“I doubt there’ll be any left by the time you’re able to join the party,” Bogart announced.
“Join?” the guard demanded. “I’ll be lucky if they bring a doggie bag out for me. We’re not allowed to attend. I guess we’re not special enough.”
“Of course not,” Bogart muttered while shaking his head. “You just protect the entire estate, that’s all.” He handed the guard the tray past Monroe. “Here, you take these. You’ve earned them. We’ll collect the tray on our way out tonight. No one will notice a dozen are missing.”
The guard accepted the tray and grinned. “That’s kind of you.” He approached the guardhouse and pressed a button, opening the gate. “Go on; get to work.”
Bogart smiled and gave the guard a thumbs up. Monroe put the van into gear and drove through the gate. They pulled around back and parked alongside the other catering vans. Zack jumped out the back door dressed in a stylish, expensive suit. He immediately fiddled with the tie. Bogart and Monroe jumped out and shed their chef’s jackets to reveal their suits as well.
“Let’s mingle, boys,” Monroe announced and headed toward the party in the backyard. “Zack, you know what to do--”
Both men looked back but Zack was already gone, his tie discarded on the ground. Monroe shook his head.
“I swear, he’s a shape shifter,” Monroe remarked. “Once we have eyes on Jericho, you’ll keep him occupied while I slip into the house.”
“And if Jericho doesn’t show?” Bogart asked. “He is, after all, a wanted man.”
“We’ll scan the crowd,” Monroe announced. “If we don’t see him in ten minutes, we’ll split up. You’ll take the basement, and I’ll take the second floor.”
“Where’s Zack going to be?” Bogart asked.
“Who knows,” Monroe muttered. “He’s probably in Moscow by now. Keep an eye out for Mac. She’s the only one here who’ll be able to identify us.”
“Maybe you,” Bogart informed him then grinned. “She and I have plans to hookup sometime.” He appeared starry-eyed. “A boy; a girl; a chance meeting at a garden party--I can work that angle on so many levels.”
“Fine, if we run into Mac, she’s all yours,” Monroe remarked and headed into the crowd.
Something caught Bogart’s attention, and his expression suddenly dropped. He grabbed Monroe’s arm and pulled him back, startling him.
“I think we may have one more obstacle,” Bogart announced softly then indicated the terrace with his eyes.
Pinto walked with Sal across the patio and toward the crowd of people. Sal held her hand linked onto his arm with pride and introduced her to his guests. Monroe stared at her a moment then looked at Bogart and shielded his face.
“What’s she doing here?” Monroe muttered.
“I don’t know, but she could blow our cover,” Bogart announced softly. “She knows we have a hard-on for her father and plan to interrupt his illegal operations. If she’s made nice with him, she might tell him about our meeting with her.”
Monroe patted Bogart on the shoulder. “Good luck avoiding her,” he announced. “I’m heading inside.”
Before Bogart could protest, Monroe was already halfway to the house.
†
Gil and the dog quietly hurried along the second floor hallway. He stopped before each door, listened a moment, and then peered inside every room. All the rooms were empty and unlocked. He reached the door at the far end of the hallway and tried to open it. It was the only locked door. He looked at Darth, who stared up at him.
“I think we have a winner,” he said softly to the dog.
The dog let out a low woof in response. Gil removed his lock pick device and worked on the door lock. Darth waited patiently outside the door with his nose just below the lock. The dog was anxious to enter. Gil slowly opened the door, allowing Darth to slip in first. He then entered behind the dog and looked around the room. Darth ran across the room to Tonya, who was bound with duct tape to a large, decorative chair with duct tape over her mouth to keep her quiet. She saw Gil and attempted to call out to him. Gil shut the door behind him and hurried across the room toward her. He gently removed the duct tape from her mouth.
“Are you okay?” he asked while working on removing the duct tape tying her wrists to the arms of the chair.
“I’m fine now,” she replied and watched him work on the tape binding her. “They said you’d been captured.”
“Being a prisoner is subjective,” he replied. “It all depends on what side of the bars you’re standing.”
He removed the duct tape from her right wrist then heard the door open. Gil quickly straightened and turned along with Darth. Zack stood inside the room and stared at Tonya with surprise then looked at Gil.
“Leave her,” Zack announced firmly.
“Yes, sweetie,” Mac hissed from where she stood just behind Zack. “Leave her.”
Zack spun around, prepared for a fight with Mac. Although already prepared to block the punch he knew was coming, she was faster than he was. She kicked Zack in the side and sent him off balance. Zack recovered before Mac could get in a second kick, and he responded with his own kick, striking her in the abdomen. She was sent bounding into the nearby dresser with a thunderous crash. Barely fazed by the hard hit and sudden stop, Mac lunged for Zack with a flying roundhouse kick. Zack blocked the kick, but he was still thrown across the room. He struck the wall hard enough to knock framed pictures to the floor. He dodged her flying foot that came close to striking him in the face and punched her in the thigh, nearly dropping her.
Gil removed the duct tape from Tonya’s ankles while she worked on the tape on her left wrist. Gil pulled her to her feet and hurried her from the room past the fighting couple. He hurried her along the second floor corridor and into the bedroom across the hall. Tonya ran for the bathroom with Darth on her heels. She said something to the dog in German. Darth ran into the bathroom. Tonya shut the door, locking the dog inside. Gil turned from the bedroom door, saw her by the bathroom, and heard Darth barking from behind the closed door. As he approached, Tonya revealed a candlestick and struck Gil on the head, knocking him to the floor. She looked down at the unconscious man while Darth barked, snarled, and scratched at the closed bathroom door.
“Sorry, Gil,” she announced and casually tossed the candlestick aside. “It’s nothing personal.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Within Sal’s penthouse suite, Lee was sprawled across the arm of the sofa with her head leaning back against the headrest. She wasn’t sure where she was anymore, although she was no longer tied. In the dimly lit living room, she could only hear the faint sounds of the city beyond the nearly soundproof balcony doors. Her body felt heavy yet oddly light with a tingling sensation, which she couldn’t decide whether or not it was pleasant. She could hear someone screaming her name, although she didn’t know why. She didn’t know where it was coming from, but the man’s voice brought her out of her daze and into reality. As she looked across the hazy room, she saw Beck, with his hands bound behind his back, fighting two men who attempted to pull him toward the main door. He looked directly at her while screaming her name. Despite being restrained, he put up a good fight.
“Lee!” he shouted. “Lee, run!”
She didn’t know why he was telling her to run. She was running. It was a beautiful summer day, and she was running through a meadow covered in flowers. She smiled at Beck and waved. He stopped struggling while staring at her with alarm. He then looked at Jericho across the room.
“What did you do to her?” Beck demanded. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you!”
“Shut him up,” Jericho announced.
The first man placed a cloth over Beck’s mouth and nose, while attempting to subdue him. He struggled against the drug-soaked cloth then slowly sank to the floor.
“Load him in the van,” Jericho ordered his men. “I’m taking him to the mansion personally. I don’t know what his friends are up to, but if they don’t back off, we�
��ll kill him.” Jericho turned to the man sitting quietly in the chair near the glass balcony doors. “I’ll leave a man outside the door. The rest will be in the lobby and the parking garage. Do you think you can get her to remember what Wiley gave her?”
“I’ll get it out of her,” he casually announced. “Remember our deal. I get her before you eliminate her.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Jericho muttered, seeming disinterested. “The information first.”
Jericho left with the two men, who carried Beck from the suite. Lee waved to Beck while hanging over the back of the sofa. As she turned on the sofa, her capture was now sitting alongside her with a sly grin on his face. He placed his hand on her leg and rubbed her inner thigh.
“You and I are going to have a little fun while we wait for the happy drugs to kick in,” he announced and moved closer to her.
He placed his hand to her face and kissed her aggressively on the mouth. Lee pushed against him as her arms tensed. She was somehow stronger than she thought. Her emotions took over and she started screaming while thrashing her fists against his chest in an uncontrolled fit of rage.
“Get away! Get away!” she screamed in a shrill voice she didn’t even recognize as her own.
The room was becoming clearer as her senses were aroused by her surroundings. The faster her heart pounded, the more invigorated she felt. He attempted to keep her flying fists from striking his chest. She screamed and ran her fingernails across his cheek, leaving four deep scratches, and drawing blood.
“Get away! Get away!”
The man jumped up from the sofa while clutching his bleeding cheek. He stared at her with surprise. She was now enraged while glaring at him like a wild woman.
“Maybe we’ll let the drugs work a little while longer,” he remarked then grabbed the discarded syringe on the coffee table. “Then it’s a slightly stronger dose to seal the deal.”
Lee attempted to control her breathing while glaring at him. She could hear a growling sound then realized it was coming from her. She had a strange urge to bite the man and kept her eyes locked on him as he crossed the room. He finally moved out of her line of sight, allowing her to relax again. Her breathing slowed, and she once more ran through the meadow.
†
A black sedan was parked halfway across the parking garage on the main level. A federal agent sat behind the wheel and kept watch of the entrance to the building. He appeared mostly bored and rubbed his temple. The agent groaned softly, removed his cell phone, and pressed a single number. He immediately smiled when the caller answered.
“Hey, honey,” he said warmly into the phone. “I’m going to be another few hours.” There was a brief pause as he listened in response. He chuckled softly. “Just Holden and his paranoia. He has me casing a parking garage. I don’t know what he’s expecting to happen here. The place is dead.”
The exit door opened, catching the agent’s attention. His expression turned serious a moment. He attempted a smile while returning his attention to his phone call.
“I’ll see you in a few hours, okay? Love you,” he announced then disconnected the call.
He watched the man exit through the open door. Despite the baseball cap, it was evident the man was Jericho.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the agent proclaimed softly.
He reached into his pocket for his cell phone. Something moved past his driver’s side window. The agent looked at the window alongside him. A black blur stood before the window, but all the agent saw was the silencer of a semiautomatic aimed at him. The nearly silent shot pierced the glass, striking him in the head. Blood spattered against the inner passenger side window.
†
Lee ran across the meadow, feeling free and almost weightless. She then saw the silhouette of a man across the field. To her surprise, he was wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. He was the man of her dreams, and he’d come for her! She ran toward him with childish glee. She fell into his arms, and they rolled around the meadow together. It felt good being in his strong arms as she lie in the meadow. Lee met his gaze and found herself staring at Ross. He leaned in closer and kissed her passionately. She eagerly returned the kiss. Lee opened her eyes and realized she was kissing the man with the scratches on his face. He lowered her to the sofa while aggressively kissing her. She attempted to fight him and the hands that firmly traveled her body, but she felt weak. His weight was enough to keep her pinned.
The familiar sound of a gun cocking echoed through the nearly silent room causing the man to freeze on top of Lee. He broke off the kiss and slowly turned his head toward the barrel of the gun aimed at his temple just inches away. Lee looked as well. Finn stared with an unpredictable sneer on his face while looking down the barrel of the gun at the man. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders without breaking his evil stare at her capture.
“Now I know you weren’t thinking about molesting the young lady,” Finn announced in an almost playful tone, although the look on his face was anything but playful. His look was psychotic.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” the man replied and slowly moved to his knees near Lee’s legs.
Finn rounded the sofa while keeping his gun aimed at the man with the scratches on his face. He casually eyed the syringe then looked back at the man and grinned.
“Having a little party?” Finn asked then indicated the syringe. “Join in, my friend. Let’s all party.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” Finn announced in a firm tone with less of a smile. “Join the party. What’s good for the goose and all that bullshit.” He again indicated the syringe with a look. “You can either stick that needle in your vein, or I can put a bullet in your temple.” His playful grin turned into a sneer as he tightened his finger on the trigger. “Do it, friend.”
The man took the syringe and injected it into his arm. Finn immediately frowned and shook his head.
“Now we both know that ain’t nearly as effective a route,” Finn announced.
The man casually tossed the syringe aside, having dispensed the contents into his muscle rather than his vein. The drug’s effect would be slower and less potent injected into his muscle. His smirk mocked Finn. Finn again cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders. A strange, twisted smile crossed his face.
“Good thing I’m a resourceful man,” Finn announced then sneered and struck the man alongside his head with his gun.
The man dropped backward onto the sofa, his head bleeding from the hit. He was obviously out cold.
“Enjoy your little nap, friend,” Finn announced then looked back at Lee with a pleased grin.
Lee was already stumbling toward the penthouse door. Finn slung his head back and groaned while rolling his eyes.
“Seriously? You’re running away from me?” he demanded then reconsidered while watching her stumble to maintain her balance. He appeared slightly humored. “Well, meandering perhaps.” His expression then turned irritable. “I just saved your life, little darling. A heart felted thank you seems appropriate.”
Finn casually strutted behind her while grinning. She attempted to open the door, but he easily pushed it shut. Lee leaned forward on the table near the door for support while Finn hovered over her from behind with a cheap grin on his face.
“How about we stop playing games,” he announced and leaned over her shoulder. “Admit you’re hopelessly in love with me, so we can move on to the next stage in our unusual relationship.”
Lee spun around, and with all her strength, struck him in the head with a decorative candlestick. Finn clutched his bleeding head and fell to his knees. Lee opened the door and stumbled into the hallway, nearly tripping over the unconscious guard just outside the penthouse. She clung to the wall and managed a slow jog toward the elevator. She pressed the button and attempted to maintain her balance while darting looks between the lit floor numbers and the open penthouse door.
“Damn it, Lee,” Finn was heard shouting from within the penthouse. “You’re star
ting to piss me off!”
Finn stumbled from the penthouse with blood streaking the side of his face. The elevator door opened. Lee nearly fell inside the elevator as Finn ran for her. She repeatedly struck the ‘close’ button. The door closed just as Finn reached it. Finn slammed his hand against the closed elevator door and then ran for the stairs. No sooner had Finn vanished down the stairs when an electronic hum came from the stairs on the opposite end of the penthouse corridor. Ross and Kirk appeared from the stairwell with their semiautomatics leading the way. They approached the penthouse door and paused just outside. Both suspiciously eyed the unconscious man on the floor. Kirk inserted an official penthouse keycard into the lock. The green light lit. Kirk pushed open the door with his back and entered the penthouse with his gun aimed and ready to fire. Ross filed in after him.
Ross discovered the unconscious man lying on the sofa and the discarded needle on the coffee table. Both men fanned out in opposite directions and searched the large penthouse. When their search revealed the place was empty, Ross approached the unconscious man and looked at the unmarked vile. He frowned with disgust.
“Whatever happened here,” Ross informed Kirk, “it looks like we only missed it by a few minutes.”
“Did the guy overdose?” Kirk asked while indicating the man but kept his gun and his attention on surveying the penthouse for possible intruders.
“No, I don’t think so,” Ross replied. “Someone clocked him. I’d like to believe it was Lee. The mystery drug has to be something they wanted to use on her to open her mind perhaps. She may have gotten away, but we don’t know if she’s been sedated or who’s after her.”
“Damn it, Ross,” Kirk snarled. “She could be anywhere in the building if someone is chasing her.”
“Yes, I know,” he replied. “I need you to wait by the parking garage exit. Hopefully, we didn’t miss her already. I’m going to the floor she worked on. If she’s being chased, there’s a good chance she’d head someplace familiar.” He tapped his earpiece transmitter. “Maintain contact.”
Witness Protection 2: The Return of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Page 19
