by Iris Bolling
Reaching the trap door, he stopped, pulled out a long cord with a glass covering on the tip. He connected it to his hand held device. He inserted the end of the cord through the small crack of the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh,” he said, then looked down at the monitor. The simple attachment turned his device into a mini monitor. The camera on the end allowed him to see what was outside. The scan only displayed a portion of the area. It was the area he could not see that concerned him. Instinct was his only resource in this situation.
Placing the woman on the step, he unhooked Zsa Zsa. “Stay,” he whispered. Slowly he raised the door just enough to ease his body out to scan the area for any movement. Once completely out, he lowered the door, leaving it cracked. Walking the area, he surveyed it to ensure he could get the women to the low lying area he’d used for cover earlier. The two guards were still on the ground where he’d left them.
A sound from behind caused him to hit the ground, then look back. The door was open and Zsa Zsa was pulling the woman out.
“What in the hell?” He hurried back over. “Get down.” Absolute pulled Zsa Zsa to the ground.
“A light came on behind us,” Zsa Zsa explained.
Absolute quickly pulled the woman completely out, then closed the door. Putting the woman over his shoulder, he grabbed Zsa Zsa with the other arm and ran for cover. He slid feet first into the ravine where he’d left his equipment, pulling both with him. Not wasting any time, he pulled his black bag from its hidden location and pulled out black tape. Tearing a strip, he immediately put it over Zsa Zsa’s mouth. She reached up to remove it. He gave her a look, which indicated not to try him. He then did the same to the woman, for he wasn’t sure how much longer she would be out. From the bag, he pulled out a black shirt, giving it to Zsa Zsa to put on. He pulled the shirt he was wearing off, and put it on the woman laying on the ground. Taking a small package from the bag, he unfolded it and placed the harness around the woman then secured it around his back as if carrying a baby. From the bag, he pulled out a round device, aimed it at a nearby tree, then pushed a button. A rope snaked out and wrapped around the tree. He hooked the rope, securing it in place. He tied the rope around Zsa Zsa’s waist, pulled a large hook from the bag then hooked her to him again. Placing the bag on his shoulder and the woman now secure on his back, he placed Zsa Zsa in front of him. They slowly descended the hill using the rope. He watched the girl turn and look down. The fear was clear on her face. “I have you.” He tightened his hold around her waist and continued moving down.
Voices could now be heard above them. Taking a look down, they had about twenty feet left to go. Too far to drop down, with two additional people. Steady movement was the best course of action he decided and continued moving. There were ten feet left to go when he saw the first man look over the hill. He held Zsa Zsa in front of him and pushed their bodies flush against the hill. The darkness of the night should be enough to conceal them, but they had to move soon.
A man’s call to another was all the motivation he needed to move again. The moment his foot touched the flat surface of the area, he unhooked Zsa Zsa. “Follow the path, when you get to the opening stop.”
Tears flowed down the girl’s face as she pulled the tape from her mouth. “It’s dark.”
Gunfire rang through the air. “Run,” he demanded. “I’ll find you.”
Zsa Zsa did as instructed. Absolute quickly unhooked his connection from the rope. He unhooked the top clamp, pulled a thin device from his pocket, and touched the rope. A spark ignited and traveled upward. He ran into the woods, following the trail Zsa Zsa had taken. He came to the opening that led to the road but did not see Zsa Zsa. “Damn,” he swore as he pulled out his hand held. He pushed a button, and a beep appeared on the screen, showing him where the girl was. He walked towards the road and froze. Two guards were standing near his vehicle with Zsa Zsa in their grasp. He stepped back, unhooked the harness and put the woman on the ground. He placed his bag under her head. He casually walked from the woods looking down at his device as if he was distracted.
“Stop,” one guard called out pointing his weapon at him.
“Whoa, hold up,” he put his hand up as if in surrender. “What’s up, man? What’s with the guns and stuff?” The other guard grabbed Zsa Zsa around her waist. “Hold up, that’s my sister, man. What are you doing?” he called out as he continued to walk towards them. The guard’s radio cut in, and as he reached to respond, Absolute ran, jumped, and kicked him in the chest. Then he pulled his knife from his belt and flipped it up, stabbing the guard holding Zsa Zsa in the neck. The movement was so fast the Zsa Zsa did not have time to scream before he grabbed her and put her in the backseat of the jeep.
“Stay down,” he demanded.
Running into the woods, he grabbed the woman and his bag just as gunfire sounded through the air.
“Oh hell!” Absolute exclaimed as he quickly placed the woman in the back seat as well. He threw the bag in the front seat then jumped across it, into the driver's seat, turned the engine and floored the vehicle out of the hidden cove.
Pushing a button on the console of the vehicle, Absolute spoke. “Princess Zsa Zsa is secured.”
Ned replied, “Are you at the drop site?”
“Ten minutes out.”
“Acknowledged. Your transportation to Emure is waiting. The radar on the band is coming in clear. We can track the Princess now.” He could hear his handler hitting buttons through the speakers. “An hour ago we received communication of several explosions in the region. You?” Ned, the handler asked.
“Diversion. No injuries.”
“Any deaths?”
“Not mine,” Absolute replied as he drove in the dark with his night vision ware the only light.
“I can report a successful mission without incident.”
“Not exactly.”
“Not exactly what, Absolute. What did you do?”
“The person you identified earlier was also extracted.”
“Leave her.”
“Not possible. We’re on the move.”
“Absolute, taking her will have international implications.”
“I suggest you contact the lead Senator in Foreign Relations. Advise an international situation is at hand. I’m out.” He pushed the button ending the conversation.
Glancing at Zsa Zsa in the back seat, he smiled. “I’m taking you home.”
Chapter Two
Richmond, Virginia
“Why can’t all of them go?” Shelly Knight’s angry question resonated around the meeting room of the community center. “We made promises to these children. They did all that was asked of them and more. Now you want to tell them they can’t go. That’s going to leave a great impression on them about this world and our government. Jump through this hoop, stand this way, walk that way, talk this way.” Shelly’s friend Rochelle Delany, grabbed her arm trying to get her to be quiet, but Shelly pulled away. “I will not be quiet while our government officials, who we, by the way, put into office, scam our children.” She squinted her eyes at the man who had enraged her so, Senator Royce Davenport, and then spoke directly to him. “I would have expected more from you, Senator. You know what these children are up against. Hell the scholarship is in your name for Christ’s sake. And you are going to sit there and say nothing.” She put her hands on her hips. Never had anyone enraged her so deeply.
Senator Royce Davenport watched and listened, as the argument grew more intense. This was one of the reasons he stayed away from community meetings, time was wasted. It seemed nothing was ever accomplished. His brother Grayson normally handled the scholarship distribution to the various organizations he supported. One person appealed the decision of the board to the very top and demanded his presence. It would have been simple to delegate the authority to Grayson to make the final decision, but his brother insisted he take part in this particular meeting. Grayson feared negative publicity was sure to arise if he did
not make an appearance–or so he said.
The woman contesting the board’s decision was a looker. She was a thick, curvy sister who looked to be in her thirties, with short, naturally wavy hair that appeared to have been simply brushed back. At the nape of her neck the curls were flipping up indicating it was time for a cut. Then there was the teasing shade of her skin, it was hard to say if it was a natural brown, or if she had recently spent time in the sun, but it looked good on her. Maybe it was the contrasting, crisp white button down blouse, with two buttons open at the top, showing just enough cleavage to make a man curious. He would have never thought the conservatively dressed woman would be so feisty. Apparently she was as passionate about this situation as she was fine. If only he could see her legs, but since she was on the second row, those sitting in the front blocked his view. Clearing the unusual thoughts from his mind, Senator Royce Davenport looked up at the woman who was now speaking.
“Ms. Knight, please watch your tone and refrain from insulting our guest. Senator Davenport was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to meet with us today and I will not stand for your insolence.” Tammy Richardson, head of the Board of Trustees at the Royce C. Davenport Community Center and one of the richest matriarchs of the community, demanded as she pushed her weaved curls over her shoulder. “Now,” she said as she used the program bulletin to fan herself, “we are doing all we can to help those children. It certainly is better to assist a few than none at all.”
“How can you possibly consider sending fifteen children, when twenty met the requirement? All twenty should be allowed to attend the camp. If we had put a limit on the number at the very beginning of this contest, then I would not have an argument. But we did not; we can’t come in now and put in limitations. If all twenty qualified, then all twenty should be allowed to go.” Shelly continued with her argument.
“We don’t have the money for all twenty. We only have the funds to cover fifteen.” William Casey, the treasurer stated. “Some of the children will have to be eliminated.”
“I refuse to accept that. What is the message we are sending the children we turn away? Hmm, follow all the rules, but sorry you still don’t measure up. I don’t like that message. And how do we select who goes and who doesn’t? The same old, those that have the right connections with the right families will be selected while others that are less fortunate and need this trip more will be left behind.”
Tammy rose from her seat. “Ms. Knight, how dare you insinuate this board is biased.”
“It’s not an insinuation Tammy, it’s a fact!” Shelly charged back.
Royce looked at Grayson and gave the nod to end the meeting. Grayson stood and addressed the audience and the ten board members. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, let’s keep this cordial.” He waited until things quieted down a bit, then looked over at Rochelle, who pulled Shelly down into her seat. “The purpose of this meeting was to allow Senator Davenport an opportunity to hear both sides of the debate before rendering his decision. I believe both sides have had ample opportunity to state their positions on this matter. It is only courteous to allow the Senator to say a few words.” Grayson turned to his brother, “Royce.”
Shelly took her seat and looked down at her shaking hands, for she did not want to hear what the man was going to say. She knew the Richardson family were huge contributors to the Senator’s campaign, and it was doubtful that he would go against them. She thought he was a good man. If he heard firsthand what she believed to be an injustice, he might do the right thing. Sitting there shaking her head, she vowed she would find a way to get every child that qualified on that bus.
As Royce’s six-one, two hundred and ten pound frame stood, the room seemed to get smaller. His very presence was overwhelming, along with his looks and charisma that had women from North and South vying for his attention. As a single U.S. Senator representing the state of Virginia, he was sought after by all women, Black, White, Asian–it really didn’t matter. They all wanted an opportunity to be seen on his arm. If the media was any indication, he spread himself around for all to enjoy. Just last weekend, he was in a magazine with some starlet from Hollywood. He was equally as popular amongst his colleagues in Washington. They sought after him to get his support on bills as if he was the President in waiting. They respected his opinion just that much. However, tonight he was going to have to disappoint someone and that did not please him. The woman with the almond colored eyes had a compelling argument. The stipulations should have been clarified in the beginning. Nonetheless, the funds were not available.
“I want to thank each of you for taking an interest in the well-being of our children. From what I have witnessed tonight, I know the children of this community have people who truly care about them. That’s more than what many disadvantaged children around the world can say. To the matter at hand.” He sighed. “Before coming here tonight I stopped to speak with Mr. Casey and to take a look at the books. The bottom line is clear; the funds needed are just not there to include all of the children. Therefore, a decision has to be made on how to eliminate five.” He watched as the woman, who made the argument to have all of the children attend the camp, stood and walked out of the room. He made a mental note to find and speak with her once the meeting was over.
Twenty minutes later as the meeting dispersed, Rochelle found Shelly in the lobby of the community center pacing back and forth. The two had grown up together in a foster home. As loving as Cephus and Virginia Brown were, they could not afford certain things. The two girls were constantly left out of social events and shunned while growing up. So she understood why Shelly was reacting angrily to the injustice of the situation. Their past life was haunting her and she did not want to see another child go through what they endured.
“Shelly,” Rochelle sympathized, “Are you all right?”
“No,” Shelly replied with fresh tears in her eyes. “How am I going to tell those children they can’t go? How am I supposed to do that?”
Rochelle pulled out a tissue and wiped away the tears that streamed down her friend’s face. “I know it’s going to be hard. At least you have a little time before a decision will be made.”
“What do you mean? The next full meeting is this Saturday.” Shelly sniffed.
“Senator Davenport wants to be the one to make the decision and since he can’t come back until the middle of the month, no child will be notified.”
“Well, at least he’s good for something.” She took the tissue from Rochelle. “Man, was I wrong about him.” She said while shaking her head. “I always thought past all the media crap and gave him credit for being about something. Humph, he certainly proved me wrong.”
“He’s a politician, you can’t expect but so much.”
“I don’t know why, but I expected more from him.” She looked up at Rochelle with a little hope in her eyes. “I was thinking, if I give up my trip to New York, I could pay for two of the children. That only leaves three for me to find money to pay for their trips.”
“Shelly, you can’t do that. You have been planning that trip for years. You can’t give that up.” Rochelle implored. “When we were little all you ever talked about doing was going to New York and staying at the Waldorf-Astoria like Eddie Murphy in Coming to America. It’s taken you five years and two jobs to save that money. You can’t just give your dream away.”
“It was a fairytale, Rochelle. I’m thirty-five years old. It’s time to live in the real world. These kids will never recover from the disappointment. You know that. Hell, I’ve faced disappointment all my life. It’s nothing new.”
“Shelly,” Rochelle had begun to argue with her, when Tammy walked out of the meeting room and approached them.
“I hope you are satisfied, Shelly Knight. Senator Davenport has taken the decision out of our hands. You’ve given him reason to doubt our ability to run the center. Now, what are your precious children going to do if he takes it all away?”
“What?” Shelly asked shocked a
t the thought.
“He did not say that Tammy,” Rochelle gave Tammy the look of death if she said one more word. She turned back to Shelly, “He just wants to ensure the decisions the board members are making are fair.” She looked back at Tammy to emphasize the meaning.
“That wasn’t my interpretation,” Tammy said and stomped off.
Both Royce and Grayson Davenport walked out of the room still surrounded by a few admirers and before Rochelle could stop her, Shelly was in the Senator’s face.
“How could you threaten to take away the center?” Shelly attacked, “It’s the only thing the children in the neighborhood have to look forward to. Would you have them hang out on the corner and fight their way through the drug dealers? Senator Davenport, I must say you have certainly disappointed me. I truly believed in you. With all you’ve done to help those less fortunate than yourself, I don’t understand how you can even threaten to close the center down.” She turned to walk away and stopped. Looking directly at Royce, she simply said, “I just don’t know if I can continue to support you after this,” she turned and walked away.
Rochelle watched her, shocked. She then turned back to Grayson and the Senator. “I have never seen her this upset,” she exhaled. “Senator, Tammy Richardson misrepresented what you said to make Shelly feel guilty. Please accept my apology for her behavior.”
Royce was too stunned to speak for a moment. He did not know the woman, had never set eyes on her before tonight, but for some reason her last statement cut him deep. He never liked excessively emotional women, so why did what this one had to say matter. Now, he was angry. Damn angry that she spoke to him in that manner. Didn’t she know who he was? No one talked to him like that, no one! “You cannot apologize for her actions. She must now deal with the consequences.” Royce stomped off leaving Rochelle and Grayson both staring at his back.
