by Talon P. S.
His arm tightened around her, his fingers grazing her arm, feeling the tenseness of her muscles ease some. He grieved that she was still not ready for his world, to be in his life. Only in this moment could he hold her, shelter her in his arms while her mind tried to process what she tormented over, the part of his life she had witnessed tonight.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
It was Friday now and the week had not been going well for Amelia summit meeting. More protestors where gathering at the Firm that was expected to come to its final determination by the end of the day on whether the two plants ran by Ümran Global Endüstrisi would close or remain in operation.
Trenton’s position to protect Amelia and Katianna was challenged at a number of levels. The threat to Amelia by the rioters was growing and required his presence for additional protection, but it also meant leaving Katianna with limited protection in the limo with the driver while he escorted Amelia inside the building where the summit was taking place.
In most incidences the protesters followed Amelia and her escorts, but yesterday morning's arrival, he’d come outside to find the limo on fire when a protestor had thrown a jar of burning alcohol on it. And while Katianna was far from injury Trenton could not say the same for her emotional well being. Even leaving her at the hotel was out of the question when several times the hotel received bomb threats and once someone parading as room service tried to break into their room to attack Amelia.
It only infuriated Trenton further with Amelia's poor choice to bring Katianna to Paris in the first place, but there was no sense in rehashing the argument with the heiress. What was done was done and now Amelia had her own small hell to deal with.
“Plans for today?” Diesel was asking Trenton as the two conducted their morning routine of checking their guns and loading them.
“I’ve gotten a hold of our friends Aubert and Mavis. I’m meeting them for a late lunch at the bistro right there at Pont Neuf and Quai du Louvre.
“You're talking about the small number nine bridge near the Louvre Museum?”
“That’s the one.”
“Aubert and Mavis, you say. I’m jealous. Be sure to give them my love will you?”
“I will, but perhaps you should join us when the meeting takes a break. It’d be good to get Amelia away from the violence surrounding them.”
Diesel nodded, “I’ll call when we’re about to break to see where you’re at. Are you going to the Louvre?”
“Of course. After we drop you off at the Summit meeting we’ll be heading that way. I’ll send the car back to you.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After several hours browsing through the great halls of the famous French museum, La Louvre, Trenton and Katianna met up with his old friends on the sidewalk bistro café for lunch next to one of Paris’ oldest bridges the Pont Neuf that crossed the Seine River to Ile de la Cite.
The older couple somewhere in their late sixties was as dear and as laid back as any couple could appear. They were the hallmark couple strolling hand and hand in the parks, never going anywhere at any speed other than a snail’s pace as if going any faster might interrupt the romantic playfulness in their eyes and the embrace of their hands.
Even their casual attire added to their timeless romantic allure. Like they had just walked over from one of the older countryside villages of France rather than the city. Katianna watched how they adored each other so openly and how Trenton seemed to adore them as a couple. And she wondered the significance to it.
Mavis didn’t speak much English, but like Katianna wasn’t a big talker anyways as the conversations shifted often from English to French and back to English which left Katianna considerable lost so her attention tended to wander from just watching the older couple to watching people and tourists passing by.
Trenton and Aubert talked nonstop some in English as they talked about the recent terrorist attacks, not just in Paris, but everywhere people were afraid these days and fear made people do crazy things.
After some time the conversation shifted into French, “She is adorable. She is perfect for you.” Aubert commended him.
“I am so happy for you Trenton. How long has she been with you now?” Mavis beamed at him, her hand curled up in Aubert’s.
“She’s not mine.” Trenton answered still in French as he tried to hide his feelings from the pale eyes watching him.
“Que voulez-vous me dire?” What are you telling me? Mavis seemed rather surprised.
“Not yet. She is with me only as my charge, but I want so much more with her.” Trenton’s eyes flicker to Katianna, caressing her with his gaze, “I know she is the perfect one for me, but she is not ready yet.”
Aubert glanced over the petit woman and how she still clung to Trenton. She had not released his shirt once since they arrived. He had watched how she responded to him, when Trenton’s hand went out to move her she did so. When he offered to feed her a taste of his desert she leaned in to accept with no prompting. Aubert could see she was already there for Trenton he could see in her eyes she was waiting on him. “I believe she is much more ready than you give her credit, my friend.” He gave a wink to Katianna, “Perhaps you are waiting on yourself.”
Mavis leaned towards Katianna, “Parlez-vous —ehh—you speak Français?”
Katianna shook her head timidly. She blushed, she suspected they were talking about her the way Trenton looked at her, but about what she could only guess. And not likely get it right.
“Ehh—it’s okay—I speak only little Anglais myself.” Mavis laughed with an airy note. “You like M’sieur Trenton, non?”
Katianna’s eyes dart to Trenton then back to the woman and blushed again.
“Ahh, it good? Oui? He is good man to like. He will adore you if you let.”
As they sat over a glass of wine, the conversation stayed light and they talked about good things, like which museums and gardens to see and the best places to make love in a city made for lovers.
Diesel had finally arrived accompanied by an exhausted looking Amelia. What was intended to be the last day, their meeting was not doing well and in a stale mate broke for lunch to reconvene in two hours.
Diesel gave Aubert a firm hand shake that turned into a hug between old friends then exchanged the common French greeting of kisses to the cheek, but when Mavis stood Diesel scooped her up on his arms trapping her against his body and spun her around. “Mavis my succulent angel—” He whispered into her ear with teasing playfulness, “—when you gonna let me steel you away from this old man?”
Mavis blushed several shades of red and giggled in his arms.
“You’ll get your own one day, but till then you unhand my woman you devilish larky” Aubert shook a fist at Diesel, but the grin on his face undid his threat.
“But I like yours.” Diesel plants a deep kiss on her cheek then dropped down in the chair where she had been sitting and settling her down in his lap. Aubert sat as well his hand landing on his companion’s thigh as the two men fell into friendly conversation in French.
Trenton took over where the heiress was concerned allowing Diesel some time to catch up with their friends before they needed to go.
“Any progress?” Trenton turned to Amelia. They were intended to return home tomorrow, but if a vote was not concluded by this evening it could be days more before they could leave.
“I’m afraid not.” She rolled her eyes and let out a burdening sigh. “The family still wishes to pull out of Istanbul and Carac. Two major industries for the Middle East, but ongoing war, terrorists and insurgents—they all threaten the area in increasing hits—it has most employees scared to death.
“Are profits dropping for either of the two companies?”
“Not at all, both locations are maintaining better than our American and British holdings. The worst is if we pull out now it will cripple Nordstrom and Amasteilah. Two more large companies for those areas and ones we maintain business relations with in other countries as well.”
“And the work force? How many lose their jobs?” Trenton had a way to think outside the box, ask obvious questions that sometimes roused over looked ideas.
“It will displace about 150,000 jobs in each area. That’s on top of the over 100,000 employees from our plants.” She folded her hands on the table. “So needless to say I am not well liked today.”
After saying good bye to their friends and seeing them off, Trenton and the others made their way back to the limo. Trenton spotted a man following a short distance behind them. His clothes seemed worse for wear as if he’d slept in them for days. He carried a backpack with him, but other than that, nothing really stood out of place just another homeless in a city filled with them. Except Trenton had a feeling pricking at the back of his head and he continued to glance over his shoulder to keep the man under scrutiny.
Even after the man stopped following, taking a seat along the wall that edged the river, Trenton found it impossible to relax. Something still had him on edge and he couldn’t let the feeling go that something was about to happen. And that feeling only solidified when he noticed Diesel rubbing on his neck nervously. Diesel had a sixth sense for approaching bullets.
“Deez?”
Diesel turned glancing at him over his shoulder, “Nah—” He shook his head, which meant he couldn't explain it, but the feeling was definitely there, “Something’s not right.” Diesel pulled his pistol from the shoulder harness, but kept it tight against his stomach to keep it concealed from immediate eyes, so not to stir a panic on the walkway.
“Ramos, Payton, push ahead.” Trenton pushed Amelia in between the two men to hurry her, “Call the car—get him up on the curb now!”
Payton had his cell out while Trenton was pulling Katianna around his side to position her ahead of him rather than tagging behind like she usually did.
The men’s eyes darting around, scanning the crowd that mingled and passed. The streets and sidewalks bustling with typical every day foot traffic for the area. Too many people for Trenton’s comfort zone just now. He turned back glancing over his shoulder to eye the man he’d been watching before, but now the man was nowhere to be seen.
“Let’s go, my target is missing!” Trenton was pushing them all to a near run. Ramos and Payton were ahead of them with Amelia and were at the curb just as the limo pulled onto the sidewalk in front of them.
There was someone calling out, anger and pain being verbalized in a language Trenton didn’t recognize, but he was willing to bet it was Turkish. His eyes moving till he spotted the man he’d been eyeing coming from the shrubberies of the garden walkway heading to cut across their path.
Ahead Amelia and Ramos had already disappeared into the limo, Payton standing at the door using it to shelter his body, waving them to get a move on. Shots were being fired at them, they weren’t close enough to get Katianna in the vehicle. Diesel spun returning fire… he got his target, but the man was still coming at them. All Trenton could think of was that Katianna was in the line of fire and if it missed her the bullet was going to catch Diesel.
As the anguished man drew close enough to make an aimed hit Trenton jumped in front of Katianna shoving her to the ground. The air filled with rapid gun fire, the zipping noise of bullets moving past his head. He felt the fiery bite rip through him in near unison to Katianna’s screams and Diesel’s voice calling out his name. He felt the ground hit his backside—felt Diesel’s hand on his shoulder holding him down and again heard her cries.
Pain flashed before his eyes in streaks of white light, blinding him. He fought to look around. He caught site of the man who had fired at them lying face down on the side walk a few feet away. His eyes open in a lifeless stare and he saw the pool of red that seeped out from under the man. Trenton blinked hard to keep the darkness from taking over. Diesel’s hand and voice assuring him, telling him to hang in there, bro.
Where is she? He thought. Wanted to say it out loud, but wasn’t sure if he managed and then he saw her. She’d crawled under the limo, his hand reaching for her.
“Good girl.” He managed to whisper.
Katianna saw the blood covering the hand that reached for her, saw the blood soaking through Trenton’s shirt—beyond him she saw the body of the man who’d fired at them. Panic overwhelmed her and franticly she crawled out from under the car to reach Trenton. But the car door to the limo was opening and someone was grabbing her, dragging her inside. She locked her arms around Trenton and held on, screaming and crying for him to wake up.
He was trying to say something to her, trying to respond, but she couldn’t hear him past her own cries.
Trenton let out a hard grown, his head clearing enough to make some sense of what had happened, but he wasn’t sure for how long, “Ah fuck!” He tried to move, but Diesel had a firm hand on him keeping him down, “Damn it Deez—how bad?”
“Two bro—stay down. Ambulance is on the way.”
Trenton was becoming aware of the growing number of people around them, French police; he could hear the ambulance in the distance. “Where is she?”
“She’s safe—she’s in the limo.”
“Open the door let me see her.” He mumbled.
Diesel pulled the limo door open and instantly a screaming hysterical Katianna came spilling out, dropping to hands and knees at Trenton’s side, pleading with him.
“Please Trenton talk to me.” She sobbed, “Please don’t die.”
“It’s okay baby, I promise.” He’s language slipping. He hadn’t meant to call her baby in front of her or the others, but his mind was reeling. The pain in his shoulder wasn’t so bad, but his gut was tearing at him and he had to struggle to keep focused. He wanted to hold her, let her know everything was going to be okay, but Diesel’s hand kept him down to minimize the amount of blood he was losing. All Trenton’s mind wanted was to ease Kat’s fear and the more she cried the harder he struggled.
When the paramedics arrived Diesel fought to pull her from Trenton’s side which only put the man in further turmoil, his body acting on instinct alone and fought to respond to the cries of the little woman he adored.
Katianna was going into shock as she cried relentlessly, reassurances did dismiss the blood that stained Trenton’s shirt, but when Diesel pulled her away it had been too much and she fainted in his arms.
Diesel was actually grateful she had. Trenton was calming down and the paramedics were able to treat him and load him up in the ambulance.
Amelia needed to return to the meetings and he needed to stay to handle the police so he set Katianna’s limp body in the ambulance to ride with Trenton. She would be safe that way; they would keep her in ER till he could get to them.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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Amelia had returned to the summit meeting, though rather reluctantly, but Trenton had done his job protecting her now she needed to do hers. It was vital that she did so. Ramos and Payton stayed with her while Diesel remained behind to deal with the police at the scene.
Silently they all prayed for Trenton.
It was over two hours before Diesel could get away from the French police and get to the hospital. He had attempted to call Katianna to check on her only to discover her phone had ended up on the floor board of the limo. As soon as he arrived at the hospital where Trenton had been taken he was at the nurse’s station in the ER inquiring of his condition, “S’il vous plait, excusez-moi. Pouvez-vous me dire où est l’homme qui a été admis pour des blessures par balles?”
“M’sieur Leos? Il est toujours dans la chirurgie. il est toujours sur la table d’opération.” The nurse informed him that Trenton was still in surgery.
“Et la femme qui est entrée avec lui? Savez-vous où ils l'ont mise? Et la femme qui était avec lui ? Vous savez où elle est.” Diesel asked where in the emergency room they had put the woman brought in with him, but the nurse shrugged shaking her head. She didn’t seem to know who he was referring to.
He went on to describe a petit woman with long wavy brown hair and pale blue eyes, most likely scared to death and crying a lot. The nurse stood from her seat and pointed over the partition of her station towards the far corner of the waiting room. Diesel followed her finger and spotted on the far side of the room a crumbled Katianna on the floor tucked almost completely behind a large planter box with one of those silk shrubberies, her head buried in her arms over her knees, completely cascaded by her tangled hair.
“Merci.” He thanked the nurse then went over to fetch Kat.
Katianna woke with a start to find Diesel lifting her from the floor. Her arms and legs immediately wrapping around him and fresh tears and sobs poured from her. “He’s dead isn’t he? I don’t know what anyone is saying and they won’t let me go see him.” She sobbed into his neck.
Diesel held her tight and patted her back trying to calm her down, but wasn’t hopeful to have much success with it, “He’s not dead. He’s still in surgery that’s why you can’t go see him right now.”
Katianna’s face was buried in his neck making her sobs all the more indiscernible, “Are you sure? How do you know he’s not dead?”
“Because I just spoke with the nurses and I’ve known him to take more bullets then this and he made it through then.”
Her head came up and she stared at him trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. She sniffled “Are you sure?”
“Yeah I’m sure.” His hug tightened on her. “Come on little mouse, let’s go down to the cafeteria, I could use a coffee.” He muttered not bothering to put her down as he carried her still wrapped around his waist.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Once Amelia had returned to the summit meeting the whole building was in a high state of alert and the board members were primed to act out on it, but Amelia had refused to allow the vote to take place because of it. Rather she did one thing and one thing only.