The man in charge of DOJ’s National Security Division, Assistant Attorney General Leonard Willard, had a reputation for being a bull in a china shop. Willard got shit done. Not all of it legally if the rumors were true.
Considering they were dealing with corruption at the very highest level of government, and they didn’t have a clue who might be involved, the colonel put a lot of faith in Diane Heughan’s ability to read people.
The next update in the queue came from Mackenzie. Jonas Johnson had received notification regarding the discovery of the arms shipment and had left for Long Beach. In anticipation of Johnson’s arrival and to keep an eye on theKaraboudjan, Babbitt and Snow were already on the ground. They would have picked up the surveillance detail on the presidential hopeful by now.
The phone rang. “Yeah?”
“Change of plans. Bodak wants to leave now,” Kaminski said. “We’ll be in the elevator in five.”
Adam checked his watch. They were leaving for the airport a half hour early. Fucking prick had worked himself into a froth over Gray and couldn’t keep his crap together for thirty more minutes. “I’ll meet you in the garage. Keep him in sight.”
CHAPTERFORTY
Chase didn’t makeany noise as he moved through Jonas Johnson’s Washington residence installing surveillance equipment. Even if he did, the nurse’s Snuffleupagus routine was loud enough to mask any sounds. Add the British chef yelling about overcooked risotto in the background, and Chase could have used a power drill, and nobody would have been the wiser.
Due to entirely different reasons, both of the women in the Johnson household were out cold. In the main floor study, the middle-aged babysitter had propped herself in the corner of the leather sofa. Head tipped back and mouth open, she snored like she had a deviated septum. To add to the noise, she had the TV tuned to one of those cooking shows, the volume on high.
On the second floor, Vivienne Johnson appeared to be in a drug-induced coma. Going by the prescription bottles kept in a basket outside her locked door, her stupor would last well into the next year.
“You planning on spending the night?” Jay’s disembodied voice rumbled in Chase’s ear.
“Last one.” He’d been in the house for almost an hour. The next-door neighbors conveniently on vacation, Jay monitored the situation from a rental van parked at the back of their property. He’d already hacked into Johnson’s perimeter cameras, and thanks to the local ADT, they had a good view of the comings and goings outside the residence.
Hoping to get some intelligence from observing the interactions inside, Chase installed the last camera in the motion detector located in the upstairs hall. An odd placement for a motion detector. Then again, it was an odd situation.
Given the number and high dosages of her antidepressants, it appeared as though Mrs. Johnson had been locked in her room for safety reasons. As fucked up as that was Chase understood the temptation. To keep Gray safe, he’d been considering locking her in a room just yesterday. Although, he was pretty damn sure it wasn’t normal to act on the impulse. And if he did, he was pretty damn sure his woman would disembowel him with a spoon if he tried.
“Jesus, you got it bad.”
Well, that was proof the camera worked. “That obvious?”
“Every time you think of her, you start grinning like you’re twelve. Get a grip already. It’s disturbing.”
“Don’t be a hater, Mann.” Chase snapped the cover back onto the detector and moved his grin out of the way. “How’s that?”
“I’m looking at a door.”
“Yep.”
“I’m looking at acloseddoor.”
“Yep.” Chase held the earpiece against his head as he dropped off the chair. The thick carpet running down the middle of the hallway muffled the sound of his boots hitting the floor.
“Is that a double-sided deadbolt?”
“Yep.” He picked up the dainty chair and moved it back into position, making sure to place the front legs in the dents left in the edge of the carpet. The rear legs he matched to the scratches in the hardwood.
“You go inside?”
“Yep.” Chase made his way past the door in question.
“Let me guess, Mrs. Secretary is locked up.”
“Yep.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“Yep. Nothing we can do about it without blowing cover, though. I’m headed down now. I’ll be at the van in three. I just need to re-engage the alarm system.” Taking the back stairs to the kitchen, he paused on the landing. The sound of the snoring woman reached him, and coast clear, he put his foot on the next step and froze. The shrill cry of the house phone caused his heart to jump and pick up speed. The sound cut off after the second ring.
