by Geri Foster
“Yes, I just received a call. The trucks are only a block away. We still have time to meet our destiny.”
Relief washed over Preston and he took in a calming breath. He feared his dream had ended. That he’d never get this opportunity again. But Allah had been kind and he would get the chance to avenge his family’s honor.
He looked down at Nagi who’d remained silent since their conversation at the restaurant. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine. I only need you to tell me where I am to be during the attack. I still have no idea.”
“You are to play a very important part, my friend. A very important part indeed.”
Frank’s phone rang and the whole room fell silent. “This is Hamilton.”
On the other end of the line was the Special Council in Charge of Intelligence. He told Frank everything he needed to know.
After tucking away his phone, Frank turned to them and announced, “They have a truckload of weapons headed this way. They’re masquerading as being part of the staff for this evening’s banquet. It turns out that Preston McCoy, the man we’ve had under investigation for dabbling in foreign markets, is oh so much more than we dared to consider.”
Frank sat on the arm of the couch. “He’s really Amid Mohammed Ali Al Turki, a known money man for the terrorist group, ISIS.
“We have to stop the trucks before they get here,” Garrett mused. “At least now we know the threat.”
“That might not be so easy.” Brody warned. “My guess is they’ve split those weapons up, so we’ve no way of knowing what to expect. There’s no way we can stop every delivery.”
“How in the world do they plan to get in?” Tony scratched his head. “I mean, there’s a delivery gate, but that’s not connected to the White House.”
“According to the agent I spoke with, they have a map of the interior.”
Garrett paced the room. “At least we know more than we did. What we’re up against and what to look for.”
Tony’s phone rang and he moved to the far side of the room to answer it. He was quiet for a few minutes then he put the phone away and turned to them. “We may have just gotten the break we needed.”
Haley had never felt so out of place, and all this waiting around was driving her crazy. Everyone seemed to know what was going to happen except her, but she was thankful that they hadn’t hidden her away somewhere alone.
Now, if this could hurry up and be over with, already. She glanced at Garrett and caught him watching her. She was so angry at him for not allowing her the chance to say what was on her mind. He had no way of knowing what she was thinking.
He walked over to her. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be glad when this is over.” She crossed her arms. I’m ready to go home.”
Garrett’s gaze softened. “I guess you like living in Baltimore.”
She gritted her teeth. “I absolutely hate it. I was born and raised in Texas and that’s where I’d like to live.”
“No one’s stopping you. I never ask you to move, that was your decision.”
“Like I said before, I thought a change would do me good.”
“But it didn’t, did it? Neither one of us are any better off than we were before.” He looked away and continued, “You don’t have to stay up nights worrying about me. You can sleep soundly without a care in the world. Must be peaceful without all that worrying.”
“I still worry, damn you.”
“This isn’t the place or the time.” He looked around. “I would really like for us to get back together.” He gathered her hands and his. “I’d like us to talk.” He moved closer. “I’m telling you for the last time, I won’t quit my job. If that’s what you’re hoping for, then we really have nothing to discuss.”
“I don’t know what to do, Garrett. I’m miserable without you and I’d love for us to be together, but I do miss you terribly and worry myself sick when you’re gone.”
“I think that’s normal. In the military, all the wives worried. Surely you must realize that someone has to do it. This is a job that must be done to keep innocent people safe. I know it’s a sacrifice and I know it’s difficult, but it’s also what I do best.”
She smiled. “That might be up for debate.”
Chapter Seventeen
Garrett and Tony sprinted out of the Oval Office and across the south lawn toward the guard shack. They arrived just as three trucks with Angie’s Catering stenciled on the side pulled to a stop. The guards took their paperwork and began the necessary inspection. Garrett knew they would find nothing unusual.
Preston had been careful. All three trucks most likely had false sides, backs, and floors. The guards would take a cursory glance at the supplies and then motion each truck to move forward. Once they started unloading there would be even less scrutiny as the Uniformed Division Secret Service agents had allowed them on the grounds.
“You sure you can trust this guy?” Garrett quirked a brow. “Now is not the time I want to get my ass blown off.”
Tony smiled and handed him a visitor’s security pass. “I take it you and Haley aren’t getting along. I heard you two split and she had moved to Baltimore.”
“Yeah, we couldn’t make it work. She doesn’t like the fact that I’m away from home so much, doing such a dangerous job. She worries like a mother hen.”
Tony chuckled. “Abby’s exactly the same way. We have more discussions about what I do, how I do it, and why I do it, than anything else. You know, Garret, it’s actually quite simple. This is who we are. We can’t change. If Haley can’t except that, then you’d be wise to move on.”
“That’s easier said than done. Dammit, I love her and she’s the woman I want to come home to. I just can’t see myself leaving Falcon.”
Tony patted him on the back. “Let’s get this mess settled, then you and Haley can take some time to work things out. Every one of us knows it’s tough, that’s why there are so few of us doing it.”
They walked over to the delivery center and Tony banged on the door of the lead truck. The driver opened his door, slid out, and handed him a clipboard with some paperwork attached. “You’ll find everything in order.”
Tony took the paperwork and looked at it. Odds were, it would be fake if he took the time to check it out. He smiled at the guy. “You’re fine.” Tony pointed to the left. “Things are little congested right now. Just park the trucks over there and we’ll move you closer to the entrance when we free up some room.”
The guy didn’t seem to like that, but he complied and let his other two drivers know they had to move. Tony knew they were on a tight schedule and wanted to get as close to the State Dining Room as possible, but he wasn’t about to let that happen.
Not yet, anyway.
Frank joined them and the three of them stood watching the driver position the trucks. “You’re sure this is on the up and up?” Frank asked. “Are you sure you can trust that guy.”
“We’re about to find out. I figure any minute now they’re going to get moved over close to the entrance. That’s when they’ll make their move.”
“I noticed there’s four guys in each truck,” Garrett observed. “I imagine they claimed the extra hands are here to help set up.”
Tony turned his back to the trucks, pulled out his weapon, and made sure he had plenty of ammunition. “No doubt. They’re planning a bloodbath.”
Brody joined them. “The president and Haley are safely secured.”
“I’d feel better if one of our agents was with them,” Frank remarked. “In operations like this, one never knows if things can go sideways. And we can’t afford that. Not at this point.”
Garrett looked back at the security unit by the gate. “Secret Service and all of our agents have been advised, right? Everyone knows what to do?”
Frank followed his gaze. “They better, or none of them will have a job when this is over. The White House is on lockdown. No one goes in or out.”
“All other deliveries have been
diverted to the other side of the building,” Tony noted. “This way we have these three trucks isolated and there’s less chance of anyone getting hurt.”
Garrett looked at Frank. “You ready to move them forward?”
Frank let out a breath. “Let’s get this over with.”
Preston sat in his elegant penthouse and fought the urge to jump excitedly. Finally, after many years of waiting patiently, his dreams of vengeance were about to come true. He’d been meticulous, and even with the small delay caused by that fucking Albanian, everything had gone according to plan. He still planned to kill the bastard just to show the rest of them he’d messed with the wrong person.
By now the trucks would be at the White House and were probably starting to unload. Once they were empty, his men had orders to arm themselves with the weapons that they had painstakingly hidden and start shooting. Preston no longer cared who lived or who died. He wanted everyone to suffer.
He’d received word that several Falcon agents were with the president. All the better, he thought gleefully. He’d like to wipe out that entire organization. Then ISIS would have a better chance of taking over America.
Although not a huge outfit, Falcon Securities was extremely powerful, and Frank Hamilton had enough authority that he, along with several high-ranking generals, could take over the military in times of great peril.
Preston didn’t want that to happen. If Frank Hamilton were dead, he would have cut off the head of the snake. Like so many before him had found, Hamilton didn’t die easily and neither did his agents.
Either way, today would be a glorious day, for it was destined that Falcon agent Garrett Mann would die. But not before watching the woman he loved tortured before they chopped off her head. Then the infidel would die brokenhearted, crying out for his loved one like his father, his brother, and he had done when the bastard shot and killed his mother and sister.
Preston went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a tall drink. He needed to settle his nerves and calm down a bit. Taking a sip, he imagined the smell of the Falcon agent’s blood pouring onto the floor, he heard his violent scream for mercy, and then there would be glory when the White House crumbled, the president died, and his revenge was finally sated.
Nagi came into the room and scowled when he saw that Preston had a glass of liquor in his hand. The man was a purist and zealot, and Preston planned to make good use of his inclinations. He was a terrorist at heart and could be easily manipulated. It wouldn’t take much to convince Nagi that dying for his country and his cause would be a great honor.
“From what I hear, everything is going well on Pennsylvania Avenue,” Preston informed him. “It won’t be long until they are inside and the killing will begin.”
Nagi stared at him. “I’m anxious to see this matter taken care of. I want the Americans to die and I want to be a part of making El Hashem’s dreams come true.” He smiled at Preston. “You and I shall become great partners. Together we can do much once we get back to our homeland.”
Preston barked a laugh. He stretched his arms over his head, then took a sip of scotch. “I have no intention of leaving the States. You’re delusional if you think I’m going back to living in a cave. This is my home and this is where I’ll live.”
Nagi scowled at him confused and he backed away. “But I thought you hated America. I thought you were doing all of this for Allah.”
“I plan to honor my father’s name, and to destroy the president and the White House. Once America has been weakened, then our people will have a stronger hold and we can create a new world. Here, in America.”
Nagi paced back and forth. “I thought my destiny was to return to Pakistan and become mujahid for ISIS. That has been my plan all along and nothing has happened to change that.”
“I have a great honor for you, my friend. One that will have your name on the lips of all who worship Allah.”
“We may as well get things started,” Garrett muttered. “Tell them to pull the trucks up to the entrance and let’s get this show on the road.”
Brody left and slowly approached the truck. He banged on the door and the driver rolled down the window. “You can go ahead and back up to the double doors over there and start unloading.”
“Thank you.” The guy immediately relayed the message to the other drivers and they quickly jockeyed the trucks into position.
Brody made his way back, so Tony went inside to barricade the entrance to the State Dining Room. Garrett and Frank moved over to just outside the double doors as the trucks finished backing in. He could see the driver’s reflection from the large side mirror. The man was nervous, and from the way he kept looking behind him and craning his head to look around, they hadn’t expected people to hang around while they unloaded the fake catering supplies.
The men spoke in Urdu, which Garrett understood perfectly. They weren’t giving anything away, but their concerns were evident. Garrett stood his ground and kept his eyes trained on the men as they moved tables and chairs into the fake banquet hall. Two Secret Service agents were inside the building but out of sight. Both were heavily armed and watched the terrorists closely.
After several minutes, the few items they had in the back of the trucks were now securely inside the building. Garrett had watched everyone and made sure that all the men were accounted for. Every door in the room was now locked. They had nowhere to run.
Tony moved up closer while Brody checked to make sure that the trucks were all empty. “Within a moment or two, all hell’s going to break loose,” Brody advised, his hand close to the gun beneath his jacket. “Everyone stay alert.”
The man who appeared to be in charge nodded and all the men jumped in the back of the trucks. They quickly ripped off the thin paneling on the inside, exposing various guns and weapons lining the wall of each truck.
The men quickly armed themselves and surged out of the truck beds. Garrett and the other Falcon agents remained completely still. One man brought an AK-47 up to his shoulder, pointed it at Garrett, and pulled the trigger.
Garrett’s heart had never beaten so fast and he was relieved when he heard the innocent ‘click’ of the disabled gun. Suddenly, the area was filled with hundreds of clicks. The would-be murderers stared at their weapons and then back at Frank, who smiled.
“Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but your guns are useless. We have a security team prepared to arrest you and make sure none of you ever see the light of day again.”
Garrett saw in the men’s eyes that they were tempted to try to escape. The Falcon agents tried not to laugh as the men frantically tried to make their weapons work. It wasn’t long before they realized they were trapped. The only place they were going was to jail, where they would be charged with terrorism.
One of the Marine sentries walked toward them. “There’s a man at the gate who wants to talk to you. Says it won’t take long.”
Tony looked at the other agents and motioned for them to come along with him. “I think I know who this is.”
When Garrett turned the corner, he saw a heavyset man wearing a thick overcoat and a tall slender man beside him. Tony walked up and shook the big man’s hand.
“Thank you. You saved a lot of lives today.” Tony smiled. “Gentlemen, this is Sergio Malakoff. He’s the one who foiled Preston’s plans.”
Frank stepped closer. “Aren’t you also the man who sold Jim Douglas those weapons?”
Sergio nodded. “I did, but I wasn’t about to let those terrorists use my product to harm this country. When I found out what this McCoy had in mind, I decided to do a little switcharoo. I wasn’t going to let him blow up the White House. So, while he was depositing money in my account, I had my men remove the firing pin on every weapon.”
Garrett shook Sergio’s hand. “You saved a lot of lives and we appreciate that.”
Sergio pointed to the truck and smiled slyly. “Is there any way I might get my guns back?”
Tony shook his head. “You know better than tha
t. Those are all illegal weapons, and they don’t belong on the open market.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sergio winked. “I have a very interested party.”
Frank chuckled. “I’m sure you do.”
Sergio shook his head and held out his hands. “There are several thousand freedom fighters in Syria in desperate need of weapons.” Sergio tugged at his coat lapels and lifted his chin. “I thought maybe I make a donation.”
Now it was Tony’s turn to chuckle. “I think we might be able to work something out.” He glanced at Frank. “Don’t you, boss?”
Frank shrugged.
When everyone turned to go back into the White House, Sergio called, stopping them. “I have something else, Archuleta.”
“What?”
“I hear something in the wind.”
They all stepped closer. Frank stepped forward. “What else is going on?”
“A little parakeet told me McCoy has hired two mercenary marksmen. They are already in the White House. I don’t know who or where they are. The danger is not over.” With that Sergio turned, stepped into his limo, and the driver whisked them away.
All the agents ran toward the White House.
Haley had no idea what was happening. Two guards she presumed were Secret Service were escorting her and the president to a safe-room. The minute they got into the elevator, one of the men shoved her against the wall and pushed the president to the other side.
One thing was certain...these men were not there to help them. “Stay still. This will be over soon,” the bigger man growled. Although he wore a suit and had a military haircut, as well as all the other markings of the Secret Service, he obviously wasn’t.”
“What’s this all about?” Demanded President Davis. “You men can’t be serious.”
“We’re dead serious.” The guy had an Australian accent. “And one wrong move from either of you and we’ve been instructed to kill you.”
