by Iris Bolling
He had missed so much in the last two years. His baby sister, Kandace’s wedding to her high school sweetheart, Wayne. His oldest sister Kennedy’s graduation and her becoming a medical examiner. “I hope they will be able to forgive me.” He said more to himself than to Sereena.
“They will. Once they know all the details,” she nodded. “They will understand you did it to protect them…all of them.”
“Yes, but what trouble will my return to the living bring?”
“That’s for us to workout,” she replied. “The SAC is setting things up as we speak. Your father is being keyed in on every step we are taking to bring you back in.”
“Who are they putting as the lead agent?”
“Me, of course. Did you think I would let anyone else take over at this point?”
“I’ve been away for two years, Sereena. The SAC may have different views on the actions we took back then.”
“Nope, in fact he is pissed about the leak.”
“Leak? What leak?”
He watched as Sereena sat back, smoothed her hair back then sighed. It was her telltale sign. For one, her hair was in a ponytail, leaving nothing out of place. Two, her eyes strayed away from his.
“I wasn’t supposed to know about the leak?”
“Nope.”
“But you are going to tell me anyway,” Cainan fixed his gaze directly on her face.
She sat up and sighed. “Look, I have been telling the SAC for almost a year, info was getting to Johnnie Giuliani that shouldn’t be. There were things that only a few agents and higher ups had access to, yet, Giuliani was prepared.”
Cainan sat forward, leaning closer towards her as if someone else was in the room. “Like what?”
“He knew potential court dates long before we did. And get this, I was talking with one of the DA investigators. He thinks Giuliani had a list of potential jurors. That’s why the DA rescheduled the last date.”
“The jury selection is random. How could anyone know who will be selected?”
“Good damn question,” Sereena replied.
“Agents wouldn’t have access to potential jurors, Sereena,” Cainan said as he considered other possibilities. “There has to be someone in the court system.”
“Or someone with access to the process.”
Cainan nodded his head to Sereena’s suggestion just as Agent Roark walked into the room.
“Mr. Scott, we haven’t officially met,” he extended his hand. “I’m Agent Byron Roark. I will be handling your transfer from Richmond to Newark.”
Cainan stood, taking the man’s hand. “Agent Roark,” Cainan nodded. “This is my partner from the Newark Field Office, Agent Sereena Chase.”
Sereena walked around the table and stood next to him, as she shook Roark’s hand. “It was my understanding that I was handling the transfer.”
“There must have been a miscommunication, Agent Chase. Mr. Scott is under our jurisdiction. To ensure his safety, I have been directed to personally, turn him over to the SAC in Newark.”
“Who gave that directive?” Sereena asked.
“I’m not certain you are cleared for that information Agent Chase.”
“If she is not, I am, Agent Roark,” Cainan spoke. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
There was a smirk on Roark’s face. “My job is to get you to Newark in one piece. I do not know Agent Chase, Mr. Scott. Although I’m certain she is an adequate agent, your life is my responsibility and I choose not to take chances with anyone I do not know.”
“I take it your SAC reamed your ass out about the Grace Dunning situation and instructed you to handle this without incident or he will have your job. Do I have it about right, Agent Roark?” Cainan stared at the arrogant man. “You don’t have to answer that. And by the way, it’s Agent Wagner,” Cainan calmly corrected the man. “Agent Roark. My name is Agent Wagner. Since it is my life at stake I think I will err on the side of an agent who will not allow personal emotions to overrule his better judgment when it comes to a person’s safety.” Cainan could see the man’s contempt on his face after the comment, but he didn’t care about Roark’s feelings, especially after the insult to Sereena.
Roark cleared his throat. “I think we are all on edge. The events of the last week have tested each of us in different ways.”
Cainan nodded, “I can agree all of our nerves are on edge. A conciliatory approach would be helpful in this situation.”
“You really need to erase that soft spot Wagner,” Sereena stepped between the two men as she glowered at Roark. “I can’t imagine the SAC would send this....agent to guard you.” She said while crossing her arms across her chest.
Cainan tried not to laugh at the look on Sereena ’s face. She looked at Roark as if he was an ant crawling towards her last bite of watermelon, ready to stomp the minute he got too close.
Cainan stepped in front of her. “No disrespect Agent Roark. I prefer to have my people escort me to Newark. My SAC made the arrangements for my return.”
“That is not up to me. I have an SAC that I have to answer to. He wants you under our surveillance until Newark takes charge.”
“Well, Newark is in the house,” Sereena announced. “Your services are not needed.”
“The Giuliani family is a large organization,” Roark stated. “Do you honestly believe you can get him back to New Jersey without them trying to eliminate him?”
“You are but one man, Agent Roark,” Sereena replied. “Do you honestly believe you can get him back without you getting eliminated? We both had the same training Roark. You put on your pants the same way I do. Only I’m almost certain I have more balls than you.”
Roark took a step towards Sereena, as she did the same.
Cainan put his arm out blocking Sereena. “The man has a point,” Cainan spoke. “There is no doubt Giuliani has to be getting desperate to try to eliminate me in the manner he has. In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if it was Giuliani at all.”
“What do you mean?” Sereena glared at him.
“Think about it. Johnnie is calculating and arrogant. He would want to look me in the eyes to make sure I knew it was him who took me out.” Cainan shook his head. “The long distance attempt isn’t his style.”
Sereena tilted her head as if taking what he said under consideration. “You could be right. Johnnie would want you to know. Then who?”
Before Cainan could say what was on his mind, there was a knock on the door.
“Excuse me, I was told to walk right in..”
“Jerome, “ Cainan relaxed. “It is good you came. Thank you.”
“Mr. Dunning asked me to ensure your safety.” Jerome glanced at Roark, “Agent Roark,” he nodded then turned extending his hand. “Jerome Morgan.”
“Agent Sereena Chase.” She shook his hand. “Newark Field Office.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jerome looked at Cainan. “How is the shoulder?”
“Hurts like hell,” Cainan replied rubbing the arm that was in a sling. “Drugs are beginning to wear off. A few tempers flaring and I have no idea where we go from here.”
“You are coming with me. Mr. Dunning has a safe house set up for you tonight. Agents Chase and Roark are welcome to join us.”
“I can’t agree with that, Jerome.” Roark argued.
“Don’t agree? No problem,” Jerome shrugged, “Don’t come.” He reached out to Cainan, taking his uninjured arm to guide him out of the door. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Roark called out as Jerome opened the door. “On whose authority?”
“Mine,” Jerome stated as he walked down the corridor with a few other agents watching.
“I like his take charge attitude, don’t you?” Sereena smiled as she followed them out the door.
“Wait a minute, Jerome,” Roark hurried out the door to follow them. “Scott is under our jurisdiction. You can’t just walk in here to take him out.”
Jerome stopped to face Roark. “Did I give the impression that I give a
damn about jurisdiction?”
Roark stopped in his tracks.
Cainan raised an eyebrow to Sereena as they watched the confirmation.
“Jerome,” Roark put up his hands as if surrendering to the situation. “Let’s be realistic. The minute you walk out that door, you will be going up against a crime family. The FBI’s protection is extensive. It would be smart to have a few agents accompanying you on the trip. That’s all I’m saying.”
Cainan watched as Jerome nodded. “As I said, you are welcome to join us Agent Roark. But Mr. Scott will be under my protection.” He turned. “Let’s go Cainan.”
“You know the Dunnings do not run the FBI.”
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, Agent Roark.”
When they reached the exit door, Jerome made eye contact with the SAC of the Richmond office. He nodded then continued out the door. The SAC put an arm up to stop Roark who was following Jerome.
“Back down Roark,” SAC Mattison ordered. “I don’t want to find your body parts spread out over Shenandoah Park.”
Cainan was placed in the back seat of the black SUV. The man in the passenger seat turned to him.
“So, you got my sister shot at?”
“Mike…” Cainan wasn’t able to finish his statement for Mike continued to lay into him.
“You knew your situation was dangerous. You knew you had a target on your back.” Mike huffed.
“Mike…”
“A mob family is trying to take you out and you thought it was a good idea to have my sister anywhere near you?” He yelled.
“Have you ever tried to stop AnnieMarie from doing anything she really wanted to do?” Cainan yelled back just as Sereena slid into the back seat beside him. He was waiting for Mike to come back at him. When he didn’t he looked up. Mike’s face was stone. His eyes were still angry but that anger was no longer directed at him.
“Who in the hell are you?” Mike asked.
“Who in the hell are you?” Sereena countered.
Jerome, who was in the driver seat, spoke. “Sereena Chase, Michael Dunning, he’s Scott Warner and I’m Jerome Morgan. Let’s get this gang on the road.”
Cainan glanced from Mike to Sereena then back to Mike. With a mob family trying to kill him and finding a way to get AnnieMarie to forgive him, the last thing he needed was to try to referee sexual tensions between his partner and Mike.
CHAPTER 3
Jerome pulled up to the gate of the sprawling estate of the late Walker Dunning Sr. He keyed in the code then pulled inside, followed by two other Black SUVs. He pulled in the circular driveway then parked.
“I’ll be right back,” Mike said as he jumped out of the passenger seat. He unlocked the front door. A total of eight men entered the house, then covered the grounds while Jerome waited with the motor running. Sereena had her weapon in her hand, eyes sweeping from the back to the front as they waited.
Cainan’s eyes scanned as far as he could in the darkness. The front lights came on blanketing the front lawn. The brightness made it appear to be daylight from the porch. He watched Mike as he came out the front door. Two men met him on the porch, spoke then retreated in different directions. Mike looked up then waved them inside.
Jerome turned off the vehicle. He walked around to the back passenger seat, scanned the area then opened the back door. Cainan stepped out and was quickly joined by Sereena, who walked in front of him as Jerome covered his back.
“Let’s get inside,” Jerome said as he scanned the area behind them.
Once inside, Sereena circled the huge room. “Whoa. Is this how Virginia do safe houses?” The entrance was empty of furniture, yet it was grand with hardwood floors, a beautiful white staircase, a fireplace and three sets of French doors that lead to other rooms.
“Private residence,” Jerome replied, as he guided them through one set of doors. “We have you set up back here. Men are stationed at every entrance and rooftop.”
They entered the kitchen that looked like a gourmet chef’s domain. They walked through a second door that appeared to be a bedroom suite with a sitting area. Two men were in the room. One standing at the entrance and another sitting on a sofa. Cainan walked over, with his good hand he punched the man standing at the entrance in his nose.
“Where in the hell were you?” He demanded. “For two years we prepared for an attack and when the time comes you weren’t there.”
Jerome stepped between Cainan and the man who was slumped over. “You missed a step, El. That bullet may not have hit it’s mark, but it was damn close. Unacceptable.”
El straightened from the blow. “You’re right. This got by me. You now have my word, it will not happen again.”
Cainan exhaled. “This attack took all of us by surprise.” He extended his hand to help the man up. “My bad man. I’m just….pissed.”
El shook his hand. “I’m with you. They will have to get through me to get to you.”
Cainan nodded accepting the man’s word. “This was unexpected.” He turned to Jerome. “The more I think about it, the more I doubt Johnnie Giuliani was involved.”
“You don’t think this came from the Giuliani family?” Jerome asked as Cainan took a seat on the sofa.
“I do not,” Cainan replied. “Johnnie is a perfectionist. He would have had a second and third backup to ensure the job was done.”
“If it wasn’t Johnnie, who do you think was behind that gun?” Sereena said as she sat in the chair across from him.
Cainan hesitated before answering. “Pauley.”
Cainan watched as Sereena slid from the chair to her knees on to the floor. He missed her drama filled antics.
“Oh kill me now, why don’t you.”
Cainan had to laugh out loud as she repeatedly slammed her hands on the floor.
“Just kill me now.”
Mike walked into the room and froze. “Nice ass,” he said at the sight of Sereena on all four and her behind up in the air. “Is she having a seizure?”
Cainan shook his head as he continued to laugh. “No just an adverse reaction to what she calls feminine stupidity. You’ll get used to them.”
“Do you need help getting up off the floor, little lady?”
“I’m not a damn little lady,” Sereena said as she took a deep breath then eased back into the chair. “I am the fucking FBI. Can I kill people for being annoying?”
Mike glanced at Cainan with a raised eyebrow.
Cainan held up a finger. “She’s not finished yet. Give her another minute.” He glared at Sereena. “We’ve had this discussion. No you cannot.”
Sereena grabbed the arms of the chair, threw her head back, then stretched out her legs and screamed, “Arguh!”
This time even Jerome smiled at her antics.
“She’s a part-time comedian,” Cainan cleared his throat. “Are you finished now?”
Sereena sat straight in the chair, took a deep breath then sighed. “Okay, I’m done.”
“Good,” Jerome nodded then glanced at Mike. “What’s the status?” Jerome asked.
“Two on the roof, one covering the front the other has the back view. One on the west end of the house and one on the east. Two patrolling the grounds.” Mike continued as he placed several black duffel bags on the floor. “The security system has been activated. The monitoring room in the basement is ready. Who is Pauley?”
Jerome nodded. “Warner was introduced to the Giuliani family by Shawn Bolton. The agency discovered Bolton was the middle man between one of the banks in Jersey and the Giuliani family. The agency placed Warner inside the bank as an employee. He befriended Bolton who in turn introduced him to Pauley Giuliani. As it turned out Pauley, is Giuliani’s youngest child. Warner gained access to pertinent family information through Pauley. Hence the take down of several divisions of the Giuliani family enterprise.”
Cainan and Sereena shared a look. He then glared up at Jerome. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I was let in on the
investigation.” Jerome replied then continued. “I believe this is Pauley’s doing and not Johnnie. However, Johnnie is not going to sanction a kill on one of his own.”
“No,” Cainan agreed. “More than likely he will double down on the effort.”
“You think Pauley did this without notifying Johnnie?” Sereena asked.
“Yes,” Jerome responded. “Giuliani is being notified of the mishap as we speak. Which means we prepare for a full assault from now until the trial date.”
“How much can your testimony hurt Giuliani directly?” Mike asked.
Cainan sat forward. “I was in the room when he ordered the murder of five people. Sat next to him in a vehicle when he took out an entire family. I have copies of financial records on his entire operation.”
“The damage is enough for the family to put a six-figure bounty on Warner’s head. Our job is to get you to trial in one piece. Which means, each one of us will be in the crossfires.”
“It’s a part of the life,” Sereena shrugged.
“Not for all of us,” Cainan said as he glared at Mike. “You are going to have to sit this one out, Mike. I do not want you or your family in the middle of this.”
“Like hell, I will,” Mike replied.
“I have to agree with Cainan,” Jerome spoke. “You are a Dunning, one of my protectees. Your family has lost enough.”
“You two don’t understand the dynamics of what is happening on my end,” he glanced at Cainan. “You are under the misperception that this is about you. It’s not. It’s about AnnieMarie. She will have our ass if a hair on your head is out of place when you appear in court. I, and I believe I can speak for my siblings in this instance, do not want to have to deal with a pissed off AnnieMarie.”
Jerome nodded with a bit of a smirk. “I concur. I have seen her in action.”
Sereena glanced around the room at the men all nodding in agreement. “Let me get this straight,” She pointed around the room, “All of you are afraid of hurting AnnieMarie Dunning’s feelings?”
“You damn right,” Mike exclaimed.
She glanced at Jerome, “You too?”
“AnnieMaire and I have an understanding,” Jerome explained. “I stay on her good side—always.”