Blood and Friendship

Five days earlier, Anna Cleer was dancing with a young man she had rescued out of the hands of terrorist. They were among the honored guests at the wedding of Cheryl Benton and Richard Brandman. The event was to be a night of celebration for the bride and groom and a reunion of two families that had faced extreme dangers and bravely faced the enemy. Until that moment, Anna would have sworn the enemy had been eliminated. Then she heard a familiar voice. Edward Santiago was puzzled when Anna suddenly stopped dancing and pulled him off the dance floor towards the exit. Her actions were swift and calculated. She flashed a big smile as if everything was as it should be. It wasn’t! Once outside, Anna motioned to Edward to remain silent. They kept silent until she had taken them to a remote corner of the terrace. Then she released Edward’s arm, only to begin pacing back and forth. “The son-of-a-bitch is still alive, he’s still alive!” “Anna, help me. Who are you talking about?” Edward was puzzled by the shaken look in Anna’s eyes. He had seen her kill two men without so much as a blink. And now, something inside the reception hall had filled her eyes with rage. “The man dancing with your mother; the guy that took your dad’s position after he left government service; he’s the prick that called me on the phone,” Anna said as she continued to pace. “Anna!” Edward yelled at her as he stood in front of his friend and kept her from pacing, “What phone?” “I heard that man speak to your mother in English. His accent, inflection, and tone are the same as the guy that called me and gave the orders for your assassination. He was the guy calling all the shots. I remember wondering why the guy’s accent didn’t sound Tex-Mex. The voice didn’t have the same rhythm. The reason is he’s not a Mexican. He’s that fuckin’ Venezuelan ambassador, Octavio Aponte.” “I’m not going to ask you if you’re sure. Somehow I know you’re right. What do we do now?” Edward started to feel apprehensive. “We have no security here. I can’t believe this shit. We’re in Alexandria, Virginia, a few miles from the White House, and we don’t have a lick of security. The only security detail in place belongs to that prick, Aponte. I’ve got to make a phone call. I want you to go inside and act as if nothing has happened. I don’t believe we’re in any danger but I’m calling the cavalry. Stay with your family. Keep your eyes open. I’ll be inside in a few minutes.” Edward did as instructed while Anna searched the banquet hall for a phone. Anna called a man she had mentored when he was a young captain, F. Ward Rygwalski. She was one of only a handful of people who knew what the “F” stood for and that meant F. Ward Rygwalski would cover her ass. Forty minutes later, two shiny, black, Chevrolet Suburban SUVs and one Cadillac limousine came to a screeching halt in front of the banquet hall. Anna stood at the entrance to the banquet hall as the “cavalry” approached. She quickly assigned the teams; two had to protect the bride and groom, two were assigned to protect Edward’s parents, and two were assigned to watch Aponte’s security detail. Any misstep by Aponte or any of his men would be met with excessive force. She didn’t ask the men to be discrete. Anna wanted any bad guys to see the muscle that would strike back. As the teams spread out, Anna slipped behind the honored couple and whispered, “Cheryl or Richard, you need to do something that will get both of you out of here soonest. I’ll fill you in later. The two men behind are your armor. Do it now!” Just as Anna walked away, Cheryl took Richard’s hand and walked to the center of the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know the night is young but Richard is anxious to make me a wicked woman. Our chauffeur has arrived and we’re about to begin our honeymoon. We love you all – see ya!” The guests were still applauding as Cheryl followed Richard towards the exit Anna was standing near. One of Ward’s agents took the lead while the other agent followed within inches of Cheryl’s body. Eight seconds later, a limo carrying five passengers had vanished into the night. Cheryl and Richard, still dazed by the swift extraction, were addressed by a third man, the driver. He identified himself as “Ward.” The wedding guests had not noticed the simultaneous exit of the Santiago family. Edward had alerted Christiane and together with their parents they left through the terrace exit. Their two agents trailed them as Anna led them to one of the SUVs. Once the Santiagos were driven safely away by one of the agents, Anna returned to the reception with the remaining agent; Cheryl Brandman’s children were still in the banquet hall. Audra and Kenneth had quickly picked up on the criticality of the sudden exit of their mother, stepfather, and the Santiago family. They had identified the posse as they entered the hall with Anna. The physical build, the walk, and the watchful eyes told them the men were Special Ops. Audra and Kenneth followed their lead, assuming they were covered by the agents, they continued to mix with the guests. Once Anna returned and told them everyone else was safe, Audra and Kenneth took positions at each side of the main entrance and expressed the family’s appreciation to the guests as they left the banquet hall. Audra and Kenneth lathered Ambassador Aponte with particular pleasantries. “Mister Ambassador, my brother and I are sure that you understand the urgencies of newlyweds. After all, you too were recently married to a beautiful woman,” Kenneth said with a wide smile as he shook the Ambassador’s hand. “¡Si, lo entiendo bien Kenneth¡ Please give my best to the bride and groom. Buenas noches, Señorita Audra.” The ambassador’s gracious bid of a good night didn’t show any hint of question. The remaining guests followed the ambassador and his entourage out the door. “It’s our turn to move out. Audra, Kenneth, these three gentlemen will take us someplace safe. We’ll sort this all out once we get there.” Anna followed them out the door.