by Randy Dutton
Boris held a photo in front of the cabbie. You’re the first cabbie he’s spoken with. What are the odds? You guys must be connected to have gotten access to Caesar’s security video! Definitely smells like the Russian mafia. This means they can track me back here if they repeat it with the Flamingo and find the second taxi driver.
I’ve got to pack up and scram! I had so wanted to get a decent night’s sleep and plan my exit.
Within 10 minutes she was in a cab to catch the next flight to…anywhere but here.
Anna was biting her lip while pondering the flight departures board. Its clock said 6 PM. Financially I’m set...though I fell short of my island dream. So Plan A’s out. I’ve got my money and what I skimmed from Swanson. What are my options?
Plan B would be to go back directly to France, make up some excuses for Swanson that’ll hold him for awhile, and close up everything – the villa, Dark Energy—intense sadness hit her—see Styx and Perses one last time.
She exhaled a deep breath.
Maulana will take good care of them. I’ve got a few days before the hackers start their attack and I’m burned out. But with the Russians looking for Nike, someone may have already tipped them about me...and perhaps Swanson. Would they find the armory? Maybe if they scanned hard enough. What would they find? My weapons... the files that will put people at risk. Certainly, he’ll have Jared try to hunt me down. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder. For all practical purposes, Anna Picard may be a name I’ll never be able to use again. Since it’s only me at risk, ending my identity isn’t a big deal. I’ve always known that was a possibility. I can live comfortably in a remote country. I still have a few sets of ID in reserve...and the money.
Plan C, I could grab a flight to a third world country right now and start a new life of leisure...alone.
Her lips rolled. But then there’s Dark Energy – Swanson paid for it. She winced. Would he keep it running and continue to crash the global economy...or close it and eliminate 40 hackers? My public life’s over but what about theirs? A month ago I wouldn’t have cared what happened to them.... She visualized Pete guileless expression. Now I do.
She took a deep breath and exhaled, her stomach was queasy again. I’m tired, and must have eaten something disagreeable. Maybe it’s the heat.... Right now, I need a refuge, a place to think...a friend.
Biting her lower lip she looked at the board. The next couple of flights are going to San Francisco and Dallas. There’s always Plan D. But that’s a bad idea! He probably wouldn’t want to see me, anyway….
Chapter 60
July 31, 2300 hours
Wildwood Inn, Denton, TX
Anna yawned. It was near midnight as her rental car pulled up to the Wildwood Inn in Denton, Texas. The carriage lights beautifully framed the white, French country style building. Using a fake identification matching her blonde hair, Anna had taken the direct flight to Dallas Fort Worth International.
I want nothing more than to collapse into a plush bed. If I’d realized how tired I was, I would have gotten an airport hotel, but this inn’s so charming and I wanted to be close to his family’s ranch. I don’t even know if he’s there. After nearly a month, how will he react?
Anna awoke to the sound of mockingbirds. It was early morning, and the first day of August. Listening carefully she heard breakfast dishes clinking somewhere below her open window.
After washing her hair to its natural sheen, she walked around the pretty, four-acre grounds to stretch her legs and acquaint herself with the feel of Texas. Cicadas buzzing in oak trees signaled that although it already was quite warm, it would soon be very hot.
Other guests warmly greeted her wherever she encountered them.
So unlike France, or most big cities, where everyone keeps their distance!
Breakfast was being served on the trellised back patio overlooking the pool gardens. Guests were wearing light-colored short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts or dresses, and everyone—men and women—were glancing at her.
My Gucci floral sundress, and Dior wedges apparently are a bit more chic than typical for casual Texas. I stand out too much. Time to shop.
Chapter 61
August 1, 1100 hours
Heyward Ranch, Denton, TX
Heat waves shimmered off the idling car’s hood. Anna leaned against the fender and then quickly bounced off it, the heat searing through her new jeans. She rubbed her rear and shook her head at the thought that any white surface could still get that hot in the late morning sun.
Through the new large sunglasses, she studied the sky.
Not a cloud in sight, and hardly any breeze.
Her head shook again. So unlike France.
Okay, now what? The house’s on large acreage, surrounded by woods, and completely out of view. I don’t even know if Pete’s here. There’s a perimeter fence but no lock on the gate, so I could just drive in, or I could call. How would his family react if I showed up unannounced? This might not have been a good idea. Maybe I should turnaround and disappear.
She was sipping a bottle of water when a blue Ford F350 pickup truck rumbled up to the gate, its dust trail catching up to it. The driver rolled down the passenger window.
“Hello, there,” an attractive brunette, with hair bobbed to her shoulders, called out. She was about Anna’s age. “May I help you?”
Anna glanced at her and then at a little girl and boy playing in the back seat, then back at the woman. “You live here?”
“Nope, I live over there about a kilometer,” the woman motioned with her hand, “But I used to live here.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “Are you Paula?” she asked cautiously, taking a couple steps towards the pickup.
Paula’s eyes narrowed. “Have we met?”
“I know Pete. He told me about you.” Her right arm was across her body, clasping her other arm by her side in an obvious sign of trepidation.
Paula’s eye brows flashed. She immediately shut off the engine, got out of the truck, and quickly walked around to the passenger side. Her smile widened as she sized up the visitor.
“Are you Anna?” she asked excitedly.
Anna bit her lower lip and nodded, not knowing whether this was a good or bad sign.
“Well, shoot! Pete wasn’t kidding when he described you. You’re gorgeous!”
“Thanks. Is he here?” Anna smiled slightly.
“Pete doesn’t know you’re here? Just flew in from France on a lark? You are an impulsive one. Yeah, he’s here. Helping my dad with some chores.”
Paula motioned with her head towards the house. “Come on, girl, I’ll open the gate and you go in and drive to the house. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay,” Anna hesitantly responded.
“Now don’t you be nervous! You’re among friends. Pete got weird when he described you, and my dad couldn’t help but be surprised by the effect you had on him.”
Paula had swung the gate open at this point. “Go on, drive on in.” Again she motioned with her head.
Anna got back in the car and drove the long driveway to the large, modern ranch-style house. What am I getting myself into?
Paula pulled her pickup off to the side and parked. “You kids go visit grandma. Now scoot!” Her boy and girl scampered off into the house.
“Good looking children,” Anna said, trying to make conversation.
“Thanks.” Paula motioned for Anna to come in the front door. “Come on. I’ll introduce you around, and then we’ll find Pete. He’s probably around some outbuilding. Dad’s only got a quarter section—160 acres—but he’s got so many post oaks it’s hard to find a body around here.”
Anna admired the detail work on the outside of the house as they walked up the five steps to the stone porch.
A white-haired woman in her early 60s stepped out of the front door and onto the porch. “Paula, my grandkids tell me we’ve got a visitor?”
Irma’s eyes widened. “Oh my!” She extended her hand. “Hello, I’m I
rma.”
“Hello Irma, I’m Anna. I came to see Pete,” she said nervously.
“Welcome, child.” She appraised Anna for a moment, then smiled. “Now, don’t be nervous.”
She led Anna to the living room. “You just sit down, I’ll get some iced tea. I’ll bet you’re not used to the Texas summer heat, being from France and all.” Irma smiled as she looked at Anna’s obviously new clothes and boots.
“No, afraid I’m not.”
“Don’t you worry...Give it a few days...you’ll acclimate.” She left for the kitchen.
Paula sat down next to Anna. “Okay, now for some girl talk.” She leaned in close to Anna, and looked into her eyes. “How did you do it?”
Anna’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry. Do what?”
Paula grinned. “Why, get my big brother tied up into knots!”
Anna’s eyes widened and her lips pursed. What exactly did he tell his family? Surely he didn’t tell them what I really did to him. She responded guardedly, “Knots?”
“Pete was an emotional basket case when he returned.” Paula leaned back, shook her head and laughed. “Excited, anxious, always the first to grab the phone when it rang.” She leaned forward again. “I’ve never seen him like this. As time passed, he became more agitated.”
Anna gritted her teeth. “That’s my fault—”
“We know that, girl. He’s been on pins and needles.”
“I should have called him. I’m sorry.” She swallowed. “That’s something I think I’ll be saying a lot today. I’ve been on assignment and just couldn’t phone.”
Irma walked in with a pitcher and glasses. “Why don’t we all sit on the back porch. Not much of a breeze, but it’s shady.” She led the way.
They talked pleasantries. Anna was a little disappointed that MacKenzie wouldn’t be back until nightfall.
Irma was less direct than Paula about Anna’s effect on Pete.
After half an hour, Paula stood. “I hear a chainsaw near the fields. That’s probably Pete. Mom, Anna and I are going for a walk.”
“You girls go on, tell Pete lunch will be at noon.”
Anna relished the chance to burn off some of her anxiety. They walked through the woods toward the revving sound of a chainsaw. The understory had been mostly cleared to inhibit brush fires, and the oak trees provided an earthy smell and filtered shade.
In five minutes the women came to one of the hay fields.
Pete was on the other side cutting a fallen scrub oak into firewood. His shirt was soaked in sweat, and a safety helmet and shield covered his head.
Anna smiled longingly when she saw his masculine form, his muscled forearms glistening in sweat.
From her left, a loud piercing whistle shattered the relative peace.
Startled, Anna quickly turned to a lowered defensive position, her hand reaching for the switchblade in her boot.
Paula was pulling her two fingers out of her mouth.
Anna relaxed. Very country. And very effective!
From a football length away Pete turned toward the whistle and flicked up his visor.
A black Labrador retriever lying nearby under a shade tree raised his head, then looked at his master.
Pete put the chainsaw down, threw down the helmet and gloves, and bolted across the hay field like he was going to make the winning touchdown, the lab racing him all the way.
Anna took off her sunglasses and hooked them onto her shirt, and stared as he approached, her expression becoming more hopeful the closer he got. Her arms reached up just as Pete slowed the last few meters.
He swept Anna up in an embrace and kissed her, their arms tightly around each other. Pete held her up off the ground as their bodies rotated as one.
He really did miss me! Anna rejoiced. The lab raced counterclockwise, wanting to play too.
When Anna’s eyes finally opened she saw Paula’s bemused expression.
“All right then, I’ll just leave you two alone,” Paula chuckled while the couple continued their long kiss. “Lunch is at noon.... Come, Shade.” She walked off with the dog bounding forward.
“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again,” Pete stammered.
“I’m sorry. I…just hold me awhile, okay?” she said softly. They stood there, two bodies locked together on the edge of the hay field, nobody else in sight.
Finally, he loosened his grip, took her hand, and led her to a bench carved out of a large hundreds-year-old oak that had fallen generations before. The bench had engraved names and initials, some carved when the tree was living, more after it had been turned into a family icon.
Anna looked at the initials and focused on one particular set, her hand motioned to the lettering, “PH + ST?”
“Yeah, my first girlfriend, Susie Tremaine.” He watched Anna sweep her hand gently over the engraving.
She tipped her head up and looked into his eyes. “Tell me about your first love, Pete.” She smiled affectionately while taking his big calloused hands in hers and gently massaged them.
“You know the story, quarterback and head cheerleader. Prom king and queen. Undying love. Always be together.”
“What happened?”
“College.” He shrugged. “She went back east, stopped writing after a month. Heard she married one of her professors a couple years later.”
Anna chuckled. “Going for the father figure?”
“Yeah, but I was on the Texas A&M football team”—his eyebrows lifted—“and frankly, I didn’t have any trouble being distracted by the A&M girls.”
He brushed a loose strand of hair from in front of her eyes. His expression was troubled. “I really missed you. But why did you come here? Why now, after a month of not calling?”
She swallowed hard. “Pete, I’m trying to extricate myself from my past, but it’s complicated.”
“Just leave it. Stay here. Don’t go back.” His hands rotated and now her hands were cupped in his.
“I’d like that, maybe more than you know, but I…I’m not sure it’s safe. At least, not yet,” she said nervously.
“Safe from Swanson? Or safe from somebody else?”
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
“How can I help you if you won’t let me in?”
“Telling you more, endangers you and your family. Even now I had to use a false identity to get here.”
His eyes widened and he pulled back a little. “Does anyone know you are here?”
“No one outside your family.”
He held her hands higher up between them. “Then you are safe.... But you came here for a reason. Was it for me? Or for something else?”
“I needed a friend.”
His brow furrowed in disappointment. “Just a friend?”
She chuckled. “Well, that too.” She leaned forward and passionately kissed him again.
Pulling back, her tone got more serious. “Is your dad here? I need to apologize to him in person.”
“He’ll be here this evening.”
She looked at him, bit her lip, and looked up to the left. She inhaled deeply. In letting it out, her gaze came back to him. “Do him a favor?”
“What’s that?” he asked warily.
“Tell him to disconnect his company’s Internet connections for the next few days. Tell him now, don’t wait…please Pete?”
Pete stared into her eyes. “Why?” he slowly asked.
Her eyes were downcast and she swallowed hard. “Because a massive computer security attack is about to launch against his entire industry.”
“How do you know this?” His forehead furrowed.
“Please don’t ask.... Just please, tell him. Make him believe it.”
Trying to read her anxious expression, Pete pulled out his cell phone. “Dad, its Pete.... Fine.... Hey, I’ve got something I need you to do.... No, it can’t wait.... This is going to sound really strange.... You have to immediately disconnect your company from the Internet.... No, I’m not crazy.”—Anna gripped his arm�
��“She’s with me...here at your house.... Dad, don’t tell anyone about her. Please don’t use her name over the phone either. I’ll tell...we’ll tell you more when you’re here.... The company’s going to be hit with a massive security attack.... No, I don’t know exactly.... Tell your IT guys it’s a drill, or that you were warned by someone at the Department of Homeland Security.... Make sure they shut down any WiFi and backdoors as well.... Yes, I believe her.... Great, see you soon.”
“Thank you.” She looked down when he closed his phone. “I’ve done enough damage to your family.”
“What’s going on, Anna?” He picked up her hands again cradling them in his. He was trying to look into her soul.
She lifted her face and looked into his eyes. She swallowed hard. “Pete, for years now, I’ve been involved in…a number of things that affect financial transactions around the world....”
“Keep going.”
She gained strength. “This is global. Without getting into details, the financiers of the world have been manipulating the UN, the global financial markets, the media, most countries’ political decisions, and entire industries.”
His eyes widened. “That’s almost everything!”
“Yes, it is.” Her head bobbed. “If it increases a power base or provides a significant financial benefit, it’s been a target.”
“How long?” His eyes narrowed.
“How long has this manipulation been going on?” She inhaled then exhaled deeply. “About a hundred years.”
His eyes rolled.
“Before you scoff, read what the progressives themselves have claimed to be doing. Their plans haven’t always succeeded, and global wars have held back some of their plans and accelerated others. The leaders are a diverse group with very little real interest in solving global problems.”
“Sounds like a game.”
“It is, with the globe as the game board. And Pete, the game’s rigged.”
“How do you know?”
“Because...” She hesitated, then remorsefully said, “I’ve been one of the manipulators.”
Pete considered her comment. “So Alexis Swanson is one of the financiers who’s controlling the game?”