will stay that way until the spring thaw,” Jericho said. She shivered as she walked toward the door and peered out. “The drive is relatively clear. After breakfast I’ll look around to make certain no one has visited us.”

  They turned their attention to the TV as the meteorologist declared, “This is the worst storm in history. The Atlantic coastal states from Maine to the Carolinas are blanketed with over twenty feet of snow, with more in some areas. Everyone has been ordered to stay home. All public transportation has been closed until further notice.”

  The news was a rehash of the prior evening, declaring the terrorist threat had been squashed, and more arrests had been made.

  “I’ve got to get back to Washington as soon as possible,” Abby declared. “The Justice Department is sitting on more than ninety-nine arrest warrants. We need to serve them before news of them leaks and the culprits disappear underground.”

  “We’re not going anywhere for several days,” Jericho answered. “It’s too dangerous.” She began pulling on her parka.

  “Can I go with you?” Mecca asked, letting her wife make the decisions on their safety.

  “Sure, but wear this.” Jericho pulled another parka from the closet. “It’s much warmer than your coat.”

  “You two check things out,” Abby said. “We’ll clean up the kitchen and keep the fire going.”

  Jericho pulled a rope from the coat hook. “I always carry this in bad weather. It’s easy to slip into a deep snow bank. We’ll tie ourselves together if we encounter a dangerous situation.

  As they opened the door, all hell broke loose. Mecca jumped back behind the door, but Jericho determined where the ruckus was originating. Mecca peered around the door in time to see a huge black bear lumber onto the frozen river.

  “What’s she doing?” Mecca gasped.

  A mournful roar rang out across the ice, as if the gates of hell had opened. “Jericho, her baby! Her baby has fallen through the ice.”

  They hurried as fast as possible in the frozen snow and watched in horror as the mother bear tried to save her cub. The frozen river crackled and popped like gunshots as the ice broke open under the weight of the thousand-pound bear, plunging her into the freezing slush.

  The louder her cub shrieked, the harder she fought to reach it but to no avail. As Jericho ran, she stripped off her belt and handed Mecca one end of the rope. “Wrap it around a stout tree.”

  Jericho’s presence sent the sow into a rage. She thrashed violently, trying to get to her cub. Mecca secured the rope to a tree and followed Jericho to the river’s edge. “I’ll have to crawl to the cub,” Jericho said. “That will put less weight in one spot.” She dropped to all fours and carefully moved toward the cub.

  Mecca began talking loudly to the mother. “Calm down. Everything’s going to be okay. Your baby’s in good hands. I trust that woman with my life. You can too. She’ll rescue your baby.” As Mecca spoke, the sow began to calm, swinging her huge head from the brunette to her cub. Mecca kept talking in the same reassuring voice she always used to calm and hypnotize patients.

  The mother stopped thrashing in the ice and began trying to find something solid to sink her claws into. Mecca realized how dangerous those weapons were. The bear lunged from the water, throwing three-fourths of her body onto the ice. She sank her claws into the solid crystal.

  The mother bear growled loudly as she pulled herself from the frozen river and stood, only to have the ice crumble beneath her weight and plunge her back into the frigid water.

  Mecca pulled a large tree limb from the snow and began pushing it toward the bear, talking in a comforting voice as she worked the limb toward her.

  Jericho stretched out on her stomach and inched toward the cub. Its pitiful mewls grew weaker as she drew closer. She caught the baby by its ear as it started to go under the water. She was thankful she was able to grip it from behind. She secured her belt under the cub’s front limbs and tied the rope to it. She pulled the small bear onto the ice, but it gave way and plunged the cub back into the water, almost taking Jericho with it. She knew the ice wouldn’t hold her and the cub, so she scooted backward until she was about ten feet from the baby. Then she began pulling the rope. A crack opened in the ice and spread toward her. She would have to get to solid ice in order to pull the cub from the lake. She could hear Mecca’s gentle, sweet voice droning in the background.

  Jericho crawled the last ten feet to the shore and began pulling the cub toward her. As she reached down to pick it up, it whimpered, heaving for air. She contemplated taking it into the cabin, but knew the mother bear wouldn’t allow that.

  Jericho placed the cub on the bank of the river, removed her belt, and turned to see what Mecca was doing. Her wife had pushed a large tree limb to the sow, and the bear had managed to sink her claws into it, but Mecca wasn’t strong enough to pull the weight of the black bear to the shore.

  Jericho moved to help her wife. She tied the rope around the tree limb, wrapped it around a large beech tree, and motioned for Mecca to help her pull the rope. In slow motion, the bear emerged from the icy river and clung to the tree limb, content to let the two women pull her to shore. As soon as they were certain she was on solid ice, they dropped the rope and moved away from her. She remained on all fours as she cautiously approached her cub.

  The mother bear picked up her baby and cuddled it against her, trying to warm it. The cub squalled like it was dying. The mother covered it with her forelegs and held it tightly to her chest, helping it find a nipple to nurse. She swung her huge head around, resting her gaze on Mecca and Jericho. Then she lumbered into the forest.

  “God, I’m freezing,” Mecca gasped. “Let’s get into the cabin.”

  “I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life,” Dr. Carson said as he opened the door for the two.

  “Yeah, that mother would have drowned trying to save her baby. Bears are like that,” Jericho said.

  “I’m not talking about the bear,” Roland said. “You two could have been killed. You risked your lives to save that mother and her cub.”

  Jericho helped Mecca remove her parka and then turned so her wife could reciprocate. She hung their coats in front of the fire to dry.

  “Jericho, do you have a snowmobile?” General Carson asked.

  “Yes, but—”

  “I must get to a spot where we can get a cell sign
al. My second-in-command needs to know who to be wary of.”

  “Mecca and I are going to put on dry clothes,” Jericho said. “I’ve got to thaw before I undertake another challenge.”

  ##

  “How many snowmobiles do you have?” Abby asked when Jericho and Mecca returned to the kitchen for a hot cup of coffee.

  “I don’t actually own a snowmobile,” Jericho mumbled. “It’s a Tucker Sno-Cat. Hardly enough to mount an army.”

  “Could you get me to the top of the mountain so I can pick up a cell signal?” Abby asked.

  “Probably, but I don’t like the idea of leaving Mecca and Roland unprotected.”

  “If we leave now, we can be back before dark,” Abby argued.

  “Okay. But wear Mecca’s parka. It’s rated for this extreme cold. Put on this ski mask so your face doesn’t freeze.”

  Jericho pulled two rifles and two ominous-looking handguns from her gun safe. “Can either of you use these?”

  Roland and Mecca shook their heads.

  “Quick gun school,” Jericho said, frowning.

  She showed them where the safety was on all the weapons. “I’m going to rack both pistols and put on the safety. All you have to do to fire them is flip off the safety. Same with the rifles. Always aim low. If you don’t know what you’re doing, the handguns will kick upward when fired. If you aim at their feet, you stand a good chance of hitting them in the stomach or chest.”

  Both nodded apprehensively.

  “Let’s go, Jericho,” Abby commanded.

  Chapter 40

  Jericho pulled the key to the Sno-Cat from the gun safe, kissed Mecca goodbye, pulled on her ski mask, and walked out the door.

  Abby had to run to keep up with her long-legged agent as she hurried to the barn housing the all-terrain vehicle. Jericho pulled a grappling hook and rope from the barn wall and stored it in the back. She checked to make certain the Sno-Cat was filled with gas and placed a five-gallon can of gas beside the grappling hook. She motioned for Abby to get in. It took several tries to start the vehicle, but it finally roared to life.

  “What is this thing?” Abby looked around the cab of the truck-like machine, thankful they weren’t attacking the elements on the seats of a snowmobile.