K Street, Chapter 34

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’s letter. Jeff continues to attract women without trying, some of them with deadly intentions. Jeff and Nancy soon find themselves in the center of intrigue with Israelis and Iranians feeling threatened by the impending deal, determined to kill the deal at any cost―even at the cost of Jeff’s life! The surprising twists will make the reader gasp, the love scenes will make the reader sigh.

 Chapter 34 of K Street … Shawn is the murderer!

Wednesday, 3:48 PM: Shards
Nancy is calm as she faces her former lover! With all guns drawn, Shawn admits the murders, that he shot the Iranians now laying wounded on the floor. Suddenly Omar grabs Shawn's ankles!

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Thanks for taking time, and enjoy!
- Chris Lamela

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Author contact: Chris Lamela, chris@chrislamela.com, 707-566-8790 PST

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               K Street, Chapter 34

Wednesday, 3:48 PM: Shards

     Jeff could see Nancy’s right side from where he stood looking around the corner of the blown-out window with long sharp shards of glass projecting from every side of the frame, the bottom, along the sides, projecting down from the ceiling, the gray mini-blinds lay scattered in the hallway next to the line of tall sharp shards of glass laying bare pointing to the ceiling clasped in the aluminum frame.

     “I knew I would see you again,” Jeff heard Nancy’s voice, an eerie calm tinged with disgust. “You never were very good at this kind of thing were you, Shawn. Couldn’t even pull off your own murder.”

     “What do you know!” came Shawn’s angry sarcastic response. “You’re nothing, your nothing but―”

     “A Senior Special Agent for the FBI.”

     Jeff could hear Shawn gasp, “What!? What did you say?”

     “You heard me.”

     “What about Mission Technologies, the patents―”

     “It was all my cover, you didn’t actually believe that pap?”

     “Yes―I mean no! Of course not! Who’d believe such a thing!”

     “You bought it, didn’t you?”

     “You whore! You led me on, thinking that―”

     “Thinking that I was in love with you? Thinking that I cared about you? That I was your―what―what did you think I was? Some little simp that you could put into some fake position with ODS so I could be your little rubber stamp with benefits? You did buy into it!”

     She laughed a loud sarcastic laugh, “You’re a bigger fool than I thought!”

     “Oh my god,” Shawn’s voice was filled with horror, “it was your voice I heard on the video in that hotel room. So you managed not to come into camera view, but I heard your voice. I heard your voice! I thought, naw, that can’t be her. But it was!” Jeff could hear him stomp his foot in anger, “You set me up! You whore, you set me up!”

     “You idiot, thinking you’re so goddam smarter than everyone else.” Jeff was stunned at her calm voice. “You’re nothing.”

     Jeff couldn’t see Shawn, hearing his loud heavy breathing, panting. The sound contrasted with Nancy’s calm poise showing her almost tranquil stance, her arms at her sides, the only give-away to the tension was the slight bend of her arms in ready.

     “Hey, Arnie, care to give a hand over here?” Nancy called out in a voice as calm as if she had just said, “Hey Arnie, can you bring me another beer?”

     Arnie leaned toward Ted whispering, “You stay out here, cover us,” glancing with a nod to Jeff. With gun held stiff-armed forward he stepped slowly and deliberately toward the mini-blinds laying splayed across the hallway carpet in front of where a glass pane had been only a few seconds ago.

     The gaping hole, twelve feet across, eight feet high, a horrible mouth with its treacherous maw of tall jagged glass hissing in its silent voice, giant jaws daring any to cross. Arnie dared, raising his feet to step over the foot-tall razor-sharp teeth.

     “So what have we here, Nancy, did you bring a little party along?” Shawn’s mocking voice, still tinged by panting.

     Jeff saw movement at the far end of the hall past Nancy, looking to see the bearded kidnapper emerge from a door under an exit sign holding a gun in his left hand. Jeff signaled to him, pointing toward the shattered office with his left hand, gun to his lips for quiet, flicking his gun signing danger. The intense face surrounded by dark beard crept down the hallway toward Nancy and Arnie in the office, peering around furtively to see anything in the gaping hole in the wall once filled with window. Ted stood beside Jeff watching the bearded man’s approach with apprehension.

     “Who else do you have out there, boy scouts? The cavalry coming to the rescue?”

     The Iranian stepped around the corner on Nancy’s left, straight armed pointing his gun into the office calmly, “How about cavalry from Iran? You have killed my friends, you are my enemy, you need to die.”

     Shawn laughed out loud with a gusto that could have been made at a party, “Yes, wonderful! Come in, join our little party! But me die? No, not today! You’re just another stupid Iranian I get to kill, come on in, let me help you with that!” he laughed again, this time in a higher almost frantic pitch.

     This was too much for Jeff, his chest heaved in anger that this murderer had any idea that he was in control.

     Jeff stepped around the corner, shoes crunching on scattered glass, his gun raised clutched straight-arm in both hands eye-level locked onto Shawn emerging into view through the gaping hole where the window had been. Shawn had four long scratches drawn down his left cheek from his eye to his jaw, dried bloody trails trickling from the wound, his gun raised toward Arnie.

     Shawn’s head jolted toward Jeff, instantly starting to shake, “YOU!”

     “Yes. Me.”

     Arnie stood ten feet from Shawn, his gun raised, the bearded Iranian’s gun raised at Shawn. Shawn’s gun held at chest-height pointed to Arnie. Nancy stood with intense expression facing Shawn. Shawn had three guns aimed at him!

     “So the little bitch didn’t kill you! Took the money but didn’t goddam kill you!”

     “She lost her nerve. The money belongs to the government now.”

     “I’m surprised Jeff, really, she hated your guts after Sunday night! A hell of a little show that was, too bad you didn’t get to screw her, huh? She was so pissed! I thought it’d be a no-brainer for her to slip you a couple little pills!” He laughed bitterly, “Ah yes, so hard to find good help these days!”

     “Well at least I didn’t kill my secretary trying to fake my own death!” Jeff winced at that shy young woman he met suffering such a horrific death perpetrated by this maniac.

     Shawn’s face reddened, veins emerged bulging on the sides of this forehead, anger rising in him, his hands quivering clasped to gun held on Arnie, “What do you know? These guys,” nodding down to Omar laying on the floor, “wanted the deal killed and if it took killing myself to get the job done then that’s just what it takes. Paid me five million! Then they wanted it back!” glancing down to Omar who moaned moving his head. “They wanted my five million back! Liars! Of course they had to die! Now everyone wants to kill me? What’s with that!”

     Jeff suddenly saw confusion streaming across Shawn’s face, desperation colored the air like a flame burning around Shawn. Where was this coming from?

     Jeff suddenly remembered Perkins in that warehouse in Atlanta: CONFUSION!

     CONFUSION! Must feed this confusion! Feed the flame!

     “What about the others, the congressmen? How about my wife? You had her kidnapped didn’t you?”

     “Yeah, so what? You should be glad I didn’t murder her!” Jeff gulped at the flash of that knowing that he had to keep driving this!

     “And what about Tom’s wife?” Jeff scowled.

     “Oh, yes, that fiery old bitch!” Shawn smirked touching the wounds on his check with his left hand feeling dried blood trickles down his cheek, “I had to shoot her just to get her to get off me!” he burst into a yelping laugh.

     Jeff continued to fuel the flame, “What the hell’s wrong with you! You think murdering everyone is going to kill this deal? Shooting old ladies is going to make you some kind of hero?”

     “No you idiot, shooting old ladies is going to keep me rich!”

     “You’re doing this only for money?” Jeff spat the words, “You think you can kill a few people and control the world? What are you, twelve years old?!”

     Arnie glanced at Jeff, seeing his strategy, he scoffed with a vicious snicker, “You stupid ass, there was only one body at the ODS office, your poor secretary, it means you weren’t there. We knew you were alive. We were already looking for you, you dumb prick,” glancing at Jeff, “twelve? This idiot is no smarter than a ten year old!”

     Shawn’s face bulged with rage, his quivering gun never leaving Arnie’s chest.

     Jeff walked slowly forward passing behind Arnie, he walked toward the opened doorway, his body constantly turned toward Shawn, his gun raised, passing behind Nancy until he came along the left side the bearded man holding his gun on Shawn. He looked down at Omar, the top of his chest covered in blood, Jeff seeing blood just below his collar bone, but not his chest which was rising and falling regularly, his eyes half-open. He was listening to all this!

     Slowly Nancy stepped back, only an inch at a time, so slowly slowly slowly reaching down picking up her gun. So slowly slowly slowly she began to stand, movements so subtle that she barely looked to move at all. Shawn’s gun quivered, he barked, “Stop that Nancy, I said STOP! STOP IT!” His arms convulsed maintaining his aim.

     Never moving his aim from Arnie.

     My god! Jeff thought. She’s doing exactly what she did in Atlanta! She knows Shawn won’t change the direction of his aim out of the insane fear that he will be defenseless! She is so good at that move!

     And like Atlanta it was working!

     It was working!

     She slowly stood, her body rose, her gun raised aimed at Shawn.

     With an almost sultry voice Nancy continued, “So Shawn, I’ve got to know. You and me. Was it all a game?”

    He belted out a mocking laugh, “You stupid bitch! Life’s a game! What do you think? You were in that hotel room with that naked woman. You were playing a game! Playing a game on me! I still can’t believe I didn’t know it was you! Game? You’re the queen of games!”

    Jeff watched her, expecting anger. Instead he saw a resolve wash over her, this last exchange suddenly gave her new purpose.

     She calmly peered at Shawn, her eyes squinting slightly with an expression like looking at a misbehaving child, “Shawn, somebody is going to die here.”

     Without moving his gun’s aim away from Arnie, Shawn’s disdainful laugh belted out, “Well Nancy, be my guest if you care to die today, but it won’t be me!”

     “Shawn, I’m not going to let you leave,” she said calmly. “I am going to give you the chance to get out of this alive. You have four guns pointed at you, there is no hope of your leaving here.”

     “You fools! Tell you what, I’ll give you a minute to draw straws, short straw dies today!” Shawn’s voice was bubbling to hysteria, “That’s fair, I’m being fair here!”

     Nancy continued calmly, “Shawn, put your gun down and live. Put your gun down, I am going to let you―”

     “You’re not going to let me do anything!” He laughed mockingly flicking his gun at Arnie signaling him to move toward the others, Arnie slowly moved to his left toward the other three, Shawn moved around to his left, stepping over Omar circling around the room, the four circling left slowly into the office facing Shawn. Circling left so slowly.

     Jeff saw Omar move his arm!

     Jeff glanced at Omar’s fluttering eyes, he was listening to all this, Jeff noticed legs on the floor behind the desk, Abdul had also been shot!

     Must move him toward Omar!

     Jeff stepped slowly left, eyes flitted around the room but not a single gun changed direction, the four of them moved ever so slowly slowly slowly, circling left into the office toward the desk, Shawn moved to his left until he was standing with his back to the hallway, his back to the blown-out window.

     Shawn looked around at the host before him, four guns, laughing out loud in a bitterly evil laugh.

     Suddenly Jeff saw Omar roll onto his stomach his right arm reaching toward Shawn’s feet pulling hard at Shawn’s right ankle Shawn’s face glancing down, back to the four guns facing him―back down―up―down―confused face Omar reaching out with both arms yanking firmly pulling on Shawn’s ankles “LET GO OF ME!” kicking at Omar’s hands Omar’s firm grip PAP! Shawn’s gun shooting wildly into the back wall Omar heaving up arching his back his hands gripped tightly on both ankles with stern determined face arching higher with a fierce wrench Shawn’s legs bent fumbling for balance falling back PAP! gun shooting straight up into the ceiling the gun’s recoil jerking his flailing arm his body falling backward quickly―flat onto the shattered window’s deadly sharp array―the cold sound of glass piercing flesh sickening sound sheering through the body pounding straight down upon the razor-sharp glass teeth.

     “UGH!” burst from Shawn then silent, Jeff looked down seeing Shawn laying across the window’s bottom sill, glass shards protruding through his bloody chest with his expression frozen in wide-eyed astonished terror.

     Ted suddenly appeared from the left looking down at Shawn in slack-jawed horror.

     “SHAWN!” Nancy shrieked tossing her gun aside, “SHAWN!” she screamed, kneeling beside the still body picking up a still hand, “Shawn Shawn Shawn,” bursting into tears clutching a limp hand to her mouth, “Oh dear god, my Shawn...”

     The others looked around to each other, their arms collapsed to their sides in exhaustion.

     Omar moaned, Arnie sheaved his gun kneeling to Omar rolling him onto his back, the bearded man running around the desk to Abdul, looking up over the desk, “HE IS ALIVE!”

     Jeff stepped past Omar with Arnie leaned over him, around the desk, saw the bearded man kneeling over Abdul. Jeff leaned over seeing blood pouring from a wound in Abdul’s lower left shoulder, pressure must apply pressure!

     Suddenly Jeff remembered the huge wads of tissues he had stuffed into his pockets, pulling them out, pressing them onto the wound looking urgently to the bearded man, “Press this, hold it!” standing up turning back to Omar, leaning down, “Arnie, let me attend him! Get us some help!”

     Arnie turned quickly to Jeff, stood looking to Ted, “God, he’s right! What am I doing?”

     “You were helping an injured man, Arnie, now you’re getting us some ambulances!” Jeff looked up at him firmly.

     Arnie pulled out his phone stepping into the hallway, crunching glass under his feet barking orders into his phone, running down the hall, “I’ve got to let them in when they get here! Ted follow me, guard the downstairs door. I’ll be back as soon as I can!” after a slamming stairway door they were gone.

     Jeff pulled his coat off yanking at his buttoned shirt, buttons flying around the room, he twisted his body pulling off his shirt wadding it to press onto the two wounds with blood tricking out of Omar.

     Omar looked up, Jeff’s intent expression telling Omar everything he needed to know about his condition.

     “Come on Omar, stay with us, stay with me,” glancing to Omar’s worried expression, cloudy eyes struggling to stay conscious, “stay with me Omar. You did good man, now stay with us.” Jeff laughed, Omar looked up at him in wonder at the laugh, “You’ve got a barbeque to go to remember?” Jeff thought he saw a glint of a smile in Omar’s face, “and remember the General’s wife is going to kill you if you don’t show up!” Omar gave a smile trying to raise his head to look at his wounds, his head flopped back down with a dull thud on the carpet.

     Jeff looked to Nancy still on her knees next to Shawn’s lifeless body, a limp hand still pressed to her mouth.

     In a few minutes they heard the elevator bell ring, voices, men appeared loading Omar onto a gurney racing away followed by another, two men helped the bearded man load Abdul onto a gurney, soon they were gone, Arnie following behind them.

     The bearded man stood vacantly, turned to Jeff, “I must report this,” turned away, was gone.

     Jeff leaned back against the desk looking down at Shawn’s body laid across the metal frame, tall bloody shards projecting through his chest, Nancy still kneeled beside him. Jeff stood up, smiled at his t-shirt, blood smeared on it, bent down to pick up his coat, putting the coat back on, picked up his gun putting it into the pocket. He pulled his phone out, called Arnie asking him to get them a ride, not to forget to get someone to attend to Shawn.

     He put the phone back in his coat, kneeled down to Nancy, pulling her up slowly she turned to him burying her face in his shoulder without a sound.

     Jeff heard Nancy’s sniffles, she pulled him closer to her, “We killed him, Jeff.”

     Holding her tightly, “No, Nancy, we didn’t kill him.” He paused searching for words, “He killed himself. This time he really did kill himself.” She sniffed nodding her head ever so slightly still buried in his shoulder. “It’s like he was on a mission of sorts,” Jeff wondered at his own words, “but somehow it was a mission without an end. Without an objective. He felt trapped. This was his only way out.” He worried that he was talking too much, that he didn’t sound sympathetic. Genuine.

     “I loved him,” she sniffed, looked up to Jeff, “at least I loved what I knew of him.”

     “Come on,” Jeff glanced down at the macabre scene near his left foot, “let’s get near the stairs, they’ll be sending someone to get us in a minute.”

     She resisted his pulling at her arm, she did not look down. He persisted pulling her slowly into the corridor, put his arm around her tenderly moving her slowly toward the exit sign, their feet soon stopped making the crunching sound on the glass as they neared the door to the stairs.

     “We didn’t kill him did we?” she whispered hoping for confirmation from Jeff.

     “No we didn’t kill him.”

     They continued their slow walk toward the EXIT sign.

     He could not tell how long it had taken to walk those thirty feet.

     Finally she made a sound.

     He leaned to her to hear.

     She whispered so quietly that Jeff had to lean to this frail figure next to him, her voice came to his ears.

     “We didn’t kill him.”

     Jeff shook his head as she whispered.

     “It was the shards.”

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NOW THE FINAL CHAPTER IN

K STREET!

http://chrislamela.blogspot.com/2012/09/k-street-final-chapter.html

 

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