Baksheesh (Bribes)

by D S Kane

  Lee moved forward. “Mom, Dad!” He waved as he neared them. “Harry, Sue!”

  Lee’s father moved forward and embraced his son. “Leland. It’s been far too long.”

  His mother took her turn hugging him. She continued smiling but said nothing.

  Harry punched Lee playfully in the shoulder. “Yo!”

  Susan just stood where she was and let Lee give her a hug and peck her cheek.

  Ann watched all this as if she was seated in a movie theatre. But then she realized these people were now part of her family. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and moved close to Cassie.

  The older man noticed them. “Ah, and you must be Cassandra. And Ann.” He smiled in a wary, stiff way.

  Cassie’s smile was so broad her teeth glinted in the sun. “Yes. And you must be Thomas. And Loretta.” She looked to each of the older couple in turn. Then nodded to their daughter and son. “Hello, Susan, Harry. What a pleasure to meet you all.”

  Loretta nodded. “I’m dying to hear what you did to steal Leland’s heart.” Ann thought her new grandmother’s smile was pure plastic. And his father stood so stiffly. Is that what being former military did to you? Well, it sure hadn’t done that to her dad, or to any of the mercs she’d met.

  Ann followed them all through the door to the house. The entryway was enormous. It looked like the pictures of hunting lodges she’d seen in reference texts in her school’s library.

  Loretta led them to another room with a huge fireplace. Even though it was warm, she flicked a switch and a flame burned within the fake wood. Wow. Nothing like that back home.

  There were eight seats around a large, low parquet table. Loretta pointed to them. As they all sat, she snapped her fingers and someone opened the door to the adjacent room.

  Thomas coughed and everyone looked to him. “It’s been four years, Leland. Tell us of your travels.”

  Lee looked to Cassie and then to Ann. “Father, I didn’t mean for it to be this long. I meant to call or write. But I got busy. And after we fought about my staying in the military, well, I, uh, I just—”

  Thomas shook his head. “No need to bring that up. I shouldn’t have tried so hard to make you more like me.” He turned away, twisting in his seat. Just a second later, he faced Lee and smiled. “What counts is that you’re all here.”

  Loretta snapped her fingers again and a butler appeared from the adjoining room. “James, please take everyone’s drink orders. Tea for me. Darjeeling and heavy cream.”

  Ann’s mouth dropped open. What was happening here? Did Dad hate his dad? Why was her new grandma so cavalier about everything? She had yet to do anything but smile and order people around. The scene felt like one of those in Jane Austen’s novels she had to read for school. Way too proper. She thought of some way to cause havoc when Cassie interrupted her thoughts.

  “I’d like to get to know all of you. Lee and I have been looking forward to this visit. We worked to get Ann a few days off from school so she could be here with us.” Cassie faced Thomas. “What was Lee like when he was a child?”

  Thomas stroked his chin and was about to answer when the butler returned with everyone’s drinks. Ann wondered if she should try to draw them out. But what should she say? It was then she realized that both families were trying hard but unsuccessfully to generate enthusiasm for each other. She looked at Lee and felt anguish at his realization of the same thing. How could she figure out what to say to draw them to each other?

  “Uh, I don’t know if you folks realize this but Cassie saved my life.”

  Their heads all spun to her. “What do you mean?

  Susan’s brows furrowed. “Wow. How did that happen?”

  But Cassie interrupted. “It wasn’t much. I adopted her. Lee’s adopting her now, so when we’re married we’ll be her parents for real.” She looked daggers at Ann. Then she smiled and faced Loretta. “So, what was Lee like as a child?”

  * * *

  They were leaving the restaurant. Sakana’s sushi was even better than what Ann had eaten at the Wailea Spa in Maui and at Hatsuhana in Manhattan. There were sweet sauces on many of the dishes, and her favorite was the Sakana Tower, a three-inch cylindrical stack of sashimi fish and sauce that made Ann’s mouth water just thinking about it. The ride back to the compound took ten minutes, and there was total silence as the cars rolled on. Ann felt miserable. She was sure they hated each other. Cassie and her family sat in the limo with the bodyguards. The elder Ainsleys rode in their Bentley sedan, thirty feet in front.

  “Mom, what’re we going to do about this?”

  “Do about what?”

  Lee turned his head and faced each in turn from where he sat. “My parents. My entire family. They all hate me. After Dad retired from the military, I was supposed to follow him into his business, but after West Point I went to the agency. I told him I was staying in the Army. It upset him. And I couldn’t even tell him what I really did. He’s never forgiven me.”

  Cassie’s jaw dropped. “But wasn’t he a lieutenant colonel?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. And he was my hero. But when he was forced out, he went to work for a military high-tech startup in Silicon Valley. And when the company went public in 1998 he became wealthy. So that’s when he was so hot for me to go into business.” He shook his head. “I hoped he’d welcome me back into the family, but you see what he’s like. Now I wonder if that’s possible.”

  Ann craned her neck from the back seat, her head closer now to them both. “Dad, you have to try. You and Mom taught me how important family is. Don’t give up.”

  Lee nodded but his face showed palpable defeat.

  When they entered the mansion, Cassie tapped Lee’s shoulder. “Ann’s right. Go see your father. Alone. See what’s possible. Okay, sweetie?”

  Lee nodded and followed his father into the kitchen. Thomas was pulling a cup from the cupboard and setting a kettle on the stove.

  He looked up when he heard his son approach. “We know who she is. What she’s done. It’s all over the Internet. We’re not stupid. We don’t approve. Getting the President put on trial for treason. Sheesh, son. She’s worse than you.” He shook his head.

  Lee’s face dropped in shock, but it was instantly replaced with anger. “You don’t know shit, Dad. If not for her, I’d be dead now. She saved my life. She was hunted by your choice of leaders. The President who committed treason. She did what was right.”

  Thomas stood stock-still, his mouth open. “How do you know all this?”

  Lee took a deep breath. “I left the military three years ago. I was told by my employers not to let anyone know I worked for them. One of the US intelligence agencies. So you see, I do know what I’m talking about. She took out an entire terrorist group. Over seven hundred were training for missions to kill Americans when she and the mercenaries she’d hired did what the US Army was told not to do.” He stopped for a breath and looked into his father’s eyes.

  His dad was still speechless. Unable to move to get a teabag for the waiting mug, unable to turn off the gas that had the kettle humming.

  Lee touched his dad’s shoulder. “You of all people should know what it’s like in battle. She had sixty-three soldiers. They lost eleven. She wiped out an entire Islamic militant group. She did that. So don’t tell me you don’t approve.” He pulled a small envelope from his pocket. “Here’s your invitation to our wedding. In two weeks. You aren’t expected to pay for anything. We’re covering it all. But, Dad, I’m hoping you, Mom, Harry, and Sue will be there. After all, I’m still your son.”

  His father opened the envelope and read the single page. “In Half Moon Bay. Yes, of course. We’ll be there. And I’m sorry, son. I had no idea. Excuse me now, I have to go upstairs and talk with your mother.” He poured steaming water over the teabag in his mug and turned off the gas.

  In seconds, Lee was alone.

  CHAPTER 17

  February 2, 7:31 a.m.

  Montara Lighthouse,

  Highway 1
, Devil’s Slide, California

  In the hour just following dawn, Lynne drove her van through the gray blanket of fog resting on Highway 1 and on through the tunnel separating Pacifica from the lighthouse in Devil’s Slide. As she saw the signs for her destination, she blew out a sigh of relief. Whoever had made these roads was a nutcase. On one side of the highway a steep mountain wall rose straight up for two thousand feet, and on the other side of the road the land fell five hundred feet into the Pacific. The road itself was a run of horizontal and vertical switchbacks. Turning off the highway, she parked in the lot.

  It was still too dark to see any glimmer of the actual lighthouse but it had to be here somewhere. She said a silent prayer that the dense gray fog would crack open for the Sashakovich-Ainsley wedding. Ah, there it was, a white tower with a blinking light, rising about sixty feet. She tapped her sister on the shoulder, waking the other woman. “Time to rise and shine. We’ve plenty of work to do.”

  The older woman shifted. “Please, five more minutes.”

  Lynne shoved her elbow into Laney’s side. “Nope. Up and out.” When there was no response, she came around to the passenger’s door and yanked her sister out.

  “Okay! Leave me be. Uh, oh. God, it’s foggy and cold. No one will be able to see the ocean. I’m shivering. Uh, what do we do first?”

  “Unload the van. Set up the altar, and the tables and chairs. I’ll find an outlet for the mini-fridge. We’ve got four hours. Then, if the weather report was accurate, it’ll be sunny as the guests start arriving.”

  * * *

  The freighter had made its way north from San Diego during the last three days. As it neared the strait inside the Farallon Islands off Devil’s Slide, twelve men dressed in scuba gear prepared to exit the moving ship. Their leader sent a coded message back to his controller, thousands of miles away. He turned to his eleven companions. “Time to go.” The team took the freighter’s ladder half way down and each jumped into the cold gray waters. Once the team assembled on the surface, they turned on the anti-shark device that produced a sound sharks found painful. Then, each punched the On buttons of the Bluetooth earbuds embedded in their scuba headsets and their leader pointed to the shore. Miles away, they could see their objective, the Montara lighthouse.

  Twenty minutes later, the twelve men emerged from the ocean below the cliff face and headed southeast, closer to the highway, until they were less than three-hundred yards from their targets. They climbed to the top of the cliff and gathered together. Their leader signaled them to stop and as they did he waved his hand in a circle. Another responded, opening a waterproof box they’d carried to shore. The men removed weapons, ammunition, and other gear, preparing for their mission.

  * * *

  Cassie was partially dressed. The gown was a perfect fit, easy to slip into. Her maid of honor, Judy Hernandez, touched up the wad of makeup that covered the scars on Cassie’s cheek. Judy held the crown and veil. “Okay, Judy, hand it to me.” She adjusted it, looking in the room’s mirror. “How do I look?”

  Judy shook her head. “Fine. Listen. You can hear the guests.”

  Cassie gulped. “Yeah. I’m so nervous. I’m sure I’ll do something wrong.”

  Judy just chuckled. “Right. Are you ready?”

  Cassie smiled, nodded. “Now or never.” She looked at her wristwatch. 11:53 a.m. “Time to go.” She peeked out from the window curtains. She saw the throng milling outside, drinking wine and eating Lynne’s tapas. “They look happy. Well, let’s be about it.”

  She nodded again and Judy left the room. Cassie watched through the curtains as Judy found Lynne and spoke briefly to the wedding planner. Lynne nodded back, and Judy turned and smiled back at the room where Cassie stood worrying.

  * * *

  Lee could barely make out Cassie’s face through the white gossamer veil. She moved closer in time to the music, a blues tune she’d written for this occasion, called “So Happy Being Blue.” Her father Kiril guided her clumsy steps as she approached Lee. Without thinking, Lee knew she was crying joyous tears and couldn’t see the stone pathway under her feet. His heart wrenched in his chest, just as he knew hers did.

  As they positioned themselves around the hostel, the waiters kept a stealthy lookout for the attackers they knew would come hunting. One of them spoke Hebrew into his earbud, to their control, JD. “Here they come. Southeast, top of the bluff, closing fast. Probably about a dozen, green camouflage underwater dry suits. Fifty yards from the lighthouse and spreading out.”

  Shimmel listened and then pressed the transmit button of his earbud. “JD, don’t let them close the distance. If you can, take at least one alive.” He looked toward the ocean, closed his eyes, and arched his palms in prayer. “Holy God, see my distress today. Listen to my prayer and answer it. Remember your promise to your servant. Do not disappoint my hopes. Can any hand do me violence when you are my hand and my shelter? You once made me a pledge and sent me good tidings with your angels. Now I am passing through deep waters—lift me out of my terrors.”

  The minister, a large, heavy-set woman, stood at the bluff’s edge and spoke clearly. She talked about the sanctity of marriage, delivering all the platitudes required at any wedding. Then she paused and smiled. She drew Cassie’s and Lee’s hands into hers. “Lee, do you take Cassandra as your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, to the end of your days?”

  * * *

  The leader of the attack group signaled his squadron to spread out into a crossfire position. With their weapons in front of them, they scanned the area for the targets they’d been sent to exterminate as they trod closer.

  JD surveyed the grassy blufftop as a guest pulled a crab puff off the tray he held. His Beretta was taped to his hand below the tray so he could flip and fire in a single motion. He smiled at the guest and moved across the bluff. That’s when he saw them, moving toward the lighthouse. He called out into the microphone embedded in his earbud, “Get ready. Here they come. Position C, now.” He flipped the tray, scattering appetizers onto the grass as he took a shooter’s stance.

  * * *

  Lee faced Cassie and nodded to the question the minister had asked him. “Finally! Oh yes, I do.” As the small crowd laughed, he smiled and squeezed Cassie’s hand.

  When the minister repeated the question for her, Cassie smiled and, so close, Lee could see her face. Just above a whisper, she said, “Yes. Yes. Yes, I do.”

  “Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  As Lee reached and drew her toward him, a bullet barely missed her moving head and crunched into the lighthouse wall. Everyone dropped to the ground. She lifted the gossamer from her face and saw blood pooling around her. Her head pivoted, searching to see who’d been hurt. But another bullet flew by too close and she ducked back down. Lee gripped her arm and she turned to him. “Are you okay? Someone here’s been hit.” She pointed to the blood splattered on her wedding dress.

  He didn’t stare at the red stain. Just held her close. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I’m not looking around until the shooting stops.”

  She pulled the veil away, crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the air. As it arced away, bullets tore it to shreds. “Don’t move, sweetie. They’re all around us.”

  * * *

  In seconds JD climbed the white lighthouse tower to its top. Below, he could see the waiters turn and face the attackers. They removed Ruger Mini-14s from inside their jackets. Shots rang out, coming from the south side of the bluff. The waiters and ushers fired back using automatics. Attackers fell where they crouched. In under thirty seconds it was all over. As the cloud of cordite drifted across the lighthouse grounds, the sound of bullets was replaced with the wail of wounded civilians and those who screamed in mourning over their lost loved ones.

  Ten corpses lay around the perimeter of the lighthouse grounds: uninvited guests. Two other attackers had been wounded and were taken captive by the wedding protection team.

  Eig
ht of the invited guests failed to rise when the shooting stopped.

  Cassie scanned the area and saw her mother lying next to her, in a pool of blood. She rose and ran to her.

  There were several wounds in Tasha’s torso. Cassie gasped. Her mother’s face was contorted and her breathing was uneven and raspy. “Are you okay?” She coughed up blood.

  Cassie nodded. “Okay.” She ripped her gown and used the tattered silk as a compress against a bloody hole in her mom’s chest. “Mama, don’t close your eyes. Stay with me. Help is coming.” Tasha’s breathing slowed and her eyes lost focus. “No!” Cassie screamed. “Mama, don’t you dare die on me!”

  But Tasha was no longer listening. Cassie watched her mother’s eyes glaze.

  * * *

  Helicopters lifted the wounded away from the lighthouse grounds and sped to the hospital in Serramonte, ten minutes away. As one disappeared, another and another landed in turn. And left with more injured partygoers.

  Shimmel and JD had taken the two wounded attackers into the lighthouse. Shimmel held his Ruger at the head of one and JD did the same with the other. Cassie knew Lester Dushov was there with drugs and other tools he would use for interrogations. She shook her head and paced near her mother’s corpse. She saw one of her other bodyguards enter the lighthouse bearing a cam recorder.

  Ambulances came and went, taking the dead from the grounds. Cassie and Lee boarded one of those with Kiril and Ann. Tasha’s corpse lay between them in a black body bag. They headed for the county morgue in San Mateo.

  Cassie ignored the ruin of her wedding. The loss of her mother was all she could feel. Ann and Kiril cried. Cassie sat in silent shock as the ambulance headed up Highway 92. Lee bore a look of regret mixed with helplessness.

  The wail of the siren obscured the sounds of her crying father and daughter. She knew this was a day they would never forget, and for all the wrong reasons. Cassie thought, now I understand what Achmed Houmaz’s father felt, seeing what I did to his two sons. And for the first time she truly knew what Ann had felt the day her brother was brutally murdered. When they’d met in the tunnels.