Chapter 2

When the plane sat down at Dulles, I was glad to see the trip end.No I’m not bothered by flying.I’m just bothered by flying with screaming toddlers.I know it can’t always be avoided, but I seemed to be a brat magnet.Every commercial flight had at least one would be brat.The kid took one look at me and began to cry.‭

Once the flight attendant opened the door, I almost bolted for it.I managed to contain myself all the way to the gate.The only thing that kept me from running through the terminal was the youngish red headed woman holding the sign with the name Sarge Selfie on it.I had to think that it was for me.

“Hello Miss, I’m the former Sergeant Selfridge, are you by chance here to meet me?” I asked.

“Yes I am.Do you know where the baggage pick up area is?” she asked.

“No, but I think I can find it,” I said it walked toward the sign ‘‬Baggage Pick Up‭’‬. “So what do they call you?”

“My name is Lucinda, but I’m called Lucy,” she said.

“Nice to meet you Lucy.My bag is a black backpack.Would you keep an eye out for it?” I asked.She nodded.

The backpack showed up and I liftedit over one shoulder. “Ready to go,” I said.

I followed her out of the terminal, and to a taxi stand.Lucy had a very strange walk.It was almost as if her legs didn’t match.She saw me looking as she climbed into the front seat of the third cab in line.I had noticed a hint of metal when her jeans moved up as she entered.

“Afghanistan?” I askedonce I was inside the cab.

“North of Kandahar2011,” she answered.

Since I didn’t know what to say I just nodded my head.My two companions obviously knew each other. “So what’s your name and story,” I asked the driver.

“Dominic, I’m from New York and I’m a driver.If it’s got wheels or tracks I can drive it,” he said with a grin. “That is why they call me ‘‬wheels‭’‬.‭”

“And he’s modest too,” Lucy said.

“I can tell.So where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Headquarters,” Dominic said.

The traffic in DC wasn’t a bit better after thenoonrush hour.At least it didn’t seem so to me.After maybe twenty minutes we pulled into an underground garage.‭

“Nice,” I said.

“It is on a rainy day,” Dominic answered.

“I can imagine,” I agreed.The three of us took the elevator to the3rd floor.We walked down a short hall to a door with the red letters FP on the top of a blue globe.It had to be some kind of logo.

Lucy#2opened the door for me, but walked inside and released it.I had to hold it open for Dominic, AKA wheels.I thought of Lucy as Lucy2since Lucy one was my driver in Siler City and I would probably use her again.

Lucy2led me to the office of Lt.Martin.I was going to have to remember not to call him Junior.At least not tomy fellow employees.

“God I can’t believe it’s you,” he said with a deep smile. “It’s been over twenty years since I last saw you.‭”

“Probably more like twenty-five,” I suggested. “Lt.You look absolutely respectable.‭”

“I know, disgusting isn’t it?” It was a question, but one not requiring an answer.

“So what do your think of your new team? ‬Well half of it anyway,” the Lt asked.

“I didn’t know, so I didn’ttake thechance to study them,” I suggested.

“Come on, they need to know they can’t put anything over on you.So let them have it, all of it.‭” he demanded.

“Sorry guys, but here goes.Dominic was a delinquent probably did some time in juvenile detention at least for car theft.I expect he was back into the life for a while, then something drastic turned him all the way around.While he was in the life he was somebody’s personal driver.He also drove a few getaway cars.How you got hold of him I have no idea,” I said.

“Pretty close, but I drove for my uncle’s limo service for three years before the boss found me.Now I drive for him and it’s a hell of a lot more fun,” Dominic said. “Now do Lucinda.‭”

Lucinda joined the army right out of high school.It saved her from a life on streets.She liked the infantry, but ended up in the heavy equipment section of the motor pool.Took a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.Lost part of her leg, retired on disability, but she missed the excitement.She spent a few years looking for it other places, but somehow you found her.

“Shes a MMA Champion in her weight class.I saw her take a beating in a casino cage fight in Mississippi one night.I went back and hired her on the spot.She took a beating, but she won the match.‭”

“It sounds like the beginnings of a good team,” I said.

“Since we just found out that you are joining our team, who are you?” Dominic asked.

“I’m nobody special,” I said. “Now I am curious why me?”

“Well besides saving my life in the sandbox, General Smith called and told me about the shit they were giving you, so I found a place for you,” the Lt said.

“You didn’t have to do that.You still don’t.I can get a flight home and repay you for the ticket,” I said.

“No you don’t.It wasn’t charity.I need you.At least stay and meet the rest of your team,” he suggested.‭

“Okay, so when does that happen?” I asked.

“We are going to have a briefing at three, so we have twenty minutes.There is time to make coffee for everyone,” the LT said.

The office had one of those stupid one cup at a time coffee makers.God I hate fresh coffee, I thought.Even so I stood around until someone took pity on me.Lucy2showed me how to use the coffee pot.Actually she made me thefirstcup of coffee.She used the strongest coffee available.It didn’t taste anything like coffee which has sat around half a day, but it was drinkable.

“You still gambling?‭” Martin asked me before the meeting began.

“I had to get help before I could stop, ten years ago.When I joined the VIP protection team, I had to quit.It was either quit the sports betting, or keep going into the field until some rag head killed me.‭”

“Yeah that war is for young men,” Martin said.

“All wars are for the young.They can’t imagine dying,” I said.

“Roger that,” he agreed.

“Okay let’s begin,” Martin said. “This is the plan as of today, but when we deal with a hip hop show anything can happen.We need to be ready for anything.The worst thing for us would be for someone to die while we stand around with our finger up our collective asses.We need to be proactive.We need to be right in the middle of the action, but at the same time we can’t be seen as Nazi storm troopers.

The schedule is killer.Ten shows in thirty days.Rotten tomatoes is a rotten hip hop and rap music band, so you know what that means.Expect to see drugs sold in the open, and a lot of name calling.Don’t pay any attention.

You all work together, but Sarge here has done hundreds of protection jobs.So listen to him, but if you see something, say something.The Sarge here is only signed on for this one tour, so help him out.‭”

“There aresix of you going on the tour with the band.So I want two of you with them at all times.During the show I want you all either on stage or in the audience.Except the Sarge he will be running the command post and checking for the big threats.‭”

“What big threats?” one of the team, who I hadn’t really met yet, asked.‭

“Let’s see, a Vegas style shooter, or a pipe bomb, or maybe an organized group trying to rush the stage, all that and much more is possible.A truck driven into the crowd.We are not to worry about the motive, just to stop it.It most likely is going tohappen before we know just what to stop.That is the nature of the beast.‭” I said.

“Well said.‭” Martin agreed.‭

I had never heard of the band before the night Junior Martin called me at home.I did some research on the band.They were controversial and there had been violence ata fewof theirsmallshows.I expect that was why Martin had been so generous with his offer.The question was how far I would go to protect these punks.Ididn’t have a good answer.

“Okay guys do any of you know a good bar close to here?” I asked.

“What do you want,” Lucy2asked.

“A place to get a beer, and maybe some female conversation,” I suggested “Oh did I mention the first round is on me.‭”

“Iva’s Tavern,” Dominic suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Lucy2agreed.The other three just went along with us.Four of us piled into the company taxi.The other two drove themselves.Iva’s tavern was filled with cops, paramedics, and firemen.

“Dom, I’m surprised you though of this place.We are a bit out of place here,” I suggested.

“Not really,” the second female on our team said.‭

“Why is that?” I asked.‭

“I was a cop for ten years.Martin recruited me after a car chase went bad and my partner died.I had some problems adjusting.Seeing the same knuckle headsback on the street before Sam’s funeral changed me.‭”

“So do you know all the DC cops?” I asked.

“No, I was a cop in Camden N.J.but they are all the same,” she said.

“Not really. The corruption in Camden is legendary,” I said.

‭”I was an honest cop,” she said.

“So, you were the one?” I asked.

“Yeah that was me,” she said with a smile. “I’m also Nita.Nice to meet you Sarge.‭”

“Thanks,” I said raising my glass to her.

Rex had been listening perhaps waiting to see how it went, “I’m kind of a cop to.I worked for the Los Angeles Sheriff office till Jerry Brown started his shit.I was asked to leave for doing my job.They blackballed me.Nobody in law enforcement will touch me.Thank god for Force Protection,” he said.

“Hear hear,” they all said.

The team looked a lot like a group of losers, I thought.Well, we would see what they could do.

“What is your story Martin?” I asked.

“Border patrol doesn’t have any use for officers who don’t speakreally goodSpanish these days.Even if they do have ten years experience,” he informed me.‭

“That truly sucks,” I said. “Well it looks like we all got a soft landing.‭”

I could tell that they didn’t know each other well.I had a feeling this was an audition for the part, or maybe a shakedown cruise.Either way I had to keep an eye on them all.Which would be difficult as I went from place to place, not to mention trying to keep the band alive all at the same time.

I chose to go to dinner during the middle of the second round.I left them all drinking beer except for the former border patrol officer.He decided to go to dinner with me, then we would both go to the hotel.That was the plan.

Marty was a thin blond haired thirty something young man.The border patrol must have hired him to check cars.He admitted that his Spanish was minimal, even if he was fluent he couldn’t pass for a person of South American descent, not with the blond hair, blue eyes, and shocking white skin.

Over dinner he told me he was going to be working by the job on a contract basis.I admitted that I was doing the same.The stew beef was good and it should be at$25dollars a plate.That was a lot, even if it did have a fancy name.Since I wasn’t paying for it, I didn’t argue.I had a company credit card, even so I also brought my own card along.I still wasn’t sure how solid the company was.

“So tell me Marty, do you think Lucy2‭’‬s hair is really red?” I asked.

“She has Green eyes, so I expect so,” he stated.

“Yeah, it’s really hard to tell much about her since she dresses like a MMA fighter.You know they don’t want anything hanging loose,” I said then laughed.

“I imagine we will know soon enough.We are all going to be sharing a close space.‭” he said.

“True,” I agreed.

“Nita is definitely Latina and she is cute.Do you believe she was the only honest cop in Camden?” Marty asked.

“I believe she has justified in her own mind everything she did.All cops have a secret or two,” I replied.

“Oh yeah, what’s yours,” he asked.

“As the saying goes, ‘‬I would have to kill you‭’ ‬if I told,” I said with a laugh. “Why do you think Lt.Martin found half a dozen flawed cop types for this gig?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Marty said. “The pay is good so I really don’t care.‭”

“Good, we shouldn’t worry about things we can’t change.Wedefinitivelyare back in the shit, it just smells differently,” I said.

There were cabs waiting at the curb for dinner guest seeking rides to their hotels.The whole team was staying at the same hotel.The cab driver took us to the Churchill Hotel.It was way too ‘‬frufru‭’ ‬for me, but I guessed that it would impress the others.I was pretty sure that the company got a corporate discount there.

As team leader I got a private room, I had no idea about the others.I pulled out my computer and did my due diligence research on the ‘‬rotten tomato band‭’‬, and the venue where they were playing in New York.The band was mostly unknown to anyoneoutside New York city.Even then probably only the computer nerds were familiar with them.I assumed that since they were a Utube sensation.The had leveraged that feat into a contract for the tour I was employed to protect.

All the band members were graduates ofJulliard School of Music in New York, which screamed money and connections.The band of four musicians had met at Julliard and formed their band during their senior year.They began with Utube while still at the school and even used the school’s facilities for the tapes they submitted.