Witness Protection 2: The Return of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

by Holly Copella

  “Some friend you turned out to be,” Tonya snarled, revealing an angry, hateful person. “Now that I know how to find the file containing my money, I no longer need you.” She then sneered at Lee with loathe. “And for the record, you’re the least fun person I’ve ever known.”

  Lee stared at the gun aimed at her and felt her heart pounding as Tonya’s finger tightened on the trigger. As the near silenced shot fired, Finn tackled Lee to the floor. She felt a surge of pain throughout her body from the hard tackle and the rough landing. For a moment, she wasn’t convinced she hadn’t been shot. She remained immobile on the floor beneath Finn. Lee slowly opened her eyes and saw Finn staring across the room with indescribable horror on his face. As Lee looked across the room, she saw Tonya take two quick steps toward them. Finn gasped as he cradled Lee’s head with his arms and head, attempting to shield her and partially obstructing her view of the gun now aimed at them. Bogart suddenly leaped through the doorway and tackled Tonya onto the bed. The gun flew from her hand as they struck the bed. Both bounced and flew off the other side. Lee’s heart was pounding from her near death experience and the fear that it wasn’t yet over.

  “Finn, your gun,” Lee cried out from beneath him.

  He didn’t respond and his breath was shallow in her ear. Lee could feel something wet soaking her abdomen. She attempted to move the man on top of her, but she was trapped beneath Finn’s body while wrapped in his arms. Tonya and Bogart struck the floor harshly on the opposite side of the bed and fell apart. Tonya moved to her knees and punched Bogart in the groin. He clutched himself and let out a low, painful groan. Tonya sprang to her feet and ran from the room. Bogart slowly crawled across the floor around the foot end of the bed while clutching himself. As he crawled toward Lee, he grabbed Finn’s discarded gun but Tonya was gone. Lee was finally able to roll Finn off her and onto his back. Finn gasped several times but didn’t move from where he landed. Lee scrambled to her knees and hovered over him. In addition to the shoulder injury, he had taken a bullet to his back, which penetrated through his midsection. Lee stared at the large amount of blood covering his abdomen, not realizing his blood soaked through onto her also. As his eyes opened, he looked at her and smiled in his usual, moderately creepy manner.

  “Told you I’d save you,” he gasped softly while maintaining his grin despite his tremendous pain.

  “Call an ambulance,” Lee shouted to Bogart.

  He nodded and removed his cell phone. Lee took Finn’s blood covered hand in hers. He clung to her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed the back of it with affection. He then smiled at her and shut his eyes.

  “Lee, darling,” he gasped softly while smiling. “You’ve always been the only girl for me.”

  Lee fought her tears and clung to his neck. He gently patted her shoulder, took a deep, shaken breath, and then exhaled softly. His hand slipped from her shoulder. She pulled back, looked at his motionless body, and sobbed softly.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Jericho paced the empty, second bay of the eight-car garage while his two men guarded the side door and their prisoner. Beck’s hands were tied behind his back, and he had duct tape across his mouth, although he seemed to be talking endlessly despite the tape. Six of the eight bays contained expensive sports cars. Each double, wooden garage door was designed with an old-fashioned, Spanish Colonial flair. Jericho was becoming impatient while alternating looking at his watch and out the high, glass windows on the garage door.

  “What’s taking them so long?” Jericho growled to his men as he turned. “They should have returned with the other prisoner from the basement by now.”

  “Want me to check on them?” one of his men asked.

  “No,” Jericho announced. “I’m going down there myself.”

  “That’s risky,” the man replied. “What if you’re seen?”

  “There are over two hundred people in the garden,” Jericho remarked. “I doubt anyone will notice me. I’ll take the long way, so there’s less chance of being seen.”

  “What about him?” the man asked and indicated Beck.

  Beck muffled a casual response through the duct tape covering his mouth. Despite his calm demeanor, his muffled words almost certainly included a rash of carefully strung together curse words. Jericho glared at Beck then frowned.

  “He’s coming with me,” Jericho muttered.

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “No, it’s not, but if something’s happened to Tonya, I may need him as collateral,” Jericho replied.

  “Want us to come along?”

  “Both of you need to wait here,” he announced sternly. “If Tonya’s inside, I’ll send her here. If things go sideways, you get her out.”

  Both men nodded. Jericho grabbed Beck’s arm and pulled him to his feet. Beck casually muttered another comment possibly insulting Jericho’s mother.

  †

  As Jericho and Beck approached the basement holding room, Beck continued his rant beneath the duct tape. Jericho groaned, stopped him, and ripped the tape from his mouth. Beck let out a slight yelp then licked his sticky lips.

  “I’m not talking,” Beck announced boldly and was silent for the first time.

  “That’d be a first,” Jericho snapped. “Considering you haven’t shut up since you came to.”

  Jericho unlocked and opened the door, shoving Beck into the concrete holding room. Beck stumbled slightly then caught his balance despite his hands being tied behind his back. Both stopped just inside the room and stared at Jericho’s two men, who were tied and gagged, as they writhed around on the floor. Beck’s lips curled into a tiny smirk, which he immediately hid from his abductor. Both bound men attempted to shout for their freedom.

  “You idiots,” Jericho screamed.

  Jericho removed a knife from his boot, cut through their duct tape bindings, and continued his rant as they pulled the tape from their mouths and untied their feet.

  “How did you let him get away?” Jericho demanded. “How long has he been running around free?”

  “Long enough,” the first man muttered. “I’m sure he’s long gone by now. Probably bringing the police down on us this very minute.”

  Beck chuckled softly and could barely contain his humor for their situation. All eyes were on him, although they didn’t share his humor. Beck again felt compelled to talk.

  “Oh, I think the police are the least of your worries at the moment,” Beck announced while grinning. “I’m surprised the place isn’t crawling with feds right about now.” His look mocked them. “And even the feds would be a picnic compared with the storm heading your way.”

  Jericho sneered at Beck then looked at his slightly battered men. “What about Tonya?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re sure she’s here somewhere,” the man remarked. “The others were supposed to search the house for her, but they haven’t reported back yet.”

  Jericho sank into thought then glared at Beck, who maintained his sly grin. “You don’t know how lucky you are that we need you, or I’d kill you where you stand.” Jericho looked at the man with the bleeding dog bite wound on his arm and indicated Beck. “Take this one through the staff wing and back out to the garage. Don’t let anyone from the party see you,” he threatened. “If we’re not out in twenty minutes, take him to the safe house.”

  Jericho handed the man a snub-nose revolver hidden in his belt holster. The man took the gun and forced Beck from the room. Jericho nodded the other man toward the door.

  “We need to find Tonya,” Jericho announced sternly. “Hopefully, our man has gotten the information we need from the other one in the penthouse. Just in case, we’re making a little side stop to Sal’s bedroom. He should have enough cash and jewelry in that wall safe to get us across the border.”

  †

  Agent Falcone’s official SUV pulled up to the front gate of the mansion with a light flashing from the dashboard, catching the security guard’s attention. He stopped by the gatehouse and fla
shed his badge to the guard.

  “Special Agent Falcone with the FBI,” he announced in his gruff, official tone. “I need to speak to your employer.”

  “I’m sorry, Agent Falcone, but you’ve come at a bad time,” the guard announced. “He’s entertaining two hundred friends, family, and employees for his birthday celebration. You’ll have to come back another time.”

  “Either you let me in and notify your boss, or I can come back with a search warrant,” Holden remarked.

  Behind the gatehouse, Kirk was seen with his back against the stone wall. Holden eyed Kirk by the wall then glared at the guard standing by his vehicle.

  “I’m afraid you’ll need that search warrant,” the guard informed him.

  Holden watched as Ross ran up to Kirk, leaped onto his bent knee, and caught the upper edge of the wall. Once he was on the wall, he extended his hand down to Kirk. Kirk moved away from the wall, took a running start, and half scaled the wall while grabbing Ross’s hand. Ross pulled him the rest of the way up the wall. Both men disappeared over the top and onto the property. Holden glared at the guard.

  “I can assure you,” Holden informed the man, “when I return with that warrant, there will be twenty agents storming the estate and ruining his little party.”

  Holden put the SUV in reverse, backed away from the gate, and drove away from the mansion.

  †

  Ross and Kirk kept close to the wall on their approach to the mansion then remained hidden behind several trees until they reached the side of the house. Ross dropped his backpack on the ground behind the hedges and tapped his earpiece.

  “Anyone copy?”

  There was no response. Kirk removed two suit jackets from the bag, smoothed out the wrinkles and tossed one to Ross. Ross slipped into the jacket while Kirk put on his jacket.

  “Copy you,” Bogart’s voice announced over Ross and Kirk’s earpieces.

  “Bogart?” Ross demanded and withheld his groan. “Where are the others?”

  “I’m with Gil, Monroe, and Zack,” Bogart informed him through the earpiece. “We have Lee.” He then hesitated. “And an unlikely ally.”

  “Is Lee safe?”

  “Yeah, we’re all just spiffy,” Bogart snorted. “Lee said Jericho brought Beck here, but we ain’t seen him. Tonya’s also running around somewhere. According to Lee, Tonya has everything she needs to access the computer server at the office building. Once she hooks up with Jericho, they’re out of here.”

  “Holden and his men are watching the exits while awaiting their search warrant, and he has men staking out the office building,” Ross announced while hiding the empty bag beneath the bushes. “Monroe’s call about Lee being held at the mansion should be enough to gain that search warrant. Kirk and I are on our way inside. You and Monroe stay with Lee and keep her out of sight. Zack and Gil need to sweep the lower level. Kirk and I will take the second floor.”

  “You’ve got it, boss man.”

  Ross groaned and rolled his eyes. Kirk and Ross straightened their jackets and headed around the side of the house to join the party.

  †

  The man with the dog bite wound on his arm forced Beck into the staff wing corridor and toward the side entrance for their departure. There was a shadow moving behind them. The man stopped Beck and looked down the hall the direction they had come. There wasn’t anyone there. Beck looked as well, although he now appeared more confident about his situation.

  “You know,” Beck announced casually. “If you were smart, you’d let me go and worry about saving your own ass. My friends have bigger fish to fry than you. If you made a run for it now, you’d have an unbelievable head start. Your odds of making it out of here alive improve considerably.”

  “Shut up,” the man snarled and gave him a slight shove to keep him moving.

  Beck turned partially as he walked and glanced at the man while casting a look down the corridor behind them. Someone moved within one of the staff room doorways. Beck hid his smile and studied the man.

  “One of my friends is slightly unbalanced,” Beck casually informed him. “He knows more ways of killing a man then you probably realize existed. I mean, this guy is good. He’ll snap your neck before you even know he’s standing behind you.”

  Beck again glanced behind the man, causing him to glance back out of reflex. There was no one there. Beck suddenly kicked the man in the abdomen and sent him flying backwards. The gun flew from his hand and slid across the hallway. Beck shifted from foot to foot and awaited the silent attack that was certain to come.

  “Now, Zack!” Beck cried out and looked around.

  There was no one there. Beck appeared slightly alarmed as the man scrambled to his feet and went for the gun. Beck, with his hands still tied behind his back, lunged for the rising man and bowled him over, unfortunately, taking both of them to the floor. The man punched the defenseless Beck, slid across the floor, and snatched his discarded gun. He aimed the gun at Beck from his position on his knees just a few feet away. Beck rolled partially onto his back and stared at the gun.

  “The hell with keeping you alive,” the man snarled and tightened his finger on the trigger.

  A vase suddenly shattered over the man’s head, sending him to the floor. Beck appeared stunned and looked up. Pinto gasped and placed her hand over her mouth with alarm.

  “Oh, God,” she suddenly cried out. “Is he dead? Did I kill him?”

  Beck stared at her with his mouth hanging open and appeared unable to speak. He let out an uneasy laugh and shook his head without taking his eyes off her.

  “No, he’s still alive,” Beck announced and indicated the unconscious man. “There’s a knife in his pocket.”

  Pinto squeamishly knelt alongside the unconscious man and felt around inside his pants pockets. She removed the pocketknife, opened it, and hurried to Beck. With some effort, she cut the plastic zip ties binding his wrists behind his back.

  “What are you doing here?” he finally asked as she freed his hands.

  “After you and your friends left, a woman showed up at the club,” she informed him while on her knees behind him.

  Beck moved to his knees facing her. “What woman?”

  The man groaned and started coming too. Beck leaned over and punched the man in the face. He collapsed back to the floor. Beck looked back at Pinto as if nothing had happened.

  “A woman named Mac. She said she worked for my father,” Pinto explained. “Something I said about my father possibly being involved in the attempt on Tonya’s life distracted her, and she took off. I was worried I said something wrong, so I tried to call you to warn you of what happened, but I only got your voicemail.” She hesitated, inhaled deeply, and straightened proudly. “I came here, because I needed to find out if what you said was true, you know, about my father.”

  “As you can see, I was telling the truth,” Beck casually informed her.

  “I don’t think so,” Pinto boldly announced. “I asked him about Lee and Tonya. He said he caught Tonya stealing from him, so he fired her, but he had nothing bad to say about Lee. In fact, he seemed concerned for her. He told me she was coming to the party, and that Finn was bringing her, so she’d be safe. I think he was telling the truth. I saw her arrive, and then your friend, Bogart, went to check on her.”

  Beck appeared concerned and quickly stood. He extended his hand to her. She accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

  “We need to find Lee,” he announced firmly. “It’s very important, Pinto. Her life is on the line.”

  “My father won’t hurt her,” Pinto insisted, sounding irritated, and handed him the knife. “He said I could talk to her once she had a chance to get some rest.”

  “Fine,” Beck announced firmly. “She’s rested long enough. Let’s go see her. We’ll find your father, and you need to insist he takes you to see her.”

  “Fine,” she retorted. “I will.”

  Beck then indicated the unconscious man. “We’ll need
to tie him up first.”

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Monroe hurried the visibly shaken Lee into a nearby staff bedroom. Bogart entered behind them and quickly locked the door. They’d heard someone in the hallway not far from them and needed to take cover just in case. Lee held her forehead as her head hung down. She sniffed and fought her tears then looked at the blood on her hands and shirt. The color drained from her face as she started to tremble. She then ran into the nearby bathroom. Monroe exhaled softly and followed her.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Bogart casually warned.

  “She’s upset, Bogart,” Monroe snapped while glaring at his friend. “Stop being an ass.”

  As Monroe stepped into the bathroom doorway, Lee heaved into the toilet. Monroe quickly turned and walked away from the bathroom, seeming moderately queasy himself.

  “Told you,” Bogart announced with a knowing smirk. “When a woman turns that shade of white, she’s either passing out or purging. Trust me, I’ve been purged upon many a time.”

  Within the bland staff bathroom, Lee flushed the toilet then held her forehead and her stomach. She approached the sink and frantically attempted to wash the blood from her hands. Halfway through the process, she saw the large amount of blood soaked into her shirt. She held back her sob and feverishly unbuttoned her shirt with trembling hands. The blood had already dried, pasting the shirt against her skin. Lee ripped the shirt off, not expecting it to hurt as much as it did. She cast the blood-soaked shirt aside then leaned on the sink and held back her sobs. She saw a clean shirt extended toward her out of the corner of her eye. Lee glanced at Monroe and straightened, not caring that he had full view of her in only her bra. He seemed more interested in the large amount of blood that had soaked through onto her abdomen.