Chapter 6
PALLAS
The streets of Manila were normally just like any other city, but this time there was a strange kind of energy flowing around them as his team walked along toward the embassy. Well, part of his team.
They'd all arrived on the military transport but left the area in different vehicles in smaller groups. A group of four, two groups of three and two couples.
Pallas was in the first group to make their way to the embassy and as they exited the paid cab, they laughed at a shared joke, taking time to meet the eyes of some of the passing locals. Jammer even stopped to buy some fruit from a stand outside of a grocer.
The last thing they wanted to look like was a bunch of Marines ready for conflict.
They might be ready to defend themselves and the embassy, but they weren't advertising it to the curious people who watched them come and go on the street.
The guards at the gate made quick work of checking their identification as they were told to expect the team and Pallas was the last one inside of his group of three to feel the cool air of the embassy on his face.
Jammer unlocked the suitcase that he'd brought with him, and Arctic unpacked their uniforms and set them aside while Pallas started assembling their weapons.
The Marines on duty at the embassy greeted them with polite nods, but it was the civilians who worked in the embassy offices who looked at them with open curiosity and some with relief.
When one of the guards arrived to take Pallas to meet the Ambassador, the others gave him a knowing nod and watched him walk out of the office behind the guard. The briefing was about to begin.
KAWEHI
It had barely been more than twelve hours since she'd received the phone call from Dom, but Kawehi felt herself more than a little anxious.
Every time the door opened at the front of the bowling alley, she turned to look even though she knew that it wasn't going to be Dom coming in through the door.
It didn't matter.
She had to look.
Some of their regulars noticed the difference, but they'd been there through Nick's disappearance and didn't ask about her skittish behavior. They were a little quieter than normal, but she knew that was their way to help.
A group of tourists on vacation coming through the door just shy of midnight didn't help, but their playful banter and raucous laughter helped to take her mind off of where Dom was and what he was doing.
The group was from Wisconsin, and they were very well prepared with cow jokes that had her laughing along with them, not because she thought they were particularly funny, but she knew how good it was to make others feel comfortable and she'd had plenty of practice doing that.
However, it wasn't until their third game that she realized one of the men was openly flirting with her.
He'd come to the counter to get another pitcher of beer, but this time, he'd come by himself. As she turned around to pour the beer into the pitcher, she heard him clear his throat. "Do you work here every night?"
She smiled and answered without turning around. "Not every night. We do get a few days off here and there."
"Would you like to use one of those nights off coming out to dinner with me?"
Kawehi turned back around, with the pitcher held securely in her hands. "Sorry. I have..." She paused, thinking about what she had. Maile might have called Dom her boyfriend, but they hadn't really talked about what they were to each other. Instead, she decided to go with her own feelings. "I have a boyfriend."
She put the pitcher down on the counter between them and he leaned in with his hands on the edge of the countertop.
"You had to think about that," he smiled at her, "are you sure?"
A little put on the spot, Kawehi looked up at him and nodded. She'd given them a label even though they hadn't had 'the talk,' but as soon as she'd said it out loud, she realized how much she meant it. "I know... Sorry. Things are new for us, but I'm very sure."
He shook his head and handed her a twenty and a five. "Looks like my vacation was a little too late."
She reached into her apron to make change, but he waved her off.
"Keep the change. It was worth it just to see you smile."
Kawehi relaxed in that moment and thanked him. "Good luck on the new game."
"Thanks." He picked up the pitcher of beer. "I'm going to need it. I suck at bowling."
As he walked away, Kawehi started to wipe down the back counter.
Her uncle cleared his throat and beckoned her into the kitchen with a crook of his finger.
He lifted his chin at her as he folded his arms across his chest. "You're smiling again."
She shrugged, but she knew that her uncle wasn't going to take that as an answer. "I'm feeling better."
He smiled at her, lines forming at the outside corners of his eyes. "Good. Good. I was worried about you earlier."
Kawehi tried to wave off his concern. "I'll be okay. I think it just hit me hard, you know? Right here." She put her hand over her heart. "It meant a lot that he called me before he left. I know he can't tell me more than he did, but it was nice to get a chance to say..." She swallowed at the knot that suddenly formed in her throat. "It was nice to say goodbye."
Her uncle walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her as she laid her cheek on his shoulder. "You're a good girl, Kawehi. If this man is worthy of you, he'll tell you these things. He won't let you wonder and worry."
She felt her uncle's reassuring embrace lifting her spirits again. "You're the best uncle ever."
Kawehi heard his laughter and smiled.
"I'm your only uncle!"
"You'd be the best no matter what," she reassured him.
He gave her a gentle pat on the back and released her with a gentle sigh. "You keep your chin up, girl. He'll be back soon."
She walked back out to the counter, smiling.
He'd come back and she'd be waiting.
PALLAS
Two days later, the shit hit the fan, and no, it didn't say Marine.
It said all kinds of nasty things, but they didn't speak the language. They were left to get translations from Marines working at the embassy and nothing was good.
They'd had their briefings on the protests from the ambassador herself, who'd explained that the citizens had been wound up by a planned visit from the US Secretary of State.
"Misinformation is running rampant. You'd be surprised how many people don't bother to read several accounts of news before taking one account as gospel."
Buck had spoken for the group when he'd told her. "Not really, Ma'am. We've heard our share of shit news. Sorry, my apologies."
The ambassador had laughed out loud and waved off Buck's horrified apology. "I appreciate your candor. It's hard to see people upset by news and viewpoints that have so little connection to reality, but it doesn't make things less worrisome or dangerous."
As they stood sentinel at the windows on the second floor, protecting the outer perimeter of the ambassador's office, they caught sight of a fire arcing through the air.
"Fire!"
Voices from the first floor reached them as the front doors of the embassy blew open and Marines rushed out to put out the fire. Buck and Pallas escorted the ambassador back into her offices. "Ma'am," Pallas gave her a pointed look, "are you ready to be evacuated to the base?"
She shook her head. "I know you're trying to be careful and proactive, but I'm not planning to leave. If we leave, that sends a message that I'm sure none of us want to deliver to the masses outside."
Pallas nodded.
He wasn't going to argue with the ambassador. He'd talk to Wolf when he'd gotten some rest. They'd talked Wolf into putting his head down for a few hours as he'd been on duty almost since they'd arrived in the Philippines.
"I know it's a lot to ask of all of you since you're here to protect us, but I need to project a strength here. I need to keep our presence here. The people need to know that we're not running when things get tough."
"You don't have to explain yourself, Ambassador." Pallas knew if it came down to it, the ambassador would go with them to the base to be evacuated if it came down to it. But they were also there to project that same strength to the local public.
They may have been fed a lot of misinformation, but their frustrations were real.
No one had been hurt, yet. But being hurt was always a possibility in their job. It was their service to their country that was the reason they were there at the embassy.
"I hope that by the time all is said and done here, neither of you will feel that your time has been wasted."
"No, ma'am."
"Absolutely not, ma'am."
She smiled at them both. "You're both good men. Everyone serving here is wonderful. It's been a real honor to serve my country in this role, but as much as I imagined discovering about service as an ambassador for the United States, I've truly seen and discovered more in the last few days than I did in the last two years. I'm more thankful to my staff than I ever thought was possible."
She turned and looked at them both in turn, settling her gaze on Buck. "Does that make any sense?"
Buck nodded, almost smiling at her. "Yes, ma'am. There have been a number of times when I've had to rely on the members of my team for my survival. And while we've trained together to protect each other and complete our missions, you never know what you're really capable of until you're in the thick of it."
She drew in a breath and let it out. "My husband and I have gone through something similar. I know he thought I was crazy when I accepted the offer to become an ambassador. We had a good life in Chicago before this and I know he was perfectly happy there, but once I decided what I was going to do about the job, he was all in. He knew that offers like this don't come along all that often and he knew that I wanted to serve my country."
"It's a good thing what you're doing," Pallas agreed, "I just hope that we can give you the time you need to stop the struggles going on outside."
She gave him what he thought was a hopeful smile. "I have meetings tomorrow with some of the news outlets and local government and church groups. I'm hoping that we can explain our situation and our policies, give them a person-to-person view of what we're doing here. If we can do that, then I think we can bring peace back to the streets."
Jammer knocked on the door frame before coming into the room. "Ma'am. Wolf wanted me to let you know that we put out the fire and police on the streets caught the man that tossed the incendiary device over the fence. They're taken him down to the local police station."
The ambassador shook her head sadly. "I haven't had this happen before; do you think the local police would let me talk to the man?"
Pallas and Buck shared a look.
Buck took point on the answer. "I think they would, but maybe if they found out whether he has any connections to the community leaders that you're meeting tomorrow, it might be a good idea to speak to them first."
Pallas agreed. "Then you can have them come with you to speak to him if you're thinking of not pressing charges."
The ambassador looked at Jammer who was still standing in the doorway. "Was there a lot of damage?"
Jammer shook his head. "Not really, ma'am. Your landscaper might have a panic attack when he sees the scorch marks on your grass but thank goodness the man didn't know as much as I learned at my frat in college. If he'd had a lesson or two from our pledge master, the damage would have been much worse."
She smiled and her expression looked more relieved than anything else. "I'd like to see if the police could interview him and find out who he's associated with. Gently, please."
Pallas saw Jammer's hesitation, but the other Marine nodded in the end. "Yes, ma'am. I'll ask." He was gone a moment later, headed back downstairs to the first floor.
"I hope that doesn't make me look 'soft on crime' to you gentlemen."
"Soft on crime?" The ambassador's husband stepped into the room. "Tell that to the people who complained about your career as a district attorney in Chicago." He moved to her side and gave his wife a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Everything okay? I heard some shouts through the door."
The ambassador reached up a hand and gave his hand a squeeze. "Everything's okay, Ken. We were just talking about what happened."
The ambassador's husband looked at Buck and Pallas, his gaze full of concern even though his expression was mild. From the ambassador's point of view, she probably couldn't see the look in his eyes. "Are we going to leave tonight?"
Pallas gestured at the ambassador. "If the situation changes to the point where we have serious concerns about your safety, we'll let the ambassador know. Right now, we have the embassy secured."
"Great. That's good to hear." He smiled, but there was a shadow of worry in his eyes.
"See, sweetie? The Marines have it under control. They wouldn't put us in danger."
Pallas could tell by the man's expression that he wasn't all that sure.
"Sir, we moved your family here so that we could have you all together and protect you as a family. We won't forget the trust that you've all put in us."
The ambassador's husband nodded, but a muscle tightened in his jaw. "Do you have a wife and children, sir?"
Pallas shook his head. "No, sir. I don't."
The ambassador tried to comfort her husband, gently moving her hand over his arm. "Honey..."
"No," he looked down at his wife, drawing her against his side, "I have a right to say what I need to say."
Pallas nodded when the ambassador turned to look at him. "It's quite all right, ma'am. Sir, say what you need to."
"I'm concerned. I'd be crazy or stupid not to have concerns about the situation that we're quite literally stuck in. I need to know that you're not keeping us here as some kind of political stunt. This is my wife." He hugged her closer. "And our two daughters are upstairs sleeping peacefully, thank god. I want to know that you truly believe that we're safe right now. Or I want you to take us to the base and evacuate us."
Pallas knew that he could give the man the normal platitudes that they've both heard and said to keep things calm. But things were different for him now. A whole new world had opened up for him.
"Sir, I may not be married or a father yet, but there is a wonderful woman waiting for me back in Hawaii. The last thing I would do while I'm here is to risk my chances of going back to her."
The ambassador's husband nodded, the tight line of his jaw easing as his embrace relaxed around his wife. "That's good. That's really good. If she's that special to you, you should get back to her in one piece." He looked down at his wife with a soft smile. "The best thing I ever did in my life was to marry Susan. I'd follow her to the ends of the earth and back."
The ambassador lifted a hand and gently stroked his cheek. "According to my mother you did follow me to the ends of the earth."
He smiled back at her. "No regrets, honey."
She shook her head. "No regrets."
Wolf appeared in the doorway with a smile. "Ambassador?"
They all turned toward the leader of the team and Wolf gave the ambassador a nod. "Some of the leaders you are scheduled to meet with tomorrow are at the gates."
Pallas took a breath to calm his own nerves that matched the ambassador's own in drawn breath.
"Are things getting worse on the street?"
Wolf shook his head. "No, ma'am. They heard about the fire thrown over the fence and they'd like to meet with you tonight if you are able to."
The ambassador took a step closer to Wolf, wiping off the palms of her hands on her slacks. "I'd like to meet with them." She looked over at Pallas. "I had asked for meetings this afternoon or this evening, but I was told they weren't available."
She looked at Wolf, lifting her chin and straightening her posture. "Please have my staff clear out the meeting room that your Marines feel would make the best sense to use. We'll meet with them in there."
One of her staff members appeared at Wolf's side in the doorway. "Ma'am. We have enough supplies in the mess that I can put some snacks and drinks together for the meeting. Food is always good when things need to be discussed."
"Thanks, Cait. I'd appreciate that."
The staffer grinned. "I'm so happy that things are starting to turn around." She turned to leave and almost collided with Wolf in the doorway. "Sorry."
He stepped to the side to give her more room. "No apologies needed."
Pallas saw the staffer blushing as she moved into the hall.
Women had that reaction around Wolf, but the Marine never seemed to notice.
Buck gave him a nod and a smile saying that he'd noticed as well.
The ambassador's husband gave her a reassuring hug. "Is there anything I can do for you, Susan?"
She shook her head. "Just keep a watch over the girls. I think it's going to be a long night."
"I think it's going to be a productive one." Her husband pressed a kiss to the top of her head and left the room.
"Ma'am." Pallas addressed the ambassador. "Would you like to freshen up before the meeting?"
"Do I look like I need it?" She turned to look at a mirror and grimaced. "I look like I've slept in this suit."
Buck gave him a look before he addressed the ambassador. "You look fine, ma'am, but sometimes it helps to... Well, it just helps."
She looked at both of them and nodded. "I get your meaning. It's the same thing during prep for a court case or studying before exams in law school. A fresh cup of coffee, a shower, and a new set of clothes can do wonders. Thanks for the reminder."
Buck smiled at her. "We're here to help, ma'am."
"And you have been a great help." She turned to look at Pallas. "All of you. I'm glad that we were able to get help so quickly."
"You'll always have the help of the Marine Corps, ma'am. We're glad to help."
She moved toward the hallway and Pallas saw Chicago move to an area just outside the door. He'd be the one to walk her to her quarters where Jester was stationed.
"Thanks again, gentleman. Hooah!" She laughed out loud. "I know... I know... Oorah!"
Her laughter followed her down the hall and Buck turned to look at Pallas. "Did she just yank our chain?"
"I think she did."
Buck let out a loud breath. "Thank god. I think we're going to be going home in the next day or so."
Pallas agreed with him. "Her mood has vastly improved from what it was when we first got here."
"I think this is her first big test as an ambassador." Buck rolled his shoulders to ease some of the strain. Pallas was feeling the strain himself.
"She's going to be a great ambassador. She's got the right mindset. At least I think so."
Buck nodded. "It's hard to pinpoint what makes a good one, isn't it?"
Pallas turned his head side to side, stretching out the muscles in his neck. "I'm glad it's not up to me. I can't imagine the laundry list of things you have to consider in someone's character and life experience to pick an ambassador."
Buck moved over to the window and looked out. Pallas joined him a few moments later.
The crowds that had pressed close to the gates just a little while before had eased back.
The shadows that had shown a mass of men before had thinned out.
It was a good sign that the unrest that had been building almost to a fever pitch had started to unravel outside of the gates.
"Pallas?"
Pallas turned around and gave Riptide a nod. "Everything good downstairs?"
Riptide shrugged. "Everyone's moving around like ants. The staffers are preparing a meeting room while the men who are here for the meeting are milling around the entry. I think some of them are bored enough to read the captions beneath some of the pictures on the wall."
Buck chuckled softly. "Make no mistake, none of them are bored."
"They're probably going over the points they'd like to make to the ambassador."
Pallas agreed. "Then again, some of them are probably thinking through the questions they want to ask."
Riptide shrugged. "Either way, I don't have much of anything to do."
Pallas barely restrained himself from mimicking a tiny little violin with his fingertips. "Sorry if I don't feel all that bad for you, Sailor."
Riptide's expression soured a little. "No worries, Grunt."
Pallas kept his expression still.
"So, tell me about this woman you stood up."
Buck coughed and shook his head in warning.
Pallas didn't mind the question. "She's local. Her family owns a bowling alley in Kailua town."
"Lani... lana-"
"Lanikai Lanes." Pallas provided the Navy man with the name, smiling at the thought of the time he'd spent there. "They're open late. Bowling, food, and-"
"A bar, too. I've heard of it. Good food." Riptide nodded. "We should go when we get back to Oahu."
Pallas smiled. "They could always use the business."
"Sounds like fun." Riptide flexed his arms. "I'm pretty good at bowling."
Buck folded his arms across his chest. "You don't need muscles to bowl."
Riptide grinned. "Shows what you know. I have a big ball."
Buck groaned. "I didn't need to hear that."
"No, really," Riptide pressed on. "I bowled in high school. Made the Varsity team. I used a sixteen-pound ball."
Pallas was almost laughing. "It must have been hard to walk with that."
"Ha ha, Pallas. Seriously. We can get a few guys together and go to the bowling alley. Bowl a few games and get a chance to meet the woman that caught your eye."
Buck nodded. "She more than caught his eye. I think Pallas is going to be the first one of us off the market."
Riptide held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not on any market. The last thing I need are women squeezing my fruit."
Pallas moved to the other side of the room to look out the windows. The crowd was getting smaller, and he was happy to see it. The more the crowd settled and dispersed, the closer they got to restoring order around the embassy.
Yes, he was eager to get back home, but he also knew that they had a job to do, and he meant it when he'd told the ambassador's husband that he was going to make sure that they were safe.
It would be considered a big win if they were able to keep everyone on the ground in the Philippines and avoid any sort of evacuation from the embassy. The more they'd discovered about the conflict in the city, the more that Pallas knew it was mostly unrest caused by bad actors trying to stir up trouble.
He would consider it a success if they were able to leave without a shot fired.
Peace was always a better option than violence.
He turned back and looked at Riptide and Buck. "If the others can behave and not embarrass, Kawehi, I'm all for a trip to the bowling alley when we get back. But if someone makes things uncomfortable for her, I'll have no problem kicking someone's ass."
Riptide gave him a salute and moved toward the door. "I've got a good feeling about tonight, ladies." He gave them a wink. "I'm going to go and cross my fingers that we're headed back in the next couple of days."
Me, too. Pallas nodded. Me, too.