Chapter 02: Caught in the Act

“Here’s the rundown: President Thompson will be in town for two days. He is making an appearance on Wake the Nation with Martin Stein. Prior to that he will begin his procession downtown then he is scheduled for a small luncheon at the Hyperion Hotel with visiting dignitaries and local politicians before hopping back on his plane and heading for Maryland. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is…”

“To figure out WET’s angle and stop them before they assassinate the United States President,” Alexa interrupted.

“Precisely!” Kasper said with an evil laugh as he drummed the tips of his fingers together. “Sorry. I had a late night—and probably a little too much Mission Impossible.”

“I thought it was good.”

“Yeah? I felt like I went a little heavy on the laugh.”

“Nope! It was perfectly maniacal.”

“Cool,” he said, his smirk growing into a full blown smile. “Are you at all curious how I was able to get the President’s schedule?”

“Kasper, nothing you’re able to do with that laptop ceases to amaze me.”

“So if I told you about the spy cams I installed in your bedroom…kidding!” he quickly added, seeing the shocked expression on her face. “So, what’s our first move?”

“I’d say it’s to get close to the President.”

“Like part of his entourage? Ooh. I do not envy your part of this deal. That is easier said than done.”

“Thanks, Kas. I have every confidence in your ability to make me a shining member of President Thompson’s inner circle.”

“Um, how about a correspondent for CNN news instead?”

“Not good enough,” Alexa said after a moment of thought. “If the attack happens during the parade or luncheon, we’d be too late. I have to be with him at all times.”

“You don’t suppose the Secret Service can handle this themselves? I mean, that’s literally what they are paid and trained to do.”

“Honestly, my concern isn’t so much in saving the President as it is getting the person who may be responsible for all the previous attacks from WET. This guy deals in making assassinations look like random everyday events.”

“Similar to what we do.”

“Right. So I’m thinking…”

“It’s his signature and not that of WET so we are looking for one person the organization hires for this task. Smart,” Kasper said, sitting up in his chair as he continued working through various scenarios, looking for an in for Alexa’s cover. “And if we can find our culprit, you will—torture him for information?”

“I’ll use him to publicly expose WET’s inner workings and destroy the company once and for all.”

“Ah! How’s your French?”

“Très bien.”

“Excellent! I can get you in as the liaison for Ambassador Guillaume Leroux. He will be attending the luncheon as well as a few other dignitaries. He is also going to be part of the President’s procession downtown so, you’ll want to move quickly. From what I was able to gather, President Thompson will be entering the downtown area by 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. The Ambassador will be expecting you by 7. Dress nicely and you might even get your face on TV.”

“You mean the nationally covered Presidential event with hundreds of news networks around the globe? Let’s hope not. We’d be out of business.” 

While Alexa got ready, Kasper printed off her credentials as well as polished up her profile. Afterwards, he ran down the equipment he’d prepared for her, including a new state of the art earbud that could pick up chatter from the Secret Service’s frequency. “That way if they see someone acting a little off that you miss, you can check it out for yourself.”

“Thanks, K.”

He watched her finish packing the items into her clutch and his eyes went wide at the sight of her Glock. “Think they’ll let you in with that?”

“I have a carry permit.”

“Yeah, but, around the President?”

“So you suggest I go in unarmed?”

“Better than being arrested by the feds,” he said with a shrug.

Alexa dropped the weapon back into the duffel beside Kasper’s foot and looked at him with a soured expression. “Happy?”

“That you’ve decided to take my advice and leave behind a surefire party ender? Kinda, yeah,” he said with a smirk.

“Get some rest, K. Something tells me we’re gonna have a pretty hectic day tomorrow.”

The ride through downtown was innocuous enough aside from the occasional bump. Still, Alexa found herself staring into every dark window and in the face of each person the long black limo passed on the way to the hotel. Her delegate had arrived five minutes before Air Force One touched down and she’d met him on the tarmac.

In true reported style, the President had an entourage of twelve Secret Service agents, two of which guarded him while a decoy was in the other presidential vehicle. A half dozen police officers manned the route car, pilot car and lead car. Following that was the halfback carrying five other servicemen with an assortment of weaponry, and vehicles for the countermeasures and communications vehicle, personal physician and medical teams, the hazmat team, press vehicle and an ambulance with a cleared medical crew.

As the luncheon moved into its second excruciating hour, Alexa began to wonder if this whole thing was just a waste of time. Had WET caught on to their presence and cancelled their plans? She stood back, observing the room from the corner near the stage. Ambassador Leroux had brought with him his own translator and after sharing with him the schedule for the evening, she had no other use. 

Alexa was about to head to the bar for another glass of champagne when a suspicious looking waiter caught her eye. Moving around the ice sculpture in the center of the room, Alexa casually strolled through the congregating emissaries towards the door. Stepping out into the hallway, she noticed the man duck into an area marked off for secure personnel only and started after him. “Let me guess, this is where they store the extra beer coasters.”

The man turned with a laugh and before Alexa could process it, he charged for her, slamming her against the door. “Alexa?” Kasper shouted in her ear, hearing the commotion.

Ignoring the concerned voice coming over the earbud, Alexa groaned as she pulled herself to her feet. The waiter was coming back at her and with speed a mongoose would envy, Alexa snatched his hand pulling him forward against her as she used his own momentum against him, flipping over her shoulder.

He landed with a crash flat on his back but, as he toppled, he hooked his hand behind her knee, jerking her leg out from under her. Alexa crashed with a jolt that ached up her back.

Crawling away, she shook off the cobwebs as her mind clouded with the pain. She could hear the waiter behind her. He was on his feet and storming towards her. Gripping her with one hand by her hair and the other on her shoulder, the man snatched her from the floor and threw her forward into the wall. This time as he approached, Alexa snapped her head back, catching him in the nose. 

His mouth was bleeding and his tongue darted out to lick across his busted lip. Alexa swung her leg over his head, bringing him down to the ground, smashing his face into the floor. The man struggled vainly with Alexa wrapped around him tightly, keeping him locked into place as she removed the knife from her boot. Before he could break the tangle of legs and arms, she slammed her dagger through the middle of his chest. His eyes blazed wide as the shock of the impact registered.

Alexa rolled away and watched as her attacker stumbled to his feet and against the door. A bright red spot stained the front of his crisp white shirt as more gushed from the wound. The man looked down, watching the blood drip from his chest onto the floor. His heart was pumping furiously and pretty soon he’d run out of blood to feed the floor. Without a second thought, the man rushed through the door, shutting it firmly behind him as she pulled herself from the floor. “A? What was that?” Kasper asked, hearing the sound of an alarm trip.

“Emergency exit; the shady waiter made a hasty retreat.”

“Ok, I’m getting a lot of chatter here, A, you have to get out of there.  I’m sensing this may have been some sort of trap.”

“Like WET is setting me up to take the fall for the attempted assassination of the President?” she asked, hearing similar conversations over her earbud. The president had been rushed from the building as the entire hotel went into lockdown and she could hear the commands rushing beneath the door as Secret Service and law enforcement officers surrounded the room. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that feeling too.”

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