Chapter Three #6
“Same protocols for the flight crew,” she stated, making sure Uriel understood. “They’ll have to sleep on board until tomorrow when I have the next piece of this puzzle.”
He was curious.
“How long will we be here if you don’t find anyone?”
That was simple.
“We’ll head out of here and get back to Damascus. I’d rather run with less pieces of the puzzle, and be back where I know he’ll head, than sit around with my head up my ass.”
They were with her on that plan.
Neither Marine liked being here with just Elizabeth. This felt like it needed a freaking platoon. They had backup at the house there, but still…
There was safety in numbers.
At touchdown, they all stayed on the jet until the blacked-out sports car appeared.
In it, was their security guy.
Well, now she knew how they intended to transport her.
The plane stayed closed until Jet Donato popped out of the vehicle. Then, and ONLY then, did they open the door.
“Hey, Boss,” he said, climbing onboard to check in with them.
She hugged him.
“How’s tricks, Jet?” she asked, fondly smiling at the man. He was in all black, and clearly on duty. He was carrying guns, and was wearing a vest.
It was good to see him.
Jet was a good dude who brought laughter to the family. He made everyone feel peaceful, and he was genuinely a good egg. Leaving him back in DC had been difficult, but he was the security guy who was responsible for her dogs.
He patted her back.
“Good, so far. We have the house locked down and the dogs are safe. I know you’re going to ask about them.”
Oh, she absolutely was planning on doing that. As for the rest, she wasn’t shocked, but she was glad. They were the best security money could buy, and her family.
Elizabeth loved each one legitimately and was grateful for their service to her, and the country.
“Thank you, as always, Jet.”
He didn’t mind.
“Anyway, I’m here to drive your asses to the White House. I took the long way, I moved around, and I made sure that NO ONE came near the car. We scanned it, and I’ll scan the vehicle already at the White House. Only the best and safest for you, Mom.”
She appreciated that.
“I love you, Jet. Thank you for taking care of my dogs and protecting me.”
He smiled.
“Trust me. The pleasure is mine. If I thought I could steal Raven away, that dog would be sleeping at my place,” he joked. “I keep hoping that’s my birthday present. It’s not like you don’t have plenty of dogs.”
She snorted.
“And they call me the kid and doggo napper. If you want to take Raven home with you at night, you can, but Sungila is going to get bitchy.”
Oh, he was aware.
He winked at her.
“I’ll bribe the old boy with some snacks. He’s food motivated.”
That he was.
When she saw the vehicle, she pointed out the obvious.
“I hope I get to drive,” she stated.
Jet began laughing.
“Sure. You can drive—when actual HELL freezes over. I think Ivan has my ass LoJacked, and if he finds me in any other seat, but the one behind the wheel, I’m getting fired. The little guy is testy.”
She snorted.
Yeah, that was why she loved Jet. He seriously could make a person feel less stressed.
His vibes were immaculate.
“Oh, no. Not one of my Marines behaving badly and breaking the rules,” she joked. “Do it,” she whispered, egging him on.
He snorted.
“Wrong security guy. The rule breaker is back at the house. You know how it is. Johnny is Johnny. He’s twitchy to get back out there and deflowering the ladies, but Ivan already told him he was sticking at the house. He’d have you doing donuts in some field with that car.”
Well, that sounded like him.
Johnny was fun too.
The kids loved him and his antics.
Jet was frank.
“Honestly, we’re all getting a little stir-crazy staring at each other.”
Oh, she bet.
She missed the house in DC, and she hated that they didn’t get her compound built in time to christen it. What she really wanted was to stay there. Only, it was just too big for the limited security to let her sleep there one night.
That was life, she guessed.
“Are you all on each other’s nerves?” she asked, as he escorted her to the car, as Raphael made sure the flight crew locked down on the jet.
It would be rolled into the hanger, and they would stay onboard.
Just.
In.
Case.
At the car, Uriel got in the back with Elizabeth, as Jet got in behind the wheel. They waited for Raphael to jog their way to catch up to them.
Then, they headed out.
She relaxed in the back seat.
“You could say we are,” Jet admitted, finally answering her question. “There’s not many of us here now that you moved the kids. When will we be back with the family?” he asked.
She hoped soon.
“We’re working on it, Jet. Truthfully, you’re safer further from me than near me, right now. This nut is the worst one I’ve chased and has it out for me. I don’t want you guys caught in the crossfire.”
He reassured her.
“Mom, we’re Marines. I don’t know if you missed the memo, but crossfire is our thing.”
Well, it wasn’t her thing. That didn’t sit well with her that she might lose one of them, and it would be on her shoulders.
“Just be safe,” she said. “Watch your back, and don’t hesitate to duck and cover, Marine.”
He held up his fist for her to bump.
“Gotcha.”
As he drove, she sat there enjoying the familiarity of being home. DC was her jam, and she loved being there.
It was where she was born, where her mother died, and where Charlie was buried.
There were so many things tied to this place that it would always be home.
“Feel better?” Uriel asked, feeling the vibe in the car relaxing. Someone’s energy felt a million times better here.
She nodded.
“It’s good to be home, adjacent,” she joked. “So close, and yet so far away.”
They knew what she meant.
“Just come home, and we’ll keep you safe. How smart can this nut be?” Jet asked. “We all miss you. Babysitting a house isn’t nearly as much fun as getting shot at with you.”
She laughed.
“You have some screws loose,” she admitted, not addressing how nutty the nutter actually was. “Who in their right mind is going to want to be shot at with me?”
The three men all raised their hands.
It made her shake her head.
Apparently, crazies flocked together.
“We’ll be at the White House in fifteen, Mom. Buckle in, and enjoy the lack of turbulence. The Capitol Beltway isn’t too busy at this time of the night.”
She snorted, but did just that.
As Jet drove them, she got an update on construction. Apparently, the big, beautiful dream house was perfect.
Well, that was sad.
“Want to go see it?” Jet asked. “I can swing you by, and you can check it out. Pictures don’t do it justice. Neither does the building for all of security. You tricked that bitch out for us.”
Of course, she did.
Many of them had places of their own, but sometimes, they had to stay nearby for safety reasons. Raphael and Saint lived above the old garage with Emmy. So, it was logical to build a building with space for the men she adored.
Her other sons.
It was wild for her that she’d gone from just her, Charlie, Sam, and Chris to a huge-ass family.
Now, she just had to keep them safe.
“I mean, I’m game,” she said.
Only, that was shot down.
From the front seat, Raphael answered that request pretty damn fast.
“Denied. The Deputy Director is to go directly to the White House, and then, to the FBI building for lockdown. She will have to take the pictures and use her very vivid, and pornographic imagination regarding the house.”
She sighed, but was still amused.
Her imagination was being wasted. They had the Den of Iniquity here in DC, and they’d left it behind.
That’s where the pornographic mind really got a workout.
“See how much fun I’m having?” she asked. “It’s like a nonstop party here. I get bossed around by Marines, and I can’t even see my doggos. That sucks.”
Jet laughed.
“You’re a menace,” he said. “You need to be protected. Like I said, Moms should be safe. You don’t get a lot of them in life. Some of us only have you, so…”
Yeah, well, she felt that way about all the people she loved. They needed to be safe too. As a mom, that was her job.
To protect her children.
As they got further down the beltway, heading into to DC, everyone was chill. Uriel was holding her hand, sharing his soothing energy. The walking meditator was helping her keep her blood pressure low.
Thank.
Freaking.
God.
That call with Ethan had rattled her to her core. One more bump in the road, and she was going to need to swing into Callista’s office for some mental intervention.
And no one needed that.
A sign for her that it was too easy a night would have been nice, because for Elizabeth, everything was good.
Until it wasn’t.
And it happened so damn fast.
When a blacked-out Mercedes went to pass them, Elizabeth happened to look over at just the right minute. Whether it was luck, or whether her guardian angel was on duty, was yet to be seen.
But that’s when she saw it and her sixth sense kicked in.
The car’s window was down, and it was just odd. Something about it made her gut react.
“Guys!” she shouted.
Suddenly, there was the muzzle flash, and everything happened in slow motion.
Jet’s window shattered, his body slumped forward, and the car went out of control. Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of cars going into DC at that time, and that was likely what saved others’ lives because the sleek sports car went wildly toward the guardrail.
Elizabeth was grabbed, Uriel smooshing her under his body, as they reacted to the POP! POP! POP! that followed.
The Mercedes then purposely clipped the sports car again, spinning it and slamming it into the guard rail, flipping it, and making it roll down an embankment.
The world became a rolling barrel of no fun. There was the smell of blood and brain before it came to a stop at the bottom of the ravine.
And hell opened up.
All around her.