Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (49 page)

It was at one event that she’d met the
President’s campaign manager. They’d hit it off and kept in touch
until the day the campaign needed a new Events Coordinator for the
election. She’d worked out a leave of absence from her studio and
joined the campaign trail. It wasn’t as glamorous as Hollywood, but
Janet felt like she was doing her patriotic duty.

Her mind was swirling. She had so many
moving parts for the Convention. Sometimes she wondered how she’d
be able to keep it all together. To make matters worse, they were
doing things a little different this year. Typically, the
convention floor was full of constituents for the entire event. For
this DNC, the first day would be more entertaining. The lower level
would be empty, except for the entertainment and an occasional ‘Rah
Rah’ speech from party leaders. They’d booked three of the
President’s favorite bands to start. The Marines would really kick
things off toward the end of the night. The President wanted the
tone to be patriotic, hence the many strings pulled for the Silent
Drill Team to perform. In the end, everything would come together.
It always did.

Riley looked at her watch. Her stomach
grumbled as she thought about the lunch she’d missed and the dinner
that would probably also be skipped. She had just a couple of hours
before the Marine Corps reps came to the convention center to walk
through the space. They’d requested the meeting to finalize the
show’s particulars. Janet had enough on her plate and wished she
didn’t have to go. These Marines were perfectionists though. They
wanted to make sure every detail was ironed out prior to show time.
Riley cursed them and their efficiency.

To make matters worse, the President had
just requested to be at the dress rehearsal the following morning
before any of the crowd showed. He wanted to see the Silent Drill
Team run-through and spend a couple minutes mingling with the
Marines. Capt. Andrews would not be happy with the change. At least
they wouldn’t have to contend with a large Secret Service presence
in the morning without a crowd being there.

In another hour, Janet would head down to
the convention floor. After that, she’d walk back to the hotel for
one final meeting. The guy from Ichiban Gaming had called earlier
in the day. He said he had another small request for the
convention. Janet wanted to be done with the guy. He gave her the
creeps, but she couldn’t really deny the request. After all, he had
pulled her out of that little situation back in L.A. four months
ago. She never should have listened to her girlfriend and gone to
that party. Janet knew there would be drugs all over the man’s
house and she had been secretly battling addiction for five years.
In the end, she gave in and got wasted. It was only by a stroke of
luck, and the help of that Japanese guy, that she avoided landing
in jail.

He’d asked for nothing in return, until two
months before the convention. She felt obligated to help because
she was in his debt. The request wasn’t out of the ordinary. So the
guy wanted one of his companies to do some of the work at the
convention. Who didn’t? It was a big deal to be one of the vendors
for a political rally. Besides, the bid was competitive so
technically Riley wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was her call
which companies would be hired to setup for the week’s events.

+++

Everyone in the room froze. Had they just
found a piece of the puzzle?

“Are you telling me that I’m about to go to
a meeting with someone on that list?” Andy asked incredulously.

“Looks like it. But the question is, what is
she doing to help these guys?” wondered Cal.

“I’m seriously thinking about calling my
boss and pulling the plug. Am I the only one that’s getting a
really bad feeling about this?” Andy asked.

No one answered. They all felt the same way.
There was only one direction this was going: downhill.

“Andy, how about you go meet with Ms. Riley
and see what you can find out? Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble onto
something. Who’s going with you?”

“My First Sergeant and my squad
leaders.”

“Good. Starting now, I don’t think you or
your Marines should be traveling alone. Can you get that word to
your men?”

“Sure. I’ll call their rooms right now.
Anything else?” Andy asked his friend.

Cal couldn’t think of anything. “I don’t
think so. Just keep your eyes open and let us know if you notice
anything fishy. Can you give me until tomorrow morning to make the
call about cancelling the show?”

Andy wasn’t so sure. His sixth sense told
him to pack up his boys and head back home. “I guess. But you
better be damn sure you’re doing everything you can to find out
what they’re planning.”

“We’re all over it.”

They said their goodbyes and left Andy to
make his calls. Cal hoped that they would have a better idea of
what they were dealing with by tomorrow’s deadline.

+++

“Make sure the Riley woman follows your
directions. Remember, we cannot afford another failure.”

The Japanese man bowed to his employer.
Kazuo Nakamura sat back in his chair as his underling departed. In
less than twenty-four hours, everything would change. He looked
forward to returning to Japan as a conquering hero.

Chapter 34

Washington,
D.C.

8:42pm, September 18th

“Are you ready to go, Mr. President?” the
head of the Commander in Chief’s protection detail asked.

“Sure am.” He stretched as he rose from his
chair. “Sam, we’ve really gotta tell the Air Force One boys to stop
booking these late flights.”

The Secret Service agent chuckled. “Well,
sir. You know it makes it a lot easier for the airports when we’re
not stopping traffic in the middle of rush hour.”

“I know. It’s just that the kids never get
enough sleep when we fly after nine pm. You’d think that after four
years they’d be used to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

The President glanced at his new smart phone
and sighed at the time. “Well, I guess we better get going.”

He followed his detail out to the waiting
caravan.

Chapter 35

Las Vegas,
Nevada

8:45pm, September 18th

Capt. Andrews and his small Marine
contingent showed up at the Las Vegas Convention Center fifteen
minutes early. He’d given word to keep their eyes and ears open
without giving details. The Marine Captain didn’t look like much to
strangers, but his Marines knew the boyish face belied a fearless
warrior and strong leader. His gaze remained serious as they toured
the staging area.

“What the hell is that?” Andy pointed to the
two identical trailers waiting side by side.

“We had to bring in a backup, Captain,”
answered Janet Riley as she strolled in, hands full of paperwork.
“The last thing we wanted was to have the first one crap out and
then be dead in the water.”

The explanation made sense to Andy. Anytime
Marines did a dog-and-pony show for VIPs, they liked to have
backups, just in case.

“So which one are we loading into?”

“The one on the right. It’s got a small
green sticker on it. The backup is on the left with a small red
sticker on the entrance ramp.”

“Why don’t you guys go inspect the trailers
while I have a word with Ms. Riley.”

His Marines split up and set about testing
the mechanics of the two trailers.

“How can I help you, Captain?” Riley asked
tiredly. She was ready to wrap the meeting up. It would’ve been
easier for the Marines to just do their inspection without her, but
Andrews had requested her presence.

“Are we still a go for the practice run
tomorrow morning?” Andy could barely conceal his suspicion of the
woman. He wasn’t used to holding his tongue. If so much wasn’t
riding on him to keep his mouth shut, he’d call the woman out right
now.

“Uh, yeah, with one change.”

Crap. Here we
go
, thought Andy.

“The President wants to watch the practice
run and then come meet your Marines.”

It wasn’t what Andy had expected. Being part
of the world’s most famous drill team, he was used to visits by the
President and other foreign dignitaries. Considering the strings
the White House had pulled to get the Marines there, it wasn’t
surprising that he wanted to have a quick photo op.

“Alright. I don’t think that’ll be a
problem. Where will he be during the dry run?”

Riley pointed to the far end of the ground
floor. “My workers are going to set up a couple of chairs for the
President. That’s where you guys should finish before you march
off, right?”

“Correct. So just forget the about face and
march off?”

“If that’s okay,” Riley requested
politely.

The Marines wouldn’t mind meeting the
President. He was, after all, their President. He wasn’t a bad guy
and it was rumored that he’d really taken a liking to the Silent
Drill Team.

“Sure. If we can make it quick though. I
want to get my guys out of their uniforms and taking a break before
tomorrow night. We’ll be cooped up in that trailer long
enough.”

“No problem. I think they’ve only got ten
minutes scheduled for that anyway. Anything else I can answer for
you?” added Riley, hopefully.

“Not that I can think of. Thanks for meeting
us down here. If it’s okay, we’ll just spend some time walking the
arena. You don’t need to be around for that.”

Riley was grateful. “Sure. Take as much time
as you need.”

Andy thanked Riley for her assistance and
she departed for her room next door at the Hilton. Maybe she’d have
a few minutes to take off her high heels before her next
meeting.

+++

10:10pm

Andy walked back to his room after a couple
of last words with his Marines. They’d all be ready to hop in the
vans at first light. The boys knew better than to hit the town
tonight. Regardless, he’d passed the word that everyone was to
remain in their rooms until the morning. They could party tomorrow
night after the show.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Cal.

“Hey, you find out anything?” Cal asked
eagerly.

“Not really.”

“No changes?”

“Just some minor things.”

“Like what?”

“They’ve got a backup trailer for the show
and the President is coming to our practice tomorrow.”

“Is that out of the ordinary?” Cal wanted to
shut down the show before the Marines were put in a bad
situation.

“Not really. It’s actually not a bad idea to
have a backup trailer. That thing is frickin’ huge. We’d be screwed
if one of tires went out or the mechanical door stopped working. As
for the President visiting, I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Sometimes the bigwigs want to meet us beforehand because after the
real show it’s total chaos,” Andy answered honestly.

“What about the Riley chick? Was she acting
strange?” There had to be something.

“Nope. Looked a little stressed out, but I
would be too if I had her job. Sorry I couldn’t help, Cal.”

“It’s not your fault, man. Thanks for
keeping this quiet. We’ll get to the bottom of it before tomorrow
night’s show. Wait, do you think you could get me and Briggs and a
few other guys in for the practice run tomorrow? I’d like to see
the layout and take a look around.”

“Let me call one of the Secret Service guys
that I just talked to over there. I don’t think it’ll be a problem
as long as you don’t come armed and keep your distance from the
President.”

Cal laughed out loud. “No offense, Andy, but
I’ll pass on meeting the President.”

Andy chuckled. “Cool. I’ll call you back as
soon as I know.”

The call ended and Andy dialed the Secret
Service agent’s number.

“Hey, Pete. I’ve got a favor to ask.”

+++

11:13pm

Congressman Zimmer was just getting ready to
hop into bed when his cell phone rang. It was his father.

“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Are you ready for the Convention?”

“You still think I should be going with
you?”

“Of course. I need you there with me. By the
way, there’s a slight change for tomorrow. I know I told you we
wouldn’t need to be at the convention center until five, but I just
got a call from the President. He’s going to the venue early to
watch the Silent Drill Team practice. He invited us to come along
to watch and stick around to chat afterward. I think he’s going to
try to get me to be Secretary of State again. I’ll have to tell him
no, but you can’t refuse a Presidential summoning.”

“Why don’t you want to be at State, Dad? I
thought it was something you’d pushed for before?”

“Maybe with Hank Waller in office, but the
current President and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on much these
days. You remember that little argument we had about our CIA assets
in Jordan?”

Brandon did remember. His father had grown
into a hugely popular figure among intelligence and military
personnel. Despite his political affiliation, he was a staunch
defender of a powerful armed forces and a robust intelligence arm.
The tiff with the President about Jordan had been about the
President’s decision to pull half of the CIA’s human assets
stationed there in exchange for a larger drone and signals
intelligence presence. Sen. Zimmer had argued that while technology
certainly augmented the intelligence gathering process, spies and
informants were absolutely necessary. The President, still pushing
for full withdrawal from Afghanistan, didn’t relent. His closest
advisors still professed the increased use of technology because it
protected American lives.

Sen. Zimmer almost screamed in the
President’s face that if it weren’t for intelligence community’s
boots on the ground, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden never would
have been found. In the end the President won and twenty-five CIA
personnel were pulled out of Jordan. A week later, the coup in
Syria caught the American government by surprise. One of the duties
of the withdrawn CIA staff was to monitor the situation within the
Syrian government. They’d even found seven exiled Syrian officials
living in Amman, Jordan, and convinced them to be American
informants. Each man still had extensive networks inside Syria. A
day before the coup, all seven men disappeared. It was later
determined, the lack of American protection around the men had
allowed their capture and subsequent murder.