Authors: Kelly Abell
“
Why did you kill one and leave the other one alive?” she asked softly.
He kept his eyes on the road but answered more quickly this time. “Because I had to kill the first one. The minute the man named Marx told me he didn’t care if his partner lived or died I knew I only had one choice. I had to even up the odds. I wasn’t sure who these men were working for. If they were with the Colombian drug lord I was involved with I knew they would kill both of us without a moment’s hesitation. My first thought was to protect you and keep myself alive in the process.
“
Once I found out from Marx that Warren sent them then I knew I could leave him alive. I wanted Warren to know his goons are no match for me. Now that we know about the chip all that changes. At the time, it was the right thing to do.”
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Killing a man is never the right thing to do,” she said.
“
Moral decisions are not always black and white, Mrs. Walters. Sometimes it is necessary. It’s kill or be killed in my world.”
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Must be a horrible world to live in.”
Jack looked at the bruises on her face and said quietly. “No worse than yours, I would imagine.”
His insight surprised Caroline. Not only did he see through her charade of what happened to her face, but also he saw deeply into her soul. He not only instinctively knew what Warren had done to her; he also knew how it made her feel.
“
Touché,” she said.
Caroline fell silent then and was quiet for so long Jack thought she’d fallen asleep. He jumped when she suddenly spoke.
“
I want this thing out of my arm,” she said.
Jack looked over at her. She was looking at the bandage on her wrist. He didn’t comment.
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Did you hear what I said? I want it out.”
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I heard you.”
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I didn’t give Warren permission to do this to me.”
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Then how did it get in there?”
Caroline looked puzzled and her brow furrowed in concentration. “That’s a good question. I just know I never said he could put it there.”
“
Have you had any surgery? Any time when you may have been under anesthesia?”
Caroline thought about that and suddenly gasped. She turned to him her eyes wide. “I had surgery two years ago. I had a tubal pregnancy and needed emergency surgery. When I came out of surgery I noticed a Band-Aid on my wrist and asked the nurse about it. She told me it was where the IV infiltrated my arm and they had to move it to the other arm. I didn’t think any more about it. That must have been when he the chip put in. That bastard!” She spat out the last two words.
Jack’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, now that’s pretty talk from the wife of our future vice president.”
She glared at him. “How would you feel if someone invaded your body and put something in you that kept track of your every move? What if you were followed around by satellite so that you couldn’t even go to the bathroom and they not know where you are? I feel so humiliated. People do this to their dogs and cats, not their spouses. I feel like some little pet that Warren was afraid would wander off or get stolen.”
Jack looked passively at her. “You aren’t going to start trying to rip that thing out again are you?”
“
I would if I thought it I could get it out. I refuse to be treated like someone’s prize bull.”
Jack laughed at that. He could picture her as many things, but a prize bull was definitely not one of them.
Caroline looked beseechingly at him. “Will you take it out?”
Jack snapped his head around. “What?”
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I saw you work with that wound on your leg. You’ve obviously had some medical training. You knew what kind of antibiotic to give me back at the motel. You could do it.”
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Caroline, I have not been formally trained. I have a survival skill, that’s all. I know how to stitch up a wound and keep it from getting infected. That is about the extent of my medical knowledge.”
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Are you saying you won’t help me?”
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No, I’m saying I can’t help you. I don’t know how deep that thing is. If I start probing around I could really mess something up. You may never be able to use that hand again.”
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I don’t care, I want it gone. If you won’t do it then I will. If you don’t want me to dig it out with my fingernails then I suggest you help me.” She began removing the soft cloth that was wrapped around her wrist. It was difficult to do with the handcuffs and she quickly got frustrated.
“
Stop, will you? You can’t do anything with the cuffs on. Listen, I’m going to take an exit for the next town anyway and drop you off. If you’d like I will stop at the nearest hospital and you can have them remove it for you. It’s going to get infected the way it is anyway so it probably has to come out. Leave it alone until then, okay?”
Caroline stopped fooling with the bandage and looked up at him. “You’re really going to let me go?”
“
Yes. I said I would. This is turning out to be more dangerous than I thought it would be and I don’t need your death on my conscience. You didn’t ask for this and I’ve no right to force it on you. I have the CD’s from the safe. There isn’t much more leverage you can get for me. Now with that chip in your arm you’re actually more trouble than you’re worth.”
Caroline didn’t say anything. She watched out the window as the car moved steadily along the icy highway. The roads weren’t quite so bad the further south they traveled, but it was still slick. Jack took his time and concentrated on looking for black ice in the road. Being dark made it all the more difficult. The next sign they passed read Bristol, 46 miles. She guessed that would be where he would let her out.
Once Warren discovered that the two stupid goons he sent failed, he would be on the trail tracking her down. He would fly the helicopter himself if he had to. She knew enough to know that no one stole from Senator Warren Walters and got away with it. No one.
Caroline looked down at where the chip was lodged in her arm. What if he got to Bristol and all he found was the chip? That thought made her smile. The joke would be on him wouldn’t it? He would be so confident that he located his precious missing wife and all he finds is an envelope with the chip in it. He would be furious. The thought of his anger made Caroline tremble. He would kill her for that. If he ever caught up with her he would kill her. Oh, but just the thought of the look on his face would make it all worth it. Besides how would he find her without the chip?
Chapter 21
The Emperor listened as he swung the key chain round and round on his finger.
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Marx got back this morning. He’s been in the emergency room for the last four hours getting his nose re-set. Weaver really did a number on him. Henley’s dead. Marx said Weaver killed the man right in front of him, broke his neck in one snap. He heard Caroline scream when it happened, but he didn’t get a good look at her. Marx thought she was behind the bed. He turned to look and that’s when Weaver jumped him.
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Smashed the man’s nose so bad he nearly strangled on his own blood. Marx says Weaver knows I sent them and how they found them. This is a mess. I was certain those two idiots were better than that. I should have Caroline home by now. She is in a great deal of danger being with that Neanderthal. He’s going to get her killed.”
The Emperor let Warren finish his ranting then asked, “What did Marx do with Henley’s body?”
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Brought it back with him. Said it was easy because the motel lost power and there were no shots fired. It was a quiet scuffle. When Marx came to, Weaver had taken Caroline and gone.”
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What kind of vehicle is he driving?”
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Marx didn’t know. The lot was full when they got there and all the cars had Virginia plates. There was no way to discern which car was Weaver’s. I’ve got to get Caroline back before that bastard does something to her. She’s of no use to him. Why in the hell did he take her in the first place?”
The Emperor could tell Warren was beginning to come unglued. “Walters, listen to me and listen to me very carefully.” His voice was harder than steel. “Weaver knows you. You two served together for years. He knows your every weakness and he is using that against you. He knows that keeping Caroline will drive you insane and you will do something stupid. You’re going to get careless and blow this entire operation if you’re not careful and I can’t afford that.
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You screw this up and your good name will be covered with so much mud by the ten o’clock news it will take you a lifetime to dig out of it. You are only where you are today because of me. Let’s not forget that shall we?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for several seconds. The Emperor could tell Warren was trying to get his temper under control before he said something he would regret. A slow smile spread across the Emperor’s face.
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Don’t you think I know that?” came the brusque reply. “You never seem to fail to remind me. I didn’t need you to win this election. I have my own ways of getting what I want.” Walters was indignant.
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Perhaps, but with one phone call I can take all that away. You’ve slept with too many devils Warren Walters and its going to cost you. You have no recourse on this. You know that.”
Walters anger finally burst forth, “Listen you lousy son of a bitch. There are ways of taking care of blackmailers. You aren’t the only one with contacts all over this planet. You better watch your own step.”
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Warren,” the Emperor’s voice was low but full of viscous contempt. “Are you threatening me?”
Warren was quiet on the other end.
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Somehow,” the Emperor’s tone changed to one a mother might use to placate a child in the throws of a tantrum. “I didn’t think so. Control your temper and listen to me. Stop looking for Caroline. I will take care of that on my end. You don’t have the money to hire the resources I do, plus your people are too sanctimonious to do what needs to be done.
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You know Weaver as well as I do. He will not hurt your precious Caroline. Now that he knows she has the chip implanted in her, he will probably dump her at his first opportunity. You will be hearing from her soon, I’m sure. She’s of no further use to him now that we can track his every move. Do you still have people following the signal?”
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Yes,” said Warren, significantly stung by the Emperor’s rebuke, but he knew the man was right. The Emperor had him by the balls and he could do nothing about it, yet. If he wanted the Presidency he was going to have to cooperate. There was just too much at stake. Oh, but once he was President he was going to squash this man like the cockroach he was.
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Have you sent another team after them?”
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No, I was about to.”
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Don’t do anything yet. Let me send my people on this one. If they don’t come back with your wife, and Weaver’s head on a platter, I’ll go and do it myself.”
The Emperor disconnected the call and paced the floor of his luxurious study. His recent conversation with Warren Walters left him extremely agitated. He was going to need to keep a closer eye on him. The old rivalry between him and Weaver was going to be Warren’s undoing. The Emperor needed to keep a tight lid on that. If Jack figures out the source of the Emperor’s power over Walters they were all finished. Jack was closer than he thought with those discs. Damn it. Why had Larsen screwed this up? Weaver was supposed to be dead and all this would be a simple walk in the park.
The Emperor would have Walters in the White House and then he had everything he needed to bring the entire United States Government down to its knees. He could not wait. Those self-righteous Americans would soon learn that crossing the Emperor was a very dangerous and deadly thing to do.
The only hope the Emperor had was what he knew about Jack’s code of honor. He would never leave a woman stranded until he knew she was safe. That gave the Emperor hope that he was still with her. He needed to get people back on the road and following that chip. If Walters had been smart, he would have had a backup team in place to pick up the trail once they discovered Marx. Walters was too cocky. He was so sure that his men would succeed that he hadn’t bothered. Well, it was going to cost them all.
He picked up the phone and dialed.
The voice on the other end answered. “Yes?”
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I need you to follow a chip signal for me.”
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Do you have the number?” The Emperor gave him the number and Caroline’s description. “I’ll send you a digital photo. You will recognize her easy enough. She is Walters’ wife.”
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Senator Warren Walters?”