Jeff finds himself in Washington DC on business trying to close a big deal for his company where he meets up with Nancy again, the FBI agent he had fallen in love with in Atlanta nearly two years ago. Jeff is separated from his wife because of Nancy
Chapter 28 of K Street
Tuesday, 4:06 PM: Dead
The Iranians are going to
kill the murderer! Then they go to the ODS office where Jeff calls the
congressman to tell him what's going on. Suddenly, the ODS office explodes!
Shawn is killed!
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: Chris Lamela,
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K Street, Chapter 28
Tuesday,
4:06 PM: Dead
Nancy and Jeff smiled in relief, Arnie leaned forward sternly, “What
about the killer? Are you going to call him off?”
“That would depend on the answer I get from Tehran
Arnie stood, “Forget it, the deal’s off!”
“Wait, wait!” Omar jumped to his feet hands out.
“I was told by the Pentagon that I can make whatever terms I want.
Anything.”
“We can make this deal, Arnie,” Omar lowered back down into his chair. He
glanced around the faces on the other side of the desk from him, “Arnie, please
sit down, let us talk this through.”
Arnie hesitated, lowering himself back down, his hands on the chair
handles as though he would spring up again.
“You are right, I am sorry for this misunderstanding,” Omar apologized.
“There’s more,” Arnie scowled.
“What, what can we do more? We will call our man off.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“What more can we do? What more do you want?”
“We want him.”
Omar shot a confused look to Abdul, “I don’t know if we can do that.”
Arnie sprung to his feet sternly turning to Nancy and Jeff, “Come on,
this is bullshit, we’re out of here.” Nancy
Abdul rose turning to the three, “Please let me speak!” in his crisp
British accent, they turned to him. Abdul cast an admonishing scowl at Omar.
“Look, we know that this whole matter got out of hand. We should have
controlled this man better. Our worry is that he may know too much, that is why
we are reluctant to turn him over to the U.S.
His words’ sudden crushing weight pushed on Jeff’s chest.
They are going to have him killed!
Arnie looked to Nancy who gave a subtle nod.
“So you’re telling me that he’s called off?”
“Like I have indicated, we will make sure that he is no longer a threat
to you.”
“We don’t want blood in the streets, we’ve had enough of that.”
Abdul glanced at Omar, back to Arnie. “We can assure you that this
matter will be managed discretely.”
Arnie glanced to Nancy
Without another word Arnie turned toward the door followed by Nancy and
Jeff, a minute later they were back in the car with Ted, a few minutes later they
were driving up K Street
“Listen, Omar knows he really screwed up hiring this guy, he wants this
thing the hell behind him, that was obvious,” Arnie answered thoughtfully.
“Yeah, well you sure as hell gave him a nudge, now didn’t you Arnie?” Nancy
“Sometimes you need a nice big threat to make sure people see things clearly,” the two of them laughed out
loud, Jeff squinched his face looking back and forth between the two.
“Yeah, I’d rather be relaxed. Hold on a second,” Arnie leaned forward to
Ted, “Hey, Ted, can you pull over?” the car quickly pulled to the curb. Arnie pulled
out his cell phone, pushed some buttons, speaking into the phone, “So we’re all
set? Potomac ’s all arranged? Yeah…yeah…at
four…like I said we’ll all meet up then we’ll come right over…yes he needs to
be there…code red on the congressman…good…really, I wonder why?...got it, I’d
be nervous if I were him, I’ll ask but I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He looked back
and forth between the Nancy and Jeff, “Yes, they’re both here…okay fine, we’ll wait
for the others in front of the ODS building…fine, okay…alright…yes we’ll call
him to tell him to meet us in front of the building, see you then.” Arnie
pushed a button sliding the phone back into his pocket.
“Okay,” he leaned forward to Ted, “can you put up the screen? Then get
us to the ODS building, I need you to be about a half-block down on the other
side of the street, it’s one-way, heading to K Street right?” Ted turned to
Arnie nodding reaching for a button, a tinted glass window started sliding out
of the top of the front seat, in a second they were fully enclosed in darkened
glass.
A second later the car started away from the curb. Jeff could see Archie’s
on their left, the car turned right going around the block, right, turned twice
again pulling to the left curb about a half block from the intersection of K
Street with the ODS building a hundred feet in front of them on the other side
of the street. The engine turned off. They sat in silence.
“Nancy
He turned to Jeff, “The congressman has asked you to call him to tell
him what’s going on.”
Jeff looked confused, “What do you mean what’s going on? What do I
know?”
“Look, he’s already at the Potomac house, and he is really nervous about all this stuff, I think it’s just a way to
pass the time,” he pulled out a piece of paper that had been ripped from the
top of a page handing it to Jeff, “I don’t know, just call him. You guys seemed
to connect at that last meeting, maybe he just wants to hear a friendly voice.”
Jeff frowned at the idea that he connected with the congressman taking
the paper reluctantly, “Okay, I guess. When should I call him?”
“Whenever you want.” Arnie leaned forward to look past Jeff to Nancy
“Wait!” Jeff pulled Arnie’s coat, “you want me to just sit here? Are the
Arabs going to be here?”
“They better be! You should see their limo in a minute. Then we’ll do a
caravan to Potomac house, we are not telling
anyone where we are going for the obvious reasons, they’ll just have to follow
us. Also, we are expecting Frank Pacfil, the president of General Avatonics,
he’ll need to be at the signing, too.”
“Yeah, that’s great, I haven’t seen Frank in a few weeks since my last
visit down to San Diego
“He’ll be here in a separate car, we arranged a driver for him.”
Jeff nodded, the doors both closed on each side of him, a second later
he was sitting alone surrounded by darkened glass.
He fingered the scrap of paper with the phone number, reached inside his
coat for his phone. A second later he heard the phone ringing, Jeff heard Roger
the congressman’s voice, “Hello, Jeff?”
“Yes, this is Jeff, is this Roger Clement?”
“Yes it is, thanks for calling.”
“They told me to call you, what’s up?”
“I’m here at some house on the other side of the river. I guess they are
moving the signing meeting here?”
“Yeah, there’s some concern about the ODS offices.”
“What kind of concern?” Jeff could hear tremor in the voice coming
through the phone.
“Just to make sure everybody is safe.”
“That’s good right?” Jeff sensed the tiniest relief in Roger’s voice.
“Yeah, I think there’s too much craziness here, I really give it to
these guys for doing this. I think it’s better safe, as they say,” Jeff smiling
to himself that is was his idea.
“So what’s going on there?”
“We just drove up, I’m in a car with complete blacked-out windows…hold
on…Nancy is on the phone, just hung up…Arnie and her are standing in front of
the ODS door.”
“Which entrance?”
“Fifteenth street
Another large black car drove up, Arnie made the same motions around the
block, pointing at Ted’s car.
Jeff watched, Roger’s loud breathing filled Jeff’s left ear. “Tom just
came out the door, he’s holding an office file box. And a briefcase. Must have
the contracts and payments with him, good…wait, there’s Shawn.” Jeff watched,
leaning forward to the darkened glass, “They’re discussing something. No
they’re arguing about something.” Jeff watched Shawn get animated, gesturing to
the building, pointing up the sheer wall to the rows of windows marking the
building’s floors above them. Jeff looked up noticing for the first time that
there were three rows of windows above the street showing the building had four
floors including the lobby level which had no windows.
“Jeff, what’s going on? What’s happening!” Roger’s anxious voice barked.
Jeff turned around seeing a limo pull up behind him. “I think the Arabs
are in the limo that just pulled up behind us.”
“What’s going on?”
“Hold it! Wait, Shawn looks real upset, I can’t tell what they’re saying
but he keeps pointing to the building…like he wants them to come inside. Now
Arnie is yelling. Nancy Nancy
The left-rear car door flew open, Arnie flopped into the seat slamming
the car door hard. “Stupid son-of-a-bitch!”
Jeff pulled the phone down from his ear, “What’s going on?”
“He insists that the signing meeting be held here, he says this is the
most secure building in all of DC.”
Jeff shook his head, “It’s just a what, a half-hour meeting, what’s the
big deal?”
“His little pride is hurt that the deal isn’t being done in the ODS
office. Something about this deal being a crowning moment or some damned thing,
I don’t know. He was really hostile to
me, Nancy
They both leaned to the glass watching Shawn’s raised hands, his big
gesticulations, his face red in anger screaming at Nancy, Tom stepping ten feet
back, his mouth agape watching Shawn’s ferocious behavior with distress. Tom
set the box and briefcase down, stepped to Shawn hands half held-up like he was
trying to calm Shawn down. Jeff was amazed at Nancy
“This is bullshit! I’m going to go punch that bastard out!” Jeff reached
for the door handle barely getting his fingers on the handle when Arnie yanked
him back with such strength that Jeff felt a muscle pull in his forearm.
“No! Jeff stop!”
Jeff spun his head astonished at Arnie’s action, at Arnie’s physical
strength!
“She’s a big girl and everyone thinks you're dead. I know it’s hard to
watch, but stay put!”
Jeff sat in Ted’s car looking through the darkened glass, finally Shawn
leaned his face to Nancy, fiercely screaming at her with his hands jabbing at
her, he glanced at his watch turning suddenly, charging through the door into
the ODS building.
Jeff heard the scratchy sound of Roger’s voice in the phone he was
holding near his chest. He put it to his ear, “Yeah, Roger, it looks like Tom
is circling around to join the caravan, Shawn went into the building. Nancy
B-O-O-O-O-O-M! The car rocked
violently an enormous explosion’s burst resounding between the buildings Jeff
looking up to see huge plumes of flame rocketing out of the top-floor windows glass
raining onto the car looking to Nancy turned running back to the building Jeff cupping
the phone to his ear “ROGER! THE BUILDING BLEW UP!” throwing the phone onto the
seat pushing open the door flying out Arnie jumping out charging around the
front Ted jumping out swinging around the front of the car the three men
sprinting across the glass-spattered street to Nancy “SHAWN! SHAWN! SHAWN!” she
looking up toward the flames running toward the building “SHAWN! SHAWN!” the building
door’s glass shattered into a spider web of splintered glass bursting when she
touched the door handle “SHAWN! SHAWN!” water spraying from the inside a fire
alarm ringing from the side of the building Jeff first to her “STOP NANCY!
STOP! IT’S NOT SAFE!” trembling pulling away she pushed Jeff aside to get
through the door “SHAWN! SHAWN!” Jeff pulling at her trying to stop her trying
to pull her back she swung around clipping him on the jaw his head reeling back
he kept his grip locked to her shoulders soon other hands were pulling at her
pulling her back from the building Jeff looking back to see water from the
sprinklers inside cascading in rushes under the bent door frame looking around
to people running out onto the street looking up in horror he looked up to enormous
plumes of flames licking the sides of the building the street covered in glass
and debris.
They finally managed to pull Nancy back to the car, she kept turning
back to the building like she was going to make a break for it but three sets of
strong hands held her pulling her firmly away from the chaos raging before them
Jeff hearing sirens knowing that in a minute the streets would be filled with
fire engines.
They firmly but gently put her into the back seat again, Jeff sitting on
her right side, she sat face in hands, great swells of sobbing, her voice weak,
“Shawn, Shawn, oh god, Shawn…”
Jeff turned watching Arnie walk to the last car in the line, leaned over
speaking to the driver, that car starting backing up, followed by the same
routine to the other cars, each reversing in turn. Arnie came around the
left-side door, leaned over speaking to Ted who then got back behind the wheel.
Jeff heard the car start, the car moving backward away from the chaos. The car
turned, a moment later they were driving forward again.
Jeff put his arm around Nancy
She sobbed deeply, “Oh, god.”
“He’s dead.”
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