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mypgems
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2016
- Location
- Back and Beyond
This is a story written by me and Falcon_Master who isn't on the board. Least I don't think he is.... 
Anyways I play Abbie and her family and FM plays everyone else. NSFW in places.
Enjoy!
Bodyguard
It happened so fast that people on the sidewalk didn't realize what had happened until it was all over.
First, two vans bumped into the front and rear bumpers of a nondescript black SUV trapping it in the middle of the street. The back door of the van in front swung open with a hooded person leaping onto the SUV's hood and swinging a sledgehammer into the windshield several time until they got a hole in the bullet resistant glass. They then shoved a canister of pepper spray before jumping to the street to swing at the backseat passenger windows. Another hooded figure had jumped out of the rear van to pound a sledgehammer on the SVU windows on the opposite size. As quickly as the windshield had broken the other windows did too with the attackers then dropping the sledges and reaching in to open the doors. Each had a stun gun in a hand as they made a quick scan of the inside of the SVU, ignoring the violent coughs of the two occupants up front. They glanced at each other when the search came up empty and then ran back to the vans that took off in a squeal of tires.
The driver side door opened with a uniformed police officer nearly falling out onto the pavement. The coughing spasms were so violent that he had vomited on the front of his uniform. It took several gulps of fresh air before he could bring his radio up. "10-33! 10-33!" he spoke/coughed. Then, without thinking, he used the informal name they used. "Princess detail attacked!"
**************************************
"How the hell did they know where to hit?!" yelled an older man in an immaculate suit who wore an ID on a lanyard with the words 'FBI' on it.
"The dumbasses must've used the same route everyday. That's how!" growled an equally old man who wore a police uniform with enough stars on it say that he was the chief. "The mayor will be calling me any minute for an update. What's the status on his daughter?" He pointed at another man in a suit, nowhere as expensive as the FBIer's, who was his Chief of Detectives.
"We're lucky there. The kid's in one of the library branches," he said in a voice that told of too many cigars. "Talked with the bodyguard, Detective Sergeant Tabby Michels, damn good officer, and they're in a back part of the place. No windows, limited entry points. Hasn't told the kid yet and I told her not to yet. Library is getting everyone out quick and quiet and I'll four teams in there in about 10 minutes." He glaced at his smartphone. "Make that 5 and patrol will have radio units staking the place out."
"Good but how do we get her out of there? We can't keep on the press for much longer." That they had so far was sheer luck. No one had picked up on the initial transmission and the media was treating the attack as unusual but not 'breaking news' worthy.
"Special Weapons is staging with a couple of their Bearcat trucks. They'll go in and get her armored up before bringing her out. Ain't nobody getting to her."
"The Bureau is getting the lists of every group that has motive and/or capabilities to pull this off. Its going to be a long list I'm afraid."
"Just got worse." The voice that said it belonged to the woman in charge of the VIP security details. She plopped a series of message printouts and maps on the conference room's table. "I talked with my people from the truck..."
"Didn't you tell them to vary the routes they take?" the chief growled.
"They do the best they can but you know the streets down there? There's only so many changes you can make. Take a look at this...." she spread out the paper as the men crowded around her. "This was the route they were to take bringing her home. They made a detour for a stop that took less than a minute at the library. They kept going after that so nobody suspect she was there. SOP. Here's where things went wrong." She pointed at message log and then at one from instant messaging. "They messaged dispatch control over the secure line about the route change but didn't mention the stop. They texted me a code phrase to tell me about the stop. I was the only one who knew she wasn't in the SUV but...."
The Chief of D's started rubbing his eyes like he had a migraine. "They knew about the route change but not the drop off. They had access to the secure line."
"That's impossible!" the chief exclaimed. "That has an GPS based encryption system that resets 20 times per second using a cellular network. There's an ID chip hardwired into it so we know if one is missing and where its at." The system was the chief's pride and joy and would be replacing all the various radios the department used.
"It means you have a mole somewhere that's feeding them real time information." The FBIer was already thinking about the counter-intelligence they would be 'providing' the locals. "It also means she isn't safe anywhere because you don't know who to trust."
"He's got a point boss," The Chief of D's said, heading off a blow up by his boss. "We could turn her over to the Feds to look after but we don't know if they have a mole either." The sly smile punctured the rapidly inflating ego of the Fed.
"Here's a suggestion people..." the only woman in the room said. "One person. Totally trustworthy who picks her up at the library and they go....someplace. Totally off the grid. No computers, tablet, anything. Only phone is a burner that calls another burner the chief has. They stay out until we know what the fuck is going on." She glanced around and started to see a series of nods.
"I know just the person...." the C of D's said.
***************************************************************
With a heavy sigh, Detective Sergeant Draven Darius switched off the computer on his desk and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet to hook the black suit jacket off the back of his chair before he turned towards the partially open door to his small office. At five feet eleven inches, he wasn’t especially tall, and he was lean and trim, with broad shoulders, but there was something about him that made you look twice. Maybe it was his deep, brooding, dark grey eyes, or maybe it was his shoulder length jet black hair, with just the faintest speckles of grey, or perhaps it was the ‘Globe and Anchor’ Marine Corps tattoo that was partially visible below the left sleeve of his short sleeved shirt. Maybe it was just the way he moved, a lifetime of martial arts training having taught him to be light on his feet, skills enhanced by over ten years in Marine Force Recon. He wore a white, short sleeve shirt, dark tie, black pants. Against the white of his shirt, the black leather shoulder rig he wore stood out, the rosewood grips of the Colt 1911A1 pistol he carried clearly visible. Slipping on his jacket, he paused in the doorway to shut off the light in his small office, before he started towards the elevator that would take him down to the parking lot below the building, so he could go home.
“Detective,” called a voice, just as the doors to the elevator opened and he was about to step inside. Draven paused, turning towards the sound of the voice and spotting a uniformed officer walking rapidly towards him. He recognized the desk sergeant, leaning against the wall beside the elevator as the doors closed.
“This better be important,” he said, softly, as he waited for the sergeant to reach him.
“Chief wants to see you, it’s urgent,” answered the sergeant, as he reached the detective. Darius waited a few seconds, to see if the sergeant had anything else to add, before he reached for the button to call the elevator once more.
“Then I guess I shouldn’t keep the chief waiting,” he said, as the elevator pinged once and the door slid open. Stepping inside, Darius pushed the button to send the elevator car up three floors to the chiefs’ office.
Half an Hour Later
The elevator ride down to the basement parking lot seemed to take forever, as Darius leant against the wall of the elevator car and thought about his assignment. Bodyguard duty, every cop’s worst nightmare. If everything went right, that was great, although you never got any thanks for it. And, well, if something went wrong they knew exactly who to blame. But this was worse than that, with a potential mole somewhere in the department it meant that he was on his own. No back up, nothing. If the shit hit the fan, and it probably would, then he was going to have to keep not only himself alive, but his charge too. And he really wasn’t looking forward to being cooped up in a safe house, in the middle of nowhere, for God alone knew how long, with an eighteen year old girl. As he rode the elevator down, he tried to remember what he knew about Abbie Michaels and her father.
David Michaels had been a very successful prosecutor with the Willowburg D.A.’s office, before he’d decided to go into politics. Which meant he’d already had a long list of enemies and people gunning for him, before he’d taken the Mayor’s office by storm six years earlier. After a successful term as mayor, because of his stint as a DA he’d been seen as tough on crime and had increased funding for the entire Willowburg Police Department. Thanks to Michaels the department now had two dedicated S.W.A.T. teams, as well as a Hostage Rescue Squad and almost twice the number of uniformed officers that they’d had before he took office. Which made him very popular amongst the police. After his first term as mayor, he’d surprised a great many people by announcing that he was running for the vacant Senate post. He’d taken the election by a landslide, becoming one of the youngest senators in the senate, and had recently announced that he intended to run for president. According to the early polls, he was the favorite to take the primary.
His daughter, on the other hand, he didn’t know much about, except what he’d been told in the briefing. She’d just turned eighteen, senior in high school, 3.8 grade point average, kept herself out of the public eye as much as possible. They’d shown him a picture of her, she was a good head shorter than him, long hair, glasses, pretty enough, he guessed, but could be a lot more if she’d make even half an effort.
The burner phone the chief had given him weighed heavily in the pocket of his jacket, it was his only way of contacting the outside world. How long he’d have to be with her no one knew, it might be a day, it could be a lot longer. The elevator reached the basement and the doors slid open, revealing the parking lot. Stepping out of the elevator, Draven lit a cigarette as he walked towards where he’d parked his car, the metallic black Mustang hiding in a far corner of the lot. As he walked his footsteps echoed softly in the mostly empty parking garage, the air was warm and humid, but not uncomfortably so. Reaching the car, he dropped his cigarette and crushed it out, unlocking the door and climbing inside without first removing his shoulder rig, as he usually did. Gunning the engine, the powerful V6 roaring into life, his fastened his seatbelt, made sure the A/C was on and then guided the car out of the parking garage and onto the street.
The roads were fairly devoid of traffic, which was a little surprising considering it was early evening and they were usually crowded with commuters making their way home. The drive from the precinct to the library took a little over twenty minutes, more time for him to reflect on what he’d been told. He didn’t like the idea that there was a mole in the department, didn’t like the feeling that someone he trusted had betrayed the badge for money. Reaching the library, he guided the car around to the back of the building.
Willowburg City Library was a large building, built over a hundred years earlier and recently modernized. Dirty, white, marble steps ran up to the front of the building, the huge glass doors set in more marble below a porch supported by a dozen foot diameter marble pillars. Reaching the rear of the building, Draven killed the car engine and pushed open the door, crossing the short distance to the rear fire exit and knocking on the door three times. Once, followed by two quick taps. Almost instantly the door slid open and Detective Sergeant Tabby Michaels appeared in the opening, the two of them knew each other from a couple of cases they’d worked a few years ago. “I’ll go get her,” she said, simply, before she disappeared and the door closed. Returning to his car, Draven settled into his seat and waited.
Abbie Michaels stood quietly in the dim light where her bodyguard had had left her. It was close to the rear door but safely out of direct sight of it. She could barely see anything due to the sunglasses she wore that could have doubled as welder’s goggles. A blue suit coat that was a size too large she wore over her brown school uniform. A baseball cap with her long hair piled into on her head.
Everything had happened so fast....
Instead of going home right after school as was usual, she asked her escort to let her go to the library for a couple of hours. It was an impulse that Abbie had come up with the moment she had climbed into the police SUV. The detail was cool about it because they had done it before. Besides, Abbie didn’t give them any trouble like some VIP’s might have so they were willing to do a little extra at times.
It seemed that the impulse had saved her that afternoon.
There had been no real reason to go to the library other than it being a quiet place of sanity to work on her college entrance thesis for CalTech and MiT. They had to be *perfect* for her to even have a shot at getting in. So far, the stars seemed to be aligning in her favor with getting the recommendations and grade. The actual fight was with her parents, in particular her mother, who not so bluntly suggested she wait a year. They ‘needed’ her to help with her dad’s campaign.
The.Campaign.
That’s why she didn’t want to work at home. The place was campaign ground zero right now even if her parents were out of town. People coming and going, telephones, meetings, and the rest just filled the place with tension. Even locked in her room with her headphone playing her favorite calming music didn’t do Abbie much good. The library was a blissful place of relief compared to it.
There was an almost hidden area way in the back of the library that almost no one came to for some reason. Abbie didn’t care why, she just used the table and chair with her laptop to be in her own world. The only sound was the tapping of the keys and the rustle of paper when she looked up a note she had written down. Tabby would be wandering around the area where she could keep an eye on things and still give her charge some privacy.
The pair had been together for over six months and got along well. The worlds each was from and the age differences meant they would never be friends but they respected each other a lot. Abbie never made trouble with trying to ‘escape’, except for that one time of course, and listened to their directions. Tabby didn’t ride close herd on her, especially at school, and actually listened when Abbie made a request for something. A few times they had had ‘girl talk’ sessions that had led to lots of laughing. All in all they were a good fit. Everything was going fine until....
“Huh?” Abbie said with a start and looked up. Tabby’s hand touched her shoulder. Instantly Abbie knew something was up because the look on the officer’s face. She had been around cops long enough to know when the ‘game face’ appeared things had gone south. Quickly, she pulled the earbuds out and saved her work before shutting down the laptop.
“Listen and don’t ask questions, k? The SUV got hit by a team and they were looking for you. We’re getting you out of here, k” Tabby spoke quietly and directly at Abbie. Her suit jacket was pushed back to reveal her holstered Glock. She shook her her head when Abbie began to stuff her laptop into her school bag. “No, you’re not taking that. Nothing electronic including your phone. They’re worried about tracking.”
Abbie’s jaw dropped at the news. SUV? Hit? They wanted HER? Her head started shaking in disagreement. This wasn’t how things were suppose to go! The cops...bodyguards were all for show and all that. Nobody was actually going to do anything to her. Her parents were the ones any nut cases would go after. Wasn’t that was dad had told her a long time ago? Back when he was a DA and the mob or the Russian or whoever got pissed at him for a crackdown. They weren’t going after families.
“Worried about tracking? Why? Aren’t they going to land a helicopter on the roof or stick me in a tank for the ride home?” She was half joking but again, she knew cops and knew they tended to use too much protection rather than too little when it came to civilians.
Tabby sighed and shook her head. “You aren’t going home. There’s a leak someplace in the department. They had info they shouldn’t have. It might be paranoia but they are worried that there could be other threats to your safety Abbie. Maybe in your house. We need time to check it out.” Taking hold of both of the girl’s hands the older woman looked into the girl’s blue eyes. “We’re going to hide you for a day or two. One officer, off the grid, somewhere out of town I guess.”
“With you?” Abbie whispered, a tremble in her voice from the sudden fear. The fact that the cops thought there could be more to the ‘plot’ and that she might not even be safe at home was very unsettling. Only Tabby’s firm grip that transmitted some of her strength kept Andie from breaking down in tear.
“No honey, not me.” Tabby smiled as she let go of the girl’s hands and slipped out of her suit jacket and put Andi’s school jacket, that had been hanging on the back of a chair, on. “SWAT is going surround ‘you’ as they escort ‘you’ out of the building into an armored car to take ‘you’ to HQ where ‘you’ will be kept in the chief’s office for the time being. That’s where everybody will be looking. Not at a civilian car with a plainclothes officer driving.” Then Tabby did something totally out of the blue: she kissed her charge’s forehead. “Now let’s get going. We don’t got much time.”
Abbie closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “I can do this....” she whispered. Then she gave a little smile as she stood up, smooth out her knee length skirt, pulled her school tie tight, before tucking it into the brown vest with school logo she wore. “What do I have to do?”
***********************************************
“Okay, he’s waiting out there,” Tabby said after coming back inside. “I know the guy and he’s good. You’ll do okay with him.”
“Just for a day or two, right?” Abbie asked softly. She had a bag in her hand that held her notebook, sketchpad, and a paperback copy of “War & Peace”. Nothing electronic. It also contained Tabby’s ankle holster with her backup S&W Model 640 .38 snubnose with te instructions to tell her new bodyguard about ASAP.
“Yep sweetie. We’ll get the shit straightened out here and you can come home.” It was easy to how scared Abbie was and she gave her a hug again. “Stay strong. Listen and do everything he says and it’ll be fine.”
Abbie nodded and without another word went out the door.
************************************************
Even with the sunglasses, the sunlight almost blinded her for a second. The humid air was cloying after the A/C of the library and made the nylons she had to wear with the uniform seem even more tight than usual. As Tabby had said, ‘he’ was waiting there.
The passenger door was ajar so Abbie just had to pull it open and climbed in, shutting it behind her. Instinctively she put fastened the seatbelt before settling back. She heard the door lock and felt the car go into motion. For the moment, she just looked down at her hands clasped on her lap.
They drove silently for a few minutes before Abbie said in a soft voice, “Mustang. I like the ‘67 Shelby GT350 myself. I asked my dad for one when I was fourteen. He laughed and gave me a model instead.”
The wait seemed to take forever. The waiting was the worst part, he knew that from experience. On a stake out, waiting for the order to go in, or stand down. But, more than that, he remembered how much he’d hated waiting when he’d been with the Marines. Waiting for orders, waiting for the attack everyone knew was coming. Waiting, in the rubble, eye glued to the eyepiece of a sniper scope, a mile away, tracking his target whilst he waited for the order to fire. Then he saw the rear door open again, Tabby Michaels appearing in the opening before she turned to embrace a young woman and then speak softly to her before she pushed the girl towards the car.
The first thing he noticed as she got into the car, was how young she looked. Then he noticed the school uniform, and the nylons she wore. His eyes strayed, briefly, to her legs, he’d always had a weakness for legs and nylons and he had to admit that Abbie Michaels had a great pair of pins. Quickly he pulled his attention back to the task at hand, flipping Tabby a casual salute before he gunned the engine and guided the car away from the library, hopefully Abbie hadn’t noticed his eyes straying. The darkened windows of the Mustang meant that no one could see inside, no one would be able to tell who was in the car.
They’d been on the road for several minutes before she spoke. Her voice was soft, almost lilting, with just the faintest hint of the nervous anxiety she had to be feeling. She was definitely strong, he’d give her that. He knew trained marines who wouldn’t have been able to cope even half as well with the situation she found herself in. “You’re dad’s a smart man,” he said, after a few seconds, keeping his voice soft, friendly, as he spoke. “But, if you’re gonna talk Shelby, you can’t forget the AC Cobra. That’s the reason the Brits have speed limits,” he added, as he guided the Mustang out of the city and onto the highway. “I’m Draven, by the way,” he added, by way of an introduction.
Once they were clear of the city, with the long, straight, highway stretching far into the distance ahead of them, he set the cruise control then took his hands off the wheel long enough to remove his jacket and tossed it into the tiny rear passenger compartment. Even with the A/C on, the jacket was getting a little warm. He returned his attention to the road and driving, guiding the car along almost empty highway as it ate through the miles. They were heading for an FBI safe house up in Maine, one that no one at the precinct could know about. He’d had to study an old fashioned, paper, map and memorize the house location because they couldn’t trust that then cars internal GPS hadn’t been hacked. The Chief had even had the Department transponder, which told the dispatch officer where the car was, disabled. Which, of course, made sense.
His eyes flicked down to the fuel gauge, as much as he loved his Mustang it was heavy on the gas, and he eased the car onto the next exit ramp and then into the gas station. “Stay inside,” he told her, although he was sure the instruction was unnecessary, as he slid his shoulder rig off, tucked the Colt into the back of his pants, hidden by his shirt, and went to pump gas. Minutes later, they were back on the road.
Leaving the gas station, he lit a cigarette, guiding the car back onto the Interstate. They were still a good eight hours from their destination, which meant that unless she wanted to sleep in the car they were going to have to find somewhere to stay overnight. Driving through the night didn’t both him, but if she wanted to stop he would. They’d also need something to eat, although they could hit a burger joint along the way, he just hoped the FBI had thought ahead and made sure there would be at least some supplies at their destination. He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out, trying to focus on the road ahead. His eyes flicked to the left, lingering a fraction of a second on her legs before he returned his gaze to the road. He noticed that she’d pulled a book out of her bag, had it open on her lap, and he caught the title in his peripheral vision. “War and Peace, huh?” He said, softly, as he guided the car onto the exit ramp and onto the next road that would take them to their destination. “That’s some heavy reading, we had to study it at Quantico,” he added, after a few seconds. He figured she’d seen the Marine Corps tattoo, would be able to work out the rest. “We should grab something to eat, soon, there should be a drive through burger place somewhere around here. And, do you want to stop overnight? I don’t mind, either way, but if you want something more comfortable than that seat to sleep in we’re gonna need to find a motel at some point,” he added.
“Cobra’s are nice,” Abbie said as she took off the sunglasses and tucked them in the coat’s pocket. That was followed by the hat that was placed on her lap with fingers combing her hair a bit. It felt a little weird not to have it in her customary ponytail but Abbie didn’t want to go through the trouble of doing it right now. “But if I’m going that route I’ll take a Lotus Seven. One of dad’s friends has one I took me for a ride. That was cool. I’m Abbie by the way but you know that I guess.”
The car got quiet again as they drove north. Most of the time Abbie just looked out of the passenger window as the scenery flew past. This wasn’t the first car trip she had been on, not with all the campaigns and conferences her dad was apart of. Growing up, her parents had made it a point to bring her along the conferences her dad was going to when it didn’t interfere with school so they could spend time together. That’s how she got to visit several different countries before she was fifteen. Abbie had loved those trips because they at the end of the day, they would have fun.
Then came the campaigns and the fund raising trips and the meet and greets. Some Abbie had to go to because the image makers wanted the ‘family’ imaged projected. The trips became less fun and more like work or duty. She soon became happy when she didn’t have to go. It all felt like a bubble was forming between her and the real world....
A slight bump pulled her out of her thoughts and caused her to glance over at Draven. He wasn’t familiar to her but that wasn’t surprising at all considering the sheer size of the department. Abbie thought he was kind of cute, in an intense sort of way. A tiny smile came to her lips after she mentally compared him to him to some of the guys she knew at school. There was no comparison, they were boys and Draven was a man. Not that it really meant anything of course. Still...
Abbie snuck another glance over at him and held it for a moment longer than she had planned. The tiny bits of gray in his hair made him seem more attractive somehow. It was then that she caught Draven sneaking a glimpse of her and with a start, realized that he was looking at her legs. Both realized what the other was doing as they eyes locked. Nothing was said but Abbie’s cheeks blushed and the tiny smile came back as she turned away. Was he flirting with her or did he just like her legs. Either way it did make Abbie feel nice inside. She wasn’t one of those girls guys tended to hit on. Not when you had an armed cop close by and the fact that she was the mayor’s daughter didn’t help.
The car stayed silent with Draven concentrating on the driving and Abbie looking out the window again.
At the gas station, she took advantage of the stop to slip out of Tabby’s suit jacket and to roll up the sleeves of her white shirt above the elbows. The school vest would show the swell of her breasts but there wasn’t anything Abbie could do about that. Guys, and a few girls, did tend to focus on those two lumps of fat. During swimming class it was difficult not to run and hide. Even worse was the showers afterwards with the other girls giving her a ‘look’ at how perfect they appeared on her petite body. She hated all the stares that she might get so that’s why Abbie tried to wear clothes that didn’t show too much. When Draven got back into the car, she suddenly wondered what his eyes would do. To her shock, she realized she didn’t care. That made her smile again.
It took a moment for her to realize that he was talking to her and to register the words. “This book?” Abbie asked, holding it up for a moment as she smiled. “It's my ‘emergency’ book. You know, if I’m stuck someplace without a computer I can have something to keep my mind occupied. Gods help you if I’m bored. It can be disastrous. Not as bad as today though...” Her smiled faded a little before she shook her head. “Quantico? Cops become FBI and not the other way around so you must be....a marine? Officer and a Gentleman and all that? Cool beans.”
She looked at at him as he mentioned food. Surely he could hear the sudden rumble of her stomach over the sound the engine. “Burgers sound good and no, I’m not a vegan or vegetarian. I like meat. I’m cool with us driving straight through to wherever we are going if you are. I can sleep just about anywhere.” The suit jacket, suitable folded, would make a good pillow to lean her head against.
“There’s something I do have to tell you and should have told you right away but I...forgot.” Carefully, Abbie reached into her bag and pulled out the gun in the ankle holster she had been given. “Tabby gave me her backup gun, just in case, and said to tell you about it. I think it suppose to be a ‘last resort’ kind of thing. I’ve shot a gun once or twice so I’m not scared of them. Probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn though. I leave it up to you to decide.” The gun she had shot was a .357 that had nearly put her back on her butt! There was a video her mom had of it that Abbie refused to let her show anyone.
“Can I ask where we are going?” She put the book away because with the sun beginning to go down it was getting harder to read.
All thoughts of food disappeared, as Abbie took the holstered gun from her schoolbag. Making a mental note to talk to Tabby, giving the girl her back up weapon, even as a last resort, went against at least a dozen regulations he could think of, and probably another dozen that he couldn’t. He could understand why she’d done it, but she shouldn’t have. “Put it in the glove box, and don’t even think about touching it unless I say,” he said, finally. He waited until she’d tucked the holstered pistol in the glove box, before he turned his attention back to the road. One thing the chief had told him about the safe house, when he’d expressed concerns about having to protect Abbie with nothing but his sidearm, there was a small arsenal of weapons there, plenty of ammunition and two shooting ranges. A small, short, one under the house, and more than enough room outside for a full rifle range.
For a brief second, a while ago, he’d been worried that she’d caught him stealing a glance at her legs, but she hadn’t said anything or reacted, so he assumed he’d been wrong. Still, he knew he had to be careful. She was barely eighteen, young enough to be his daughter. She was cute, though, maybe if he was twenty years younger, or she was ten years older… He derailed the thought before it could fully form. He was a cop, he had a job to do.
“Yes, Marine Force Recon, ten years, give or take a few months,” he said, in answer to her question as to whether or not he was a marine. “Officer, yes, gentleman, not according to my ex-wife,” he added, after a few seconds. “Tell you what, I believe there’s a shooting range where we’re going, if we get bored, I’ll teach you to shoot, properly, okay?” He added, after a few more seconds. She nodded, before she put her book away, with the fading light it was going to be pretty much impossible for her to read anyway.
“We’re heading for a safe house, up in Maine, that’s about all I can tell you.” He said, in answer to her question, pausing briefly before he added. “The chief says it’s pretty secluded, out in the middle of nowhere, a log cabin is how he described it. Other than that, I have no idea, I’ve never been there before,” he finished. “There’s not gonna be much else there, so we’re gonna need to work on a list of supplies, clothes and food, tomorrow, I can hit the local Wal-Mart,” he added, after a handful of seconds.
At the next exit he pulled off the highway, hitting a drive through McDonalds and ordering burgers and fries for both of them. He ate as he drove, he was used to it, and opened the window to smoke a cigarette once she’d finished. Finishing his smoke, he tossed the butt out of the open window, leaving it open so the cool air kept him awake even as took the jacket she’d been wearing and used it as a pillow for her head as she settled into her seat and drifted off to sleep. He had to make another stop for gas, but she didn’t notice as she slept soundly.
The car ate up the miles, cruising along the deserted highway that was lit only by the Mustang’s headlights and those of the occasional car they passed. Once or twice he heard her stir lightly in her sleep, and once he glanced across at her and let his eyes linger on her legs. She definitely had great legs.
Several hours later, just as he was starting to yawn and feel the fatigue of driving all night, he pulled the Mustang off the highway and onto the road that would take them to the safe house. Half an hour, and two wrong turns later, he guided the Mustang onto the long, sweeping, curving, driveway that would take them up to the house. Pulling the car into the rear of the house, he killed the engine and glanced across at Abbie. She was still fast asleep, snoring ever so gently, and for a brief second he thought about waking her up. Deciding against it, instead he opened his door, went across to the house and opened the front door, before he went back to the car and then opened the passenger door.
Reaching across her, he unfastened her seatbelt and then gently scooped her up into his arms. She stirred gently in her sleep, but didn’t wake up, and he carried across to the house and inside, being careful not to wake her. He carried her through to one of the bedrooms and lay her gently on the bed, then went back to the car to retrieve the pistol she’d left in the glovebox. Locking the car, he returned to the house and went through to the kitchen to check on supplies. As he’d suspected there was pretty much nothing, and he went through to the lounge and sat on the couch. Removing his shoes, he placed his pistol back in his shoulder rig and then lay down. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drift off to sleep.
As much as he tried to stop them, his dreams drifted to Abbie.
***************************************************
The air in the car changed just enough that even Abbie could feel it. Draven wasn’t angry, at least so she thought, but he had fallen into ‘police mode’. Nodding, she did as she was told and made the glove compartment was tightly shut. “I’m not stupid either. I know what guns are and I know that I don’t do anything without your express order. I didn’t want it either,” she said in a soft but calm voice. “Don’t get Tabby in trouble for this. It was wrong but her heart was in the right place.” Abbie thought she caught a slight nod from him but she couldn’t be sure.
When he described the cabin and the fact that he might have to go to Wal-Mart to get things she piped up: “I’ll drive the car!” That did earn her a look of surprise and then narrow eyebrows. Abbie almost caught her grinning because the scowl look so cute on him! “Well, you aren’t going to leave me alone in that cabin while you go and you can’t take me in with you. Gods knows how many news channels my face is on by now.” She settled back in the seat, quite proud of herself. “I can drop you off, park someplace quiet and where I watch the door, and then pick you up. I have a plan!” If she didn't know better she would have sworn his teeth were grinding but he didn’t seem to object to it.
McD’s wasn’t exactly a favorite but she wasn’t about to turn down food. Afterwards, the day finally caught up with Abbie as she placed the folded up jacket against the window and watched the dark fly past until her eyes closed.....
Anyways I play Abbie and her family and FM plays everyone else. NSFW in places.Enjoy!
Bodyguard
It happened so fast that people on the sidewalk didn't realize what had happened until it was all over.
First, two vans bumped into the front and rear bumpers of a nondescript black SUV trapping it in the middle of the street. The back door of the van in front swung open with a hooded person leaping onto the SUV's hood and swinging a sledgehammer into the windshield several time until they got a hole in the bullet resistant glass. They then shoved a canister of pepper spray before jumping to the street to swing at the backseat passenger windows. Another hooded figure had jumped out of the rear van to pound a sledgehammer on the SVU windows on the opposite size. As quickly as the windshield had broken the other windows did too with the attackers then dropping the sledges and reaching in to open the doors. Each had a stun gun in a hand as they made a quick scan of the inside of the SVU, ignoring the violent coughs of the two occupants up front. They glanced at each other when the search came up empty and then ran back to the vans that took off in a squeal of tires.
The driver side door opened with a uniformed police officer nearly falling out onto the pavement. The coughing spasms were so violent that he had vomited on the front of his uniform. It took several gulps of fresh air before he could bring his radio up. "10-33! 10-33!" he spoke/coughed. Then, without thinking, he used the informal name they used. "Princess detail attacked!"
**************************************
"How the hell did they know where to hit?!" yelled an older man in an immaculate suit who wore an ID on a lanyard with the words 'FBI' on it.
"The dumbasses must've used the same route everyday. That's how!" growled an equally old man who wore a police uniform with enough stars on it say that he was the chief. "The mayor will be calling me any minute for an update. What's the status on his daughter?" He pointed at another man in a suit, nowhere as expensive as the FBIer's, who was his Chief of Detectives.
"We're lucky there. The kid's in one of the library branches," he said in a voice that told of too many cigars. "Talked with the bodyguard, Detective Sergeant Tabby Michels, damn good officer, and they're in a back part of the place. No windows, limited entry points. Hasn't told the kid yet and I told her not to yet. Library is getting everyone out quick and quiet and I'll four teams in there in about 10 minutes." He glaced at his smartphone. "Make that 5 and patrol will have radio units staking the place out."
"Good but how do we get her out of there? We can't keep on the press for much longer." That they had so far was sheer luck. No one had picked up on the initial transmission and the media was treating the attack as unusual but not 'breaking news' worthy.
"Special Weapons is staging with a couple of their Bearcat trucks. They'll go in and get her armored up before bringing her out. Ain't nobody getting to her."
"The Bureau is getting the lists of every group that has motive and/or capabilities to pull this off. Its going to be a long list I'm afraid."
"Just got worse." The voice that said it belonged to the woman in charge of the VIP security details. She plopped a series of message printouts and maps on the conference room's table. "I talked with my people from the truck..."
"Didn't you tell them to vary the routes they take?" the chief growled.
"They do the best they can but you know the streets down there? There's only so many changes you can make. Take a look at this...." she spread out the paper as the men crowded around her. "This was the route they were to take bringing her home. They made a detour for a stop that took less than a minute at the library. They kept going after that so nobody suspect she was there. SOP. Here's where things went wrong." She pointed at message log and then at one from instant messaging. "They messaged dispatch control over the secure line about the route change but didn't mention the stop. They texted me a code phrase to tell me about the stop. I was the only one who knew she wasn't in the SUV but...."
The Chief of D's started rubbing his eyes like he had a migraine. "They knew about the route change but not the drop off. They had access to the secure line."
"That's impossible!" the chief exclaimed. "That has an GPS based encryption system that resets 20 times per second using a cellular network. There's an ID chip hardwired into it so we know if one is missing and where its at." The system was the chief's pride and joy and would be replacing all the various radios the department used.
"It means you have a mole somewhere that's feeding them real time information." The FBIer was already thinking about the counter-intelligence they would be 'providing' the locals. "It also means she isn't safe anywhere because you don't know who to trust."
"He's got a point boss," The Chief of D's said, heading off a blow up by his boss. "We could turn her over to the Feds to look after but we don't know if they have a mole either." The sly smile punctured the rapidly inflating ego of the Fed.
"Here's a suggestion people..." the only woman in the room said. "One person. Totally trustworthy who picks her up at the library and they go....someplace. Totally off the grid. No computers, tablet, anything. Only phone is a burner that calls another burner the chief has. They stay out until we know what the fuck is going on." She glanced around and started to see a series of nods.
"I know just the person...." the C of D's said.
***************************************************************
With a heavy sigh, Detective Sergeant Draven Darius switched off the computer on his desk and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet to hook the black suit jacket off the back of his chair before he turned towards the partially open door to his small office. At five feet eleven inches, he wasn’t especially tall, and he was lean and trim, with broad shoulders, but there was something about him that made you look twice. Maybe it was his deep, brooding, dark grey eyes, or maybe it was his shoulder length jet black hair, with just the faintest speckles of grey, or perhaps it was the ‘Globe and Anchor’ Marine Corps tattoo that was partially visible below the left sleeve of his short sleeved shirt. Maybe it was just the way he moved, a lifetime of martial arts training having taught him to be light on his feet, skills enhanced by over ten years in Marine Force Recon. He wore a white, short sleeve shirt, dark tie, black pants. Against the white of his shirt, the black leather shoulder rig he wore stood out, the rosewood grips of the Colt 1911A1 pistol he carried clearly visible. Slipping on his jacket, he paused in the doorway to shut off the light in his small office, before he started towards the elevator that would take him down to the parking lot below the building, so he could go home.
“Detective,” called a voice, just as the doors to the elevator opened and he was about to step inside. Draven paused, turning towards the sound of the voice and spotting a uniformed officer walking rapidly towards him. He recognized the desk sergeant, leaning against the wall beside the elevator as the doors closed.
“This better be important,” he said, softly, as he waited for the sergeant to reach him.
“Chief wants to see you, it’s urgent,” answered the sergeant, as he reached the detective. Darius waited a few seconds, to see if the sergeant had anything else to add, before he reached for the button to call the elevator once more.
“Then I guess I shouldn’t keep the chief waiting,” he said, as the elevator pinged once and the door slid open. Stepping inside, Darius pushed the button to send the elevator car up three floors to the chiefs’ office.
Half an Hour Later
The elevator ride down to the basement parking lot seemed to take forever, as Darius leant against the wall of the elevator car and thought about his assignment. Bodyguard duty, every cop’s worst nightmare. If everything went right, that was great, although you never got any thanks for it. And, well, if something went wrong they knew exactly who to blame. But this was worse than that, with a potential mole somewhere in the department it meant that he was on his own. No back up, nothing. If the shit hit the fan, and it probably would, then he was going to have to keep not only himself alive, but his charge too. And he really wasn’t looking forward to being cooped up in a safe house, in the middle of nowhere, for God alone knew how long, with an eighteen year old girl. As he rode the elevator down, he tried to remember what he knew about Abbie Michaels and her father.
David Michaels had been a very successful prosecutor with the Willowburg D.A.’s office, before he’d decided to go into politics. Which meant he’d already had a long list of enemies and people gunning for him, before he’d taken the Mayor’s office by storm six years earlier. After a successful term as mayor, because of his stint as a DA he’d been seen as tough on crime and had increased funding for the entire Willowburg Police Department. Thanks to Michaels the department now had two dedicated S.W.A.T. teams, as well as a Hostage Rescue Squad and almost twice the number of uniformed officers that they’d had before he took office. Which made him very popular amongst the police. After his first term as mayor, he’d surprised a great many people by announcing that he was running for the vacant Senate post. He’d taken the election by a landslide, becoming one of the youngest senators in the senate, and had recently announced that he intended to run for president. According to the early polls, he was the favorite to take the primary.
His daughter, on the other hand, he didn’t know much about, except what he’d been told in the briefing. She’d just turned eighteen, senior in high school, 3.8 grade point average, kept herself out of the public eye as much as possible. They’d shown him a picture of her, she was a good head shorter than him, long hair, glasses, pretty enough, he guessed, but could be a lot more if she’d make even half an effort.
The burner phone the chief had given him weighed heavily in the pocket of his jacket, it was his only way of contacting the outside world. How long he’d have to be with her no one knew, it might be a day, it could be a lot longer. The elevator reached the basement and the doors slid open, revealing the parking lot. Stepping out of the elevator, Draven lit a cigarette as he walked towards where he’d parked his car, the metallic black Mustang hiding in a far corner of the lot. As he walked his footsteps echoed softly in the mostly empty parking garage, the air was warm and humid, but not uncomfortably so. Reaching the car, he dropped his cigarette and crushed it out, unlocking the door and climbing inside without first removing his shoulder rig, as he usually did. Gunning the engine, the powerful V6 roaring into life, his fastened his seatbelt, made sure the A/C was on and then guided the car out of the parking garage and onto the street.
The roads were fairly devoid of traffic, which was a little surprising considering it was early evening and they were usually crowded with commuters making their way home. The drive from the precinct to the library took a little over twenty minutes, more time for him to reflect on what he’d been told. He didn’t like the idea that there was a mole in the department, didn’t like the feeling that someone he trusted had betrayed the badge for money. Reaching the library, he guided the car around to the back of the building.
Willowburg City Library was a large building, built over a hundred years earlier and recently modernized. Dirty, white, marble steps ran up to the front of the building, the huge glass doors set in more marble below a porch supported by a dozen foot diameter marble pillars. Reaching the rear of the building, Draven killed the car engine and pushed open the door, crossing the short distance to the rear fire exit and knocking on the door three times. Once, followed by two quick taps. Almost instantly the door slid open and Detective Sergeant Tabby Michaels appeared in the opening, the two of them knew each other from a couple of cases they’d worked a few years ago. “I’ll go get her,” she said, simply, before she disappeared and the door closed. Returning to his car, Draven settled into his seat and waited.
Abbie Michaels stood quietly in the dim light where her bodyguard had had left her. It was close to the rear door but safely out of direct sight of it. She could barely see anything due to the sunglasses she wore that could have doubled as welder’s goggles. A blue suit coat that was a size too large she wore over her brown school uniform. A baseball cap with her long hair piled into on her head.
Everything had happened so fast....
Instead of going home right after school as was usual, she asked her escort to let her go to the library for a couple of hours. It was an impulse that Abbie had come up with the moment she had climbed into the police SUV. The detail was cool about it because they had done it before. Besides, Abbie didn’t give them any trouble like some VIP’s might have so they were willing to do a little extra at times.
It seemed that the impulse had saved her that afternoon.
There had been no real reason to go to the library other than it being a quiet place of sanity to work on her college entrance thesis for CalTech and MiT. They had to be *perfect* for her to even have a shot at getting in. So far, the stars seemed to be aligning in her favor with getting the recommendations and grade. The actual fight was with her parents, in particular her mother, who not so bluntly suggested she wait a year. They ‘needed’ her to help with her dad’s campaign.
The.Campaign.
That’s why she didn’t want to work at home. The place was campaign ground zero right now even if her parents were out of town. People coming and going, telephones, meetings, and the rest just filled the place with tension. Even locked in her room with her headphone playing her favorite calming music didn’t do Abbie much good. The library was a blissful place of relief compared to it.
There was an almost hidden area way in the back of the library that almost no one came to for some reason. Abbie didn’t care why, she just used the table and chair with her laptop to be in her own world. The only sound was the tapping of the keys and the rustle of paper when she looked up a note she had written down. Tabby would be wandering around the area where she could keep an eye on things and still give her charge some privacy.
The pair had been together for over six months and got along well. The worlds each was from and the age differences meant they would never be friends but they respected each other a lot. Abbie never made trouble with trying to ‘escape’, except for that one time of course, and listened to their directions. Tabby didn’t ride close herd on her, especially at school, and actually listened when Abbie made a request for something. A few times they had had ‘girl talk’ sessions that had led to lots of laughing. All in all they were a good fit. Everything was going fine until....
“Huh?” Abbie said with a start and looked up. Tabby’s hand touched her shoulder. Instantly Abbie knew something was up because the look on the officer’s face. She had been around cops long enough to know when the ‘game face’ appeared things had gone south. Quickly, she pulled the earbuds out and saved her work before shutting down the laptop.
“Listen and don’t ask questions, k? The SUV got hit by a team and they were looking for you. We’re getting you out of here, k” Tabby spoke quietly and directly at Abbie. Her suit jacket was pushed back to reveal her holstered Glock. She shook her her head when Abbie began to stuff her laptop into her school bag. “No, you’re not taking that. Nothing electronic including your phone. They’re worried about tracking.”
Abbie’s jaw dropped at the news. SUV? Hit? They wanted HER? Her head started shaking in disagreement. This wasn’t how things were suppose to go! The cops...bodyguards were all for show and all that. Nobody was actually going to do anything to her. Her parents were the ones any nut cases would go after. Wasn’t that was dad had told her a long time ago? Back when he was a DA and the mob or the Russian or whoever got pissed at him for a crackdown. They weren’t going after families.
“Worried about tracking? Why? Aren’t they going to land a helicopter on the roof or stick me in a tank for the ride home?” She was half joking but again, she knew cops and knew they tended to use too much protection rather than too little when it came to civilians.
Tabby sighed and shook her head. “You aren’t going home. There’s a leak someplace in the department. They had info they shouldn’t have. It might be paranoia but they are worried that there could be other threats to your safety Abbie. Maybe in your house. We need time to check it out.” Taking hold of both of the girl’s hands the older woman looked into the girl’s blue eyes. “We’re going to hide you for a day or two. One officer, off the grid, somewhere out of town I guess.”
“With you?” Abbie whispered, a tremble in her voice from the sudden fear. The fact that the cops thought there could be more to the ‘plot’ and that she might not even be safe at home was very unsettling. Only Tabby’s firm grip that transmitted some of her strength kept Andie from breaking down in tear.
“No honey, not me.” Tabby smiled as she let go of the girl’s hands and slipped out of her suit jacket and put Andi’s school jacket, that had been hanging on the back of a chair, on. “SWAT is going surround ‘you’ as they escort ‘you’ out of the building into an armored car to take ‘you’ to HQ where ‘you’ will be kept in the chief’s office for the time being. That’s where everybody will be looking. Not at a civilian car with a plainclothes officer driving.” Then Tabby did something totally out of the blue: she kissed her charge’s forehead. “Now let’s get going. We don’t got much time.”
Abbie closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “I can do this....” she whispered. Then she gave a little smile as she stood up, smooth out her knee length skirt, pulled her school tie tight, before tucking it into the brown vest with school logo she wore. “What do I have to do?”
***********************************************
“Okay, he’s waiting out there,” Tabby said after coming back inside. “I know the guy and he’s good. You’ll do okay with him.”
“Just for a day or two, right?” Abbie asked softly. She had a bag in her hand that held her notebook, sketchpad, and a paperback copy of “War & Peace”. Nothing electronic. It also contained Tabby’s ankle holster with her backup S&W Model 640 .38 snubnose with te instructions to tell her new bodyguard about ASAP.
“Yep sweetie. We’ll get the shit straightened out here and you can come home.” It was easy to how scared Abbie was and she gave her a hug again. “Stay strong. Listen and do everything he says and it’ll be fine.”
Abbie nodded and without another word went out the door.
************************************************
Even with the sunglasses, the sunlight almost blinded her for a second. The humid air was cloying after the A/C of the library and made the nylons she had to wear with the uniform seem even more tight than usual. As Tabby had said, ‘he’ was waiting there.
The passenger door was ajar so Abbie just had to pull it open and climbed in, shutting it behind her. Instinctively she put fastened the seatbelt before settling back. She heard the door lock and felt the car go into motion. For the moment, she just looked down at her hands clasped on her lap.
They drove silently for a few minutes before Abbie said in a soft voice, “Mustang. I like the ‘67 Shelby GT350 myself. I asked my dad for one when I was fourteen. He laughed and gave me a model instead.”
The wait seemed to take forever. The waiting was the worst part, he knew that from experience. On a stake out, waiting for the order to go in, or stand down. But, more than that, he remembered how much he’d hated waiting when he’d been with the Marines. Waiting for orders, waiting for the attack everyone knew was coming. Waiting, in the rubble, eye glued to the eyepiece of a sniper scope, a mile away, tracking his target whilst he waited for the order to fire. Then he saw the rear door open again, Tabby Michaels appearing in the opening before she turned to embrace a young woman and then speak softly to her before she pushed the girl towards the car.
The first thing he noticed as she got into the car, was how young she looked. Then he noticed the school uniform, and the nylons she wore. His eyes strayed, briefly, to her legs, he’d always had a weakness for legs and nylons and he had to admit that Abbie Michaels had a great pair of pins. Quickly he pulled his attention back to the task at hand, flipping Tabby a casual salute before he gunned the engine and guided the car away from the library, hopefully Abbie hadn’t noticed his eyes straying. The darkened windows of the Mustang meant that no one could see inside, no one would be able to tell who was in the car.
They’d been on the road for several minutes before she spoke. Her voice was soft, almost lilting, with just the faintest hint of the nervous anxiety she had to be feeling. She was definitely strong, he’d give her that. He knew trained marines who wouldn’t have been able to cope even half as well with the situation she found herself in. “You’re dad’s a smart man,” he said, after a few seconds, keeping his voice soft, friendly, as he spoke. “But, if you’re gonna talk Shelby, you can’t forget the AC Cobra. That’s the reason the Brits have speed limits,” he added, as he guided the Mustang out of the city and onto the highway. “I’m Draven, by the way,” he added, by way of an introduction.
Once they were clear of the city, with the long, straight, highway stretching far into the distance ahead of them, he set the cruise control then took his hands off the wheel long enough to remove his jacket and tossed it into the tiny rear passenger compartment. Even with the A/C on, the jacket was getting a little warm. He returned his attention to the road and driving, guiding the car along almost empty highway as it ate through the miles. They were heading for an FBI safe house up in Maine, one that no one at the precinct could know about. He’d had to study an old fashioned, paper, map and memorize the house location because they couldn’t trust that then cars internal GPS hadn’t been hacked. The Chief had even had the Department transponder, which told the dispatch officer where the car was, disabled. Which, of course, made sense.
His eyes flicked down to the fuel gauge, as much as he loved his Mustang it was heavy on the gas, and he eased the car onto the next exit ramp and then into the gas station. “Stay inside,” he told her, although he was sure the instruction was unnecessary, as he slid his shoulder rig off, tucked the Colt into the back of his pants, hidden by his shirt, and went to pump gas. Minutes later, they were back on the road.
Leaving the gas station, he lit a cigarette, guiding the car back onto the Interstate. They were still a good eight hours from their destination, which meant that unless she wanted to sleep in the car they were going to have to find somewhere to stay overnight. Driving through the night didn’t both him, but if she wanted to stop he would. They’d also need something to eat, although they could hit a burger joint along the way, he just hoped the FBI had thought ahead and made sure there would be at least some supplies at their destination. He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out, trying to focus on the road ahead. His eyes flicked to the left, lingering a fraction of a second on her legs before he returned his gaze to the road. He noticed that she’d pulled a book out of her bag, had it open on her lap, and he caught the title in his peripheral vision. “War and Peace, huh?” He said, softly, as he guided the car onto the exit ramp and onto the next road that would take them to their destination. “That’s some heavy reading, we had to study it at Quantico,” he added, after a few seconds. He figured she’d seen the Marine Corps tattoo, would be able to work out the rest. “We should grab something to eat, soon, there should be a drive through burger place somewhere around here. And, do you want to stop overnight? I don’t mind, either way, but if you want something more comfortable than that seat to sleep in we’re gonna need to find a motel at some point,” he added.
“Cobra’s are nice,” Abbie said as she took off the sunglasses and tucked them in the coat’s pocket. That was followed by the hat that was placed on her lap with fingers combing her hair a bit. It felt a little weird not to have it in her customary ponytail but Abbie didn’t want to go through the trouble of doing it right now. “But if I’m going that route I’ll take a Lotus Seven. One of dad’s friends has one I took me for a ride. That was cool. I’m Abbie by the way but you know that I guess.”
The car got quiet again as they drove north. Most of the time Abbie just looked out of the passenger window as the scenery flew past. This wasn’t the first car trip she had been on, not with all the campaigns and conferences her dad was apart of. Growing up, her parents had made it a point to bring her along the conferences her dad was going to when it didn’t interfere with school so they could spend time together. That’s how she got to visit several different countries before she was fifteen. Abbie had loved those trips because they at the end of the day, they would have fun.
Then came the campaigns and the fund raising trips and the meet and greets. Some Abbie had to go to because the image makers wanted the ‘family’ imaged projected. The trips became less fun and more like work or duty. She soon became happy when she didn’t have to go. It all felt like a bubble was forming between her and the real world....
A slight bump pulled her out of her thoughts and caused her to glance over at Draven. He wasn’t familiar to her but that wasn’t surprising at all considering the sheer size of the department. Abbie thought he was kind of cute, in an intense sort of way. A tiny smile came to her lips after she mentally compared him to him to some of the guys she knew at school. There was no comparison, they were boys and Draven was a man. Not that it really meant anything of course. Still...
Abbie snuck another glance over at him and held it for a moment longer than she had planned. The tiny bits of gray in his hair made him seem more attractive somehow. It was then that she caught Draven sneaking a glimpse of her and with a start, realized that he was looking at her legs. Both realized what the other was doing as they eyes locked. Nothing was said but Abbie’s cheeks blushed and the tiny smile came back as she turned away. Was he flirting with her or did he just like her legs. Either way it did make Abbie feel nice inside. She wasn’t one of those girls guys tended to hit on. Not when you had an armed cop close by and the fact that she was the mayor’s daughter didn’t help.
The car stayed silent with Draven concentrating on the driving and Abbie looking out the window again.
At the gas station, she took advantage of the stop to slip out of Tabby’s suit jacket and to roll up the sleeves of her white shirt above the elbows. The school vest would show the swell of her breasts but there wasn’t anything Abbie could do about that. Guys, and a few girls, did tend to focus on those two lumps of fat. During swimming class it was difficult not to run and hide. Even worse was the showers afterwards with the other girls giving her a ‘look’ at how perfect they appeared on her petite body. She hated all the stares that she might get so that’s why Abbie tried to wear clothes that didn’t show too much. When Draven got back into the car, she suddenly wondered what his eyes would do. To her shock, she realized she didn’t care. That made her smile again.
It took a moment for her to realize that he was talking to her and to register the words. “This book?” Abbie asked, holding it up for a moment as she smiled. “It's my ‘emergency’ book. You know, if I’m stuck someplace without a computer I can have something to keep my mind occupied. Gods help you if I’m bored. It can be disastrous. Not as bad as today though...” Her smiled faded a little before she shook her head. “Quantico? Cops become FBI and not the other way around so you must be....a marine? Officer and a Gentleman and all that? Cool beans.”
She looked at at him as he mentioned food. Surely he could hear the sudden rumble of her stomach over the sound the engine. “Burgers sound good and no, I’m not a vegan or vegetarian. I like meat. I’m cool with us driving straight through to wherever we are going if you are. I can sleep just about anywhere.” The suit jacket, suitable folded, would make a good pillow to lean her head against.
“There’s something I do have to tell you and should have told you right away but I...forgot.” Carefully, Abbie reached into her bag and pulled out the gun in the ankle holster she had been given. “Tabby gave me her backup gun, just in case, and said to tell you about it. I think it suppose to be a ‘last resort’ kind of thing. I’ve shot a gun once or twice so I’m not scared of them. Probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn though. I leave it up to you to decide.” The gun she had shot was a .357 that had nearly put her back on her butt! There was a video her mom had of it that Abbie refused to let her show anyone.
“Can I ask where we are going?” She put the book away because with the sun beginning to go down it was getting harder to read.
All thoughts of food disappeared, as Abbie took the holstered gun from her schoolbag. Making a mental note to talk to Tabby, giving the girl her back up weapon, even as a last resort, went against at least a dozen regulations he could think of, and probably another dozen that he couldn’t. He could understand why she’d done it, but she shouldn’t have. “Put it in the glove box, and don’t even think about touching it unless I say,” he said, finally. He waited until she’d tucked the holstered pistol in the glove box, before he turned his attention back to the road. One thing the chief had told him about the safe house, when he’d expressed concerns about having to protect Abbie with nothing but his sidearm, there was a small arsenal of weapons there, plenty of ammunition and two shooting ranges. A small, short, one under the house, and more than enough room outside for a full rifle range.
For a brief second, a while ago, he’d been worried that she’d caught him stealing a glance at her legs, but she hadn’t said anything or reacted, so he assumed he’d been wrong. Still, he knew he had to be careful. She was barely eighteen, young enough to be his daughter. She was cute, though, maybe if he was twenty years younger, or she was ten years older… He derailed the thought before it could fully form. He was a cop, he had a job to do.
“Yes, Marine Force Recon, ten years, give or take a few months,” he said, in answer to her question as to whether or not he was a marine. “Officer, yes, gentleman, not according to my ex-wife,” he added, after a few seconds. “Tell you what, I believe there’s a shooting range where we’re going, if we get bored, I’ll teach you to shoot, properly, okay?” He added, after a few more seconds. She nodded, before she put her book away, with the fading light it was going to be pretty much impossible for her to read anyway.
“We’re heading for a safe house, up in Maine, that’s about all I can tell you.” He said, in answer to her question, pausing briefly before he added. “The chief says it’s pretty secluded, out in the middle of nowhere, a log cabin is how he described it. Other than that, I have no idea, I’ve never been there before,” he finished. “There’s not gonna be much else there, so we’re gonna need to work on a list of supplies, clothes and food, tomorrow, I can hit the local Wal-Mart,” he added, after a handful of seconds.
At the next exit he pulled off the highway, hitting a drive through McDonalds and ordering burgers and fries for both of them. He ate as he drove, he was used to it, and opened the window to smoke a cigarette once she’d finished. Finishing his smoke, he tossed the butt out of the open window, leaving it open so the cool air kept him awake even as took the jacket she’d been wearing and used it as a pillow for her head as she settled into her seat and drifted off to sleep. He had to make another stop for gas, but she didn’t notice as she slept soundly.
The car ate up the miles, cruising along the deserted highway that was lit only by the Mustang’s headlights and those of the occasional car they passed. Once or twice he heard her stir lightly in her sleep, and once he glanced across at her and let his eyes linger on her legs. She definitely had great legs.
Several hours later, just as he was starting to yawn and feel the fatigue of driving all night, he pulled the Mustang off the highway and onto the road that would take them to the safe house. Half an hour, and two wrong turns later, he guided the Mustang onto the long, sweeping, curving, driveway that would take them up to the house. Pulling the car into the rear of the house, he killed the engine and glanced across at Abbie. She was still fast asleep, snoring ever so gently, and for a brief second he thought about waking her up. Deciding against it, instead he opened his door, went across to the house and opened the front door, before he went back to the car and then opened the passenger door.
Reaching across her, he unfastened her seatbelt and then gently scooped her up into his arms. She stirred gently in her sleep, but didn’t wake up, and he carried across to the house and inside, being careful not to wake her. He carried her through to one of the bedrooms and lay her gently on the bed, then went back to the car to retrieve the pistol she’d left in the glovebox. Locking the car, he returned to the house and went through to the kitchen to check on supplies. As he’d suspected there was pretty much nothing, and he went through to the lounge and sat on the couch. Removing his shoes, he placed his pistol back in his shoulder rig and then lay down. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drift off to sleep.
As much as he tried to stop them, his dreams drifted to Abbie.
***************************************************
The air in the car changed just enough that even Abbie could feel it. Draven wasn’t angry, at least so she thought, but he had fallen into ‘police mode’. Nodding, she did as she was told and made the glove compartment was tightly shut. “I’m not stupid either. I know what guns are and I know that I don’t do anything without your express order. I didn’t want it either,” she said in a soft but calm voice. “Don’t get Tabby in trouble for this. It was wrong but her heart was in the right place.” Abbie thought she caught a slight nod from him but she couldn’t be sure.
When he described the cabin and the fact that he might have to go to Wal-Mart to get things she piped up: “I’ll drive the car!” That did earn her a look of surprise and then narrow eyebrows. Abbie almost caught her grinning because the scowl look so cute on him! “Well, you aren’t going to leave me alone in that cabin while you go and you can’t take me in with you. Gods knows how many news channels my face is on by now.” She settled back in the seat, quite proud of herself. “I can drop you off, park someplace quiet and where I watch the door, and then pick you up. I have a plan!” If she didn't know better she would have sworn his teeth were grinding but he didn’t seem to object to it.
McD’s wasn’t exactly a favorite but she wasn’t about to turn down food. Afterwards, the day finally caught up with Abbie as she placed the folded up jacket against the window and watched the dark fly past until her eyes closed.....