Learning to Stand (48 page)

“
I need a job, Alex. I can’t
find work. I need to work. No one hires vets especially disabled
vets. I can help you. I’m good at maps and intelligence. Plus, you
need a Marine. You need me.”

“
Like I need a knife in the
back. Oh that’s right, that’s your specialty.”

“
Alex… can’t we at least
talk about this?”

“
Ok, jerk-off. Why’d you do
it?”

“
Do what?”

“
Forget it,” Alex said. She
moved to return to the party. Heath rolled into her
path.

“
I meant which part,” Heath
said.

“
I searched for you, worked
twenty-four hours a day for two weeks, finally found you,
negotiated for your release, rescued you, and even held you when
you cried. Dean saved your miserable life. And what did you
do?”

“
I told everyone I was saved
by a Marine team.”

“
Then you told your mother I
left
you in
Iraq! I
left
you? Explain that.”

“
I have no explanation,
Alex,” Heath said. “None. I’ve talked to other guys who have spine
injuries. They say the same thing. You’re so angry, so terrified,
you…”

“
Blame the people who saved
your life??” She cut in. “Did you ever even consider your comments
might have repercussions??”

“
Not until I was subpoenaed
to the Senate Hearing,” Heath said.

“
I heard you had the nerve
to get the tattoo. How dare you?”

“
I’m trying to set it
straight. I was rescued by the Fey Special Forces Team. The Fey
saved my life. I say that to anyone who will listen. That’s what I
said in the Senate Hearing. You would know that if you bothered to
attend.”

“
Oh. Sorry, Heath. I was in
a coma. I couldn’t take a trip to Washington DC to defend my
name.”

Heath blushed. He always forgot she was
injured. In his mind, she was heroic and strong - strong enough to
save him; strong enough to blame for not saving him sooner; strong
enough to handle his tortured projections of shame and
self-importance.

He was in surgery when the Marine
information department announced his release, including his
fabricated Marine saviors. Alex and her team guarded him until they
saw the news report. When he awoke from surgery, they were long
gone. He never saw the team again. They died before he let go of
his pride, and the lie his pride insisted was truth.

“
You wearing body armor,
scumbag?” Alex asked.

“
No, why would I...” He
stopped talking in response to Alex’s hardened face.
“What?”

Alex jerked as if he had grabbed her ass.
Swinging her arm to slap him, she planted a kiss on the befuddled
Heath’s mouth. Heath grabbed her arms in an effort to stabilize
them but the wheelchair fell over backward to the concrete. They
rolled into the parking lot.

“
I’m sorry to interrupt,” a
male voice said. “We are asking people to return to the
party.”

Using her right hand to press Heath against
the pavement, Alex looked up at the man. He was tall and muscular.
A black T-shirt with SECURITY written in white block letters
stretched across his chest. He had an ear piece and a microphone.
The machine gun in his hands was loaded with the safety off.

This was no Secret Service agent.

F

CHAPTER thirty-nine

Alex flushed as if she was embarrassed.
Slipping off her heels, she moved over Heath.

“
Would you mind helping us
up? He’s a paralyzed veteran.”

Standing, Alex hid her purple cast behind
her back. She moved toward the wheelchair as if she was going to
hold it. The man looked from Heath to Alex. She gave him a sultry
smile. He took a step toward her.

She jumped a forceful reverse roundhouse
kick. She hit the man’s jaw with her instep of her foot. His neck
broke in a solid pop. She caught the man before he fell on top of
Heath.

She grabbed the man’s ear piece. Clicking
off the microphone, she stuck his ear piece in her ear. She took
another ear piece from her clutch purse and put it in her other
ear. While listening to Zack and the copilot check the helicopter,
she helped Heath into his wheelchair. While he was adjusting
himself, she checked her pocket computer.

“
What is it?” Heath
asked.

“
Nothing that concerns you,”
Alex said.

Clicking through the icons on her computer,
she read a message from her Sergeant:

They’ve separated the women from the men.
After making out with Dahlia, Troy is moving in your direction.
Trece is with your parents as planned. Zack is waiting.

Her Sergeant watched the drama unfold via
satellite link. Everything was on track.

Alex jerked the body armor from the dead man
then chucked it in Heath’s direction. She held the machine gun out
to Heath.

“
Can you shoot?” she
asked.

“
I can shoot.” He took the
machine gun then checked that it was loaded. “What is going
on?”

“
We received notification of
full scale attack planned for this party. Secret Service agreed to
monitor activities and assist.”

“
Why would someone
attack...?”

Troy ran toward them.

“
Do you still understand
Russian?” Alex asked.

Troy nodded. She gave him the ear piece she
took from the dead man. Troy checked the microphone was off then
stuck it in his ear.

“
How was Dahlia?” Alex
asked.

“
She’s quite pissed at me,
Alexandra,” Troy said.

Bending over the man on the ground, Troy
plucked a handgun from the man’s holster then dug ammunition clips
out of his pockets.

“
Pissed?”

“
I led her to the lavatory
then locked her in.”

“
So you didn’t…?”

“
I didn’t,” he said. “I did
kiss her. I did. So don’t give me that look. But I didn’t fuck
her.”

Troy beamed at his accomplishment. Alex
hugged him.

“
What is going on?” Heath
asked.

“
Shut up maggot. No one is
talking to you,” Troy said.

“
I’m here. I can help,”
Heath said. “I want to help. Listen my wife is in there. My
pregnant wife.”

Troy and Alex looked at each other. Alex
shrugged.

“
Maybe they’ll kill
him.”

“
Good thinking,” Troy
replied.

“
We don’t know what’s
happening, Heath.” Alex turned to look at him. “They’re looking for
something or someone. We assumed they were looking for me but... we
don’t actually know.”

“
Imaging?” Troy
asked.

Alex showed Troy the image her Sergeant sent
her pocket computer. Men, dressed in the same black T-shirts marked
SECURITY in white, carrying machine guns, surrounded the perimeter.
Three big guys in dark T-shirts worked the crowd, separating the
men from the women. The men were sent down into the amphitheater.
The women were herded into the south corner of the terrace.

Alex pointed to the undercover Secret
Service agents guarding the VIPs including Troy’s father. Her
father and Trece were avoiding the men enough to remain on the
terrace.

“
They’ve singled Maria out.”
Jesse appeared in front of them. “Maria and your Mom. Alex, you
have to...”

Alex and Troy took off toward the party.

FFFFFF

Tuesday afternoon

April 1 – 4:20 P.M. MDT

Denver, CO

“
We have confirmation. The
action has started at the party. We must assume they are coming
here.” Matthew sat at the dining room table. “Joseph didn’t want to
risk a cell phone. He’s gone to call the police from the pay phone
at the 7-11.”

“
I came home for lunch
between hospitals,” John said. “I’ll be on my way.”

“
Yeah. That’s not such a
good idea,” Matthew said. “Alex requested you wait in her
office.”

“
I can’t leave?”

“
No,” Matthew said. “We only
know they are looking for something or someone. If they are looking
for Alex...”

“
They’ll take me,” John
said. “Cian too?”

“
Cian’s here?”

“
That’s who I was meeting
for lunch,” John said. “Cian and Jimmy.”

“
What?” Cian walked into the
dining room from the kitchen.

“
He’s saying we can’t go
anywhere. Something about an action,” John said.

“
Ooh fun! Eoin will be so
jealous,” Cian said.

“
Jealous of what?” James
asked.

“
There’s going to be action!
Here!” Cian said.

“
Christ!” Matthew shook his
head. “I can’t protect you. I’m too injured. White Boy and Vince
will have to fight these guys alone. Alex requested you wait for
her in her office.”

“
Fat chance,” James said.
“You in Johnny?”

“
I spent last fall sitting
around like a dosser. I’m not doing that again,” John said. “I can
shoot. I’m good in a fight. Plus, you’ll need someone to look
stupid.”

Matthew shook his head at John.

“
You need to go in
Alex’s...”

“
He used to be quite handy,”
James said. “And he certainly looks stupid.”

“
I’m not sitting anything
out,” Cian said. “I was enjoying a nasty toss up before you were
born, Mattie.”

“
Don’t even think about
having me sit this out.” Raz walked across the room. “I have this
back brace and I’m supposed to be on my feet. Even less than 100%,
I’m more than most in a fight.”

The men looked up as a woman’s voice carried
toward them. Larry blocked Helene’s way into the dining room. She
pushed past him. Her brown eyes glowed with anger.

“
I will not go into Alex’s
office. I don’t care what she said. I’m capable. I know some
kickboxing and I can shoot.” Helene reached behind her and pulled a
handgun from a sacrum holster. “I have my own handgun. It’s just us
until Joseph gets here with the police. You need my
help.”

Matthew looked at the girl then at
Larry.

“
Helene, you can’t…” Larry
started.

“
You won’t tell me what to
do. My father has taught us to take care of ourselves. I’m not as
good as Alex, but you aren’t either.” Helene looked from Matthew to
Larry then shrugged. “Who is? I won’t sit aside like some fading
flower while my loved ones are in danger.”

Larry’s faced flushed as she said loved
ones. She smirked at his reaction then turned to Matthew. Raising
his eyebrows, Matthew looked from Helene to John.

“
We moved everything of
importance to the carriage house. The carriage house is smaller and
easier to defend. We don’t know what they are looking
for…”

“
Or whom,” Vince came in
from the back of the house. “Alex’s source thought they would hit
the party and the house. We assume they are looking for the Fey
but... “

“
They were very adamant last
year about some property; their property. All of those telephone
calls...” John said. Matthew’s head jerked up in surprise. “I’m not
a fading flower either.”

“
That’s true. Eleazar kept
asking Alex for his property,” Raz said.

“
They are here. Two SUVs.
Eight guys.” White Boy ran into the room from the front.

“
Let’s get to the carriage
house.”

Vince slipped an arm under Raz’s shoulder.
John took Raz’s other shoulder. Helene and Larry ran ahead with
James and Cian behind. Holding the door for Raz, they rushed into
the room. Helene set the lock on the door.

And they waited.

FFFFFF

Tuesday afternoon

April 1 – 4:25 P.M. MDT

Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO

Running toward the terrace, Alex pointed
Troy to the top of the red sandstone Creation Rock. He nodded. An
expert marksman, Troy would cover her. Sticking the handgun in his
pants, he began climbing the rock. Heath wheeled up behind
them.

“
I’ll cover you,” Heath
said. “Go on.”

“
Don’t shoot me, asshole.”
Alex yelled.

She ran toward the party.

A man in a SECURITY T-shirt, carrying a
machine gun, ran toward her. Leaping sideways, her right leg
straight with her left tucked under, she caught the man in the
chest with a powerful flying kick. Unable to keep his balance, he
snatched at her right foot. Rotating midair, she smacked the man in
the face with her left foot. He fell unconscious onto the
concrete.

Hearing machine gunfire, she stopped
moving.

“
That’s Heath,” Troy said
through her ear bud communicator. “He’s actually helping. I’m in
place.”

“
Go,” Heath
yelled.

Alex’s single focus was on her mother and
Maria. Running toward the women, her eyes caught the motion of men
falling from Troy’s sharpshooting. Health’s machine gun cover kept
men from moving near her. Troy’s sharpshooting cleared the way.
Jumping over falling men like hurdles, she approached the
crowd.

Terrified party goers ran in circles in
front of her. As if intentionally trying to slow her down, they cut
into her path or stopped right in front of her. Alex pushed her way
through the crowd to get to Maria and Rebecca.