CURSE THE MOON (33 page)
Authors: Lee Jackson
He stared around at them. They had street clothes that looked worn and crumpled, and their faces bore several days’ growth of whiskers. Atcho glanced from Burly to Rafael. “Who are these people?” he asked.
“Our men,” Rafael replied. “Members of 2506 Brigade! They were brought for questioning after the FBI took over protective custody of your family. The president pardoned all of us just moments ago.”
Atcho looked at the faces around him. They were rugged and unpretentious, and bore that familiar quality of quiet physical confidence and competence. One of them had a bandaged jaw.
“What happened to him?” Atcho asked.
“You have a very protective son-in-law,” Burly said. “Bob wouldn’t let anyone near Isabel, and when this man tried to explain what was happening, Bob busted him in the mouth. He fractured his jaw!”
Bob looked sheepish. “I’ve already apologized,” he said, walking over to the man and putting an arm around his shoulder. The man grimaced, but shook his head good-naturedly. Bob turned back to Atcho “Come on over here,” he said. There’s someone who wants to meet you.”
The crowd parted as Atcho followed to the center of the terrace. Isabel was there, sitting on a chair, tears streaming down her cheeks. In her lap was a tiny bundle wrapped in blankets. She struggled awkwardly to her feet, and threw one arm around her father’s neck. “I’m so sorry, Papa,” she whispered softly. “I know what you went through for me. I hate myself.” She sobbed quietly. Around them, the men stood back a respectful distance as a hush permeated. Bob put an arm around Isabel and Atcho.
Atcho hugged Isabel. He could think of nothing to say. Then, he felt something move by his waist. He pulled back, and stared into the blankets in Isabel’s arm. Two tiny eyes peered up at him. Wonder crossed his face. “Papa,” Isabel whispered through a broken smile. “Meet your granddaughter, Kattrina.” She put the infant in Atcho’s arms. Aware of his grimy condition, Atcho protested, but Isabel pushed him gently, so he held his tiny granddaughter. He pulled her close to his face and squeezed as much as he dared.
No one cared to break the quiet, but after a few moments, Burly coughed at his shoulder. “That’s what I kept trying to tell you, you stubborn Cuban!” he said. “When Bob and Isabel rushed away from their house, they went to the hospital. The baby arrived a month early!”
Atcho looked up briskly and whirled to Isabel. “Should you be here?”
She nodded. “The doctor said we would be OK for a little while. The president’s doctor here is monitoring.”
Atcho shook his head, and looked around at the members of 2506 Brigade gathered around him. “I can’t express my gratitude enough,” he said in a broken voice.
“Then don’t,” someone quipped. “Let’s not get sappy!” Deep throaty laughter of warriors filled the room as Atcho walked around to shake hands with each one. He held the baby to his chest while Isabel hovered nearby.
Atcho felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and turned. Sofia looked into his eyes with an expression that was both somber and impish. Atcho sucked in his breath. She had never appeared more beautiful. Burly stood next to her. The terrace was quiet again. Atcho stared back into those wondrous eyes he had grown to know so well, but he felt at a total loss for words.
Burly once again broke the silence. “I’m no fool,” he blurted. “Why do you think I did so many things for you without question? Sofia came to me after you broke up with her. She knew something was up. She begged me to help.”
Atcho continued to gaze at Sofia. A puzzled expression crossed his face. He remembered when Sofia had told him, “I’m not someone who sits around.” He cleared his throat, and then without turning his head, he said, “So, Burly, a pretty lady comes and asks you for help involving national security, and you just do it?”
Burly’s face reddened, and he looked flustered. “Well, ah,” he stammered. “Uh, we’ve worked together before.”
Atcho looked over sharply, but before he could say anything, Sofia tugged at his elbow. Isabel moved in and scooped up the baby.
“You won’t escape me again,” Sofia said softly but firmly. He took her in his arms.
In the night sky, the moon continued its impassive observation.
Atcho is the only covert operative on earth to be trusted by both the president of the United States and the premier of the Soviet Union. A chance meeting of Rasputin, a mysterious monk with the daughters of the last Czar deep in the forests of Russia sets in motion cataclysmic events that surface 70 years later. Atcho finds himself battling a mysterious religious sect, the KGB, the Soviet military, and the Communist Party to save the National Power that had kept him imprisoned for more than 19 years – and he must do it without help or assistance from US intelligence resources. Failure would result in placing the full nuclear capabilities and military might of the Soviet Union into the hands of a madman bent on world domination.
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