Anne Renee discovered that each box contained a handheld GPS receiver, which she presumed to be preprogrammed, an Iridium satellite phone with charger, and a sealed folder. Each driver activated the equipment and verified that it functioned correctly. She assumed that they would call a phone number for further details regarding their delivery. She had no idea what the folder might contain. Possibly the paperwork for the final transfer of the bottled water? Contracts and delivery agreements? She didn't care. Her job was to get all six convoys on the road without incident. Her radio echoed the voice of Sean Thompson.
"Ms. Paulson, Wilkins is here again, and he brought some woman with him. Says it's really important that he speaks with you."
"I don't have time to talk with Mr. Wilkins. I'll stop by his office when we are finished with Mr. Mills' business. Let him know that," she said.
"All right."
There was an awkward, silent pause, as she shook her head and waited to hear that Wilkins and his guest were leaving. She stood with her back to the door leading into the front office guarded by Thompson, staring at the bustling facility. Two forklifts moved back and forth from the furthest bay, transporting crates to the bays accommodating the back of each trailer. They had almost loaded most of the final convoy — four semi-trailers filled with crates of Crystal Source water. Another hour of work and they would all drive out of the White Mills distribution center and go their separate ways. Anne Renee was supposed to meet Brown later to receive instructions for the next phase of the New Recovery plan. According to Lee Harding and Jackson Greely, she would play an important role. She had no idea if she would see any of these people again or what the next phase entailed.
"Ma'am," came the guard's voice again, "Wilkins says the woman is the Distribution Center's Operations Manager. There's something wrong with one of the trucks we dispatched earlier. He's pretty pissed off."
She shook her head and cursed before transmitting. "All right. Let them into the office. I'll meet them inside," she said and pocketed the radio. She looked at both of the security guards. "There's too much at stake here to take any risks. If they won't leave immediately, be ready to kill them where they stand. No mercy. Keep your pistols concealed for now."
Anne Renee opened the door just as Bob Wilkins and a strikingly attractive, well-poised woman walked through the entrance. The woman had an exotic quality, accentuated by her short brown hair and well-tanned skin. Like herself, this woman looked out of place in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, especially at an industrial site. Despite the fact that she had only stepped into the building once and had never met anyone beyond Wilkins, Anne Renee highly doubted that Bob's mystery guest worked in that shit hole of a building he called home. Her presence was a disturbing development, but one Anne Renee could rectify quickly. One hour. All she had to do was keep this place together for one more hour, regardless of how many bodies piled up in the front office.
Jessica couldn't hear what the guard was being told. His handheld radio was equipped with an earpiece. The guard didn't carry himself like any of the operatives they'd encountered in Atlanta and even looked slightly less competent than the security personnel at the laboratory. She started to wonder if Brooklyn and Atlanta had made a serious dent in True America’s supply of seasoned operatives. Then again, this guy was just a lookout. The real threats would be contained inside the building.
The bulky guard nodded his head a few times and responded to the voice in his earpiece.
"Go ahead. Ms. Paulson will meet you just inside," he informed them.
They walked up the gray wooden stairs onto a raised platform just outside of the entrance. The guard watched them carefully. When they reached the door, Jessica let Wilkins lead the way. He knew the building, and Ms. Paulson would be expecting to see him first. She didn't expect handshakes to be exchanged, so she shifted her knife from the left to right hand. She could fight with the knife in either hand, but heavily favored her right hand for throwing. She didn't expect Paulson to be alone.
As Wilkins stepped through the threshold of the door, Jessica heard a thump from her immediate left. She turned her head casually, hoping not to attract attention from anyone inside. The guard collapsed against the cinderblock wall and slid to the raised concrete platform, trailing a crimson streak. She caught movement out of her peripheral vision and knew that Daniel had opened the rear passenger car door. Wilkins had advised them to park to the left of the door, since it would be out of sight from inside the office. Everything was moving quickly. She turned forward and stepped into the dank office. She could tell by the musty smell that the office hadn't been used in years.
Just as she walked through the entry, a door in the left rear corner of the office opened, revealing a woman with blond hair worn in a modern-looking bob. She wore a gray fleece jacket over a white collared blouse, along with wheat brown slacks. She was immediately followed by two serious-looking gentlemen dressed in casual business attire and wearing unzipped, hip-level jackets.
She didn't like the odds. Daniel had her back, but a lot could go wrong in a few seconds. Hopefully, Bob Wilkins wouldn't panic and freeze. They had instructed him to drop to the floor if anyone flashed a gun. Wilkins didn't like the sound of this. He reiterated his earlier observation that he had expected to see more agents and continued to protest on the ride over. He was sharp enough to realize that they were going up against heavy odds.
"Who are you?" Paulson said, directing her glare at Jessica.
"Jessica Petrovich. Thank you for seeing us," she said, extending her left hand and willing her to take it.
Paulson regarded her for a moment and nodded to the two men on her left. "Do it."
Jessica didn't waste a fraction of a second trying to interpret her remark. She'd been prepared for the likelihood of a summary execution attempt and had already rehearsed her options. However, she hadn't anticipated the speed with which Paulson could draw her weapon. In the brief moment she had to initiate her plan, Jessica realized that the small space between them would get messy.
She reached behind her back as far as possible and snapped it forward, releasing the blade as she lurched for Paulson's hand. An overhand throw would have generated more momentum, but she didn't have time to raise her hand. As the knife penetrated the closest guard's throat, just above the Adam's apple, she swept Paulson's black semiautomatic pistol to the left and pivoted, grabbing the top of her shooting wrist with her right hand as it continued across from the knife throw. This briefly put her in a vulnerable position, with her back against Paulson.
Instead of fighting Jessica's grip, the woman kneed Jessica in the lower left back. The intensely sharp pain caused by the blow to her kidney forced Jessica to release her grip on Paulson's wrist. Desperate, Jessica launched herself backward into the woman, slamming her into the bookshelf along the wall. Jessica jabbed her elbow back sharply, catching Paulson in the throat and causing her to drop the pistol. Another elbow shot separated them, allowing Jessica to spin and face her. Expecting to defend another round of attacks, she squared her feet and raised her arms as her body turned; however, Paulson had decided to retreat. The woman threw herself backward, catapulting through the doorway leading into the loading bays, and screamed for help.