C.R. Daems - Kazak 2 - The Unthinkable (22 page)

I nodded and found a corner with a chair that allowed me to view the room and it's entrance. Everyone stared at me for a few minutes but slowly things returned to normal.

We took off for Philadelphia a few hours later. The Palacios' had dinner in their family quarters. Afterwards, Arianna rose and stretched. I rose and nodded to Kayla.

"But, mother is only..." She stopped, nodded, and rose. "You don't trust anyone."

Dee remained at the entrance when we passed but used her mike to let the team know Arianna and Kayla were heading up front. People nodded to them and made small talk as we passed. About halfway, she stopped and sat next to a small, blond woman with glasses, a laptop, and wireless headset in her ear. A Modbook tablet lay on the table next to her.

"Lynn this is Norah, my irreplaceable secretary. Norah this is the Kazak Lynn. No need to keep her informed of my itinerary. She won't let me out of her sight; however, you will have to include Kayla on my schedule. What's the agenda for tomorrow?"

"Mr. Palacios is giving a speech at the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO. He said it wasn't necessary for you to be there. You are the guest speaker at one p.m. at a special Teachers Institute of Philadelphia meeting. The topic is your choice, although I would imagine they will be interested in Mr. Palacios's views on education."

We left the plane just before noon. A limo awaited us as we departed. Robert, and Gordon were the FBI escort. Ann had gone with Palacios's detail. In the conference, I insisted Arianna's table be near the wall rather than in the center of the room. The FBI faded to the back of the room and near the entrance. I propped myself against a wall. When it came time for Arianna to talk I motioned Kayla up.

"Where do I go," she asked as she stood. I didn't see any potential threats, but that was when they would be most vulnerable since nobody would be paying attention.

"You can stand next to your mother or me. I must always be able to see you and your mother and you must be close enough for me to reach you. Might not hurt for you now and then to speak. Talk to your mother." It might be a nice touch. Kayla wasn't slow in picking up on the advantage and caught up with her mother. They stood whispering for several minutes, and then the two walked up to the podium. I stood against the wall some ten feet behind them. Although unplanned, Arianna seamlessly worked Kayla into her talk about education.

"That was a good suggestion, Lynn. Have you had political training?" Arianna asked while on the way to the hotel where we would be staying the night.

"No. Just seemed like a good idea since Kayla has to be along. Makes her less conspicuous, shows family values, and is less boring for her. Besides, the young bring a different perspective to the issues." My stay with the Gendels had made me more aware of family and children-and softened the impact of my rules.

The next dozen weeks were much the same. Palacios spent most of his time making speeches at various fund raising events and participating in debates with his rivals. Arianna and Kayla accompanied him on about half of the trips. At home, Arianna home schooled Kayla with the help of online courses, which consumed a good part of each day. By now everyone ignored me like a chair in the room and my rules became automatic.

"Lynn, look at the tweets I've been getting today," Kayla said looking up from her iphone. When Arianna neared the couch, Kayla turned the iphone so we could both read it.

Kayla, your father would support the killing of children.

Maybe he regrets not killing you.

He should reconsider his position on life

Or be taught what life would be without you.

"My God, how could anyone send anything this foul," Arianna sobbed, hugging Kayla. The message was clear but did it constitute a real threat or was it just the vicious raving of a deranged individual. I had heard Palacios's speeches on abortion. He didn't believe in abortion except in certain extreme cases. And in those cases, the woman should be counseled to ensure it would be an informed decision. He also favored forbidding the use of federal money for abortions; however, he did believe a woman had a right to choose. The tweets continued and Arianna began getting emails.

Palacios advocates taking away the right of honest citizens to own guns

Knowing he can't stop the criminals among us from owning the same guns

The police can't protect us, only catch the criminals after they harmed us

Perhaps if it happened to his family, he would understand.

"What do you think, Lynn?" Palacios asked as we sat in the living room after the evening meal. Again, Palacios's position had been distorted. He didn't oppose gun ownership or advocate registration, except for automatic weapons, which had no sporting or hunting application. They were weapons of war as were bombs, which were already illegal.

"Sounds like two different issues and two independent writers. The one to Kayla is passionate and fanatical, but hard to tell if the writer will resort to physical action. The other is an attempt to garner support against you; however, it's likely to attract fanatics. The emails are much like the websites that listed doctors who performed abortions and called for action against them. The tweets more like the fanatics who chose to shoot doctors." They could shut down the accounts but that was much like an Ostrich sticking its head in the sand-it didn't resolve the problem. The FBI had a team trying to identify the people involved, but I wasn't sure what could be done even if they found them. There was no direct threat.

Arianna looked wide-eyed and pale. Kayla looked to be evaluating what I had said. And Palacios looked worried, his eyes darting from his wife to his daughter. He turned to me.

"What do you suggest?"

"You could quit your campaign. That would stop it. You could ask the FBI for more agents and turn this house into a fortress. Or, you can go on with your lives, continuing to observe reasonable caution. There is more risk in the latter."

"That's what Sibeal said Lynn told her mother," Kayla said, still deep in thought judging by the frown and down cast eyes.

"That's what Eveleen told me," Arianna said. "She said it was scary but it felt liberating. Of course, she said having Lynn attached to her and Sibeal felt like having a tiger for protection."

"I'll abide by whatever Kayla and you decide," Palacios said and sat back and took a sip of his wine. To his credit, he made no attempt to influence their decision.

"I'd like to be the President's daughter. If Lynn stays, I vote we go on with our lives. It's kind of fun."

"I'm scared to death but since Kayla wants to live in the White House, I say we continue." She gave a weak laugh. "We do have a tiger walking along side us."

A fox. Not a tiger.

***

Ironically, accompanying Arianna and Kayla did feel like Eveleen and Sibeal. Arianna almost seemed to go out of her way to be visible. She and Kayla ate out, shopped, and spent some time at their country club. She didn't play golf but she did swim and play tennis. And like the Gendels, she and Kayla seemed to grow closer.

Today, they had spent time at the swimming pool and afterward had a massage. We were walking towards the dining room, when a man stepped in front of us and began shouting.

"Well if it isn't the woman who believes in killing babies. How many abortions have you had? Did you enjoy it?" When he stepped towards Arianna, Dee moved to block him. Ann, who had decided to accompany us because Palacios was staying at home, also moved closer while scanning the area. The man was grandstanding. He wanted an audience and wasn't a threat with Dee in his face and Ann there for support. So as the performance continued, I backed up several steps.

I watched as a man with a gun walked up behind Ann and Dee. I could have shot him before he took two steps towards them, but I was sure this was a kidnapping and there were more players somewhere. I backed up some more, waiting for the others to appear.

"Freeze. Don't reach for your gun or you'll die," the man now behind Ann said. He was medium height, a baseball cap covered his hair, and sunglasses his eyes. He wore everyday jeans, running shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt covering his arm and any identifying tattoos. I backed up a bit more. Kayla was looking over her shoulder at me. I could feel her why aren't you helping look. I knew someone was coming up behind me before I felt the gun touch my back. It took all my training not to react when I noticed another man lurking over to my right.

"I wouldn't risk my skin for them either," he said with a snort. "Sam, get the girl." The man off to the right, Sam or Samuel, drew his gun and began moving towards Kayla, who stepped back into her mother. Mistake. Always kill the Kazak. Mistake. Never let the gun touch the person's back. I spun left letting my arm push the gun arm away from my body. It fired as I drove my fingers into his throat. I felt the trachea cave inward and blood soaked my fingers as I continued to spin into a sitting snake position. The man on the right stopped and turned his head towards me just as I put a bullet in his head. The man on the left was quicker to react. He had his gun coming to bear on me, when Ann shoved him. The gun discharged and the bullet tore through the carpeting on my left. As he partially caught his balance, I shot him in the head.

Dee was shouting for the first man to stop as he began backing away. I shot him twice in the chest. I scanned the area as I rotated 360 degrees back into a standing position. People were laying on the floor with their hands over their heads, hiding behind chairs and tables, and running in every direction. I saw nothing that appeared out of place, so I walked over and took Kayla's hand.

"Ann, I'll take Arianna and Kayla up to their room. It's been a traumatic experience and they may need medical help. I would think it best if the FBI assumed responsibility for this investigation." I tugged at Kayla and began walked out the door towards the car. On the way, I hit "1" on my iphone.

"Yes?" Witton said in a flat voice. Sounded like he expected more work.

"Boss, four men attempted to kidnap Palacios's daughter. They had guns, so they're dead. It would be helpful if the press reported it as an attempted kidnapping by unidentified terrorists, thwarted by brave FBI agents in a shootout. No mention of a Kazak guard." I heard the connection go dead. I guess that meant he wasn't happy but would take care of it. I called Ann's cell.

"Sorry for leaving you the mess," I said and reiterated what I had told Witton. Back at the house, Arianna and Kayla gave an excited version of the story. The family doctor was called and spent an hour examining and talking with Arianna and Kayla before reporting they were unharmed. He had prescribed a mild sedative to calm Arianna down. Much to the annoyance of the Doctor, I stayed while he examined them and stayed with them as Arianna's sedative took effect. Kayla seems less upset and sat quietly on the bed next to her mother, in what I came to recognize as her thinking mode. After a long time, she looked up at me.

"Lynn, I thought you were deserting us when you backed up. I hated you. Sorry."

"Kazaks never desert their clients, although sometimes it helps to make opposition think they are. Surprise can give you an advantage. I suspected they were planning to kidnap you and your mother and there had to be others involved. If I had acted before I knew who they where, someone might have gotten hurt." The men involved didn't count.

"I can understand why Mrs. Gendel and Sibeal felt safe with you." She lay back down next to her mother and slept.

* * *

Instead of a formal dinner, Palacios ordered pizzas and assembled everyone involved in the incident into the living room.

"I understand four men were shot to death attempting to kidnap Kayla," he began when we had each found a seat and had a piece of pizza. He looked to me. When I only nodded, he turned to Ann.

"It started when a man approached us shouting at Mrs. Palacios. Agent Dee moved between him and your wife. I move up next to her. Then a man appeared behind me with a gun. At the time, I was surprised Lynn hadn't intervened. When I looked back, another man had a gun at her back and yet another was moving towards Kayla. He, too, had a gun." Ann gave me a hard look before continuing. "Then, in typical Lynn style, she rotated, killing the man behind her and the two with guns drawn. When she returned to a standing position, she killed the remaining man."

"But wasn't he unarmed?" Palacios frowned.

"He assisted three others in attempting to kidnapping your daughter, and they were ready to kill your wife and her FBI guards to do it. He was a danger to Arianna and Kayla," I said by way of clarification.

"He wasn't. I had a gun on him and he didn't have any weapons showing." Dee protested.

"Dee, Lynn knew that. When she rose to her feet, she knew where every person remaining in that lobby was and whether they represented a threat. Kazaks have an unbelievable awareness of there surroundings. The man had attempted to harm her clients, therefore, he was an unacceptable risk," Ann clarified.

"Are the police or FBI going to press charges?" Palacios asked.

"I've already been given the official version which will appear in the news tonight. Four terrorists attempted to abduct the wife and daughter of Mr. Palacios. There was a shootout with the FBI detail accompanying them and the four terrorists were killed. Lynn was not mentioned. Homeland security is taking over the investigation. They will ensure that version is the official version." Ann looked directly at Palacios. "Sir, we could not have saved your daughter today. Not only are our rules of engagement different, but Lynn has a phenomenal awareness of her environment and her reactions are many times faster than ours. She knew it was a kidnapping and that there were more than two individuals involved. She didn't react until they were all present. I've worked with Lynn before. I may not always agree with her logic, but I'd trust her with my life."

***

For the next two weeks, Arianna was reluctant to venture out of the house or accompany her husband. I think Kayla eventually convinced her to try.

"Mother, what if father is president. Are we going to hide in the White House? And how is he going to get there without our help?" Kayla said one morning at breakfast. Palacios had asked Arianna to accompany him on the next trip but she had made several feeble excuses why she couldn't. He had made no attempt to change her mind. I think he understood her fear, which he must have shared. I hadn't offered an opinion. My job was to protect them not run their lives. They had a right to be concerned. Kazak guards were not guaranteed to keep you safe.