Serve and Protect

by Douglas Varnell

  As the song ended, they rolled right into the Stevie Ray Vaughn version of Tightrope with Paul on vocals and lead guitar then moved directly to Voodoo Child. At this point people we’re amazed by the King and royal family up on stage sounding like original artists on tour. Hunter switched gears to a country song by Blake Shelton, Boys Round Here. By the time he finished, the crowd of sophisticated New Yorkers were going wild and singing along. Hunter and Amber had been listening to country music with their Mom for years and were always learning songs for Mom. Amber came back with a song dedicated to the man she loves. Sounding so much like Janis Joplin it was scary, she began to sing, Me and Bobby McGee. Robert McGee Lawson and his Mother Gloria McGee, her maiden name, were singing along with the song she used to sing her son when he was a baby. They let Daniel have the next song. He chose New Coat of Paint and did a sensational job on the piano. They then jumped right into Life in the Fast Lane by the Eagles and when finished, Hunter switched from country to Journey’s Faithfully. By the time he finished every woman in the place was in love with him. Paul decided to let Amber have the last song, after all, the band had to play again sometime. She vacated the drums and moved beside her brother and Grandfather as she grabbed a tambourine and began singing This is Dedicated to the One I Love. The vocals and harmony was a perfect match to the Mama’s and Poppas, a real accomplishments considering there was only one girl on stage. The crowd stood spellbound as they listened and went wild with applause when they finished. Before she left the stage, Robert climbed up and embraced Amber and gave her a big kiss, then turned to the crowd and announced, “I would like for all of you to meet the future Mrs. Robert Lawson. My fiancée Princess Amber Verron-Hall, the most amazing women I have ever known.”

  The Dragon Guard were laughing and high-fiving each other as they left the stage. Hunter hugged his little sister and said, “Next time we’ll invite these people to Verron and let them see what a real party in like.” Reporters were swarming the group as they began to move back into the crowd. Hunter was completely swamped by women and Chase and Daniel were trying to avoid the advances made toward them. Paul could tell they were devoted to the twins. If Paul had made an announcement, half the women there would have volunteered to marry him on the spot. The party was once again moving along and the donations had been removed to the safety of the house and under armed guard. Very discreetly, the Long Island police loaded the badly beaten gang members into ambulances and squad cars for a trip to the hospital and then to jail. Everything happened so fast that no one really had a chance to see what had happened. There were so many people involved in the beatings of the gang members that the report went out in the morning paper that 9 members of the Mac Baller Brims had tried to rob the guests at the fund raiser for the Gang Prevention and Intervention Foundation and were disarmed and overpowered by the guests and beaten by the angry mob. It played well in the papers to hear about what happens to gang members that try to assault people in the Hamptons. Robert, his father and mother knew what happened. She had heard the snap of the gunman’s arm when Paul broke it. Then she realized he had actually left the stage for a second and returned. In that split-second, all the men were disarmed and crying out in pain.

  While Paul relented and spent an hour with several prominent businessmen in Mr. Lawson’s library, Chase and Daniel took people on rides in the Dragon Wagon. Amber finally got Mrs. Lawson alone long enough to give her the birthday present she had brought with her from Verron. She handed the box to her future mother-in-law and saw the woman glow at the emerald and diamond necklace and earrings inside. She was even more stunned when Amber showed her a unique feature of the necklace. Amber held the necklace up to Gloria’s neck and without either of them moving their hands to secure the clasp behind her neck, the necklace’s self-latching system connected the two ends automatically. Amber then told her, “All you have to do is say, ‘Necklace off’ and it will disengage itself. The case is custom-made from Verron Steel and will not burn nor can it be broken into. It is programmed to only be opened with your voice command. You need to be the first to speak into the locking system. From then on it will only open for you. Please don’t auction this. I brought it just for you.” Amber got a big hug as Gloria said, “Welcome to the family. I don’t think Robert could have found anyone quite like you. I have a feeling you’ll take good care of my son.” She turned to leave the couple alone and asked, “Are you going to stick around for a few days, or do you have to go back to Verron?” Amber replied, “Well, I brought my overnight bag and a few changes of clothes if I’m welcome to stay.” Gloria replied, “Anytime, mi casa es tu casa.”

  By the time Paul and the entourage left Long Island it was nearly 2:00 am. When a group of New York financiers have a chance to talk business with one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, they are hard to deter. Paul knew that when he got back to Verron he would be keeping Michael and Renee very busy, in the meantime he gave them contact information for Leona and Donald in New York. He extended an invitation to Mr. Lawson for him and his wife to come visit Verron. Hon was having a great time. As the crowds thinned out he began to sample the wide variety of foods on the tables and was offered some pretty good money to leave Princess Amber and work as a body guard for several other people. After seeing Hunter on stage, Candice and Omotu Bissong found him and dominated the rest of the evening in his company. They left about 1:00 AM together in their limo to catch some other parties closer to the city, when finished, Hunter decided to end his evening by stopping at Leona and Donald’s and spending some time with his Grandma. Chase and Daniel decided to avoid the crowd and spent the rest of the evening rotating with the band members so they could have a break and the two of them could have a little fun playing music. The young groupies swooned every time one of them sang or played a solo.

  The group was headed for the Dragon Wagon when Paul realized Hunter wasn’t with them. Hon informed him that Prince Hunter had left the party with two tall skinny women in a limo. He had never heard Hon’s perception of human women, he realized to him anything less than 8 foot tall and 400 pounds was a skinny woman. Amber and Robert were nowhere to be found. Chase thought they had taken a walk on the beach together. He relayed his goodbyes to the Lawson’s and climbed aboard the Dragon Wagon to head home.

  The next morning, closer to noon, Amber appeared in the breakfast nook wearing a white tennis-dress and carrying a Wilson Blade tennis racket. With her makeup removed and her hair pulled back in her customary ponytail tucked through the rear loop of a Wilson tennis visor, she was once again the real Amber. Robert arrived right after she did and saved her from the morning inquisition from her mother and father. Gloria asked, “I see you two are off to play some tennis. Are you going to the club or outback? Robert smiled and replied, “Neither, we are going to sign-up for the Charles Evans Pro-Am Tournament mixed doubles. I’ve decided that it is time for someone besides you and dad to win it. Qualifying is at 1:00 – we’ll be seeing you in the finals. Mr. Lawson looked at the fit and trim youngsters and told his wife, “This may be the year we pass-on the torch. These two look dangerous.” Gloria smiled and told them, “I have a pro-lesson at 1:30, I’ll see you there.”

  When Gloria and the local pro tennis instructor arrived at the court where Amber and Robert were playing a qualifying match, she already knew that her son was capable of being a touring pro, but had her doubts about his fiancée. They sat in the low bleachers and observed the most unorthodox and yet effective tennis playing they had ever seen. Princess Amber was without a doubt the most completely ambidextrous person either of them had ever seen. She played equally well with either hand and was constantly switching from one hand to the other for the most effective swing. She had no weak spot in her backhand, she had no backhand. She played a powerful forehand on both sides of the court, then she would completely confuse the opponent by hitting a hard backhand right down the line. When she served, she could do it with either hand and she was one of the most aggressive net-game playe
rs either Gloria or her coach had ever seen. Once she was covering the net, nothing got by except a high lob and Robert would drive those to anyplace on the court he desired. Gloria looked at the local pro and asked, “Is that fair?” He shrugged and told her, “There is nothing in the rule book that says you have to be left handed or right handed. I’ve never seen anything like it. No way to predict what she will do next.”

  Amber and Robert were having a little refreshment in the clubhouse after winning their qualifying match 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, when they heard some of the locals criticizing Amber’s unorthodox style. Neither said a word, perfectly comfortable in the fact that they would soon put the nay-Sayers to shame. Three days later, after eliminating everyone on straight sets, General Robert Lawson and General Amber Verron-Hall entered the center court to face-off against Robert and Gloria Lawson. The couple had never lost the local tennis mixed doubles championship. After watching their son and future daughter-in-law play in the preliminary matches, they were lower on confidence than ever before. Robert wanted to prove to his parents that he could still play tennis and could finally beat his father who had taught him how to play. Amber just liked to win at anything she competed in. She could care less whom the opponent was, she was viciously competitive after 21 years of competing with her older brother. After losing 6-0, 6-0 with almost no points scored in the match, Gloria and Robert smiled and forfeited the third set in complete surrender. The local crowd applauded the couple who had reigned as club champions for almost 20 years. Then they were given congratulations on raising a son who was such an excellent tennis player and acquiring a new daughter-in-law who was extremely effective on the court. Robert was surprised when Gloria gave Amber a hug after the game and whispered, “Welcome to the family. I can see now that you will fit in better than we ever expected anyone would be able to. How on Earth did you learn to play with your unusual style?”

  That evening at the awards ceremony Amber entered the room dressed in a backless summer dress, wide brimmed hat and white sandals. She looked like she was at Wimbledon for the after match social. No one had any idea that this was Princess Amber’s very first tennis tournament. She had played one summer at camp and a few times with friends on Verron. Until she began dating Robert she had never actually played a real game. Robert didn’t have the heart to let anyone there know she had only been playing regularly for about a year and a half. Amber promised she wouldn’t reveal their secret to anyone.

  Chapter 24

  Hunter spent the next day with Leona and Donald in the 12,000 square foot Park Avenue condo. After going to his favorite bagel shop with Leona for breakfast and realizing everyone on Park Avenue was staring at him, he walked to a news stand and bought a copy of three different newspapers. The papers were filled with photos of the royal family arriving in their spaceship, playing in the band and of Hon carrying away four unconscious gang members at the same time from the crowd that had just beaten them into unconsciousness. Pictures were everywhere of Robert and Amber making their big announcement and on the front page of them all was King Verron donating a necklace worth a half billion dollars to the local charity. Hunter had a page of his own, complete with photos someone had dug-up from his one day modeling career, along with another page dedicated to the Dragon Guard playing soccer onboard the R4. At least the first five pages of every newspaper and tabloid was about the Annual Charity Affair and the Verron Royal Family. Leaving the newsstand on his way back to the condo at least 20 people stopped him for an autograph or to snap a picture of him with their cell phone. By the time he got stopped two more times inside the Park Avenue foyer of the condo, he had been exposed to all the celebrity attention he had never wanted.

  He kept clothes and other items at Leona and Donald’s, so he went to his room and packed a small bag. He didn’t get to New York often, but it seemed like every time he visited, there was some major tragedy that took place, first the terrorists on the subway and now the gang-style robbery of the charity benefit. With his picture all over every newspaper and in a few days knowing that it would grace New Yorker Magazine’s extensive society section, he kissed his Grandma and Donald goodbye and decided to spend his last few days off in Paris with Ursula. When he exited the gateway in her downtown Paris executive office, she didn’t even look surprised, but she did look awfully glad to see him, rising from her desk to give him a hug and a kiss. Hunter thought to himself, “Finally a place to relax and enjoy myself for a few days. A man could get used to this.”

  A short elevator ride to the 21st Floor of the same building that housed the corporate office of Ursula International Fashion and Design took them to Ursula’s 6000 square foot penthouse apartment. With a corner location on Avenue de New York, her penthouse had a view across La Seine to the Eiffel Tower and out the other side at the large park that surrounded the Aquarium de Paris. The back of the Iranian Embassy was visible from the backside. Hunter tossed his belongings in the guest room and made his way to the kitchen and helped himself to a bottle of water. Ursula had plenty of Diet Pepsi, but like his Grandpa, it just didn’t work for him. Ursula soon exited her room changed from her business suit to a more comfortable pair of her own brand of Jeans and one of her $100 designer T-shirts. The housekeeper was off for the evening, so Ursula and Hunter threw together a meal of broiled stuffed flounder and rice pilaf along with a garden salad. Ursula had a glass of red wine, Hunter stayed with the bottled water. She could tell he was deep in thought. The conversation soon flowed from business in the fashion industry and Amber’s baseball cap with formal wear, to all the madness in New York and how every time he goes there something happens. Ursula remembered all too well that evening in the subways and hated to admit to him that Paris and most of France was now full of terrorist activities. She informed him, that as they were speaking, a group affiliated with al Qaeda currently held half a dozen executives hostage at Total S.A. Paris Headquarters threatening to behead them. It was nothing unusual for someone to be gunned down or for a suicide bomber to walk into a sidewalk café.

  Hunter actually became a little depressed at the thought of all the work he and his team had put in to clear-out terrorist activities throughout the middle-east and Africa and all they had done was shift their activities to other places. They sat on the sofa overlooking the Seine and talked about what Hunter had been doing for the past year and a half. He told her about Africa, Afghanistan and the Volvs and about how they were expanding their operation into South America and Central America. Ursula was a good listener, even when she didn’t fully understand what was going own. Hunter finally fell asleep on the sofa. He woke early the next morning with a blanket over him and a note from Ursula saying, “Had to go to Lyon about our production schedule there. I will be back tomorrow. Make yourself at home, LOL Ursula.” Hunter showered and shaved then looked around the kitchen, but saw nothing he cared to eat. He remembered a small restaurant at the Shangri La named La Bauhinia where he and Ursula had eaten breakfast before. He remembered them having really good Eggs Benedict and Banana’s Foster. Suddenly he realized he was starved. He looked at the clock over the big-screen TV and saw that it was 6:40 AM. They opened at 7:00. He walked out on the balcony to see what the weather was like and found the early morning May air damp and chilly. Grabbing his long black faux T-hog leather Duster and his favorite Atlanta Braves cap, he headed out the door.

  Hunter was glad he wore his Duster, by the time he had walked half the distance to the small café, the dampness had turned to a light drizzle. It was early Saturday morning and he soon realized he pretty much had the streets to himself. He smiled, thinking, “On Verron at this time of morning, the streets would look just like they do at noon. By the time he entered the door off the sidewalk, his ponytail was wringing wet. The ball cap had left his head mostly dry and he was glad the rest of him was dry and toasty under the Duster. He reminded himself to start carrying the Crocodile Dundee styled hat his Mom had bought him when she had the coat made for him. He always thought it looked a little cheesy, but w
ished he had it on today. When he entered the café, he couldn’t help but notice that there were no more than twenty customers. It was still early and he knew that would soon change. With the training he had received from Vlad and the numerous recruiting trips he had made around Europe, it was hard for him to miss the gentleman sitting against the café back wall with two bodyguards standing on either side of him. He paid it very little heed since he knew that there were several French Security Force buildings and a few Embassies within blocks of this café.

  He seated himself along a side wall with a view of the street. The waitress, who was doubling as a hostess, gave him a dirty classically French look, categorizing him to be an American tourist who assumed he could do as he liked. She was about to tell him to relocate to another section where it was easier for the waiters to serve him along with everyone else, when Hunter, in the French of a native, began to talk to her about the weather and how he was expecting someone and wanted to keep an eye on the door. By the time he chatted awhile and ordered his breakfast, the young lady waiting his table was treating him like an old friend.