Chapter 13

There were a lot of details to cover before they actually left, so Doug set a tentative departure time of Friday at noon, That would give everyone twenty-four hours to get ready.

Lane and Stella would be staying at the Penthouse and, of course, the girls had the other penthouse so they would be close by. Anyone leaving the building would have an escort at all times.

Chartering a plane turned out to be ridiculously easy, a credit card and a phone call were all it took to set things in motion.

Carol went with Christine and JJ over to the other apartment to make plans, leaving Stella, Lane, and Doug to chat.

Stella was a presence in any room, and the sight of her standing next to Lane was nothing short of awe inspiring. Lane was barely five feet tall, a very petite lady with a gymnast's figure and a pixie haircut, while Stella was at least an inch over six feet tall with a body builders figure and shoulders that would put a professional linebacker to shame.

They were standing there chatting, getting to know one another when they caught him staring and exchanged a glance. Without even speaking, they both assumed a pose; standing like two models on a runway, each one shot a hip, cocked one leg at the knee and placed a hand behind their heads.

Doug surprised them both when he tilted his tablet up on its mount and hit the screen. The tell-tale sound of an image being captured made the both gasp and rush to his chair. Doug, aware that he had very little chance against Lane by herself, much less the much, much stronger Stella, just hunched over the tablet, protecting it with his body.

Lane didn't fight at all fair, using her intimate knowledge of his anatomy to tickle him while Stella pulled the tablet out of its mount.

Stella studied the image for several minutes, her face transforming through several different expressions, each one as hard to identify as the one preceding. Then she smiled and handed the tablet to Lane. Lane took one look at the image and shook her head.

"Stella, I would have snapped a picture too." she said, amusement in her voice.

"I was thinking the same thing." Stella agreed, and then turned to Doug. "Do you think you could send me a copy?"

Dinner was take-out, picked up by one of the security team, and by eight that evening, empty Chinese food cartons were strewn all over the living room, the six of them sitting back and sipping at the third bottle of wine.

"You never told us how you met, Carol. I mean, you know about Lane and I, obviously, and you were there when Christine was talking about the nude sunbathing romp of '04." Doug said, grinning at his sister.

"Hey!" Christine was trying her best to sound offended.

"Not nude, topless." JJ didn't even try, grinning at Doug.

"Well, we didn't start out nude." Christine said, giving in and joining in the good natured laughter.

"It was quite romantic." Stella chimed in. Carol simply shook her head and raised her eyes to the ceiling.

"She was on a protection detail for this Saudi big wig that had a muscle fetish. He was attending the last competition I ever did and managed to bribe his way back stage. He was rampaging through the dressing rooms, women screaming and not a few of them chasing him with anything they could get their hands on, when Carol comes in and clothes-lines the guy. You know what I mean, right? He was running along, Carol sticks out her arm and catches this guy under his chin. He is flying through the air, does a complete flip and lands on his face."

Everyone is staring at Carol, wide-eyed at this point, as Stella finishes her story.

"I came out of my dressing room to see what is happening, wearing nothing but a smile, mind you, and there is this gorgeous creature standing there, her foot on the neck of some guy in a white dress. She smiled at me, you know, smiled at me, and handed me her card. The rest is history." Stella is beaming at Carol and holding on to her arm with both hands.

Doug, Lane, Christine and JJ were all sitting there, trying not to laugh with varying degrees of success, when Carol started to chuckle.

It was like a little trickle that caused the dam to break. The laughter filled the room, leaving everyone gasping for air except for Stella, who sat there looking as pleased as punch.

As the evening wound down, Christine and JJ returned to their apartment, Stella and Lane went back to prepare for bed, and Carol and Doug found themselves alone in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee and chatting.

Carol sat forward in her arm chair, her elbows resting on her knees as she cradled the coffee mug in her hands. Her expression was intent and her tone serious as she posed a question to Doug, something that had been on her mind all afternoon.

"Doug, I've gotten to know you pretty well, or at least I like to think I have, but I guess I just don't understand why you would be the one to suggest ... well, running away. It just seems so out of character for you. Hard charging Ranger type, doesn't back down and all that."

Doug just grinned at her and shook his head.

"Carol..." he started, then stopped and looked thoughtful, "When I was in the military, one thing they pounded home was that it is not our job to go into battle and die bravely for our country. It was our job to make the other poor son-of-a-bitch do that."

"They taught you to run towards the sound of gunfire. It is what the Secret Service does. You were willing to put yourself between the target and the bullet. But answer me this. As an Agent with a principal to protect, which did you prefer? Making sure the principal was never in danger in the first place or exchanging gunfire with the bad guys. I don't know what I am facing; I don't have enough intel to make a good decision. Do I stay and put my family and friends in danger when I have the ability to withdraw from the field?"