“Wait.” Malichai held up his hand. “So, two hit men.”
“Yeah, one local. He’s dead. The second one, name’s Rubin Edon.
He’s staying right here in this establishment. If Marie were here, I’m sure she’d kick him out, but Amaryllis, poor girl, doesn’t have that authority. The cops couldn’t hold him. They didn’t have enough on him.”
“That’s crazy,” Malichai said, trying to sound noncommittal. “There’s another guy in the hotel, calls himself Gino. Now, he really looks like a hit man. Italian. I’m sure he’s Mafia.”
“Billy, that’s a jump, just because he might be of Italian descent.”
“You have to see him, then you tell me what you think.” Billy wasn’t backing down.
Malichai shrugged. “Are you here for that peace conference?”
“Fuck no!” Billy nearly leapt out of his chair. “Do you think I’m crazy? A bunch of idiot, hippie-dippie people meditating and smoking their weed and talking all night about how cool it would be if the world would just come together in love? Hell no. They can do their drugs and have their orgies and talk until they’re blue in the face. You ever been to Burning Man? They say it’s all about art. Making a city of art. It’s all about women walking around mostly naked and men’s asses hanging out of their britches. It’s free fucks, free drugs, dirty people doing dirty things. Talk about worthless people. Those are the people you fight for? You almost died for? Makes me want to puke.”
Malichai’s gut knotted tight, setting off his radar. “I doubt most of them are like that, Billy. A lot of people want to find a way to talk to one another, to find a common ground and maybe some understanding of one another’s cultures. You can’t put thousands of people from all those countries together and have all of them be dipshits. A few, yes. Those few are probably the camera grabbers, but the majority are really trying to make a difference in the way soldiers do.”
Billy shrugged. “Maybe, but they shouldn’t associate with drug-addicted hippies.”
“You’ve got a point,” Malichai agreed, switching gears. “You still in touch with your buddies in the Army?” Discreetly he rubbed his leg. “If I get booted for medical reasons, it would be nice to think my friends would still stick by me.”
“The brothers you make in the military are brothers for life,” Billy said staunchly. “You should know that by now.”
Malichai rubbed his leg again, this time openly. “Yeah.” He flashed Billy a smile. “I guess I was just looking for a little reassurance.”
“One of my brothers that goes way back, all the way to boot camp and we served together for several years, is an advisor to the VP. He’s climbed that ladder through service and I’m so damned proud of him. He was best man at my wedding. Came looking for me when I went on a bender and stayed drunk for three months after I lost my woman. Got me sobered up and straightened me out. He’s never forgotten my anniversary. Calls or comes by to see me. If he can’t make it, he sends me a ticket to fly and has me come to him.” He grinned at Malichai. “Been to the White House a few times. Who would have thought?”
“That’s nice to hear, Billy. Makes me feel better. I don’t know what I’d do if I’m not in the military. I suppose being a full-time doctor working on soldiers will have to do, but that doesn’t feel the same to me. I haven’t even lost my leg yet and I’m whining about it.” He pressed his fingers to his eyes briefly. “I worry about what Amaryllis is really going to feel like. I’ve seen so many good men lose everything when they lose a limb.”
“She leaves you, then she’s not worth having,” Billy said staunchly. “What are you going to be doing when everyone goes to the opening of the ideas on peace or whatever they’re calling that nonsense? This place will be deserted.”
“My friend is actually a service buddy as well. He’s highly decorated, although no one will ever know it. I don’t know if he’s even shown his wife his medals. He’s still in the service. He just got back from saving the world from a virus similar to Ebola. The chances he takes to keep other soldiers and our citizens from harm’s way are just plain scary. I told you his wife gave birth prematurely to twins. One is doing well, and they could move him, but the other not so good. I’ve been helping them. I’ll most likely continue with that.”
Billy opened his mouth twice and then snapped it closed abruptly. He shook his head. Finally he heaved a sigh. “I don’t understand. Why don’t they take those kids to the hospital?”
Deliberately, Malichai lowered his voice and looked around. He leaned closer to Billy. “There’s a price on his head as well as his wife’s. That’s why he came here in the dead of night. He wasn’t planning on staying, then everything went to hell. If certain factions knew he was here, they would move heaven and earth to assassinate him and his family. He’ll leave the moment the babies can fly.”
Billy cursed under his breath. “That sucks. He sounds like a good man. A decent man. You’ve got thousands of useless people sucking down weed and any other drug to make themselves think they’re tremendous thinkers, but what they’re really doing is partying, and then you have a great man who knows the meaning of hard work and sacrifice and he’s stuck in a basement with a price on his head.”
“The irony of it all is that he’s a true genius. If there is one mind in the world that could solve a few problems if anyone would listen, it would be his.”
“You don’t see him wasting his time,” Billy said. “He chooses to spend it with his wife and family or in service to his country. Few men like that left.” He stood up. “I’ve got an appointment, Malichai. I hope your leg stops hurting and you get to feeling better.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Malichai watched Billy go out the front door. Immediately he sent to all GhostWalkers the information, using their telepathic connection.
Billy is involved. Says friend is advisor to VP. Rubin’s cover is bought. I said Trap was a very decorated friend in service with price on head as well as on his family. His wife went into labor when they came to visit me at night. Can’t leave yet. Billy was visibly upset. Whatever is going to take place I’m afraid will happen on opening day.
Ezekiel answered. We have been unable to find Callendine or Salsberry. They are legitimately officers in the Army, and they are on assignment. Major General is trying to uncover where they are. This is a Navy town. They’re coordinating with us, doing most of the hunt for Callendine and Salsberry. Word is, several Army men in town. That’s not unusual, but they don’t appear to be here for fun. We’ve got eyes on them.
Joe added to the information. We got one good print off of Salsberry and it comes back legitimate, so I’m going to make that leap and say they were actually ordered here. I don’t know who ordered them or why. Major General is demanding answers. The fact that a decorated GhostWalker may lose his leg is helping peel back layers but it’s taking too much time. He says the delays appear to be deliberate.
Malichai had to do some heavy deep breathing at the casual way Joe mentioned that he might lose his leg. If Joe said it, and he would know more than any other, it was closer to the truth than Malichai wanted to know. He forced air through his lungs and with it, brought in the scent of Amaryllis. The moment he took her in, his world changed. Lightened. She could do that, without doing more than existing.