Cold Vengeance

by K. J. Dahlen

  Michael grinned. “I think Ali replaced the real Jack Travis with his brother, and that Jahez has been living here under the name Jack Travis for all these years.”

  “That’s just plain crazy!” Kenn exclaimed.

  “Actually it’s not, if you think about it. Who but a husband would push a woman into politics? Georgia Landon showed a lot of political promise eighteen years ago. She still does. She went to Stanford with the real Jack Travis, but she barely knew him. It wasn’t until they both were at Yale that Jack became important in her life. He actually sought her out.”

  “How do you know this?” Kenn asked.

  “I found an online friend of Georgia’s in the wee hours of the night and I asked her. Lucky for me, this woman can’t sleep. She told me all I needed to know about Jack and Georgia.”

  “Okay, now how do we prove your summation? We can’t exactly walk up to the President’s husband and ask him if he’s related to a terrorist, now can we?”

  Michael shook his head. “No, we can’t, especially since we’ve already warned him that we know what his brother has in mind. Remember our little trip to the White House the other night? If we have any chance of stopping Ali, we have to catch everyone unaware.”

  “How the hell are we going to do that?” Kenn muttered.

  “We have the element of surprise on our side. Right now, they don’t know we have the whole plan. They think we have some of it but not all of it.”

  “Do we have all of it? I wonder about that,” Kenn said.

  “Jasmine gave me the names of the rest of Ali’s group. One of them is a computer expert and another is a bomb maker, then the third unknown man is a bomb squad leader. I can only imagine what their roles in the chaos will be.”

  “What sort of plan do you have?”

  “We need to coordinate a simultaneous arrest of everyone involved. If we do it right, no one will have a chance to warn the others. Then we need to find the bombs and defuse them before they go off. That’s going to take everyone’s cooperation and we’re running out of time. We need to move quickly and quietly, so as not to panic the nation but we need to move right now. We can’t wait any longer.”

  “Just one question. How do we explain to the President that her husband might be one of the terrorists?”

  “We don’t. All we need to do is separate him from his wife and kids. A blood test will take care of the rest. If I’m wrong and he really is Jack Travis, he’ll never know.” Michael paused and asked, “Can you ask your friend Scott for a copy of the President’s itinerary for the day?”

  “Sure, but what do I tell him if he asks why?”

  “I can ask her secretary, Jackie,” Harper offered from behind them.

  Michael and Kenn turned to her. “How long have you been standing there?” Michael asked.

  “Not long. I fell asleep at some point last night. When I woke up, I saw you two out here and I was wondering if you found anything.”

  “We need to move on this as soon as possible,” Michael insisted.

  Harper nodded. “I can trust Jackie to keep this quiet.”

  “Do you still have that list of places everyone has been to in the last few weeks?” Michael asked Kenn.

  Kenn nodded then disappeared to get the timeline from his office.

  “Do you really think we can stop this?” Harper asked quietly. “Ali has had eighteen years to plan this and you’ve had two or three days to dig it up.”

  “You’re wrong. I’ve had five years to uncover their plan. And I almost did five years ago but Ali ordered the deaths of my wife and child to distract me. If it hadn’t been for that, I would have gotten close enough then to defeat him before he was ready.”

  “What do you mean before he was ready?”

  “Everything that has happened in the last five years needed to happen. Georgia Travis needed to be elected, Drake Carrington needed to be the Vice President. Ali has been setting this up for too many years to not have everything in place the way he wanted it. When he brings everything down, he’s going to rid the world of all his enemies in one fell swoop. He’ll not only break the United States but he’ll get his revenge on anyone that has ever done him or his family wrong. That includes me.”

  Harper shuddered. “That is too scary.”

  “Ali doesn’t think like a regular person. He lulls people into believing him and then he swallows them whole. His enemies won’t see what’s coming until the moment he turns on them. His father taught him that little trick and it’s served his father well over the years.”

  “You talk like you know the man,” Harper said.

  “I do know him. King Jalbar Rudan is a ruthless bastard with absolutely no compassion for anyone but himself. He has four wives and many children. He’s the one that taught Cali to be an assassin and he raised his sons to be killers.”

  Kenn rejoined them and handed him the timeline.

  Michael read the list carefully, then he looked over at Kenn. “Okay, Waylon will board his plane at ten o’clock this morning. We need to have a team in place by eight. When he goes through the metal detector, we need something to set it off on his person. Then we’ll take him to an area for a full body scan. Once he’s out of the sight of everyone else, we’ll arrest him. That will signal the rest of the teams to pick up the others.” He turned to Harper. “We need to separate Mrs. Travis and the kids from Jack. We need to get her and the kids into safety before we take him down.”

  “I can arrange for Scott to separate him from his family. He can tell him there’s a problem with something. I think he would appreciate being in on this,” Kenn suggested. “By the way, weren’t you supposed to call her last night?”

  “Fine, but Scott doesn’t do it alone,” Michael warned. “These people are killers and they won’t hesitate to take a lone man out. He needs at least one more man with him, preferably more than one. Tell him to get only people that he trusts.”

  “Once we have everyone in custody, we keep them all separated.” He hesitated, then rolled his eyes. “I guess I forgot to call the damn President of the United States. Maybe I’ll do that this morning.”

  Harper covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

  “Yes, well it’s not like she is anyone important, ya know.” Kenn shook his head. “So, what are you going to tell her?”

  “Nothing. I’m not going to tell her anything else, not until we know for sure just who she’s married to. We have to set up the teams to pick up these guys. I want teams of at least three or four guys for each member. Each team needs to be on standby until we get word that Waylon is in custody.”

  “Hopefully your plan will work,” Harper said.

  “I hope it will work too. They may be expecting something but I doubt they will be expecting this.”

  “I’d like to be there with Scott,” Kenn said. “It’s not that I don’t trust him, I’d just like to be there to protect the President.”

  “That’s his job and from what I know, he does it very well. Maybe you should allow him to do it. He might see your presence as a hindrance,” Harper advised.

  “I said I’d like to be there, but I know I can’t be there,” Kenn admitted. “We all need to be on our toes.”

  “I’m going after Ali,” Michael announced. “It’s time for both of us to face each other.”

  “Then maybe you’d better get some rest,” Kenn suggested. “You need to be in top form if you’re going to face him. And wear a vest, man.”

  “A vest?” Michael sighed tiredly. “You keep saying that, but you’re right about me being tired.” He headed back to the conference room and the couch that waited for him. “Wake me if there is any news. Otherwise, I’ll see you at eight.”

  Michael checked his watch and noted the time. It was thirty minutes after eight. The nap had cleared his head and as he stared at the small mansion in front of him, he was hoping to get a glimpse of the man who sought to bring down the United States.

  He glanced over at the man sitting next
to him, Paul Jerick. A good agent, he knew for a fact. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he saw Harry Steil, another good one from his days in the service. “Are you guys ready for this?” Michael asked them.

  “You bet,” Paul said.

  “It should go smoothly. After all, he doesn’t know we’re coming,” Harry added.

  “That doesn’t mean it will go smoothly. Ali is a very crafty man. We need to be prepared for anything.” Michael felt his phone vibrate and his heart beat a bit faster in his chest. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and read the message Kenn had sent him. “Okay. Waylon is in custody, it’s time to capture our bird of prey.”

  Three doors opened at the same time and they stood next to the car. They walked across the street and Michael knocked on the door. He reached for his weapon as he heard footsteps coming toward the portal. When Ali himself opened the door, Michael raised his gun to the other man’s chest. “Ali Rudan, you are under arrest.”

  Ali raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, my name is Alex Daniels, not Ali Rudan.”

  “Put your hands in the air. I don’t care what you call yourself, we both know who you are,” Michael seethed.

  Ali raised his hands slowly. He lifted one foot and was going to step back but Michael leaned forward and grabbed the front of his shirt. He pulled Ali toward him. “I said… You. Are. Under. Arrest.”

  Paul and Harry moved around Michael to put handcuffs on Ali. Paul went behind him and entered the house. When he found Ali’s gun and held it up to show Michael, Paul secured the gun. They all knew he’d intended to reach for this gun a minute ago.

  Michael pulled the handcuffed man closer to him and whispered in his ear, “It’s over, Ali. Your plan to bring down our country is over.”

  Ali laughed out loud. “It’s not over until the fat lady sings and she hasn’t begun quite yet.”

  Paul joined them on the front steps and as they began walking back to the car, Michael heard a sound from inside the house. He pushed Ali to the ground and shouted for the others, “Get down, there’s someone else in the house!”

  The first shot grazed his head and he felt a burning sensation as he dropped to the ground. The second bullet ripped through his shoulder. Michael yelled as he heard Paul and Harry fire back.

  He opened his eyes and managed to get a handle on the pain he was in. Blood poured out of his wound and ran down the side of his face. He raised his hand and held his gun on Ali. “Don’t you move or I’ll shoot you where you are.” Michael turned his head and watched as Harry shot three times quickly. They heard an unearthly scream from inside the house then they heard nothing at all.

  Harry glanced at Michael and when he saw him nod, he took off into the house. When he returned a moment later, he told them, “The shooter was another man but I don’t know him.” Harry held out a phone with a photograph on it.

  He studied the photo and found a sense of peace folding over him. Turning his head slightly he smiled at Ali. “Al Mira is dead and I’m alive. Severns three, Vipers zero. I win again.” His own phone began buzzing in his pocket. Michael reached for it and saw Gage on the line.

  “Hey Michael, we just got word Al Mira is headed for D.C. you need to be careful.”

  Michael smiled. “No worries Gage. Took care of him already.” Michael’s hand slowly let go of the phone as he dropped to the ground and gave up the fight to stay awake.

  Paul looked over and saw Michael lying unconscious, then moved toward him. When he saw the blood on the ground, he called 911 for an ambulance.

  When he turned Michael’s body over, he saw the gaping hole in his chest. “Call Kenn. He needs to know about this,” he told Harry. He put his hand on Michael’s chest and pushed down in an effort to stop the bleeding. When he looked up, he could see Ali’s neighbors coming out of their houses and gathering on the sidewalk.

  A few minutes later, he heard the siren of the ambulance as it got close to them. When the EMTs got to Michael, Paul scooted away. His clothes were covered in blood and he didn’t know if Michael was dead or alive.

  Another car pulled up to the curb with a screech of the brakes. The door swung open and Kenn came running over to where Michael lay. He saw the EMTs working on him. He swung his concerned gaze to Paul and Harry. “What happened?”

  “We got Ali out of the house but we didn’t know there was someone else in there. We returned fire and finally got him but Michael caught the first couple bullets.”

  Kenn looked down and saw Ali still on the ground. “At least you got him.” He reached down and pulled Ali up. “You better hope he survives.”

  “I hope he dies!” Ali spat on the ground. “He deserves at least that much. At least I will be able to go to my own death knowing I ordered the death of the man who murdered my mother.”

  Kenn handed Ali over to Harry and watched as Harry escorted him over to the car. He turned to the EMTs. “Will he make it?”

  One of the EMTs glanced up at Kenn and shrugged. “He lost a lot of blood but I don’t know if the bullet hit any vital organs. We need to get him to the hospital.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” Kenn told them. He turned to Paul. “You secure the scene here until the CSI team gets here.”

  Paul nodded. “How did the rest of the plan work out?”

  Kenn grinned. “It went off without a hitch. We caught them all by surprise.” He turned and watched as the EMT loaded Michael onto a gurney the back of the ambulance. Then he walked over and hopped in as it took off.

  When Michael opened his eyes again, he found himself in a hospital room. A steady beeping sound came from a machine to his right. The room was dimly lit but when he turned his head, he found Harper sitting in the chair next to the bed.

  “Oh thank God, you’re alive,” she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “I guess so,” Michael whispered. Pain shot through his body when he tried to move. He winced then settled down. “What did I miss?”

  Just then, the door to the room was pushed opened and Kenn joined them. “Thank God, you’re awake.”

  “I was just asking Harper what did I miss?”

  “The bullet was a through and through and missed hitting any vital organs, thank the Lord,” Kenn told him. “The doctors claim you’ll live. Dammit, I told you to wear a vest!”

  “Yeah, so I forgot. Too busy,” Michael joked. “How did the plan to round up Ali’s team go this morning? Did we get everyone?”

  “We got everyone, including Jack Travis. You were right about him. He is Jahez Rudan. We just got DNA confirmation. Ali murdered the real Jack Travis and replaced him with Jahez. He’s been living a lie for over eighteen years.”

  “What about Jack’s parents? Was the accident that killed them real?” Michael asked.

  “No, the car crash that killed Jack’s parents was no accident. It was carefully staged,” Kenn said.

  “How did you find out?”

  “Jahez kept an online diary. We found it on his personal computer. It’s outlined everything we know about the Viper Crew. Ali isn’t going to be pleased when he finds out,” Kenn chuckled.

  Michael laid back on the pillow. “How did Georgia Travis take the fact her husband was part of a plot to bring down the nation?”

  “She was shocked and very upset,” Harper replied. “She couldn’t believe he could do something like that. She can’t believe he’s not the real Jack Travis. She’s having a hard time adjusting to the truth. He has been such an influence in her political life and a man she was married to for eighteen years. We have them in protective custody for now, until the threat is really gone.”

  “Has Ali used his diplomatic card yet?” Michael asked.

  “No and I don’t think he will be able to, either he or Jahez. They have well established lives as the characters they invented. We’re checking with our State Department.”

  “We need to find out if Ali had a backup plan, in case something went wrong with the first one.”

  “Do you really think Ali has someth
ing more up his sleeve?” Harper asked.

  “I don’t want to wait until it’s too late to find out. How long do I have to be here?”

  “At least overnight, you lost a lot of blood,” Harper interjected. “It should be longer but the doctors understand you won’t stay any longer.”

  “They would be right,” Michael said. He turned to Kenn. “Have you begun questioning the crew yet?”

  “No, not yet. We’re letting them sweat a little. We’re still gathering evidence of their complicity in the plot.”

  “Has anyone asked for a lawyer yet?”

  “Oh yeah, they have asked but because their crime is a terrorist act, they’ve given up the right to get an attorney.”

  “Good. They need to be reminded that they have all committed treason,” Michael said.

  “We’d better let you get some rest. The quicker you heal the quicker you’ll be back with us,” Kenn said as he headed for the door.

  Harper stood and accompanied him out of the room.

  Michael did feel tired. He fell into a light sleep. It was early the next morning when the doctor was making rounds while Michael was on the phone to Kenn he asked the doctor about bringing him clean clothes.

  “I really don’t think you’re going to need them quite yet. You are far too weak to go anywhere.”

  Michael glared at the doctor and asked again, “Where are my clothes?”

  “I have them.” Phoebe’s voice came from the doorway.

  Michael turned to see her standing there.

  “The clothes you had on yesterday were bloody, so I had to bring you clean ones.” Phoebe turned to the doctor. “How bad is it?”

  The doctor stepped to the door. “I know my opinion doesn’t count here but I don’t think he’s ready to go anywhere yet.”

  “I can’t stay here. I want to wrap up this case,” Michael stated then looked over at Phoebe. “Why and how did you get here? I only called Kenn a few minutes ago.”

  The doctor just grunted and left the room.

  Phoebe chuckled. “You ask so many questions, dude. I came here on my own. I figured you would be awake by now and impatient to get back to the case. I also knew you would start acting rude again. Yelling at everyone and trying to push them around. You know…the usual Severns charm.” She winked at him. “I also figured you would need clean clothes, so I brought you some.”