by Dale Mayer
She looked at him. “Why not?”
“Because in their mind it would have nothing to do with you. The attack would be on the embassy itself. You would be collateral damage although they’d do their best to keep you safe,” he said. “US embassies have been attacked before. There’s no guarantee this one’s safe at this time, but there’s no reason to believe otherwise. I would prefer to have you home, but until we get your passports in order this is the best place for you.”
“Great,” she said under her breath.
He laughed. “I’m not trying to scare you, but given your sense of something being off, I’m trying to help you understand how safe you really are here.” He looked around the garden. “I have no idea what’s going on with the locals, but there’s always strife. Still, if there’s going to be an attack then the embassy makes a sensible target,” he admitted. “But it’s not likely.”
She hopped to her feet. “On that note I think I’ll go back inside. Unless it’s not safe.”
“It’s as safe outside as it is inside,” he said. “This area is under surveillance and there’s heavy security that you cannot even begin to see.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m being foolish, aren’t I?”
“There’s nothing foolish about it.” He stood up and walked over to Jimmy and squatted down beside him. “How about we go for a walk around the grounds? Your mom needs to move a little bit.”
Jimmy ran toward her, and sandy fingers and all, she picked him up, laughed and gave him a great big swirling hug. She placed him down on the ground as Jennifer toddled toward her.
“It’s really nice outside, Mommy,” Jimmy said.
They happily wandered the many pathways of the lawn and the gardens. A slow meandering stroll rather than a walk to let the children go their pace. And it did feel good to be outside.
“Thank you.”
She felt that assessing gaze but she refused to look at him. “You’re welcome.”
*
Brett didn’t know what to think. He didn’t want to downplay her fears. Many times in his life his instincts had saved him. Who was he to criticize her right now? Time would tell if her instincts were true or not.
He could make a few inquiries and see if there was anything going on in the embassy, not that anybody would feel free to talk to him about it. As they strolled toward the back entrance she froze.
He grabbed her arm. In a low voice, he said, “What’s the matter?”
She pointed up to the top floor of the building. “I just thought I saw somebody in our apartment.”
His gaze traveled to the window she pointed out. “Are you sure that yours?”
She nodded. “We look down on this playground all the time.”
“Cleaning service?”
“There hasn’t been one yet,” she said softly.
“Then let’s go find out.”
After a moment of silence as they walked toward the back door she realized she was gripping his hand hard.
She murmured for his ears only, “I’m afraid I’m really losing it.”
“Don’t think that. We don’t know anything yet. We’ll go check it out.”
“And then what?”
“We’ll deal with that when we know more.”
She sighed. “You’re always so logical.”
“It’s who I am.”
Back in the small apartment, Brett entered first and gave a quick check over then opened the door for Ceci and the kids. She walked around and shrugged. “Everything seems to be in order.”
At the window, he studied the garden below. She had pointed out the correct window. But if there had been anybody here they were long gone now.
He turned his attention to the room. There was no sign there had been an unwanted visitor.
Jimmy had already plopped down in the middle of the heap of Lego blocks seemingly unconcerned.
Brett gave another quick glance around the small area and said, “What are you doing about food?”
“There is a dining room downstairs that we’re welcome to go to for meals, but I only went there once. I didn’t care to go down again so I order up.”
“Then I’ll go downstairs and see if I can muster up something for the family.”
“Hot dogs. I want hot dogs,” piped up Jimmy.
With a quick smile at Ceci, Brett walked to the door, calling out, “Be back in a few minutes.”
He strode down to the reception area, surprised to find the desk empty. He should’ve asked Ceci where the dining room was. He carried on down the main hallway looking for someone to ask. Instead he found the empty dining room. He checked his watch. It was almost dinnertime. What was the chance he could get Ceci to come down here and eat?
“Excuse me, can I help you, sir?”
Brett turned to face a man in black pants and a white shirt. His name tag said Martin.
Brett smiled and held out his hand. “I’m here with Ceci and the children. She was looking for dinner.”
Martin nodded. “We could send dinner for four to her room.”
“That would be good, thanks.” Brett glanced around. “There aren’t many people here.”
“No. We’re expecting a group back anytime. They’ve been at meetings in town all day.”
Brett stood for a moment awkwardly wondering if there was something he was supposed to order differently for the kids. “You do understand there are two little children upstairs.”
Martin laughed. “Yes indeed. Hot dogs, chicken fingers, and fries coming up.”
“Glad to hear that.” With a smile at the other man Brett turned and walked toward the reception area. At the last minute he turned and said, “When is the group from the embassy due back?
Martin looked at his watch. “Fifteen minutes ago.”
It had to be his line of work that made him so suspicious.
He was also just a guest here. He had been called in because of Ceci’s problem by a worried family member. That didn’t make his presence official in any way. But now that he was here, he couldn’t help feeling some odd vibes. And that just reminded him of Ceci’s fears.
He turned back to Martin and asked, “Any chance of a coffee?”
“Absolutely.”
They walked back into the dining room and Martin pointed out a coffee bar against the wall Brett hadn’t seen when he first walked in. Perfect. Ceci would enjoy a cup.
“Would the little ones want something to drink? Perhaps some milk or juice? Just let me know and we will send it up for them.”
Brett immediately snagged two cups to fill. “Actually both would be great.”
“I’ll make a note of it.”
Walking carefully so as not to spill the drinks, Brett made his way slowly back to the elevators. Using his elbow he pushed the button.
The door opened to let out two men, both with dark complexions. They glanced at him, their gazes hard, cold before brushing past.
If not for his quick step back, he’d have ended up wearing the coffee. He frowned, studying the backs of the two men as they walked away. He suspected from the fit of the suit jackets they were packing weapons underneath.
Then again this was a US Embassy. There was conflict all over the world and embassies were often targets. Of course, they were armed.
Not liking the direction of his thoughts, he stepped into the elevator and again using his elbow managed to get the elevator doors to close and start climbing.
As he approached the right floor, he realized his nerves had sharpened, making him even edgier. He wished to God Ceci was back home where she belonged. Who knew it would take so long to get replacement passports? Surely they could’ve expedited the process. At the door he gave a light kick with his foot and called out, “Ceci, open the door.”
It opened quickly, and Ceci smiled around the edge when she saw the coffee.
“Oh my goodness that looks wonderful.” She was reaching out eagerly with both hands to take the cup when he heard something erupt several
floors below – a sound that made his blood run cold.
He’d heard it too many times in his life to not know what it was. Gunfire.
Shoving the cups into her hands, he ordered, “Stay inside and lock the door.”
He bolted for the stairwell.
Chapter 4
Ceci leaned against the closed door, her hands still full with the drinks. The brew sloshed up the sides of the cups her fingers trembled so badly. Clamping down on her raging nerves, she carefully placed the cups down on the coffee table before running back to lock the door.
“Mommy, who was that?” Jimmy asked.
“It was Brett. He forgot something, but he’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said in a breathless voice. She had to stay as normal as she could for the kids. Almost normal. She stared down at her nails and realized she’d picked off her favorite nail polish. The teenage stress reaction coming to the fore once again. She clenched her fists, wrapped her arms around her chest and collapsed at one end of the couch. She’d heard the same sound Brett had, and it wasn’t one she was likely to forget. There had been enough gunfire on the yacht to make her wish to never hear it again.
How the hell could she have gotten into another horrible scenario? Was she just a bad luck magnet?
“Why? What’s wrong, Mommy?” Jimmy scrambled up onto the couch to sit beside her, his hands in his lap. He stared at the cups and said, “Can I have some milk?”
Her gaze went from him to the coffee then to the small refrigerator in the room.
“There isn’t any. I’ll see if there’s anything else for you to drink.” She went to the fridge and opened it up. “How about apple juice?”
Jimmy laughed and clapped his hands as he ran to her. Jennifer, not to be outdone toddled behind. Ceci poured two small glasses, gave one to Jimmy and picked up Jennifer in her arms holding it for her. She took several big gulps.
When she was done, she squirmed to be let back down onto the floor, then raced back to the Legos. She could barely click the blocks together, but it kept her happy to be with her brother. It should be naptime for Jennifer but with all the excitement going on she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Jimmy took his glass and wandered back toward the Legos too but wouldn’t sit down. “Can we watch TV instead?”
“Sure, if there is anything on. Remember we’re not at home anymore.”
“Yeah.” His voice was sad as he added tearfully, “I want to go home.”
“I do too,” she said quietly.
She tucked the two babies beside her and gave Jimmy a hug, dropping a kiss on top of his head.
“We will be soon, sweetie. Just trying to get the paperwork fixed.” She picked up the remote and started flicking through the channels to see if there was anything appropriate for the kids. There was a show about baby animals so she put that on. Replacing the remote on the coffee table she picked up her cup instead.
Settling back into the corner, she took several sips and sighed. It was already cool.
What a nightmare. From pirates to…whatever this was. She dropped her head back thinking of all the recent craziness in her life. And then there was Brett. Damn, thoughts of that man consumed her. She didn’t know what to think about him right now, yet he was a lifeline at this crazy juncture.
He’d always been a very capable man, while she’d always been highly insecure. That hadn’t been a good combination for them. She set down the cup and curled up on the side of the couch. She couldn’t afford to sleep now, but it felt good just to close her eyes. With Jimmy at her side she realized there was no sound out of Jennifer. She glanced over at her daughter to see her crashed on the couch. Jennifer wasn’t going to sleep very well in that position, so Ceci picked her up carefully and laid her in the center of the big bed. Since they arrived they’d been sharing it.
As much as her side of it looked very welcoming, she didn’t want to leave Jimmy unsupervised. She walked back to the couch, snagged up Brett’s coffee, then snuggled back in the corner. She leaned her head against the pillow and closed her eyes with the animal documentary going on in the background and Jimmy sprawled out beside her.
*
Brett raced down the stairs to the second floor and peered down the hallway. It was empty and quiet. He quickly climbed down to the main floor, hugging the wall as he tried to see what was going on out in the hallway. When he couldn’t see enough he slid through the doors and peered around the corner.
The front reception desk was still empty and there was no sign of anyone. He moved toward the dining room and checked out the big room. It too was empty. He frowned. Where was Martin?
Walking quickly across the dining room he headed for the kitchen where there should have been banging and clanging of pots and pans in meal preparation. The place was silent. In the kitchen he ran to the stove and held his hand over the top. It was cold.
There was nobody here, and there hadn’t been for several hours. Still, it didn’t have to be something to set off any alarms as the van with the embassy staff had been gone all day.
It was four o’clock. He’d have thought with the approaching dinner hour, somebody would be doing prep work, but maybe not yet. With a suspicious glance at the gleaming stainless steel kitchen he moved to the doors on the other side.
He listened carefully. Nothing. Reaching out, he twisted the knob and pulled the door ever so slightly open. Still quiet. Holding it open enough that he could peer around the corner, he saw a very large boardroom. Also empty. So where the hell was everyone?
He understood the van was late by a good fifteen minutes and that had been ten minutes ago, but this was adding to his suspicions. He walked to the door on the far side and checked behind it.
It was a storeroom of sorts.
The lower floor was in an H shape of hallways. And now he was in the second one. And again it was empty. His stomach sank realizing they were probably into something much more major than anything he had wanted to see. Moving carefully, he went from door to door checking to see where everyone was.
Now back out in front of the reception he realized the place was deserted.
Except he’d heard gunfire. There was a directory and map on the side wall. He walked over to see what it was he could be missing. There was a downstairs, but it was not for the general public, and there were two more floors above containing conference rooms and apartments. At the computer on the front desk he quickly checked to see if it told him anything about how many people were in the consulate. But he had no way to access the logins.
Frustrated he pulled out his cell phone and quickly sent a message to everyone on his team giving them an update. After pocketing it again he headed for the stairs, but the door to the stairwell was locked. He stared at it. Then pulled out his credit card.
He knew exactly what to do with this.
Chapter 5
Ceci woke to the sounds of the phone ringing. She stumbled to her feet and made it to the side table where she answered it. “Hello,” she said in a sleepy voice.
“Good afternoon. There was a request for food for you and your family. Would you like to have that down in the dining room or should we bring it up to you?” She glanced around at the kids, one still sleeping on the couch the other on the bed. She didn’t really want to have the food just yet but didn’t want to put them out. Besides, she couldn’t guarantee when Brett would be returning. “Delivery please. And now would be fine thanks.”
“What room are you in again?”
She gave him the room number then hung up. In the bathroom she splashed cold water on her face, trying to wake up. Catching the window out of the corner of her eye she realized it was late afternoon. Not quite dinnertime but close. She could only hope Brett returned in time. That he hadn’t already brought a chill to her soul. He’d gone to check out the gunshots.
Determined to ignore the fear choking her, she sat down on the couch beside Jimmy and switched the television channels. There wasn’t much in the way of news.
She really want
ed to check in with her family, but she’d lost her phone on the yacht and hadn’t been able to get a new one yet. She’d occasionally gone down and used one of their computers but with the children it was difficult. A tablet would be helpful too.
And she wanted her damn phone. She’d have called Brett already if she had it. Just to check up on him.
Her gaze widened as something struck her.
Out loud she murmured, “Why did they ask for my room number?”
They never had before. Surely they had to know her number to phone her? Worried, she chewed on her fingernails as she hopped to her feet and stood in the middle of the room weighing the options. She studied the room. It was a large suite, and there was a double door closing her off from the other half.
The double doors were locked. Her husband had taught her how to open most locks. She took a kitchen knife and walked back to the door. It didn’t take long before she had the lock open. Although, was this really the best idea? She opened them and checked the other half of the suite. It was a duplicate of her own. With the children still sleeping she quickly packed up and transferred all the gear to the new place. Realizing the caller would be arriving any minute, fear set in. Panic lit a fire under her feet as she knew she didn’t have much time.
Scooping up the Legos she quickly collected everything into the bag. She moved Jimmy into the center of the new bed and then carefully transferred her daughter in beside him.
With her heart pounding in her throat and choking with fear she raced through the room checking to see if she’d forgotten anything. Indeed she had. She’d forgotten the bathroom. Using the empty garbage can she scooped up everything in the way of toiletries from the bathtub and sink and transferred it to the new bathroom.
As she stood in the doorway she remembered the fridge. Opening it, she took out the last of the juices and few pieces of fruit. In her new room, she took a deep breath and stood with her back to the now locked double doors for a long moment. She collapsed on the new couch. Had she overreacted?
