Take a Peek Inside Not Taken: The Book

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Envisioning Jamie running for her life in the mountains of Montana, Cindy told Mike to go with Victor and have him get the jet on and started, and for both to get all the guns and ammo they had, including ones for Angie and her, adding they’d need the grenades and smoke canisters. She knew it was going to be an all-out battle.

Mike had just returned from their arsenal with six night-vision goggles, making sure they had been fully charged. Each could go eight hours, but he had a box with six extra batteries. He had his arm through six kevlar bullet-proof vests and made sure there was one for Jamie and one for Victor as he insisted on being in full gear and on the ground with them.

Raising her skirt fully up, tucking the hem and a good deal of its length into her lace underpants as she spoke to Mike, he wasn’t easily surprised yet seeing the most beautiful and charming woman he had ever met strapping holsters to her thighs and putting two Glock 91s in them where each didn’t rub against the other, making sure there was a bullet in the chamber, then pulling the dress out in one tug and letting if flow down was an image that would never leave him. She had put on leggings that would hold up to brush and trails, but as she looked at him to talk gear, she looked more seductive than any top model he had photographed for Vogue covers.

Seeing Mike had stopped to take a good look as she armed up, she asked if she missed something. She was pulling back the slide on a magnum 45 she had been practicing with at the firing range and checking the extra clips.

“I’m using high-velocity, not hollow-core. Laser infrared sight’s in my bag. Did I miss anything?”

Deciding to give Mike a pass on checking her out, he snapped back to normal as she put the 45 in her handbag. She wanted to smile and ask if he liked her red lace panties, but there was no time for teasing. She recalled shopping with Angie and deciding what color to get. Angie, who seemed to be reading everything ever written on any topic, helped make it an easy decision.

“Mom, if you need to leave a trail of markers, or flag me down, you get red. You can pull them off and wave them. White too, but that’s kinda for seniors.”

She had been amazed at Angie’s practical approach to so many things. She had added that if needed, she could flash some red at any guy attacking, and that would get his attention and that’s when she could fire while she asked what he was looking at. Apparently, Angie was right. It had caught Mike’s attention, and it gave her a sense of confidence about what had been a curse in many ways during her life. Having a perfect figure, her beauty was now a weapon. She was a Venus flytrap. She lured with beauty, and once anyone looked, they were finished. Knowing men used might to take down opponents, she knew her strongest weapon was simply someone wanting to look at her, and how they’d never expect her to be fearless and cold as ice when confronting someone who hurt anyone.

Calling to Angie they had to get going, she saw Angie had taken a different approach to battle attire. As stunning as she was, Angie had yet to learn how to use her looks as part of her arsenal, but for where they were headed, she was a sight to see.

Turning the lights on the upper level off, Angie appeared out of darkness as Cindy and Mike looked up to the landing, somehow sensing her presence at the top of the stairs.

Wearing a skin-tight black body suit that covered her arms, legs and neck, she wasn’t hiding her weapons. She had two magnums in a black nylon holster slung on her waist, each end strapped to her thighs. Like the holster, all straps were matte black, matching her full military boots that reached mid-calf. Each boot had a sheath, and they held black carbon knives with matte black handles. On top, she wore a black cap with a long brim that put most of her face in a shadow, covered by a black hoodie with the hood up over the cap. At first all Cindy or Mike could see was a hint of cheekbones moving from the darkness of the hall, then the eerie shape of hips, holsters, 45s, knife handles, and the AR-15 visible only from the sheen of it’s tooled matte black metal. She stood, not moving, sleek, confident, and with her hair pulled back behind her she was a vision to cause fear.

Understanding she would be almost impossible to see at night, Cindy realized the outfit would be the last thing anyone going at her would see. She knew Angie had ordered what she told her was, “practical tactical.” This was the first time she had seen her battle gear, and she was like Mike in that she just stopped, stunned, and looked at her.

Mike stood, shocked, ready to shout they had been invaded, then realized it was Angie and relaxed. He looked up at her, asking who helped her with the gear. Looking at him with her classic, “You must think I’m not smart because I’m a girl,” expression, she answered with one word.

“Amazon.”

Seeing the case full of night vision gear, Angie said she wanted to add it to her belt to adjust it on the way and get used to it. Asking if it had enough battery power, she saw the extra batteries, each having velcro on the back. Taking one, tapping it onto her belt’s velcro, she said she was all set.

Victor was wearing dark green camouflage, military issue, his nylon web belt had his uzi and two Glock 91s, and his pants had gusseted pockets for filling with grenades. He wore a knit cap, also camo green, saying he was ready and would fill his pockets when they landed as he couldn’t fly with them full.

Looking at Mike, he had on a black sweatsuit, both pants and shirt, and had a black knit cap. Cindy knew he’d be using an AR-15, and he had a utility belt filled with clips on one side, his Glock on the other.

Knowing they were all prepared for a night invasion of Jo’s compound, Cindy thought the most important gear were the night-vision goggles. They weren’t there to do battle or take the compound down. They were equipped to search for Jamie and see anyone in the way or coming at them. They had talked after hearing Jo going crazy on the video call and agreed Jamie had enough of a head start to make it up into the mountains, and they would each take a different location and search for her. Cindy was saying a prayer since the call that Jamie would find a way to evade Jo. Her instinct told her Jo would go after her by herself — not with any of her guards or staff. It fit with her insanity. It was a game, and she was on a manic high, feeling invincible.

Seeing they had all the things needed for a night search, she nodded, saying to everyone it was time to get in the car, they’d talk on the way about how to find Jamie, and what to do if they found Jo and subdued her.

The car was loaded with cases in the trunk, Victor behind the wheel, Mike in the front passenger seat, and the garage door had opened. It was a moonless night and looking at the sky, Cindy knew that was to their advantage. Angie and Cindy stood at the alarm panel making sure it was armed. Once done, heading to the car, with almost no sound something made a whoosh past Cindy’s ear, and at the same moment she heard a crack behind her where the wall was lined with casework. Angie heard the cabinet, and they each knew it was a rifle shot aimed at them.

It was the hitman, and he had been waiting for them to leave in a car, not invade the house.

Cindy knew she didn’t need to say anything. She was standing near the panel with light switches and for closing the door. Both her and Angie had been trained for such an attack. She turned off the lights, and both her and Angie flew down, getting their guns out as they dropped. With the night dark, they saw a black Audi sitting across from them, the window open, and knew that was where the shot was fired from.  

As she dropped to the garage floor, Angie had instantly pulled at her night goggles and had them on, saying she could see him to Cindy in a hushed voice, pulling out her 45 just as Cindy had done. Angie said he was in her sight. She didn’t use the laser on the scope, and without hesitating, she could see the man’s head was pressed against the scope on his rifle and saw the red flash of it pointing to her. She didn’t wait for it to settle on her. She fired. It had all happened so quickly that Mike was just opening his door to do what they had. Get low, be hard to hit, and locate the shooter.  

Hitting the ground, he heard the crack of a gun, sure it was from Cindy or Angie. The shot into the garage had made little sound. That meant a muzzled rifle, and using a muzzle reduced the precision of the shot, but the hitman was experienced with compensating, but he knew Cindy or Angie hadn’t been hit. He would have heard a fall or a scream. He only heard the report of the shot fired. A second later, he heard another shot from the semiautomatic magnum, then heard the roar of a car engine and tires screeching. Almost as fast as everything had happened, there was a bang that sounded like a car crashing into a tree.

Telling Cindy and Angie to keep flat, Mike said it could be a ruse, and the guy let his car go but was outside waiting for them. Grabbing his night vision goggles, he put them on, then went out the side door to the yard, opening it with a full swing to see if it was shot at. With the door fully open, his Glock held to fire, he did a quick step out the door, then in. No fire. Talking in a normal voice, he said to stay down, he was going to check if the hitman was in the car, and if he was still alive and dangerous.

Angie stood up, saying no, he wasn’t.

“Not where I hit him. His neck, and it was spurting blood like a garden hose.”

Saying he still needed to be sure, Mike did a by-the-book approach to the Audi with his gun in both hands held out at the car. Seeing a bald head hanging out the driver’s side window, blood covered the outside of the driver’s door, and the windshield was splattered with blood as well. Pushing the man’s head, then feeling for any pulse on his dangling arm, Mike was certain the man was dead. Getting in the back seat, he leaned into the front, taking a sniper rifle and scope, a box of shells, then a cell phone and the man’s wallet with his ID.

Running back to the garage, he told everyone to get in the car, they needed to get out before police came. Victor saw him in the rear-view mirror and knew he had the long rifle and opened the remote trunk. Mike threw the rifle and ammo in, closed it, hopped in, then Victor calmly backed out of the garage and then down the street as if nothing happened. Only a few blocks away and on a main street, he went quickly as possible and in record time they were in the hanger, and he had the jet started. They all carried gear into the jet. As it pulled out of the hanger, Victor used a remote to close the hanger door and had been cleared for takeoff.

From the time they all jumped in the car, until takeoff, they hadn’t talked. They were all looking for any signs of another shooter — and the police. It was a short delay, and they were glad there hadn’t been another one.

Looking at Angie, Cindy was concerned. She had just shot a predator and heard the sniper fire whiz between them. Watching her daughter add two shells to her 45, she had dropped the clip, ejected the chamber, and filled it again. She didn’t seem shook by the incident or stopping the man. Angie looked at her with her classic, “What?” expression, then held up her goggles with both Mike and Cindy looking at her, not knowing what to say. Angie could tell they were worried if taking the man down had been traumatic for her. She shook her head at them.

“First, these goggles are awesome. He was in the darkest spot, black clothes, black car. And his scope’s laser only went on when he pulled the trigger back or pressed his eye into the sight. He had his rifle aimed at mom and me, and lucky we were down. With us laying on the floor like that, he would have gone for the car’s gas tank… not us… I don’t know if you heard it, but he fired, and it was like a hair away from hitting mom in the head. I had a clear shot. I saw it hit, but I took a second one to be sure. I think it was just he had the car in drive for a quick exit and the reflex had him floor it. All I really had seen was a spray of red, the rifle barrel up, not at us.”

Mike gave Angie a thumbs up, saying it was that or be killed. Cindy was looking at her the entire time, then over to Mike, then spoke to them both.

“Mike, we didn’t have James to cover the incident like before. We have a dead man, shot, car rammed into a tree and it was across from our house. Aren’t the police going to want to investigate us?”

Nodding, she noticed he had a burner phone out and was texting.

“There. Texted that I saw a drive-by shooting and don’t want to be a part of it, but some guy driving must have been shot as he hit a tree and didn’t get out. Then the address. None of our guns can be traced, so they’ll be looking into the guy’s history and I’m sure there’ll be plenty there to support the drive-by hit I suggested. We aren’t there, so not home when it happened.”

Cindy was glad of his strategy, but not okay with the attempt to kill them.

“What is with this world? Somebody pays someone and they just pull up and casually kill someone? I understand what Angie did was stop the man from killing us. She had a reason. But him? For what? Money? Our lives are what? A bit of money in his pocket as he drives off? Angie, you didn’t hesitate, you stopped him. He’s never going to hurt someone again. But, Angie… Mike… when we get past the Jo mess, I want to visit Allan. He paid that man. I’m going to pay him for thinking he could do that to anyone. Mike… I’m glad you’re out of there. What do they do all day? Look at each other. Say, gee, we’re behind on kills. Let’s kill some women today. Mike… I can’t figure it out. How did you stay there? Even for just one day?”

It was the first time Mike heard Cindy show her indignation. She was talking the same as always, but what she said was like a blow to the head. She was right. That’s what happens when men can get away with murder. They kill people, and people are just names on a whiteboard to be circled or crossed out. He knew that the agency never thought about the targeted people. They had a way of abstracting the person down to a word on a board. He had been there and been a part of it. He met Cindy and Angie because Vlad and Jamie had been names on a whiteboard. In a large room full of recent college graduates sitting at computers screens, pulling data and images to view, people were only pixels on a screen, the ones locating the “targets” had never pulled a trigger to kill someone, or had been fired at. The agency knew that, and to the young men sitting at screens, it was all a sick video game. Then he realized most video games were all about killing people. They had abstracted life down where real people and video avatars were one and the same.

“Cindy… you’re right. I was so obsessed with finding Sharon I couldn’t see that all around me this type of thing was going on. I do now, and I’m here, not there. I was deep undercover and wanted to stop people like the one tonight. I know. It’s the whole world… this is going on all over. And Allan? Charles? They’re going to try to kill us. We kill them first. I’d do it, but I can see you want to be the last thing they see. I’ll figure out how and when.”

With autopilot on, Victor joined them in the cabin. He had some ideas about finding Jamie and getting out alive.

“I think much about what to do. I give options. We have parachutes, but, the people can see, hear jet noise. Fast way in, and I land, get car, we have meeting place. Pick up, get back on jet. Second. We land, get car, I drive where we are close, I join in search, we call on phones, leave. There is landing strip there, but that is no good for this as we may not make it off stairs without being shot at. Well, I think there may be… well… a bit more like what I did with fighter jet. We land, get you car, you park, I am in sky watching. Jamie, she is running, maybe hiding. That Jo, she is crazy type who will want to find her herself. When you leave car, start looking, I pretend nice Eliana jet is meg, and I buzz compound so low it blows hair on head. If people gather, I head to them, they scatter, screaming for Jo to come…”

Cindy looked at Mike and Angie, then she turned to Victor.

“Land at the local airport. We’ll get car, you fly off to compound. Distract them with your fighter pilot flying. Victor, does this plane has a loudspeaker? So when you go in, you can use it to send a message?”

Smiling, Victor understood her thinking.

“Yes, malenka as Eli call you. The voice of God thundering would be good. This plane has that, a siren too. What you wish I should say?”

Mike was looking concerned, and he hadn’t been able to say what he thought best, although the third option was the one he liked just as Cindy had. He nodded at Cindy, waiting to hear the message. She was writing it down for Victor, and she read it out before giving it to him.

“Stand down or be killed. We are here for Jamie. Go to end of airstrip. Jamie, go to road, get in car. If Jo is not on airstrip, all will die. To save your lives, drag Jo with you.”

Mike and Victor saw the simple genius of her message. The goal was to stop Jo from going after Jamie, let Jamie know they were there, and allow her to make it to the road and find their car.

Heading back to the cockpit, Victor radioed the airport near the compound, had clearance to land, and had made arrangements for a Suburban. Using the plane’s PA, he said he had gotten a nice black Suburban so they would think CIA has arrived.  

Angie was looking at Mike from her seat, arms crossed, clearly upset.

“I think we could have had James get my special disposition driver’s license before we threw him off. How am I going to get one now? I put a hundred down on the new wedge truck earlier.”

Mike thought a bit of levity would help before they landed and faced a deadly situation.

“Angie, I forgot. Why didn’t you say something when you were opening the floor hatch? I could have taken his cuffs off and he would have arranged it for you.”

Not finding the humor in what Mike said, she was putting her arm back to throw her bottled water at Mike and see if he could catch it. Cindy gave her a look that stopped Angie, but she was still worried about who would get her fixed with a license. She gave a huff, and they could tell she had come to a decision.

“I don’t need some guy to do it for me. I’ll go to the DMV and tell them Jake Maxx said he wants me to have one, right now, that day.”

Mike looked at Cindy, then at Angie. He asked who in the world was Jake Maxx. Angie gave him her all-out, “Duh!” motion with her shoulders and arms, eyes wide.

“I don’t know. And, neither will they. It’s who you don’t know that matters. The who you know is so old school…”

Cindy smiled at Mike, saying she knew she’d pull it off.

“Mom, you’re on top of it even though you don’t know it. I’ll have my phone out dialing in sympathy for what will happen to them, then I’ll call out to everyone there to look how the DMV treats girls from trailer parks and ask people to get online and please leave a like and all. It’ll go viral as I’m like, a girl. That’s all it takes to go viral. Oh, maybe I’ll drink a frapachino while they’re all filming me.”

Mike was as confused as Cindy on that part, and asked her what the frapachino was all about.

“Mike, see, that’s why you wouldn’t have many followers. You’re a hunk, and that could help. But, if you aren’t drinking a coffee and being difficult in a public building, nobody online is going to watch what you post. You hold the cup in one hand, phone out to do the selfie, then ask a question, a vague one. I’ll need to ask, do you get blown off when all you want is what the law allows? But, before I tell you what this lady is denying me, check the like button. Then I keep telling her I have a right to drive, and I want to know her name and ID number, and does she know the number or page such a law is in the regulations, or is it just she doesn’t like really nice, sweet innocent girls because her daughter just got busted at the strip club.”

Both with mouths open in shock, they looked at each other, and Mike asked Angie if she planned on doing all that.

Angie looked at them, implying they just didn’t understand, then laughing, said aloud, “No. But… if needed…”

Over the speaker, Victor said he was coming in hot, and strap up. It was Angie’s turn to ask where Victor was picking up jargon. She looked up front, calling to Victor.

“Coming in hot? Coming in hot? Where are you learning those things?”