Eternal Service (25 page)

“Sorry,” she said as she moved away from his face. “I didn’t mean to be too obvious.” Actually, she normally would have taken offense to the ‘darlin’ remark and would have been up in his face for such a sexist comment. She could tell he didn’t mean it as a come–on, nor as a degrading title. Somehow, the words coming from a good old southern gentleman, old enough to be her grandfather, didn’t bother her. He seemed easy to talk to, and she liked that. It reminded her of when she was a little girl talking with her Paw–Paw all those years ago.

Mason was one of the full vampires in the group, just like Daniel. It meant he was once human, and that piqued her interest. “I read you’re a member of the team because of Raymond’s actions,” she said.

“Yep.”

“And you were a fighter pilot before that.”

“In World War II,” he whispered. “I was on mission, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Raymond gave me the orders and he miscalculated the enemy’s position. I knew the truth about him. ‘No compelling in foxholes’ type of thing. And I begged Raymond to turn me.”

“You begged? He didn’t want to turn you?”

“I was the first human he turned, and he didn’t want to do it. I think his guilt over sending me to my death got the best of him. That, and I told him I had a family that needed me to live.”

Alex smiled. “Then the turning worked out. You came home to them.”

Mason shook his head and his eyes saddened with pain. “Nah, it didn’t work out. My wife rejected me when I told her. She told the kids I had died, and she asked that I never see her or them again.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Mason looked away. “I am too. It wasn’t exactly the homecoming I had hoped for. Raymond compelled them to believe I died in combat, and I spent my entire existence as a vampire away from them.”

Alex flinched. “That must have been difficult for you.”

He shrugged. “I loved them enough to let them go. Raymond regrets turning me, but he helped me through the pain.”

Alex could sense his loneliness. She thought back to Daniel’s words of making the best of a bad situation. “I guess I never thought about the negative effects of being turned,” she said in a reflective, solemn tone.

Mason shrugged his shoulders and looked away just as Brandon pointed out the window, and announced to no one in particular, “Marine One.”

Alex craned her neck to look out the tiny porthole. Not too far in the distance she saw the three marine helicopters, two of which were decoys and one, the real McCoy, approaching. She thought back to when she had boarded the plane. A small contingent of Marines was standing guard, obviously waiting to greet the President so that the Air Force soldiers could escort him aboard the airplane. Everything ran with peak efficiency, and that impressed her.

“I best be going,” Mason said just as Matt reappeared looking for his seat.

Saying a quick good–bye to Mason, and allowing Matt access to his seat, Alex stared out the window for any image of the President she could see, but she wasn’t able to see where Marine One had landed. Moments later the announcement came over the intercom. The woman’s voice sounded confident and firm. “Attention on board the aircraft. The President is on board. We are now Air Force One.”

Alex sat straighter in her seat, her head held high, and her lips curled into a satisfied smile. She could get used to this life.

Air Force One landed in Florida and both the human and vampire teams were busy on security detail. Mason exited with Alex and part of the human team and climbed into the first of the five presidential limos that would drive around Florida. Mason rode in the decoy car; Alex rode in the mobile com center car that linked all five cars together.

Raymond, Sterling and Sulie, plus some humans, made up the President’s Protection Detail, also known as the inner circle of protection. The PPD and the President filed into the Presidential limo. The vampires would remain in the car, since they could not afford to have their pictures taken. Thanks to digital technology, they were too exposed now. Of course, in the past bad photography, poor film development … it was easy to explain blurred vampire faces. The press wasn’t stupid though. After a while they would catch onto a pattern, and then the team would have to rotate who got out of the car. During one such incident, when a photographer got too close, the team could not risk sitting in the convertible with JFK. It still bothered Raymond that he had not been able to save the President.

The devastation in Florida proved massive. The storm had hit land in the last 48 hours, killing 14, wounding hundreds, and destroying thousands of homes and livelihoods. Many were homeless, many were without electricity, and freshwater was scarce. The President did the flyover in Marine One and allowed Mason to view the neighborhoods and the places of business that were devastated.

While the President remained safely tucked away in a hotel with half the Colony team, Mason gave testimonials on the TV about what he had seen, and to how much federal aid Floridians could expect. Mason did his best to cover his face with his hands often during close up shots, and even wore dark sunglasses.

The vampires stayed in their perspective cars with little to do much of the day, which was truly an exercise in boredom. Between this and the President’s schedule to visit Austin, Texas, it was going to be a long week.

Alex felt overwhelmed. Since the original state dinner passes had been forged, a new pass design was drafted and security measures were put into place – which included a change of venue. The team back in D.C. had already compelled the White House Social Secretary, Chief of Protocol, and Chief Usher into believing the White House State Dining Room had experienced a flooding and was unavailable for the State Dinner. Documents were forged from a fake construction and plumbing company which had worked on the room and its nonexistent damage. Even press releases had been made about the fake damage.

The away team worked divided, half with the President, the other half as the decoy. Alex shuffled her priorities between the five motorcade cars. Back home, the dinner’s State Arrival Ceremony had to be changed from the White House reception room to a ballroom downtown, the dinner itself was now in an adjourning ballroom. The executive chef, pastry chef, and florists desperately tried to adjust to the change. Alex had spent the last twenty minutes on the phone with the White House calligrapher’s assistant who was busy faxing the change of venue invites to all those attending. The calligrapher could not understand why Ben’s last name was now Preston. After a series of impressive lies, the invitation was successfully changed.

Alex spent more time on the phone than talking face–to–face with each person, and her voice was threatening to give out. She had another dozen calls to make before she could call it a day and she was ready to relax in a hot bubble bath.

Eventually the motorcade ended their day at the Jamestown Imperial Hotel, a luxury five–star hotel which catered to Hollywood big shots and state dignitaries. It wasn’t every day the hotel received such an honor as the president of the United States, but the security was top–notch. The President had already entered through a service entrance earlier that day. Now Mason, with all the fan fair, entered through the same door. If this President had not had the label of being the “People’s President” the group may have flown back to D.C., but this one liked reaching out to his people, even if it was his decoy who did the actual reaching.

The top three floors of the hotel were reserved for the President, with Secret Service on the roof, the floor below, the lobby, and every nook and cranny that could be imagined in between.

The Secret Service secured Mason in the presidential suite as the rest of the team found their way to their own rooms. Alex was used to staying in hotels that promoted their rooms as “charming” and “quaint.” This room she shared with Sulie was posh. The beds were queens and in separate rooms. She guessed the bathroom and bar fixtures were less than a couple of years old, same with the rug, living room furniture and drapes. The windows were drawn shut, but she could imagine the view was spectacular. She thought the job she accepted was just dealing with the vampires. She had not bargained for her new traveling itinerary, or for the pleasing accommodations. Taking this job really was the best decision of her life.

Security was through with the luggage checks, and she noticed her suitcases in the second bedroom. She unpacked just enough to hang up her suits so they would not be wrinkled, and to dig out her toiletry kit. An emergency blood kit was stored in a secret compartment of her suitcase. The majority of the blood supply for the team was hidden in plain sight – in Sulie’s medical supply kits.

Alex ran her fingers over the nearly invisible pocket which held the five small syringes of blood and thought of Raymond. She had wanted to talk with him on the airplane. Once that fell through, she had hoped to talk with him at some point during the day, but he had flanked the President earlier that day, sat on Marine One with the man, and had called it an early day. All while she went from one flooded neighborhood to the other with Mason. Any discussion over last night would have to wait until later.

Raymond and Sterling sat shoulder to shoulder in a cramped security room filled with monitors displaying different areas of the hotel. The President remained locked down for the night, but security always had someone on duty, even into the small hours of the morning.

A knock sounded on the security door, and Sterling grinned from ear–to–ear as he let Alex in. “Look Dad. Alex decided to join us.”

It pleased Raymond to see her. There had been no chance throughout the day to apologize for his previous behavior. “Sterling, aren’t you due for a break? Maybe Alex could help me for while you take one.”

“Actually Sterling, that would be nice. Please give us a few minutes. I have some business to discuss with your father.”

“Sure. How about if I get all three of us some coffees?” Sterling suggested.

Raymond watched as the grin on his son’s face faded to a look of concern. When a woman said she needed to talk alone for a few minutes, it usually meant a heart–crushing blow was about to happen.

Once alone, Alex apologized. “I am so sorry about last night. It was unprofessional of me to drink as much as I did. There is no excuse.”

“It's fine.” Raymond became more confused than ever. He should be the one apologizing. “Look, I should never have crossed the line last night. I didn’t know how much you had to drink and I never should have … wait, do you remember what happened last night?”

“What do you mean?”

Confusion, thy name is relationship. “You were drunk last night. I got you home, put you into bed. I didn’t want to take advantage of you … hell, I planned to feed you something called Frosted Flakes …”

Her hand covered her mouth as a gasp escaped. Her eyes widened. “I don’t remember any cereal. I drank a few glasses of wine to calm my nerves before meeting the team. Then, at Fang Manor, I lost track of how much I drank.”

“What was the last thing you remember?”

A smile crossed her lips. “Pulling you into my bed.” Her devilish smile was wicked, her look seductive as hell, but it confused Raymond even more.

“Wait. Why were you so mad at me this morning when you boarded the plane? How did I offend you?”

“I wasn’t mad at you.”

“I heard your thoughts Alex. Who was the ‘Stupid bloodsucking bastard’ that you were mad at this morning? If it wasn’t me, then who else on the team upset you?”

Alex’s eyes grew wide in disbelief and she let out a hardy laugh. “I was bitten by mosquitoes this morning, that’s all.” Watching as the information sank in, she added, “Raymond, you should have talked to me. You went all day long thinking I was mad at you? I’m so sorry.”

Raymond laughed. “I’m so relieved.” He took in a deep breath and glanced back at the security monitors. All was well, so he focused back on Alex. “Look, next time I’ll just talk to you and ask you what’s going on. I don’t want there to be any miss communication between us.”

“I agree. I want us to be open with each other.”

Raymond hugged her, but after a moment of silence, he said. “I want to share everything with you Alex. I need to tell you about what happened to Wilma.”

Alex pulled away from the hug just enough to make eye contact with him. “Who’s Wilma?” she asked.

“Sterling’s mother. My dead wife. I want you to know what happened and how she died.”

Alex’s body stiffened, “How did she die?”

“I killed her.”

“I don’t believe you.” Alex shook her head as her chair slid away from him. “You are such a good man. I can’t believe you killed her.”

Raymond heard the cracking of her voice and noticed her eyes glance back to the closed door. Her heart rate had sped up, and she was now perspiring, which caused her honey scent to fill the tiny room. With widened eyes, she watched him intently.

“No. It wasn’t what you’re thinking,” Raymond quickly said. “I killed her with my arrogance and my pride. Not with …,” he held up his hands, “… not by … this.” His hands waved around his mouth suggesting his fangs. He took a deep breath, slumped in his chair, and rubbed his jaw with his hand.