Top Gun Guardian

by Carol Ericson

  After he showered and dressed, Buzz perched on the arm of the chair and called Colonel Scripps. If he couldn’t contact President Okeke and he wouldn’t contact the CIA, the colonel had to be his lifeline to the outside world.

  As usual, the colonel picked up on the first ring. He could be playing golf, watching a movie or having sex with his wife and the colonel always answered after one ring from any former Prospero team member. Must’ve been hell on his wife all those years.

  Colonel Scripps’s gruff voice rolled over the line. “Is the package safe?” By package, he must mean Malika, and Buzz’s nerve endings tingled. Had somebody compromised the colonel’s phone line? Maybe he couldn’t talk freely.

  “Yes. There have been certain…complications.”

  “Complications? There typically are.”

  After the colonel assured him the line was still secure, Buzz recounted the situation with Michael and his cell phone. He didn’t mention the crane.

  Colonel Scripps cursed. “I can’t believe you dragged Raven along.”

  A flash of heat claimed Buzz’s body and he took a deep breath before responding. “It’s not like I had a choice, sir. The little girl had gotten attached to Raven.”

  “A child attached to Raven Pierre?” Colonel Scripps snorted. “I can’t picture that. President Okeke’s daughter might have more to fear from Raven if she happens to sully one of her expensive suits than from these lunatics chasing her.”

  An image of Malika wiping one of her powdered-sugared hands on Raven’s jeans stamped itself on Buzz’s brain and he smiled.

  “Raven saved the girl’s life. They have a bond.”

  “If you say so, Buzz. The president is still in hiding. Government forces in Burumanda have a tentative hold on the capital, but the rebels have control of some outlying areas. It’s not safe for President Okeke to return, and it’s certainly not safe for his daughter.”

  “Is the president showing any signs of weakening to the terrorists’ demands to turn over the weaponry for the virus?”

  The colonel grunted. “Not to us.”

  “Then why doesn’t he turn it over to us and let us worry about either destroying it or securing it?”

  “The capability to weaponize a virus is power, and the president wants to hold on to that power.”

  “Do you think Jack might’ve stumbled onto some evidence that President Okeke had plans for himself?”

  “I don’t know, Buzz.” The colonel released a heavy sigh. “If Jack’s not dead, why hasn’t he contacted one of us? If he’s imprisoned, why is Farouk looking for him? None of it makes sense.”

  “I’m hoping when this is all over, President Okeke can give me some information about Jack. When I return his daughter to him, he’ll feel obliged to repay me.”

  “I hope you’re right. In the meantime, let’s hope the new Burumandan government can crush the rebels and keep the weapons of terror out of their hands.”

  The colonel ended the call and Buzz shoved his cell phone into the pocket of his jeans. The breakfast smells from the kitchen had been curling their way upstairs for the past fifteen minutes, and his stomach had been in major revolt.

  He jogged down the stairs and turned the corner into the kitchen. Three sets of eyes skewered him. “Everything okay?”

  He detected a sharp edge to Raven’s voice and noticed Josie’s quick glance between the two of them. He swooped into the kitchen, wrapped his arms around Raven and kissed her. Might as well take advantage of the charade.

  “Everything’s fine. Had to take a call about my schedule.” He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth and rolled his eyes. “Much better than my sorry attempts at cooking.”

  “I made pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. I even sprinkled a few chocolate chips on the pancakes for the kids.” Josie dusted her hands together.

  “Those were for the kids?” Austin wiped his mouth with a napkin and grinned. “You’d better make a few more of those, honey.”

  “Where are the kids?” Buzz tried to disguise the edge to his own voice.

  Josie waved her hands. “Relax, new daddy. The kids are out front playing. Malika has been chattering all morning about horses, so I hope you intend to put her on a pony before we go into town.”

  “I’m going to do that right after breakfast.” He ruffled Raven’s soft hair. “Are you ready for your lessons?”

  “You don’t ride, Raven?” Josie flipped a few pancakes and then grabbed a handful of chocolate chips.

  “No. I’m a city girl, never spent much time around horses.”

  Josie narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I remember. You and Buzz were engaged before, but none of us ever got a chance to meet you. Then you…you two broke it off.”

  Smiling brightly, Raven dug her fingernails into Buzz’s arm. “Then we realized our mistake and got back together.”

  “Funny, Buzz never mentioned that part.”

  “Uh, you weren’t exactly speaking to me, Josie.”

  Josie reddened beneath her freckles. “Okay. You got me there. I realized my mistake too, Buzz.”

  He reached over and tugged a lock of her sandy-brown hair. “I’m glad.”

  Austin gathered the kids and herded them in for breakfast where they played a noisy game of counting the chocolate chips in their pancakes.

  Buzz surveyed the scene and the pretense of it left a bittersweet taste on his tongue. Mom and Dad had always envisioned just such a scene for this house—their two children married with kids of their own.

  Now Mom and Dad were dead and the woman sitting across from him was a fake wife. He stabbed another pancake with his fork and plopped it on his plate.

  He’d take her any way he could get her.

  RAVEN PROPPED ONE BOOTED FOOT on the fence and leaned her chin on her folded arms. Malika had no fear. She sat atop that giant beast, even if everyone had assured her it was a pony, with a grin that claimed half her face.

  “Scared, huh?” Josie hopped on the fence beside her.

  “What?”

  “You’re afraid of horses, aren’t you?”

  “It’s that obvious?”

  Lifting her shoulders, Josie turned her attention to her brother leading Malika around the paddock. “You didn’t come with us last night when we went to see the rodeo horses, and I can tell you’re hoping Malika’s lesson will run into your time.”

  “You got me.”

  “Why’d you break off the engagement with my brother? He didn’t say much. Never does. But I could tell you broke his heart.”

  Raven raised her head and gripped the fence. “Maybe I did break his heart, but then you stomped on it when you blamed him for the plane crash that killed your parents.”

  Josie’s bottom lip trembled. “I was hurting. I lashed out.”

  “Buzz was hurting too, and he was already blaming himself.”

  “I know it’s not Buzz’s fault, but he would’ve been piloting that plane instead of his friend Josh if he hadn’t rushed off on that last-minute assignment.” She fixed Raven with a watery stare. “He went on that mission because of you. To forget about the breakup.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Raven shook the fence back and forth and Josie wobbled with it. “Now you’re going to blame me for your parents’ deaths? Can’t you accept that it was an accident?”

  A tear rolled down Josie’s cheek. “It was an accident that could’ve been prevented. Equipment failure caused it. I can’t help believing if Buzz had been flying his own plane, he would’ve checked it out more thoroughly.”

  “His friend was an experienced pilot. I don’t think Buzz would’ve done anything differently, except if he’d been piloting the plane he’d be dead now, too.”

  Josie hopped down from the fence and wiped her face with her sleeve. “I don’t blame Buzz anymore.”

  She then stalked into the paddock, leaving Raven hanging on the fence. Good thing that woman wasn’t really her sister-in-law.

  Raven had played her cards right. A few hours
later, after everyone had determined Buzz didn’t have time to give Raven a riding lesson, they drove into town to check out the progress of the Harvest Festival, which was set to officially open this afternoon.

  As she strolled down the main street of White Cloud hand-in-hand with Buzz and Malika, Raven kept a tight grip on Malika until the girl was practically struggling to escape. Loud noises caused Raven to jump and she steered clear of construction materials being used to build the last of the booths.

  And this was White Cloud. She wouldn’t have lasted two minutes in New York under this kind of pressure. A chill trickled down her spine when she wondered what would have happened had she not accompanied Buzz and Malika that night. Would the man who mugged Michael have done worse to her?

  More of the booths had opened, and the adults sauntered after the kids as they shot ahead to check out each display. Buzz hadn’t been kidding when he said the Harvest Festival drew a crowd.

  Britney and Malika dragged the adults to a craft booth for corn dollies.

  Raven scanned the tables littered with dried stalks and bits of cloth. “What the heck is a corn dolly?”

  “It’s a doll made out of corn husks.” Britney pinched a doll by one arm and swung it in front of Raven’s nose. “Don’t you know anything, Aunt Raven?”

  Flicking a lock of hair over her shoulder, Raven said, “I buy all my dolls at FAO Schwarz.”

  The ploy and the attitude didn’t work.

  With her nose in the air, Britney sniffed. “Who’d want to buy a doll when you can make a corn dolly?”

  “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Raven winked at Malika and straddled the bench to make her very own corn dolly. Not that she particularly excelled at arts and crafts.

  Wyatt had no interest in corn dollies and kept asking his father when the parade of rodeo clowns was coming through town.

  “What exactly is a rodeo clown?” Raven lodged her tongue in the corner of her mouth as she tied off the head of her doll. “I saw a clown last night and wondered what he had to do with a Harvest Festival and a rodeo.”

  Buzz clicked his tongue. “During the bull riding event, the rodeo clown distracts the bull when the rider has jumped or fallen off. Instead of going for the cowboy, the bull charges at the rodeo clown, who’s wearing bright colors and attracting the bull’s attention.”

  “Even though I find all clowns creepy, that sounds like a dangerous job.” She held up her corn dolly. “Not bad, huh?”

  “I’ll bet it’s better than any old doll from FO Shorts.” Britney tweaked the doll’s hat into place.

  “It’s… Never mind.” Raven dropped her doll when a loud horn blared from the end of the street.

  “It’s the parade!” Wyatt scrambled toward the curb. “Let’s get a good place.”

  Josie stayed with the girls, who wanted to finish their corn dollies, so Raven and Buzz trailed after Wyatt and his father, who jostled for position at the curb.

  Since Buzz towered over Austin, he stood behind him while Raven placed her hands on Wyatt’s shoulders and peered over his head. Cymbals and buzzers joined the horns in a general cacophony that preceded a parade of horses, calves and clowns. Lots of clowns.

  The rodeo clowns created a blur of color and motion as they tumbled down the street, walking on their hands, standing on each other’s shoulders, spinning on their heads. Raven could understand a poor bull going crazy after getting a load of these guys.

  She’d never liked clowns as a kid and liked them even less as an adult. Foolishly, as the clowns drew closer, she dropped one hand from Wyatt’s shoulder and slipped it through Buzz’s arm.

  Most of the people bunched on the sidewalk were laughing at their antics, and occasionally a clown would run into the crowd and draw one of the onlookers into the street. Raven shrank against Buzz’s shoulder to make herself look smaller while she recited in her head, “Not me, not me.”

  One short clown with the traditional bulbous red nose and white pancake makeup scanned the crowd as he somersaulted down the street. His eye caught Raven’s and she mumbled a curse under her breath.

  Sure enough, when the clown drew level with her, he jumped in the air, touching the toes of his huge shoes and then shoved his face so close to Raven’s his phony nose almost touched hers.

  Gasping, she drew back sharply from the face with its smile painted-on. Through the clown’s grimace, he hissed, “Be careful.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Then the clown disappeared. The people around Raven laughed good-naturedly at her shock, not realizing her surprise was a result of the clown’s words, not his deeds.

  She clutched Buzz’s arm. “Did you hear that? Did you hear what the clown said?”

  Buzz looked down at her with smiling eyes that quickly sobered. “Are you okay? Did he accidentally hurt you or something?”

  “H-he said something to me. Didn’t you hear it?”

  “Are you serious? Did the clown proposition you or something?” Buzz tilted his head and ran a thumb across her cheek.

  She stamped her foot and shook his arm. “No. Buzz, he told me to be careful.”

  He jerked his head in the direction of the receding parade. “Are you sure?”

  “I heard him. He was in my face and then whispered, be careful.”

  “He whispered?” Buzz had turned back to her and now his eyebrows had disappeared under his cowboy hat. “You heard a whisper above all this noise?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  He smoothed his fingers down her arms and caught her agitated hands in his. “I’m just trying to make sense out of it, Raven. How did you hear a whisper?”

  “Didn’t you see him?” She snatched a hand from his and pointed down the street. “He was in my face. His nose practically touched mine. Of course I heard him.”

  A few people in the dispersing crowd glanced at her with sidelong looks. She closed her eyes and scooped in a lungful of air.

  “Buzz, maybe they’re here. Maybe they tracked us down. Maybe one of them is that creepy clown.”

  “Would you recognize him again if you saw him?”

  “God, I don’t know.” She covered her face with her hands. “He had a big red nose and white face makeup. He was short. I don’t know. He was a clown.”

  Cupping her elbow, he led her back to the corn dolly crafts table.

  Wyatt danced around the table where the girls were still working. “You should’ve seen it. A rodeo clown picked Aunt Raven out of the crowd and blew an airhorn in her face.”

  Josie smirked. “You must’ve enjoyed that.”

  “Can I help it if clowns are naturally attracted to me?” Raven shrugged and relaxed the lines out of her face. She couldn’t have Josie believe both horses and clowns terrified her.

  Buzz ducked his head and murmured in her ear. “We’re going to the rodeo tonight. See if you can pick him out, and I’ll have a talk with him.”

  Raven nodded and then almost immediately felt foolish. That rodeo clown had been a tumbler and an acrobat. What were the chances that some terrorist could jump in and impersonate a rodeo clown? The idea was ludicrous and a smile tugged on her lips.

  “What now?”

  “I don’t know, Buzz. Maybe I imagined the whole thing.”

  He pushed his hat back on his head. “You seemed awfully sure of yourself ten minutes ago. Why would you imagine a clown telling you to be careful?”

  “Maybe he said something else. Maybe he said be cheerful or something like that.”

  “Really?” His eyes widened.

  “You said it yourself. It was noisy and chaotic.” She sidled closer to him. “Besides, don’t you think it would be an incredible coincidence for a terrorist to step into the shoes of a clown?”

  “I don’t know.” He draped an arm across her shoulders. “Was this particular clown that skilled?”

  “He was vaulting over horses, walking on his hands and doing handsprings. I can’t do that, can you?”

  “Nope. Do y
ou think you might’ve just fixated on him and when he approached you your mind started merging one fear with another?”

  “Fear? Oh, you remember my distaste for clowns, huh?” She giggled and a little tension seeped from her shoulders.

  “How can I forget? I had to convince you there wouldn’t be one Bozo in sight when I took you to that acrobatic circus.”

  Holding her stomach, she doubled over with laughter. “I remember.”

  “What’s the matter with Raven? Is she having post-clown stress disorder?” Josie had both girls by the hands and an evil grin on her face.

  Raven straightened up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Even Josie’s snarky comments couldn’t dampen the relief she felt after dismissing her paranoia. She held out her hand. “Let me see your corn dolly, Malika.”

  As Raven exclaimed over Malika’s pretty doll, Buzz tucked an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. Then he said, “We’re still going to find that clown tonight.”

  THE COLORED LIGHTS OF THE carnival rides shifted and blended like a kaleidoscope while the screams of the rides’ occupants ebbed and flowed. Raven and Buzz had taken Malika on the Ferris wheel and while Malika squeezed her eyes shut as they swooped forward, Raven found herself studying the crowd below.

  Ever since Buzz had stated his intention of locating the rodeo clown who had singled her out, an underlying dread had been creeping into her system. She wanted to forget about her encounter with the clown. She’d dismissed it as a product of her overactive imagination and stress.

  Apparently, Buzz hadn’t found her story of the doom-saying clown as unbelievable as he’d pretended.

  Buzz bumped her shoulder with his. “Are you having fun?”

  “Except for that spinning ride, I’m hanging in there. Don’t make me go on the spinning ride again.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think Malika cared for that ride either.”

  “Buzz.” She tucked her hand in his fleece-lined pocket. “We don’t have to seek out that rodeo clown. I’m almost positive now I imagined his words.”