Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

S tationed on the southwest portion of the mansion's estate deep in the woods, but with a clear line of site to the target, Quintus checked his watch. The motorcade carrying the president should arrive in two minutes. Once she was inside, he'd blow the thing.

Excitement building in anticipation, an electric surge traveled through his body.

It didn't matter if it was a small assassination with a Glock to the back of the head, a speeding car crashing on a hairpin turn because the brake lines were cut, or something as monumental as this, the taking out of what he considered a feckless president who never should've been placed in office. Each time the moment of execution of his plans arrived, the same exhilarating feeling hit him. Better than any orgasm he'd ever experienced. Pleasure knowing he'd manipulated the world to his will.

This kill was going to be epic.

He'd counted ten chauffeur-driven limousines come, deposit and then leave. Usually, they'd travel around back to wait until the meeting was over. Since the president was here, he assumed Secret Service didn't want the drivers loitering around. Too many extra bodies to track. Too bad, the extra body count would've add to the chaos in the news.

A sound to his right caught his attention. Another vehicle. No. More than one. The motorcade.

This was it.

His finger itched to press the trigger button.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Don't jump the shark. She needed to be deep inside the building so there was no chance she survived.

Three bullet-proof black SUVs drove up the long, curved cobblestone path to the main entrance.

"Get ready," he whispered into his mic to his men. He'd chosen not to have an ear bud to hear them acknowledge what he said. There was no need. They knew their assignments. Once this place exploded, he was going to ghost and let them handle any mop up needed.

The SUVs came to a stop at the front door. Staff from the mansion greeted them as they had all the other arrivals.

Doors on the front and rear vehicles opened and big men in blue suits jumped out, taking their perspective positions. Once they were in place, the far doors on the center SUV opened, another agent exited the front to stand guard at the rear. Finally, the president stepped out of the back. At five-feet five inches tall, her head was the only thing visible, her dishwater blonde hair pulled back in her signature style. Quickly, she was surrounded by bodies, all at least a foot taller than her as she moved into the building.

Looking at his watch, he focused on the minute hand.

One.

Two.

Three.

He pressed the triggering button.

?

The last of the catering vans with the staff and VIPs on board had pulled away from the back of the house headed to the rear exit of the estate. Castello, Dave and Ben had secured the area away from the back entrance to ensure their safe departure.

Katie was stretched out beside the nearly three-ton restaurant-grade gas oven, trying to pull the pipe towards her.

"I can't get it," she said, still struggling to get a look at it. "Whoever put this charge on this line welded it in place."

"If we get you more room, can you disable it?" Matt asked behind her, worry in his voice.

She looked back over her shoulder at him. "It's going to take more than the three of us to move this thing."

"The motorcade is pulling up," Jake's voice said in her ear.

"The last detonator is still live," Katie said.

"You have to get out of there now," Jake ordered.

"We're going." Matt said, helping Katie out of the corner by the stove she'd wedged herself in.

"I shut down every valve I could find downstairs," Kramer said as they hustled to the rear entrance.

Just as they cleared the door, the air around them filled with noise, heat and energy, hurling all three into the air.

?

The ground beneath their feet shook.

Zoe stumbled only to find herself being held in place by Connor. "What was that?" she asked even as she heard Jake yelling Katie and Matt in her ear and smoke started billowing from the back of the mansion.

"Markus triggered the last charge," she whispered.

To their left, they saw Jake flying out from where their van had been hidden, running towards the rear of the house. All around them they heard gunfire and bodies running in from the woods.

Her first instinct was to run towards the mansion to help her family, but all the others were doing that. She had one job to do—find and stop Markus.

Shifting her attention the opposite direction, Zoe used her binoculars to frantically search back and forth, until— "There he is! Thirty yards behind those four beach trees, moving west!"

Dropping her binoculars and pulling free of Connor's hold on her, she half-ran half-hobbled in a diagonal intercept line for the bastard. As she ran, she fumbled to get her weapon out of her jacket pocket, but knew she couldn't corner him without some way to protect herself.

"I'll cut him off before he gets to the creek," Connor yelled making a wider arc almost parallel to the direction Markus was moving and going at twice the pace she was desperately trying to make.

Determined to keep Markus from reversing course, she hurried through the trees and thick brush in a zig zag pattern like a sheepdog chasing sheep towards a pen. She kept up the pace despite the excruciating pain in her leg. His dark form weaving in and out of the trees and dense underbrush remained too far in front of her.

Somehow, she needed to slow him down so Connor would have time to get around him.

She stopped and caught her breath, moving just enough to half hide her body behind a tree trunk.

"Markus!" she yelled as loudly as she could. "I know it's you!"

"Why didn't you…just die on that mountain…Zoe!" It wasn't a question, but a frustrated accusation. More importantly, he sounded as winded as she did.

Quietly, she moved past several more trees. "You failed the one thing you taught me."

"What was that?"

He sounded closer. Was he coming back her way? Where was Connor? Had he gotten around him?

"Always be sure the job is completed."

"And never assume a person is dead until you know there's no pulse," he said with a chuckle. "No way was I climbing down that mountain in the rain to double check. Two bullets in you and the fall down the mountain? You should be dead."

"Just like you, I seemed to have defied death," she taunted him. Stepping around an overturned log she landed awkwardly on her injured leg and sucked air in as quiet a hiss of pain as she could.

"How'd you get off that mountain?"

"God sent an angel for me." She glanced down to pick out another spot to move closer and avoid stepping over anything big again. "I guess He wanted me to take you down just like we did those teams you sent after me."

"Well you know the old adage. You want something done, you gotta do it yourself." Suddenly he stepped out from behind a tree aiming a gun at her.

Diving to her right, the bullet hit her left arm just below the shoulder. Searing pain shot through her as she hit the ground and her weapon flew into the underbrush.

"You're not walking away this time, little girl," he said, using the same name he called her when he was first training her to be an agent. A bullet slammed into the tree inches above her head.

She scrambled back behind a pile of rocks and dead tree limbs. "Why did you do it? What are you gaining from all this?"

Another bullet slammed into the tree behind her. "What was the first thing I taught you about motives?" he yelled, coming closer.

"Follow the money." She repeated his rule number one back at him and fired again. Where was Connor? "And power is seductive."

"And never let your opponent get the drop on you," he said standing less than six feet away, the gun pointed right at her. "Goodbye Zoe."