Touched by a Phoenix (50 page)

She closed her eyes as the pear shaped droplets began to slip slowly down her face. “I will die without him.” The soft gentle tears began to pour from deep within her and roll down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried, soothing her the only way he knew how.

“Alexis, I promise you…I will bring Brad home safely.”

He held her until there were no more tears to shed.

“How about we get you some lunch and perhaps a drink?”

“I’m not hungry but a drink would be good.”

“Then let me see if we can get a quiet table in the corner.”

“Thank you, John.”

He returned within moments. Taking her hand, he led her to the table. “I took the liberty of ordering lasagna for two. I thought you might want to eat a little something.”

“That will be fine.”

Silence hung softly in the air as she sipped on her wine…lost in her own thoughts. No more hostility, no more anger, no more tears…just emptiness. The week had consisted of endless calls—calls to the Chaplin, florist, caterer, hotel, photographer, and so on. She tried to explain that urgent military business required Brad to be out-of-town and that they would have to reschedule the wedding.

No, I do not have a date right
now.

Yes, I understand the facility may not be available for quite some
time.

In a single day, she had undone her entire future—her future with Brad.

Catherine had been wonderful and called everyone on the guest list personally. She didn’t think she could deal with the sympathy of family and friends.

Her heart clung to his soft
I love you.
She missed him—needed to be in his arms. This all needed to go away. Unfortunately, they were no closer to finding out who was behind the attacks than they were before Brad left for Andrews.

What next? Will we always live in fear? Will we ever find peace? God, if this is what their life will be like, how could they bring a child into the middle of this mess. Her heart was swollen with emotions. Pride in what Brad had accomplished and pain because he was gone. The uncertainty was enough to break her heart.

“John,” her soft voice void of emotion, “what now?”

“What do you mean, Alexis?”

“We are no further along with the investigation than we were a week ago. How are we going to find whoever is behind this?”

“Alexis, I honestly don’t know…but something will break.” His hand atop hers. “You have been through a lot recently and postponing the wedding was very difficult, but I promise, I will find a way to bring him home safely.”

“How? You’ve done everything possible.”

“Unfortunately, we’re playing a waiting game. With Brad tucked safely away, we are forcing them to do something. To make a mistake, and when they do, believe you me I will be there.”

“What kind of mistake?” Her concern was visible.

“I don’t have an answer for you, but I can assure you they will make one, and when they do, I will bring them down.”

“John—a mistake…that could be anything or anyone.” A flurry of horrible visions flickered through her mind.

“Alexis, for what it’s worth, they want Brad alive. Otherwise, he would already be dead.”

“But we have no idea how long this will go on.”

“No, we must wait.”

She spoke ever so softly, “I want to go to Andrews.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s get back to the office. I’ll talk to Phillip and see what arrangements we need to make.”

They were waiting for the check when John turned to her. “By the way, if you ever decide you want to give up being an attorney, you can get my back any day.”

Her mood a little lighter with his promise, she smiled softly as she put her hand on his arm. “John, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Better me than one of my men,” he paused and thought before he spoke, “Alexis, where did you learn to fight?”

Hauntedness flickered in her eyes but her tone was cool. “Dad taught me.”

“No, Alexis…your skills far exceed what the military teaches.”

“Let’s just call it…my way of coping.”

He looked at her for a long moment,
coping with what
, he wondered. He knew better than to ask but something told him she hid a dark past…something only Brad had been able to unlock. He understood a little better now. He returned her smile as they walked out, his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her across the street.

Alexis felt John’s body tense the moment they left Angelo’s. Her senses went into overdrive as the hair on the back of her neck stood. The same sense of foreboding reached her stomach, almost making her sick. They walked through the lobby where his men simply stared at his bruised and bloody face. Alexis was barefoot and without make-up. She didn’t notice anyone as John led her to her office.

John smiled as he realized the men would have a field day with her kicking his ass. An inward chuckled followed as he wondered what her employees would think. Probably run for cover. Lord knows, they will most assuredly never piss her off.

They waited for the elevator to take them to the sixth floor. He had to admit that he admired her a great deal…probably more than anyone he knew. She was strong and courageous. Yes, he would love to have someone like her on his team, he would never need to worry about his back. Alexis was fiercely loyal and loved deeply. Brad was a lucky man.

He walked Alexis to her office. She went straight to the restroom. He guessed she needed to splash some water on her face and breathe for a moment. As he waited, he noticed a package on her desk. He stepped out into the reception area, “Tiffany, where did this come from?”

“Security sent it up from the front desk, Mr. Martin.”

“Thanks,” as he walked away. He went straight to the phone on Alexis’s desk, put it on speakerphone, and dialed a number.

“The package…who delivered it?”

“A Military Police Officer delivered it about a half hour ago,” one of the guards said.

“Did you run a security check on him?”

“Yes, sir. He had all the proper credentials and his background checked out.”

“Scanned?”

“Yes, sir. We ran it through the scanner twice and everything checked out.”

“Good, thanks.”

Alexis stepped out of the restroom. “Looks like Brad sent you a gift. Why don’t I leave you to it while I go talk to Phillip?”

“Thank you.”

She picked up the package lovingly.

“Alexis, do not leave this office until I return.”

She simply nodded as she sat down in the chair holding the package as if she were afraid to open it.

John quietly left sensing this might be exactly what Alexis needed to feel closer to Brad. He squared his shoulders as he walked through the door.

“Tiffany, give her a few minutes of privacy.”

“Yes, sir.”

He walked down the hall, right past Margie, and into Phillip’s office without knocking. “We need to move Alexis to Andrews as soon as possible,” his tone tight.

“Why, did something happen?” Phillip’s voice strained.

“She needs to be with him.”

“No John, they will both be targets.”

“They will be safer at Andrews until we can track these bastards down.”

“No. I will not allow her out of my sight.”

“Phillip,” he sighed, “she’s not your little girl anymore. She needs to be with Brad.”

“No John.” A simple statement implying so much more.

“Phillip, this is not a request. She is going to Andrews. I promised.”

Phillip bellowed, “And I promised her father I would always keep her safe.”

“Think about what you are saying, Phillip. She will be protected—she will be safe and she will be with the man she loves,” John insisted, trying to remain calm.

He understood Phillip’s commitment to Marshall, but his unreasonableness was unacceptable. She would always love Phillip, but her love for Brad was greater than anything he had seen in his fifty years.

Before John was able to continue with his thought process, his cell rang.

“Sir, we have a disturbance in the video signal.”

“Shit, I’ll be right there.” His face lightened. “We’ve got the break we need.”

When he glanced up at Phillip, he froze. A wave of cold embalmed him as the hairs rose on the back of his neck. His mouth went dry. Phillip stared in disbelief at the computer. A ghastly white spread over his face, his eyes glazed with horror.

“Phillip…what is it?”

Phillip didn’t move to answer the ringing line. An uncomfortable premonition of fear and dread pervaded his senses. John hit the speaker.

A distorted voice said, “I assume you can see Alexandria.”

“Yes,” Phillip said in an almost inaudible whisper.

The sight greeting John as he stepped around the desk caused his muscles to tighten and his throat to clench, choking him.

Alexis was putting a lovely locket around her neck.

The cold and callous voice spoke, “In less than one minute, the timer will begin. Alexandria has thirty-six hours before she dies.”

The line went dead.

John jumped into motion, tapping his earpiece as he ran towards Alexis’s office and yelling to his men on the receiving end.

“Find out where the feed is coming from and trace the last call to Phillip’s office.”

John burst through Alexis’s office door as she tried to stand. Phillip was only a few steps behind him, both arriving just as Alexis crumpled to the floor.

Chapter Twenty-One

H
e needed a
distraction. God, he missed her.

Tomorrow was supposed to be their wedding day—the day he made Alexis his forever.

The demonstrations had gone well; even the most skeptical military brass had been impressed with ACE. Oh, there had been a couple of minor hick-ups, but she had performed well, and just needed a little tweaking. In the meantime, The Secretary of Defense claimed National Security and mandated that he remain on base with the drones.

His only hope for release was for John to figure out who was behind the attacks, or finish the project. He buried himself in his work to keep from losing his mind and focused on making the necessary adjustments to ACE’s programming data from the lessons learned during the demonstrations.

Brad’s computer signal began to scramble before fading to blackness. Two new windows popped up. Live video feeds displayed the date and time. One with Phillip sitting at his desk. The other of Alexis at her desk.

Instantly, the cold began in his chest and spread throughout his entire body as if he were in subzero temperatures. They were going to take her away from him.

“Noooo,”
he screamed.

A deep chilling voice announced the presence of evilness.

“Mr. Scott, I will only say this once so pay attention,” the voice was commanding and devoid of emotion. “What you are seeing is a live feed of Alexandria. She believes the locket is a wedding gift from you.”

Brad felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart. His world was imploding and he was powerless to stop it. A tormenting fear gripped him. He had no idea what kind of pain the man planned to inflict on the woman he loved…he was helpless.

He picked up his phone to warn her.

Vile laughter filled the air as the man said, “Put the phone down Mr. Scott. If you try to contact her, she will die instantly.”

Brad froze. He couldn’t warn her. Couldn’t help her. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “What do you want?”

“Just watch. We’ll get to what I want shortly.”

In sheer desperation to save her, he begged, “Please don’t do this…I will give you whatever you want,” he pleaded.

“You are the cause of my actions, Mr. Scott. Had you allowed me to keep your laptop, this would not be necessary.”

Terror gripped his insides. He watched in horror as Alexis fastened the clasp around her neck. She touched the heart tenderly and smiled. Her love for Brad evident in her expression. She reached for the phone but jumped as a loud
swoosh
sounded. The next sound was her startled, “
Ouch
.”

A timer at the bottom of his screen began to countdown…showing hours and minutes. Somewhere in the back of Brad’s mind it registered, Phillip must be seeing the same video, based on the ghostly expression on his face.

“Now allow me to explain what is about to occur to your lovely fiancée. Multiple needles have penetrated her chest and have already delivered a chemical designed to cause paralysis. Once the first chemical reaches her nervous system, the paralysis will begin within one minute.”

A hollow silence followed as Brad kept a vigilant eye on the feeds. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw John race out of Phillip’s office. The live feed followed him down the hall. It looked as if John was yelling directions at his men. Phillip was only a few steps behind him as they reached Alexis’s office. They reached her as she collapsed.

The voice began speaking again, “The next substance is being dispersed into Alexandria’s bloodstream as we speak. This is a complex chemical, which will cause her temperature to rise until the heat cooks her internal organs. Her blood will boil…causing death.”

“Why?” he implored, “I told you I would give you whatever you wanted.”

“No Mr. Scott, you would not have given me what I wanted—not until now. Now…I can be confident in your total compliance. You see Mr. Scott, you and you alone have the power to save her.”

“What do you
want
?”

“We will get to that shortly,” the man’s sinister laugh cut into Brad’s chest. “I was kinder than the man I work for. You see, full paralysis will prevent Alexandria from suffering like the man in the test video. She will not feel the agonizing pain as she cooks from the inside out.”

The sob reached Brad’s throat as his menacing voice roared, “If she dies…you get nothing…except your own death!”

The man laughed, “Tsk-tsk Mr. Scott. It would not be wise to test my patience. I have the only vile of antidote that will counteract the chemicals and save your precious Alexandria. Her fate lies in your hands. Now, allow me to demonstrate what will occur over the next thirty-six hours.”

The feed supplying video to Phillip’s office was replaced with an unknown man. “I want to you to see how this chemical works. Be sure to watch the timer carefully as you and you alone must decide exactly how long you will wait before you give me what I want.”

Two men appeared; both had their back to the camera. One man gave the other a shot to the neck. The same
swoosh
echoed through Brad’s brain. The second man fought his attacker for a moment before collapsing.

The video sped through hours and hours, slowing at specific points along the way…allowing the unknown voice to describe specific events. The vile voice explained the series of symptoms as they occurred…paleness…profuse perspiration…and nausea. The victim held his head as if it were throbbing. He moaned and thrashed violently on the cot. He became weak and finally stopped sweating. The monitors showed his pulse increasing…his temperature reached 103˚.

Brad’s eyes flickered between the two screens. He wanted nothing more than to be with Alexis…to save her.

The video sped up again and went through several hours before slowing again. This time when evil spoke, he described how confused the victim had become. The man begged for water in the background. His temperature had climbed to just over 104˚. Within a few moments, he began to hallucinate screaming and thrashing on the cot.

The video sped up again. When it slowed, the evil voice said, “This is where it became interesting. He was further along than I predicted. I didn’t think he would reach 106˚ for another hour or so. After a few diagnostics, I discovered that his blood alcohol had affected the chemicals, causing him to react more quickly than I expected.”

The man’s body started twitching before convulsing—the convulsions racking his body for several minutes before he lost consciousness.

His temperature continued to increase from 106.4˚…106.5˚…106.6˚.

The repulsive voice began to speak again, “At 107˚ his brain cells will begin to scramble…like an egg. He will die before his temperature reaches 108˚. I wanted him to be close to death Mr. Scott. I want you to see what happens. I will administer the antidote just before his brain is fried. I want you to be certain that you have the ability to save Alexandria if you do as you are told.”

Brad’s eyes remained glued to the computer, darting back and forth between Alexis and the unconscious man. Brad screamed at the evilness to give the man the antidote.

Cold, evil laughter filled the deathly quiet space, “No Brad, this was prerecorded. You must finish watching.”

The temperature monitor clicked to 107˚.

Beads of sweat covered Brad’s forehead as he watched in horror as the man’s temperature continued to rise. When the victim’s temperature reached 107.6˚, the masked man rolled the victim on his side and administered the antidote.

Despite the antidote, the man’s temperature continued to rise—107.7˚…107.8˚. It stopped. Moments of nothingness hung in the air before his temperature began to decrease slowly.

The commanding voice said, “This man will never recover from the extensive brain damage, but he will live.”

“Why did you wait so long to help him,” Brad screamed.

“Now, now Mr. Scott. I’ve told you—you have a choice to make. It is not if you will give me what I want…but how soon you will give it to me. The longer Alexandria goes without the antidote, the greater her risk.”

The silence screamed louder than words. It screamed of fear and torment…cutting through his heart like a sword. It screamed darkness. Loneliness. Pain—pain that would consume him until death took his last breath.

The all too familiar evil voice broke his train of thought.

“Mr. Scott, I originally calculated Alexandria would have an additional twenty-two minutes between her excellent health and paralysis causing her system to slow. However, she screwed with my calculations when she exerted so much energy this morning making her more susceptible to the poison. Between the sobbing and two glasses of wine she had with lunch, she dehydrated herself. As close as I can recalculate, her temperature will reach 107˚ in approximately thirty-four hours and nineteen minutes. Unless you want to marry a vegetable…you will give me what I want before then.”

“What do you want?”

“What I’ve always wanted. The drone—the programming data and the software. Oh…and Mr. Scott,” he paused, “do not forget the DNA string.”

“How do I know that you won’t let her die anyway?”

“Mr. Scott, I am not a killer. If Alexandria dies, it will be because you failed to give me what I want in time to save her. Her life is in your hands. As soon as you deliver what I want, I will give you the key.”

“What do you mean…the key?”

Vile laughter rang in Brad’s ears, “The only concern you should have is completing the changes and figuring out how to get the drone away from the base. I believe I have demonstrated just how far my power reaches. Do not tempt me. Do not turn off the computer…and do not try to contact anyone. Otherwise, I will destroy the antidote and Alexandria…,” the line went dead and the screen went black.

Brad screamed at the computer.

His blackberry rang…no number appeared. He hesitated to answer the call based on what the man had said. The vibration alerted him to an incoming text message.

Pick-up, Mr. Scott…we need to finish our
conversation
.

“Hello.”

The man said, “It seems your Mr. Martin has located my transmitter. I will call you in twenty-four hours for a status update.”

“I’m alone. I can’t make all the adjustments in time—not without help.”

“Mr. Scott, don’t lie to me. You are fully capable of making the modifications in…oh, I’d say about twenty-eight hours or so. That will give you plenty of time to save Alexandria.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know you. When you are told, it can’t be done…you will find a way.”

“Getting the drone out of here won’t be as easy as you think—at least not without causing suspicion and bringing the entire military down on us.”

“Mr. Scott, I have faith in you. There is too much at stake. I am sure you will figure something out.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you love her…more than you do your own life.”

“I need more time.”

“Alexandria does not have more time.”

Back at the office, John took the stairs two at a time. His heart raced as he leapt over the railing at each landing and down to the next set of stairs.

Damn
, he hadn’t really expected them to come after Alexis. It had been Brad all along. They had been with her 24/7 just to be sure. How the hell could this have happened?

He reached the security office. “Where is the signal coming from?”

“I don’t know yet.”

John scanned the room, multiple people desperately searched for the interference.

“Find it now!”

“Sir…,” came a hesitant voice from behind him. “The signal…it’s being routed through our internal servers.”

He dashed out of the security office. Through his earpiece he yelled, “I’m headed to the server room. As soon as you find the server, let me know.”

John raced toward the back of the building barely slowing down enough to pass through his own security checks.

“Which one dammit.”

“Sir, the signal is running in parallel on all servers. We can’t tell which signal is the originating source.”

“How do I cut the hard lines?”

“Sir, if you do that, we’d be blind.”