Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(31)
Walker wanted to know too. Every time they started to talk about it, something or someone interrupted. He didn’t think she was going to answer them when she stood up and moved around the kitchen. There was a file sitting there that no one had touched, but she picked it up now.
“This man is the vice president, as you know.” She started pinning pictures to the large board that took up nearly half his wall. “He works for this man and this one.” She hung eight more pictures, no longer speaking. When she stepped back, she picked up a magic marker and some index cards. As she wrote, she continued talking and hanging the cards with the pictures.
“Eleven years ago, there was an explosion that killed nine people. Not a lot when you think about how big the explosion was, but the people it killed had information that could help us now. They were Jerry Small’s family. All of them. When the rubble was cleared, we discovered there was nothing left. Not a single sheet of paper and no pictures. But what we did find was the incendiary device. It was American made.”
“Where was this?” Reed flushed when she grinned at him. “I’m assuming that it was important to someone that it was made here so it only stands to reason that it wasn’t in this country.”
“It was. But it was put out that it was a terrorist hit. A way to help Small run for a seat he wasn’t in the position for now or then. At that time he was running for government office in some sort of leadership position. What did was get him the sympathy vote, which put him in line for the office of president. But someone was better and he didn’t like that, so we think he had him killed too.” She walked around the table and picked up another file. “Small was asked to be on the ticket when I told them that he shouldn’t be issued any sort of clearance. Now they need my help to figure out what they hadn’t before.”
“You have that much pull with the president?” Walker shook his head when she nodded at his question. “How? How is that even possible? You said yourself that you’re nothing more than a hired gun.”
“A hired gun that uncovered the plot that saved everyone in the White House.” She moved to the wall again. “This man, Clement James, came to me about two years ago with plans, layout of the entire building. Including all escape hatches and tunnels. He said he’d been given it to come up with a plan to block all of them so that in the event of something going down, no one could come inside and take over.”
“He didn’t believe them. And I’m guessing neither did you.”
She shook her head at Sebastian’s statement.
“You told the president and he took care of it then.”
“No. I took care of it because no one would believe an analyst and he knew it. Which was what I was at the time. And before you ask, I’m not telling you how I did it. Suffice it to say a lot of people were arrested.” She pointed to another man. “This is…was Conrad Garrett. He was my boss and in charge of a specialized group of men and women that worked to keep people in line. Mostly it was computer work, much like you two are doing now, but some of it was going in and taking out a target. He killed himself early this morning in a bathroom stall at the airport here in Ohio. He had had words with the president and had pissed him off.”
“You killed people.”
She nodded at Reed’s statement.
“So you really are a hired killer.”
“Assassin.” She put a line through Garrett’s picture. “And this man, even though he’s dead, is still having someone work to get me out of the picture. And now, because you people don’t listen when I tell you it’s dangerous, your family is now on that list. And as I have said several hundred times, he won’t stop no matter what.”
“And now that we’re family, we won’t either. You have to know that by now too.” Sebastian stood up and started to reach for Caitlynne. At the last minute he looked at Walker. Walker nodded and his brother hugged her to him.
“You people really like to touch and hug, don’t you?”
Walker noticed that she didn’t struggle and he smiled at her.
“Don’t get used to this, big boy. I’m not much of a touchy-feely type of person.”
“We’ll bring you around.” Sebastian stepped back and looked at Reed. “We have to go. We have to go into town and get the rest of the things for family dinner, and I think you two want to be alone.”
They left within minutes. Walker didn’t move from where he was leaning against the counter. He watched her gather up some of the papers his brothers left in a mess. When she started straightening the same pile again, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“You’ll keep them safe. All of us.” He kissed her shoulder and then her throat. “You’ll see, we’re a tough bunch.”
“I couldn’t keep my partner safe.” She’d told him about her partner last night. “He was a very good friend and we worked really well together.”
“I know, love.” He turned her in his arms and kissed her before continuing. “But we’re not human like him. We can keep you safe while you take down this *.”
“I don’t know if I can or not. How will I be able to do my job and keep all of you from being killed too? Do you have any idea…do any of you have any idea what I’m up against? If this person finds me and all of you, he’s not going to play around. He’s going to hurt me until I beg him to kill me and then kill me slowly. I’ve really f*cked up his plans.”