The Alliance (35 page)

 

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Publishers

....................................

Chapter
98

I sent word to every person who traveled through my home and workplace the day my wife vanished. I am eagerly waiting for a response from the parties.

—­The journal of Isaac Ryland

It was the morning of Grant's wedding. He woke extra early and reviewed the security detail for that night.

“Sir,” a guard said.

Grant turned to look toward him. It was 7:03
A.M
. He'd expected this person two minutes ago.

“There has been a problem,” he said. “We need your assistance.”

Faking concern, Grant followed the man up to the room housing Ian's body. Grant held a hand over his mouth and looked away.

“It appears he took his own life,” a guard said.

“We have notified the heads of the ser­vice branches,” the other guard said. “They are on their way here.”

Anger flared in Grant's mind. He should have been consulted before that decision was made.

“Cover him up,” Grant said. “I don't want anyone to see him like this. Was there a note?”

One of the guards handed Grant the papers he had planted while the other pulled the blanket over him.

“He did seem sullen,” Grant said. “But I did not see this coming.”

The knife fell as the guard covered up Ian's body. Grant bent down and picked it up, examining it as if he had never seen it before.

“And in such a gruesome manner,” Grant said.

The heads of the navy, army, marines, and air force sat in Grant's office. He had never felt such power.

“This is a terrible development,” one said.

“And on the day of your wedding.”

“It makes sense,” another said. “If he thought you were ready to take over.”

“He did speak highly of you.”

“Perhaps you're right,” Grant said. He pulled his shirt forward. “He did gift me this last night; maybe it was his way of saying good-­bye.”

The small American flag pin Ian had loved so much was prominent on Grant's attire.

“I think it is best we keep this quiet now,” Grant said. “There is no need to mix sorrow with celebration.”

“How would you like to proceed?”

“We explain his absence with word that he fell ill,” Grant said. “Tomorrow a press conference will be held stating that he died during the night. Nobody will know of his suicide.”

“That is kind of you, to keep his memory intact.”

Grant nodded his head at the men. One of them stood up from his chair and got down on a knee. The other three followed and bowed their heads. Grant could not contain his grin. Today he was in total control.

 

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Chapter
99

The truck stopped again. It was too soon. I listened to the man walk to the back of the truck and open the doors. I hoped we were long out of America's borders.

—­The diary of Megan Jean

Everyone spent the morning on edge. Greg left after breakfast and the rest of them couldn't do much but worry or think. Mia felt like time was standing still, but once the clock struck noon she couldn't believe the morning was already over with.

“Are you ready?” Frank asked.

He rose from the kitchen table. The two groups started saying their good-­byes. Mia went to Riley first.

“Are you going to wish me luck?” Mia asked.

“No,” Riley said. “You don't need it.”

The two gave a quick hug before Mia moved on to Rod.

“I'll see you later tonight,” Rod said.

“I'm sorry you can't come with,” Mia said.

“Someone needs to stay here and guard the house,” Rod said.

He squeezed Mia's shoulder before she went to Carter.

“Good luck, princess,” Carter said.

“I'm no princess,” Mia said.

He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “I never said thank you,” Carter said. “For saving my dad.”

“Because you didn't have to,” Mia said.

She leaned in and embraced Carter. He squeezed her tight. “You will always be my princess,” he whispered.

He let go of Mia and she turned to see Andrew, who stood by her side.

“I don't like separating from you again,” he said.

“After tonight you won't have to,” Mia said.

Andrew leaned down and kissed her. Mia tired her best to ignore the ooohs and ahhhs coming from her friends. Mia broke away from him and started walking toward the door, not wanting to make this harder than it already was. He didn't let go of her hand and pulled her back in.

“If something goes wrong . . . ,” Andrew said.

“I won't let you say good-­bye,” Mia said. “I will see you tonight.”

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning down the hallway. Every ounce of her being wanted to turn around, but she was scared that if she caught a look at Andrew's face she would crumble with fear.

Mia went into the garage with the rest of her group. Greg had managed to procure a car for them. Mia had never asked what he did with her mother's body, but she told herself it didn't matter. Mia carried a piece of her mother's soul with her, and after tonight so would the rest of the world.

 

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

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....................................

Chapter
100

He closed the back of the truck. I feared the driver had seen me. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard a bolt go down. I listened to his phone call. I was certain my husband was on the receiving end.

—­The diary of Megan Jean

Zack offered Mia his good arm when she exited the car. They were in front of Greg Finnegan's television studio. Mia felt wrong being out in public like this, but nobody knew who they were or would pay them any attention. It looked like Mia was Zack's wife, while Corinna was fortunate enough to have married Alex and Frank was a friend along for the ride. They entered the building. A single man sat at the desk.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“We're friends of Greg,” Zack said.

The man pulled out a list. “Greg has a lot of friends,” he said. “I need more than that.”

“Zack, Alex, their wives, and Frank.”

The man looked at the list and then looked back up at them. “I'm sorry,” he said. “Please follow me.”

He went into the back room. It opened up to a huge studio space. Mia saw Greg's couches in the back corner. She remembered her parents watching the show every night. Her father had even once taken her mother to a taping. Her mother used to brag about it all the time.

“Usually this place is crawling with ­people,” he said. “But most of them are set up at the Marsden house for the wedding. I don't get to head over there until later.”

The man clearly expected the group to react with jealousy, but everyone remained quiet. He stopped at a door that opened up to a small room. There were two couches and a vanity, complete with every makeup and hair care product Mia could imagine.

“Have a seat,” he said. “I'll let Greg know you're here.”

Everyone picked a couch and sat down.

“Shouldn't this have been more covert?” Alex asked.

“Who's here to hide from?” Mia asked.

It didn't take long for Greg to come inside.

“Mia, sit down in the chair,” Greg said. “We have two hours to make you look perfect.”

There was a knock at the door and two workers came inside. They didn't introduce themselves before one went for Mia's makeup and the other for her hair. Greg had warned them about this. It would be too difficult to hide them inside the studio. It was easier to tell his crew Mia was his date for the wedding since his partner wasn't feeling well.

Mia did not object. They didn't need this cover to last forever, only a few hours. She didn't mind when the men started pampering her.

“We have to get this finished quick,” the makeup man said. “But it shouldn't take long. You are one lucky man. So nice of you to lend your wife to Greg.”

He was speaking to Zack, Mia's fake husband. These men were used to treating women like property. Mia hoped that would change soon.

“If you don't have enough time, stop talking so much,” Greg said.

That seemed to make an impression on the makeup artist. He didn't open his mouth again.

An hour later and Mia's hair was pinned up, giving the illusion that it was much longer. Her eye makeup was a smoky maroon, making the blue in her irises pop. The two crew members left the room, neither bothering to comment on her new look. As soon as the door closed Zack spoke up.

“Was that necessary?” Zack asked. “She doesn't need to look so done up to speak the truth.”

“The American ­people think they're watching a wedding,” Greg said. “If she doesn't look perfect they will change the channel before she opens her mouth.”

Greg did have a point and Mia knew Zack wouldn't understand. Frank, Alex, and Corinna gave no argument.

“It's three o'clock,” Greg said. “I have to leave. You're all alone in the studio. Stay in this room. I'll be back by seven; we'll go on the air at eight.”

Greg left the room like the tornado he was. Mia sat in the chair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She ignored the makeup and new hairstyle. The girl looking back at her wasn't beautiful because of her features or makeup. She was beautiful because tonight she would start something that could not be undone.

 

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Chapter
101

She never left the country. I laughed when I heard how close she was to the capital. I could complete some business while I went to pick her up.

—­The journal of Isaac Ryland

The sun was starting to set. Andrew glanced nervously at the wall clock. They had five minutes until it was time to leave. Riley, Carter, Trent, and Rod sat around the table with him. Andrew was dressed in all black, courtesy of Greg Finnegan. Andrew thought the shirt material was too thin to provide as much protection as it should have. He nervously fingered one of the guns that was around his waist. Riley and Carter had on similar outfits. Trent was wearing a clean RAG agent suit and Rod sat in a sweat suit.

“I should be coming with you,” Rod said.

“You would hold us back,” Riley said.

Andrew shot her an annoyed look. Her eyes went wide and she shrugged her shoulders.

“She's telling the truth,” Rod said. “It just seems wrong that I have my family back and you're all leaving without me.”

Andrew watched as Rod beamed at Carter.

“You have become more of a man than I ever thought possible,” Rod said. “I want to force you to stay here with me and keep you safe, but it wouldn't be right or fair. The rest of the world needs you more than I do.”

Trent looked uncomfortable at the relationship between Carter and Rod. Andrew had been at first too. He'd given up wondering what his own father had been like long ago, and no doubt Trent had too. Being faced with Carter and Rod's affection resurrected those dormant thoughts.

“You, Andrew,” Rod said, “have learned to let ­people in. You're not a one-­man show anymore; instead you are a true leader.”

“We have an hour's drive to the Mission,” Riley said. “We should get going.”

Everyone stood up from the table. Andrew followed Riley toward the garage but was stopped by Rod's grip on his arm. He pulled Andrew's ear down to his mouth.

“Take care of him,” Rod said. “Take care of all of them.”

Andrew put a reassuring hand on Rod's shoulder and nodded his head. He continued his trek toward the car. There were no false good-­byes for Andrew. Instead he accepted that there was a good chance the group would fail and he would die tonight. If that was the case, he was glad to go out the hero Mia had always thought he was.

They were in a nondescript car, unlikely to cause any notice. Andrew kept his hand in his pocket while Trent drove through the streets of the capital. He turned the small device that sat in his pocket over and over again. He went over Zack's instructions in his head. Make his way toward the hall of paintings, hit the panel leading to the hidden room, punch in the code, and stick the small device into the master server. It sounded so easy, but Andrew expected much more of a battle.

“Remember,” Riley said. “Wait for nobody; once we have confirmation run toward the television station. We regroup there. If the confirmation does not come leave exactly at eight
P.M
. Does everyone remember where it is in relation to the Mission?”

There was no possibility any of them would get lost if the other three were obsessing over directions as much as Andrew was. He nodded his head. The group drove past the Rook, a tall building shaped like a piece from an old game, meant to remind the country of a time long forgotten. Andrew saw the Mission come into view. Trent pulled down a side street and found a place to park the car.

“This place looks deserted,” Carter said.

“What?” Andrew asked.

“The whole city,” Carter said. “We passed next to no cars and I haven't seen anyone walking around.”

“A lot of important ­people live here,” Trent said. “They're at the wedding.”

“Or sitting in front of their television sets waiting for the broadcast,” Riley said.

“Don't forget these,” Trent said.

He held up three pairs of handcuffs. Andrew snatched his and put them around his wrists. He heard the clink of the metal as Riley and Carter did the same. Trent let out a loud bout of laughter.

“My, how things have changed,” he said.

“We're just playing prisoners,” Riley said.

Trent handed each of them a key to their own cuffs. Andrew climbed through the divider into the backseat and sat next to Riley and Carter.

“We have thirty minutes,” Riley said. “Let's try to finish in twenty.”

Trent put the car back into drive and continued toward the Mission. Andrew couldn't decide if he was headed toward certain death or the start of a new world order.