by Tate, Harley
A guard followed and read a scrap of paper in his hand. “A Mr. Keith Harper needs to come with me. Medical will inspect your injury.”
Keith swallowed. He didn’t like the idea of leaving before they came up with a plan, but judging by the gun holstered to the man’s side, he guessed it wasn’t up for debate. He turned to everyone. “Dig in and get some sleep.”
Lainey reached for Bear. “Be safe.”
He nodded and followed the man out the door.
Chapter Thirteen
LAINEY
City Center
Las Vegas, NV
Saturday 1:00 p.m. PST
Owen stretched out on the couch, the tabby cat snuggled beside him.
“Are you ever going to name that thing?” Jerry nodded at the animal.
“I’m thinking Pound Cat.”
“Seriously?”
“Why not? That’s what he is.”
Lainey walked into the living room and ran her hand down his fur. “It’s nice to formally meet you, Pound Cat.” She smiled at Owen. “Not the most creative name, I’ll give you that.”
“I’m a behind-the-scenes-guy, remember? I’m not supposed to be creative.”
Keith strode into the room, hair still wet from the shower. Thanks to the doctor Napper probably kept prisoner, his leg was stitched and bandaged. They had all slept well, been fed more food than they could eat, and all wore clean clothes that fit.
“You look nice.”
Lainey glanced down at the jeans, T-shirt, and blazer. “Napper wanted me to wear a suit. I told him it would help his image if I looked a little more approachable. Figured I should wear something more mobile.”
Keith nodded. “Good thinking.”
“Are we sure we want to do this?” Owen twisted around on the couch to make eye contact with Keith. “You have to admit this is a pretty good setup.”
Lainey gawked. “You seriously want to stay under the thumb of a self-declared dictator because he gives you hot showers and clean clothes?”
“And a warm bed, don’t forget that.” Jerry rolled his eyes. “The minute we’re not useful, he’ll probably have us killed.”
“If Lainey goes through with the interview, then she’ll be an integral part of his success. He’ll have to keep us around.”
Keith shook his head. “That’s not how dictators work. The second he can, he’ll get rid of us.”
Lainey crouched to come eye level with Owen, holding on to the edge of the couch for balance. “You would really trade freedom for comfort?”
Owen looked away.
“He’s asking us to lie, Owen. To trade our integrity and everything we stand for as investigative journalists and turn into talking heads parroting his message.”
“I’m not the one in front of the camera, remember?”
“But you’re one who put our message out there to begin with. You’re the one who made it possible. If you hadn’t decided the truth was more important than your safety, you’d have run out of KTLA and never looked back,” Lainey said.
Owen ran his hand over Pound Cat’s fur. At last, he looked up. “I’m scared.”
“So am I.” Lainey reached out and took his hand. “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.” She glanced at Keith and Jerry before continuing. “I’ve given it a lot of thought and I have an idea.”
She stood and took a deep breath. It had taken her hours to fall asleep the night before and while she lay there on the crisp white sheets, a plan had come to her. One that could not only give them a chance to escape, but also put the truth out there. “I say we prep two pieces.”
“What?” Everyone asked the same question at once.
“One fluffy and full of lies that we show to Napper and one that’s real telling the whole world there’s a man in Vegas who plans to take over the country.”
“And then what?”
“We upload the true one to every media outlet we can manage.”
“Won’t he find out?”
“Eventually. But no one will air it right away. We’ll have some lead time.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to ask him to let us go on a tour. Show the City Center to the rest of the world. We’ll be out of the hotel, with minimal guards. It’ll give us our best chance at escape.”
“What about the animals?”
Lainey chewed on her lip. “Bear will be easy. We can say we’re using him and Keith as a spot. Pretend they are residents that are happy Napper is here to protect them.”
Keith made fake gagging noises in his throat.
“And Pound Cat?” Owen sounded doubtful.
“What if we smuggle him in a gear bag?” Jerry offered. “We can claim it’s all cables and microphones for the on-the-street segments.”
“That’s a good idea.” Owen sat up on the couch. “I can sit on the sidelines working with the footage. Even if he meows, if I’m far enough away, maybe Napper won’t notice.”
Lainey knew it was a risk, but she couldn’t think of a viable alternative. “All the gear from the van is in the dining room. Let’s set up. We can record the initial spot here.”
“What time is the interview?”
Lainey checked her watch. “We’ve got an hour.”
Keith clapped his hands. “Let’s make it count.”
They all set to work, Lainey rehearsing what she planned to say, Keith and Jerry working the lighting and setting up the camera. Owen prepared to move everything to his tablet to cut and splice the video. As they finished recording Lainey’s segment, the door to the suite opened.
The same guards from the middle of the night wearing the same ill-fitting suits walked in. The taller of the two whose chest bulged the fabric between the buttons on his dress shirt motioned for them to follow. “The president is ready for you.”
Lainey exhaled. Showtime. She smiled her best reporter smile and strode toward them with purpose. “Where are we setting up?”
“The president’s office. He wants it to look official.”
She nodded. “After you.”
The guard led her out of the suite, but a commotion behind her made Lainey stop. The second guard held up his hand at the sight of Bear on a leash. “Dog stays here.”
Lainey hurried back. “We need him for a human interest piece to show the president working hard to keep the city safe.”
The guard frowned and a muscle in his neck twitched. “I didn’t receive authorization for any human interest piece.”
She smiled broader. “If the president doesn’t want to appeal to the widest possible audience, that’s fine. Bear can come back upstairs. But if you leave the dog here and we do the shot without him, it’ll hurt Napper in the court of public opinion.” She leaned forward. “Women love dogs.”
The guard relented. “Fine. But he comes back here if it’s not approved.”
“Of course.” Lainey turned around before relief showed on her face. One hurdle down, a million more to go.
It only took a few minutes to reach what the guard dubbed Napper’s office. Lainey guessed the place had at one time been the hotel manager’s office. It sat on the corner of the third floor overlooking the rotunda of flowers and the fountain out front, walls of glass on two sides.
Napper showed Lainey to a pair of club chairs angled to partially face each other but give a solid view to a camera as well. She smiled and took a seat. Keith and Jerry set up at two cameras and Lainey explained how two perspectives would only add to the drama. Napper seemed to approve.
Owen manned a headset and his tablet with an audio-video app used by reporters who routinely worked in the field. It would help him not only create the piece for Napper, but the one they actually intended to distribute. The bag converted into a soft-sided cat carrier with Pound Cat tucked inside sat beside him. Bear was leashed to a desk leg across the room and he’d lain down beneath the desk to take a nap. So far, so good.
Lainey helped Napper fit a wireless mic onto his lapel. “Ready?”
He nodded.
Owen tipped his hand up in recognition from across the room. Thanks to the headset and wireless mics, he could hear everything.
Lainey took a deep breath and let it out. Here goes nothing. “Hello, I am Lainey Sinclair and I am coming to you from the headquarters of the United States of Western America. Here with me is the president of this new region, the former mayor of Las Vegas, Mr. Chester Napper.”
Napper’s lips puckered before he smiled. “Hello, Ms. Sinclair.”
“President Napper, can you explain to the viewers exactly what this new entity is and how you came to be president?”
He cleared his throat and glanced at Keith’s camera. “Of course. As you mentioned, I was elected the mayor of Las Vegas. Due to the unfortunate series of events befalling our great country, the United States is without an operating federal government.”
Lainey interrupted. “Are you saying the President of the United States of America and everyone who would succeed him is dead?”
Napper cast an irritated glance in her direction. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He tugged on his jacket lapels and puffed out his chest. “In an effort to restore order to the western half of the country, an interim government has been established.”
Lainey kept her expression even, but she had to give the man credit. Calling it an interim government for the camera when he’d claimed it was a de facto new country when speaking to her showed he wasn’t a complete idiot. Maybe the man was more cunning than she gave him credit for. “And you’re calling it the Western States of America?”
“That’s right. We are hoping to be able to support all of the states west of the Rocky Mountains. Since Las Vegas was spared in the attacks, it’s a logical place for the capital.”
“Can you explain how we’re sitting here under artificial lights? Most of our viewers are under the impression America is in the dark.”
He smiled. “We are sitting in the City Center, a development in the heart of Las Vegas. It was built entirely off the grid and generates its own electricity. We have enough hotel rooms to house all members of the government, military service members and their families, police officers, fire, doctors. All essential personnel.”
“What about the rest of Las Vegas?”
His brow knit before he had a chance to plaster on a smile. “Our police force is working around the clock to secure more and more of the city.”
“So you mentioned that the Western States of America is an interim government, is that correct?”
Napper hedged. “Obviously, without some sort of a vote, we are operating as interim at this time.”
“But you do plan on holding elections?”
Napper frowned. “Cut that part out.”
Lainey nodded. “We’ll switch focus.” After a pause, she continued. “Do you have any information as to the perpetrators of the attack?”
Napper calmed. “I’m not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation. But rest assured, we will be doing everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”
Right. Lainey went on, peppering Napper with question after question until he grew visibly irritated. At last, he yanked off his mic. “I don’t understand what the purpose of all these questions are! I told you, I wanted a positive piece. You’re making it sound like this is some sort of coup and that I’m some sort of dictator.”
“I’m sorry.” She smiled. “I promise the piece I show you when we’re all done will be one hundred percent positive. This interview is just acquiring all the information.” She pointed at Owen. “He’ll condense all of this down into a manageable five to seven minutes and you’ll be amazed.”
Napper pouted. “I hope you’re right.”
So do I. Lainey smiled. “I only have one more question, if you don’t mind putting your mic back on.”
Napper shoved the mic on his lapel with a frown.
She waited until he was ready. “With all that’s happened, including the murder of most members of the federal government, why put yourself out there as the face of this new interim government? Aren’t you afraid of another attack?”
Napper turned to face the camera head-on. “I believe in standing up for what’s right and supporting the country I love through this terrible tragedy. If it means putting my life on the line, so be it.”
Lainey swallowed down a wave of nausea. He really did make her sick. She held out her hand. “Thank you, President Napper. It’s been an honor.”
He shook her hand with a smile and Lainey exhaled. “I think that should do it.”
Napper stood up, but Lainey caught his arm. “Sir?”
“Yes?”
“We would really like to play up the humanitarian angle and show what you’re doing here at the City Center.” She turned and pointed at Bear. “We thought we could use the dog and Mr. Harper in an action shot to show people everything here is operating just like normal.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you know, the pair of them walking into the lobby, waiting for the elevator, maybe sitting outside at a table.”
He waved at one of his guards. “Use one of my men.”
“Oh, no, sir. We need the dog.” She leaned in. “They’re the only thing that polls better than babies. And unfortunately, Bear only likes Keith.” She smiled in apology. “I wouldn’t want him to bite one of your men.”
Napper thought it over. “They really poll better than kids?”
Lainey smiled wide. “Always the number one!”
He waved her off. “Fine. But one of my guards will come with you outside.”
“That will be fine.” Lainey stood. “It will take us a few hours to finish the extra shots, edit, and compile the footage. As soon as we’re done, I’ll let you watch it for approval.”
With a curt nod, Napper left the room. Lainey turned to Keith. “Ready to take a walk?”
Chapter Fourteen
LAINEY
City Center
Las Vegas, NV
Saturday, 3:00 p.m. PST
Lainey held the single headphone up to her ear as Owen hit Play on the tablet. She watched the screen, smiling as it all came together. Owen had somehow managed to take the worst bits of Napper, splice in Lainey’s introduction, and make the entire piece not only accurate, but compelling. She wished he’d worked at KSBF when she was still there.
“I haven’t found a way to access their internet yet.” Owen spoke just above a whisper to not raise the suspicion of the guard standing watch across the entrance to the hotel. They were still outside the main doors, their equipment piled up on a stone bench intended for hotel patrons to rest while smoking a cigarette or waiting for a ride.
Jerry crouched beside the bench, fiddling with the equipment so as to not raise the guard’s suspicion. As long as they kept working, the guard didn’t bother them. He glanced up at Lainey and Owen. “If there’s no way to get online, we’ll have to hold it until we can reach the van.”
Keith held Bear by the leash as far from the doors as possible. “The van isn’t going to be an option.”
“Why not?”
“Guards are stationed at the exit to the parking deck. Even if we could find the keys, reach it, and get it started, we’ll never make it out of the deck alive.” They had filmed a few spots of him walking back and forth outside and Keith had convinced the guard to let him shoot the surrounding area, claiming he needed it for filler footage.
If he said it was impossible, then it was. Lainey frowned. “Then how are we going to get out of here? We can’t sit on this video. The rest of the world needs to see what this creep is up to.”
“Given enough time, I can probably hack into their internet or at least steal someone’s phone and grab the login info.”
“But the second we disseminate it, we’ll be sitting ducks.” Jerry stood up. “He’l
l throw us in whatever passes for a jail and we’ll never get out.”
“Or he’ll just shoot us and be done with it.” Keith glanced back at the guard. “Now is our chance. With only one guy watching us, we can cause a distraction and break free.” He bent over and picked up his camera. “I shot this earlier.” He hit Play and Lainey and Owen hunched to watch the little screen built in to the camera.
From what Lainey could tell, it was a zoomed-in video of the bridge between the shopping center and the hotel. Dumpsters had been set up as a blockade to keep cars from entering the roundabout in front of the hotel. Lainey squinted. “Is that a gap?”
Keith nodded. “Enough to walk through for sure.”
“Why isn’t it completely closed?”
“We had to wait for a clear shot of the front entrance. A whole crew of people streamed in from that direction with rolling carts loaded with supplies. My guess is Napper’s people raided the shops and someone forgot to close the barricade back up.”
“Are there any guards?”
“Not that I could see. They’re all focused on car traffic. With the dumpsters, they think it’s secure.”
“Then that’s it.” Jerry ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Our way out.”
Keith shut down the camera. “We just need a big enough distraction.”
Lainey wished she had an idea. “I’m stumped.”
“Me, too.” Owen shoved his tablet in the exterior pocket of his bag. Pound Cat meowed in protest.
The guard glanced their way.
“I think he just heard the cat.”
“Could we use Pound Cat?” Lainey wondered. “Maybe get the guy to come over?”
“And then what?” Owen gripped the bag’s shoulder strap with both hands. “I’m not letting him get hurt just so we can get away.”
“I wasn’t asking—”
“Guys?” Jerry interrupted. “Looks like we’ve got to wrap it up. The guard just radioed with someone inside and checked his watch. If we’re making a run for it, I’d say we’ve got to do it now.”
