by Erin Wade
Jericho listened as her wife crooned to the men, and they nodded like bobbleheads to everything she said.
“When I get to the mic,” she continued, “I want you to cut the broadcast from this room. I want you to make certain that the only people who see me or hear my voice are the people in this room. Are you able to do that for me?”
They nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” one of them said. “Only the people in this room will see or hear you.”
“As soon as I say amen, you’ll turn everything back on and remember nothing about this conversation.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mecca turned to find Jericho gaping at her. “Close your mouth, darling.” She placed her fingertips below Jericho’s chin and gently pushed her lips together.
##
Jericho didn’t question her wife any further. She knew enough about Mecca Storm to know it was futile. She stayed close to Mecca, lightly touching her elbow to guide her. “I need some place quiet,” Mecca informed her.
Jericho led her back to the small office where she’d met with General Carson. “Will this do?”
“Yes!”
“Should I wait outside?” Jericho asked.
“Heavens no, honey.” Mecca caught her hand and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them. “I need to read this prayer a few times, so I don’t stumble over the words on national TV. How embarrassing would that be?”
Mecca slipped her arms around Jericho’s neck and pulled her in for a soft, slow kiss. “Have I ever mentioned I love kissing you?”
“Once or twice.” Jericho’s eyes twinkled a she nibbled at her wife’s lower lip and then kissed her soundly.
Jericho waited patiently as Mecca silently reread the prayer several times before stepping into the bathroom to fix her makeup.
“Let’s do this.” Mecca sighed as she opened the door and stepped into the milling crowd in the rotunda.
“Follow me,” General Carson commanded, and the two fell in behind her. “The president will make his entrance after he is announced by the sergeant at arms. Before he begins his address, he will ask you to pray for the nation.”
“Won’t that bring down the wrath of several groups?” Jericho said, concerned for Mecca’s safety.
Carson shrugged. “Possibly. Depends on how quickly Mecca gets their attention.” The general led Mecca to a microphone on the podium in front of the speaker’s rostrum. “Everyone in the House will be able to see and hear you from here.
“Jericho, you stand down here beside her. As soon as she finishes her prayer, get her out of here. The Secret Service officers who brought you here will be waiting in the rotunda to return you to the safe house. The president and I will be wearing these. You should too.” General Carson held out a pair of earplugs.
As the senators and representatives entered the House Chamber, they were surprised to find themselves directed to the galley seating instead of their usual seats in front of the speaker’s rostrum. Both parties found themselves seated next to members of the other party. An uneasy hush fell on the congressional leaders as they took their seats next to avowed adversaries. “This is highly irregular,” and “What does he think he’s doing?” were the complaints heard most.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States,” the sergeant at arms announced.
Nervous applause greeted Tom’s entrance. He walked to the speaker’s rostrum and spoke into the microphone. “I’ve asked Dr. Mecca Storm to lead us in prayer in seeking God’s blessing and guidance on what we hope to accomplish tonight.”
A low murmur spread through the galley but quieted quickly as Mecca’s reassuring voice rang out over the Chamber’s sound system.
“Most gracious heavenly Father,” Mecca began, “we are gathered here tonight to reinforce the strength and sovereignty of our one nation under God.
“To ferret out those who would seek to destroy the freedom and rights for which so many have died.”
Jericho felt it before she realized that Mecca’s voice had changed. She was no longer offering a prayer to a higher being. Her soothing, reassuring voice was gaining control over everyone in the House.
“I would like for everyone who had anything to do with the attempted disruption of our government to leave the galley and take a seat in any of the arm chairs on the House floor. In each chair you’ll find a legal pad and a pen. Please use them to write down your detailed involvement in the attempted debacle. Sign it and hand it to the police officers as you leave the room. If you are responsible for the death of another human being to further your own nefarious gains, you should commit suicide within the next forty-eight hours. Be certain to leave a written confession detailing your crime. I want everyone in this room to work together to enforce America’s constitutional rights and do what is best for the United States and its citizens.
“When I say amen you will remember nothing but how much you want to confess your criminal acts.
“All this we ask in Christ’s name, amen.” Mecca nodded to the sound man, and President Tom Reynolds began reassuring Americans that their future, and the future of their children, was safe
Jericho watched in amazement as men and women from both parties stood, made their way to the House floor, and began scribbling on the legal pads. Over a hundred of the 535 congressional leaders were admitting complicity in the attempted disruption of the operations of the government.
As Mecca stepped from the podium, she dropped the prayer. Jericho picked up the sheet of paper and slipped it into her jacket pocket.
Mecca tucked her arm through Jericho’s, and the two of them walked to the rotunda, where their escorts were waiting to whisk them back to the safe house.
##
Jericho took off her jacket, and Mecca’s notes fell from her pocket. She picked up the sheet of paper and began reading. “Is this what you were supposed to say?” she whispered, fighting back the lump in her throat.
Mecca nodded.
“We need to pack and leave,” Jericho said.
“Why?”
“You disobeyed them. Trust me on this, baby,” Jericho insisted. “Change into something comfortable. We’re going home tonight.”
Within fifteen minutes they had their things packed and were ready to walk out the door. Jericho checked the street and saw nothing. Satisfied no one was watching them, she picked up their luggage and dashed to the car. Mecca was already fastening her seatbelt when her wife tossed their luggage in the back and joined her in the vehicle.
They drove for an hour without a word. Silence filled the vehicle and squeezed Mecca’s heart. She knew Jericho was upset. She took a deep breath and softly said her wife’s name.
“Jericho, please talk to me.”
“For what it’s worth,” Jericho mumbled, her jaw clenched, “I know you did the right thing.”
“I was confident I did,” Mecca replied.
“I’m not sure you know the ramifications of disobeying a direct order from the president.”
“I don’t think they’ll ever know I disobeyed their order,” Mecca said. “I think I handled it so there will be no repercussions for us. Only time will tell.”
Jericho reached for Mecca’s hand and pulled it into her lap. “Whatever happens, honey, we’ll face it together.”
##
It was dark when they reached New York City.
Jericho pulled the vehicle into her parking space in the garage and wondered where her SUV was. Probably somewhere in DC, she thought.
“We’ll carry our things into the apartment and then watch the news to see how the rest of the world is faring.”
“I’m going to take a quick shower,” Mecca said. “Then I’ll fix dinner while you shower.”
“Shower and food. That’s the best thing I’ve heard today. The only thing that would make it better is a willing woman.”
“Umm . . . I’m willing to do anything you’d like.” Mecca’s sultry voice sent shivers through Jericho. “Anything,” she re
peated as Jericho leaned over and kissed her.
##
Mecca was frying bacon when Jericho finished her shower. She grinned as her wife entered the kitchen. “I know how much you like your breakfast, so I thought we’d have breakfast for supper.” She tiptoed to kiss Jericho’s lips.
“I knew there was a reason I married you,” Jericho teased, pulling Mecca into her arms.
“Hmm. Who would have believed bacon would trump my womanly wiles?” Mecca murmured against her lips. The vibration of Mecca’s lips made Jericho tremble.
They finished eating, cleaned the kitchen, and walked into their bedroom. “We need to talk,” Jericho whispered as she scanned the bedroom for any listening devices that might have been planted during their absence. To her surprise, their apartment was clean.
A noise from above made them both laugh. “They still haven’t slowed down,” Mecca said.
Jericho pulled Mecca onto the bed. “Tonight I plan on giving them a little competition.”
“Good,” Mecca muttered. “I was afraid we were going to have a talk first.”
Jericho smiled. “That can wait. I can’t.”
“Neither can I, darling.”
##
Mecca fell forward onto Jericho’s chest. “God, you wear me out,” she whispered. She lay still for a long time, enjoying the way Jericho stroked her back. She placed her ear over the blonde’s heart and smiled as her wife’s heartbeat began to slow. “You’re almost back to normal.”
“I’ll never be back to normal,” Jericho whispered as she kissed the top of her head, “after loving you.”
Mecca sighed.
“We still need to talk,” Jericho insisted.
Mecca sat up and looked at her wife. “You know what I am?”
“Yes,” Jericho whispered, “you’re a—”
Soft fingertips pressed against her lips.
“Don’t say it out loud.” Mecca climbed off her wife and walked to her closet. She moved several items and pulled out a large box. Inside it was a smaller lock box. She placed it on her desk, punched in the combination, and removed a stack of cards bound by a thick, red, rubber band.
Jericho pulled on a T-shirt and handed one to Mecca. “I love you naked,” she said, grinning sheepishly, “but I think we should be clothed for this conversation.”
Mecca slipped the shirt on and sat down at the desk. Jericho took the cards Mecca held out to her. She thumbed through them. During the five years she’d been protecting Mecca, the brunette had received a baker’s dozen of the cards. Only Tom Reynolds’s card had a different message: “Please take care of this gentleman for me.”
All the other cards simply had the person’s name on it. “Assassination Authorized” was stamped across the name on each card, along with the date and General Carson’s signature authorizing the death. Jericho recalled the deaths of all the people named on the cards.
“You’re an assassin.” Jericho gazed into eyes so soft and warm they could melt one’s soul. “A United States government assassin. You have the ability to be a mass assassin.”
“Yes,” Mecca whispered.
“All of these people committed suicide at your suggestion,” Jericho continued. “You were ordered to be the executioner when justice couldn’t reach them.”
Mecca nodded.
Jericho studied the names on the cards. Warren Kline had been charged with kidnapping, murder, and trafficking Caucasian women to Mexico and Africa. Bart Davis had been charged with running a child pornography ring and the death of several children.
Clinton Clark had run a website called Wonderland, where a pedophile could pay to select a child and have it murdered, the entire act filmed so the pervert could watch it over and over.
The cards represented the dregs of society. The most despicable human beings on earth. All of them had beaten the court system on technicalities and walked away free men after committing the most heinous crimes imaginable.
Mecca had touched them, hypnotized them, and instructed them to commit suicide if they were indeed guilty of the crimes for which they had been charged. Justice had been meted out by a general and a beautiful psychiatrist.
Jericho carefully stacked the cards, placed the rubber band around them, and handed them back to Mecca.
“You didn’t follow orders at the president’s televised address,” Jericho said. “They’ll remove you for that.”
Mecca grimaced. “I know. I just couldn’t commit mass murder. I couldn’t televise the suggestion that anyone who had murdered another person should take their own life.”
“Why not?”
“Because of extenuating circumstances. What if a father murdered a man caught in the act of raping his daughter? He did what any father would do. If I’d read the note they told me to read, that father would take his own life for protecting his daughter. In a world that isn’t black and white, one must do what is right. I did what is right, Jericho.”
“I know, baby. I know. I’m just afraid they’ll send an assassin after you.”
“I don’t think they’ll realize I didn’t deliver the message they commanded. I had the technicians cut the feed to the TV stations. The only ones hearing my words were those in the House. Their suicides have probably already started.
“The president and General Carson were wearing earplugs, so they had no idea what I said. I think I’m safe.”
Jericho nodded. “Let’s hope you’re safe. Was your prayer recorded?”
“No, I never let that happen. One could replay the tape, and my voice would be just as effective as it was originally. I never let myself be recorded.”
“Good to know,” Jericho mumbled.
Chapter 49
Jericho leaned back against the headboard as Mecca placed two cups of coffee on the nightstand. “Did you sleep well last night?” Jericho asked her wife.
“I did, darling.” Mecca slid into the bed beside the blonde. “First good night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks.”
“Me too.” Jericho accepted the coffee cup Mecca held out to her and sipped the hot liquid.
“Let’s go about our business as usual,” Jericho suggested. “I’ll be watching you like a hawk. If anything looks wrong, I’ll stop it. I’ll pack us a bag, just in case we’re forced to make a run for it.
“Where do you bank most of your funds?” Jericho asked.
“In a Swiss account,” Mecca said. “All my . . . uh, fees are deposited there. And you?”
“Same.” Jericho leaned down to kiss her. “No matter where we are, we’ll always have plenty of money.”
Mecca nodded. “I need to call my office and let them know I’m back in town. My legitimate practice is suffering, because I’ve been spending all my time saving the world.”
“If you ever have the opportunity, make the Carsons forget everything they know about the Adirondack cabin. I’d like to spend time there with you.”
Mecca took Jericho’s half-empty cup and placed it beside her own on the nightstand. She slid down into the bed, pulling her wife with her. “Tell me why you love me,” she whispered.
Jericho nuzzled her nose in Mecca’s soft hair and inhaled deeply. “I love the scent of you,” she murmured. “You please all my senses. I love the feel of you and the thrill of your touch.” Firm hands slid down Mecca’s arms to the curve of her waist, pulling her closer.
“The sight of you drives me mad. You’re so damn beautiful. Everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman.” She kissed Mecca, massaging the brunette’s lower lip with her own, slow and easy.
Mecca moaned and pushed harder against Jericho.
“I love the sound of you.” Jericho kissed her ear, down her neck, finding her lips again. “The way you whimper and moan. The way you call my name.
“And I love the taste of you. Every glorious inch of you. I love it best when you can taste yourself on my tongue and lips.”
“Jericho,”—Mecca breathed her name—“I need you.”
“I also love your mind,
how brilliant you are and kind. I love—”
“Shh,” Mecca commanded. “Just make love to me.”
Later, they showered together and then dried each other with soft, warm towels. “Thank you for this morning,” Jericho whispered into her wife’s ear as she dried her back.
“Um, don’t touch me,” Mecca warned. “We’ll never get out of here, and I need to go into my office. We have no idea what went on here during all that government overthrow business.”
##
Mecca spent the morning returning patients’ phone calls and answering Julie’s questions. She was surprised to see Clarissa Turner’s name on her appointment calendar as her last patient of the day. She wondered why the president’s future mother-in-law was coming to see her.
Chapter 50
Faith answered her private line. “Hello, darling,” she cooed.
“Right through me,” Kadence moaned. “How do you do that?”
Faith giggled. “Are you taking me to lunch?”
“Do we have to eat?”
“Yes, baby. I have to be in court this afternoon, but we’ll have tonight,” Faith promised, “and I need to discuss something with you over lunch.”
“I’ll come by your office as soon as I finish the consultation with my next patient.”
Faith hung up the phone and reread the letter from Willard Fram demanding a settlement of the Devon trust fund on the behalf of President Tom Reynolds.
Faith closed her eyes and thought about Tom Reynolds. He wasn’t the kind of man who would demand a settlement. She wondered who was directing Fram. She knew Tom was getting married. Maybe his new wife required more than a president’s salary could cover. In any case, she wasn’t going to let her daughters’ rightful inheritance be stolen by their father and his new wife.
As promised, Kadence tapped on Faith’s office door an hour later. “Gallant knight here to take fair lady to dine.” She grinned as she pushed open the door.
Faith’s smile filled the room with sunshine. “How did I get so lucky?” She laughed as Kady leaned down to kiss her.
“I’m the lucky one,” Kady declared, openly appraising Faith as she stood. “Few women get to build their perfect woman. But I loved you long before that.”