Pretenses by Keith Lee Johnson

Author:Keith Lee Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Strebor Books
Published: 2004-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 44

THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL was an oasis as far as I was concerned. It had all the comforts of home, and I needed that right now. After being humiliated and toyed with by the Assassin, I longed for a hot bath and the quiet of my room.

I had nearly made a fool out of myself with the hotel desk clerk. I kept staring at her eyes, making sure she wasn’t the Assassin. She thought I was a lesbian, the way I kept staring, and told me what time she was getting off that night. That’s when I knew I was losing control. I had become obsessed with catching the Assassin. Who could blame me?

She was slippery and frustrating, but she was going to make a mistake, I told myself. She had already made one by leaving the laptop out at the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency, and she’d make another. Playing with us today was a mistake, too. We didn’t catch her, but the odds were with us.

Susan Lucci—we still called her that—in addition to being the most ruthless killing machine I’ve ever encountered, was a thrill seeker. Her penchant for sexual bondage was another sign of her seeking thrills that only satisfied her momentarily. I wondered if she was nearing burnout.

I felt the water in the tub. It was hot, just the way I like it. I picked up the telephone and called the safe house. Michelson had moved Keyth and Savannah to a house in Bethesda. I knew they were safe, but only because I knew the Assassin was in San Francisco. If I hadn’t had the comfort of knowing she was three-thousand miles away from my family, I don’t know if I would have been able to sleep, even after a hot bath.

I knew I would sleep like a baby that night. My family was safe. Kelly and I had survived another day on the job. That’s what it’s really about. Doing the job and going home in one piece to your family at night.

Agent James answered the phone. He was a by-the-book, twenty-year veteran. Some people didn’t like that about him, but my family’s life was in his hands, and I was glad he was assigned the detail. I trusted him. He would die before letting anything happen to my family.

“James, this is Phoenix Perry. I would like to speak with my husband, please.”

“Yes, ma’am. Authorization code, please.”

James knew my voice, but that’s what I mean. He didn’t take any chances. It reassured me that my husband and daughter were safe.

“Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end,” I said. It was my way of acknowledging the Almighty for helping me through another day on the job.

“Just a second,” I heard him say. A few seconds later, Keyth answered. “Hello,” his deep voice bellowed. I stepped into the hot water and eased in gingerly.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I said. “How’s Savannah?”

“She was a little overwhelmed with all of the security at first, but she’s growing on everyone. Just like you do.

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