Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
W arrick put a finger at his throat and yanked the constraining button of his dress shirt and tie. He’d wanted to wear military gear, but that had been vetoed by, well, everyone. Instead, he was wearing one of his future sister-in-law’s nanotech suits. It was surprisingly lightweight while also being bulletproof.
Cassidy was also dressed in one, but with a skirt. It was going to be her job to stick close to her boss, CIA Director Beaumont, to gauge his involvement and then quickly usher him from the room. There, she’d decide to read him in or detain him.
“Sweetheart,” Warrick said as they walked up the stairs of Mo and Dani’s house, “remember, they’re after you too. Be safe.”
“Don’t worry, stud muffin. I will be. And so will you. After all, you have the woman you love and a priest watching your back.”
Warrick chuckled and shook his head as a twig hit him. He looked up and waved at Porter. “My parents would love this. For all of their diplomatic careers, they believed each country was a different family in this world. Keeneston is truly an example of how a town can be a family.”
“I love that,” Cassidy said, looking up at him with a smile. Warrick kissed her a moment before the front door was opened.
“The president and first lady are waiting for you.” Veronica smiled at them as her engagement ring flashed. “Also, it would be fantastic if you could propose by the end of the day. Winning the bet would get us a really nice honeymoon.”
“Every time I think I’m getting used to Keeneston,” Warrick muttered.
“You don’t like the idea of marriage?” Cassidy asked and Warrick recognized the implication of the casual sounding question.
“I love the idea of marriage to you. However, I don’t like the idea of people telling me when it should be. I already have my plan and all this does is make me second-guess it.”
“My teddywhumpus, do you mean to tell me you want to marry me?” Cassidy batted her eyelashes at him.
Tomorrow would be the perfect time to get engaged .
Warrick turned the text from Nabi for Cassidy to read it. He rolled his eyes and she giggled. Well, at least he knew the hidden cameras were working.
“And yes, sweetheart, I fully intend to marry you. Do you have any idea what I would do for another one of your grandmother’s pies?”
Cassidy stopped walking. “What do you mean, another pie?”
Whoops.
“Mr. President!” Warrick quickly walked into the room. He’d rather face an unknown potential threat than explain to Cassidy how her grandma and grandpa and uncles convinced him to tell Cassidy about his feelings.
Birch Stratton stood tall in an impeccable suit, his wife beside him, and Humphrey across the table, shoving up his glasses. Birch’s time in the Air Force was clear in how he stood straight and took in his surroundings.
Warrick stopped at the head of the table, next to where Mo was seated. Birch scanned him from head to toe, just as Warrick did to Birch. That is, until Tate smacked her husband’s arm. “Stop the pissing contest, it’s clearly Warren Hawkins.”
Birch shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t think it was true. I thought for sure you were a conman.”
“I didn’t think I could trust you. So, it seems we both need some reassurance.”
Birch shook his head. “No. I believe you. Please, sit and tell me what happened that night. Humphrey told me, but I want to hear it from you.”
Warrick pulled out a chair, glanced at his watch, and began his story. “He told my father, if he wasn’t with them, he was against them. He tried to justify Mollia Domini and when my parents refused join him, he killed them. Then he ordered his men to find me.”
Warrick went on to describe his escape, his time in Norway, and then how he ended up at the CIA and finally how he couldn’t stand by and watch Cassidy get hurt in the alley in Crusina.
Tate reached by Birch and grabbed Warrick’s hand. “You’re very brave. I’m so sorry for what you went through. Now, let’s find these criminals and end this.”
Warrick had to smile at that. “My thoughts exactly, ma’am.”
“Obviously, I could be tricked,” Birch told him, “but Sutton is from Lexington. She’s a University of Kentucky grad. She’s helped before when I’ve sent in a support group for an operation at the Olympics last year. I think we should bring her in and tell her. Maybe she’s the traitor or maybe she’s a soon-to-be victim.”
“I’ll go get her,” Cassidy told them. “Has she arrived yet?”
Mo looked to Veronica who shook her head. “By all accounts she’s still at her hotel.”
“Take the helicopter,” Mo told her.
Warrick reached out and took Cassidy’s hand. “Be safe. We don’t know if we can trust her.”
“I know. Veronica, find Cy and Ahmed and have them join us when we get back. They’re living, breathing lie detectors.” Cassidy bent down, kissed Warrick, and left.
Tate clasped her hands together and smiled at him. “That makes me happy. You deserve the love of a good woman, and Cassidy is a good one.”
“Thank you. She is.” Warrick turned his attention to Birch. “Now, tell me everything you know about the people coming from the state department and these threats potential presidential candidates are getting.”
Cassidy looked out as the pilot landed the helicopter on the top of the hotel in Lexington. She looked at her watch. Sutton was supposed to meet her there.
“Should I shut her down?” the pilot asked.
“No, let’s be at the ready. I’ll go get her.”
Cassidy hopped from the helicopter, yanked open the roof door, and jogged down the four flights of stairs to the floor Sutton Ramsey was staying. She opened the door and was met by two diplomatic security agents.
“Sorry, ma’am, you’re not allowed on this floor.”
“Cassidy Davies, CIA. The secretary is expecting me.” Cassidy flashed her CIA badge.
“Luca Bade, diplomatic security. Please wait for my partner, Agent Avent, to clear you.”
Luca was tall, lean, and clean cut. He had light brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a disarming smile. He was the poster boy for DS. Avent kept his head down as he ran her credentials. He was tall, probably six feet, and built like a running back with wide shoulders and a thick muscled neck. His hair was dark brown with a slight curl to his short, professional cut. When he looked up to nod that she was clear, she saw he had a chiseled face with a sharp cut jaw. He oozed seriousness and being tired of putting up with people’s crap.
“She’s clear,” Agent Avent said, his voice low and rumbling.
“Madam Secretary?” Agent Bade called out. “Your appointment is here.”
Nothing. Cassidy was instantly on alert when there was not a single sound coming from behind the hotel doors. “Open the door. Now.”
Cassidy was pulling her gun even as Bade and Avent were pulling theirs. Avent swiped the key card and shoved the door open. Cassidy and Bade entered the room with Avent right behind them.
Cassidy put her finger to her lips and the agents nodded as they entered the suite. The living room was empty and the door to the bedroom was closed. Cassidy nodded to the bedroom door. Avent, who had opened the front door, nodded and moved into position beside the bedroom door.
All three of them looked at each other and then it was on. Avent opened the door slowly this time and Cassidy crept inside. The room was a disaster, but empty. The mattress was halfway off the bed. One high heel lay in the middle of the room. Cassidy glanced to the far wall and sprang into action.
“Door!” she called out, drawing Bade’s and Avent’s attention to the sliding glass door that led to a large balcony. Avent rushed forward and ripped the sliding glass door open.
Outside on the balcony was a man with his back to them. His hand was over Sutton’s mouth as he worked to shove her over the balcony. Sutton was fighting with everything she had and it had distracted the man long enough to get the door open undetected, but now he spun around, holding Sutton’s back to his chest.
Her eyes were wide and frantic as she kicked at him the best she could. Her normally perfectly coiffed brown hair was wild with parts of it falling over her eyes.
“Let her go,” Cassidy said, aiming right for his head. The bullet would slide right over Sutton’s ear, but would miss her head if Cassidy took the shot.
“Shoot me and we both go over.”
“She turned you down, didn’t she?” Cassidy asked as Bade and Avent filled in the balcony behind her. They both began to slowly inch away from Cassidy in hopes of either getting a shot or getting to Sutton to save her before she fell over the balcony. “One of your group tried to get me to join. I was thinking about it, but I don’t particularly like how you go about asking us to join. I’m pretty sure Mollia Domini didn’t act like that. At least, that’s what Culpepper said recently.”
Sutton’s eyes looked ready to pop out of her head as she began to scream against the hand of the man holding her hostage. Cassidy slowly inched forward. She held up her gun when she noticed Bade and Avent get set in a shooter’s stance. They had a shot and she was going to help them take it. “Look. I’m putting away my gun. What did your boss want you to do today? Was it to really kill the Secretary of State?”
“She could have joined us. But since she won’t, I’m going to toss her over the railing and call it suicide. We have people in place. We don’t need her alive. It might be easier this way,” the man answered, taking a small step toward the railing.
“Are you military?” Cassidy asked, taking another small step forward. “You sure do have the build for it.” She was so close to Sutton. Just one more step... “Fire!”
Avent didn’t hesitate. He shot as Cassidy lunged forward. The man fell backward, over the rail, his arm was wrapped around Sutton’s chest. Cassidy reached out with both hands and fisted all the material she could of Sutton’s lapels. Cassidy’s feet slid against the concrete as she struggled to hang onto Sutton while Sutton frantically tried to pry the dead man’s arm off her.
Suddenly, the agents were there. Avent grabbed the man, yanking him up and over the railing and throwing him forward as Bade helped Cassidy hold on to Sutton. As soon as their backward momentum shifted, Sutton and the man fell into Cassidy. The air was driven from her lungs, but she kept a tight grip on Sutton as Avent and Bade rolled the man off them after they landed in a heap on the balcony floor.
“I got you. Hang on, Madam Secretary,” Cassidy said between gasps of air as the agents helped Sutton to her feet before helping Cassidy to hers.
“Thank you,” Sutton gasped, leaning into Cassidy and hugging her. “Now, who are you?”
“I’m your ride to Keeneston.”
Sutton ran her hand over her messed up hair. “I can’t go. I’ll have to deal with the police and FBI. This is a nightmare. I still don’t know what the hell just happened.”
“No problem, ma’am.” Cassidy pulled out her phone and called her cousin Ryan. She explained what had happened and hung up after he said he’d take care of it. “My cousin is sending his second-in-command over. This is going to be handled quietly, but we need to get you to the summit. Now.”
“Avent, stay here and clean this up. Not a word to anyone, even the FBI,” Sutton ordered. “Bade, come with us. Avent, come to Keeneston when you’re done. But again, not one word. Tell anyone who asks that I sent you on an errand or something. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they both said.
“I’ll freshen up in the helicopter,” Sutton said, sliding her foot into her lost heel, grabbing her purse, and heading out of the suite. This was Cassidy’s kind of girl.
Cassidy escorted her and Agent Bade to the roof and into the helicopter. Sutton spent no more than five minutes fixing herself up before putting on the headphones and turning to Cassidy. “Now, agent, what the hell is going on?”