The Protector

by Dawn Marie Snyder

  “Nope,” was my only response to his question as I once again began to walk toward Alison. I wanted to get her the hell away from the ongoing chaos. And I didn’t need her to see the coroner bringing down the body of the man that had tried to kill her.

  “Look, we are going to have to go on camera and explain what the hell happened here. Care to give me some idea of what I am supposed to say to people?”

  I stopped walking and looked at the cop. He was in his mid-forties, trim for his age. “Tell them some guy was disgruntled and started shooting from a roof top. Tell them that the Lieutenant over there talking to your friend shot him.”

  “It doesn’t co borate with the eyewitness accounts.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you tell the media Sergeant. Just leave the two of us out of it ok?” I turned again to go to Alison, but stopped and turned back to the cop. “I need my weapons back please.”

  I reached Alison quickly. She was as I expected calm and breathing normally. “Come on, we are leaving.” I reached into the ambulance and grabbed her hand.

  The paramedic put his hand on her chest as she got up from where she sat. “No, I want to take her to the hospital for shock. “

  “No,“ I grumbled.

  Alison pushed her way free of the paramedic and jumped out of the ambulance.

  “Are you going to live?” Her eyes were sullen as she walked with me. She didn’t answer and I didn’t push her. She would talk when she was ready. I held her hand tightly as we walked through the parking lot toward her car. I had decided no matter what we were leaving. I wasn’t sure what kind of scene we were going to cause, but we needed to get away from the chaos and anyone else who might be lurking around.

  The Sergeant stood near the door of Alison’s car. The crime scene investigators had finally arrived and people were spread out taking pictures, and picking up spent shells. Many people still stood around in utter shock. Some were quiet, some were loud and could not believe what had transpired. Others, mostly women, cried. Some were hysterical and some sobbed quietly against someone.

  “My weapons?” I didn’t let him get a word as I grabbed for the firearms he held in his hands. I quickly reached past him and put one under the seat and the other I put in the holster under my shirt.

  “Is there a way we can get a hold of you if we need to talk to you,” he asked. I was pretty sure he knew the answer to his question, so I chose to remain silent and focus my attention on Alison. I walked with her and opened the passenger’s side and helped her climb in. I quickly closed the door and walked back to the Sergeant who still stood there.

  “I guess we can call the number your badge brought up?”

  He was a nice guy only doing his job and I genuinely felt bad for him. But I knew Conway would be taking care of the fallout from this situation. “I guess,” was my only reply as I got into the vehicle and slammed the door shut. His eyes tightened in frustration.

  Alison’s cell phone began to ring as the police officers guided us through the parking lot past the gaping witnesses to the street. She didn’t move to pick it up, letting it ring. Psychological shock had begun to set in and I wanted desperately to get her somewhere safe where we could talk and I could get some water or other kind of fluid in her. I just wasn’t sure where to go. I also needed to get somewhere, where I could call Conway and brief him on the shooter. I was sure if the cops ran his prints they wouldn’t find much of anything.

  Alison’s phone was ringing once again. This time it was a ring I recognized as Stacy’s. I reached past her into her purse and grabbed the mobile device. I fumbled with it as I drove trying desperately to answer it. Finally, I could hear Stacy’s voice on the other end. “Allison?”

  “No, it’s me Jack.” As if on cue, my Irish accent returned.

  “Where’s Alison?” I could hear the fear in her voice as she tried to spit out more words.

  “Stacy, she is here next to me. Look, I need to take her someplace quiet and safe. Are you at home?”

  “Yes. Was she, the coffee place shooting, she goes there a lot. Was she there? Were you with her?”

  I looked over at Alison and she had not moved, not even an inch in her seat. Her face was ashen white and tears came streaming down her cheeks.

  “Stacy, I need a place to take her? Help me please?”

  Stacy quickly gave me directions to her house. Although I had been there earlier in the week, I had not memorized its exact location. I had not found it necessary at the time. I made sure no one was following us as I drove to through the city. Stacy was outside frantically pacing and I had barely pulled into the driveway before she had the door flung open and was unbuckling Alison out of her seat. Alison had moved by then and was trying to unbuckle herself. Anger filled her voice as she began to hit the friend that was trying desperately to help her. “I got it! Let me do it.”

  Stacy backed away and looked at me. Her eyes furrowed together as she watched her friend climb gracefully out of her car. She reached down and grabbed her purse and walked past Stacy into the house.

  “Shock,” I shrugged my shoulders and followed behind Alison into the house.

  Alison went straight to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. Stacy and I watched her a few steps away, in amazement. There were no more tears and she paced around the kitchen with a purpose, although I wasn’t sure if she knew what that purpose was.

  “What the hell happened,” Stacy whispered to me.

  Alison heard her friend. “We were shot at. Some man decided he wanted to shoot some people up who wanted coffee.” Her eyes focused on me with an intensity I had not seen before from her. She was playing along with what I had told the cop to say. Her eyes were dark and her voice was an octave higher. I could also feel her breathing get heavier and heavier. Alison could feel it coming on and quickly reached into her purse for her inhaler.

  Stacy guided Alison to a chair at the kitchen table and watched as her friend took a seat.

  Alison pointed at me and took a deep breath. “Jack pushed, NO yanked me out of the way.” Again Stacy looked back and forth between me and Alison. For the first time since we arrived I heard the television on in the den. I left the two women alone in the kitchen and followed the sound. I was curious how the police would put a spin on it.

  Stacy listened intently as Alison mumbled on and on about what happened. I knew it hadn’t fully hit her just yet. Did she realize that those bullets were meant for her? Did she know that these people would not stop until she was dead and they had the processor ?

  I continued to watch the news feed on the television. They were reporting it exactly how I called it to the police. And I knew if it wasn’t already, it was being fed live to every major cable news network in the world. I grabbed the remote and flipped channels. To my surprise I did not see any coverage of Alison and I. Thankfully the press had ignored our exit and our involvement in the mess.

  The cell phone in my pocket began to buzz and I quickly answered it knowing full well who it would be.

  “She safe?” It was Mike on the other end.

  “Yes,” I whispered. In a low voice I relayed what had happened along with a description of the shooter I had killed. “It was like he knew I was coming for him and he didn’t care. It reminded me of one of the young guys training to be a suicide bomber. They have their mission and that is it. Failure was not an option.”

  ‘We’re looking into it, but we are not sure we are going to be able to identify him. We are going to have to come up with a local cover story for his identity. I have one of the guys working on that now.” I heard Mike sigh on the other end of the line and I knew what was coming. “Bring her back. You have the processor and we can keep her safe here Jack. Safer than you can there. She can stay in the safe house with Mrs. Walker or go to one of the others here in Virginia and you can find these yahoos who are trying to kill her.”

  I listened to his words but did not let them sink in before I responded. “No. We know this wasn’t some random
Middle Eastern group. Tom was approached by someone within our government. Someone who has access to the same information we do. I bring her back and they’ll find her.”

  “You don’t know that.” I could hear the frustration in his words. “At least here she has a network to protect her. You can’t do it alone Jack. And we need that processor. The Israeli’s want what was promised them. We have arranged another hand of. They have agreed not to go after her”

  I was going to stand firm. Alison was staying with me and I wasn’t taking her back to DC. “No. Processor stays with me until we get this mess straightened out. “

  “Jack? This isn’t a game. You need to bring her and the processor back to DC. And this is not a request, it’s an order. “ Mike’s voice was hard and demanding. I had decided, no matter what his order was, my responsibility was to Sonny, not to him. Suddenly everything I had ever been loyal too was thrown out the window for the safety of this woman.

  “I have to go, I will talk to you later.” I quickly hung up the phone as Stacy came walking in from the kitchen.

  “I don’t get it?” Her eyes were filled with concern for her friend and I knew instantly she was suspicious of me.

  “And what don’t you understand,” bringing back the perfect Irish accent.

  “She’s calm as can be right now. The guy shot at her and she is calm. I’d be hysterical and downing the Xanex if I were her.”

  I had to stifle back a laugh at Stacy’s comment. “I don’t know. People handle things differently. Although, I didn’t expect hysterics but wee bit more crying or something like that. What is she doing now?”

  “Calling her mom. Can I ask you a question Jack?”

  Stacy’s eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at me. She was beautiful woman, but not in the same sense as Alison was. Her hair and makeup were impeccable. She held her head high with confidence and knew she could turn any man’s attention just by walking down the street. I shrugged my shoulders and looked intently into the woman’s blue eyes. I guessed she wanted to know what my relationship was with Alison.

  “What is going on between you two?” A thin smile pursed her lips. She put all of her weight, which wasn’t much, all on one foot and crossed her arms against her chest.

  “Nothing,” I lied through my teeth. I had wished desperately that there was more going on between us. “Why?”

  “The way you look at her. The way she is acting. She would never just let someone she just met stay with her. She’s more cautious than that. All of this,” and she moved her hands in a circle, “is so not like her.”

  “I can assure you there is nothing going on between us. She is a friend and right now I am glad I was there today. That is it.” I began to walk away from her towards the kitchen. I wanted to check on Alison and see if she was ok. Stacy put her arm out and stopped me.

  “Then why the firearm?”

  Her question startled me. And then I realized my weapon was visible. I was making mistakes that I didn’t normally make and it was frustrating.

  “Alison said she trusts you so I will take her word, but there is something more neither of you are telling me and Ted.” As if on cue, Alison walked in and looked at both of us. She had a crooked smile on her face. Her eyes were dark and full of emotion. She walked past Stacy and I and shut off the television coverage of the shooting and went to sit down on Stacy’s dark leather couch.

  “He’s my own personal body guard Stacy,” She said. Her demeanor almost scared me as she was so flippant as she said it. Her voice was a few levels below hysterical laughter. It was somewhere between crying and laughing. “He was sent to protect me from bad people who are trying to kill me.”

  I watched as Stacy’s face went from curiosity to the horror stricken look she had when we had driven up. “Who is trying to kill you Alison?” She shot looks and forth between me and Alison. Suddenly her fists began to fly and she was hitting me all over. “I’m a black belt in something, I could seriously hurt you! What did you give her to make her like this?”

  That in between hysterical laughing and crying suddenly turned into hysterical laughter as Alison raced over and pulled her friend away from me. For such a small lady she sure had some hard hitting blows. I suddenly had a headache.

  ‘’Stacy!” Alison screamed “ He’s the good guy!”

  Her friend was hysterical as she began to pace her living room. Each time she passed by me, she gave me an evil stare. And each time, it made Alison laugh harder.

  “I am glad you are getting humor out of this Alison,” Stacy said. “This isn’t funny. You are in some type of altered state and I am going to call Tim and have Kurt bring you in for a drug test! I am serious.” Stacy went and grabbed a hold of Alison’s shoulders and began to shake her.

  “She’s right Sonny, this isn’t funny.” The charade was off and I made the Irish accent disappear. Although it was something that came very naturally to me, it was something I could turn off as quickly as I could turn it on.

  “See I knew the accent was a fake! Alison do you not see it, he’s a con artist! He didn’t even know Tom and went to his funeral. You sick bastard.” She began to come at me again with those martial arts moves and this time I was the one who began to laugh. She looked like a wild woman and Alison could do nothing but stare at her friend and laugh.

  A

  Stacy looked hysterical trying to beat on Jack as she was. He stood there taking her hits and as I watched I knew she was getting in a few painful jabs at him. The only thing I could do was laugh at the situation. Everything at this point was hysterical. I once again pulled Stacy off of Jack and pulled her over to the couch where I had sat before her tirade had started.

  “Alison?”

  Jack jumped in and came to stand next to the couch. He didn’t dare cross anywhere near Stacy and her special martial arts moves. “Stacy, I did know Tom. When he traveled, I usually traveled with him.”

  “Why would you travel with him? You don’t work out at the labs?”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed as knew he would have to tell Stacy something. I had decided to keep my mouth shut as I wasn’t sure how much he would tell her. I had already blown it by opening up mouth. I knew it and I would have to face the consequences later with Jack.

  “Call it job security for him. When Alison traveled this last time, I accompanied her. And for Alison, her job security followed her home.”

  Stacy sat forward on the couch and ran her fingers through her hair. I knew her enough to know she was not happy with the answers she was getting. She always wanted to know the complete story, not just the need to know information.

  “I’m still not getting it. Alison’s in danger because of her job?”

  Jack only nodded to her in response. Stacy turned to look at me. “And you’re ok with this?”

  I shrugged my shoulders, “it’s not like I have a choice in the matter Stacy.”

  Jack moved closer to Stacy and I, taking a seat next to me. He laid his hand on my shoulder and looked at Stacy as he spoke. I could feel my face grow red from his touch. “Look, my job now is to keep her safe. I don’t know what is going to happen, but you are going to have to trust me like Sonny does.” He looked back at me for reassurance.

  “I have no choice Stacy.” I wanted, no, I needed her to know I trusted this man who sat next to me. He had saved my life this morning. I owed him the world at the moment.

  “It’s that bad?” I could see Stacy’s eyes fill with tears. “What is going on? Where are you going to go? It’s not like you can stay here now.”

  Jack only nodded his head. “No, we can’t.”

  A shudder raced through my body as I realized the potency of his words. After this morning’s shoot out at the coffee place, nothing would ever be the same again. Since coming home from Tel Aviv and DC, I had tried to continue on with my life. Yes things were different. Tom was gone and my responsibilities increased at work. But for the most part I had been safe and sound. This new development was going to take s
ome time to adjust to. I looked at Jack for guidance.

  His eyes were filled with concern and he looked away from both me and Stacy. He got up from his seat and paced back and forth in the living room. We sat there in silence and watched as this man moved in precise steps contemplating how to keep me alive. She had grabbed my hand earlier I laid my head on her shoulder. I felt as I needed to reassure her, I still needed her, but my place right now was with Jack.

  Finally, Stacy broke the silence, “Where are you going?”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell you,” Jack responded guilt ridden. Although he had probably been through something like this before with one of his people, hiding them, his voice was sad. And I knew it was sad for me.

  “I can keep a secret Jack,” Stacy’s voice filled with anger and resentment. “You are taking my best friend you know. How am I supposed to get along without her? Who am I supposed to call when I need someone to talk to? How could you do this to me Alison?” My friend pulled her hand from mine and glared at me. I only shrugged.

  Jack stared at Stacy with a look of utter bewilderment. “You cannot be serious Stacy?”

  “I am dead serious,” she answered him back getting up from the couch.

  I had to hold back the laughter that had built up again. This was Stacy, everything was about her and revolved around her. I knew in that self-deluded mind of hers she cared deeply about what happened to me. She just did not know how to express it to anyone, not even me.

  Jack shook his head and turned to look at me. I knew to leave Stacy alone when she was like this. Arguing with her or telling her that the world did not revolve around her would send her into a frenzied state. But Jack on the other hand, I could tell was going to push the envelope with her. I sat back and positioned myself for the fireworks. “Stacy this is about Sonny’s safety. This has nothing to do with you. I can’t tell anyone where she is going and neither can she. There is no other option. Not only for her safety, but your safety as well.” I knew he threw that last bit in for her. He glanced back in my direction and I only shrugged. I should have warned him but, for some reason, as good as he was a reading people, I had kind of guessed he would figure it out himself.