The ringing of the phone woke him early, and as he glanced at the clock, he moaned at the time. Bringing the receiver to his face, he mumbled, “It’s three in the morning, you know?”
“I know,” the female voice replied.
He recognized the voice as a woman who had been a ‘friend with benefits’ before she started taking things a bit too far. “What do you want?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
“I want you.”
He glanced at Jillian’s sleeping form, slipped out of the bed, pulled his jeans back on and quietly walked to the living room. “Beth,” he began, “I thought we worked this out a couple weeks ago.”
“Why don’t I come in and we can discuss it more,” she said, her voice a little too husky for just wanting to ‘discuss’.
“Not a good time,” he replied, not wanting to offend or upset her. She had a violent temper, and although that had been a benefit in bed, it was disaster any place else, except for her position in the armed forced. What she had said suddenly worked its way through his thoughts. In? “Where are you?”
“Your driveway.”
Kyle sighed in annoyance and peeked out the window. “Stay there.” He disconnected the phone, pulled a jacket off a hook by the door and slipped it on. Quietly going out of this house, his bare feet padded across the veranda and approached her car.
“Hey, baby,” she purred.
“Go home, Beth,” he said, his hands in his jacket pockets and his bare feet starting to get cold on the ground. He took a step back as she got out of her car and stood in front of him.
“Why?”
He sighed, and decided to take a chance with the truth. “I’m off the market, Beth.”
“How dare you?” she said in a low voice. The slap came so fast that he couldn’t do anything but feel it as it stung his face.
Kyle took a breath as he forced himself to be calm. “Beth…” 1 "What's the matter, Kyle?" she asked in a husky voice. "I thought you liked a little pain in your foreplay?"2 He didn't even want to bother dignifying that with an answer. "Good-bye, Beth."
“You are such a fucking slut, you know?!”
He couldn’t deny that claim. There had been more than quite a few women he had been with in the past couple years. “Just leave.” He clenched his fists in the pockets, then turned and walked back to his cottage. He stopped on the bottom step and turned. “Don’t come here again.”
“Fucker!” she spat as she got into her car, slammed the door and spun out the yard, making enough noise to start a few dogs barking.
“Wonderful,” Kyle whispered as he turned. He stopped at the site of Jillian standing in the doorway.
“I never liked her,” Jillian said, then turned and went inside.
“Even more wonderful,” Kyle sighed at the less than stellar start to his day.
~~~~~~~~~
Early that morning, and only three hours after the events, Kyle sat behind his desk at the Armed Forces Base. His fingers flew over the computer board in front of him, the result of his work suspended in the three-dimensional cube hovering over his desk. He reached in to the cube and touched a folder, opening yet another avenue of information.
They were no closer to finding anything that hinted at an assassination attempt than they had been when they started, and he was beginning to wonder if this was just some rumor to bolster the Senator’s public presence. Either that or he was too tired to think. Being used to about four hours sleep a night was fine, but a few days of less than three hours had a way of making his mind wander, and his temper short.
“You look like hell.”
Kyle looked up at the voice, and glared. “Get away from me.”
Beth pouted. “Aw, come on, Kyle. I can’t believe you’re going to be mean to me after all we’ve been through.”
“Why are you here?” He was too tired to be polite, and was surprised that he was as calm as he actually was.
“I am here on official business.”
Kyle leaned back in his seat and blinked slowly. “Your official business is to stand in front of my desk?”
“No.”
“Then please leave.” He went back to his computer screen, effectively dismissing her.
“Why are you pissed at me?”
He looked at Beth. “If you have to ask why I’m pissed at you, then me explaining would be totally lost on you.”
“If I apologized, would that get you out of your hissy fit,” she asked in a condescending tone.
He continued to read the computer screen, wishing that she would just walk away. “Leave,” Kyle said as he turned off his computer and stood. Turning to his team, were trying to look like they weren’t eavesdropping, he motioned for them to get up and follow.
“Where are we off to now?” Celia asked.
“Senator Plow has a meeting at Historic Properties at eight,” he said. “I want to see her security detail.” He glanced behind him, relieved that Beth was no where to be seen.
~~~~~~~
Keren laid on the rooftop, patiently waiting for her target to arrive. She had been waiting since before dawn, and had even caught a light nap before the sun heated her surroundings to a comfortable level. If all was kept according to plan, the dark gray sedan would be pulling up within the next ten minutes, and then she could make a great show of trying to kill the Senator. At least she hoped it would be the dark gray sedan; she hadn’t had time to plant explosives in both vehicles, and hoped that the tire she had let the air out of on the other car would be enough of a prompt to use the gray one.
She took a look around the concourse below, stopping in delight when she saw four figures walking around, studying things. They were trying too hard to look like they belonged there, which was a definite tip-off that they didn’t belong.
Her eyes traveled from the four to the dark gray sedan that pulled up to the beginning of the walkway between the buildings.
~~~~~~~~~
“What do we look for?”
Kyle hid a sigh. “Everything…nothing,” he explained. “We’re just here to observe and see how well she’s covered by her own people.” He paused. “Just keep your hands away from your weapons. Wouldn’t want to spook someone.”
He watched as Senator Plow stepped out of the open back door, and started to walk in their general direction. He was pleased that two armed men approached them to ask for identification. After seeing four Military/CAA ID’s, they were left alone as the Senator drew closer.
Aw, fuck Kyle thought I’m not in the mood for you today… walk on past, lady…just …keep walking….
~~~~~~~~
At first, Senator Plow was annoyed to see the four people who were suppose to be hunting down an assassin sitting in a tourist area, like they were on a little vacation. Planning on pressing them, she decided that she could be a minute or two late for her meeting, and approached.
“Commander,” she said in a diplomatically pleasant voice. “What brings you and your team out here on such a beautiful autumn day?”
Kyle smile nearly rivaled hers for fakeness. He knew how to play the game of politics, too, although he wasn’t as adept at the skullduggery as she was. “Doing a little fact finding,” he said. “I know you’re a busy woman, so please don’t let us keep you from your meeting.” He noticed the woman beside her giving him a cool stare, and flashed his identification that he still had in his hand. She relaxed ever so slightly.
“Good day, Commander.”
Right back atcha. “Senator,” Kyle replied with a nod. He watched she turned, then reacted as the concourse turned into a shooting range.
~~~~~~~~
Keren gently squeezed the trigger, aiming at no one, but not really minding if she accidentally hit someone. She moved slightly, took general aim, and squeezed again. She had to admit that those around the Senator were quick. They were already herding her to the safety of the building. Keren fired a few shots in front of them to make them change their mind.
With six shots down, and about twelve more to go, Keren pushed a small button on a remote, and started to mentally count down from thirty. At the ten mark, she would be gone from the roof, joining the people who were running from the gunfire.
~~~~~~~~~~
All his training kicked in as Kyle grabbed the Senator and pulled her to the ground, covering her with his body. His weapon came out and he scanned the rooftops in front of him, looking for some sign of the shooter.
“Crawl,” he ordered and pushed her towards the relative safety of a building. “Celia,” he called out.
Celia looked from her study of the roofs in her direction. She noticed him nod, and bent to add her protection to the Senator. They slowly made their way, changing direction once as bullets peppered the ground in front of them. Opting for the car, they hurried for it as the occasional bullet whizzed by, hitting nondiscrimination against the pavement.
They were about thirty feet from the vehicle when the shooting stopped. Kyle paused and looked around. He suddenly pulled the Senator in the opposite direction, jumping back as a bullet hit the ground in front of them.
“She’s herding us,” he said as he grabbed his radio and spoke into it.
Before he could talk, the Senator’s vehicle exploded in an amazing fireball. The blast took them all by surprise, picking up people and objects and tossing them aside like paper in the wind. Celia slammed against Kyle, and the Senator, knocking them all to the ground, and laid there in a daze until her mind realized what had happened. She quickly stood and looked around.
Kyle ignored the feeling of the cobblestone as they dug into his skin, and was on his knees in an instant, checking out the Senator who seemed to be dazed by otherwise unharmed. Other people rushed onto the grounds, and helicopters flew in the air above.
~~~~~~~~~
Keren had a terrified expression on her face as she ran from the area with other people, and she kept running when she made it to a main street. She could hear sirens from all directions, and slipped into one of the many bars that lined Halifax’s Waterfront.
Ordering a cold beer, she joined other patrons as they looked out the windows at the police cars speeding by. She sipped her beer in contentment, knowing that her little mock assassination attempt would step up the security, and actually make it that much easier for her to carry out the real attempt. The more protection they gave the Senator, the bigger the holes would be for Keren to work her way through.
She took her beer to a small table in the corner, planning to wait at least an hour before even stepping foot on the street again.
~~~~~~~~~
When the medics arrived to take over checking out the Senator, Kyle turned away to check on his team again. He had already done a voice check by calling out, and was relieved that three voices called back to him. The others were busy helping the authorities, but Kyle had stayed with the Senator to help keep her still, and partly to annoy her by being concerned for her well fare. He had saved her life, and he knew that would be bothering her later.
Kyle stopped short as a medic approached and looked at him. “Come with me, and I’ll get that patched up.”
Kyle stared and then raised a hand to his head, surprised to feel stickiness. “Yeah, okay,” he said slowly. He hadn’t felt anything before, but standing had caused the area in his view to tilt slightly. That, he could deal with. It was the other aches on his right side that were just starting that he knew he would have problems with.
You’re thirty-eight, shithead he told himself. This is what you get for interfering in a young person’ game. He grabbed his cell phone as it vibrated in his pocket. “Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
“Fine, Jill,” he lied. “Why?”
“Because you’re on TV.” Her voice was distinctly stressed.
“Oh.” He resisted the urge to look around for the news cameras. “Just a couple scrapes,” he assured her. “Nothing spending a night in you won’t cure.”
~~~~~~~~~~
It took no time to make it back to the cottage just outside the city, and Keren sipped another beer as she watched the news. The assassination attempt had made all of the major stations, and she smiled at her handiwork. She listened to various theories, shaking her head at how far some people would reach to come up with an explanation before they knew all of the facts.
She watched a scene replay again, and recognized Kyle Suene in the background, briefly talking to a paramedic, then turning to answer his phone. He waved away all shouts for ‘comments’ from the reporters as he got into the back of a large car with the other three of his team, and left.
From the close-up one reporter had gotten, she noticed that he seemed slightly dazed, but was well within his element of control. She hoped he wasn’t seriously injured, and that the blood on his forehead was nothing, because she looked forward to destroying him inch by inch on her own.
~~~~~~~~~
Kyle put his head on his desk and sighed in annoyance. After a mandatory visit to the hospital, and getting a gash over his right eye sealed and his ribs taped, he had been given a rather strong painkiller. It had just kicked up another notch, and he was finding it hard to focus on anything for longer than a minute.
He was now sure that someone was after the Senator, but wished that the point had been proven in a less than absolute way. Luckily no one was injured beyond cuts, burns and scrapes, with the worse being an innocent bystander who had been hit by a piece of the exploding vehicle. That person was in hospital listed in serious but stable condition.
“Commander?”
Kyle looked up, suddenly wary because of Celia’s voice. “What?”
She held a phone up. “You have a call.” She paused. “From Keren Pelgrew.”
Kyle stared at her, not sure if she heard it correctly. “Is she on hold?”
“Refuses to. Said she would hang up if I did.”
Kyle reached for the phone, and a pen. “Yeah.” He said into the phone. He quickly jotted a few things down. Celia read the notes and left to do what he asked. The other two members of the team stayed.
“Commander Suene, what a pleasure it is to hear your voice again. I’m so glad you weren’t injured this morning.”
“What do you want?”
“Your girlfriend is very pretty.”
“What do you want?” Kyle repeated, trying to keep him voice calm.
“It would be a shame for something to happen to her.”
Kyle made a fist and tapped it against his thigh. “You have five seconds to tell me what you want, or I’m hanging up.” He scribbled a note, and held it up. One of the people listening ran to a desk and dialed a number. They talked in hushed tones into the phone.
“Really, Commander,” Keren chastised mildly. “We haven’t chatted in a little over five years, and this is how you treat me?”
Kyle grimaced in annoyance, and closed his eyes when the other agent on the phone hung up and gave him a brief nod. “I’m sorry,” Kyle said in an obviously fake voice. “How are you, Keren? Enjoying Halifax?”
“It’s a nice city. I haven’t been here in about five years,” she said, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Speaking of five years, how are you doing?” She didn’t wait for his response. “Oh, sorry, no time to catch up, I see that your tracers are nearly to me, Ta!”
“Fuck!” Kyle hissed as the line went blank. He looked at one of his teammates. “Get her?”
“Sorry,” she replied with a shake of her head. “She had it bouncing off of too many satellites and communication towers. Got as close as confirming her within a 30 kilometer radius, but I can’t confirm which specific location.”
Celia hurried in and handed Kyle a small disk. “Complete recording of the call.” She sat in the chair opposite his desk and activated her computer. “Slip it in.”
Kyle put the disk in to the data stream that popped above the desk, and listened to the call again. He noticed that his voice sounded surprisingly calm, yet strained when she had mentioned Jillian. He stared into the data when Keren mentioned about being in Halifax five years previous, and started to get a sick feeling about that.
He realized that his personal phone was vibrating in his pocket, and pulled it out. He exhaled in relief at the call display number. “Jillian?”
“What’s going on, Kyle?” She sounded calm, worried and annoyed all rolled into one.
“Come to the base, and I’ll explain.” He stood and walked a little ways away to get some privacy.
“Explain now.”
“Jillian…” Kyle sighed sighed as pain jabbed at his ribs and put a hand against the wall, then leaned into it. “Keren Pelgrew called here to taunt, and she mentioned you.” He pushed himself away from the wall and stood straight. “I just want you here.”
“I have appointments today, Kyle.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. He knew she wouldn’t cancel them, regardless of what he said. “Do me a favor, then?”
“Depends.”
He could tell that she was annoyed, and possibly a little bit scared. “Come by the base first, and then I’m going to assign a bodyguard for the day.”
“Kyle…”
“Jillian, please.”
She was silent for a few moments, and he wondered if she had disconnected the call. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“I’ll meet you at the gate.” He disconnected the call, and tuned back to the others. “Sub-Agent Chalmers.”
The youngest of his team stood. “Commander?”
Kyle motioned him with a wave of his hand. “Got a job for you.” He walked out of the office and set off across the yard tot he main gate. He glanced at the young man beside him. “I need you to be a bodyguard for a day.”
“Sir?”
“I’m not sure if Keren Pelgrew is just playing with me, or whether she mentioned Jillian as a threat.” They stopped by the gate and waited. “I’m not taking any chances, and I need someone I can trust to look after Jillian.”
The sub-agent nearly beamed at the trust. “I won’t let you down, Commander.” He looked up as a car came to a quick stop, and it’s occupant got out, slamming the door before making her way to them. “Can I back out?”
“No.” Kyle tried not to smile at that.
“I want a word with you,” Jillian told Kyle as she walked past and went to a small bench about three meters away.
“Shit,” Kyle whispered, then looked at the other man. “Grab what you need, then be back here in ten.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kyle went to the bench as the sub-agent left, and sat down beside Jillian. “I’m sorry,” he began, “ I would never do something like this unless I thought it was absolutely necessary.” He waited for a response, and when none came, decided to continue. “Jillian, I don’t know what to tell you. In my opinion, Keren mentioned your name so that I would know that she will do anything to stop me from getting her.”
Jillian finally looked at him, and noticed the worry in his eyes. “I can’t live like this, Kyle. I won’t live like this.”
“I know,” Kyle whispered, not wanting this to cause her to leave. “When this is over…” He stopped. “Hell, I don’t know what, then…or even when it is going to be over.” He ran his hands over his face, trying to scrub away the situation. “Go back to Australia,” he told her.
“No.”
“Damn it, Jill. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you because of me.”
“I’ll be fine.” By her tone, he knew that she was closing that part of the conversation. She brought a hand up and gently brushed it over his forehead and the cut just above his eyebrow. “How about you? Will you be fine?”
He nodded slightly. “Me, I’m great.”
“Great?” Jillian studied him openly, looking for any signs of abnormal stress.
“I’m kind of pumped full of drugs right now,” he said with a small smile. He hugged her briefly, grimacing as the pain from the explosion made it through the painkillers. He leaned back on the bench. “Sub-Agent Chalmers is going to go everywhere with you today, and he’ll bring you back here this evening.”
“And what will you be doing?”
“I’ll be finding Keren Pelgrew,” he replied. 3
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