***
“Going in anytime soon?” Ty heard his Admiral’s voice behind him and tore his eyes off the beautiful face of Tanesha with effort.
“Sorry, Sir.” Ty moved aside to make way for the Admiral but the elderly man didn’t move.
“So that’s her huh?” Admiral Mathias murmured with his eyes on an oblivious Tanesha. “Figures. Well, Lieutenant, finish hard. After this ceremony, she’s all yours. Let’s go take our seats. The president is about to enter.” With that, the man moved past Ty and went to take his seat.
Taking a deep breath, Ty followed the Admiral and went to take his seat as well. He couldn’t wait for the ceremony to end so he could talk to Tanesha. The Arrowheads were already seated. So were other high-ranking members of the Navy. It was supposed to be a very short ceremony. He and his team would probably be decorated with a star each for their hard work, and then the president would probably give him a plaque or something for his role in the capture of Ghost, then speeches would be made, and then the ceremony would come to an end. He was supposed to read a thank you speech by the Arrowhead…which was very short. Then everything would be over. Ty couldn’t wait. The anticipation was killing him.
***
The look on Tanesha’s face was priceless. She couldn’t believe her new friends were actually there with her in the White House. She had to suppress her squeals of surprise and joy.
“Are you guys for real?” She gushed, reaching out to pinch Aaron.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Aaron gave a surprised laugh.
“Just checking to see if this is real…if you guys are really here.” Tanesha laughed, stepping into Shane’s arms for a hug.
“Well, you’re supposed to pinch yourself.” Aaron gave a mock scowl. “You didn’t think we were going to let you come alone did you?”
“But how did you get invites?” She asked moving into Damon’s arms.
“I called in some favours,” Damon said with mock arrogance. “What can I say? It’s good to know people in high places.” He added, making the others smirk.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me this morning that you would all be here.” Tanesha gushed reaching out to take Dean’s adorable baby from his wife Kayla, who actually leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you, my dear.” Kayla gave her the most brilliant smile. “They didn’t exaggerate. You are beautiful.”
“Oh my God, I’m happy to see you too and Baby Raby.” Tanesha laughed. “She’s so adorable and you’re so hot. Love your haircut.” She gushed and turned to receive a hug from Jen, Matt’s fiancee, who she’d spoken to on phone once. “Oh my God, you’re gorgeous,” Tanesha told the lawyer who actually looked like a model. She felt as if she was in the presence of celebrities. “I’ve heard so much about you ladies it feels like I’ve known you for years.” Tanesha was beyond thrilled.
She wanted to sit with them but Dean took the baby from her and insisted she go back to sit with her family. “Go on. The ceremony is about to begin.” Dean said. “And don’t pout.” He’d added, making Kayla laugh.
“We’ll talk after the ceremony darling,” Kayla said, hugging her again. But even as Tanesha went back to her seat, she couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over so that she could hang out with them.
After observing a minute’s silence for Gustav, one of Ty’s colleagues, the ceremony began. And throughout the initial speeches by some senior military personals, Tanesha kept looking at the squad with a beaming smile on her face. She didn’t care much for what was going on as in her opinion, the right person was not the one being honoured. Her Skull deserved the award and not the bunch of smartly dressed Navy guys seated. Yes, they did help, but the one who did the real job was Skull and Tanesha was pissed he wasn’t and couldn’t be acknowledged. She felt her cell phone vibrate and looked down to see she had a message from Chris.
Chris: Listen to what is being said Tanesha.
Tanesha smiled and quickly replied: Why should I bother? The one who deserves it is not here.
Chris: This is not going to take very long so please listen. Okay?
Tanesha: (frowning smiley face) Alright, alright.
Tanesha automatically began clapping with everyone else as the first speaker, an Admiral Martin or something, had finished giving his speech. The President came next. He spoke about how fearless the Arrowheads had been in their quest to capture Ghost. He thanked them for making the country and him in particular proud as he’d promised a very noble man, Ex-Prime Minister Paul Ashton, to save his daughter. There was thunderous applause when the president actually walked over to where each member of the team sat and pinned on their left breast pocket, a Star of Honour.
One officer, in particular, seemed to attract Tanesha’s full attention. From where she sat, she could only see his back. But Tanesha could have sworn she knew him. The way he stood and his mannerisms…there was something so familiar about him. For some reason, Tanesha’s heart started pounding so hard she wondered whether her mother, who was sitting beside her, could hear it. Her palms grew clammy and she wiped them on her dress.
The president asked the men to sit down and went back to stand behind the lectern to continue with his speech. He spoke about a particular person, who to him, had performed spectacularly well. According to the president, that person had actually given them more than they’d bargained for. Not only had he ensured the safety of the Former Prime Minister’s daughter, but he’d also captured Ghost alive. And as if that wasn’t enough, thanks to him, they’d uncovered the biggest human trafficking syndicate ever. The pride in the president’s voice and the awe on his face couldn’t be missed.