Chapter 20
Venom
I was standing in our closet.. looking for a shirt.. stepping to the door I said “Baby have you seen my gray….” As she came out of the bathroom. With nothing but a thong and My gray shirt on.. Damn! “Never mind, my love. I found my gray shirt.. and I gotta say.. It has never looked better!” Pulling her into me and kissing her deeply.
She giggled “I needed something to throw on.. and it was on top of the stack. I can take it off, if you want it.” I grinned at the thought but told her “No.. if you take it off, we are not leaving this room all day.. and we have a debriefing in fifteen minutes.”
We were joined by the ranks in strategic command.. Gizmo setting up his laptop to feed into the television. He smiled at Delaney.. wearing jean shorts and my tee shirt I talked her into keeping on. I sure like seeing her in my clothes!
He said “What I am showing you first is the video feed from the security camera at the bank.. across from the park. You see here.. Queen and Maddox exit the vehicle.. fast forward fifteen minutes.. and this man comes into frame.”
Delaney said “That’s the guy who caught my palm heel punch to his nose. Crushed it! I felt it crumble under my hand.” I looked at
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Snake.. “That’s Sarge. Sergeant Russell Baker. He was in our platoon.. actually, I was his commanding officer. The colonel was mine. He was a troublemaker. Would go above me to complain about me.”
We watched the video as Sarge planted the bomb. He walked off towards the copse of trees on the hill.. but he was off camera by then.
Gizmo fast forwarded again and we watched as my little ninja somersaulted twice.. landing in front of her car. She moved like lightning.. no wasted movement.
We watched her pointing the gun at the colonel and Sarge.. then she looked down.. beside her leg. She snatched Maddox up and over the front seat and dove away.. completely burying him with her body.. then the explosion.
I closed my eyes. Not needing to watch it on video. I see it.. every night.. before I fall asleep. It’s exactly what I watched happen as I pulled into the parking lot that day.
Delaney looked shocked.. “I don’t remember any of that! I only remember grabbing Maddie. Then.. it’s like a black hole.. until I woke up in the hospital. That is way too freaky to watch.”
I looked up and told Gizmo “I want that video played in the commons. I want every one of them to witness what their Queen suffered and survived.. Especially that Tammy: She -needs to learn the difference between a steam burn and
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catastrophic injury.”
He nodded and continued.. “Same camera.. three days later.. There.. is the colonel.. Sarge on his left.. a man named Martin Wright on his right.. ironically. Wright is ex–CIA.. now.. see the red car pulling in.. Watch.”
A woman steps out.. and directly into the colonel’s arms. What the fuck? He kisses her.. then hands her an envelope.. She opens it and pulls out two large syringes. Saying something.. then laughing. He kissed her again.. and she drove away.
Gizmo said “I am running facial rec on her, but nothing popped, yet. We don’t know who she is.. a new player. But nobody knows her” Axe and I both said. “I do” at the same time.
I said “She was wearing a name tag.. claiming to be Pam.. the night nurse on Delaney’s ward her last night in the hospital. The night LT died.. the night she tried to get into Queen’s room four times.”
Everyone in the room growled.. their Queen had been
threatened again. Snake said “My turn.. Mrs. Slate has agreed to allow us to pick up the gun shipment the colonel had delivered to her mansion.. I have already sent a team to do that.”
I nodded “I do not want them here. Actually, I want them destroyed. He thinks to try taking from us? I say we start taking back. I want every weapon to look perfectly intact.. but I want them incapable of ever firing. We don’t know if he is dealing in
weapons.. or planning a coup.. either way, I want to fuck his entire day up!”
Axe smirks.. “Can we email the kissy face video to his wife? She may want it for court.” I nodded and said “Make sure you send our contact information to her, as well. She may prove invaluable.. information wise.”
Delaney looks at me “Dollar to donuts, Mrs. Slate knows the woman. Bet?” Axe grins “Fuck yeah! I like donuts!” I laughed.. almost told him it didn’t actually mean he gets donuts.. but nahhh! It will be fun watching him realize it.
Gizmo said “What I have found so far.. Slate replaced LT with Wright.. moving him up to third in command. I have Tech hacking away. I won’t say out loud.. but we should have valuable intel on all three within a few days. And no. Tech is not on premises. He is at a secure location.. operating under an IP scrambler..”
I told him “Extra security. Until this is resolved.. No one.. and I mean.. Not one person goes anywhere alone. All runs are to be a minimum of ten men deep.. No exceptions!”
Delaney asked “Maybe Axe should add one more person to my security detail. It will alleviate some of your worry. I can pull Maddox home to school.. there’s only six weeks left this school year. That brings his security detail back to protect the clubhouse.”
I asked “What about Valerie? You don’t want to leave her vulnerable.. I can arrange a ride for her.. I just know you would worry her bullies would start back up.”
She nodded “I will worry. You’re right. I need to think..I could threaten the mayor.. that might do it.” I said “I have been meaning to ask. What skeletons does the mayor have?” Grinning, she tells us “He has two baby mamas.. one is my age..the other one, just turned nineteen..but her little boy.. is four.”
Damn! That’s some scary skeletons. My girl is brutal! “How did you come by such titillating information?” She laughed “Everyone has skeletons, my love Some are embarrassing.. some are humiliating.. while others are career ending.”
I chuckled “Didn’t answer my question, though.. did ya?” Shrugging she tells us “I am observant.. body language can tell you so much. Once you’ve read what their body is saying.. your watch.. wait.. and they will lead you to their closets themselves.. then the skeletons just fall out.”
Gizmo said “The video has been sent to Slate’s wife.. along with the office number and your cell.” nodded then told Axe to bring Drake in.. I want him to see the video.
When he walked in, he apologized to Delaney.. saying “I am so sorry.. I can’t imagine what you went through.” She just gave him a little smile and nod.
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He watched the video.. the second time he watched it, he
gasped “That’s my aunt! That’s Pam.. my mom’s baby sister! Oh my God!”
I told him “You are still staying here, Drake. I need to know you aren’t inadvertently leaking any information about my operation here.”
He grinned “Okay by me. Maybe once this is all over we can talk about me prospecting?”
Delaney cracked up.. “Well.. that’s a unique way to gain a member. Just imprison them…”
