All the King's Henchmen

by Morgan Kelley

  “He was not at the White House at the time. My ME, Doctor Christopher Leonard, has placed his TOD closer to Sunday night.”

  She let them fill it in on their own. By not answering that specific question, she was, indeed, giving them more than she normally would.

  “So, at the function.”

  Yeah, they were just as smart.

  “Correct.”

  They kept their hands up.

  She chose another reporter.

  “Was he found with a hooker?” the next reporter asked. “We know you were also working on a secondary victim and a stripper last night. Is that true?”

  She didn’t hesitate, even as the Secret Service agent glared at her.

  Here was the tricky part.

  How much did she share?

  “No, the hooker was not found with him,” she said, as the Secret Service guy smiled in triumph.

  Oh.

  Hell.

  No.

  It looked like he was celebrating prematurely.

  Elizabeth continued, “The hooker and stripper, who were murdered after him, were women he had brought to the White House to have sex with behind closed doors. We’ve determined that Damian Dean was using the White House as his own sexually perverse playpen.”

  She dropped the bomb.

  There was that calm before the storm. The whole group made an audible gasp. Maybe because of what the man had done, or possibly because she had actually not hidden it.

  In that moment, she grew stronger as the Secret Service agent looked horrified.

  Suck it, bitch.

  She wasn’t playing this game.

  Her town.

  Her rules.

  “Please explain!” the reporter asked.

  They got quiet and waited with baited breath.

  “I believe, and I hope to prove, that the president was killed in an act of rage. At this point, we have proof that he was fraternizing with a hooker and stripper. We also have claims of rape from multiple sources.”

  There was the second bomb.

  Gabe’s phone began ringing, and then Ethan’s began too. There was no doubt who was watching them.

  They all knew who it was.

  Well, Gordon Downing was going to have one hell of a mess on his hands. It looked like his year filling in as the big man was going to be filled with a ton of shit.

  Good.

  When you try to bury the law, you get buried yourself. It was a lesson she’d learned.

  “We are investigating the claims, and we will work that as a secondary investigation. Our primary focus, for now, is his murder, and the murder of two women to cover-up what happened in that unsecured hotel room.”

  There was pandemonium at those three words.

  Unsecured.

  Hotel.

  Room.

  In that moment, Elizabeth had also buried the Secret Service agency too. They’d dropped the ball, and this would be Alfie’s hell. She let her people run amuck, and now she’d have to clean it up.

  On her own.

  Elizabeth stared down at the president’s henchman. She stared right into his eyes, daring him to push her.

  What did he do?

  The Secret Service agent drew his finger over his throat in a sign of her being dead.

  Oh, this wasn’t on her. She didn’t allow the most powerful man in the world to have hookers delivered like takeout. She didn’t pick them up and sneak them in. She didn’t watch some scumbag rape women and say nothing.

  This was NOT on her.

  BULLSHIT.

  She wasn’t done.

  “I would draw your attention to the man standing right there,” she said, pointing at him.

  Everyone turned.

  “He’s been sent here by acting President Gordon Downing. He’s trying to intimidate me into not sharing the truth with you. The new president asked me to cover this up.”

  And that was the next bomb.

  KABOOM.

  There was a feeding frenzy as the reporters turned on the man. He tried to escape, but they blocked him in and tried to get him to answer questions.

  His face was going to be all over the news, and he was now someone else’s problem.

  Oh, but she wasn’t done.

  “His name is Clyde Adkins, and he supplied the president with his hooker and stripper, and from the looks of it, he’s now working as the Vice President’s security. In fact, he’s a suspect in my investigation.”

  That upped the stakes and stirred the pot.

  Her work here was done.

  From behind her, Ethan clapped for his wife. He clapped because she was his hero.

  Ethan was so damn proud of her.

  Callen too.

  Their wife wasn’t taking any bullshit, and she wasn’t going to be bullied for doing her job.

  Gabe began clapping.

  Then Callen and Chris.

  It gave her the support she needed.

  “My job is to find the truth, and the acting president doesn’t want that to come out. Three days ago, I was abducted from a parking lot,” she said, pointing at the screen behind them. She hit a button on the remote hidden in her hand.

  The footage played out, showing the reporters the whole thing.

  The looks on their faces said it all.

  “My ME and I were leaving an appointment. We were taken to the White House and held there. We were told we couldn’t leave unless we worked this case to find the killer.”

  There were gasps.

  She didn’t stop there.

  She pulled up pictures of her face, her ribs, and what had been done to her body.

  Then she put up the pictures of Chris too.

  There were gasps.

  She was taking the bull’s-eye off of her and placing it right back on the White House. It was cleanup day. If they tried to fire any of them, it was over. She’d managed to lock down their jobs.

  For now.

  Yeah, Gordo had a mess on his hands, and she was done playing his game.

  “The FBI will not be the president’s henchmen. We work independently of them for a reason. I am here to solve the murders, not be his paid muscle.”

  Aim.

  Fire.

  And she was pulling the trigger.

  The media went nuts.

  “In an attempt to intimidate me then, and now, I have decided that I will not run my division that way. Acting President Gordon Downing has threatened us. He informed us that if we continued to push this, sullying his new presidency, and his hopes of running a new term, that we would lose our jobs if he were to win reelection.”

  Oh, that blew up.

  She could see that headline now, and it was going to be a doozy. Someone would be playing clean-up for the next year. He wasn’t going to have time to run for reelection. He was going to be digging out from the shitstorm. Whoever ran against Gordon was going to be a shoe-in.

  The Secret Service agent escaped, and Gabe’s phone stopped ringing.

  It was done.

  “I stand before you today to give you the truth, and a promise that I will do the right thing. I may not be able to tell you everything as it happens, but my bosses, Ethan Blackhawk, Gabriel Rothschild, and I, are here to do our jobs. The president was a victim of a rage-fueled homicide. In the process, two women have died, and there IS a cover-up at the White House. We will be in contact with the DOJ to make sure they get copies of all of my findings.”

  The media began asking questions.

  She took a few more.

  Then, she shut it down.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to finish investigating. There will be an update as soon as I wrap this case. Submit your requests for an interview to my office, and we will go through them.”

  “Are you saying if we give you space, you’ll play nice with us?” one woman asked. “What about our associate, Suri Collins?”

  “She didn’t play straight. She was worried about the scoop, so she missed it. She’ll be released r
ight after this press conference.”

  Ethan made a call.

  In seconds, it was done.

  “Now, thank you for your patience, and I need your help. If we are to make this country strong, we need to rely on trust. We are NOT the enemy.”

  They took her picture, and they scurried off to write their stories and do their on-air interviews.

  As soon as it was over, Elizabeth headed toward her husbands.

  “You did wonderfully,” Ethan stated.

  “If we don’t solve this, we’re fucked,” she stated. “This is going to be our greatest win or my biggest failure.”

  “You have this,” Chris stated. “I’ll go back into the office, and I’ll start helping with the trace. You go do your interviews.”

  She faced Gabe.

  “Are you pissed I gave up Gordon Downing?”

  He laughed.

  “Nope. You didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done. He’s trying to cover this up, and he did threaten our jobs. He can’t be left unchecked.”

  She agreed.

  “They will be gunning for you,” Ivan stated, standing there. “They sent that asshole to intimidate you. This is just the beginning.”

  “I don’t intimidate. I may have a vagina but let me reassure you that the balls in my purse are steel.”

  He laughed.

  “No doubt. I’ll watch your back, Elizabeth. You keep on keeping on. We have you.”

  She appreciated it.

  This was just the beginning.

  There was no doubt in her mind. With this kind of exposure, she was bound to really bring the crazies out of the woodwork.

  “You didn’t out Marcus,” Ethan stated. “You likely saved his marriage.”

  Yeah, unless he fell for her bluff and went home yesterday to confess his sins to Marylou.

  Then, it was on him.

  Not her.

  “I felt merciful. I tossed Clyde to the wolves. I really hope he’s the killer. Then I can rip him apart in interrogation.”

  Oh, they bet.

  “Okay,” Callen stated. “We hit the street. Next up in the fun?”

  “That bitch Alfie Steiner. I’m taking out my balls, and I’m about to shove them down her throat.”

  They stared at her.

  That was one hell of a picture.

  Chris was the first to start laughing. He couldn’t help himself.

  “Sorry. I pictured it.”

  They all did.

  “Seriously, I meant metaphorically, of course. I don’t roll that way. She’s not Native.”

  Callen grinned.

  “Well, that leaves us,” Gabe said, as he patted his tag-team partner on the back.

  They had their work cut out for them.

  “Well, Blackhawk, it looks like we’re up. Start pulling any favors you have. The storm is coming. We’ve just ended his political career, and he’s going to be angry.”

  Ethan was aware.

  Only, for his wife, he’d race into Hell and back.

  “I hope whoever runs against that dickless weasel buries him.”

  Yeah, Gabe did too.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thirty Minutes

  Later

  A s they drove toward her house, she was packing guns, her cowboy boots, and security. After her little press conference, they expected the worst. Ethan had sicced both security guys on her, and he wasn’t taking any chances.

  Ivan was driving, and Saint was riding shotgun. Not only were they hogging the front seats, they were over-the-top paranoid that someone was going to come at them.

  “He won’t make a move,” she stated, trying to calm them down.

  “Let us worry about that.”

  It made her laugh.

  “Seriously, you’re going to have strokes if you don’t take a breath and relax. Gordo is going to be tied up for a good month, and right now, he’s kicking Clyde’s ass. We’re good.”

  Even Callen didn’t buy that.

  He knew better.

  “We’ll just keep an eye on you, if you don’t mind? You do your thing, and let us babysit,” Saint said.

  “Wow. He talks.”

  He turned around and looked at her.

  “Wow, she’s sarcastic. For the record, I’ve been warned about you. I will use my Taser on you if I need to knock you out and get you to safety.”

  “Kinky. Do you say that to all of the girls?”

  He flushed red.

  Ivan patted his arm.

  “Don’t look directly at Medusa. She’ll turn you to stone. If she rides your ass, she likes you. If she ignores you, then you have a problem.”

  “Toad, can you stop telling all of my secrets?” she asked.

  “No.”

  She sighed.

  “There goes more of my street cred,” she said to Callen, who had silently been sitting beside her.

  “Yep.”

  She knew that tone.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He glanced over at her.

  “Yeah, I was just thinking about this case. That’s all. I was just wondering how far Gordon Downing will go to protect his ass.”

  “Far,” Saint stated. “My sister works in the White House. She’s an agent.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “Don’t worry, Director Blackhawk. She’s not on presidential duty. She works the motorcade. If someone was being raped, she’d step in. That’s not cool.”

  She believed him.

  Why?

  Most sane people would do the same.

  “I know he’s desperate,” Elizabeth stated, as they pulled up to Alfie Steiner’s home. “I know that he’ll do anything to keep this from blowing up anymore.”

  “Uh oh,” Ivan stated.

  “What?” Callen asked when both he and Saint pulled their sidearms.

  “Secret Service at high noon, Sheriff,” Ivan stated. He was joking, but his voice said it all.

  They were in for one hell of a mess.

  She saw the agent’s car, and she saw the two men standing there. One was on the phone while the other was trying to peek into Alfie’s home.

  That was…odd.

  “Well, let’s rattle some cages.”

  “You stay behind me,” Ivan stated. “Saint, you have our backs.”

  “On it.”

  Well, this was going to be her new norm. She’d stirred the hive, and she had to accept it. As they got out, the one agent hung up the phone.

  They both stood there.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” Elizabeth asked.

  The two men looked pissed and freaked-out all at once. That was concerning.

  “Let’s go,” the bigger one said.

  “Stop,” she stated. “You’re at a suspect’s house, on an active FBI case. Your boss is notoriously trying to make me cover shit up. What are you doing here?”

  They didn’t speak.

  “Okay, bring them in,” she stated, pulling her cuffs from her belt. “We can talk this out in an interrogation room.”

  They still didn’t move.

  “I’m sure the media, which follows me, will love to get your pictures circulating.”

  That had the desired effect.

  “Ms. Steiner didn’t show for work this morning, and we were sent here to check on her,” the one stated.

  That piqued her interest.

  “When did she last communicate with work?” she asked. That would give her a timeline.

  “She called in yesterday to say she was taking the day off, but that she’d be in today. When she didn’t show, we came out to check on her.”

  Elizabeth pointed at Saint and Ivan.

  “I need you both to secure the back of the house.”

  They looked at her like she was insane.

  “Uh, that would entail leaving you alone,” Ivan stated. “That’s not happening.”

  She sighed. Elizabeth didn’t need this now.

  “Callen?”

&n
bsp; “Saint and I will go,” he stated.

  “Thank you.”

  They headed off, pulling tiny earbuds from their pockets. Since they knew how rough it was going to get over the next few weeks, they were ready for anything.

  Elizabeth reached for her own and both Secret Service guys went for their guns.

  Ivan had his pointed at them, moving back and forth.

  “Don’t.”

  “I’m just going for my earbud,” she stated, holding it between her fingers.

  “They are in place,” Ivan stated.

  It was clear he was already wearing his.

  She popped hers into her ear.

  “Ivan, watch them,” she stated. “If they move, shoot them in their dicks for me. I don’t give a shit if they’re guilty or not. We’re done playing. The media is watching. Make it spectacular.”

  He nodded.

  “On it.”

  She headed toward the door and knocked.

  No one answered.

  When she went to ring the bell, she saw it. On the doorknob, there was a red smear.

  She pulled her gun.

  “Callen, I have blood. What do you and Saint see?” she asked.

  There was a pause.

  “Nothing. The kitchen is back here, and it’s fine. We have the woman’s purse and keys. She’s in there,” Callen stated.

  She didn’t doubt that.

  Elizabeth thought about the killings.

  The hookers were eliminated because they knew too much. Why wouldn't Alfie Steiner be on that list? She’d confronted Tiegan and the president.

  “I’m going to boot the door,” she stated. “Blood means probable cause.”

  “We’ll head in when you do,” Callen stated.

  She got into position.

  “Ivan, don’t let them move.”

  “Got it.”

  She knocked again.

  “Alfie Steiner! This is the FBI! We have reason to believe you’re in danger! Open the door!”

  She counted it off.

  Three.

  Two.

  One…

  Then she booted the door, busting it in. As it swung open, she saw the blood.

  “I have blood,” she stated, moving into the house.

  Callen warned her.

  “Be careful.”

  She didn’t reply. She was too busy clearing that foyer. Then, she saw the foot.

  Well, this was bad.

  Callen and Saint came from the back of the house, guns drawn as they, too, cleared the space. They stopped.