Girl Takes The Oath (An Emily Kane Adventure Book 5) (16 page)

Everett grumbled something about keeping an eye on her and how she shouldn’t leave the area, which was little more than police throat-clearing. Braswell almost felt sorry for them, since he knew how frustrating dealing with someone as unflappable as her could be. They’d come to interrogate her, even though she hadn’t broken any rules, merely in the hopes of getting her to divulge something under pressure. In the end, she hoisted a pack onto her shoulder and stepped into the elevator.

~~~~~~~

“CJ, you’re not even packed,” she heard her roommate say, and pulled the covers over her head, even though they grabbed at her socks. When she tried to roll over, her pants got tangled in the sheets. “You’ll make us miss our flights if you don’t put it into gear.”

Even in the dim light, with the shades drawn, CJ could make out Stacie’s outline through the sheet, silhouetted in the open door. When news about the incident on the bridge first hit the Yard, Stacie led the charge of people who wanted to celebrate CJ’s courage—not surprising since no one was hungrier for what she called ‘action’ than Stacie. Seeing some action might even have been her main motive in coming to the academy in the first place.
The girl was envious
.

At first, King Hall buzzed with informed opinion at each meal, everyone claiming to know something no one else did, and CJ saying as little as possible. With each passing day, the buzz grew quieter, and the information less conflicted. Of course, Emily said nothing to anyone, her face inscrutable and forbidding, even to her friends, which is why Stacie pumped CJ for information, barely able to conceal her excitement. “I wish I’d been there,” she’d said on more than one occasion, until CJ finally responded: “No, Stacie, you don’t. Trust me.”

Stacie rifled drawers for her, huffing about having to do everything, and stuffed some miscellaneous clothes into a carry-on bag. “Your laptop barely fits into the front pocket,” she groaned. “And I have no idea what books you want to bring.”

CJ’s hands swept out from under the sheet and crumpled it into a ball, her feet kicking to get free. “Let go, damn it,” she howled and finally pulled herself up to a seated position on the edge of the bed.

“At least you’re dressed, mostly. C’mon, CJ. Get up.”

“Okay, fine,” she replied, and stood up next to her roommate. “I just want to be home, without having to see anyone in the Yard. Is that asking too much?” She twirled open the blinds and looked out over the roof of the galley.

“It was really that bad?”

“Worse.”

“Because you killed that guy?”

“Yeah, that sucked,” CJ admitted. “But I had to do it, or he might have gotten a line of fire on Em.”

“You stood your ground, you know. There’s no shame in that.”

“I know, Stacie. That’s not the problem. It’s just that…”

“What?”

“Em, you know… she killed those guys. What I mean is, she tore them apart. Can you understand that? I didn’t want to talk about it in front of the company, but it was nasty. Their bodies were mangled and broken, the ones she didn’t shoot. And the look in her eyes, like some sort of predator. Do you remember what she said that day out on Sherman Field, that nobody’s as evil as she is? That’s what I saw on that bridge.”

Stacie’s eyes gleamed to hear it, like sad news you can’t quite process, and part of her didn’t want to let go of the idea that the thrill of fighting by her friend’s side would have been worth whatever might have been terrifying about it. CJ let out an angry breath and glowered at her.

“Is any of this getting through?”

“What?” Stacie said. “I get it. She was tough, she did what was necessary.”

“No, Stace… I mean, yeah, she absolutely did. It’s just, you know, someone doesn’t do stuff like that without it leaving a scar. But Em, she’s just the same as ever, as if none of it affects her at all.”

“What does that even mean, CJ? Are you saying she’s not your friend anymore?”

“No, I guess not. I mean, I love her, but I’m not sure she really has friends.”

“How can you say that?”

“I saw what I saw, Stacie. It wasn’t just the fighting. It’s her eyes, you know, a gleam in them that’s not quite human. I had her back, before she realized I was there, and… three guys come around this corner, guns and all, and she kills ’em one after another, disarms them and… Those guys came to a bad end, and it was like effortless for her. You’ve never seen… I mean… I…”

“Oh, CJ. I’m so sorry for you. I know fighting’s not your thing.”

“That… what she did, that’s nobody’s thing. Trust me.”

The noise at the door—a knock, a cleared throat—CJ didn’t know how long they’d been standing there, or what they might have heard. The lettering on their caps was off-putting. She knew they’d have more questions, and she’d been tight-lipped the last time they spoke to her. What did they want this time? And could she still play dumb, for her friend’s sake?

“Can we have a word, Miss Tanahill?” Agent Everett said. “The Company Commander said you’d be here.”

“We’re gonna miss our flights,” Stacie said. “Can’t it wait until after the holidays?”

“Can you excuse us, Miss,” Agent Horton said, inserting himself between her and CJ. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Are you asking permission to enter a midshipman’s room?” Stacie retorted, her chin jutting out.

CJ knew that look, the position of her feet, the set of her shoulders—her roommate was about to make a very bad decision.
Always a fighter
, CJ thought. Ordinarily, she’d have watched it unfold as if she were helpless to stop it, and then complain about it afterwards. For some reason, and in a way that seemed particularly unaccountable to her, she thought of Emily’s eyes and found something else in them besides the primal fear they inspired in that moment on the bridge.

“Hey, guys, you know, we could use a ride to the airport. How about we talk in the car?”

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Chapter Fourteen

Camp Leatherneck

“Does she know what Theo has planned?” Andie asked over the seatback, somewhere past the exit for the Chancellorsville Battlefield Memorial. Li Li and Stone bounced up and down in their booster seats, as they had for the past thirty minutes, once they realized Emily would be waiting for them at the other end of the ride.

“Not that I know of,” Yuki said, preoccupied with rearranging Li Li’s seatbelt.

Ethan chuckled from behind the wheel. “The look on her face when she finds out… did we bring a camera? I think that’s one Connie’s gonna want to frame.”

“How far to Fredericksburg?” Yuki asked.

“Ten, fifteen minutes, and Quantico is only another thirty or so from there,” Ethan said.

“You want to switch seats,” Andie asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe we can flag down the follow car and get Connie to take both our places.”

“Passenger transfer,” Ethan spoke into the microphone concealed in his shirt cuff, and then pulled onto the shoulder.

“I’m sorry to ask,” Yuki said to the much taller woman, the wind blowing their hair sideways. “But you seem to have a way with him.”

“It’s not a problem, Mrs. K.,” Connie said. “I could use some quality time with the boy, and I think Anthony would like to be in Ethan’s car, too.”

Some squawking ensued once it became clear Emily’s mother was no longer sitting next to them. The charms of their new companions, a teenage boy, grown newly tall like his father, he had been there when Emily came for them in Kamchatka, and Connie, now so closely associated in the children’s minds with Emily, soon brought a new calm. Perhaps it was her big hands, with long, limber fingers that amused them. Or her blond hair and blue eyes. Or maybe it was just how large she seemed in their eyes, a veritable giant… though, like everyone else, she seemed small standing anywhere in Ethan’s vicinity. Anthony squeezed in back between them, and a game of tickle and squeeze immediately ensued, while Connie sat in front with Ethan.

Once the cars were back in motion, Ethan began to sing an Israeli song, really more of a dance number, which sounded suspiciously Greek to Connie. Since it had very few actual words—more grunts than words—the children had very little difficulty singing along.

“What? They probably stole it from us. It’s only a short hop across the Mediterranean.”

“Whatever. I don’t want to rain on your national pride.”

“Yuki says she doesn’t know,” Ethan said, hiding a smirk as best he could.

“She’s not gonna like it. I’m just telling you now.”

“And she probably won’t see him until at least the second round. The SEALs get a bye, or something.”

“Doesn’t know what?” Anthony inquired from the back seat as soon as he could direct enough of his attention to what the big people were saying. “That uncle Theo’s coming?” Connie nodded.

“That’s his plan, then… to surprise her?” she asked.

“Well, he was pretty pissed when he heard she’d wangled her way into the men’s division.”

“Pissed?” Connie arched an eyebrow.

“Okay, less than fully impressed by the wisdom of her choices.”

“I guess he’s gonna have to take it up with her in the ring,” Connie snorted.

“And you’re sure you can get into the feed?”

“It’s all arranged. A friend from the Manila days is working tech on the FBI end. He’s got it all wired.”

“You had friends in those days?”

“It’s sort of like friendship when someone admits they owe you a favor. Of course, owing a favor to someone else is much more friendly than having one owed to you.”

“You owe someone a favor? Is it someone I should know about?”

“It’s just the one… you know.”

“Oh.”

Another half an hour and they passed through heightened base security—mirrors under the vehicles, large dogs sniffing everything—Ethan showed a credential and both vehicles passed through without further attention.

“Is all this for the SEALs?” Connie asked.

“I haven’t a clue. Michael will know. You can ask him when he gets here. He’s flying in with a few dignitaries later.”

“It always amuses me, those guys… I mean, sure, they’re tough as nails, but the fleet pampers them like they’re chinchillas or something. I think some of them could use a beat down from Emily… you know, an attitude adjustment.”

Ethan cringed at the reminder of an ‘adjustment’ he’d received a few years back, embarrassing at the time, though he wouldn’t trade the experience now. Still, it smarted to think about it with Connie so near.

“It’s okay, big guy. We’ve all been there.”

With limited parking around Barber Physical Activity Center, where the tournament would take up most of the available floor space, traffic had to snake around to the lots by the athletic stadium, where it looked like some events had already taken place.

“There they are,” Connie said. “In the back row, against the trees.”

“Hard to miss that kid, you know, Melanie’s boyfriend,” Ethan said. “He’s like a tree.”

“She’s not short either. First time I ever felt ‘not tall’ around another woman…”

As soon as he caught a glimpse of Emily, Stone extricated himself from his booster seat and scrambled over the seat back and into Connie’s lap, and Li Li let out a howl.

“Calm down, little man,” Ethan growled. “Wait until we’re parked, okay?”

Crouching next to a tree, Emily knew what to expect, not having seen the kids since the beginning of August. And true to form, Stone bowled into her, followed one beat later by Li Li, their collective mass rolling the three of them into the grass.

“Give her some air, my not-so-little ones,” Andie said.

“You guys are
soooo
big,” Emily crooned over them. “Pretty soon, you’ll be bigger than me.” Probing fingers found Li Li’s tickle bone and she shrieked even louder, and tried to squirm out of reach. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”

Soon the fingers found Stone, though he seemed to have no ticklish spot. But he loved the attention, nonetheless. An instant later, Ethan hoisted him up by his ankles, and Emily kissed his cheeks, until she could get back on her feet and scoop him up into her arms. “You are much too big for me, little man,” she said as she squeezed him in a hug, then rubbed her face on his.

Connie brought Li Li over, now hanging from her neck, and Ethan took Stone off Emily’s hands. Neither one was content with the new arrangement, but at least they were within easy reach of her hair, her shoulders, her face. At least it felt that way.

“The brawl is down there, on the athletic field,” Emily said.

~~~~~~~

Because of a last-minute addition to the number of competitors, the final event, the Men’s Advanced
Kumite
, had been moved to the grass field of the football stadium. This meant that at least part of the event might require the stadium lights, given how early sunset would be this deep into the winter. It also meant that as the evening wore on, the later rounds might take place in deeper cold. Remaining limber could prove to be a challenge, though fortunately an Indian Summer had lasted longer than anyone expected, and the temperature would likely not dip below forty.

“This final part’s not gonna be like a regular tournament,” Emily said. “After last year, they decided to make it full-contact, and restrict it to armed forces personnel.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Yuki said. Several men in fatigues crossed their path just then, and she cringed at the sight of them. “Those guys are huge,” she continued, once they were out of earshot.

“Won’t there be some resentment?” Andie asked. “You know, because you’re a woman in the men’s competition.”

“Oh, I think you can count on that,” Connie said

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Emily said. “When do I ever not run into that?”

“I get that you want to prove something to them,” Connie said.

“Not just them. It’s also for me, you know?”

“Okay, fine,” Connie continued, “but sometimes the better part of valor is to let the boys win one. Jarheads will be as impressed if you show you can take a hit as if you hit someone.”

Emily nodded, unpersuaded.

In the midst of a small caravan of black SUVs at the edge of the parking lot nearest the stadium, Michael’s head popped up over the roof of one of the vehicles. A tall man, at least a head above the brown-suited man standing next to him, he was hard to miss, and when he spotted his family, he gently extricated himself from the round of bows and handshakes and walked over.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Andie said, and reached up to kiss her husband on the cheek. “What’s with the entourage? Is that Tom O’Brien?”

“Yes,” Michael replied, with a peculiar expression on his face. “Emily, the Secretary of the Navy would like to meet you.”

“How’s he even know who Emily is?” Andie asked, and Michael shook his head slowly, as if trying to deflect the conversation away from that perfectly reasonable question.

“That’s fine,” Emily said, ever optimistic, or at least resolute.

“She’ll be back in a minute,” Michael offered as reassurance to Anthony and the little kids, who looked like they might protest. Then turning to his wife, he added, “Why don’t you and Yuki come over, too? Can you handle things here for a minute?” he asked Anthony, who nodded a merry affirmative.

The expression on Michael’s face suggested some sort of alarm, and Emily could see the effect it had on Andie, who didn’t appear to be assuaged when he turned to Emily and said, “I’m sorry to spring this on you like this, but I didn’t have a chance to tell you about it sooner. Some new competitors have been added to the field.”

“Judging from the look of the party you came with, I might guess it has something to do with the Pacific Rim Conference?” Emily said.

“Yes, ostensibly. But there are always wheels within wheels in DC. The Chinese ambassador has just arranged to have a member of the PLA participate in the tournament. I’m guessing he’ll turn out to be the best their army has to offer. Act surprised when you hear.”

“I’ve already faced the best they have,” she said for her mother’s benefit.

“And you won, right?” Yuki asked.

“Not exactly, Mom. We came to an understanding before it came to…”

“You mean Tang?” Michael asked.

“Yes, Li Li’s dad. He was a good man, in his own way… honorable.”

“Don’t count on their man being as honorable. I mean, if you end up facing him in the ring, expect the worst.”

This warning did nothing for Yuki’s demeanor, and with a shaky hand she tugged on her daughter’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Emily said, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “We need to keep cool in front of these men, okay?” Yuki shook her head and composed her face into something rigid and hard.

By the time they caught up with the crowd of dignitaries, now numbering a dozen or so, the morning sun had warmed the scene, and several of the men had removed their jackets. The Asians in the crowd remained stoic and fully jacketed, impervious to the vicissitudes of temperature, except for the largest of them, undoubtedly security men, who had begun to perspire uncomfortably.

“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Cardano,” said a man in a brown suit, jacket slung over one shoulder.

“In office over a year, and still so formal, Tom,” Andie said. His smile concealed a blush, and she gestured to Emily and Yuki with a sweep of an arm. “Let me introduce our close friends, Dr. Kagami and her daughter…”

“Michiko Tenno, sir, ” Emily interrupted, and stood at attention awaiting his acknowledgment.

“It’s good to meet you, Miss Tenno,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you from the Commandant. They’re very impressed by your performance at the Academy.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And the fact that you’re the only member of the Academy team to make it all the way through the qualifying rounds, and on the men’s side no less, well, it speaks volumes. You may end up setting a precedent, if you’re not careful.”

“I hope not, sir,” she said.

A tall, elegantly dressed man, with a bright yellow tie knotted more thickly than current fashion dictated, leaned forward and addressed himself to Yuki and Emily with great formality. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Miss Tenno, and your mother’s as well.” He finished with a deep bow.

“Allow me to introduce the Chinese Ambassador, Zhang Jun,” O’Brien said. “He’s here as part of the Pacific Rim Naval Cooperation Conference, as a goodwill emissary, and because he expressed an interest in our martial arts training.”

Emily bowed graciously, and Yuki nodded slightly, somehow managing to create the impression that she looked down on the proceedings from a great height, even though she was several inches shorter than everyone standing around her.

Zhang gestured to another man standing a few feet away, and said, “Miss Tenno, please allow me to introduce my, how do you say… protocol officer, Dong Zhuo.” While Dong went through the ritual gestures of greeting, a second man, taller, more thickly built, and dressed in military fatigues, stepped forward and took Emily’s hand in his and bowed to her, though not so deeply as to prevent him from maintaining eye contact. “And this is Jiao Long,” Zhang continued. “He is an expert in Chinese
wushu
, and will be competing today.”