Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

vibrated on the floor in front of him and his gaze fell on its screen.
    Prz cming gt out nw!

Chapter 109
    “Less than thirty, people!” The man’s voice was coming from the cubicle behind Sydney, the same place where he made his first announcement concerning the president’s status that had made her text Danny. She checked her watch. The president wasn’t supposed to be back this early. They were supposed to have a twenty-minute window to get in and out. Sydney stared at the Oval Office door. Even with Vanessa Dempsey right there, she wanted desperately for it to open and for Danny to escape.
    Hurry Danny!
    All the noise, which seemed to be unbearable moments ago, had been extinguished. Even the phones weren’t ringing, which they had been nonstop since Sydney had sat down.
    “Everyone up and ready?” the same voice behind her asked, but this time Sydney could tell that the guy was now standing. She wanted to stay seated, but her cubicle faced the open hallway. People would see that she wasn’t following protocol. She thought about ducking behind the desk, but she would still be seen from the hallway. To hide her face, she pulled her hair around the edges of her chin and stood facing the hallway. Her eyes never left the Oval Office door.
    Hurry Danny!
    “Good afternoon, Mr. President.” The phrase was repeated over and over, the sounds starting at the other side of the room and then rolling agonizingly closer to her. By the time she saw Jack Butcher and Simon Shilling out of the corner of her eye, they were already past her. They remained entrenched in their hushed conversation, the greetings from an entire office not even making a dent.
    Do something! s he thought . Don’t let them catch Danny!
    “Good afternoon, Mr. President,” Sydney said loudly.
    Suddenly, the president stopped and turned toward her. He had recognized her voice.
    They locked eyes and Sydney made the mistake of glancing for a split second past him at the Oval Office door. The president looked at it and then back at her. He eyed Peter Devon, who was standing next to him, and whispered into the agent’s ear.
    Sydney didn’t have to hear him. She knew what the president’s orders were as Danny’s instructions rocketed through her head.
    “If you get caught, don’t run. They will use lethal force to protect the president.”
    But Sydney couldn’t help it. She needed to buy Danny more time. She tore out of the cubicle and then ran down the hallway away from the president. She was only steps away from escaping the communications office when she felt her back explode in pain.

Chapter 110
    “Freeze, Cavanaugh!” Peter Devon aimed his Beretta at Danny from across the Oval Office. Danny stayed hunched over the credenza.
    “How the hell did you get in here?” the president asked as he whisked by Devon and clipped over to his own desk.
    Danny remained silent.
    “Hands up! Stand up, slowly,” Devon ordered. Danny complied, slowly rising. As he did, he exposed the open cabinet door and the open safe. The president looked at them and then focused on the documents in Danny’s hand. He lunged at Danny and ripped them from his grip.
    The president studied the documents and shook his head back and forth. “Breaking into the White House and attempting to steal classified documents? This time you really have committed a federal offense, Sergeant.”
    Agent Devon holstered his weapon and steamed toward Danny while another agent covered him. Devon shoved Danny against the wall and searched him.
    “He’s clean, sir. No weapons,” Devon reported to the president. He pulled Danny’s arms down behind his back and slapped handcuffs on his wrists while he read Danny his Miranda rights.
    The president glared at Danny. He was about to say something when commotion spilled into the room as a third agent entered. He was trying to control a handcuffed Sydney Dumas, who was verbally assaulting him in French. She paused her ranting only long enough to gaze upon Danny with a silent apology in her eyes.
    “President Butcher is a madman!” Sydney desperately shouted as she continued. “He’s behind all the bombs! He wanted to kill everyone at the State of the Union!”
    Butcher laughed. “Including myself, right?” Shilling laughed as well.
    Peter Devon addressed the other agents. “Malloy, you’re on POTUS. Dixon, White House is code blue. Full body searches on every visitor.”
    “Honestly Pete, is that really necessary?” the president