“I don’t have any cards on me at the moment,” Murphy said. “Let’s ensure you get my information before we leave today.”
There was a knock on the door. Murphy pushed away from the table, headed over to the door and opened it.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, Agent,” a young man in a pinstripe suit said. Then he whispered, “Agent Anderson wanted me to let you know a mob is growing outside.”
“A mob?” She turned to the room and said, “I’ll be back. There’s a situation unfolding I need to be briefed on.” She noticed Harper shoot her inquisitive look as she closed the door behind her. “Okay, explain,” Murphy said to the junior agent.
“It’s probably easier to show you,” the young man said. He gestured for her to follow him into another conference room. She walked over to the window overlooking the parking lot. She saw over one hundred people carrying signs readingFree Ethan!andEthan, We Love You!Off in the corner, she saw three news vans already setting up for satellite telecasts.
“What about the back side of the building? Is there a way to get out of here with a few cars?” Murphy questioned.
“There’s a side entrance covered by some trees. So far, all the protestors are in front of the building, but I don’t know how long we’ll keep them out there. I heard the contingent in the lobby brought the mob.”
“What contingent in the lobby?” Murphy asked.
“The rest of ZERO is downstairs, along with their management and security. It’s a bit of a mess down there, ma’am.”
This might work in our favor, Murphy thought. “How quickly can you get a team of SUVs lined up?”
“Ten minutes. As long as the Special Agent in Charge approves.”
“Do it. Get me that motorcade.”
Murphy walked back across the hall and slipped into the conference room. Kira took one look at her and demanded, “What’s going on?”
“Ms. Strickland, we need to move you, your client and his whatever-the-hell-Blayne-is, to a secure location. Right now, this location is no longer secure. Someone posted Ethan’s location on social media, and there’s now a group of screaming fans outside.”
“So, there’s a mob of teenage girls, and you think my client is not safe because of this?”
“I’m less concerned about the teenage girls than the threat posed if whoever is after Ethan attacks this place with everyone in it.”
“I was told this place is a virtual fortress,” Ethan said.
“Maybe so,” Murphy noted. “But I don’t want to take that chance with all the innocent civilians gathered. Whoever these assassins are, we know they have no qualms about killing hundreds of civilians to get to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan
Ethan held Blayne’s hand as they rode the elevator to a subbasement with Kira and the special agents. On the lobby floor, the doors opened. Across from the doors, Ethan saw Zach and Stephanie pacing.
“Guys?” Ethan yelled. As he did, Agent Murphy hit the close button on the elevator door repeatedly. Ethan looked back at Zach and Stephanie, but he wasn’t sure if either of them heard him over the loud chanting he could hear coming from outside. The door slid shut again, and the elevator went down one more level.
“That’s all for you?” Blayne asked.
“Trust me, that’s mild. You should hear what it sounds like when we’re in one of our arena stops. Our earpieces are half sound suppression and half monitor. Without them, we can’t hear ourselves think, let alone any of the music we’re supposed to be singing to.”
The elevator made a quiet dinging sound as the doors opened. A young male agent was standing there as they got off the elevator.
“Agent Murphy,” the young male agent said. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the way to the side entrance.” The agent put a walkie-talkie to his mouth and pressed the button. “Everything still clear for the motorcade?”
“All clear on our end. The sounds from the front are getting loud, so we should get this show on the road,” a female voice responded.
The group proceeded through several underground service tunnels. It ultimately came to a side door markedEmergency Exit Online, Alarm Will Sound.
“Don’t worry. We’ve already disabled the alarm,” the young male agent said.
