Ming was taken directly to her private air strip where she boarded her silver jet. It would be a long enough flight so she knew she had time to calm herself before dealing with him.
Ming’s plane landed at a private air strip just outside of St Petersburg, Russia. As she had anticipated, there was a car waiting for her. She would not have to tell him what had happened. He knew. Why it happened was the issue to her. Ming got into the car and took the ride to the elaborate palace on the outskirts of St Petersburg. Ming eyed the palace. He had built it just like the official palace of St Petersburg or as it was commonly known, ‘the winter palace.’ It was a stunning sight, an exact replica. Ming felt the car stop at the front entrance. The door opened and a man dressed in black extended his hand to assist Ming out of the car. She accepted and stepped out of the car and, without missing a beat, made her way to the front door. The door opened just as she reached it. She continued on. She knew where he would be. She made her way to the drawing room and found him sitting by a fire having a drink. He immediately noticed her presence.
“Madame Ming, how good of you to join me. Your daughter has made an immense mess,” the grey haired man at the center stated, through his thick Russian accent.
“This would not have been an issue if Warren had done his part, Sergei.” Ming fired back. “Why are there CIA agents spying on US Ambassadors? My girls were tasked with controlling men in power. How could Warren allow this to happen?”
“Warren doesn’t trust your girls to do their part. He placed his own agents there to keep an eye on them for himself.”
“His additional agents are not in on anything. They have exposed my girls. I have to pull them all out.”
“You will not.”
“Oh, yes I will or you will have a blood bath on your hands. My girls will not surrender. The man heading up these teams Warren allowed to be put together is on the lookout for them. I have already lost one of my girls because of this.”
“You lost your girl because she didn’t follow orders. She caused your teams to get put out in the open. On that note, you were never instructed to place a girl on Huntsman. Why did you send the White Blossom, your best, to England without our permission?”
“I am allowed other contacts. You have paid me to do a job and my girls were doing it fine till Warren added more players. Blossom’s mission was in no way going to jeopardize yours.”
“You have been paid to do a job and if your girls do not fulfill it, you will be held accountable,” Sergei sneered.
“Are you threatening me?” Ming inquired.
“Yes, I am. You are lucky I don’t kill you now just as a message to your girls to stay in line.” Sergei waved his hand as two men entered the room. “Maybe I should just rough you up.”
The two guards grabbed Ming’s arms. “Bad move,” Ming said with a grimace. Ming knocked both of the men back. They charged at her. Ming took the man to her left and with a kick to the face knocked him unconscious. The man to her right got a punch to the throat as she grabbed around his neck and twisted, snapping it. Ming looked to Sergei, then to the unconscious guard to her left. She sauntered over to him and stomped on his throat, breaking it.
“If you think your guards can put me down, you have underestimated me. If I don’t return, my girls will be unleashed on this world. We will no longer be your ally, but your enemy,” Ming calmly stated, walking toward Sergei. He did not budge.
“Your threats don’t scare me. A blood bath will come and I will come out on top. It is up to you if you want to be by my side or stand against me.”
“I pledged my allegiance to you and your organization, but other players are not doing their part. I need to know you are taking this seriously. I am pulling out and re-grouping my girls or I will not have a force left to fight with when the time comes.”
“I will speak with Warren about his teams. I will get them pulled back. Leave your girls in place. What was Blossom doing in London?”
“I was paid to send her to protect a James Gold.” As the words left Ming’s mouth, the color drained from Sergei’s already pale complexion.
“By who?” His voice was riddled with nerves.
Ming immediately noticed it since he never seemed shaken by anything. “I had thought it was you. I just figured you wanted it more secretive.” Ming was intrigued by Sergei’s nerves. “What is this boy’s significance?”
Sergei was trying to get a hold of his composure. “We have an outside player. Have Blossom keep an eye on him. Our new player might reveal themselves.”
“I can’t. James is on to her. She had to evacuate to protect our cause.”
“Yes, she can. Don’t play like she can’t stay in the shadows. That is what your girls are good at. She stays on James Gold.”
“I will keep her on if you tell me why I should care about this boy.”
“The person who hired you threatened retaliation if James was harmed, didn’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Then I suggest you do what you were hired to do. You could lose everything, and not even to me, it appears.”
“You know who the player is! Tell me, who is it?!” Ming yelled.
“I don’t know. I have a theory and I don’t want to jump to conclusions until we have evidence to back it up. Let’s just say that, if I am right, we are going to need to close ranks, and fast. Keep the girls on high alert.”
“Fine,” Ming replied, frustrated, as she stormed out the room. She called back as she exited the door, “Better clean those two up before they start to smell.”
Ming made her way to her car, but Sergei wasn’t concerned about the bodies. He was concerned about the agents. He made his way to his desk and picked up his phone and dialed. The phone rang twice before it was answered.
“Yes, Sergei what can I do for you?” The voice asked.
“Mr. President, can you explain why you placed CIA agents in your embassies without approval?”
President Warren took a deep breath. “Because I don’t trust Ming’s girls to do their job. They need to be kept in check.”
“Then why didn’t you put our men on it? Why assemble your own team?” Sergei barked.
“Because I need protection, too. They report to me, all of them. I selected them myself. I am not a big fan of how Ming’s girl killed three of them. She opened the girls up to exposure. My teams just found out about it.”
“Explain Gold’s son. You were not supposed to be involved in that endeavor and yet you took it upon yourself to add him to your team.”
“He is an American and I get control of the American side of things. You appointed me to this and I am doing my job. I am keeping him close.”
“So it was you who paid to have him protected.”
Warren was frozen, “No, I didn’t. Do we have another interested party?”
Sergei felt his blood run cold, “I am fearing we do. All eyes and ears open. We will not let this fall apart now. I want James Gold brought to me.”
Warren was feeling the rush as well, “Yes, sir,” he replied as he hung up the phone.
Sergei slowly set the phone down and took a deep breath. He had been planning this his whole life, everything had been building to where he was now. He had his players in place. He was not going to let the mistakes at Soldat ruin his plans. Warren would hand over James; it was time.
Warren, on the other end, had gently placed his phone back on the receiver and smiled. “He’s nervous,” he laughed quietly to himself. Warren was smiling, but his nerves were rattled. His plans were in jeopardy as well if an outside source was meddling. Warren knew he had to get his plans into action soon or he could risk losing everything. He wouldn’t hand James over, it was time to recruit him.
Chapter
28
James felt himself slowly coming to as he was shaken by Chessy.
“James, are you okay?” she called out to him.
He sat up slowly and looked to both Greg and Chessy, who were kneeling over him. James
could feel a burning sensation around his neck from being choked.
“She got away,” Greg said as calmly as he could.
“Did she say anything to you?” Chessy inquired.
James nodded, “Yes, that she wasn’t here to hurt us, but that she was here to protect me.” James stared into Chessy’s eyes as the words came out of his mouth.
“Protect you?” Greg questioned, confused.
“I don’t get it. She had me in a choke and could have snapped my neck, but she didn’t. She said Katrina was never meant to kill Tim’s team.”
Chessy sat down on the floor next to James, “Why would she tell you all that?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t believe her. She set up that assassination. I know it. She was trying to cover herself so we wouldn’t go after her.”
“Well, that’s all well and good, but we need to get back to Ray and let him know what is going on in case she is after Huntsman,” Greg added.
“Shit! Huntsman,” James exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
“We gotta move fast,” Chessy added, moving toward the door.
James pulled his phone out from his pocket and began to dial as he followed behind Chessy. Greg wasn’t far behind, slamming the door as he left. James was able to make contact with Ray as they reached the elevator.
James didn’t wait for Ray to even speak, “Sir, she is one of them. She attacked us and ran out. She is gone. We have no idea where she went or how to track her.”
Ray listened with heightened awareness. “Get back here now. We will re-group and figure it out.”
“Yes, sir,” James replied as he hung up the phone. “He wants us to re-group with him.”
“Not to go after her?” Greg questioned.
“No, and he sounded like he meant it. We are following his lead. We are obviously out of our league here,” James calmly said.
“Glad to see you are thinking level headed,” Chessy added.
“You can call it that. I just know what he will have us do. Hunt that bitch down and I will do it with pleasure,” James said with a grin.
“And that was creepy, please stop,” Chessy replied, confused.
James shook her comment off. This is what he signed up for. Protecting his country, and Blossom was a threat. He was going to make his father proud.
They arrived back to a fast moving Ray. He was instructing several secret service officers. He saw the three of them as they entered the house. “We are leaving and now,” he ordered.
“Wait what?” Greg questioned.
“I have been contacted by the President himself and I am to bring you three with me to Washington DC immediately.”
“What about Blossom?” James questioned.
Ray was annoyed, “The President of the United States has demanded I bring you three to Washington DC. You are going to Washington DC. I put out a watch order on Blossom, but she is not your concern right now.”
“The President of the United States wants to see the three of us?” Chessy was confused.
“He put this program together himself. We report to him and if he wants to speak with you three, he will speak with you three. Is that clear?” Ray was annoyed.
“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
“Then let’s go. A car is waiting.”
Chapter
29
The four of them arrived in Washington DC by the following day. The car ride from the airport was silent. James was nervous. President Calvin Warren was an idol of not just him, but of everyone he knew. He was a great leader and the audience was always mesmerized when he spoke. He showed strength and pride and inspired confidence in the American public. He had strengthened the military all the while providing confidence that protection was the goal and not war. His approval ratings were in the high nineties and it didn’t look like it was dropping anytime soon. He was only the second African American President to be elected and had brought unity to the racial divides with his ability to appeal to all classes and races. James was wringing his hands. They were nobodies. Why did he want to speak with them? Why did Warren choose him to join in the first place? They pulled into the White House drive and up to the front door. The door opened, and they were escorted out of the car and into the White House. They were taken straight to the Oval Office. No knocking. Taken right in and presented to President Warren. There he was, just sitting calmly at his desk. President Warren looked up at the three of them and smiled. Ray stepped up to the desk first with Chessy, James, and Greg standing behind him. Warren peered around Ray to get a look at James, then looked back to Ray.
“Mr. Clayton, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person,” Warren stated, standing up and extending his hand across the desk for Ray to shake.
Ray accepted, “Mr. President, it is a great honor to meet you. I appreciate your confidence in me to head up this team and I plan to make this country proud.”
“My faith has not been disappointed yet.” Warren waved his hand for all his aids and secret service to leave the room. They did, closing the door behind them. “Please, have a seat.” Warren waved to the couches in front of the desk.
All four rapidly sat down on the couches before them. James had seen President Warren on TV, but never in person. He was more physically impressive than he appeared to be on TV. Clean and pristine, he looked like he could either hold his own in a fight or smooth talk his way out of it. James was in awe.
Warren turned his gaze directly to James. “James Gold?”
James sat up straighter, “Yes, sir.”
Warren smiled, “You have not disappointed me at all. You scored top of your group physically and near the top academically. Youngest of the group and yet physically the best. I would expect nothing less of Ulysses Gold’s son.”
James smiled, “You knew my father, sir?
Warren took a seat across from the four of them looking straight at James, “He placed me on my path. He was a role model. His death was devastating for me. I swore I would do what I had to do to make sure his son found his place. Where he belonged.”
James couldn’t restrain a full smile as his eyes lit up. “I am here to make him proud and I don’t plan on disappointing my family name.”
“That is just what I wanted to hear.” Warren looked to Ray. “So, I hear things haven’t gone very well at our Embassy in France.”
“No sir, we lost our ambassador there and we are hunting for his killer. His wife, Katrina, is the highest priority for our agents.”
Warren half smiled, “She is not a priority anymore.”
“Why not?” Chessy questioned.
“Because she is dead.” Warren got up and went to his desk and picked up a file and brought it back to the couches. He handed it to Ray, “While you four were in transit, the London police department picked her body from the Thames River. She died of asphyxiation and was dumped in the river.”
“What was she doing in London?” Greg questioned, looking over Ray’s shoulder at the file.
“That’s a good question. Any theories, James?” Warren made direct eye contact with James.
“Blossom,” James responded.
“Very good.”
“Wait, how do you know that? Did she leave evidence?” Greg was curious.
Warren looked to Ray, “I think you have a suspicion of what was going on or you wouldn’t have tasked your teams to watch young women. You saw something that unnerved you in France. I have ears everywhere. I know you were alarmed by what happened to Drake.”
Ray nodded, “It was a signature execution. I had seen it before on an assignment in China.”
“Katrina was part of a team or group. That is the connection you made, correct?”
“Yes, but sir, it was only a theory until Blossom attacked them when they tried to bring her in.”
“Well, what if I told you that you were right?”
They were all fixated on Warren. He knew about Katrina and Blossom and moreover, he knew where they came from. Warren got up again
and went to his desk. He pulled open the top drawer and pulled out a thick accordion file. He walked back to the four of them and handed the file to Ray.
“What is this, sir?” Ray inquired.
“That is what you are looking for. That is the intelligence of every operative Madame Ming has in the field, including Blossom.”
“Madame Ming?” James questioned.
“Ming runs a ring of female assassins. She kidnaps them as little girls and trains them not only in the art of murder, but of seduction as well. She has girls everywhere, placed strategically to keep control of the men her employers need to keep a tight leash on. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she has many other businesses, but her prime work is control.”
“If the US government knows about this, why aren’t they doing anything about it?” Ray asked, annoyed.
“We have. Why do you think I put your team together? I knew you would figure it out. I couldn’t let on that we knew or our sources would be in jeopardy. I had to let it come to light through another means. As I anticipated, she was ordered to have one of her girls take out an assignment. I had hoped your teams would have discovered it before we lost any lives, but we are now at this point anyway.”
“We lost a friend because we didn’t know about this,” Greg replied, annoyed.
“We could have lost a lot more if I had outed our source.”
James and Chessy were in stunned silence. Ray was sorting through the pictures and files. “How far reaching is this?”
“Very. She has girls everywhere. If we go head to head, we are looking at a blood bath on both sides. We need to monitor them and only intervene when they strike. However, I have another task for your group.”
“All my team members or just these three?”
“Keep your teams where they are. I just want you and these three.”
“Yes, sir. What do you need from us?” James could finally speak.
Warren’s face hardened, “War is coming if we don’t move to make sure it doesn’t. I pride myself on keeping the peace and I won’t stand for those who seek to run this world into the ground. I need intelligence to stop the incoming attacks. Intelligence only you can get me, James.”
James (Teumessian Trilogy Book 2) Page 12
