Without even as so much as a glance to anyone else in the house, Ngoni slipped his hand into hers and headed to the door. “Do you think it’s too late to play basketball tonight?”
“If so, the hoop will still be there when you wake up tomorrow,” Josslyn chuckled.
“That was easy,” she said to Agent Groesch once they’d made it outside.
“Too easy,” the other woman murmured in disgust. “I mean what if we were sex traffickers?”
Josslyn tightened her grip on Ngoni’s hand. He was safe now. She and Adam would protect him. They were a team. She smiled in relief as they stepped off the curb.
Seconds later, all hell broke loose.
The motorcycle came from nowhere, it’s engine revving loudly in the night. Agent Groesch reached for her gun as she stepped in front of Josslyn and Ngoni. The driver—dressed in all black and wearing a black helmet—turned the motorcycle sharply taking Agent Groesch out at the legs. She cried out as she went down, the sound of her head hitting the pavement reverberating through the quiet neighborhood. A gunshot echoed and Josslyn realized there was a second motorcycle with a passenger on the back who was holding Adam and the FBI agents at bay. The gunmen stood between her and Adam.
“Give me the boy,” the driver of the first motorcycle ordered.
Josslyn pulled Ngoni behind her. “No!”
Adam swore loudly enough for them all to hear. The second driver fired another round toward the agents pinned at the end of the block. Agent Groesch groaned. The passenger on the second bike jumped off and kicked Agent Groesch’s gun beneath a car.
“Give me the boy,” the driver repeated.
Whoever they were, they wanted Ngoni alive. But they’d have to go through her to get him.
A shot pinged off the fender of one of the motorcycles. The distraction offered her enough opportunity to pull Ngoni behind a minivan parked at the curb. Another bullet ricocheted off the pavement as she yanked Agent Groesch to safety. With them out of the way, a volley of gunfire was exchanged. Josslyn was relieved to hear sirens close by. She motioned for Ngoni to slide beneath the van. She was just about to follow him when one of the motorcyclists rounded the corner and dragged Ngoni out by the leg.
“Leave him alone!” she shouted over the boy’s shrieks.
The man clasped a hand over Ngoni’s mouth and turned toward his accomplices. She heard Adam yell to the agents to hold their fire. The motorcycles revved their engines as the sirens drew closer. Agent Groesch groaned again. Josslyn glanced down at the woman sprawled out next to her.
I always have a spare here no matter what I’m wearing.
Josslyn reached beneath the other woman’s pant leg and pulled out her revolver. The sound of the police sirens nearly drowned out the motorcycles. Ngoni shrieked again as the man dragged him toward one of the bikes. Cocking the gun, Josslyn stood up and aimed. A second later the man holding Ngoni went down in a heap on top of the boy. A line of police cruisers swerved into view. The motorcycles took off in different directions, both of them going airborne over curbs to escape.
“Don’t move, Joss!” Adam yelled.
“Federal agents!” another voice shouted at the same time.
“Ngoni, stay down!” Josslyn called out. She could hear the boy’s sobs against the pavement.
Agent Groesch was struggling to sit up just as Adam arrived. He glanced from Josslyn to his partner and back to Josslyn again, confusion in his eyes.
“Wait, you took that shot?”
Josslyn huffed as she handed him the gun and raced over to where the FBI agent was helping Ngoni off the ground.
“Nice shot,” the agent remarked.
She quickly turned away from the shattered motorcycle helmet and the dead man wearing it and pulled a shaken Ngoni into her embrace. Adam was by her side in an instant.
“He’s right. That was a remarkable shot. Especially for someone who considers all guns to be evil.”
“They are evil.” She rubbed Ngoni’s back. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use one. I grew up in Texas, for crying out loud. Daddy took me to the shooting range when I was nine.”
Chaos reigned around them as the different sets of law enforcement tried to sort things out. But Adam simply stared at her, dumbfounded.
“What?”
“Do you have any idea how incredible you are?” he asked.
“Oh, please. Next, you’ll be telling me that my being able to shoot turns you on.”
The corners of his mouth turned up in a wolfish smile. “Actually, it does, kind of.”
She should be appalled. Really. Instead, she was happy to be alive. Happy that Ngoni was safe and in her arms. And a little giddy to have Adam looking at her the way he was.
Agent Groesch chose that moment to wobble over to them. “What the hell just happened?”
*
The Secretary of Homeland Security pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me see if I can get this straight. Two Secret Service agents allowed the president’s sister-in-law to walk into the middle of a damn shootout tonight. And during that time, a man was killed? Shot by Miss Benoit, no less!”
“Doctor,” Adam mumbled from his seat in the corner of the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room.
Director Worcester leveled a pointed look in Adam’s direction. He’d told Adam that he was to speak only when spoken to, but it was no use. Adam’s ass was already cooked. He’d thrown protocol to the wind more times than he could count on this detail. But at least he’d demand some respect for Josslyn who, reckless as she was, acted with the best intentions.
“I didn’t catch that, Agent Lockett. What did you say?” the secretary asked tersely.
Adam sat up straight in the leather chair. “It’s Doctor Benoit. She’s not just the president’s sister-in-law. She’s a well-respected scientist who feels very strongly about her convictions. Tonight was no exception.”
Director Worcester squirmed in his seat.
The secretary stood at the head of the conference table with his hands on his hips. Over his shoulder, the famous portrait of Teddy Roosevelt as a Rough Rider hung on the wall seemingly mocking him. “And am I to understand that tonight’s fiasco was because Doctor Benoit wanted to babysit a young African boy who comes from a village known to harbor an international animal trafficking ring? The same boy who is currently enjoying milk and cookies upstairs?”
“That’s correct, sir,” Adam replied.
Although he doubted things were quite so rosy in the residence. Ngoni was a bit shaken up by the entire incident. Arriving at the White House hadn’t eased his nerves any. The poor boy envisioned he’d be staying in a suburban home with a basketball hoop over the garage door, not a damn castle with a bowling alley, a movie theater, and helicopter pad along with an actual basketball court. It was a lot to take in for a boy who’d come from a small village in Zimbabwe.
We’re not in Africa anymore, Toto.
“Any chance we can keep the details of this incident under wraps?” The president’s chief of staff looked up from the pad he was doodling furiously on. “Particularly the part about Doolittle firing a kill shot?”
There was a feeling of awe bubbling up in Adam’s chest again. He’d meant what he’d told Josslyn. She was incredible. Not because she could make that shot, but because she did it despite her hatred for anything gun related. Once again, she did what she had to do to make things right.
“It was dark out there.” While the darkness worked to Josslyn’s advantage, Adam was frustrated that he couldn’t get a clear view of the license plates on the motorcycles. “We didn’t even see who fired the gun. There’s no way anyone else could.”
The president’s chief of staff nodded.
“And the boy?” the secretary asked. “What’s his real significance?”
Given the violent attempt to kidnap Ngoni, Adam suspected that he was the key to whatever the hell was going on among the poachers. He kept his theories to himself, however. There were some loose ends he
needed to discuss with Ben and Griff.
“We’re still trying to figure that out,” the director responded. “Unfortunately, Agent Shaw is no longer able to fill us in on the details.”
A reverent silence settled over the windowless room for a long moment.
“Then it’s a good thing you have us,” Griffin said as he and Ben hurried into the conference room. “Because we have details.”
“I thought you left the service, Agent Keller?” the chief of staff groaned. The man was still trying to recover from the media fallout after a murdering art thief terrorized Marin and other members of the White House staff earlier that year.
“Just helping out a friend tonight.” Griffin took a chair at the conference table, motioning for Adam to join him. “It’s just as we thought. There is a second ring trying to take over the supply routes for the animal trafficking.”
Ben sat down on Adam’s other side and flipped open his laptop. “And from the looks of it, Shaw was using the dark web to pit the two against one another in hopes of flushing out both the suppliers and the financiers.”
“Until someone figured it out and he ended up dead,” Adam concluded.
“Exactly.” Ben ran his finger over his mouse. “Now all we need to figure out is which one.”
“That’s a job for Metro PD and the FBI,” the secretary stated. He glared at Adam. “Your job is to protect Doctor Benoit. That is all.”
“With all due respect, sir, this case is very relevant to her protection. And the boy with her,” Adam replied. “As you pointed out, we think he may be the link somehow.”
“Not to mention that Doctor Benoit may have unintentionally gotten herself mixed up in the crossfire between these two rival factions,” the director added.
“When does she not get herself mixed up in something dangerous?” The secretary exploded out of his chair.
“Nice to know my reputation precedes me.”
The rest of the men shot from their seats, surprised to see Josslyn poised at the threshold of the room. She’d changed from her glamorous dinner outfit to gray yoga pants and a long salmon-colored sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a messy knot behind her head. Adam took a step toward her but the president’s chief of staff beat him to her side.
“Josslyn, my dear, how are you?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m fine, Uncle Charlie. More importantly, so is Ngoni.” She flashed a charming smile at the secretary. “I’m glad I caught you, Mr. Secretary. I wasn’t sure if I should speak with you or the secretary of state.”
“That depends on the subject matter,” the secretary replied.
“I want to arrange for political asylum for Ngoni. His brother, Mandla, brought him to the United States to escape the violence surrounding the poaching rings in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, he was murdered this week. We can’t send an eleven-year-old boy back to Africa alone and defenseless.”
The secretary cleared his throat. “The process is rather complicated and tedious.”
“I’m sure with the proper nudge from the White House things can be moved along.” She smiled her princess grin at the chief of staff. “Isn’t that right, Uncle Charlie?”
“We’ll see what we can do.” He patted her on the shoulder.
Adam bit back a groan. If the man thought he’d deflect Josslyn with the old “we’ll see” technique, he had another think coming.
“Excellent,” she said with another one of those ethereal smiles. “How is Agent Groesch, Director Worcester?”
“She’s well,” the director informed her. “She has a harder head than Agent Lockett because she didn’t suffer a concussion.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said softly before finally directing her gaze at Adam.
Her normally bright eyes were dim. Adam’s breath hitched at the regret and sadness he saw reflected there. Those sassy lips of hers were swollen from where she’d been gnawing on them. She was suffering. No matter the circumstances, taking another life had affected her. Nothing could prepare anyone for it. There was a part of them that was never the same. Adam could relate.
“I’ll be sticking to the White House for the time being.” She uttered the words flatly. “No need for anyone else to get hurt on my account. Good night, gentlemen.”
Amid a chorus of good nights, she turned on her heel and slipped out of the room. Adam rose to follow her before Griff’s hand stopped him. His friend shook his head slightly.
“Well, that settles that,” the secretary declared. He looked at Ben and Griffin. “Whatever it is you think you have, give it to Shaw’s task force. If he was playing on the dark web, he had a damn good reason. And if he died as a result, that’s all the more reason to let his team handle this from here on out. Our priority is to keep Doolittle safe and sound. That’s it.” He pulled on his jacket. “Now, if we’ve solved this nonsense, I’m headed home. My grandchildren are visiting this weekend for Boo at the Zoo. I need to get some sleep before my house turns into camp chaos.”
With a beleaguered look at Director Worcester, the chief of staff followed the secretary out.
The director scrubbed a hand down his face. “Tell me she was serious about sticking close to home?”
“She’s rattled,” Adam guessed. “And likely filled with remorse.”
“We’ll do what we can for the boy.” The director stood. “Especially if he keeps Doolittle within theCrown.” He motioned to Ben’s computer. “Do as the secretary says and get that over to the task force. This isn’t our case.”
“Director Worcester,” Adam called after him.
“If you’re asking for another personal day, Agent Lockett, I’m inclined to deny it given how this one turned out.”
Adam swore under his breath. In the events of the past few hours, he’d completely forgotten about his father. He quashed the urge to check his phone. Right now, Josslyn needed his attention more.
“Is there someone in the administration I can talk to about sanctions on microchips?”
The director glared at Adam as if he’d sprouted a second head. “What the hell has that got to do with anything?”
“Tseng brought it up tonight. I’m just trying to figure out how it fits into all of this.”
The director narrowed his eyes. “There’s no need to figure any of it out. The secretary gave you three an order. I suggest you follow it.”
Ben’s fingers moved over his keyboard as soon as the director left the room.
“You think this is related?” Griffin asked.
Adam rubbed his aching temples. “Tseng wants Josslyn to have the president intervene on his company’s behalf. In exchange, he says he’ll give her the name of the person financing the ring of animal traffickers. If she doesn’t help him out, he’s threatened to publicize the names of all the GWC operatives.”
“Does Tseng even have that information?” Griffin sounded as skeptical as Adam felt.
“He very likely does.” Ben looked up from his computer. “According to Shaw’s files, he was very involved with the GWC’s covert operatives, using many of them to ferret out information on various traffickers.”
That explained how the task forced leader knew so much about Josslyn’s activities, Adam realized. “Shaw suspected Tseng. No way he’d give him that information. At least not willingly.”
“Except Shaw might not have been the only one with that information. According to the locator on his cell phone, before he met up with the poison dart outside the Department Interior, Shaw was over at the State Department.” Ben paused. “His calendar lists a meeting with Sumner.”
Leaning back in his chair, Adam closed his eyes against the harsh glare of the lights. “All roads lead back to that guy.”
“Or his wife,” Griffin added. “Do you think she got hold of the list somehow and gave it to Tseng?”
“I got the impression she’s ruthless. Tseng said Sumner’s wife would harm Ngoni.” Adam still felt guilty for not insisting Josslyn stay in the car. “Josslyn l
ed them right to the boy.”
“Ngoni is the key somehow,” Griffin stated the obvious.
Adam snapped his eyes open and stood. “Then I guess it’s time we find out how.”
Chapter Fifteen
“There’s just something about boys and dogs,” Terrie remarked.
The housekeeper and Josslyn stood in the third floor Center Hall looking on as Fergus snuggled up against Ngoni on one of the big leather sofas in the White House solarium. SpongeBob SquarePants was arguing with Mr. Krabs on the television, the cartoon captivating the boy’s attention.
“He seems to have settled in.”
Terrie nodded. “One of the ushers will stay with him tonight.” She patted Josslyn’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Children are resilient. He’ll be fine by morning.”
“If not, there’s always the basketball court to distract him.” Josslyn stepped into the room and kissed the sleepy boy on the head. She nodded to the usher keeping watch on her way out.
“How is he?”
Adam’s softly uttered question startled her. He was leaning a shoulder against one of the bookshelves lining the wall of the Center Hall. His posture looked relaxed, but he was studying her warily.
“Quiet.” Definitely a word she’d never used to describe Ngoni before.
He nodded. “How are you?”
She sighed deeply. “I don’t think sleep will come as easily for me.”
“Mmm.” He stepped away from the wall, carefully treading his way over to her. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“Don’t I?” Josslyn protested. “If I hadn’t involved Ngoni in all of this in the first place, those men wouldn’t have tried to kidnap him tonight. And I-I . . .” The words got stuck in her throat.
She didn’t realize she was shivering until Adam’s arms were around her.
“Hush.” He gathered her against him. “You did what you had to do.”
The steady rhythm of his heart beating against her cheek soothed her. “Does it ever go away? The guilt?”
“No.”
His quickly voiced honest response surprised a laugh out of her. She smacked him playfully before lifting her face to his. “You might have lied and said yes.”
Shot in the Dark Page 19