Hidden Thrones (27 page)

Dante reached over and put the napkin in his
pocket. Wellsenburg looked at his watch, took one more sip of coffee, and stood
up, “I have to run. Keep me updated.”

“On the contrary, you will have no knowledge of
this operation whatsoever. That’s the way it has to be.”

The senator nodded, turned, and walked out of the
restaurant. Dante motioned to the waiter and he came over to the table. “I
would like to try the Nutella French Toast that the senator ordered. It smelled
very interesting. And bring another fresh carafe of hot coffee.”

The waiter looked surprised, but nodded his head
and started back to the kitchen. He had never had anybody ask for a second
breakfast before. He knew this fellow was way too large to be from the Shire.
Even as he thought it, he chuckled to himself. Dante sensed his sarcasm even
though he had said nothing and had even tried to hide his smirk as he walked
away. Dante decided that if the food was good, he would not make the server pay
for his insolence.

The waiter brought the new carafe of coffee and as
he did, he glanced at Dante. Their eyes met and fear suddenly gripped his
heart. He couldn’t explain it, but it was real and it was scary. Dante smiled
in a way that sent a chill down his spine.

“Thank you, young man. I hope the French Toast is
as good as it smelled.”

The waiter’s eyes grew wide. “I’m... I’m... sure
it will be, sir. We get many compliments on that dish.” The waiter quickly
turned and walked away, wishing he didn’t have to return to his table. Dante
smiled. He was pleased with himself. He had obviously made his point.

At the opposite end of the room, at a table near
the entrance, a man sat alone, his fingers busy typing on his paper-thin MacBook.
He was a rather short man, a little stocky, but not fat. He had a balding head
and he wore a suit. His jacket carefully lay on the back of the empty chair
next to him. He glanced over to where Dante was sitting, then just as quickly,
his eyes ran back to his keyboard. He had come in right before Senator
Wellsenburg walked in and sat down with Dante Adal.

The man stopped typing, took one more look around,
picked his phone off the table, and made a call. He talked only for a few
minutes, but the conversation was intense. Then he closed his MacBook and
placed it in his briefcase. He reached into his pocket, left some cash on the
table, and then proceeded to walk out the door. Dante Adal never looked up. He
was unusually distracted by the waiter who cautiously brought him his second
breakfast and then turned and scurried away.

*
* *

Dante sat in his 650 square foot, two-room suite
getting prepared for Wellsenburg’s henchmen to show up. He had read the
description of the room online. King size bed with custom 300 thread count,
Egyptian cotton linens, a luxury bathroom with a soaking tub for two, and a
large working desk with a comfortable ergonomic chair. He mused at the Egyptian
cotton linens. They weren’t anything like what the Pharaohs had on their beds, but
all in all, he did enjoy all the comforts mortals supplied themselves with. He made
up his mind to take the time to enjoy all the amenities.

A firm, heavy knock on the door broke the silence
in the room. Dante got up from the desk where he had been perusing the Internet
and opened the door. Two men stood in the hallway. One had a large scar on his
right cheek. Both were around six feet, two inches with medium builds. They
appeared to be Slavic, possibly from Russia. Their
faces were pinkish-white with grey eyes. They had thin lips and eyebrows and straight
noses with the tips rather thick and roundish.
They looked like they
could handle themselves in most situations.

“Come in, gentlemen,” Dante scoped them out as
they walked in. He could sense these men had a long and wicked history and that
pleased him. Pointing to his left he said, “Have a seat and we’ll get down to
business.”

Dante sat on the edge of the bed, his forearms
resting on his knees. The two men sat down on the two leather chairs that faced
the bed without saying a word and just stared at Dante. He had no idea if or
what the senator might have told them in preparation for their meeting, so he
thought it best to go over a few ground rules.

“First, I don’t need to know your names, where
you’re from, or what your favorite weapon is. I just need you to carry out a
few instructions, and when I say carry out, I mean perfectly and without
incident. Do we understand each other?”

The two men glanced at each other and nodded.

“Good,” Dante said leaning forward. “What I am
about to tell you must not be repeated, not even to the man who sent you here.
Are we still on the same page?”

The men looked straight ahead and nodded again,
their faces unchanging.

“Excellent. Here are your instructions. You are to
kidnap a young woman named Emily
Richardson. She is a waitress at a café in Blackstone,
Virginia called CJ’s.”

Dante
reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a photo and handed it
to
the
one
with
the scar on his face. Dante addressed him because he perceived he was the
leader.

“Here is a photo and the address of her
apartment building.
I want you to follow her and make note of her schedule - where she goes, when
she goes and with whom. From that, determine your best opportunity to take her.
You only get one shot at this, so get it right.”

Dante’s
voice got louder and his eyes flared slightly, briefly changing color. The two
men’s eyes shifted towards each other while barely moving their heads. They
would talk about that later.

He
continued, “
You
will find a white Ford van parked
on the first level in the parking garage at 2135 M St
reet.
The keys are under the front wheel. When the opportunity presents itself, grab
her, throw her in the van, and take her somewhere where no one will hear her
scream.”

He
could tell by the way they were gawking at the picture he gave them that they
liked what they saw.

Dante
added, “You can have your fun with her, but when you’re done, put a bullet in
her pretty little head.”

The
two men looked at each other, than back at Dante.

Dante
glared at them. “Is there a problem?” he asked in a low, haunting tenor.

The
one with the large scar fixed his eyes on Dante and said in a matter of face
tone, “We usually get paid more for something like this.”

Dante
bent over, reached down between his legs, and pulled out his briefcase from
under the bed. He placed it in front of him, and with one foot slid it over in
front of the two men.

“Open
it!” Dante commanded firmly.

They
opened it and smirked. Dante stood up, walked over to the desk, and sat down in
the desk chair. “There’s twenty thousand in there. When I am satisfied that the
job is done according to my specifications, you’ll get twenty thousand more.” 

The
two men nodded, grabbed the briefcase, and stood up. Dante turned around in his
desk chair and opened a bottle of scotch he had out waiting for him. He lifted
his right arm, flicked his wrist, and said, “You can show yourselves out.”

The two men didn’t hesitate. They walked over,
opened the door, and they were gone. Feeling pleased with himself, Dante
thought,
It’s not what the good senator expected, but it will do the job.

He smiled and took a drink.
These humans know
how to live
, he thought to himself.
Too bad it won’t be for much longer.

His laugh pierced the night and traveled to the
darkest parts of hell.

Jack woke up as the first rays of morning sun
peered through his bedroom window. He had gotten a good night sleep and wanted
to make the most of what looked to be one of the best days of spring
so far. He had already prayed, showered, and loaded
up a new post to his blog site. It was Emily’s day off so he wanted to drive by
her place and see if he could convince her to take a nice, long, early morning
walk with him.  He had been meaning to start exercising lately, especially now
that it was spring and more importantly, because he now had a girlfriend. Emily
was much more than a girlfriend and Jack was hoping to upgrade that title into
something more permanent as soon as possible.

He jumped in his car and headed
for Emily’s place. He thought about calling her, but decided he wanted to
surprise her. He would call her from the car when he got to her place. She had told
him many times that she was an early riser, so he figured she would be up and
about by the time he got there. He thought he would give it another month then,
if all was well, he would ask her to marry him. Jack realized he was moving
fast, but he knew that she was the one. Besides, he thought if he didn’t act
soon, she might change her mind about how she felt about him and that was a not
a chance he wanted to take.

As he turned the corner and
pulled up in front of her apartment complex, he noticed a young woman a good
distance away out for her morning run.  She was athletic looking and seemed
very serious about her workout. As she got closer and came into focus, his eyes
widened and his mouth dropped open. It was Emily. She had on a
pair of
 
tiny green
 
running shorts and a top that stopped just
short of her belly button. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had
her ear buds plugged into her iPhone, which was strapped to her side. He had
never seen her like this. It was very revealing in more ways than one. She
recognized the car and started to slow down.

Jack got out of the car as she
approached with a pleasant but surprised look on his face. He stammered,
“Emily?” He stood there, taking in the view.

“Jack, what are you doing here? Is
everything all right?”

“I... I...” He was completely
captured by her outfit. “I wasn’t aware that you were a runner.”

Emily picked up on the fact that
Jack had never seen her dressed like this before, but at this point she was
more concerned with why he was standing in front of her apartment building at
six-thirty in the morning.

She repeated her question, “Jack,
you didn’t answer my question. Is everything all right? Are you and Frank okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Everybody is fine. I
just came by to ask if you wanted to go for a morning walk with me.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off of
her. She looked amazing from head to foot. Her legs were beautifully shaped,
but then again he already knew that. He couldn’t help but notice that they had
great muscle tone and her abs were rock solid as well. Even her arms were tight
and toned. She obviously did more than just running. Jack was intrigued.

 “I didn’t know you did this kind
of thing. I mean I obviously knew that you kept yourself in good shape, but...”

Emily interrupted, “Jack, I have
to cool down. I need to walk for a while. Do you want to walk with me?”

Jack’s face lit up. “Sure. Just
let me lock the car and I’ll be ready to go.”

He locked the car and they began
to walk towards the park a quarter mile down the street.

“You realize we have only known
each other a few months. I’m sure there are plenty of things I don’t know about
you, right?” Emily asked.

“I suppose so. I have to admit we
have been kind of caught up in all that has been going on lately. But I do
believe you know more about me than I know about you at this point.”

Emily stopped and leaned over to
give him a quick kiss. “That is probably true, but it was more important that I
knew more about you first. You must admit that my life is pretty boring
compared to yours - angels, demons, and all kinds of espionage round and about
Washington. I knew I really liked you, so I needed to know more about who you
were to know if our relationship would have a chance.”

Jack had to ask, “Well, what do
you think now?”

Emily gazed into his eyes and
answered, “I think I have fallen in love with you. That’s what I think.”

They had just reached the small,
empty playground situated in the park down the street from Emily’s apartment.
They sat down on two of the three swings that were gently swaying in the early
morning breeze. Jack was overwhelmed. He was so in love with her that he didn’t
know what to do with himself.

“Emily, you are the best thing
that has happened to me other than Christ coming into my life. I love you like
I never thought I could love anyone. I want to know more about you. You are
incredibly beautiful and smart and kind and you love the Lord, as I do.

“I’m sorry things have been so
insane. I can’t believe it myself. I mean, Frank and I have had interesting
cases before, a case here, a case there, but now...” he paused and took a deep
breath. “Now it seems all hell has broken loose. I don’t know how, but we need
to make sure we spend more time together talking and getting to know one
another better.”

Jack’s heart pounded within him.
He wanted to ask her to marry him right then and there, but if that day was
ever going to come, he needed to know everything he could about Emily, and the
sooner the better. He had been with other women, but that was before he met
Jesus. Since then, he promised himself and the Lord that the next time he was
intimate with a woman, it would be within the confines of marriage. Staying
right with God was essential to his relationship with Him and to his calling.

Emily stood up, reached down and took
his hand, and pulled him up. They stood face-to-face, nose-to-nose. Emily
wrapped her long arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes. “Whatever
happens, I want you to know this above all else…”

Wait a minute,
Jack thought to himself.
What
does she mean ‘Whatever happens?’
Is she leaving? Does she expect
something bad to happen?

Before he could open his mouth,
Emily kissed him and said, “I have fallen in love with you, Jack Bennett.” Jack
loved the way her lips moved when she spoke his name. She tilted her head
slightly and a smile slowly broke out on her face. “I have to admit something.
Although I had never met you, I had heard of you before I started working at
CJ’s.”

Jack had a bewildered look on his
face. “You heard about me? How? I’m not exactly famous.”

“Actually, in some circles you
are quite famous. Your blog is very popular not only in this country, but in
other parts of the world. Someone had turned me on to your blog about six
months ago. I found it to be very interesting.”

Jack was surprised and confused.
Why hadn’t she mentioned that before? He suddenly felt a little uneasy. It was
now becoming obvious there were many things about Emily he did not know. “Wow.
Why haven’t you mentioned that before?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was
some weird stalker or something. I’m sure you’ve had your share of those
experiences before.”

“Actually, never. It’s not like
I’m a movie star. I’m just a blogger.”

“Oh yeah. Just a blogger that
talks with angels and casts out demons and is being watched by possibly the
next President of the United States,” she said sarcastically.

She continued, “You know, when I
saw you walk into CJ’s and sit down with Frank the first time, I wondered if
you were involved with anyone. I knew you weren’t married because that was the
first thing I looked for - a ring.

“Then, after days of watching you
two talking off and on, I began to wonder what you guys were saying because you
always looked so intense. Now of course I know you weren’t talking about sports
or some movie you had just seen. You were talking about incredible things - things
that few people are even aware of. There were many times when I just wanted to
walk up to you and say, ‘Hi my name is Emily. Would you like to have dinner
with me sometime?’ but I would always chicken out.

“And then that day when you came
up to the register and asked me out... I couldn’t believe it. In the beginning
I was taken in by who you were and what you did, but after a while I realized I
was falling in love with you. I guess I’m telling you this because I just want
you to know how I feel. I don’t want you ever to doubt it.”

“Wow! I can’t believe you felt
that way. I mean, I never had anyone that crazy over me. Are you sure you’re
not on drugs or something?”

Emily laughed out loud. “You’re
funny. You are kind of like drugs in one way, actually. You are addicting.”

Jack wrapped his arms around her
waist and pulled her in tight. He kissed her on her neck and then pressed his
lips on hers. The kiss was the best yet, deep and long. They both pulled away
slowly and together.  Jack’s mind went back to her earlier statement. He looked
deep into her eyes and asked, “What did you mean when you said, no matter what
happens?”

Emily brought her arms back down
to her sides and took a small step back. “Nothing. You know life can take weird
twists and turns sometimes and I just wanted you to know that the way I feel
about you will never change. That’s all.”

“Okay, sorry. You just kind of freaked
me out a little when you said that. I feel the same way. I will never let you
go or change the way I feel about you Emily. Ever.”

Jack wasn’t really sure what
caused Emily to say all that, but he decided he would accept her explanation
for now. He loved her too much to think about anything coming between them. He
took her hand and they began to walk back to her apartment. It wasn’t the long walk
that Jack had hoped for, but all in all, it was a good morning.

* * *

It was another awesome spring day
in Virginia and Emily was ready for her morning run. She lifted one foot at a
time up against the building and did her usual pre-run stretches. She was going
to add a half-mile on to her run this morning, bringing it to a full five
miles. She could actually do more, but today she was going for speed. She took
a deep breath, took a look around, and headed off. Her route this time would
take her by the reservoir and through the park, then back home.

She was very serious about her
workouts. The morning run was just the beginning. Every other day after work
she hit the gym. She didn’t care for the machines. She mostly used the free
weights because she felt it gave her the best workout.

As she turned the corner by where
all the new construction was going on, she noticed a van parked on her side of
the road. It wasn’t that unusual on this block because of all the new townhouses
that were going up. Plumbers, carpenters, and all kinds of contractors were pulling
in and out all day long.

Some days the guys would make
sure they watched her run by. She didn’t mind since they never said anything. They
just glanced at her and kept on working.  But there was something different
about this van. It didn’t have a company name on the side of it, and it looked
too clean to have been traveling on the wide, muddy dirt road that led to the
construction site. As she approached the van, her heart began to pound and she
unintentionally picked up her pace. As she ran by it, she peered in at the
driver, but he was busy reading something. As soon as she passed it, she felt
kind of silly as she continued down the road towards the reservoir. She just
wrote it off as paranoia that came with hanging around Jack and Frank.

The area around the reservoir was
beautiful, especially this time of year. One of the flowers that Emily
particularly loved was the
Arisaema
triphyllum. It was exotic with all its twists and curves and beautiful colors,
but the real reason she loved it was because of its other name, Jack in the
Pulpit. She smiled. It fit him to a tee. As she ran past some large bushes
to her right, she heard something behind her. Suddenly, she felt someone grab
her shoulders from behind. The next thing she knew, someone had pulled a black
hood over her head. She could feel the string tighten around her neck. She spun
around to take a swing at whoever it was, and that was the last thing she
remembered before everything went black.

The kidnapper threw her over his shoulders at the
same time a van raced around the corner with its side doors wide open and
pulled up beside them. He threw her inside and slammed the door shut. He
motioned to the driver and they sped away. A few minutes went by and Emily
started to wake up, her head pounding. She realized she must have been hit
pretty hard to have blacked out like that. They had jammed a rag in her mouth
to keep her quiet so she was unable to scream. The man sitting in the back with
her noticed her moving and pulled the hood off her head. It took a few minutes
for her eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did she could see that there
were two of them, a driver and the one who grabbed her. One of them had a large
scar on his right cheek and an evil smirk on his face. She tried to get a look
at the driver, but she could only see the back of his head. That was enough for
her to know that it was the same man she saw just minutes before. She
immediately tried to free her hands, but they had been tied behind her back
with tie wraps.