Monster (76 page)

“What, no happy hour today, Senator?” McDaniels cut him off.

Aginson gasped, pulling on McDaniels’ arm, trying to get him into the chamber room where two Marine guards stood at attention outside the entrance. Both of the young men smiled. Rasheed turned away from the scene, using a hand to cut off his immediate reaction to McDaniels’ remark.

“How dare you!” The Senator took a step toward McDaniels with his three companions trying to hold him back as he shrugged angrily out of their grasp.

It was then Aginson spotted the cameramen already in place across the hall. His heart sank, realizing they had been set up. McDaniels held out his hand in a stopping gesture, towering over the tall Senator and the three men with him.

“You don’t have enough men with you to get in my face,” McDaniels warned menacingly, the look of deadly intent enough to halt the raging Senator in his tracks.

McDaniels looked directly into the cameras across the hall he had noticed right away when Aginson led them to the chamber and then back at the Senator.

“Trying to get a sound bite for Al Jazeera, huh Senator?” McDaniels asked with scorn dripping from his words. “You must be very proud.”

The Senator looked into the cameras with a somewhat petulant look shining from his puffy veined face. It was enough of a pause for McDaniels to stride toward the entrance to the Senate chamber past a shocked Aginson. The Marine guards saluted him crisply. McDaniels stopped for a moment. He returned their salutes with formal enthusiasm. He then shook hands with the young Marines and the cameras picked up on the respect in the young warriors’ faces. Aginson and Rasheed exchanged glances before following McDaniels’ lead, leaving a still stuttering Senator turning away from the cameras he had arranged to be there.

“Oh my God,” Aginson said tiredly, sitting next to Rasheed at the table.

“I hope I was visible for the cameras,” Rasheed said hopefully. “They will play that many, many times. Thank you for making me famous, Cold Mountain. Surely, Ansa, Suraya, and the little Cold will see me on TV.”

“Always happy to help, Kay. That was worth three years in Leavenworth.”

Over two hours later, McDaniels and Rasheed waited for Aginson to gather up his notes from the meeting.

“That went very well, gentlemen.” Aginson complimented his two companions. “They were very impressed with you two.”

“I didn’t know you were having Kay give them a complete rundown of our operation prior to his arriving in America. I’m glad you left out some of the more gory details when we went to get Suraya.”

“It should have been on C-SPAN,” Rasheed replied wistfully. “It was not as good as your meeting out in the hall but it was still good TV.”

“I needed some first class background information to introduce you,” Aginson explained, straightening with his briefcase in hand. “You were clear, concise, and passionate in your presentation, Kay – exactly what I needed.”

“You hit all the points I wanted to come out, Colonel and you handled the questions as well as they could be handled. Hokanson definitely was pleased. All in all, except for the set to out in the hallway, it was a remarkable day.”

“Do we still have to come back tomorrow?” McDaniels followed Aginson toward the door.

“I doubt it. Senator Hokanson will fill in the blanks for them as to expenditures and technical aspects.”

“Outstanding. I figured three days of hell.”

“The Senator and I didn’t want you in front of any group for three days, Cold - even a handpicked bunch like the group today.”

“I can understand that. I…” McDaniels paused as Rasheed opened the chamber door for them. He saw at least four separate camera crews in a semi-circle around the entrance.

Aginson’s face betrayed his surprise. He quickly recovered, speaking in a hushed voice to McDaniels and Rasheed.

“Let me handle this.”

Aginson intercepted the reporters as McDaniels returned the formal salutes accorded his rank by the two Marines at the door.

“We want to speak with the Cold Mountain,” the short blonde woman in the lead said to Aginson. “Can he answer a few questions?”

“Colonel McDaniels cannot answer anything concerning the briefing he gave in front of the Senate subcommittee.” Aginson answered, looking directly into the camera.

“Rumor has it Cold Mountain thinks many in the Senate are traitors,” a man next to the blonde stated. “Can he confirm that for us? We all saw how he treated Senator…”

 “Colonel McDaniels will have no comment on your rumors or any meeting he had with any Senator,” Aginson cut him off politely, but firmly. “Please step aside. There really isn’t…”

“Jeremiah!” A small voice called out from the edge of the crowd. A blonde haired girl in a red dress waved and jumped around at the fringe of reporters next to a couple who tried unsuccessfully to calm her down.

McDaniels went right through the crowd of reporters as if they were chaff in the wind, sending the ones in his path colliding with their brethren behind them. The little girl jumped into his arms, hugging McDaniels tightly around the neck. The cameras were running. The crews jockeyed for position to keep filming McDaniels.

“Hello, little one.” McDaniels set the girl back onto her feet. He knelt down next to her. “You look wonderful. I received your letters. I’m sorry there was such a big gap in time before I could answer them.”

“Uncle Frank told me you’d be some place where you wouldn’t be able to write,” Alicia Hokanson allowed, before leaning in close to whisper in McDaniels’ ear. “I wanted to see you. Uncle Frank said you might need my help.”

McDaniels laughed in appreciation, glancing around at the gaggle of reporters and camera crews before whispering back. “He was sure right about that, Ally. Your timing was impeccable. Is this your Mom and Dad?”

Alicia pulled away, gesturing at the couple next to her. “Mom, Dad, this is Jeremiah.”

The man, who resembled Frank Hokanson shook hands with McDaniels enthusiastically. “I’m Jim Hokanson, Colonel. This is my wife Cheryl. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Cheryl Hokanson bypassed McDaniels’ outstretched hand and hugged him tightly. “We didn’t get to thank you for saving our daughter’s life, Colonel. Thank you.”

“Being able to save Ally was thanks enough for me, Ma’am. Thanks for coming to see me today.”

Aginson and Rasheed caught up to McDaniels. They screened out the reporters trying to elbow in closer. The Hokansons waved at Aginson, whom they knew, and McDaniels introduced Rasheed to the family.

“I am very happy to meet you.” Rasheed shook hands with the Hokansons. “We have something very big in common. The Cold Mountain also saved my daughter’s life.”

“He did?” Alicia asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Rasheed smiled down at Alicia. “He really did.”

“My brother’s waiting outside with a car,” Jim Hokanson said. “Can you three join us for lunch?”

“I think that would be an excellent idea,” Aginson agreed immediately.

Four Secret Service agents stopped the crowd of news people trying to follow the group with no comment or explanation. McDaniels smiled with satisfaction as he heard the angry remarks echoing in the hall behind him.

* * *

“Hello, Red,” McDaniels greeted Reskova at the door with Dino at his side.

“Well, if it isn’t the toast of Washington, DC.” Reskova allowed McDaniels to take her into his arms. “Have you seen any of the papers or listened to the TV news?”

“What for?”

“Let’s just say the Cold Mountain is page one again.”

“I had such a good time with Ally and her family along with Kay and Aginson, I forgot all about the stuff outside the meeting in the morning. Ally and her folks baled us out after the meeting, thanks to Senator Hokanson. That man is one very smart politician in addition to being a stand up guy. Anything bad?”

“Not really, except I think there’s a certain Senator who wants to have you executed.” Reskova followed McDaniels into the kitchen where he had prepared dinner by candlelight. “Wow, this is nice.”

McDaniels poured wine for them both and held Reskova’s chair for her. After they were both seated with Dino gnawing on a rawhide bone near McDaniels’ feet, McDaniels held up his wine glass.

“To the beginning of what will be a very memorable night,” McDaniels proposed, clinking Reskova’s glass lightly.

Reskova laughed and then sipped her wine.

“They don’t need me anymore according to Aginson. I’m officially on leave.”

Reskova’s countenance dropped dramatically. “You aren’t going away yet, Cold. I mean it.”

“The faster I go, the quicker I’ll be back.” McDaniels engulfed her hand in both of his. “Jim Hokanson told me Ally’s been having nightmares again ever since the Hughes brothers took you and she found out it was them. I gave him my word those two will not be on any suspect lists in the near future.”

“You know where they are,” Reskova said accusingly. “Hokanson’s been feeding you data.”

“After what happened to you, the Senator wasn’t going to sit around waiting for a repeat performance. He had a few more satellite photo teams than you have gathering info unobtrusively for me. Then his brother called about Ally’s nightmares. Let’s just say I have a pretty fair idea where the Hughes boys are.”

“This is dangerous stuff and I don’t mean you going after those two psychos. I think you and Hokanson have been watching too many Godfather reruns. You Don Corleone wannabes will end up in prison without a get out of jail free card.”

McDaniels shrugged. “The Senator can’t do what I do and I can’t do what he does. We won’t be making a habit out of it. Like we talked about when I was first drafted into your group, I wasn’t hired as the resident computer geek.”

Reskova shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Marry me and have a little girl like Ally,” McDaniels suggested.

* * *

McDaniels adjusted his field glasses slightly from his prone position on an insulated pad overlooking a small ramshackle cabin. The outcropping McDaniels had chosen was situated on a rise with full view of the cabin and nearly five hundred feet above it. Mapping every movement the Hughes brothers made over the past five days McDaniels now had a detailed safe route to the cabin from four different directions. He knew the boundaries of the brothers’ security parameters intimately.

“Can you hear me, Red?” McDaniels glanced over at the miniature notebook computer with satellite linkup.

“Yes,” Reskova answered. “I was off line because we lost part of your signal. The live feed of the cabin is clear now. Cold, let me send in a team. You have their booby traps mapped and…”

“Red,” McDaniels cut her off impatiently, “I only agreed to this for your peace of mind, not to let you take over operations. I’m moving in just before dark.”

“You liked the company too. Don’t deny it.”

“I admit it. You’re taking a chance now too with plausible deniability.”

“It was always my intention to talk you into allowing me to send in a team once you found them and scouted their perimeter. I thought you would see reason you cement headed mule.”

McDaniels dropped his head into his arms, choking back the belly laugh surging to break free. He looked over at the screen in time to see her pointing at him.”

“Soon, my dear, your little off-the-cuff remarks will not go unanswered.” McDaniels turned his attention again to surveillance.

“Cold, for God’s sake, be careful. Don’t underestimate those two.”

McDaniels growled comically at the screen. He sat up, pushing his camouflage hood away from his face. “I have to sign off for now, Red. You’re becoming too much of a distraction, only in a bad way.”

“Wait! I’m sorry, Cold. I…”

McDaniels clicked off the uplink with Reskova protesting animatedly. Still smiling over Reskova’s ‘mule’ remark, he looked at his watch, noting he had forty-five minutes to work his way down to the brothers’ woodshed. Charles Hughes had made a trip out to gather wood every night for the past five nights at approximately the same time, give or take five minutes.

McDaniels checked his Taser gun and made sure his Ruger 9mm automatic was in easy reach. Over the next half hour, McDaniels crept within twenty feet of the woodshed near a stand of trees he knew to be clear of traps. Grinning, McDaniels remembered when he had made his first approach to the cabin and observed the Hughes brothers navigating their well worn paths leading away from the cabin in four directions. Later, being careful of the snow still on the ground, McDaniels had inspected some of the outer perimeter defenses. There were no secondary alarms or traps. The brothers simply walked the outer perimeter of their safety zone before closing off the single entrance into the zone before dark each night.

McDaniels trailed John Hughes the one day Hughes had left the cabin area and observed him checking snares placed outward from the cabin for over two miles. Since the weather had been clear for the last few weeks, McDaniels was careful not to leave any discernable trail either of the brothers could notice. The brothers had unwisely chosen not to reset their traps and razor wire by varying the location of their defenses. After bypassing the razor wire trap at the entrance leading inside the brothers’ outer perimeter, McDaniels could walk their soggy path without discovery.