Maddy was making some Brown soup. She didn't eat much and was now hungry. She took some bread from the fridge and heated it in the oven. She had barely slept that night and she needed to keep her spirits up. She opened all the windows at the back of the house and let the air rush in. There were two guards at the front and three roaming the back. They were all armed. Philip tried his best to protect her, and she appreciated it.
She looked up and saw one of the guards leaning against the wall. He looked sick.
"Morning Leo, are you okay?" Leo immediately stood straight. "Good morning, yes ma'am."
"You were here when we left, why are you still here?" "My relief didn't show up, I'm pulling a double."
"Like hell you are, call Andre and let her know, come in and have something to eat."
Leo frowned. He was an ex-soldier, no way he would abandon his post, Andre would skin him alive and then Philip would kill what's left.
"Thank you Mrs. Kilian I will be just fine."
"Leo if you don't get in here this minute you are fired!" Maddy turned away and headed back to the kitchen.
Leo hesitated but he followed her. She handed him a bowl of soup. "Who else is pulling a double?"
"Everyone."
Maddy sighed exasperated. She picked up her cell and called Andre. "Maddy? What's wrong?"
"The security team is pulling a double, I need them relieved as of the next fifteen minutes."
Andre frowned. "Maddy, do me one big favor, take the entire team and head to the
safe house NOW!" Andre hung up.
Before Maddy could register what Andre had said, shots rang out and there was a loud bang.
The Security team surrounded Maddy as she lay on the floor. She was breathing so hard, Leo put his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down.
"Mrs. K, I need you to calm down, we don't know who is here and if they will search the house, please, try hard to calm yourself."
Maddy nodded as her stomach cramped. She clenched her teeth and grabbed Leo's hand. He frowned. This was not good. They were in a bunker, fortunately, they could see the entire property and there was no one outside. Just then Leo's phone vibrated.
"If you can talk, go ahead." It was Andre.
"Someone shot at us, then a bomb went off, it took the guest houses and a part of the main house. We are at the west end bunker but we need to move, Maddy is…" Leo looked at his pregnant Boss.
"Is she hurt?"
"She is in pain, the source is currently unknown, I don't want to take any chances."
"I am on my way, stay where you are." Maddy whimpered.
"Mrs. K, hang in there, help is coming." "You can't tell Philip, he will worry."
Kane frowned. No way this could be kept quiet with the damages the property sustained and Philip was supposed to be coming home soon. There was almost nothing to come home too!
"Don't worry about Mr. Kilian, Andre is on the way, just hang on for me." "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to leave your post. I put us all in danger."
"You think so? If we were all at our posts, we would all be dead and no one would be here to protect you. You don't need that weight on your shoulders Mrs. K."
Leo glanced at her again, she was out cold. "Shit." Kane muttered.
Just then sounds came from outside. "Leo! Kane! MADDISON!" It was Andre. "HERE! Hurry, Mrs. K passed out!"
A loud crash was heard and the door to the bunker was flung wide open. Behind Andre were at least twenty policemen a few soldiers and several EMT's.
"Take Mrs. K, quickly." Shouted Leo as he moved out of the way.
They watched as Maddy was put on a gurney and taken away in the ambulance. "Andre, go with her, we will handle it here."
"Sure." With a loud sigh she left. It was only when she looked back at the house, she realized her quarters were gone completely. Three guest houses were blown to smithereens, but the main house looked strange, as if whoever set the explosives, knew there was a bunker and they would not be able to destroy it. An inside job. Andre thought as she drove behind the ambulance.
Funny enough, they chose to bomb the house when Philip was in the hospital which brought her to the conclusion, that they were after Maddy but something went wrong.
Andre stood at the door of Philip's hospital room, wondering how she would break the news to him. She shrugged, this man demanded honesty, but this was Maddy, he would turn the world on its head to find out who harmed her and his baby. She softly pushed the door and immediately a look of shock and surprise plastered her face.
Philip was sitting up in bed, three men were standing around him, all with guns, all aimed at him. Philip was smiling, there was no show of fear as he lifted the teacup to his lips. "Good morning Andre, it seems we have a problem."
"Good morning Sir, I would be a fool to disagree. So! Max, Fred, Jeff, explain to me why you are here before I have to kill all of you."
Jeff chuckled, this woman, she had more balls than most men. He always admired her, maybe even loved her but she never paid any attention, and he didn't hold it against her simply because she never led him on. "We had a security breach on the compound and all arrows pointed to Dalton Corp."
Andre grunted loudly.
"So let me get this straight, stop me along the way if I falter in my assessment of this ridiculous situation. You had a breach, it pointed to "Dalton, and instead of doing your fucking job, you blew up his house with his wife who is now in the hospital room next to him?" Andre wanted Philip to get angry and shoot
these men, with her help of course. She didn't bother to glance at Philip, she could feel the anger radiating from him. "We didn't know she would be there Andre."
"So, again, incompetent. I will personally make sure your agency pays not only for a new house but his hospital bills, it's a good thing that my boss just fainted and their baby is just fine, otherwise I would have to kill all of you where you stand. Tell me I'm lying." Andre was furious.
"Now, now, let's not get carried away. Philip knows the dangers of providing software to the Government. He signed a contract." Fred spoke.
"His contract states he is to provide the software, if protocols are followed and short cuts are not taken, all security measures will stand up against anything. Some idiot, in the agency probably messed up and pointed to Dalton to take the heat off them. Now, I am going to ask yall boys very nicely to leave, I am not in the mood to sit in a police station explaining where there were three dead men in my boss's room while he was recovering from an operation." "We can't do that."
Max said. "I won't ask again." Andre said as she quickly pulled her gun out.
"You can't shoot all three of us at the same time." Fred said. A bit skeptical at this point. "She can, trust me." Fred said.
"Do as she says, and by the time you get to your car, I want the money to replace my house. If there is one thing I pride myself on is my reputation to my clients, it's how I make my money. You need and I say need … to check your own people. That software gives access to government funds for every agency in the US, Caribbean, England, France, Germany… you get my point? I don't need to hack into my own software to get the money, I could have done it when I installed it and yall would never see me coming. Now get out before I give Andre permission to kill you." Philip said as he drained his cup.
All three of the men, looked at each other, holstered their weapons and left. Max quickly made a call. The person on the other end was Bella. "You did WHAT?
Get back here NOW and bring those two assholes with you! Dalton Corp can destroy us with the touch of a button and you blew up his house with his pregnant wife in it? You better have a good explanation for your actions or you won't be able to get a job sweeping the streets!" The call ended with a soft click.
"What did he say?" Fred asked.
"We messed up I think." Max said, realizing they may have been misled in a vendetta against Dalton Corp.
At the Agency
"Who put you up to this?" The man in the black suit asked as he stood before his three best agents. "The Director Sir." Max said, feeling no obligation to lie.
"I see, well let me inform you of something your measly pay check does not come under the need-to-know category. The Director, was Philip's best friend at college, but he slept with his girlfriend, along with a few of their classmates. Philip dropped all of them when he found out the truth after denying it for so long. He actually walked in on her and four friends. He never spoke to them again. He raised his brother, built Dalton up from scratch but the Director has had to claw and fight his way to the position he holds now. When the decision was made to hire Dalton for the software, the Director was against it but his pay check was measly compared to that of the decision makers. He has had a grudge against Philip for years and he has roped your three idiots into it and you will take the fall, because you are dispensable to him!"
The guys felt their worlds spin. It never occurred to them that they were being set up. Ben Johnson was their boss, they did as they were told, did not ask questions and now, their jobs and lives were on the line.
"Sir, we just followed orders." Fred dared to speak.
"I don't give a fuck! Don't you understand, Dalton Corp is responsible for the transactions of billions of dollars all across the world and he can take it ALL away. He does NOT NEED TO HACK HIS OWN FUCKING SOFTWARE!"
The man yelled.
"Crap." Jeff grumbled.
"Now you are getting the picture and you three are responsible for pissing him off. He loves that woman more than he loves himself and he will come after you and I won't be able to save you. So, make a decision right now. You either do right by Philip or suffer. I will let Philip deal with the Director. I wash my hands of his demise which I know will come soon. Now get OUT."