Leopard's Baby

“This is the man I told you about, Jennifer,” Kent Malone said as he introduced Charles Kalar to Jennifer Roberts. “He’ll take care of your most… pressing problem.”

“I’m glad to meet you Mr. Kalar,” Jennifer said, offering her hand. “I want to get rid of the bitch once and for all. I know what Kent has offered. Get her without harming my grandson and you’ll get a bonus. A substantial bonus. However, if anything bad happens to the baby you’ll get only half of the original agreed price.”

“People don’t back out on agreements with me,” Kalar said in a menacing voice. He pulled his hand back from where he’d been about to shake with her. “Not without suffering the consequences.”

“Charles will do the job the right way, don’t worry about that,” Malone said. He wanted to defuse any potential problems before they occurred.

“Of course he will,” Jennifer agreed with a tight smile. “I just wanted to let him know about possible consequences. If the unlikely failure should occur. Will it be done today?”

“Today isn’t possible, Mrs. Roberts,” Kalar said. “Butler, the man whose car she was driving, doesn’t live here anymore. I’ve discovered he’s moved to a small town further south. It’s a virtual certainty she’s there as well. I’ll leave immediately, go there, and reconnoiter. I have to be cautious for two reasons. Strangers in a small town stand out. I don’t want to get noticed. It might warn her. Also, your former daughter-in-law is no pushover, or so I’ve been led to believe. I haven’t lived as long as I have by acting rashly.”

“If he’s not ready to do the job, why did you call me here, Kent?”

“As soon as Charles has taken care of her, which should be within a few days, we have to be prepared to act. We don’t want her family to swoop in and take the kid away. This town is as good a staging area as any. We could be down there in less than an hour. You present your papers to the local authorities, get your grandson, and get away before they can act. This time don’t let anyone know where you are, including your husband and daughter.”

“No worries about that. I have a villa in South America they don’t even know exists. Once I get the kid, off we go.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan,” Malone said. He gathered Jennifer into his arms. “Do I get to know where it is?”

“Once I’m there, I’ll give you a call,” Jennifer said. She scowled at Kalar’s smirking face and pushed Malone away. “You have a team ready?”

“They’re here now,” Malone said. He patted her on the shoulder. “I’ve taken steps to remove her mother from the picture. We can’t be too careful.”

***

The auditorium, on the fourth floor of a building in mid-town Manhattan, was filled to capacity and beyond. Several people were standing in the rear. The spectators were getting impatient. An anticipatory buzz could be heard even backstage. Olivia was just behind the curtain, next to the keynote speaker, Congresswoman Desiree Martinez. For the most part the crowd was expected to be friendly, but Martinez was a controversial figure. People, especially in New York City, either loved her or hated her. There were bound to be members of the latter group present. In addition to Olivia and security personnel hired by the conference sponsors, four other members of SF Security were present for the express purpose of protecting Martinez. Two of them were on each side of the auditorium, watching for potentially aggressive moves.

“Get ready Desiree,” Olivia said. “Sounds like the MC has just about finished his introductory remarks.”

“It’s about time,” Martinez said. Her face was flushed with excitement. “That lecher loves the sound of his own voice. I wish I didn’t need his support so much.”

“And now the congresswoman herself,” the MC called.

Martinez stepped through the curtain to thunderous applause, which could not quite hide a few catcalls. Most of the onlookers stood. The MC had his back to the audience and his arms outstretched toward Martinez. They hugged and he kissed her on each cheek. Olivia could see, and the crowd could not, that he also gave her ass a little squeeze. Martinez kept smiling.

The congresswoman let the applause continue for nearly a minute before she stretched out her arms and made a downward gesture. The audience quieted and sat. Martinez thanked the MC for his introduction, thanked the people for coming out, even if they were against her, and launched into her speech, reading from a teleprompter.

Thirty minuets later the speech ended, once more to a standing ovation. Martinez spent the next twenty minutes answering questions. Not all of them were friendly, but she was careful to reply courteously to each one.

Olivia’s job was to stay as close as possible to Martinez. The other members of the SF Security team paid careful attention to those members of the audience who appeared to be hostile. At last the MC returned and said that would be all for the evening. The crowd started to file out. Martinez stood at the podium, smiling and waving. The MC was next to her with his arm around her. Martinez didn’t react when he patted her butt.

Once the auditorium was nearly empty Olivia stepped out preparing to escort Martinez off the stage. Suddenly there was commotion from the rear of the room. Several men, wearing hoods and brandishing submachine guns, raced in screaming, “Death to the Commie Spic!” They sprayed the security personnel with bullets, including those from SF security, and turned their attention to the stage.

Olivia tackled Martinez. The MC was hit several times and fell on his back. Olivia couldn’t tell if he was still alive, but he wasn’t her concern. The SF security men returned fire, but were outgunned. Squatting to stay as low as possible, Olivia picked up Martinez, slung the younger woman over her shoulder, and ran for the steps, stage left. She grunted as a bullet hit her left arm, nearly causing her to lose her balance. She stumbled but kept going until she reached a door, which she knew led to a corridor. It was locked. She stepped back and struck it as hard as she could with her right foot. It flew open just as the attackers appeared behind her and once again commenced firing.

“I’m shot!” Martinez screamed.

Olivia couldn’t tell where her charge was hit and had no time to take inventory. She headed down the corridor running toward an exit sign. There should be stairs behind it. Just as she opened the exit door a bullet hit her back and another one struck the back of her right thigh. She was able to keep to her feet by grasping the railing.

Olivia plunged down the stairway taking the steps three at a time, still carrying Martinez, mostly hopping on her good leg. She ignored the pain every time she put weight on her right leg. Her assailants continued to fire, but fell farther and farther behind. Neither she nor Martinez were hit again. She stumbled into the lobby and into the arms of a policeman. She and Martinez were loaded into ambulances and sped off to a hospital.

***

Olivia awoke in a private room. Harrison Tenber, head of SF Security’s Washington office and her immediate boss, was present, as were her husband Cary, Tyler, Tiffany, a woman Olivia knew as Carly, and a nurse. Carly, a large blonde, was an SF Security operative. Every time Olivia saw her, she was reminded of Brienne of Tarth. As soon as the nurse saw Olivia was awake she left the room.

“What’s the final tally?” Olivia asked after getting kissed by Cary, Tyler, and Tiffany. They wanted to hug her, but stopped after she winced the first time.

“Martinez is fine,” Tenber said. “A bullet grazed her right arm. Five stitches. The scar will be a badge of honor. It’ll help her in future elections. Our men weren’t so lucky. One was killed as were two members of the security team hired by the conference sponsors. The MC is alive, but it’s touch and go as to whether or not he’ll make it. One of our men has a busted up shoulder. The other two will be fine. They were saved by their vests. All they have now are sore ribs. You did a great job, Olivia. If it weren’t for you Martinez would be dead.”

“What about the perps?”

“Unfortunately they got away. We found some blood spatter, so at least one was wounded. It’s possible we’ll get a DNA hit. If we’re lucky he’ll be in the database. Even if he isn’t, if the guy is ever arrested for something else, we’ll have him for a terroristic attack. To avoid the death penalty he might give up his companions and whoever sent him.”

“One can only hope,” Olivia said. “How did they get those guns past security?”

“A damn good question,” Tenber said. He grimaced and started pacing the room. Olivia knew losing a man on a protection detail really bothered him. “We don’t know for sure. My guess is they paid off someone to let them in a day or two ago and hid the guns. Then tonight they entered when most others were exiting, got the guns, and proceeded to the auditorium.”

“Maybe it’s my imagination,” Olivia said. “It seemed to me that I was the intended target, not Desiree.”

“One of the guys said as much,” Tenber admitted. “For that reason I’ve arranged for Carly to stay in your room with you and have another man stationed outside the room as long as you’re here.”

The nurse returned with a doctor. He examined her briefly and informed her she’d had bullets removed from her left arm and right leg. Both limbs were broken. There was a large bruise on her back, but her vest kept the bullet from penetrating. She’d have to stay in the hospital for several more days. Maybe a bit longer.

“I’m amazed,” he said as he prepared to leave. “I’ve never seen anyone so alert following the type of surgery you had.”

Just as the doctor left a man and a woman entered. They introduced themselves as police detectives and questioned Olivia for fifteen minutes. She reported everything that had occurred, but said nothing about her suspicion that she was the primary target, not Martinez.

“I’m really impressed that you were able to carry the congresswoman down the stairs with two bullets in you,” the female cop said as she was about to leave. “The old adrenaline must have really be flowing.”

Olivia requested a private chat with her husband and kids. As soon as everyone else left, she said, “This attack shows they may have located Tammy and want me out of the picture. I’m laid up here, Tyler, so it’ll be up to you. As soon as we can locate her, you go to her. Bilson should be back on Saturday. I hope it’s not too late. I know how tough she is, but she’s not impervious to bullets in human form. She’s going to need all the help she can get. Especially since she has to watch out for Brendan.”

“Not just Ty,” Tiffany said. “When he goes, I’m going with him! Tammy’s my sister too.”

“NO!” said Tyler.

At the same time Olivia said, “You’re too young.”

“I’m going!” Tiffany said emphatically. “I’m not too young. I’m a full-fledged were-leopard. Nobody else can do what Tyler, Tammy, and I can do except you, Mom, and you can’t go. This is for real. Tammy’s going to need all the help she can get. You know I’m right. It’s time to stop treating me like a little kid.”

The argument proceeded for several minutes, getting heated at times. At one point Olivia asked Cary for his opinion, but he demurred, saying he wasn’t qualified to weigh in on were-leopard business. At last, grudgingly, Olivia gave in, but only if she could convince Jenny Fong to join them.

“I’ll call her first thing in the morning,” Olivia said. “Having a witch along can’t hurt.”