Authors: Kathi S. Barton
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Joe was giddy. Not only that, but he was pretty sure that he could pull out his cock and come, he was so happy. As he made his way to his offices, he tried to hide the smile that had been there since he’d heard not an hour ago that Jarvis was dead.
“You worked fast.” He looked at Garth and asked him what he meant. “Taking care of our problem. I thought you were going to wait until the other problem was solved first. The one with the fucking cunt. Did you hear that she shot up those two that we had go to her house? What the fuck do we have to do to get her off our books? Do the job ourselves? I’m tempted, let me tell you.”
Joe didn’t comment on Garth’s threat to do this on his own. The man had done nothing physically at all since he’d been made major general a few years ago, other than get bigger and bigger. He wondered how the man even found clothing to fit him. His uniforms now were straining badly across his belly and arms.
“I really thought you had someone do this.” Garth shook his head. “You mean he actually did this on his own? Damn, it’s about time he did something to further my career. Did you hear if he left a note or not? That would be fucking fantastic if he did. Saying how he just couldn’t live with himself anymore.”
“No, not that I’ve heard, but the secret service is keeping things low key for now. You do know that this fucks up a lot of our shit we have in the works, don’t you? I mean, we were going to blame him for their deaths. And then have him kill himself when he realized what a horrific thing he’d done. This makes things easier somewhat, but really does fuck up other plans.” Joe didn’t want to let go of his happiness for the reality of the situation, and wanted to hit Garth when he brought this up right now. “Who we gonna say killed off the other two now?”
“I’m going to have to look into that, I guess.” Joe had two ideas, but neither of them were as good as Jarvis simply going nuts and killing both McCullough and Burcher when they came to be honored in two weeks. It had been a weak plan, but to be honest, they were running out of plans. Nothing he did about Burcher was going right.
“I’m telling you, that bitch has someone telling her that we’re moving on her. Every time we think we got her, something happens. And not to mention what it cost us to have those two go in there and get themselves shot to shit. That one had better not talk; not that he’d know all that much, but damn it.” Joe said he’d have the man taken care of. “Damned woman must walk around with a fucking gun in her hand all the fucking time. And weren’t we told that she was hurt or something? Too sick or injured to even come and see me when I requested it. Maybe she’s on to us.”
Garth’s words had Joe pausing in mid step. Christ, if she even had a hint of what they’d been doing, he didn’t want to think about what she’d do to them. Because he’d read enough about her to know that she was an expert at killing, and could ferret out a lie better than any machine that had ever been invented. “Something to think about. She does seem to have a sixth sense about everything we’re about to do. I hope to fuck not, but you just don’t know about her.”
“No, it’s not anything I want to think about. I don’t want to think about her at all other than to figure out how to tell the world that she’s finally fucking dead,” Garth said as he followed Joe out of the office.
Joe looked around, and two things occurred to him at once. They were talking about what their plans were in the hallway, and there wasn’t a single person around. The latter of the two scared him a great deal. No one was around to hear them, yes, but there was no one there to protect him either.
Usually there were more people roaming these halls than he’d seen in years. Today there wasn’t a serviceman meeting him at the door, no secretary running up behind him with a list of shit he was supposed to get done today, and not one secret service agent was where they could see them. He asked Garth what he’d done.
“Done? I don’t think I like your tone. What are you talking about?” Joe told him what he was seeing. Garth looked around too, as if he’d not noticed anything amiss either. “Where the hell are they?”
His voice, like that of Joe, was low, a barely audible whisper that had them standing closer to each other to hear. He knew that Garth still carried a weapon, or at least he used to, and wished now that he had one as well. Joe had no idea what was going on, but it frightened him more than a little to see what he was looking at now. Then the movement in front of him had him grabbing for Garth and making a sort of whimpering sound.
“Did you see that?” He nodded at Garth and asked him what it had been. “I’m not sure. But whatever it was, I don’t think it’s supposed to be here. Fuck man, did you see how fast it moved?”
“Yes.” As one, they started down the hall again in the direction the thing had moved. “It looked like a jaguar, don’t you think? Or some other kind of cat? Do you think it killed everyone and was just waiting for more food to come its way? Christ, that was the biggest thing I’ve ever seen, even at the zoo.”
“Well, that’s a cheery thought. Why would you think it killed everyone off? Do you even see a drop of blood anywhere? If it ate anyone, the halls would be red with it.” Joe moved to the door and reached for the handle at the same time that Garth did. His hand was shaking just as badly as his was, he was glad to note, and Joe asked him if he had a gun. “Yes, but believe it or not, it’s in my other pants. The ones I wish I was at home wearing right at this moment. In my house and not here with you exposed like this.”
The door finally gave and they hurried through the opening to find that it was just like the hallway they’d just left. No one. The desks, all four of them, were empty; even the computer screens were black. No phones were ringing, and there was no one there even to answer them should they start. Moving down the hall to his office, he nearly screamed when Garth bumped into him.
“Damn it, man, are you trying to give me a stroke?” Garth said that he’d seen the cat again. “Where? Where is it?”
“It was just there. By the picture. I swear to you, it’s the biggest fucking jag I’ve ever seen. And trust me, when I go on those hunts I see some pretty big game.” Joe nodded. He knew that if Garth said he saw something, he saw it. “We have to get to your office. Now, Joe. It’ll be safe there; someone has to be there to keep us safe. That’s their fucking jobs. I think we should…hell man, I’m not sure what to think other than I’m scared to death.”
But the moment that they entered his office, Joe knew that he was in big trouble. There were no men there in dark suits that would be armed. There was no one that he could command to kill, and there was certainly no one in there that would keep them safe. When Garth plowed into him from the back, he nodded toward the woman sitting in a chair. It was their worst nightmare coming to get them. And Joe had a feeling that life as he knew it before was gone. He was going to jail, if not worse.
“Hello, guys. Have a seat.” When neither of them moved, Lauren pulled out her weapon so that they could see it and waved it in the general direction of the chairs. “I didn’t ask you to sit. I said to have one. And I’m in no mood to fuck with either of you right now. It’s been a really shitty day, in the event you care. Which you should, by the way, but we’ll get to that.”
“I’ll have you court-martialed for this. What the hell do you think you’re doing in here? This is my private office. Get out.”
Her laughter made his skin crawl, and his temper, a little on the short side, flared up. But he only had to take a single step toward her to see that not only was she armed, but she wasn’t alone either. The cat was now standing right next to her with his fur standing on end and his huge teeth showing.
“Now, as I was saying, have a seat. Both of you.” Joe moved to his desk, thinking of the gun he had there, and she laughed at him. “Everything that you think you have here has been removed. No guns, no knives. Nothing. Besides, you don’t want me to kill you now before the fun begins, do you? Besides, I’m pretty sure that when I’m done here, you’ll beg me to take care of you. You two have been pretty busy, haven’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had a meeting in here this morning and here you are. So if you don’t mind, Joe, I’ll talk to you later.” Before Garth could take a second step to the door, the big cat was on him. Joe watched in horror as the big cat effortlessly knocked the huge man back and sat on his chest. Joe could only think what he’d do to him should he try anything stupid. Then Garth begged. “Please don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.”
Joe knew she was in charge now, but as soon as he was free, which he hoped was soon, he was going to make her pay. He’d had enough of her shit. It was time to cut his losses with her and have her killed. And there would be no mistakes this time either. Garth was freed a few minutes later, and he stood up after wallowing on the floor for ten minutes.
“Have a seat, Garth. You’ll be wanting to hear what I have to say as well.” Joe sat behind his desk, and just to be sure, he opened his drawer. Not only were his gun and knives gone, but so was his paperwork and pens. He asked her where his things were. “The Feds are going over everything that was in this office. They were able to get into your safes. Both the one in the wall and the one in the floor you had put in. When you have something done, you really should do it yourself, dumbass. There are fewer trails for us to follow. And your home as well, Garth. They seemed to have been informed of a great deal of underhanded work that the two of you are into, and now they have all the proof they need. Shame that your poor wife and son had to find out what a slime ball you are, Joe. She’s most helpful now that she’s been…enlightened…on a few details of the day Hawkins and I came here.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” But Joe knew as surely as he was sitting there that this woman, this pain in his ass, had ferreted out a great deal of information that he’d thought was well hidden and buried. He had underestimated her one too many times, it seemed. “This is not going to go well for you, Burcher. You wait and see if it doesn’t.”
Joe picked up the phone to call in security. He wasn’t sure who she’d talked to, but he thought if he could get her out of his way for even an hour, he could get the hell out of there. But the moment he picked up the phone, the large cat that had been sitting quietly by Burcher’s side leapt up on his desk and put his head to his.
Joe hated cats. Not just the one in front of him but all felines. They acted superior to humans, did what they wanted when they wanted, and it never seemed a human ever came near them. They rarely if ever acknowledged that humans even existed. But this one, he knew without a doubt, would take great joy in killing him right now.
“He’s not happy with you either, Joe. I’d put the phone down if I were you. Not that it’ll work anyway. I’ve had that taken care of too. I think, and this is just me, that whoever you’re going to call to come rescue you might just put a bullet in your head before I get the chance to. And that would suck, after all the trouble I’ve gone to, don’t you think?” The cat didn’t move when he put the phone back. But he did lie down on the desk and stare at him. Joe actually had to cup his cock. He was that fearful of wetting himself.
“I have no idea what you think you’re doing, young lady, but whatever your beef is with Joe here, it has nothing to do with me. I’m leaving this place.” Joe watched Garth stand again and make his way to the door. As soon as he opened it, Joe knew that he was going to get away, and that just wasn’t going to happen. But the moment that he walked out of the opening, he was being backed into the room again by five armed men. The men, all wearing vests, helmets, and armed like there was going to be civil war within the next ten seconds, surrounded the room as Garth was told to sit. Joe would bet anything that they would shoot first, and not give one fuck as to who they were shooting when they did.
“Now. We’re going to have a nice long conversation on the things the two of you have been up to. You should know that everything you say is being recorded and has been since you left the residence an hour ago. I believe the phones there have been tapped for a while now, but I don’t know that for sure.”
Joe looked at Burcher and wanted to get up and strangle her. But there was no way he’d make it any closer than to stand up before the cat in front of him tore his throat out.
“Why are you doing this to us? What the hell have we done to you?” Burcher only stared at him. “All right, we did try to have you killed, but you can’t hold that against us when you lived every fucking time. As for anything else that’s happened, I’m sure you and I can come to some kind of understanding on that as well. Lauren, this is not the way you treat the president of the United States.”
“Really? Then I’d like you to bring back the people that you had killed in the name of your presidency. Because I’m pretty sure that the parents, loved ones, children, and spouses of those that were with me and died would like to have that happen too. Then I’d like nothing better than for you to stand before them, every fucking one of them, and tell them why you did this. Why you felt the need to have your wife and son killed that day. And when that didn’t happen because I was doing my job, I want you to explain to them how you wanted revenge and decided that the body count didn’t fucking matter to you.” Joe said nothing. What would be the point? “According to my count, and I’m pretty sure that I might have missed a few, in your need to see myself and Hawkins dead, you managed to kill over seventy people.”
“Most of those killed weren’t even Americans.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he remembered he was being recorded. “And what kind of information do you think you have about this? None. This is all speculation on your part. You have nothing on me.”
The file was dropped on his lap by someone behind him. Joe hated that he flinched, but when he turned and looked at the man coming around the desk, he felt a new kind of fear. Hawkins was a big man, scary too, but right now he looked deadly. Murderous. And he wasn’t dressed like the other men, nor did he appear to have a weapon. He thought the man dressed in a polo shirt and jeans was ten times scarier than the men with the weapons. Joe picked up the file with trembling fingers when he was told to open it.