He watched Eduardo bite his lip. His bride sprung from his arms, and he noticed the light bulb going off in her head. His stomach tightened.
She grabbed Tamara’s hand. “Let’s go see General Pearson. Maybe he’ll be able to have David work on your case. I know he can find the man that did it!”
The Cast of Characters in The Redemption Series
The Secret Agents:
General John Pearson
Colonel Jerry Lee “JL” Johnson
Agent David Lambrecht, aka Cupid, aka David Henning
Agent Eduardo Clemente, aka Eduardo Soares
Agent Jimmy Hollinger
Agent Alain Dusseault
Agent Gilbert
Pilot Tony “Cookie” Cooke
Staff
Agent Washington and his security force
Betty, the General’s secretary
Dr. Earle
Ellen, the candy striper
Drug Traffickers, criminals and associates:
Senator Joe Everett
Albert Santoro
Dr. Bill Payne
Darla Wilde, aka Darla Winston
Sylvie Mason
“Z” the assassin
Juan Rodriguez
Alfonso Pizarro
The Beverly Hills Families:
The Aldridge Family
George & Marion
Debbie
Grammy (deceased)
The Bainbridge Family
Bud & Dottie
Cindy (Cin)
Doug
Rod & Julie
Geoff & Susan
Glori Coulson—“adopted” at age 14
The Coulsons
Don & Jenny
Glori
Friends
Tamara Everett
Kendra Cole
Becky
The Salzburg Families
The Lambrecht Family
Frederick & Maria
David
Paul Daniel (Danny) (deceased)
Cat (Catherine) Connors (cousin “adopted” at age 5)
The Clemente Family
Francisco & Camellia
Cisco
Eduardo
Paulo
Dr. Nita (Anita) Lopez-Garcia (Eduardo’s fiancée)
The Dominguez Family
Papa Roberto (grandfather) & Rosa (deceased)
Roberto & Sofia
Raphael
Music Industry
Aubrey Rose, pop icon, international superstar
Joe Harris, manager
Doug Bainbridge, producer
Robby Wilson, musician
Kurt Schneider, musician
Debbie’s Doctor
Dr. Gallagher
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Read an Excerpt from Book 2 in The Redemption Series:
Fame, Fortune & Secrets
Debbie
The news broke the day after David and I returned to Los Angeles from our honeymoon in Austria. One of David’s girlfriends turned up dead, and the other disappeared. Since David was a secret agent, this was terrible news.
Early that morning, David had dropped me off to spend the day with my best friend Cindy Bainbridge. I knew he always worried about me, and the Bainbridge mansion had the very best security. Plus I had so much to discuss with Cindy. I brought the album from our trip so I could show her everything. And I presented her with a painting I’d done of our new home near Salzburg. She loved it almost as much as I did, and promised me she’d visit us there.
Cindy gave me a big hug, and we settled down to tea and muffins on the patio, the album at the ready.
But Glori ran over with a tabloid paper yelling, “Turn on the TV!” Then she tossed the newspaper onto the table. “Quick!”
The tone in her voice brought me back to the time in the hospital when she yelled at Cindy to turn on the TV because our family friend, Senator Everett, and all his bodyguards were murdered and thrown into the ocean. That was last December 26th, the day I first met David.
We’d been through a lot in the last six months, but as I scanned the paper I knew this could really be trouble.
There was a picture of David on the front page, dressed in his uniform. The other picture showed a pretty woman with large breasts and a low-cut outfit. It said she was a performer at a gentleman’s club. The headlines were disturbing.
Secret Agent Drug Dealer Sex Scandal: “We lived in luxury on government money … He kept us both as love slaves!” – Stripper Sylvie Mason tells her own true story!
Before Glori could turn on the TV, or I could read any more, Agent Washington, the man in charge of security, appeared in the doorway.
“Mrs. Lambrecht, General Pearson’s secretary called. The General wants you to come with me now. If you like, Miss Bainbridge and/or Miss Coulson can accompany you.” He swept the newspaper from in front of me, as I remembered, yes, I’m Mrs. Lambrecht now. And it thrilled me all over again.
Cindy and Glori did not look thrilled.
“Let me change. I’ll be just a minute.” Cindy patted my arm and looked at Glori.
“I’m comin’ too.” Glori nodded. She’d never miss an opportunity to get involved in a juicy story.
Cindy reached down to hug me. “It’s going to be okay, honey.”
But I think she said that to convince herself.
Glori studied my face, her hard green eyes boring into mine. Then she smiled her movie star smile at Cindy. “Yup, Cin. Denial is a river in Egypt.”
David
After he’d greeted his friends and colleagues in the conference room, David took a seat at the table. It had been almost a month since he’d seen them, and they quizzed him about his honeymoon.
General Pearson walked through the door and ended the conversation. As the four men stood, he addressed David. “Lambrecht, I need to speak with you privately. In my office.” He left as his secretary deposited four large folders on the table. David followed the General to his office.
Pearson stood at his large, sunny window, overlooking the base. A newspaper was tucked under his arm. “David. Have a seat please.”
He sat. What now?
“Sylvie Mason is dead, David. I’m sorry.”
“What?” Shock and sadness overtook him.
“Yes, it was a heroin overdose. She killed herself.”
He shook his head. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t believe she killed herself – not intentionally.”
“I’m afraid there’s more to it.” Pearson unrolled the paper and laid it on the desk facing him. “She told her story to the Weekly World Gossip, and then last night, before the story came out, she overdosed on heroin. Of course, now it’s all over the news. My phone’s been ringing off the hook all morning. The media kept showing those photos of you and Clemente the night you caught up with Santoro. She must have seen them.” He rubbed his face and returned to the window.
David looked down at the front page of the Weekly World Gossip. A photo of him in his uniform appeared beside Sylvie’s. Where would they get a photo of him in uniform? His gut twisted as he read the headline. What would this do to Debbie? How much more of this shit could he put her through? How could she still love him?
“And also, David –” Pearson paused to make sure he heard him. “Darla Wilde is gone. Disappeared.” He shook his head. “Agent Washington is on the way with Debbie and her friends. He told me Glori showed up with the paper before he could stop her. He said Debbie got a glimpse of it. I’m sorry. I know it would be best if she found out from
you.”
Eduardo
Eduardo, Alain, and Jimmy sat in the conference room perusing the Weekly World Gossip.
“Wow. Look at those boobs.” Jimmy closely examined the photo of Sylvie Mason apparently at work at a gentleman’s club. He glanced up at his friends. “Kind of like the anti-Debbie, huh?”
Eduardo bit his lip so as not to laugh, watching Alain covering his smirk and the General standing in the door with the paper. Jimmy caught on and hesitantly looked around as Pearson spoke.
“Yeah – the anti-Debbie – that’s about it.”
Pearson lowered himself into his chair and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “Lambrecht will be here in a minute. He’s pretty upset. I guess he’s embarrassed for his wife and family more than anything else. Of course, he’s been worried about Debbie’s weak heart anyway. This won’t help matters.” Pearson let out a groan. “I told him to go throw some cold water on his face.”
As Pearson updated the men on Sylvie Mason’s suicide and resulting media storm, David took his seat beside Eduardo.
Pearson leaned back in his seat. “A quick perusal of the internet tells us we’re in for a bumpy ride. I knew once this music thing started with your families, there’d be trouble. I thought we might bypass it by getting you four started with the new training program before their music really took off. But it doesn’t look promising. We’ve got pictures of the four of you with them, and now that you’re doing security for that big concert – well there’s loads of opportunity for the paparazzi. Then we have all the video and newspaper photos taken that night you got Santoro and his gang.
I suspect it won’t be long before they’ve got you all tied up in some crazy media frenzy. Washington is already taking notice – they’re on my case to nip this thing in the bud. I doubt we can avoid a scandal, but I’ve decided to call Joe Harris. He has all kinds of experience with the media, and since he’s handling your families’ newfound music careers, he’s a logical choice to help.”
Eduardo rolled his eyes. Joe Harris would be on the side of the dollar sign. And that would be with his little brother’s band.
Pearson’s secretary appeared in the doorway and announced Joe Harris. The General got up and went to usher him in personally. Joe waved a half-chewed cigar at the men and threw a battered briefcase on an empty chair. He took a seat at the far end of the table across from the General and leaned back in the chair as Pearson briefed him on the events of the past hours.
He pondered a few moments and burst into cackling laughter. The men looked at him with confusion.
Joe chomped on his unlit cigar. “Sounds like you were the envy of every guy in the world.”
Pearson led a chuckle at David’s expense.
“Just got a few questions, David.” David turned his blank stare to Joe. “Did you ever love Sylvie Mason?”
“No.”
“You just used her for sex?”
“Yes. And at first, to help establish connections.”
“And this person, Darla Wilde – love the name, by the way. You used her for sex? And for connections?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t love her either?”
“No.”
“And when was the last time you had sex with either one of them?”
David thought for a moment. “It was December 28th.”
“And which one was it?”
“Both.”
Joe choked on a piece of his cigar. Alain slapped him on the back.
“Yeah. I guess you did live every guy’s dream.” Joe shook his head. “Well from listening to you and reading this prestigious paper – it looks like her story was pretty factual.”
“According to her perception,” David said.
David wasn’t going to take bullshit from anyone.
Joe sniffed. “Well you supported these two strippers in an expensive house and you had sex with them – usually both of them at once. That true?”
“Yes.” David was deadpan.
Pearson interceded. “Joe, you need to understand this was an undercover operation. Lambrecht had to assume the guise of a notorious drug dealer. These are not nice people.”
“Yeah. It sure was an undercover operation.” Joe’s cackling was infectious. “Look, I’m just lookin’ at this story like Joe and Jane Average. Talk about their perceptions. Did you notice here on page two – here – where they’re reading about Sylvie lusting after him – and his – attributes –” Joe threw the paper onto the desk. “Sorry, even I have trouble reading that stuff.” He reached for the pitcher of water, poured a glass, and sipped it as though he were in slow motion. The men sat silently watching him.
Joe spoke at last. “Amanda James. I think we should call Amanda James.”
Pearson’s mouth dropped open.
“Hear me out, General. I have an excellent relationship with her, and she’s one of, if not the, top journalist in the country. She’s articulate. She’s fair and balanced. And her show is the most popular news magazine show in the country. If I offer her an exclusive, which is what we want anyway, she’ll drop everything for this story. And I can sweeten the deal with some incentives for her, like some exclusives with Paulo and the band. These kids are so talented, they’re already news. Let’s face it, their album sales are gonna go through the roof with just this Weekly World Gossip story. Even if we didn’t do another thing. And I think it’s important to get on this immediately, before any more stories come out in the papers tomorrow or speculation begins on the nightly news on TV.”
Joe grabbed for the phone in his briefcase. “The critical thing, General, is to get our story out there right away – deal with the facts in a truthful, straightforward way. No cover-ups. And we have the advantage of having the story told by Amanda James, not some creepy tabloid. She brings legitimacy to our story. And if we play our cards right, everyone will get what they want. You will have the admiration of every kid out there that wants to fight crime with such a glamorous career in the elite Special Forces. Amanda gets the story of a lifetime. Paulo and the band get filthy rich. And of course, their manager does alright, too.” Joe victoriously inhaled the scent of one of Cuba’s finest cigars.
The others looked at each other in stunned silence.
The Redemption Series:
Book One: Killer Cupid
Book Two: Fame, Fortune & Secrets
Book Three: In the Name of Glori
Contact: [email protected]
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Killer Cupid (The Redemption Series: Book 1) Page 26