by C. G. Cooper
“Shit,” Cal muttered to himself.
Zimmer walked over to the pair. “Did you really mean what you said about not caring about the politicians?”
Stokes looked into the man’s eyes. “We weren’t talking about the list, Congressman. It’s something else.” They’d chosen to keep any talk of the Council away from Zimmer.
“Something you can’t tell me about?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, I’m in the middle of this thing too. I think you need to…”
Cal’s eyes flared. “I think you need to remember that we’re here to save YOUR ass, Congressman. The last time I checked, I wasn’t the one who got caught with his pants down. Last time I checked, me and my guys are the ones getting shot at. Now, if you want me to lock you in a room until this is over, I’m happy to do it.”
“How dare you…?” Zimmer started to respond before Trent stepped between the two.
“Alright, fellas. How about we all take a breather and chill out. I think we could all use a little food and a good stiff drink.”
Cal and Zimmer continued to stare at each other. Brandon was the first to walk out of the room, followed by Trent.
Stokes watched the two men go. He couldn’t wait to be done with Zimmer.
Chapter 33
Las Vegas, Nevada
4:42pm, September 18th
Cal dialed Andy’s cell number.
“Hey, I thought you would’ve called earlier.”
“Yeah, sorry. Had a little unexpected…incident,” Cal explained.
“No problem. You want me to come your way or can you come meet me?”
“Where are they putting you guys up?”
“We’re staying at the MGM Grand.”
“I’ll come see you. Mind if I bring a couple friends?”
“Sure.”
Cal woke Brian, snoozing in the recliner.
“Hey, we’re going to see Andy.” Brian just nodded. “You wanna come too, Daniel?”
“I’m in.”
“Alright, let’s go in five minutes.”
Everyone prepared to leave. They wouldn’t be walking the streets of Vegas unarmed anymore. This time Cal and Brian would be bringing their security badges and concealed carry permits. It was one of the perks of SSI’s VIP protection division.
Cal knew he was running a risk by hitting the street again, but he had to warn Andy. Besides, he had his lucky charm with him: Daniel Briggs. He’d started analyzing how he could best utilize the sniper in the future. Maybe Briggs would become his vigilant companion like Travis Haden to his father and Todd Dunn to Travis. In his line of work, Cal could never have enough expert warriors around.
Five minutes later, the trio walked out the door. Each one hoped they wouldn’t run into more Ichiban goons.
+++
They arrived at the MGM Grand without incident. Instead of trying to take back routes, they’d decided to walk through the most congested public areas. With the Democratic National Convention starting the next day, the sidewalks were overflowing with revelers.
Cal wondered how the convention attendees would feel if they knew about the imminent threat to the big party. It was par for the course and he knew it. Most Americans lived in blissful ignorance knowing nothing about the silent forces of good and evil at work all around them.
Andy opened the hotel room door and invited everyone in. Cal introduced Daniel to the Marine Captain. The two men shook hands and did the Marine size-up.
“Can I get you guys anything?” Andy asked.
“I’d kill for a coffee and a beer,” Cal sighed.
“In that order?”
“How about just the beer?”
Andy nodded and took orders from the other two. Once they’d gotten their drinks and taken a seat, Cal told the whole Vegas story to his good friend.
Capt. Andrews didn’t interrupt; he just shook his head in amazement time and time again. Cal finally finished. “So I really wanted to make sure you got a heads-up. As you can see, there’s some squirrely shit going on around here.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Andy commented.
“Have any ideas? Anything we haven’t thought of?”
Andy took another swig of beer and contemplated the question. There were too many possibilities to consider.
“I’m just thinking out loud here, but what if it’s all a wild goose chase? What if they’re throwing you guys red herrings just to keep you away from what they’re really trying to do?”
Cal shook his head. “I don’t think so. This is shaping up to be something big. We really think the Convention is the trigger.”
Andy wasn’t convinced. During his time with the Silent Drill Team, he’d seen the capabilities of the Secret Service and the FBI. They’d probably spent months investigating every scumbag in a twenty-mile radius of Las Vegas. These guys knew how to do their homework. The last thing they wanted on their watch was a dead President. There wouldn’t be a weapon anywhere near the leader of the Free World.
It was Daniel who broke the silence. “Captain, how about anything out of the ordinary? Is there anything they’ve asked you guys to do during your routine that you don’t typically do?”
“Well, most of our routines are pretty similar. Sometimes our entrance is a little different. Like this time, they’re keeping us a secret. You know how they have those big stages for the Super Bowl, where the singer comes up through the floor? Well, they wanted to do that, with a twist.”
“What kind of a twist?” Daniel asked, suddenly feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
“They’ve got this huge trailer that they’re gonna pull out. Think of a semi trailer, only like four times as big. So they put us in there, a cannon booms over the speaker system, the sides of the trailer flip down, we’re standing there ready to kick ass, and then we march out onto the floor. It’s actually pretty cool. We’ve been practicing it for weeks. We’ll have one last run-through tomorrow morning.”
They were all impressed. Twenty-four Marines in dress blues made a beautiful sight. The Silent Drill Team as the surprise entertainment would be a big hit.
“Who’ve you been coordinating that with?” Cal questioned.
“Some woman on the President’s event planning staff.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“Sure. Janet Riley.”
“Why do I know that name?” Cal thought aloud.
“Because she’s on the blackmail list,” Daniel answered.
+++
Janet Riley, a pretty brunette from Los Angeles, pored over the itinerary for the upcoming convention. Taking the reins in the early spring, Riley brought her Hollywood talent and flash to the President’s campaign. Over the past fifteen years, Janet had climbed tooth and nail up the competitive Los Angeles public relations ladder. She’d landed her dream job two years earlier as head of PR for one of the largest studios in L.A. The job included the added benefit of rubbing elbows with some of the biggest influencers in the entertainment industry. During the day she submitted news releases and coordinated publicity for the studio’s biggest stars. By night, she networked with Hollywood elite at movie premiers and after parties. She was very good at her job.
It was at one event that she’d met the President’s campaign manager. They’d hit it off and kept in touch until the day the campaign needed a new Events Coordinator for the election. She’d worked out a leave of absence from her studio and joined the campaign trail. It wasn’t as glamorous as Hollywood, but Janet felt like she was doing her patriotic duty.
Her mind was swirling. She had so many moving parts for the Convention. Sometimes she wondered how she’d be able to keep it all together. To make matters worse, they were doing things a little different this year. Typically, the convention floor was full of constituents for the entire event. For this DNC, the first day would be more entertaining. The lower level would be empty, except for the entertainment and an occasional ‘Rah Rah’ speech from party lead
ers. They’d booked three of the President’s favorite bands to start. The Marines would really kick things off toward the end of the night. The President wanted the tone to be patriotic, hence the many strings pulled for the Silent Drill Team to perform. In the end, everything would come together. It always did.
Riley looked at her watch. Her stomach grumbled as she thought about the lunch she’d missed and the dinner that would probably also be skipped. She had just a couple of hours before the Marine Corps reps came to the convention center to walk through the space. They’d requested the meeting to finalize the show’s particulars. Janet had enough on her plate and wished she didn’t have to go. These Marines were perfectionists though. They wanted to make sure every detail was ironed out prior to show time. Riley cursed them and their efficiency.
To make matters worse, the President had just requested to be at the dress rehearsal the following morning before any of the crowd showed. He wanted to see the Silent Drill Team run-through and spend a couple minutes mingling with the Marines. Capt. Andrews would not be happy with the change. At least they wouldn’t have to contend with a large Secret Service presence in the morning without a crowd being there.
In another hour, Janet would head down to the convention floor. After that, she’d walk back to the hotel for one final meeting. The guy from Ichiban Gaming had called earlier in the day. He said he had another small request for the convention. Janet wanted to be done with the guy. He gave her the creeps, but she couldn’t really deny the request. After all, he had pulled her out of that little situation back in L.A. four months ago. She never should have listened to her girlfriend and gone to that party. Janet knew there would be drugs all over the man’s house and she had been secretly battling addiction for five years. In the end, she gave in and got wasted. It was only by a stroke of luck, and the help of that Japanese guy, that she avoided landing in jail.
He’d asked for nothing in return, until two months before the convention. She felt obligated to help because she was in his debt. The request wasn’t out of the ordinary. So the guy wanted one of his companies to do some of the work at the convention. Who didn’t? It was a big deal to be one of the vendors for a political rally. Besides, the bid was competitive so technically Riley wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was her call which companies would be hired to setup for the week’s events.
+++
Everyone in the room froze. Had they just found a piece of the puzzle?
“Are you telling me that I’m about to go to a meeting with someone on that list?” Andy asked incredulously.
“Looks like it. But the question is, what is she doing to help these guys?” wondered Cal.
“I’m seriously thinking about calling my boss and pulling the plug. Am I the only one that’s getting a really bad feeling about this?” Andy asked.
No one answered. They all felt the same way. There was only one direction this was going: downhill.
“Andy, how about you go meet with Ms. Riley and see what you can find out? Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble onto something. Who’s going with you?”
“My First Sergeant and my squad leaders.”
“Good. Starting now, I don’t think you or your Marines should be traveling alone. Can you get that word to your men?”
“Sure. I’ll call their rooms right now. Anything else?” Andy asked his friend.
Cal couldn’t think of anything. “I don’t think so. Just keep your eyes open and let us know if you notice anything fishy. Can you give me until tomorrow morning to make the call about cancelling the show?”
Andy wasn’t so sure. His sixth sense told him to pack up his boys and head back home. “I guess. But you better be damn sure you’re doing everything you can to find out what they’re planning.”
“We’re all over it.”
They said their goodbyes and left Andy to make his calls. Cal hoped that they would have a better idea of what they were dealing with by tomorrow’s deadline.
+++
“Make sure the Riley woman follows your directions. Remember, we cannot afford another failure.”
The Japanese man bowed to his employer. Kazuo Nakamura sat back in his chair as his underling departed. In less than twenty-four hours, everything would change. He looked forward to returning to Japan as a conquering hero.
Chapter 34
Washington, D.C.
8:42pm, September 18th
“Are you ready to go, Mr. President?” the head of the Commander in Chief’s protection detail asked.
“Sure am.” He stretched as he rose from his chair. “Sam, we’ve really gotta tell the Air Force One boys to stop booking these late flights.”
The Secret Service agent chuckled. “Well, sir. You know it makes it a lot easier for the airports when we’re not stopping traffic in the middle of rush hour.”
“I know. It’s just that the kids never get enough sleep when we fly after nine pm. You’d think that after four years they’d be used to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The President glanced at his new smart phone and sighed at the time. “Well, I guess we better get going.”
He followed his detail out to the waiting caravan.
Chapter 35
Las Vegas, Nevada
8:45pm, September 18th
Capt. Andrews and his small Marine contingent showed up at the Las Vegas Convention Center fifteen minutes early. He’d given word to keep their eyes and ears open without giving details. The Marine Captain didn’t look like much to strangers, but his Marines knew the boyish face belied a fearless warrior and strong leader. His gaze remained serious as they toured the staging area.
“What the hell is that?” Andy pointed to the two identical trailers waiting side by side.
“We had to bring in a backup, Captain,” answered Janet Riley as she strolled in, hands full of paperwork. “The last thing we wanted was to have the first one crap out and then be dead in the water.”
The explanation made sense to Andy. Anytime Marines did a dog-and-pony show for VIPs, they liked to have backups, just in case.
“So which one are we loading into?”
“The one on the right. It’s got a small green sticker on it. The backup is on the left with a small red sticker on the entrance ramp.”
“Why don’t you guys go inspect the trailers while I have a word with Ms. Riley.”
His Marines split up and set about testing the mechanics of the two trailers.
“How can I help you, Captain?” Riley asked tiredly. She was ready to wrap the meeting up. It would’ve been easier for the Marines to just do their inspection without her, but Andrews had requested her presence.
“Are we still a go for the practice run tomorrow morning?” Andy could barely conceal his suspicion of the woman. He wasn’t used to holding his tongue. If so much wasn’t riding on him to keep his mouth shut, he’d call the woman out right now.
“Uh, yeah, with one change.”
Crap. Here we go, thought Andy.
“The President wants to watch the practice run and then come meet your Marines.”
It wasn’t what Andy had expected. Being part of the world’s most famous drill team, he was used to visits by the President and other foreign dignitaries. Considering the strings the White House had pulled to get the Marines there, it wasn’t surprising that he wanted to have a quick photo op.
“Alright. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Where will he be during the dry run?”
Riley pointed to the far end of the ground floor. “My workers are going to set up a couple of chairs for the President. That’s where you guys should finish before you march off, right?”
“Correct. So just forget the about face and march off?”
“If that’s okay,” Riley requested politely.
The Marines wouldn’t mind meeting the President. He was, after all, their President. He wasn’t a bad guy and it was rumored that he’d really taken a liking to the Silent Drill Team.
“Sure. If we can m
ake it quick though. I want to get my guys out of their uniforms and taking a break before tomorrow night. We’ll be cooped up in that trailer long enough.”
“No problem. I think they’ve only got ten minutes scheduled for that anyway. Anything else I can answer for you?” added Riley, hopefully.
“Not that I can think of. Thanks for meeting us down here. If it’s okay, we’ll just spend some time walking the arena. You don’t need to be around for that.”
Riley was grateful. “Sure. Take as much time as you need.”
Andy thanked Riley for her assistance and she departed for her room next door at the Hilton. Maybe she’d have a few minutes to take off her high heels before her next meeting.
+++
10:10pm
Andy walked back to his room after a couple of last words with his Marines. They’d all be ready to hop in the vans at first light. The boys knew better than to hit the town tonight. Regardless, he’d passed the word that everyone was to remain in their rooms until the morning. They could party tomorrow night after the show.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Cal.
“Hey, you find out anything?” Cal asked eagerly.
“Not really.”
“No changes?”
“Just some minor things.”
“Like what?”
“They’ve got a backup trailer for the show and the President is coming to our practice tomorrow.”
“Is that out of the ordinary?” Cal wanted to shut down the show before the Marines were put in a bad situation.
“Not really. It’s actually not a bad idea to have a backup trailer. That thing is frickin’ huge. We’d be screwed if one of tires went out or the mechanical door stopped working. As for the President visiting, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Sometimes the bigwigs want to meet us beforehand because after the real show it’s total chaos,” Andy answered honestly.
