Witness Protection: Moving Target

by Jet MacLeod

  “Way to make me feel better,” Angie replied.

  “I am not here to make you feel good. I am here to keep you alive. I’m just trying to make your transition to Emily Sullivan as easy as possible.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then could we cut down a little on this hostility?”

  “I’m not promising anything.”

  “We need to figure out who Emily is for you. We need to talk about that so I can let Cole know. Starting the identity on paperwork is easier than actually living it. You are going to have to do the latter, so we need to figure out who Emily Sullivan really is. Do you have any ideas?”

  “I guess being a lawyer is out.”

  “You know that. You can’t really do anything that has to do with law or courts. So what will it be? Anything else you ever wanted to be?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever you think is best, I guess. All I know is law,” Angie told her.

  “I’ll talk with Cole about it later. He is better at figuring these things out. I am sure that it will end up being something purely mundane, though. Do you think that you can handle a desk job?”

  “I’m not really going to have any choice in the matter and you know that. I’ll do whatever I have to do. I’m not stupid. I know that this is for my own safety. I will accept whatever job you stick me with even if I hate it,” Angie answered.

  “I am sorry about that. If I can come up with some sort of situation where you don’t have to seem normal, I will. I don’t understand normal. I’ve never been normal. I can only imagine what this is doing to you and for that I am sorry.”

  “Where are we going next?”

  “I have another friend in Illinois. We will probably go there. We might turn into nomads. Would that be so bad for you? Would you be able to handle a life on the road?” Del asked her.

  “It isn’t if I can handle it that should be the question. The question should be: will you be able to handle me if we are on the road together? I take it that you have never really had a partner for long. Are you going to be able to handle that?”

  “I will be able to deal with it.”

  “Then I don’t think that we should have too much of problem. Get some rest. I know that I keep telling you that, but eventually your mind is going to catch up with your body and when that happens, you will crash hard. I think that we are going to slay here for about a week. So, you’ll have time to deal on your own. I’m going to check on getting dinner started. Get some rest. I’ll come get you for dinner. Oh, and Angie,” Del told her.

  “It’s Emily.”

  “What?”

  “My name is Emily, remember?” Angie asked her.

  “So, it is,” Del answered with a smile. “You can go anywhere on the grounds. Take your phone, though. The farm is bigger than you think. Also, how do you feel about learning to protect yourself?”

  “Meaning?”

  “We’ll discuss it later. I can teach you some moves. You could learn to shoot as well.”

  “I don’t like guns, but if you think that it is for the best.”

  “It isn’t that I think it is for the best. You need to be able to handle yourself if we get in a situation. It is my job to make sure that doesn’t happen, but I need to know that you will be able to deal with it should something arise and it is needed. I am going to protect you, Angie. I swore to that and I will do it. You might think that my methods and my rules are archaic and demeaning, but they are there to help you.”

  “I know that. I know that you are going to protect me. You’ve already proven that in bringing me here. You have done everything that you have told me that you are going to do. I believe you when you tell me that you are going to protect me and have my well-being as your main mission. I also understand that you are to deliver me to the courthouse on time, with or without any minor scrapes or bruises.”

  Angie saw something in Del’s eyes, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She decided not to question it, yet. There was a haunted-ness that surrounded them both and Angie wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. She knew that Del had a complicated life, how could she not with her line of work. Angie dealt with enough shit being a lawyer to know that “normal” didn’t exist. All they could do was strive for it. Now, she had no “normal” to base anything on. She knew that Del was trying to appease her and help her deal with the situation, but she doubted that even Del knew how painful this was for her.

  “Is there anything that you need?”

  “To go home?”

  “Is there anything that I can actually do to help you?” Del rephrased.

  “I think that you are actually doing it.”

  “I’m not trying to be harsh with you. I hope that you know that. I am not sure that I will be overtly friendly with you, either. I not really in habit, as you know of working with someone else. I will try not to be overly demanding and rigid in my commands, but I ask that you will try to not fight me as much as possible,” Del stated.

  “I understand. I’ll do my best, but you have to understand that I am a lawyer. Fighting back with words comes naturally for me and it will be a hard habit to break. I will do my best, though.”

  “That is all I can ask of you.”

  Del didn’t wait for a response. She left the room. She felt like she had to get out of there.

  As she made her way back downstairs and to Cole’s office, she felt herself changing. She didn’t know what it was about Angie, but there was something that made her want to protect her. It wasn’t a feeling that Del was happy about. She didn’t want to feel responsible for anyone, but now she was. She wasn’t sure how well she would survive this mission. She would find a way like she had with all the other missions that she had completed over the years. She was adaptable. It was part of the reason she was chosen and she knew it.

  Her entire life had been about adaptability. The Army had trained her to adapt and overcome any obstacle that may arise in her way. She was taught not to retreat, but to fall back and find a way around if she couldn’t punch right through. She feared her emotions. She knew that Cole had found her after the incident in Kiev and now she was wondering if he was right. Would Angie become her next Kiev?

  She shook the thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t be worrying about that. She had to make plans. She needed to call Sanchez to make sure that she could use his hideaway. They would have to find some sort of permanent arrangement. She didn’t really think that being nomads would work for Angie. She knew that it was a short term fix to their situation, but they would have to find a long term place, something that would keep them both grounded in their new “normal.”

  She made her way into Cole’s office. He was still hard at work deleting any information that pertained to Angie since they left New York. She knew that he would create a new life similar to Angie’s but instead it would be Emily Sullivan’s. They both knew it was because it would be easier for Angie to remember. Angie didn’t have their training and the more complicated and complex the new background the harder it was going to be for her to remember. Del hoped that it would be something that Angie could deal with, but then again, it didn’t matter. Angie no longer existed. The woman upstairs was now Emily Sullivan. She didn’t really have a choice in that matter. The only thing that Del could hope for her was that the Alphabets would take care of her things.

  She wondered what the cover story would be for her disappearance. She wondered how Angie will have “died” She of all people thanks to the Alphabets knew what it was like to come home after being “dead” Sometimes people were angry. Others just didn’t care. They were happy that you were actually still alive. They were the ones who sought you out to bring you back into your “normal” Del could only hope that the people that Angie had in New York could be that way for her.

  “Almost done?”

  “With destroying her, yes.”

  “What did you decide that Emily would do?” Del asked him.

  “Well, we both know that she can’t work in law. That do
esn’t leave me with a lot of prospects for a woman of her caliber. Did you bother lo research that blue blood upstairs? Or, did you do like normal scan the folder, see the mission, and take it?”

  “The latter.”

  “Lieutenant, you should know better than that.”

  “I should, but she is my retirement package. After this one, I’m done. I plan on sitting back and relaxing somewhere, not a care in the world, and not worrying about if I am going to make it out alive. She is my way out. It was all I needed to know,” Del explained.

  “She is rich beyond belief, but decided to be a DA. That doesn’t strike you as odd? What is it with her? There is something that you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?” he questioned.

  “No, there isn’t, really. She is just headstrong. She kept ducking her other handlers. They figured that I could scare some sense into her and she would be better off with me. The rest of the handlers had been men,” Del explained.

  “Did they tell you why?”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t ask them about this at all, did you?”

  “Nope,” Del said, plopping down in a chair beside him.

  “Delia, you can’t keep going head first into things.”

  “I’m fine, Cole. She’s safer with me than any of the Alphabets anyway. You can’t out run a professional liar, runner, and assassin. I think that she knows this. She wasn’t very happy that I showed up at the safe house apartment with my rifles and started to scope things out. I’ve treated her like any other mission. The only difference this time is that instead of trying to find a place to hide and acquire my target for the kill, I’m trying to make sure that no one else can do that with her. I know that I am qualified to do this. So are you, but you are already retired.”

  “And, I am not a lesbian guarding a lesbian blue blood lawyer from New York City.”

  “What are you talking about?” Del demanded.

  “You really didn’t do any research on her, did you?”

  “I already told you: no.”

  “She is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in New York City. You are going to have to hide her somewhere without a huge rich population that has been there for years. You are going to have to take her somewhere without a huge history. I don’t think that you will be able to stay in Illinois that long before someone figures out whom she is.” Cole told her.

  “I know that. I was thinking out West somewhere. Maybe somewhere south of Tucson. I doubt that anyone would be looking for her there.”

  “That may be true, but stay out of the big cities. They are more likely to be crawling with someone who might be looking for her. You know how the cartels work. They have spies everywhere, looking for the next big score or the target that got away.”

  “I know. I took care of a lot of their ‘look outs.’ I know what to look for while I’m protecting her.”

  “Just remember to keep it professional.”

  “That won’t be a problem for me, Sarge. I have no need for a love life. It just complicates things. I’ll have enough trouble dealing with just her and keeping her in line,” Del told him.

  “I’m sure that you will. That one looks to be a firecracker, LT. You sure you don’t want me to make you some papers. I know you got money stashed from here to Switzerland and back, but don’t you want something a little more local?”

  “No, it’s a way for them to track us. I am going to keep her off the grid as much as possible. And, that means me, too. I have to stay off the grid, too. If they figure out that I am her protection, they’ll just start tracking me when they can’t find her trail. For now, both of us will have to be ghosts.”

  “I can arrange that for you.”

  “I know. You are the best. That is why I came to you,” Del told him.

  “You still cooking me dinner for this?”

  “Yeah, Sarge, I am. Now, let me go see what you don’t have to work with. Hopefully, I can scrounge up something without having to go to the barn to kill it,” she joked with him.

  “I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem for someone of your training,” he poked back.

  She laughed as she left his office. He was right. They had both been trained on how to ‘field strip’ an animal in the wild to survive. It was a necessity. She knew that the long days in the field, hiding and waiting for the perfect shot were behind them, but they both knew that some habits die hard.

  She made her way into his kitchen. He was well stocked, like she knew he would be. She didn’t know what he wanted, but right now, she wanted a good steak and baked potato. She pulled some rib-eyes out and made a marinade. She looked out the kitchen screen door and saw his converted barrel grill. Tonight they would dine like ranchers of old and tomorrow, Emily and Del would have to figure out their story. Tomorrow would be the beginning of her new life, a life she would have to get comfortable with.

  She wondered as she prepared the marinade if she should warn Angie that she might have to return to being Emily once the trial was over. She shook her head. Angie had to know. She had to know that even if they convicted the heads of the cartels that she would still be in danger. She always would. She had a permanent target on her back. It wasn’t like Del didn’t, too.

  She looked out the kitchen sink window as she washed the potatoes. She watched Cole’s horses as they galloped and frolicked in the pasture. She wished that she could find the peace and quiet like he did. She had done too much, seen too much, to just settle down and retire. She wanted out, but she had no idea where she was going to go. She was wanted in fifteen countries and if Interpol ever caught wind of what she really was, she would be tried and the government would disavow her to save face. She knew this. She understood it. She would be a sacrifice of one to save many. It was a common practice and common knowledge among the Alphabets.

  She would become a star on the wall, a name in a book, and that was it. There would be no funeral. There would be no memorial. There would be no search and rescue mission. She would find her own way out and home or she would die. She knew that was her fate. She knew it and she accepted it.

  Her mind wandered back to Angie. She hadn’t asked for this. She didn’t understand the complications of what her actions would do for her life. She had no idea the pain and suffering those that she knew would go through while they tried to find her. If the Alphabets did their normal fare, Angie March would cease to exist. It would be up to them to establish a new identity, a new life, and a new back story. Del decided then, that Angie wouldn’t be left alone. She didn’t trust the Alphabets.

  She finished her prep work for the potatoes and the steaks. She washed her hands and headed back to Cole’s office. He was still staring at the screen making fake diplomas and such.

  “Hey, you get your grill going and I’ll be back down in a few.”

  “Going to take a shower?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Steak and potatoes, huh?”

  “Yup, that okay?” she asked.

  “Sounds perfect. Go wash the memories away, LT. I’ll be done with most of this by then.”

  “Thanks, Sarge.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. You’ll have to help me with the Coupe if you want something to drive. Tomorrow, I’ll doctor the DMV records for it. One thing at a time, but in a few days, neither of you will be you anymore, that much I promise.”

  She shook her head at him. He was good. He was very good. Hell, the Alphabets still didn’t know where he was or who he was now. The only ones that did were people who needed to know. Del was glad that she was still part of that company with him. He had helped cover her ass more times than she wanted to admit. And, here he was about to do it again and also for Angie.

  She ran upstairs to the bathroom. She got in the shower. She let the water carry her memories away.

  Chapter 5

  It was late. She knew that they would start working on the vehicle in the morning. Del wasn’t surprised that Cole wanted to go to bed after dinner. She was a little surprise
d that Angie went to bed so soon after dinner. She figured that they could stay up and talk. When she didn’t stay up, she decided that she would walk the grounds. It would allow her to clear her head and make sure that there wasn’t anything that would hurt them. It was habit. She was scouting. She didn’t care that she knew that Cole would have booby-traps and other devices planted around his farm to make sure that he was safe.

  She grabbed her sidearm. She checked it and put it in her waistband at her back. She grabbed a few extra fully loaded clips and put them in her pockets. She put a boot knife in her boot. She didn’t figure that she would need them, but she wasn’t going to leave the house unprotected.

  She made her way to the barn. She saw the car in question and knew that it wouldn’t take them long to get it running to her specifications. She saw some other vehicles that it looked like Cole was working on. She shook her head, remembering all the times that his tinkering had saved their lives. They might not have been “approved military upgrades” but the powers that be didn’t care when they came back and the mission was accomplished.

  She closed up the barn and headed out into the pasture. She liked nights like this, when it was quiet and comfortable, when she didn’t have a target she was seeking, when she could try to find peace in her fucked up existence. She sighed and looked around at the grass and then the few horses that she could make out in the darkness. Cole was right to settle down here. It was nice…peaceful…quiet…so unlike them.

  Del thought about all the times that they had been in some Hell hole, knee deep in God knows what and waiting for the order to fire. It was an easy job for those who could stomach it. Those were the pie missions. The ones that sucked were the ones that they had to find the target, play along with the locals and pretend to be friendly, and then one night once the order was given end the target without a second thought. Those were the sticky ones. Sometimes you got a little too close, but then you had to do it. You had to get in close to gain their trust. She could remember too many times how it felt to bury her knife into the heart of someone and watch their lives slip away with only one word spoken in various languages over the years: “Why?”