Read Online After the Execution by James Raven - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James Raven
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because I should have been spoiling myself. The fridge had been restocked with a few more beers and snacks. Daniels had also delivered some more newspapers and magazines. And there were dozens of TV channels to keep me entertained.
Eventually Daniels returned carrying a beige summer suit, a dark blue shirt and a pair of brown leather shoes. He told me to get showered and dressed.
‘We’ll be leaving in half an hour,’ he said. ‘And cheer up, Mr Jordan. This is where your new life begins.’
Mr Jordan! It sounded weird. It had been a long time since anyone had been so respectful towards me.
As I got ready I felt the excitement build. I thought about all the wonderful things I might now experience and all the paths that were going to open up to me. A new life. A new identity. A new country. Not bad for a man who only hours ago had been led into the execution chamber to be put to death.
But it wasn’t easy to focus just on the positive. I couldn’t totally ignore an underlying uneasiness – a vague sense of disquiet that refused to go away.
At six thirty I stood in front of the mirror and found it hard to believe that it was me staring back. I was a complete stranger. Smart and respectable. Tanned and well-groomed. I was pretty sure that even my sister wouldn’t recognize me.
‘The transformation is amazing,’ Vance said when he came into theroom. ‘Nobody would guess you’re a dead man walking.’
‘Very funny,’ I said.
Vance was wearing a black suit and carrying a black leather briefcase . He motioned for me to follow him outside.
There were two cars parked in front of the building. One was a grey Dodge Durango with darkened windows. The other was a silver Taurus. I counted four guys standing to one side smoking. One of them was Daniels. They were all wearing dark suits and they all snapped to attention when Vance and I stepped outside.
Daniels opened the rear door of the Dodge and Vance told me to get in. He climbed in beside me and Daniels got behind the wheel. The other guys got into the Taurus.
‘So let’s go,’ Vance said.
The Dodge followed a long, gravel driveway to an automatic gate that opened as we approached it. The Taurus stayed close behind.
‘What’s with the muscle?’ I asked. ‘You afraid I might take off?’
Vance shook his head. ‘You’re not that stupid, Lee. You know there’d be no point. But you’re a precious cargo and we have to make sure you’re well protected.’
‘Do they all know who I am?’
He shook his head. ‘They think you’re some nameless dude on our witness protection programme.’
This whole thing was becoming more puzzling. The questions were piling up inside my head. Why the hell was I so important to the FBI? Who was going to meet me in the restaurant? What did they want me to do for them? Why was I the only person who could do it?
So many thoughts were rattling around inside my brain that it was making me dizzy. As we passed through the gate onto the road I experienced a frisson of unease. Every muscle in my body felt taut and the blood was pounding in my ears.
There were plenty of distractions, though, and I tried to focus on them. I stared out of the window and drank in the sights, which became more interesting the further we travelled from the house. At first there wasn’t much to see other than a few houses set back from the road. But after about five minutes the buildings started to bunch up and I realized that we were pretty close to the city.
It was already dark and the moon looked small, as though it were moving away from the earth. As we veered onto a freeway I saw a familiar landmark in the distance – the Tower of the Americas, whichstretches 750ft above San Antonio.
Marissa and I had spent a weekend in the city early on in our relationship . We’d ventured up to the tower’s observation deck from where the views are spectacular. We’d also visited all the other major tourist attractions, including the Alamo and the
Eventually Daniels returned carrying a beige summer suit, a dark blue shirt and a pair of brown leather shoes. He told me to get showered and dressed.
‘We’ll be leaving in half an hour,’ he said. ‘And cheer up, Mr Jordan. This is where your new life begins.’
Mr Jordan! It sounded weird. It had been a long time since anyone had been so respectful towards me.
As I got ready I felt the excitement build. I thought about all the wonderful things I might now experience and all the paths that were going to open up to me. A new life. A new identity. A new country. Not bad for a man who only hours ago had been led into the execution chamber to be put to death.
But it wasn’t easy to focus just on the positive. I couldn’t totally ignore an underlying uneasiness – a vague sense of disquiet that refused to go away.
At six thirty I stood in front of the mirror and found it hard to believe that it was me staring back. I was a complete stranger. Smart and respectable. Tanned and well-groomed. I was pretty sure that even my sister wouldn’t recognize me.
‘The transformation is amazing,’ Vance said when he came into theroom. ‘Nobody would guess you’re a dead man walking.’
‘Very funny,’ I said.
Vance was wearing a black suit and carrying a black leather briefcase . He motioned for me to follow him outside.
There were two cars parked in front of the building. One was a grey Dodge Durango with darkened windows. The other was a silver Taurus. I counted four guys standing to one side smoking. One of them was Daniels. They were all wearing dark suits and they all snapped to attention when Vance and I stepped outside.
Daniels opened the rear door of the Dodge and Vance told me to get in. He climbed in beside me and Daniels got behind the wheel. The other guys got into the Taurus.
‘So let’s go,’ Vance said.
The Dodge followed a long, gravel driveway to an automatic gate that opened as we approached it. The Taurus stayed close behind.
‘What’s with the muscle?’ I asked. ‘You afraid I might take off?’
Vance shook his head. ‘You’re not that stupid, Lee. You know there’d be no point. But you’re a precious cargo and we have to make sure you’re well protected.’
‘Do they all know who I am?’
He shook his head. ‘They think you’re some nameless dude on our witness protection programme.’
This whole thing was becoming more puzzling. The questions were piling up inside my head. Why the hell was I so important to the FBI? Who was going to meet me in the restaurant? What did they want me to do for them? Why was I the only person who could do it?
So many thoughts were rattling around inside my brain that it was making me dizzy. As we passed through the gate onto the road I experienced a frisson of unease. Every muscle in my body felt taut and the blood was pounding in my ears.
There were plenty of distractions, though, and I tried to focus on them. I stared out of the window and drank in the sights, which became more interesting the further we travelled from the house. At first there wasn’t much to see other than a few houses set back from the road. But after about five minutes the buildings started to bunch up and I realized that we were pretty close to the city.
It was already dark and the moon looked small, as though it were moving away from the earth. As we veered onto a freeway I saw a familiar landmark in the distance – the Tower of the Americas, whichstretches 750ft above San Antonio.
Marissa and I had spent a weekend in the city early on in our relationship . We’d ventured up to the tower’s observation deck from where the views are spectacular. We’d also visited all the other major tourist attractions, including the Alamo and the
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