Chapter 49: The Truth
Warren Strobe looked from side to side at Roselle and Armani, who were disguised as Secret Service agents. "What are you two--"
"We're agents, dammit!" shouted Roselle, slamming her hands down on the table again. She slammed the table so hard that even Armani flinched. Maybe she was going a little overboard with the whole interrogation thing. No matter, she couldn't allow Warren to give away their cover.
"We've got a couple of questions to ask you," Armani said, sliding down on a seat across from him.
"Because we're agents," Roselle clarified yet again, twitching slightly.
Armani looked at her, and made a gesture with his hand as if to say, 'take it down a notch.' She blushed and stood in the back while he asked the questions.
"Mr. Strobe," Armani said, looking his old mentor in the eyes. "I want you to tell me everything from the beginning this time. Answer all my questions."
Warren clenched his eyes shut and faced the table. "Very well."
"Why did you lie about Lily being pregnant?"
"You--I mean--President Parker needed to marry into my family."
"But why?"
Warren let out an exhale. "What I'm about to tell you is ground-breaking and shocking. The Scott family was attempting an assassination on President Parker so that Eliot Scott would be president."
"What?" Roselle asked. "Eliot wouldn't do that! He's a dummy, but he's actually really sweet and innocent and he doesn't know any better!" She didn't know why she felt so insulted that he'd accuse Eliot and his family of such a thing, but there was a part of her that felt the need to protect him. It was almost as if it were her maternal instincts.
"I don't believe Eliot himself had anything to do with it. It was Meredith Scott's plan. She wanted to get rid of President Parker and use her own grandson as a figurehead for her own selfish deeds. She thought I didn't know, but I did. She might have her spies, but I have mine as well."
She gasped. That actually explained so much. That was the reason why Eliot was feeling so much pressure from his family lately--because he was about to become the president. That also explained why Grandma Scott seemed so devious at the inauguration ceremony.
"If President Parker was going to be part of my family," he continued, "then Meredith would've had no choice but to cancel her evil plans. She fears the Strobes because we're the only family in Washington D.C. that can rival hers. I'm not the head of my family though. My father is. I tried to convince my father to protect Armani from the Scotts, but he said he didn't want to get involved in a family feud with them unless they directly harmed our family. When Armani and Lily were engaged, my father considered him a part of the family, and he was safe."
"That also explains why Grandma Scott wanted Dylan to marry Lily," Roselle said, thinking it through. "If your families were combined, she would be . . . untouchable."
"Precisely."
"I've got another question for you," said Armani. "Why would you let Parker run with Eliot if you knew what his family was capable of?"
"That's where I've made a miscalculation." Warren shrugged. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that the Potato Party would ever have a winning candidate . . . When Meredith came to me requesting that Armani run in the election with her grandson, she made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I won't go into detail with the offer, but I figured there'd be no harm. I thought there's no way they'd win. It seemed impossible. That's why I told Parker to let Eliot run with him as vice president."
Armani crossed his arms. "So you never believed in him, huh?"
"I did believe in him, but in this case, I thought this election would just be a charge for experience. Meredith knew though. She must have known that Parker was charismatic and intelligent enough to make the seemingly impossible become a reality." He put his head in his hands. "I should have never underestimated him. This is my fault."
"Why didn't you tell the Secret Service that there would be an attempt on the president's life?"
"The Secret Service is becoming laced with the Scott family's spies. It was too risky. I didn't know who to trust. They aren't all spies, but the ones here are. If I told the wrong person of Meredith's plan, she would've known that I knew and created a counter-plan."
Armani and Roselle exchanged glances, nodding at one another. The whole story checked out, but there was just one more thing that needed explaining.
Armani glared at him, menacingly this time. "You hired someone to hurt Roselle. Even if everything you did was in an attempt to protect Parker, that's unforgiveable."
Warren leaned in. "I was set up. That's what Meredith's final plan was. She paid off my guy to slam his car into Roselle so she could frame me. I'm telling you, that woman will do ANYTHING to get her way."
Roselle's eyes widened. She remembered that day, Grandma Scott was telling her she didn't have to go to the wedding, then she planted her car there so she'd change her mind last minute. She was playing into her hand all along. "I believe you," she said.
Armani turned to her, holding her hand. "You do?"
"Yeah . . . I can't explain it, but somehow, I know Warren is innocent."
He turned to Warren. "Perhaps the president would give you a pardon if he knew everything you've just said.
Warren nodded. "Thank you for listening."
Antonio barged in the room. "Excuse me, everyone." A guy ran up behind him, and Antonio casually punched him in the face, knocking him out. "They know. We've got to go right this instant."
They all exchanged glances, and they ran out the door, bringing Warren with them.
* * *
The trip back to the outside of the prison was hazy. Antonio and Armani got into fist fights with Secret Service agents here and there, Warren belly-flopped a guy, and Roselle screamed so loud when a guy caught her that she may have deafened him in his right ear permanently. Honestly, it was very hazy. By some miracle, the foursome got in the car and drove off unscathed.
Antonio drove the car at almost full-speed.
"Where are we going?" Armani asked.
"The only place we CAN go." Antonio dodged a cow so hard that the tires squeaked. "Who can protect the president when it's uncertain the Secret Service can be trusted?"
Armani stroked his chin, but then he snapped his fingers. "The military."
"Correct, Mr. President."
Roselle collapsed in the back seat. "I am so ready for this all to be over with." She groaned. "I'm exhausted."
Armani patted her on the back, which caused her to twitch in a good way. "Don't worry, Ro. Everything will go back to normal soon." He smiled warmly, which calmed her down a bit. He nudged her to lean on his shoulder, and she accepted the offer, even if it was a bad moment.
Maybe it was an odd moment for such cheesiness, but the way he held her in his arms made her feel safe and protected. "I hope so," she said.
* * *
After driving for a while, the foursome finally made it to the nearest military base. Roselle sprinted to the entrance as fast as she could.
"DO YOU HAVE PAINKILLERS UP IN THIS BITCH?" she asked, holding her arm. The painkillers she got from the hospital had already wore off, and she was delirious and set off, agonizing in her own pain. "I GOT SHOT!" she yelped.
One of the soldiers examined her arm. "Do you need us to call you an ambulance? Or the police?"
"Oh no, I was already treated hours ago. Just the painkillers would be cool if ya got 'em."
Armani caught up to her and touched her on the shoulder. "She's with me."
The soldier dropped his jaw. "President Parker?" He broke out into a smile and shook his hand. "I'm such a big fan, sir!"
He shook his hand back. "I appreciate it. Thank you for your service."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Roselle said, practically seeing red. "You got that good stuff or what?"
"Well, there's a doctor on base . . . I think since you're with the president she'll probably see you."
"Also, can I speak with the General of this base?" Armani asked. "It's an urgent matter."
* * *
After Roselle met with a doctor and had some pain medication given to her, she, Armani, Warren, and Antonio sat down and had a talk with General Hernandez. They told him the entire story from beginning to end.
"Don't you worry, Mr. President," the General said. "I'll make the arrangements to get everything sorted out for you."
"What'll you do?" Armani asked.
"We're going to perform an arrest on Meredith Scott and question the Secret Service and do background checks until we weed out all the spies. Until then, the army will be the sole protectors and bodyguards of the president."
"Thank God," Roselle said. "This nightmare will finally end!" She looked at Armani and smiled. "And then we can finally have that talk."
Armani rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah . . ."
"Is something wrong?"
"Ms. Reyes." Antonio pointed at the TV, which had the news on. "Look."
"Word just got in that King James's condition is stable, and he will survive the gunshot wound," a newscaster said.
Roselle held her hand over her heart. "More good news."
The newscaster continued. "Word also says the king is looking for a girl that's been famous in D.C. lately. A girl named Roselle Reyes."
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maxyperson Thank you to all the people who voted today including Johnson_Stephanie, Nate_Quinn, purpliciousj, and HotRedFlaming. Thank you to Yakub_Daddy for the gift today! :D And as always, thank you to all my readers. See you in the next chap!
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