An Unlikely Hero (1)

by Tierney James

  When the truck slammed shut two other men casually exited the car. One appeared to be in charge for the other three didn’t move until he walked forward toward the Chinese restaurant on the side street. The leader then turned his face in Tessa’s direction before slipping on his sunglasses like a movie star in disguise. There was no mistaking that the man in the sunglasses was the same man in the photo at Enigma. Essid. Where was Enigma when you needed them?

  “It’s Tessa, Chase. She’s calling you.” Zoric gave the picture before him his yellow smile as he clicked to respond. “Tessa, are you safe?” Zoric tried to sound sincere and concerned; both difficult emotions for him.

  “Zoric?”

  “Yes, Tessa.” Just then another picture of a license plate of a black Volvo appeared on the phone screen. She must be right on top of the vehicle to get such a picture.

  “Essid is here!” she said in an excited whisper. “I saw them put Mr. Crawley in the trunk!”

  Chase grabbed the phone away from his partner. “Listen to me, Tessa. You need to get away from that car and find a safe place. I’ll come get you, then take care of Mr. Crawley. Do you understand?”

  “I was across the street from the Exxon station in Auburn. Essid and his thugs went into the China Garden restaurant about ten minutes ago. I’m going to help Mr. Crawley. He’ll die in the trunk. It’s an oven in there!”

  “No! Tessa, these people are dangerous. If they catch you…”

  “No time, Chase. Hurry. My blue Equinox is parked next to theirs. It’ll be easy to get him inside that way. He looked pretty frail.”

  “Don’t disconnect, Tessa!” And then she was gone. “Dear God in heaven,” Chase yelled as he hit the stirring wheel with his fist. “She’s going to get herself killed!” He slowed seeing an accident ahead. Traffic began to back up as flashing lights appeared on the scene. “I guess we won’t be getting any help from the locals,” Chase said as he spied the exit ramp just out of reach.

  The highway blocked any forward momentum. Not wasting another minute, Chase pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, down a ditch and up onto an outer road. Tires squealed at his sudden exhilaration toward the small town where he feared all hell was about to break loose. Would Tessa heed his warning or do what she usually did, seize the moment? With no understanding concerning the magnitude of her impetuous behavior, Tessa had so far been able to survive the last few days’ events unscathed. Either she had incredible luck or those angels she mentioned, were looking after her. Would it hurt if he prayed they continued to chart her course?

  Why had this woman been the victim of such random terror events, plunging her into his life? He wondered if this was God’s way of retaliating for his open disregard for religion and faith. His parents certainly had crammed that way of life down his throat right up until the time they were killed by the Chinese soldiers. His faith regenerated from the love of his little sister who never faltered in her faithfulness to God. Then he’d found her dead in her apartment, overdosed on heroine. The police said she’d been experimenting like a lot other college kids. But Chase knew she’d been murdered by a man she’d been seeing. The evidence said otherwise and the case closed as did the remaining scrap of faith he carried precariously in his heart. Fast forward to three days ago and Tessa Scott opens her front door, pretty as a soap commercial, the smell of baked bread earlier in the morning wafting through the house, pictures of family on the wall, and a view of the garden he couldn’t get out of his head. The surreal feeling of coming home stunned him so suddenly that he had nearly forgotten the reason he’d rang the doorbell. The reluctant cloak of courage Tessa displayed over these past few days earned Chase’s admiration. Tessa, unaware of the profound effect her tenacity had on Chase, forced him to acknowledge for the first time in years that there really might be good in the world. That good was no other than Tessa Scott. And now he was afraid of losing her.

  Having parked in the sun, the trunk’s temperature moved toward 140 degrees. Mr. Crawley heard someone outside speaking to him. What did it matter? Those men were monsters and this is where he would die, robbing them of his assistance to further their terror. Were they taunting him?

  “Mr. Crawley! It’s me! Tessa!” She tried the doors of the car and found them locked so the hope of popping the trunk faded quickly. “I’m going to get you out. Can you hear me?”

  Mr. Crawley couldn’t believe his ears. “Mrs. Scott?” His voice, weak from exhaustion and thirst, could barely be heard.

  Tessa instructed Mr. Crawley to look for a cable beneath some carpeting. Nothing. “Okay, look behind a panel of sheet metal and pull the cable.” A click followed and Tessa lifted the lid to see a withered and bruised old man she hardly recognized. Mr. Crawley had always looked fit and clean whenever she’d seen him. Here lie a dirty, scared human who looked more like a homeless person who had roamed the streets for months. Struggling to get him out of the trunk, perspiration began to form on her back and arms. She’d left her car running so the air conditioner would cool off her passenger. As she helped him slide into the front seat she handed the old man a bottle of cool water. “Drink slowly, Mr. Crawley.”

  “How…how…” he swallowed the water, “did you find me?”

  A shadow slowly fell across her body. “Yes, indeed, Mrs. Scott,” came a calm and calculating voice. “How did you find us?”

  Tessa turned slowly to see Essid standing a few feet from her with his arms crossed in front of him.

  Chapter 19

  The president of the United States, Buck Austin, stared out the windows of the oval office pondering his upcoming meeting with his Home Land Security Secretary. The secret organization, Enigma, which he’d conceived as the CIA Director would be the topic of conversation. Enigma was a source of pride for him. There were things the CIA could no longer accomplish thanks to the former President Chavez, the first Mexican American president. A liberal of monumental proportions, the former president began making rigid rules for the secret organization after a wealthy website entrepreneur released stolen documents, emails and text messages from the State Department and the Pentagon. Ten corporations began to meet secretly with the director to form Enigma, fully funded by their billions of dollars in order to make the country a safer place to live. Having secured legal documents preventing sponsors from interfering with the work that occurred under the Enigma title the president felt confident its director would operate freely.

  He knew that greed motivated the initial interest and backing of Enigma, not national security. Geopolitical conflicts around the world stunted business growth. But the president soon proved to them that a safer America was good for business. The organization would fall under the protection of Homeland Security. Only the director of that cabinet post and the president would know the full extent of their reach and capabilities. The CIA, NSA, and FBI knew of Enigma, but continued to dance around the truth of its purpose, only knowing that their own work benefited from the secretive, sometimes questionable means in which Enigma operated.

  Even before Buck Austin took office, Enigma began to set up shop in universities all over the country. Here the brightest and most talented people were recruited and trained, all the while working toward a more educated populace. Nothing suspicious about intellects wanting to attend a university. The coming and goings of political and military personnel trying to better themselves would appear to be nothing out of the ordinary. Benign activities failed to draw attention from the liberal media. Now located at over twenty universities throughout the country, Enigma had become the watchdog of Homeland Security. Even though most of the employees of these institutions continued to be uninformed of their proximity to the everyday job of protecting the county, they worked and complained as you might find in any other place of employment. The authenticity of wanting a raise, more time off, lower tuition, and more help, provided a deceptive cloak that added a layer of protection needed by Enigma.

  The commander-in-chief reflected on his predecessor. In spite of
the fact that Chavez had been a one term president enough damage had been done to national security, military preparedness and contacts abroad, that now, Buck Austin, began pushing all his agencies to make up for four years of complacent head-in-the-sand politics. His no nonsense attitude toward terrorism was perceived as a little over the top, but that’s why the American people had chosen him. They loved that western sheriff mentality he brought from Texas to Washington D.C. Although the press presented the president as rude and arrogant, the American public felt like for once, someone was on their side. It was often said he had the manners of Harry Truman, the imagination of Ronald Reagan, the savvy of George Herbert Bush and the patience of General Patton. No one totally liked him, but everyone respected him. When his staff began looking ahead to the next election and tried to tone down his rhetoric President Austin made it perfectly clear he’d not jeopardize the country’s future by worrying about the next caucus in Iowa.

  Every Enigma section had a director, but they all answered to Benjamin Clark. The president didn’t like many people in politics, especially congress, but he admired Benjamin Clark and trusted him completely. He didn’t care that the prime minister of Israel was Ben’s half-brother. In his opinion it was more of an asset rather than a conflict of interest.

  Tobias Stewart, the Homeland Security Secretary, entered the president’s office and extended his hand. “Mr. President.”

  “Sit down, Tobias, and tell me what Ben and his team are up to. I’ve read the brief on Lion’s Breath. Got that Essid character under lock and key yet?”

  “Getting close, Mr. President.” Tobias waited until the president was seated before he found a place on the tightly upholstered fabric of the couch. “Mrs. Scott spotted him just minutes ago.”

  The president smiled with a nod. “How is it that her name keeps popping up? Does she work for us?”

  Tobias returned the smile. “Not yet, Mr. President.”

  Essid undressed Tessa with his eyes as he placed designer sunglasses on his nose and pushed them up with one finger. “So we finally meet, Mrs. Scott.” Essid touched the back of his head gently remembering how hard she’d slugged Jamaal with a rolling pen, giving Chase Hunter the advantage. “How is it that you know Captain Hunter?” He smiled revealing straight teeth that had been whitened. As he spoke one of his thugs pushed Tessa aside and pulled Mr. Crawley from the car. To steady him, Tessa tried to slip an arm around his waist. He made a feeble effort to stand on his own, removing her hand in defiance. “I’ll ask you one more time…” Essid now spoke through gritted teeth.

  “He showed up at my house just before you did.” She spoke quickly, hearing the growing irritation in Essid’s voice. “I never saw him before.”

  Essid looked behind him at one of his men and motioned for him to start their car.

  “He’ll be here any minute!” she blurted a little too quickly. “I sent him a picture of your license plate and car. By now every cop in California is looking for you,” Tessa said trying to sound confident as she raised her chin.

  Essid chuckled. “Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Scott, for that heads up. I guess our plans have changed then.”

  Tessa realized she’d given her only edge away through her own fears as Essid’s thug retrieved the Enigma phone from her front seat. He turned it on and began searching for something. “I think we’ll be taking a few pictures in a bit,” he smiled satanically.

  “There!” Zoric pointed as several men screeched tires peeling out of the parking lot and onto the street. “Look out!” Just then one of the men stuck his automatic weapon out the window and began spraying Chase’s Hummer with bullets. He swerved onto a curb, taking out a UPS mailbox and newspaper case. Having to back up gave Essid and his men time to escape through the streets. “I couldn’t tell if she’s in there, Chase.” Zoric checked his weapon but knew he wouldn’t fire as long as Tessa and Mr. Crawley might be in the Equinox. His phone vibrated. “They’ve got her, Chase!” Zoric said showing him the picture of Tessa and Mr. Crawley bound and gagged in the back of the Equinox.

  The blue Equinox raced east out of town. “Vernon, I need your eyes,” Chase said forcefully, trying to focus on the problem at hand instead of the outcome possibilities.

  Vernon said quickly, knowing Mrs. Scott was on board the runaway vehicle. “I’ll have On Star locked in to my network in six minutes.”

  “We might not have six minutes, Vern!” Minutes began turning into miles as both cars raced forward through the countryside. “I see road construction signs, Vern. Looks like a bridge repair.”

  “Right. There’s road construction on your side of the bridge. That should slow them down.”

  Chase pursued at a reckless speed, trying to get a visual on the Equinox. “I see it!” Zoric leaned forward in his seat. “They’re not slowing down!” he continued as they passed a road work ahead sign.

  The Equinox approached the orange vested men at work too fast. The vehicle swerved then over corrected as it crashed into the left side of the bridge, flipping it over the top like a child’s toy. The workers ran to the side, in time to see it crash below. Chase and Zoric braked hard and exited the Hummer and rushed just as the Equinox exploded.

  Zoric paled as he pulled out a cross that hung around his neck and kissed it. “Dear God in Heaven,” he said incredulously.

  The two Enigma men didn’t wait around for the proper rescue workers to arrive on the scene. Both knew there wouldn’t be anything left to find with a full tank of exploded gasoline burning below. Vernon had heard everything and solemnly voiced concern about telling Tessa’s family about the accident. Chase did not respond as he glared out the windshield of his Hummer, heading back toward Auburn. Zoric informed Vernon they were going to check out the other vehicles on the parking lot where Tessa sent her last communication. Maybe someone witnessed the kidnapping and could fill in the gaps. As they slowly rounded the corner of the street where Tessa had spotted Essid, the flashing lights of a fire engine, ambulance and police blocked off the parking lot. The two Enigma men parked the Hummer and slowly crossed the street to see if maybe Essid’s vehicle had also been torched during the escape. Several officers were gathering spent shells left by the spray of bullets.

  He heard an officer questioning someone in the back of the ambulance then a voice he recognized; a soft frightened voice that had been a source of irritation for the last three days. Both he and Zoric froze and looked at each other in shock. Another officer stopped them until both flashed a badge and were motioned on toward the ambulance. Sitting on the step of the rescue vehicle, Tessa nodded when the officer spoke to her as she looked at Mr. Crawley sitting on a gurney behind her. She reached back patting his leg and smiled sweetly before taking a sip of bottled water.

  “And you have no idea who these men were?” the officer questioned with a glum face.

  “None, officer,” Tessa lied like a pro, Chase noticed as he stopped some five feet from her. When her blue eyes glanced his way then locked on him, Chase felt that hammering pain in his chest again. He folded his arms tightly across his muscled chest in mock displeasure as the paramedic applied a bandage to her forehead. A bruise had begun to form over one eye and a small cut on her bottom lip showed traces of dried blood.

  “And you say there were three of them?”

  Chase noticed Mr. Crawley reach out and put his hand on Tessa’s shoulder.

  “Yes. Three men. Looked like college age boys.”

  The officer shook his head in disgust. “Probably had too much to drink on the river and looking for a little thrill with all their fake courage. Booze and guns. Dangerous combination.”

  “And your name?” another officer readied his pencil.

  Her eyes went to Chase. “Melanie. My name is Melanie Glenn. I’m sorry. I have no identification. It was all in the car.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Glenn. We’ll take you to the emergency room if you’re ready.”

  Chase and Zoric stepped forward, flashing their badge. “We’ll
take it from here, officer.”

  The officer looked at the badge then at Chase and only briefly at Zoric. “You boys from Sacramento don’t usually get up here. What’s up?”

  “We’ve been following a few leads on some punks from Sac causing problems up this way. They made the mistake of harassing the governor’s daughter.”

  “No explanation for stupid.”

  “Got that right,” Chase said slapping the officer on the back as he looked at Tessa. “If these two feel up to it, we’d like to take them with us. Sounds like they had a run in with our guys. We’ll have someone retrieve the car too. Could be evidence. The governor wants this resolved ASAP. I’ll mention you in my report.”

  The officer pulled his chest back and straightened his shoulders. “Sure. Go ‘head. Hope you get your man.”

  Chase offered his hand to Tessa which she grabbed eagerly and scooted off the step. Zoric assisted Mr. Crawley and together they all walked toward the Hummer. Tessa shook Chase’s hand from her elbow and growled: “I want to see my family now! You have an assassin watching over them and she doesn’t even work for you! I was such a fool to trust you.”

  “Your family is safe. If you would have just waited I could have…”

  Tessa stopped short as he opened the car door. “Wait for what? Another fabricated story? Another reason I have to stay?”

  As Tessa buckled herself into the passenger side of the vehicle, Chase leaned in inches from her face. “I thought you were dead.” It was hard to read such a calm voice.

  Tessa sniffed and rolled her eyes. “Well if I left it up to you to rescue me I would be!”

  Chapter 20

  Benjamin Clark stood staring out his six story office window. The sun beat down on the students walking to and from class among the manicured landscaping and red brick pathways. Although he couldn’t hear the outside, Ben knew their voices probably were light and carefree as they chatted about an upcoming test or local coffee house where they could study later in the day. The movement of leaves and branches spoke of a summer breeze; one that was much needed on such a hot day. He laid his hand on his stomach, as if by doing so the ache would vanish. He tried to remember what he’d eaten at lunch that soured his stomach. The movement of fluffy white clouds across a sharp blue sky distracted him long enough for the pain to ebb. Lost in the common, every day movements of the world outside his office, Ben pretended nothing ever changed, people were basically good and students were actually here to improve themselves. He spotted a lost dog meandering along the walkway below, looking for someone to pat him on the head or be offered some kind of snack. Ben watched the dog stop wagging its tail and find a shady spot to lie down.