At the Firebrand Ranch, Miss Ruby sat at the desk in her study, smoking a cigarette and biding her time. As she rubbed out the butt in the ashtray, the smartphone sitting on her massive desk chirped. She had been waiting for the call, unsure what her instructions would be. As the phone chirped, several thoughts flashed through her head.
She had been Number Three in the cell for some time. It was a cause she had devoted her life to. In the last two days she could not escape the feeling that something was … different. Number One had been giving commands, making plans, and essentially co-opting control of the group to the point that Ruby felt as if she and the entire cell were in danger of exposure.
When the Leopard arrived earlier in the day, almost her first words were to challenge the kidnapping of Bethany Culpepper from the White House. In Miss Ruby’s mind, the Leopard lived up to her reputation. During her debrief she appeared smart, capable, and cunning. She brazenly called the decision to take the children as well as the president’s daughter stupid, and in truth Miss Ruby could not disagree. It had been a huge risk and had in fact blown up in their faces. As the Leopard had remarked, they had lost numerous valuable assets.
Normally, they would fall back now. It was how they always operated. Whether the objective was met or the mission failed, the ghost cell said nothing, took no credit, and showed no public face at all. There were plenty of terrorist groups just waiting to claim the notoriety for themselves, and when they did, it provided the ghost cell with cover to operate unnoticed.
But now, someone was noticing them. To Miss Ruby it felt like they were foolishly exposing themselves and taking too many unnecessary chances. After the SEAL team rescued the president’s daughter, Miss Ruby argued for retreat and a chance to regroup. Now that Number Four was dead, Anmar, the Leopard, was officially a voting member of the Five but it appeared those above her in the cell’s hierarchy were not quite sold on the Leopard’s loyalty and had ordered her to Chicago almost immediately. Miss Ruby did not believe in luck. But with the unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Bethany Culpepper, and the failure of the two car bombs to destroy any meaningful targets, it made her feel like something was up. It was the only thing she could think of to describe the feeling. Her instinct was to wait. Recover. Let a new plan take shape. But those above her wanted to press forward.
Miss Ruby thought this was madness. She argued her case with Number Two. But Number Two almost always voted as Number One wished, like a loyal lapdog. In her view, Number Two was mostly useless but, as second in line, had the ear of Number One. And besides, the cell was structured as it was structured. She could air her views, but in the end she followed orders.
And truthfully, while she thought Number Two to be a competent planner and tactician, there was something about Number One that made her … uneasy. If someone asked her to identify why or what it was that made her feel this way, she was certain she would be unable to put it into words. They had only been together in person a few times, but each meeting had left her looking over her shoulder for days afterward, as if she might find Number One suddenly there.
On the last ring, before the call went to voice mail, she answered.
“Howdy!” she said sweetly.
“Hey! I guess it hasn’t shown up yet, but did you ever find out about the package?” She recognized the voice. Number One.
“I did, sugar. It’s in San Antonio but the company tells me it’s not out for delivery yet.”
“Oh, shoot! I was hoping it would be there by now. It’s a special gift and I really wanted you to have it before the night is over.”
“Well, no worries. We were planning a trip into the city anyway. I told them to hold it for me and I’ll swing by and pick it up,” she said.
“I hate to trouble you,” the voice said.
“Oh, it’s no trouble, sugar. I’m grateful to have it. Really, it is far too generous. You shouldn’t have,” she said sweetly.
“But I did. I’m glad you’re going to get it. Let me know what you think when you pick it up,” the voice said as the call disconnected. There was a tone in the last sentence that told Miss Ruby it was an order and not a request. Let me know when you pick it up, she thought. It was clear to her she did not have a choice. She was going to San Antonio.
Miss Ruby put down the phone. The conversation had gone the way all forms of electronic communication went between cell members. To anyone listening, they could be talking about a delivery of flowers, a birthday gift, or a box of steaks on dry ice. No one outside their circle would have any indication of the meaning behind the words.
On her desk sat a small console for an intercom that ran throughout the sprawling house. She pushed a button. “Robert, Sean, Marco, get in here.”
A few minutes later the three men filed in. Robert and Sean were identical twins, six-two and built like bodybuilders, their black polo shirts barely fitting over their chests and bulging biceps. They had wide faces crisscrossed with scar tissue from fights and other violent incidents. The only way Miss Ruby could tell them apart was that Sean’s poorly healed broken nose listed slightly to the left.
Marco was shorter and leaner, about five-ten, and his features were sharp, giving him an almost rat-like appearance along with his dark and angry eyes. Each of the men had been with her for a few years and she trusted them to follow her orders without question.
“We’ve got a pickup to make. Get everything ready, like we planned.”
The men left the library and went off to gather what they would need for their next task.
Miss Ruby shuddered. What they had planned shouldn’t be dangerous at all. But she couldn’t help feeling that they were about to make a horrible mistake.
She leaned back in her chair and lit another cigarette. There was time for one more smoke before they left. In truth, she ought to give up the nasty habit.
It would probably kill her one of these days.