She heard the engine accelerating and wondered if the increase in airport security would serve her today. What she couldn’t know is that these men had filed a flight plan with all proper authorities as dealers in textiles. They had come to Memphis to invest in the cotton trade with Ellenburg International Textiles. Anyone who cared to check would learn of a very lucrative deal made the day before between simple businessmen. There would be no one to save Kenann this day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
She twisted in the space and was able to move Danny Mac’s legs and torso enough to make room to stretch out beside him. She was relived to feel the soft padded surface under them. It seemed like an eternity but in actuality, it was less than 20 minutes before they were airborne. Her sense of despair at not being detained by airport security was lessened by the sounds and movement of Danny Mac coming awake. She softly spoke his name. He responded with a throaty murmur and reached out for her in the dark. He drew her close to him in an intimate embrace as his hands made slow sensuous movements up and down her torso murmuring her name.
Kenann was too stunned to speak when he began to caress her breast and then too aroused to protest. He began to nibble on the soft inner curve of her neck with great skill. Kenann managed a choked whisper in his ear, “Danny Mac. Do you know where you are?”
“No, but I know where I want to be.” And pulling her into an even more intimate position began to caress and kneed her hips. Suddenly he stopped.
“Is that a gun in your pocket?’
Kenann still dazed by growing desire murmured, “I thought that was supposed to be my line?” Danny Mac laughed heartily. The extra blood flow lessened the narcotic haze somewhat and he began earnest attempts to orient himself. He remembered Mrs. Gage’s party and how lovely Kenann had looked. Kenann? Oh, good Lord no.
“Kenann.” He spoke her name sharply. She jumped and came to full alert.
“What?”
“What are we doing?’
His sharp tone turned the warm glow he had so skillfully created into shame and guilt. She responded with an equally slicing tone, “How in the world do I know? As far as I can tell, we are nailed into a pine box heading for parts unknown at jet speed.”
The memory of the attack, seeing Angelo and the man who knocked him unconscious came flooding back. He wondered how far he had gone with Kenann before he came to himself.
“Did I hurt you? He moved away from her to reduce the intimacy of his arousal. The distance he created both physically and emotionally hurt her far worse than anything he had done in the minutes before. He seemed truly disgusted that he had allowed himself to touch her. ‘Just some dumb kid. She’s nothing to me’ echoed in her mind.
“No.” Her voice was flat. “You didn’t hurt me.”
Danny Mac’s heart wrenched at the sound in her voice. He had betrayed her trust. What kind of man of God was he? He was completely disgusted with himself. Her voice broke the silence. “I think I deserve some answers.”
“Yes, you do. What do you want to know?”
“Well, we’ve got nothing better to do. Why don’t you just start at the beginning?”
He began slowly as if to himself. “It started in the Gulf. I was a part of a special ops unit. Andy and Angelo were there too.”
Kenann broke in. “Is Angelo the goon in the hotel room?”
“Yes. It was our job to go in and do some things the larger units couldn’t do.”
“Assassinations?”
He hesitated briefly. “Among other things. Angelo and I could blend in.”
“I can’t see Andy blending in in the Middle East.”
Danny Mac chuckled. “He usually handled operational communication behind the scenes.” Danny suddenly rolled back to his side in the small space. “You’ve still got on my tux jacket, right?”
“Yeah.”
He started to speak and then he realized there might be someone close by who could hear them, so he put his lips next to her ear. He could feel her stiffen in wariness. He forced himself to ignore this and whispered softly, “Inside the right breast pocket feel for a small listening device.”
“Yeah, I feel something. What are you doing with it?”
“Andy gave it to me along with that sedative ring in case Angelo made his move on me. By the way, whose gun do you have?” He continued to whisper into her ear.
“It’s that guy’s - the one you call Angelo. He threw it on the bed when you goaded him into a fight. Why does he hate you so much?”
“He wasn’t American military. We employed him for his knowledge of the area. He was anxious to make a name for himself in Intelligence circles and,” he paused, “he saw me as his competition.”
“So why is he here now? You’re out of all that cloak and dagger stuff.” She remembered Andy’s gun and their suspicious behavior. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. But Andy continues to work for the CIA and received information that Angelo was gunning for me. He asked me to help bring him down.” Danny Mac considered and decided to level with her completely.
He sighed. “Angelo killed a young boy in cold blood just to spite me. It was a street kid I had sort of adopted. The kid wanted to please me, so he started bringing us information. Angelo accused him of selling us out and cut his throat before I could stop him.”
“Oh, Danny, how awful. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. I guess it was to get to me. He thought I was trying to make him look bad. On one of our operations Angelo gave us bad information and was about to get a bunch of us killed. I just knew something wasn’t right and I told our commanding officer that I thought we should abort the mission that night. They called it off, but Angelo persuaded some of the men, boys really, to go off with him to prove me wrong. They were all killed except Angelo. He was discredited, and our commanders canned him. He disappeared for several weeks. Then I got a message to come for the kid.”
“What happened?”
“After he killed Ramalla, I went berserk. I have thought all these years that I killed him. He’s been working for someone, but I have no idea what their agenda is.”
“So, what’s with that transmitter in my pocket?”
“It’s actually a GPS tracker and short-range listening device. Andy will know exactly where we are as long as we have it.”
The airplane banked sharply throwing Kenann on top of Danny Mac. His arms encircled her in reflex. One hand was splayed across her shoulder blades and the other across her hips. She held herself up on her elbows and their eyes met. Neither moved. The moment was neither awkward or uncomfortable. Time seemed to stand still as they simply looked into each other’s eyes. The plane banked again in the other direction. The force of their shifted weight knocked their crate off its shelving onto the floor. The impact was bone jarring and Danny Mac landed on top of Kenann.
“Jeez, MacKenzie. How much do you weigh? Get off me!”
He laughed as he rolled onto his side and then came alert. “We’re landing.”
CHAPTER NINE
Judy had stopped by Kenann’s after her late shift to see how the evening had gone at Mrs. Gage’s party. She used her key to let herself into the front foyer. She stopped. The apartment doors to both Kenann and Danny Mac’s apartments were wide open, and she could hear a buzz of activity in both. Mrs. Gage was hurrying between the two when she saw Judy. The look on her usually serene countenance put Judy on alert.
“What’s the matter?”
“Come in and sit down dear.”
“Where is Kenann?”
“Come along dear and we’ll start from the beginning.”
“Is she alright?” she was beginning to shout. “Oh God, tell me. Is she alright?” She felt a fear she had never known. She had made herself numb for so many years that this rush of sheer terror turned her spine to water. She felt arms encircle her as she swayed.
“Please tell me where is Kenann?” she was pleading now and starting to go down.
Andy scooped her up
and carried her to the couch in Kenann’s living room. Judy was too overwhelmed to even consider fighting him. In a corner of his mind, Andy was aware of every curve of her body and the pleasant weight of her in his arms even as he remained fully focused on the job at hand. He sat her beside him encircling her shoulders with one arm and covering her clenched hand with his other hand.
“Judy, Kenann is in safe keeping with Danny but she is in a bit of a situation.”
“What are you talking about?”
Andy looked up as Jake joined Mrs. Gage’s side behind the couch. “Sit down folks. I feel you deserve some information. But keep in mind it is classified for national security. We’re not playing games here, okay?”
Everyone nodded. Judy needed to reach out and hold on. She turned her palm into Andy’s and linked their fingers. He squeezed her hand before he went on.
“Jake you know most of it already.”
“Angelo?’
Andy nodded.
“I guessed as much.”
Mrs. Gage spoke up. “Gentlemen, this is not a cigar club. Judy and I are full and equal partners.”
Andy smiled. “Of course. When Danny, Jake and I were in Kuwait City we knew a man named Angelo De Morte.”
“Angel of Death?” Judy’s voice was regaining its old confidence.
“Not his real name, I’m sure. He was a hired gun we used in some of our Intelligence operations. He had grand illusions of becoming a super spy for the United States CIA. Most of the guys never took him too seriously. We underestimated his ambitions and his hatred for anyone who got in his way.”
“What does this have to do with Kenann?”
“She is being used to ensure Danny’s cooperation. Let’s just say Angelo knew Danny’s Achilles’ heel and is using it to control him.”
“Things are still very unclear Andrew.” Mrs. Gage was now sitting on the ottoman with Jake in the chair behind her.
“Okay, let me try to bring you up to speed.” His eyes met Jakes. “We thought Angelo died in Kuwait City. But he surfaced a few weeks ago in intelligence communiques and we knew he was coming to the United States. No matter what his objective, we knew Danny would be a target.” Andy hurried on before he could be interrupted by more questions. “Someone killed two of our operatives in Kuwait City who were closely tied to Danny.”
Jake gripped the armrests. “Bhina and Saulie?”
“I’m sorry, Jake. I forgot you knew them too. They were tortured before they were killed. Danny had stayed in touch with them.”
Jake added. “He just visited them last summer. They were like parents to him.”
“It was apparently an expedient way to get to Danny Mac.”
“How do you know it was this Angelo character?” Mrs. Gage asked.
“He left DNA evidence behind – one hair that didn’t match anyone else. This information didn’t register with the techs who were processing it but when Carter saw the ID on the hair, he contacted me and sent me to tell Danny.”
“Who is Carter?” Judy still held Andy’s hand even though her color and strength had returned. She did not allow herself to analyze it.
Andy’s eyes again met Jakes. “He’s our station chief.”
“You’re CIA.” It was not a question.
Andy paused briefly before looking down into Judy’s eyes.
“Yes.”
“Was Carter in Kuwait City?” She was all business now.
“Yes. We were a regular Marine unit ordered to work with Carter. After the war, Danny and I both went to work for him. Well, he wanted Danny. I just came along for the ride.” He grinned at Jake.
“What happened that Danny Mac left the CIA?” Judy asked.
Andy looked to Jake who responded. “I think I can best answer that. After a few years, the work he did with CIA began to trouble Danny Mac. He felt tormented in his soul. I had retired and settled back here in Memphis. He was on leave and showed up on my doorstep one night. During that week of soul searching and introspection, he found the Lord and was able to find himself again. Carter blames me for ‘brain washing’ him but it was Danny Mac who hounded me with questions. He became desperate to know everything he could about Jesus. I had the privilege of baptizing him into Christ myself.”
Andy continued. “Danny came back to headquarters to quit. Carter didn’t take this lying down. Danny was his best man. He has spent the last 5 years trying to get him back and using me to do it. Actually, I think it had become a game for Carter.”
“Is that why Danny Mac reacted the way he did when you showed up here?”
“Yeah, he thought I was here for another try at getting him back. But Carter really is trying to give him a break. Angelo is working for an organization we are anxious to crack. Carter knew if the National Security Council figured how crucial Danny was in bringing Angelo in, he’d be forced back into the game.”
“Can they do that?” Judy was appalled.
Jake and Andy responded in unison. “Yes.”
“Carter gave us one shot. Bring Angelo in and Danny stays out of it. Otherwise all bets are off.” Andy said.
Judy asked. “So, what happened tonight?”
“One of Angelo’s men grabbed Kenann at Mrs. Gage’s party. Danny stopped him, but he knew then what their game plan was. Get Kenann and he would do whatever they asked. So, he took her to a hotel here in Memphis for safe keeping.”
“How do you know that, son?” Jake asked.
“Global Positioning, sir. I put a device on Danny before he left for the party. It is a listening device at close range and a GPS for tracking. My people have been tracking them. I had to call Carter too.” Just then his cell phone buzzed. He released Judy’s hands to grab the phone but instinctively pulled her closer to him with his other arm. He took note that she didn’t resist.
“Yes, sir.” Andy’s face took on a grim expression of intense concentration as he listened. He released Judy to stand.
“Yes, sir, no I understand, sir. I’ll be ready when the call comes.”
He broke the connection on his cell phone and stood staring down for several seconds. When he looked up, he turned first to Jake as much out of habit as a need for assurance from his former commanding officer. “They’ve got them, sir.”
Jake stood up as the women gasped. Judy was the first to speak. “Where are they? They must know exactly where they are if they’re tracking them like you said. Call in the Marines or whatever it is you people do and go get them.”
“I have orders to sit tight until they arrive at their final destination and then I am to go and organize surveillance.”
“Our government is going to use them as bait.” Mrs. Gage stated in a very quiet, controlled voice.
“I have probably discussed more of this that I should, Mrs. Gage. We will do everything in our power to protect them. Danny is a trained professional. His experience in this situation will be vital to us.”
“And what about Kenann? Is she expendable?” Judy’s voice was flat.
“No, Judy. She is probably the safest one of all. She is their insurance that Danny will cooperate. She will be kept safe at all cost. If anything happens to her, they know they’ll lose Danny. She’ll be fine.”
“You can’t know that. Where are they going?”
“We don’t know yet. Their plane is heading for Canada but the original flight plan listed Alexandria as their destination. I’m to wait here until the arrangements are made for me to follow him. I’m sorry for all of this Judy.” He saw the coolness return to her eyes and felt deep regret at the loss of her earlier tenderness.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to brief my team in Washington.” With that, he left to return to Danny Mac’s apartment.
The three of them remained quiet for several seconds wrapped in their own stunned silence. Each was assimilating this turn of events in their own way. Jake understood the strategic advantage Danny Mac’s capture could mean to our forces. Judy once again slammed the door shut on trust for anyone or any
thing but her own strength and wits. Mr. Gage had formulated her plan. She came to her feet in a fluid motion and took command of the room.
“The first thing we must do is ensure we have their exact location. Judy, dear, we may need you for this.”
Judy looked up at Mrs. Gage through the haze of her own troubled thoughts. She squinted and blinked her eyes to clear her mental fog and the most she could offer was a weak, “Huh?”
But Jake knew exactly what she was about. He recognized a general forming a battle plan when he saw one.
“Now you wait one cotton pickin’ minute, Missy.”
She merely smiled at him in an infuriatingly patronizing manner.
“You need to stand down, Gabrielle.”
Judy looked from one to the other. Gabrielle? The more agitated Jake seemed to grow the calmer Mrs. Gage became. Judy watched them in fascination.
“I’ll hog tie you and put you in protective custody if I have to.”
Judy saw a flash in Mrs. Gage’s eyes, but she continued her patient silence. The two stood staring at each other from several feet apart. Jake loomed large as usual. His tall solid frame and strong chiseled features cast a striking image. Mrs. Gage, in contrast, was all soft curves and diminutive silk but she showed no signs of intimidation. On the contrary she appeared impregnable and valiant in her own right. A miniature Boudica. The warrior goddess of the Celts.
Once, a Long Time Ago Page 6
