Executive Protection(74)

“Stay here.” He moved away from her and went to Mike’s body, a pool of blood spreading by his head. He searched his pockets and inside his wallet, finding something there—a business card. He tucked it into his pocket just as the agents appeared in the enclave opening, weapons drawn.

Thad stood and backed away, allowing agents to do their own search. Seeing Lucy standing beside a stricken Sam, he went to her. Taking her into his arms, he met Sam’s gaze. He hadn’t known Mike was behind this, and would not recover for a while.

“Oh, Thad.” Lucy kissed his cheek and then his mouth.

All of his attention shifted to her. “Lucy. If I had lost you...” He kissed her back.

“If you hadn’t come when you did...”

He kissed her again. When he was assured she was all right and had calmed, he leaned back and kept her at his side. Love enveloped him. He knew the feeling on a deep, fundamental level. The beginning of it. He’d never known that before, never felt this way before. In love. Or falling into it...the real thing.

“Why did he do it?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t have time to question him,” Thad said.

“He was going to kill me,” Lucy said.

* * *

Late that night, along with a few other law enforcement personnel, Thad finished examining Mike Harris’s apartment. They were the first to arrive there. Thad fully expected the feds to be here soon, but by then he’d have gathered all he needed. Thad and his team found the sniper rifle used in his first attempt, and several printed articles on politics, heavy on radical viewpoints. The most interesting were the ones he found about various potential presidential candidates, his mother included. He instructed his team to leave everything where they found it. They took plenty of pictures and processed everything as they would any other crime scene, short of bagging the evidence.

“Thad.”

Thad turned to the officer who’d called his name.

“You need to see this.”

Thad followed the officer down the hall. In a spare bedroom, the officer joined another at an open closet door. He pushed it wider as Thad neared. Pictures of political figures covered the inside panel of the door, words and terms clipped out of newspapers over them. Senators and presidential candidates with their faces covered with terms like Special Interest, Philanderer, Narcissist and Sinner. There were red X marks over some of them. Most chilling of all was the photo of his mother. She had a red X and the word Supremacist taped over her mouth.

“Take lots of pictures,” he said, not sharing his thoughts.

Clearly, more than his mother were a target. And whoever had convinced Mike to do the killing would find someone else...unless Thad could stop them. And he had an idea of where to start.

* * *

Carrying a file folder, Thad found Chief Wade Thomas in his office, busy at work like any other day. He had to have seen the news this morning. When he looked up, Thad noticed the subtle flinch of his head and his instant alertness.

“Thad. I heard what happened. Is your mother all right?”

The staged way he asked didn’t get past Thad. “She’s fine. Mike Harris isn’t a very good shot. Luckily, no one was hurt.”

“Yeah. Mike Harris.” He shook his head. “What a shock.”

Thad moved farther into the office and stood behind one of the chairs in front of Wade’s desk. “How did you find out?”

Wade’s gaze moved up and down Thad. “It was all over the office this morning. On the news, too.”

“Have you talked to anyone about it?” Thad asked.

Wade appeared taken aback by the question. “Like who?”

“Like whoever else is involved in the attempts on my mother’s life.”

Wade leaned back with a scoff. “How would I know that? And why do you think more than Mike Harris is after her?”

“You tell me.” Thad dropped the business card onto the desk. “Was he supposed to call you after he shot her?”

Leaning forward, Wade picked up the card and then looked up at Thad. Some of his smugness faded. “I warned you not to interfere, Winston.”

Many times. “And I’m glad I didn’t listen. Who, other than you, is involved?”

“Now I’m involved?” Wade glanced at the folder Thad held. “Be careful, Winston. You’re throwing some pretty serious allegations.”

Dropping the folder onto the desk, Thad waited while Wade’s hard gaze drilled into Thad’s. An untold number of thoughts had to be racing through his head. He was beginning to worry.

Standing, Wade walked to his office door, closed it and turned back to Thad. “You better be sure about what you’re doing. I’m in a position to crush you.” He strode forward with staged bravado, stopping close to Thad. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”

The chief of police. “Is that a threat? Like all the others you’ve sent?” He guessed at that. “I don’t scare easily.”

Wade didn’t react.

Thad didn’t back down from Wade’s intimidation. He had to know Thad wasn’t bluffing, that he was sure. He wouldn’t have come here otherwise.

“What’s in the folder?” Wade must have caught on to Thad’s confidence. He began to falter.

“Have a look for yourself,” Thad said.