Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(28)
“I need you to bail me out, sir. The locals here are upset because they weren’t notified when I arrived in town yesterday. They took my gun, as well as my badge, and said that until someone came to collect me or paid my bail, I was stuck here. And as you have sent me here to find McCray, I can’t very well do that from a jail cell.”
He’d spoken fast because he had been told numerous times that he had ten minutes to use the phone. Conrad kept an eye on his watch, figuring that they’d cheat him out of minutes if he didn’t. He realized that a full minute had gone by without the president speaking. He nearly said his name when he spoke.
“You go to a town that has had a major explosion without notifying the local police that you’re in town. You get arrested, disarmed, and your badge, your government credentials, taken away and then you call me to bail you out.”
Conrad closed his eyes as Warren continued.
“What kind of stupid are you? I mean, you’re in charge of what I had thought was an elite group of men and women. But with this…well, this kind of stupidity, I can only think that you might not be the man I thought you were. Or maybe you are. Which is it, Garrett? You man enough to do this job? Or should I get McCray to do it for you?”
“No, sir. I’m doing the job just f*cking fine. And now I need your help to do what you sent me here to do. Though why you should think a cunt like her can do anything beyond f*cking anything that moves is beyond me. She has no respect for me and my position, she makes up shit about the vice president, and for whatever reason, you believed her. And now I’m stuck here. Are you going to help me or not?” He had snapped before he thought. And now he was going to be left here, as he had predicted.
“You listen to me, you little motherf*cker. I make the rules and you do them. If I send you to ground zero to find her, you will do it. As for your little problem in Ohio, you’ll get out, but not before I’m ready to let you out. While you’re sitting there waiting I want you to think of this.” Warren took several audible breaths before he continued in that low, frightening tone. “I know a great deal more about all of this shit you’re involved with Jerry in than either one of you can know. You will go down with him, bank on it.”
The line had gone dead and five hours later he and Nestor were let go. Conrad was sure it might have been a good deal longer, maybe even weeks longer, but he wanted him to find his girl, as he’d called her over the past several weeks. When he saw on the receipt that his fine had been paid, it had a time stamp of ten minutes after talking to the man. He had paid and had the cocksucking cop hold him until then. Conrad stood up when a knock came to the door.
The bellman took his luggage and waited for him to follow. There had been a message when he’d returned that he was to vacate the premises immediately or else. And he had to pay for the room with his own credit card because his government one didn’t go through. If the bastard had taken away his clearances he knew for sure that both he and the vice president were so f*cked.
As he was being driven away his phone rang. He saw it was Nestor and almost didn’t answer it. The man was driving him crazy and knew that as soon as he got back to DC he was getting rid of him. Permanently.
“She’s gone. When I got back here, she was gone, and the other agents you sent to watch her were in the coffee shop across the street. They said they were ordered to stand down.”
Conrad had the driver pull over and close the window between them. “Start from the beginning. What do you mean they were ordered to stand down? I give the orders around here. Who the f*ck did they say told them to do that?”
It took Nestor long enough to answer that he knew who it was before he answered. “The President of the United States, Warren Russo. They said he called them directly and told them that the mission they were on was not something he had sanctioned. That they were to go have a cup of coffee and lunch on him and he’d see them when they returned. They’re going back to the White House when they leave here, in Air Force One.”
Conrad was f*cked. He opened the door to the limo and stood on the side of the road just trying to get his racing heart under control and to try to think. The president probably didn’t know the whole story, but if he kept on searching he would soon enough. He realized that Nestor was speaking when he saw his driver get out of the car.
“…I’m to come back too. In the same plane. He told those other agents that McCray was under his care and that he’d get someone to watch over her that she knew and trusted. Do you think he knows anything?”
Conrad nodded at the driver when he indicated with his hands, “what gives?”
“I’m on my way back to explain everything to him.”
Like hell, Conrad thought.
“As soon as I get it cleared up, things will be fine. You just do as I tell you and I’ll take care of the rest. And Nestor, you say a f*cking word about what you know and you’ll be going down with me.”
Nestor said he understood and they hung up. Conrad got into the limo again and decided that he was f*cked no matter what and had to make plans. One of them was to not go back to DC. He was as good as dead if he did. As soon as the limo pulled up in front of the airport Conrad knew he had to make other arrangements. There were five men standing there waiting for him when he got out.
“Conrad Alan Garrett? We’re to escort you to the plane and stay with you until it takes off. Do you have anything that needs to be taken out of your bags before we get to the terminal?”