Secret Deception (Jonathan Black's Love Story)

Chapter 22: Break On Me

"What is it?" I asked.
"Can you and Jonathan come down?" Jennifer asked.
"We'll have to bring the twins?"
"This you really need to see."
"Okay. We'll be there soon."
When Jonathan and I walked into the conference room with the twins in their stroller Derek handed me a rather large file.
"What's this?" I asked opening the file onto the desk.
"20 different victims. No discernible pattern. Victimology all over the place. Different ages. Races. Genders. Nothing we could see. The only things they have in common is that the bodies were all dumped in various lakes in or near the cities where they were abducted from. All were found with single gunshot wounds to the head. No signs of torture or bindings of any kind." He began as I looked over the files.
As I made my way through the 20 victims my stomach was in knots. I knew every single one of these people.
"Are you going to just say it or are you waiting for me to?" I asked quietly.
He looked at me but didn't speak.
"Each one..." I stopped and cleared my throat.
"Each one of the victims was also a victim or related to a victim of one of the people I assassinated in the first two years of my career in the FBI."
Jonathan looked over at me.
"Whoever is doing this is trying to get to you, Lexa. You're stronger than this." He touched my shoulder.
"No one should have access to these files, Jonny. This has to be someone close to me."
"We can rule Jonathan out as well as the entire Deception Unit for a few reasons. One: those files have always only been in the filing cabinet in your office. Two: the first ten murders happened between August of 2016 and August of 2018 and during most of that time Jonathan was in prison and the rest of the Deception Unit and yourself have solid alibis in New York. Jasmine can be ruled out because she also has a solid alibi for the last ten by being here with your family and being at work in Washington DC." Derek said more gently than when we first got there.
"I left for New York early morning of August 18th 2015 when Jonny was arrested. I didn't come back until a year later almost to the day. Was there anyone who had access to my office in that year prior to the murders?"
"I asked Penelope to run through the security footage of your office for that year. She's still working through it. It's a year's worth of video so it might take a while." He said softly.
"Yeah. They're in order, aren't they?" I asked.
He nodded solemnly.
I sighed.
"None of these people deserved this." I looked at Jonny and he knew what I was thinking.
"Don't. Lexa, don't do that. Look at them." He pointed to our boys.
"They deserve to have their mother in their lives. What's happening isn't because of what you did or who you were. This isn't retaliation." He reassured me.
"He's probably right, Alex. Typically if they're after revenge for a killing they'll just kill the person they're angry at." Derek said.
"I know but this person wants me to hurt for something. How long until instead of coming after people I saved they come after you or the boys?" I asked turning to look at Jonathan.
"No one is going to let that happen." He wrapped his arm around me.
"We think it'd be best to have regular patrols around the house." Derek spoke up.
I nodded.
"We'll rally around you. Just like we've always done. I'll call the team and we'll squeeze them into the house." Jonathan said firmly.
Around a month later Jonny and I were at home while the rest of the team were at work. Jonathan was upstairs with the twins when the doorbell rang.
"President Hunter. How can I help you? I asked opening the door.
"What a lovely home you and your husband have here." He mused walking into the house.
"Can I help you, Mr. President?"
"You realize that President Cole's exoneration of your husband was illegal, don't you?" He asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Your personal relationship with the President makes him unable to offer a pardon to your, then fiance."
"We have a friendship, yes. I didn't go to him asking for the exoneration." I countered.
"Of course you didn't. You'd been abducted."
"Your point with all this?"
"I think I might try to reverse the exoneration." He shrugged.
"Are you trying to blackmail me? Into what?"
"I just think it'd be better for your family for you to start seeing things my way." He suggested.
"You can't just reverse an exoneration by a former President."
"Do you really want to take the chance that I can't?" He challenged.
"You come into my home and think that you can threaten my husband,  my family?
"Get out of my house. Now."
President Hunter nodded at me and opened my front door.
"Think about it, Director Black."
I didn't respond to him and he slammed my front door.
"Lexa?" Jonathan called from upstairs.
I couldn't respond.
"Lexa? Is everything okay?" He came down the stairs.
"Lexa." He said my name touching my shoulder.
"That was President Hunter. He thinks he can reverse your exoneration." I forced out.