Rules of Engagement

by Ken Fite

  My heart was racing. I lifted the ax and brought it down hard, chipping away at the lock. I did it again.

  The second attempt cut right through the metal, and the broken lock fell onto the concrete. I tossed the ax aside and breathed hard as I lifted the roll-up door. Mulvaney stepped closer to look inside the dark truck.

  Jami gasped behind me as we saw Charlie Redding, Lynne May, and another woman sitting on the bed with their backs against the truck’s wall. Their wrists were bound behind them, and duct tape covered their mouths. I stood motionless as I stared at the three of them. “Hurry,” I said. “Get out of the truck, quick.”

  I helped the woman out. She looked at me like she recognized me, and I knew it had to be Meg Taylor. Mulvaney helped Lynne May climb down as I reached inside and helped Charlie get down from the truck.

  Chris used a knife to cut the zip ties off as they peeled off the duct tape. Charlie and I held a long embrace.

  Peter Mulvaney put his hands on May’s shoulders. “Are you okay, Lynne?”

  She nodded quickly. “I knew something was wrong,” she replied. “I overheard a conversation. He told someone to go to his house and said that he’d be there soon. I walked into his office, and Landry said he was talking to his daughter.”

  I looked over to Meg Taylor. She was standing next to Charlie, arms crossed, looking at me with remorse.

  “I knew that any man who had a daughter would have a picture somewhere in his office.”

  Jami explained that there were explosives inside the truck. Meg looked back and asked where.

  “In the boxes,” I said as I walked to the back of the vehicle and looked inside. The boxes were stacked high and packed tight, except for the left side of the bed where Lynne, Charlie, and Meg had been sitting. I climbed inside and looked around to understand what we were dealing with. Chris climbed in behind me.

  At the far end, I noticed a faint red glow reflecting off one of the boxes. I stepped closer to it and moved one of the boxes carefully to get to it. Chris looked over my shoulder as I worked. The red glow brightened as I moved the last box. “We’ve got a problem,” I said, remembering the load-bearing column next to us. “There’s a timer, Chris. We’ve got five minutes until this detonates and brings the entire building down.”

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  I GOT OUT of Chris’s way so he could take a look at the triggering mechanism for me. Since he had more experience with explosives, I needed him to tell me what our options were. He shined a flashlight over the box, followed the leads and wires down to another device, and moved the light back to the countdown timer.

  “I think I can deactivate it, but there isn’t much time. I need Morgan to look something up for me.”

  “Okay,” I said and reached for my phone. I dialed the number for Morgan Lennox, but the call didn’t go through. “Chris, there’s no signal in here,” I said as Reed turned to me briefly, then continued to touch the wires, moving them carefully as he looked over the box they were connected to. He shook his head and let go.

  “I’m not sure about this one,” he said and scratched the back of his head in frustration. “Could be this one right here,” he added and shined the light on one of the wires. “Or it could be this other one. I’m not sure.”

  “And if you’re wrong?” I asked.

  Chris turned to me briefly, then looked back at the box, deciding not to answer.

  The timer ticked past the four-minute mark. I heard Mulvaney say that he was going to alert security and have them evacuate the building. “There’s not enough time,” I said as I set a timer on my watch to match the clock on the bomb. I climbed out of the vehicle and looked back, seeing Reed struggling with the device.

  “Then what do you suggest?” asked the director as I ran my hand across my face, thinking about it.

  I stared at the truck and broke into a cold sweat. I turned back to Mulvaney. “The keys. Where are they?”

  Mulvaney narrowed his eyes for a beat until he understood why I asked. “In the cab. Under the visor.”

  “Chris, come on out for me,” I said.

  Reed stepped to the back, climbed out, and I reached up and grabbed the top of the roll-up door and pulled it shut. I snapped the latch in place and looked at my watch.

  “Blake, what are you doing?” asked Jami, but I ignored her, ran to the front of the truck, and climbed in.

  I pulled down on the sun visor, and a key fell into my lap. I grabbed it, shoved it into the ignition, and turned it. The truck came to life and I put it into gear as the passenger door opened and Jami climbed inside.

  “Jami, you’re not gonna stop me,” I said.

  “I don’t want to stop you, Blake. I want to help you.” Her chest was heaving up and down, breathing hard.

  I nodded. Jami slammed her door closed and I removed my foot from the brake and eased out of the spot.

  “Left,” she said, pointing across my chest, and I turned the wheel. Once I straightened out, I gunned it.

  I pushed it hard, then slowed at the end of the row and turned the wheel to the right, passing Landry and the two officers with him. The man glared at me as we passed him. I tapped the brakes as we descended one level, then picked up speed as we passed the general employee parking on our way to the first level.

  We got to the first floor and I stepped on the accelerator again. We raced toward the exit, but the barrier arm remained lowered. “Hang on,” I said as we broke through it. I hit the brakes as we came up out of the building and pulled the truck onto Tenth. Jami yelled for me to turn left and head south. A few seconds later, she yelled for me to turn left onto Pennsylvania. I checked my watch. “We’ve got one minute.”

  “Right at the next block!” she yelled as we passed Ninth, ignoring my comment.

  “Seventh?”

  “Yes! Right here!” she yelled. I hit the brakes and yanked the wheel to the right and we almost overturned.

  The light at Constitution turned red and the cars in front of us came to a stop. I pulled the truck to the left into incoming traffic and navigated around vehicles waiting to turn onto Seventh. Drivers blew their horns as I weaved around the cars and crossed the intersection. I picked up more speed and approached Madison.

  “Blake, slow down—you’re gonna kill us both,” she yelled, and I gave her a look. The light at Madison changed to red and I got through the intersection. “Right,” she said, tapping on the passenger-side window.

  I pulled the wheel hard and saw that Jami had navigated us to the National Mall. It was empty and we had plenty of room before the Fourteenth Street cutover. Smart girl. “Fifteen seconds,” I said as I straightened the wheel. I held it steady with my right hand and grabbed the door handle with my left and pulled it hard. The door opened. I looked over at Jami and saw her do the same before she turned back and looked at me.

  “Tuck and roll?” she asked, out of breath, and I nodded urgently.

  “Watch your shoulder when you hit,” I said and turned to look at the path ahead of us one last time. “Go!”

  Jami pushed the door all the way open and rolled out. Once I saw that she was out, I pushed mine open, hit the grass hard, and rolled left. I rolled several times and finally came to a stop. My head was spinning. I looked back and saw Jami twenty feet behind me. I got to my feet fast and ran over to her. I fell on the ground next to her and put my arm over her, tucking her head into my chest, and looked back at the truck.

  The truck exploded with an intense orange flash. I closed my eyes and turned my face and held onto Jami. Looking back again, I saw the vehicle on fire. Traffic on Madison and Jefferson came to a standstill. Drivers stepped out of their vehicles to look at the burning truck with flames reaching high into the sky. The few joggers and tourists out that morning had been far enough away not to be harmed by the blast, as far as I could tell. I scanned the area, looking for anyone that might have been hurt, but didn’t see anyone.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Jami as she lifted her head and looked behind u
s. We were both breathing hard.

  She nodded and lowered her head and held onto me tight and wouldn’t let go. “You did it,” she whispered.

  I looked back again at the bright flames. Dark, black smoke billowed into the sky. “No. We did it.”

  Jami and I sat up, but kept holding onto each other as we sat on the grass. A siren wailed in the distance, and I stood, reached for her hands, and helped her up. She put her arms around me. I pulled her in close and held her tight. For a moment, time stood still. I tucked her head under my chin and closed my eyes.

  We heard more sirens behind us. Several unmarked vehicles pulled in from Seventh and approached where we were standing. A few passed us and I watched them get close to the burning vehicle. Past the charred truck, a fire engine turned in from Fourteenth. Firefighters got to work to control the flames. Car doors were being opened all around us. I watched a Metro PD vehicle pull up, and a man stepped out. “Hands in the air!” he yelled, but Jami and I ignored him. I wasn’t going to let go. And neither was she.

  “Back off,” a familiar voice said. I turned and saw Lynne May. “DDC,” she said. “They’re coming with me.”

  FIFTY-NINE

  WE ARRIVED AT the covert spot used by the Bureau and DDC at Reagan National thirty minutes later. Chris Reed drove us with Lynne May in the passenger seat as Jami and I rode in the back of the vehicle. We parked and waited for Emma Ross to arrive. Through my window, I could see the Gulfstream G550.

  Its stairs were down and led to the forward entry door. The hum from the engines could be heard from inside the SUV as the pilot kept them idling. I looked to my right. Jami held her hand out. I grabbed it and held it tight as Lynne May turned from the passenger seat. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.

  I nodded and turned to my left. Out the back window, I saw a vehicle approaching. “I have to.”

  May raised the volume on the radio. Voices were discussing the explosion at the Mall. “Fast news cycle,” she said. “They’ve already moved on from you and Keller’s black ops team—they’ll catch wind of Landry within a few hours.” She paused, and I felt her looking at me. “You don’t have to do this, Jordan.”

  I shook my head. “There’ll be an investigation. They’ll tie it all together and they’ll go after the president.” The vehicle parked next to us. The driver got out and stepped around, and I watched him open the passenger door and help Keller’s chief of staff step out. I turned to face May. “They’ll use this as leverage to force him to resign.” I shook my head again. “I’m not gonna let myself be the reason for that, Lynne.”

  “They’ll look for the body,” she said as I grabbed my messenger bag and lifted the strap over my head.

  Chris turned to May. “That’s why you and Mulvaney need to make sure that they don’t,” he said to her.

  May’s eyes were still on Chris when I squeezed Jami’s hand and said, “We don’t know if Landry was working with anyone else.”

  May turned back to me.

  “You have to find out. See how far this goes.”

  May nodded.

  “I have to go,” I said and let go of Jami’s hand. I pulled on the door and stepped onto the tarmac.

  Emma Ross was standing between both parked vehicles, waiting for me to exit. She looked me over with her arms crossed as Chris, Jami, and Lynne got out. I looked down and saw that Ross was holding a cell phone. She turned briefly to the Gulfstream as the pilot descended the stairs, noticed Emma, and nodded.

  Jami approached from my left and stood next to me as Chris and Lynne May waited by the front of the SUV. Emma handed the phone to me. “The president wants to talk to you.”

  I looked at the phone, then looked back at Ross.

  “You’re doing the right thing, Blake,” she said and nodded to the phone.

  I took it, held it up to my ear, and turned to look at the Gulfstream. “Mr. President,” I said and waited.

  There was a long sigh on the other end of the line. “Blake,” he began, “Emma told me about the new plan.”

  I kept my eyes on the Gulfstream, waiting for him to continue.

  “We just thought you should disappear for a while, but this takes things to another level.” He paused again. “Are you sure you want to do this, son?”

  I turned to Jami, then looked away. “Mr. President, if I don’t, you and I both know what will happen. The media will come after you. You know how they operate. Once they smell blood, they’re never going to stop. You asked me to create a black ops team for you, sir. And I didn’t always follow the rules of engagement.”

  “By way of presidential finding, I had every damn right to—”

  “Trust me, sir,” I said, interrupting my friend. “They’ll bring me in front of a senate hearing committee for all of my actions over the last eighteen months. They’ll look at everything. They’ll say that I did your dirty work for you.” I shook my head. “I’ll never let them do that to you. Our country needs you, Mr. President.”

  “And our country needs you.” Keller paused for several seconds to compose himself. “Where will you go?”

  “Emma and I both agree that it’s better if you don’t know that, sir.”

  Jami stepped closer and put an arm around me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and looked into her eyes, seeing what I was giving up.

  Keller sighed again. “Then as of this moment, Blake Jordan is dead.” He paused. “Ben would have been proud of you. I’m proud of you. Please do one thing for me. Tell me where we can find you if we need you.”

  I breathed. “Mr. President, it’s been an honor,” I said, pulled the phone away, and handed it to Emma.

  Jami let go as Ross disconnected the line and put a hand on my back to escort me toward the waiting plane. “You’ll land in about seven hours,” she said. “I’ll have someone meet you with new identification.”

  Jami, Chris, and Lynne followed behind and stopped ten yards short of the aircraft. I held onto the strap of my messenger bag and turned and shook Chris’s hand. “Go see Mark,” I said, and he said that he would. I pulled him in for an embrace and held it for several seconds. “Thanks for not giving up on me.”

  I stepped back and Lynne May approached with an outstretched hand. “Thank you, Blake,” she said.

  I nodded as she held onto my hand for several seconds, then finally let go. I turned to Jami. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in. I closed my eyes and, in that moment, thought about the last six months without her. She let go and I looked into her eyes. I couldn’t imagine never seeing her again.

  “You need to go,” said Ross.

  Jami and I kissed and embraced again before she finally let me go. I stepped backward, repositioned my messenger bag on my good shoulder, turned and went to the Gulfstream.

  I climbed the stairs and sat down. Looking out the porthole, I saw Jami standing alone. The pilot started to lift the stairs. “Wait,” I said and moved to the front of the jet. I jogged down the stairs and went to Jami. I stopped when I got to her and looked into her eyes. “Come with me,” I said. “I can’t leave without you, Jami. I walked away from you once. Biggest mistake of my life. I can’t do it again.”

  She didn’t speak.

  “Please.”

  Jami stared at me. I was breathing hard. Then she smiled and nodded. Slowly at first, then determinedly.

  I noticed Lynne standing next to us. She nodded. “Okay. We lost two agents in that truck bomb.”

  We said goodbye, walked to the Gulfstream, went up the stairs and settled in. The pilot lifted the stairs and entered the cockpit. The sound from the idling engines grew louder. A minute later, we were taxiing onto the runway and made a turn onto a straightaway, and the pilot told us to get ready for takeoff.

  Jami put a hand on my arm as we raced down the runway. “Give me the ring,” she said to me softly.

  My heart beat fast. I turned to her. “How do you know about that?”

  She smiled. “Charlie,” she whispered a
nd touched my arm again gently.

  I dug into my pocket and found the ring I had carried with me every day since that night in New York. I took her hand and slipped it on her finger. She smiled and gripped my hand tight as the pilot pushed it faster.

  We kissed. Then we leaned back in our chairs, my hand in hers, as the jet lifted off the ground. I closed my eyes and listened to the engines scream as we continued to climb higher into the early morning sky. Jami took her right hand, brought it to my arm, and squeezed it tight. We held each other close, neither of us saying a word. I loved Jami more than anything and I didn’t want to be anywhere else in that moment. Sunlight fell on my face. I opened my eyes, looked out the window, and got one last view of the homeland.

  SIXTY

  ONE WEEK LATER

  JAMES KELLER EMERGED from the second floor of the Executive Residence, headed for the dining room so Chef could bring him his breakfast. It was the same routine he followed every morning, only it was much earlier today. The president passed his private study and turned a corner, where he stopped, surprised to see his chief of staff. “Emma?” He looked at his watch. “It’s five o’clock in the morning. What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?” He paused. “Don’t tell me you’re having trouble sleeping now.”

  She shook her head slowly. “No, just had to drop something off. I didn’t think it could wait until later.”

  Keller furrowed his brow and finally nodded, deciding not to ask her about it. Emma handed him a newspaper. He took it and held it out. “Blake was right,” he said, showing his chief of staff the headline.

  Ross smiled knowingly. “I thought you’d enjoy seeing that,” she said, keeping her eyes on the president. “They’ve made Jordan out to be the hero that he is. Sacrificing his own life to save the people in that building. And now we’ll have a long, drawn-out trial with Bill Landry. Looks like Blake’s plan worked.”