“This way,” she said and led him to an armored limo. She opened the back door and gestured for Ben to enter with a stiff expression. He cautiously bent and stepped into the vehicle. She closed the door behind him, remaining outside.
Seated on the back seat was a broad-chested man with many bars of ribbons on his chest. Ben sat on the seat facing him.
“Mr. Shepherd, hello. I’m General Davis. Sergeant Killcade is my niece, and I’ve asked her to keep an eye on you,” the man explained.
“She’s been spying on me?” Ben exclaimed in surprise.
The man shook his head. “No, not at all. I merely asked her to ensure your protection. She’s a highly skilled soldier!”
Ben nodded then his expression became cautious. “Why is a General in the US army keeping track of me?”
“My niece speaks very highly of you. Genius is the word she used, and she doesn’t apply that term to anyone. She’s brilliant in her own right, but she’s not very comfortable interacting emotionally with people. When she gave you that honorific and I heard Captain Kendricks singing your praises, it caught my attention. When I heard from Agent Russo about the little treasure trove you brought back from Russia for the CIA, I knew it was time to get directly involved.” He gestured out the window. “You seem to be a magnet for trouble. I want to assist you in deflecting that trouble.”
Ben looked at the man cautiously. “Deflecting it? How exactly?”
Davis nodded. “Like Captain Kendricks did for you with those mercenaries. We can run interference between you and the mob families and keep an eye out for any further incursions from the Russians.”
The man leaned forward slightly to look Ben in the eye. “We’re aware of the diamond’s Rainor Hahn purchased, and we’re also aware of the deeds to the properties you inherited. We passed that information over to Agent Montrose of the FBI and, while she’s pissed off with you, she has her evidence now.” He gave Ben a grin as Ben’s expression showed his unease at making the FBI upset with him.
The General continued. “As these rather considerable assets came from some of the worst criminal activity, there was some concern as to how they would be used. However, you have several excellent references. First, there’s your actions. What little information that gets published about you proves you’re a man of integrity and honor. Trust me when I say we did our homework on you and identified the truth from the smear campaigns. The second reference, which I in particular hold in high regard, came from Evelyn. As I’ve mentioned, she’s not very comfortable with people, but her perception cuts through the bullshit. She’s given you a positively glowing endorsement. She made it quite clear what kind of man you are. You protect those you love, and you’re trying to make a positive difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Lastly, Captain Kendricks has been working with you for some time and backs up the other assessments of your character. With these endorsements, I have no issue with you retaining the assets. This also means your government has no issue.”
Ben was feeling a little overwhelmed by this man’s assurances. He felt a little off balance and worried he might make a poor judgment call. So, he just nodded his thanks and considered the offer. There were always two sides to every deal.
“What are your expectations for this support?” Ben asked. He knew the General wanted something. He wouldn’t be offering this much for altruism.
Davis nodded with a smile on his face. “It comes back to Evelyn’s assessment of your genius-”
“I’m not a genius! I just like puzzles. My brain is hungry for them,” Ben insisted.
The General’s smile widened. “Yes, puzzles that confound our best people for years, yet you solve in a day.” He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “But have it your way. We won’t call it genius.” He fixed his eyes on Ben. “I’d like your assistance with some puzzles my team is struggling with.”
“Weapons. You want me to work on weapon research. That’s exactly why the Russians wanted to kidnap me!” Ben said in frustration.
“They already think you’re doing it,” Davis reasoned.
“But I’m not comfortable with the idea of inventing things that kill,” Ben explained.
Davis leaned back and fixed his eye on Ben. “You know what happens to a soldier whose gun overheats or jams when he’s in a firefight?” Davis asked.
Ben nodded. “He dies.”
“Exactly. We get the weapon’s manufacturer to design and build weapons to protect our soldiers and assets, yet these weapon’s fail and at the worst possible times. Additionally, a soldier’s pack contains everything he needs to survive, but they’re damn heavy. That wears their strength down. Makes them less effective and people die. Patton was right. I don’t want my people dying for their country. I want them to make the other guy die for his. I want to bring my people home safe and sound. You can help make this happen. There are so many ways you can help them. I’m not asking you to invent weapons. I’m asking you to keep our people alive and improve their conditions.”
Ben leaned back and thought about that. The way the General was selling it, he could see merit in the argument, but he had to caution himself on that slippery slope. Still, the idea appealed. “If I begin working in Weapons design or whatever you call it, I become a true target for our enemies.”
“I say again; they already believe you’re working on weapons, so the threat hasn’t changed. However, we can assist you at home. You still own the two houses at the entrance of Ashburn Court. You could sell them to us, and we’ll set up a garrison to house a squad to protect the neighborhood,” the General suggested. “It would be a pretty plush assignment for the Squads so we’d rotate them in.”
Ben thought about that. He wasn’t keen on selling the homes to the government. “What if I renovated one for you to rent. With the lot sizes, you’d likely only need one. I- I have plans for the other.”
He shook his head as he listened to what he was saying. “I’m getting ahead of myself here. I may own a number of the homes, but that doesn’t give me the right to force this on the others. I need to speak with my neighbors to see if they object.”
General Davis nodded.
Ben frowned and took a deep breath. “I have another condition. The two Russian women; Liliya Sokolov and Tatiana Pushkin. I want their freedom guaranteed.”
Davis balked. “I can’t do that! They’re assassins! They’ve murdered dozens of innocents!”
“They were slaves to that Russian Colonel. They had no choice but to follow orders. When the Colonel was killed, they earned their freedom. They deserve to be given a choice,” Ben said firmly.
Davis fixed his eyes on Ben’s and had a grim look on his face. “Keeping them out of jail means you’d be responsible for any further deaths they caused. The civilian authorities won’t take orders from us.” He thought for a moment. “It’s questionable if I’ll be able to arrange this. I’d have to deal with several government agencies. I know the CIA is interested in them. Agent Russo was almost salivating at the idea of recruiting them.” The General frowned and considered his options. “I might be able to justify their freedom if I assign them to you as protection, but they’d also have to be willing to work with Agent Russo. That would get the CIA on board, and we’d need their support.”
Ben considered the conditions they were placing on the women’s freedom. He didn’t feel like he had the right to be doing this, but if he didn’t, he couldn’t guarantee them some quality of life.
“If you agree to this, it means you’d be responsible for their conduct. You’d be their new leash! They can’t have access to large sums of money as they can’t be allowed to run. If they do, all bets are off, and they become targets,” the General stated bluntly.
“Their options are jail or this?” Ben asked.
“Best I can do, and I still need to determine if I can arrange it,” Davis said firmly.
Ben considered that. “Right.” Ben nodded. He wondered if they’d find that acceptable. He hoped so as he wanted to get Liliya back with her daughter. “You have Liliya in custody. Would you be presenting the new deal to her?” The General nodded, and Ben nodded. “Tatiana told me she would see me again. If she does come back, I can let her know.”
“So, we have a deal?” the General asked.
“Yes, but I still need buy-in from my neighbors. I can’t make this decision for them,” Ben said but the General nodded.
Ben slumped back against the seat. He was exhausted but suddenly jolted upright again. “Gabrielle and Hannah!”
“Your lady friends are fine. I’ll get you back to your hotel. My people have been in contact with Ms. Wallace and Ms. Cooper. They know you’re safe and they’ll meet you there.”
Ben slumped once more with a nod. The General opened his door, and Evelyn entered to hand Ben army pants, an army t-shirt, and boots. He looked at her in surprise. “Corporal Evans is almost your size,” she replied to his unspoken question.
“Thank you! And please thank the Corporal for me as well!” he said.
She nodded then sat next to the General as the limo began to move. They looked out their windows to give Ben privacy while he put the clothes on.
Ben was too tired to have a conversation, so the drive to the hotel was quiet. As they pulled up to the front door, Ben shook the General’s hand. “Thank you for the assist tonight.”
“Looking forward to working with you!” the man said in return with a broad smile.
Ben smiled weakly and nodded.
When he was on the sidewalk with the Sergeant, they watched the limo pull away, and she handed him his wallet and keys. His hotel key was inside.
They walked inside and went directly to their rooms. He stopped Evelyn before she went inside hers.
“I want to thank you for going above and beyond for me tonight. You saved my life, probably more than once and I’m grateful!” She smiled and nodded, so he pulled her into a warm hug. She squeaked a little then her arms went around him too. Ben pulled back after a time, and she was a little slow on the release, but he didn’t make a thing of it.
“Goodnight, Evelyn!”
“Goodnight… Ben.”
The moment Ben stepped into his room Gabriella and Hannah were up and running towards him. He caught them against his chest and took turns kissing them.
Once they settled down a little, Gabriella pulled back and touched her nose. “Why do you smell like gas?”