The Denali Deception

by Ernest Dempsey

  Chapter 10

  Washington

  Adriana waited patiently inside the Oval Office. She stared through the window, beyond the shrubs and out onto the White House Rose Garden. Not everyone could get into the fabled office of the president of the United States. One either had to be a part of his operation or be highly trusted.

  Fortunately for Adriana, she was the latter.

  The side door opened, and John Dawkins walked in, taking the usual long stride that had become as much a part of the man as the navy suit and red tie he often wore in public.

  She stood up as he entered, but he held out a dismissive hand. "You don't have to do that. Please. You're a friend, not some ambassador from insert random country's name here."

  Adriana's lips creased at the comment. Dawkins had a good sense of humor. It was an endearing quality she'd come to appreciate over the years.

  "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir."

  He shook his head. "Enough with the formalities, Adriana. You don't have to call me sir. Now, what's going on? From what I heard, you have something urgent you needed to tell me." He paused for a second, cocked his head to the side, and then spoke again. "You look tired. Can I get you a coffee or something?"

  "Actually, coffee would be great, sir...I mean...yes, please. I've been up a long time."

  "Yes, I know. You were in Madrid yesterday, and now you're here, in my office." He leaned back in the big chair and put his hands in his lap. "Must be pretty important for you to fly halfway across the world just to meet with me."

  She looked around, uncertain if anyone was listening. The Secret Service man at the door stared straight ahead like he was studying the wallpaper on the other side of the room.

  "Is...is this room secure?" she asked.

  The president raised his eyebrows, curious about her line of questioning. "Of course. It's one of the most secure rooms in the world."

  Her head twisted back and forth rapidly. "That's not what I meant. I mean, is someone recording what we say?"

  Dawkins swallowed, still displaying a puzzled expression on his face. "No, Adriana. Nothing like that. Why?"

  She drew in a deep breath and exhaled. "Sean is in trouble. Someone abducted him outside of Auburn, New York. He said he was working on a project for you. Whoever took him tried to kill him, but he managed to escape. Now he's on the run."

  The president's head drooped. He put his right hand over his eye, massaging his forehead as he listened.

  "That's not all," she went on. "Whoever is behind this completely wiped out his bank accounts, credit cards, savings, everything. His phone was taken, so he got a burner phone. That's how he called me."

  The concerned look on the president's face deepened. "Sean was burned?" he asked.

  "That's what it sounds like. Whoever he ticked off must have some pretty strong connections." She waited to steel her nerves for a second before continuing. "There's something else. The men who tried to kill Sean are coming after you. That's why I'm here, Mr. President. Sean asked me to warn you. Someone is going to try to kill you, and it's probably going to happen soon."

  The president's expression couldn't have been graver. He blinked rapidly for a couple of seconds before he leaned back and crossed his arms.

  "I'm sorry. I got here as soon as I could to tell you. Sean would have done it himself, but he's on more watch lists than most known terrorists right now."

  Always unselfish and perpetually caring about those close to him, Dawkins addressed the matter with Sean first. "Is Sean okay?"

  "He's fine, lying low for the time being. He went to Atlanta to warn Tommy. I think his plan is to figure out what these people are hiding. He said that's the only way to make sure you and everyone else are safe."

  "Well, that's Sean, isn't it? Always taking care of his friends."

  Adriana agreed with a slight nod.

  "I'll be sure to alert my security detail to the threat. They'll take care of the rest. The Secret Service is the best in the world when it comes to things like this. I'll be fine."

  "I heard you're giving a speech today," she said.

  "Yes, that's true. And in light of the information you just gave me, I'll have to pass that along to my guys."

  "Will they have enough time to recheck everything?"

  "They should be able to handle it," he said with a wink. "They are extremely thorough when it comes to that sort of thing. No building within a mile will go unchecked." An idea struck him as he was talking. "Adriana, would you like to come along? The speech will be boring. Please don't tell my writer, Gerald, I said that. It's not his fault. The topic just isn't exciting."

  "Who's it for?"

  He sighed. "It's a big luncheon for an environmentalist group."

  "You've done a lot of good things for the environment during your presidency. I thought it was something you cared about."

  "Oh, it is. I will always be a proponent of taking care of the planet. It's not that. This event, though, is just a bunch of patting people on the back. There's no real point to it. I guess it will raise awareness. At any rate, I have to be there in an hour, so if you want to tag along we'll need to get ready to leave soon."

  Adriana considered the offer for all of three seconds before she agreed. "Sure," she said. "I'd love to."

  She didn't tell the president the real reason for agreeing to go with him. Sean had told her the guys behind his abduction were CIA. That meant they would have connections in the government, potentially to security details surrounding presidential appearances.

  The president probably didn't realize it at the time, but he'd just picked up a little added security.

  "Shall we?" he said, standing up and motioning to the door.

  "Absolutely." She stood as well and made her way across the room. "By the way. I was wondering if you could put me in touch with Emily."

  He stopped and turned to face her. "My goodness. They blocked him from Axis, didn't they?"

  Adriana wasn't sure how he knew. She attributed it to the president's ability to sense things better than most people. Perhaps it was his gift.

  "Yes. He said when he called they claimed to have no knowledge of a Sean Wyatt and that the security clearance he gave them was invalid."

  Dawkins scratched his chin. "He's been disavowed."

  Her eyes widened. "You mean...they erased him from their systems?"

  "Sort of. With elite groups—like Axis—the agents operate under a very strict policy that if they are ever captured or killed in the line of duty, the agency will disavow any knowledge of their existence. It's like they never walked the earth."

  Adriana had heard of that kind of thing, but she didn't think too much of it. She figured it was only in movies. Still, it was hard to fathom Emily would do such a thing to a longtime friend.

  "But Emily—"

  "She will do whatever is necessary to protect the agency. And she will do whatever she must to keep Sean safe as well. If what you say is true, I doubt Emily would turn her back on him. At the same time, she has a duty to keep the rest of the agency safe and running smoothly. Once we are done with this speech, I'll set my dogs on the case and see what's going on. Maybe they can find something."

  He reached out and opened the door leading into the next room full of desks, computers, phones, and several dozen people busily doing whatever office tasks the White House required.

  Two more Secret Service men were waiting outside on either side of the door.

  Adriana noticed the guards as they passed through the doorway. The men immediately fell in line behind her and the president.

  "I hope you don't mind riding with me," Dawkins said. "Will be quicker that way."

  "No," Adriana said. "I don't mind at all."

  One of the president's assistants approached as he and Adriana made their way down the corridor. The young assistant looked like she was in her mid-twenties. Her dark green dress fluttered in the air as she strode toward the commander in chief.

 
; "Mr. President, here is your itinerary for the event." She passed him a sheet of paper.

  He took a glance at it and then thanked her. "I appreciate it, Grace. Keep things running smoothly 'til I get back."

  She grinned, appreciating his sense of humor. "I'll do my best, sir."

  Outside, the motorcade waited with several police cars in front and back. More Secret Service men stood around the black limousine, waiting and watching. They almost looked like robots, standing perfectly still and twisting their heads back and forth as they scanned the area for any potential threats.

  One of the guards opened the rear door to the limo. The president and Adriana got in and slid into the back seat. A young man with black-rimmed glasses and curly brown hair sat across from them in the seat facing backward.

  "Morning, Gerald," Dawkins said. "I trust you remember Adriana?"

  "Yes, sir. We've met before," Gerald said with a smile.

  "Good to see you again," she said. "Did you write his speech for today?"

  Gerald bit his lower lip. "Yeah, although this one won't be exciting. Pretty standard stuff."

  Adriana sensed the president's smile, recalling their previous conversation.

  The convoy started moving, wrapping around the long driveway and out onto Pennsylvania Avenue.

  Riding in the president's limo presented a whole new world to Adriana. Every time she'd been in Washington, the traffic had been a nightmare. The stoplights only seemed to last for a few seconds before changing, and with so many people in one place—many of them tourists—the streets were constantly clogged.

  For the first time, Adriana experienced an almost nonstop ride through the city. The motorcade passed historic buildings and monuments, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and dozens of other impressive buildings as it wound its way through the district.

  Adriana had always been impressed by the nation's capital. It stood as a symbol of power and balance in a world often dominated by chaos.

  After 10 minutes, the motorcade rolled to the entrance of one of the older hotels in Washington. A green-and-red-striped awning stretched out over a red carpet leading to a pair of glass doors. A doorman in a uniform and white gloves stood waiting by the door with a pleasant smile. Adriana imagined the man had been thoroughly searched before allowing him to go about his business.

  Secret Service flooded the area under the awning. Six men took up positions on both sides of the red carpet as the doorman opened the entrance. Two more men in black suits and sunglasses went through the door and waited inside.

  "Shouldn't you go in through a back door or something like that?" Adriana said as the president flattened his suit jacket and prepared to exit the limo.

  "You'd think so," he said. "But awnings help give a little extra security in case of snipers. It limits a potential shooter's field of view."

  "Ah." She hadn't thought about that before and would probably always think of it whenever she saw an awning.

  One of the Secret Service guys ducked his head into the limo. "Ready, sir?"

  Dawkins nodded and followed the man out of the car with Adriana and Gerald tucked close behind.

  The president shook the doorman's hand as they passed through the entrance and into the hotel lobby.

  Marble tile stretched out from one end of the grand room to the other. An opulent chandelier hung from the ceiling. The fixture featured hundreds, maybe thousands, of crystals shimmering around dozens of electric candle lights.

  The lobby was clear of people except for the concierges working behind the desks. Police officers stood in every corner, keeping their eyes open for potential danger.

  The president and his entourage walked quickly through the lobby, passing marble pillars, giant ferns in ornate vases, and a row of hotel staff standing at attention against the right-hand wall.

  The procession went down a short series of steps into a lower level and then turned right into the first pair of open doors where another pair of men in black suits stood guard.

  Dawkins gave them a curt nod as he passed through the doorway into a grand ballroom to the sound of "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States."

  "Hail to the Chief" started playing through a public address system, and everyone in the room stood up and started clapping.

  Adriana suddenly felt overwhelmed. Hundreds of people in tuxedos and fancy dresses stared in her direction as she followed the president and his security detail through the path winding around the tables.

  She leaned over toward Gerald as they made their way to the front of the room. "I feel very underdressed," she said, referring to her black pants, white polo, and the black overcoat she donned.

  "Don't worry about it," Gerald whispered. "They're all looking at him anyway. No one ever notices us."

  When the procession reached the front of the room, the president ascended three steps onto a stage. Gerald gently tugged on Adriana's arm, pulling her to the side of the stage where they would stand during the speech.

  Adriana was relieved to be out of everyone's line of sight and relaxed a little, looking around the room at all the people.

  The music came to a stop, and the applause died down.

  Dawkins began his speech by thanking everyone for coming. Then he went straight into the meat what he had to say.

  "What is this thing anyway?" Adriana whispered to Gerald.

  "Founders brunch," Gerald said. "Most of the people in this room are entrepreneurs. They're business people from Washington, Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland."

  "Delmarva?"

  Gerald raised an eyebrow. "I've never liked that term," he said with a quiet chuckle.

  The two hushed as the president continued talking about contributions to the local economy, keeping taxes low for businesses, and everything that had come about as a result of the efforts of everyone in the room.

  Adriana's eyes panned the large chamber. Some of the faces were young, easily in their early twenties. Some were much older, covered in wrinkles and gray hair. No one looked like a threat, and every person in the place sat almost perfectly still as they listened to the president's speech.

  Maybe Sean was wrong about the threat to kill Dawkins. It was rare, she had to admit, but now and then Sean was incorrect about things. Usually, that was a bad thing. In this instance, however, she was hoping that was the case.

  Her head slowly moved from left to right as she continued searching the room. Secret Service men were stationed in several places along each wall, separated by police officers. All of them were doing the same thing as Adriana: watching for trouble.

  She noticed a subtle movement in the back of the room. It came from high up on the wall where one of the spotlights shone brightly, casting its yellowish-white beam on the podium where the president stood.

  Was Adriana's mind playing tricks on her? It had to be. She thought she saw a long, black silhouette just behind the spotlight. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to focus.

  The spotlight was set in a square opening fifteen feet up from the floor. Access to the control room and the spotlight must have been through a side door outside the ballroom.

  She returned her gaze to the opening and peered into it. Her eyes widened suddenly. There it was again. A long, black tube moved to the left with fluid, robotic motion.

  "Oh no," she said.

  Adriana looked at the president. He was still talking about the benefits of entrepreneurship and how it made the economy go, providing jobs and building a strong foundation for the country.

  He had no idea what was going on.

  The nearest Secret Service man to her was twenty feet away.

  She thought fast. Only one idea came to her mind, and she didn't like it. The black tube stopped moving, and she knew there were no other options.

  Adriana pumped her legs as fast as she could, leaping onto the stage and sprinting at the president.

  "Shooter!" she yelled as she ducked her head and drove her shoulder into the president's midsection.
The form tackle would have made any football defensive coach proud.

  Adriana and Dawkins hit the deck a half second before gunfire erupted.

  The chain gun whined loudly amid a constant series of pops, sending dozens of rounds at the stage per second. The podium was torn apart almost instantly as bullets shredded the wood.

  The two nearest Secret Service men charged the stage to cover the president while four others zeroed in on the source of the gunfire and drew their weapons.

  Panic flooded the ballroom. Men and women ducked under their tables. Several women screamed. Two or three people closest to the exit ran for the doors.

  Adriana held the president down until one of the Secret Service agents arrived.

  The gunfire from the spotlight window had stopped and been replaced by loud pops from the other guards' weapons. Sparks flashed off the spotlight. The bright bulb suddenly exploded as one of the rounds struck it in the center, turning the big tube dark.

  Police rushed out of the room toward the access door outside to make sure the shooter couldn't escape.

  One of the guards pulled Adriana off the president and pinned her to the stage. He drew his weapon and pressed it to the back of her head.

  "Don't move," he barked.

  Dawkins was lying facedown with his head turned toward her. One of his guards was lying on top of him to protect the president.

  "Put that gun away," Dawkins ordered. "This woman just saved my life."

  "Yes, sir," the guard said and stepped away from Adriana.

  The gunfire had ceased, but the chaos had only just begun.

  "Get him out of here!" she said in a commanding voice to the guard atop the president. "Now!"

  The two Secret Service men glanced at each other and then nodded. They knew what to do. Two more joined them as they ushered the president off the stage to the right and out through a side door.

  Adriana stood up and scanned the room. Everyone was in a panic. Or were they?

  One man in the far right corner in the back was walking calmly toward an exit door. Adriana frowned. The guy was way too collected for a civilian.