Witness Protection: Moving Target

by Jet MacLeod

  She stopped after a few feet, her anger still boiling and looked back at the stunned Angie. She wanted to apologize but she couldn’t find the words. It was better for them both if they didn’t become friends. It would make the assignment easier. She saw the wounded look in Angie’s sapphire blue eyes and almost broke. She raised her chin in defiance of the blonde’s influence and shouted back at her, “And, next time you want to know about my life and what I say in my sleep, ask me about, Princess! Leave everyone else out of it! Got it?!?”

  Angie watched her gallop off towards the barn. She couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman. She had the audacity to question whether or not Angie wanted to live. And, she got mad because Cole sort of gave her answer to a question that she had asked Del several times about. Oh, Hell no, she wasn’t going to put this on me, Angie thought. Before she knew what she was doing, she was galloping after Del. She wasn’t going to let this woman get to her.

  She was trying very much not to let Del get to her, but she was. She couldn’t deny that. She wouldn’t try it. There was something soft about it, that no one else saw. She kept it hidden behind her eyes, but Angie saw it. Whatever it was, it was wounded and wounded so badly that Del would rather be angry all the time than let it out. Angie didn’t care what she wanted anymore. She’d made it clear that she didn’t care what Angie wanted, so why should she? But, there was more to it than that. There was more to the story of Delia Montgomery, master assassin, and mercenary for the Alphabets, as she called them. There was something dark in her past and Angie knew that it had to do with the Russian speaking assignment. She wondered, as she slowed up her horse. Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks, Del was scared of her.

  She had to be. Whatever happened in Russia or wherever, it made Del scared of her. Maybe she reminded Del of someone she knew on the case. Maybe it was the way she acted. She sure as hell knew it wasn’t the way she dressed or spoke. There was more to the story and she knew that Cole wasn’t going to tell her any more than he already had. And, now due to her situation she wasn’t going to be able to use her contacts to get the information. She was going to have to deal with Del blindly and she didn’t like it. She would have to wait for Del to tell her about it or pull it out of her little by little.

  She dismounted and slowly entered the barn, pulling the horse behind her by the reins. She found his stall easily and eased him in it. She would come back and rub him down after putting the saddle up, but right now, she needed to find Del. She was calming herself and trying not to be angry with her because of her outburst. Angie found it hard, but she knew that it wouldn’t help anything if she was angry with Del.

  She finally found her four stalls down, rubbing down the horse. She was whispering to it in another language. It wasn’t Russian, but Angie couldn’t place it. She watched the horse more than she was watching Del. She couldn’t believe how good she was with the horse. If Angie has spooked it, Del had already calmed it before she realized that Angie was standing in the stall door.

  “Can I help you with something, Princess?”

  “You could stop calling me that, for one,” Angie replied.

  “Then stop acting like one.”

  “If you want to see a princess, I can play the part.”

  Del turned sharply to regard the woman in the doorway. She was sure that Angie could play the part and have everyone eating out of her hands, if she so chose, but there was something else about her. There was something in the way she was standing. Angie was an enigma. She was from privilege but she didn’t flaunt it except when she needed it. She was grounded.

  “I am sure that you could.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “What do you want, Emily?”

  “I would like you to realize that I am grateful for what you are doing. I am glad that you are the one taking care of me and not some normal suit. You may not have a good social grace, but at least you aren’t afraid to tell me like it is. That is rare for people in my family,” Angie told her.

  “I don’t kiss ass.”

  “So, I’ve gathered.”

  “Don’t intend to start now,” Del told her, coming out of the stall.

  “Good, because I don’t want you to,” Angie said, backing out of the door way.

  She slid the stall door closed and latched it. She threw the curry comb into a bucket across the way. It clanged against the metal and Angie shook a little visibly. Del took a step away from her and was about to head to the house, when Angie spoke up, again.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being you.”

  “Now, there is a first.”

  Angie just smiled at her. They had their peace for now. She knew that they would blow up at each other again. They wouldn’t be able to help it, but for now, there was peace. Del returned her smile and turned to leave again. Angie’s hand on her arm stopped her.

  “I mean it.”

  “You mean what?”

  “Thank you.”

  “You can stop saying that, now. I get it. You’re grateful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We’re leaving in the morning.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You should get some sleep. I’ll figure it out as we go. I want to be out of here before nine.”

  “Thank you,” Angie said, yet again.

  Her hand was still on Del’s arms. The emotions in her dark brown eyes were swimming and Angie couldn’t read a thing in them. Del made to pull away again, but Angie didn’t let go.

  “Thank you.”

  Del scrunched up her face in question. Angie just smiled at her. She didn’t want to move but knew that she should. Cole’s words were still echoing in her ears. She looked at Angie in a new light every time she saw her. She was beautiful. She would never deny that. And, Del had to admit that she had a thing for blonde, especially those with piercing blue eyes like Angie’s.

  “Emily…”

  “Thank you.”

  “We can’t.”

  “We can’t, what?” Angie asked her, finally moving her hand.

  “We just can’t. It wouldn’t work. I’m sorry. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  And, with that the moment was over and Del was gone. Angie stood in the barn staring after her, not sure what the hell just happened. She followed Del’s movements as she got closer to the house, but she didn’t follow her. Instead, she went back to her horse to take care of him. The entire time she was rubbing him down, she wondered what Del meant by the fact they couldn’t.

  Chapter 10

  It was barely the break of dawn when Del woke Angie up. She had already packed up with car with their stuff. She made sure that her rifle was hidden beneath the back seat. She made it easy for her to access if she needed. She had hidden handguns throughout the driver’s compartment as well. She knew that Angie might be put off by all the weapons, but it was the only way that she could protect her. Once she was done getting the car set up the way she wanted, she went back into Cole’s house.

  She stepped quietly into his office and left him a note. In it, she thanked him. She also gave him her burner phone number cryptically. She knew that he would figure it out quick enough, because he knew her and he knew the number, but didn’t know he knew. If anyone else read the note, it would look like gibberish or as the liked to call it “gobbled-y-gook.” She knew better than to tell him where they were going, but she knew that he would call if he needed to warn her about anything. He would protect them for as long as he needed, and she was grateful for it.

  She tiptoed up the stairs and into Angie’s room. She gently shook Angie awake. She had to admit that Angie was pretty in the early morning light, but she couldn’t think about her in that manner. She had to be professional. She had to remain vigilant in order to protect her.

  “What time is it?” Angie asked her groggily.

  “Sometime after five.”

  “In the morning?”

  “Yes, in the morning. Get up and get
ready. We are going to leave in a few minutes.”

  “Can I take a shower?”

  “If you must, yes. I’ve already packed up the car. I’m just waiting on you,” Del told her.

  “I’ll be down in a few. Please have a cup of coffee ready for me. It’ll be like ten minutes.”

  Del just nodded as she went downstairs again. She made another pot of coffee and hoped that Cole wouldn’t wake up before they left. She didn’t want to deal with a goodbye from him. She wanted her note to be enough. She didn’t do goodbyes, he knew that, and she knew that he would understand.

  She stood back and waited for Angie to come down from her shower. She slowly drank a cup of coffee allowing it to fully wake her up. She didn’t need it but the caffeine was a bonus for her system. She didn’t know how long they would be on the road before she decided to pull over.

  Angie came down dressed in a light grey tank top and a pair of jeans. Del could tell that it wasn’t her normal fare but that she was finally getting used to it. She gave a Del a small smile as she helped herself to some coffee. They drank in silence. When they were done, they rinse out their cups and placed them in the sink.

  Del didn’t say anything as she went out the door and to the car. Angie watched her go, but it felt weird. It was like Del was walking away from her. She couldn’t understand the feeling. Watching Del check the car for the umpteenth time that morning, Angie felt like it was some sort of déjà vu. There was something about the way Del was moving. It wasn’t as fluid as normal; it seemed more forced, and slightly emotional.

  She decided that she needed to follow her so she did. She left the house and Cole, hoping that one day they would see each other again. He had become a friend in their short time together. She forced a smile as she walked up to the car. She got in the passenger side and made herself comfortable. She looked over at Del.

  Del looked up at the house. She shook her head and started the car. They needed to go. They had spent too much time with Cole. They could have put him in danger and if something happened to him, Del knew that she would never forgive herself. She turned and returned Angie’s smile as they pulled away from the farm.

  They said nothing as they drove towards I 80 and west. Del wanted to go see Sanchez in Chicago, but it would be expected. He was another member of their “unit.” The Alphabets would be looking for her. It didn’t matter that she used a scrambler and a dump phone to call in days ago. She knew that they weren’t happy that she had run off with their star witness, but they wouldn’t call in more agents to find her until Del quit checking in.

  She reached back behind and touched a black satchel. Angie noticed the movement and pulled it out of the back seat. She sat it on her lap. Del just gave her a questioning look.

  “What do you need?” she asked her.

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why were you after the bag?” Angie asked.

  “I wasn’t. I was just making sure that it was there. That is your life line.”

  “Huh?” Angie questioned already opening the bag. “It is just a bunch of cell phones. How is that my life line? What is this?”

  “They are all dump phones. None of them are registered. Their SIMs are cloned. So even if I forget to turn it off, they still won’t be able to find me. They’ll end up finding Joe Q. Public in Indiana while we are in Colorado. Another present from Cole before we left. I can call in to let them know that you are okay and they can’t get a lock on us.”

  “You really are paranoid, you know that?”

  “Comes with the job,” Del stated. “Plus a little paranoia keeps you alive. It keeps you alert.”

  “So, we aren’t going to your buddy’s in Chicago, are we?”

  “No, we aren’t. By now, they have pulled the roster from my unit. They are going to find all my compatriots. They are going to be looking for me. Because some idiot in an office, who might not realize that he is tipping off the cartels, is going to believe that I have kidnapped you to trade you to the cartels for something. I am not by the way,” Del told her.

  “I would hope not.”

  “It wouldn’t do me any good. I don’t want drugs, guns or their money. I have enough of my own and it is untraceable. The Alphabets pay well for my line of work, but they forget sometimes who they hired. They have no idea how much wealth I really have. If I wanted to make you disappear, I could, but it would defeat the purpose of this mission.”

  “Which is?”

  “You are my retirement package. I can’t find my peace, if I don’t get you back to New York. Hopefully, there is someone in an office building in DC who will realize that I haven’t betrayed the country. I am going to protect you and make sure that you get back in time for the trial. I just hope that whoever that is, gets through to the rest of the Alphabets.”

  “They will.”

  “I hope so. I don’t need to be worried about my own people coming for you, too. It is hard enough trying to research the cartels you decided to go to war with. Their tactics and local leaders change quite regularly. That is how they have stayed in power so long. They own parts of their home country but let the captains and lieutenants run things here. As they get caught, killed or ousted, someone else comes to power and everything starts over.”

  “Tell me something that I don’t already know,” Angie responded.

  “I have no idea where we are going.”

  “Really?”

  “Yup, I am just going to follow I 71 for a while. Then, I am going to just turn. It is better if we don’t have a plan really. That way we can’t leave an obvious trail for anyone to follow. I know it seems stupid to do that, but trust me. It will be harder for them to follow us this way.”

  “I understand.”

  “You aren’t going to fight me on this, Princess?”

  “I thought we established that I don’t appreciate that moniker.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a bad name.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Sure you don’t. It doesn’t matter. But, are you going to fight me on this?”

  “No, Delia, I am not. I understand that you are doing everything in your power to keep me alive. I am not stupid or simple. I just don’t remaining idle. I guess I will just have to think of this as an extended vacation while we tour the States. It makes it easier for me in my head.”

  “Whatever works for you,” Del stated.

  Angie gave her a look before resuming her stare out the windshield. She didn’t know how long they would be driving and she didn’t really have anything to occupy her. She leaned back in the seat and made herself as comfortable as she could in the sedan. It didn’t have that much room, but it had enough for her to stretch out her legs.

  It seemed like they had been on the road for a long time the next time that Angie registered that trees had changed. She must have falling asleep. Del just looked ahead and was barreling into the unknown, without a plan, but enough fire power to take out a small city on her own. She was grateful for her overprotectiveness and her preparedness, but there was something else behind the reason that Del was running. They were running and she knew it. She just wished that she knew why Del wasn’t just running from the Alphabets and the cartels, but her as well.

  “You awake?”

  “Yeah, I am awake. Why? Need to stop?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt and we need gas. I figured we could get some lunch. Start checking the signs for something you want. We’ll pull over for a little while,” Del told her as she merged into the slow lane.

  It was at that point that Angie realized they were in Kentucky as they crossed a river and she saw the WELCOME TO KENTUCKY sign. She glanced at her watch trying to figure out how long she had been out. Then she looked over at the speedometer and realized that Del was doing around eighty-five to ninety.

  “You’re going to get pulled over,” Angie stated absent-mindedly.

  “No, I won’t.”

  “Yes, you will. You’re speeding. They are going to pull you over.”<
br />
  “No, they won’t.”

  “And, why won’t they.”

  “Because when they run the plates they will back off.”

  “And, why is that?”

  “Because, Cole is a genius and a cheeky bastard.”

  “What did he do?”

  “If they try to trace the car, they’ll fail. If they manage to run the plates, it will come back a special assignment group for the NSA and CIA. It will have perfect clearance to drive as it wishes. They will follow us for a while, flash their lights, and then back off. No cop wants to be the one that interferes with a Federal investigation. It causes too much paperwork.”

  “He faked the plates?”

  “That isn’t all he faked,” Del said, chuckling at her. “You no longer exist, only Emily does. No one knows who you are except me and Cole. Trust me; he is going to erase anything that he did that pertains to Emily today. So, even if they find him, they won’t be able to find you. We were never there. I told you that he was good.”

  “You did.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “I don’t know, a few hours.”

  “You didn’t think to wake me?”

  “No, you look like you needed to sleep. I was going to let you. Besides, I am used to be being by myself. I’ve just been aimlessly driving.”

  “We’re in Kentucky,” Angie stated.

  “Yeah, we are. We’ve been through parts of West Virginia and Ohio already. Did you miss something there besides the hills?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “What’s wrong?” Del asked her.

  “I need to pee.”

  “Well, I can find us a bathroom. Look up ahead. There is exit 186, I am sure that we can find something that you will like to eat and place to use the bathroom. It is far enough away from Cincinnati for my liking too. We’ll stop there. It is like two more miles. Can you make it?”