Drake left the hotel confident in Mike and his team. Their plan wasn’t foolproof, and it wasn’t rehearsed, but it was the best they could do on short notice. A week ago he was busy, albeit morose, in the day-to-day mundane routine of a lawyer’s life. Now he was thrown back into a life he once loved.
He had changed into a blue blazer over a cream polo shirt and tan slacks back at his office. The.45 in its small-of-the-back holster, however, was a constant reminder he wasn’t on a social call tonight.
The drive from the hotel to the Senator’s house took all of ten minutes in the light evening traffic. There, he was greeted by an Oregon State Police trooper who inspected his ID, matched it to his face and his name on the small list of visitors allowed on the property for the night, before allowing him to proceed. No, this clearly wasn’t the usual dinner with the in-laws, he thought.
Drake drove up the curving driveway. Lines of fire, natural protection, avenues of ingress and egress, likely deployment of attacking force calculations flooded his mind. It was training he had left behind, but it was still available in his memory bank. He worried about possible civilian collateral damage and was, for once, thankful that the size of the Senator’s estate limited that possibility greatly. Unless Kaamil attacked by air with a bomb, the Senator’s neighbors were far enough away to be safe.
When he arrived at the residence, Drake stopped his Porsche next to a second Oregon State Police trooper, who waived him to a parking location. Drake walked to the front door and waited for it to be opened by another trooper. Meredith Hazelton was waiting for him and hugged him tightly, kissing him on the cheek.
“Thank you for protecting my husband today. He said if it wasn’t for you, he doesn’t know if they would have made it,” she said, with a glint of tears in the corners of her eyes.
“I didn’t do it by myself, Mom. I had the help of an old friend and the Army. We were lucky, that’s all.”
“Adam, don’t waste my time talking like a politician, telling me what I want to hear. Tell me what happened out there. I’m not blind to the extra security outside. Is my husband in danger?”
“It’s possible, but I think they were after the Secretary. He’s the bigger headline.”
“But he’s here for dinner. Is he still in danger?”
“Mom, relax. No one’s supposed to know Secretary Rallings is here. We have the State Police outside, and I’ve asked a few friends to hang around for a while. We’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know how the Israelis put up with this stuff all the time,” she said, leading him into the house. “I’m finishing up in the kitchen. Go find the men.”
Drake smiled and walked to the den. He found the Senator and the Secretary standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the lake. The lake reflected the light pink of an early sunset off its shimmering surface. Each man had a drink in hand, talking softly, shoulder to shoulder.
Senator Hazelton saw him first and smiled. “Adam, let me get you a drink and we’ll toast your heroics today. What would you like?”
Drake glanced at the wet bar and saw a bottle he recognized.
“I see you’ve introduced Secretary Rallings to our state’s secret, ten-year-old Pendleton whiskey. Just one, heavy on the ice.”
While the Senator went to pour Drake’s whiskey, Secretary Rallings stepped forward and stuck out his hand. His smile was gone, and slightly squinted eyes acknowledged his concern for the day’s events.
“I know I thanked you before, but I didn’t understand then how much of what happened today was your doing. Do you mind telling me, how were you prepared to defend us like you did?”
“I’ll tell you as much as I can, Mr. Secretary. Parts of it, you’re better off not knowing. I stumbled onto something at Martin Research that suggested you might be in danger at the depot. I couldn’t leave everything to the Army when I knew things I couldn’t tell them about. So, I invited a buddy from Seattle to join me, and we tagged along as your unofficial bodyguards.”
“Well, I suspect there’s a lot more to the story. For now, know we’re both indebted to you. If there’s any way I can ever help you, just let me know. They keep me busy in Washington, but I’ll always make time for you. By any chance, are you looking for a job?”
“No, he’s not. I need him here in Oregon. You have the largest staff in the government, don’t start poaching out west. Now, here’s to you, son,” the Senator said, raising his glass in toast. “You learn anything more about the men behind the attack?”
Drake took a sip from his tumbler. “I haven’t confirmed what I suspect. The man we followed is the same man I believe was behind the murder of Richard Martin’s secretary, and the three men who tried to kill me. He landed the helicopter in Hood River and escaped across the river. I think he returned to Portland. I think he’ll try again, before the Secretary leaves tomorrow.”
Secretary Rallings and Senator Hazelton exchanged a look that belied their calm manner.
Drake wondered if the possibility of another attack had even been discussed by the Secret Service. Judging from the reaction of the two men, it hadn’t.
“Is there a possibility this man will be arrested any time soon?” Secretary Rallings asked.
“Probably not, sir. This is his home. If he made it back here, we’re not likely to find him before you leave. You have the State Police outside, and I asked some of my friends to stick around. From what I’m told, he shouldn’t know you’re here. If anything does happen tonight, I want both of you to get downstairs with Mom to the safe room until I come for you, okay?”
Secretary Rallings looked intently at Drake. “With everything that’s happened today, I’d be a fool to ignore your concerns. I’m not used to hearing about threats my own people underestimated. If it turns out you’re right about another attempt, I’m going to have to kick some serious ass.”
“Mr. Secretary, with all due respect for your office, that may not be fair. I know things they don’t. So, if it’s okay with you both, I’d like to go out and let the State Police know that I’ve brought in additional private security.”
Both men nodded their agreement. Drake slipped out to talk with the State Police and to signal Mike to deploy his team.