Net Force - Tom Clancy [98]
Jesus, girl, if you wait for Alex to notice you as a woman, you might die of old age before it happens. Besides, its just supper-he didnt ask to you bear his children or anything.
All right. I suppose we can have something to eat. Where is your car?
Home. I came in on the Trans.
Okay. Well take my car. You have any place in mind?
Nope. Its not the food, its the company. You pick.
She smiled again. He was charming, in his flattering Southern way.
Despite herself, Toni felt a little surge of adrenaline. Outside of work, it had been a long time since shed been out with a man socially. And it was always nice for the old ego to be asked.
Dinner wouldnt hurt anybody.
Sunday, October 3rd, 7:44 p.m. Washington, D.C.
Alex took Scout for a walk in his neighborhood. This was much against the wishes of his new security team, so actually what he wound up doing was sponsoring a small parade though the streets around his condo. And the party was somewhat larger than he had realized. There were four agents in two cars, one in front and one in back, inching along at walking speed. There were four men on foot, one in front, one behind him and the dog, and two more across the street forming the corners of a moving box. In addition, hed been told, another two cars roamed the streets that ran parallel to his, and two more cars covered the cross streets. Some of the cars only had one person in them. Fourteen agents in all, the chief bodyguard had told him.
It seemed like an excessive use of the taxpayers money to have that many people guarding him, but his boss had signed the order personally.
Scout didnt seem to mind the company. He watered lawns, signposts, and fire hydrants. Growled at hidden dangers in clumps of bushes that couldnt possibly hide anything any bigger than he was. Had himself a fine old time.
Michaels enjoyed the walk himself. It was a bit cooler than it had been, still not cold enough to need a jacket, though he wore a windbreaker so he could carry his taser in the pocket, close at hand. If somebody did manage to breach all his security, at least he could defend himself.
Caution-fear-was a new feeling for him. It was not something hed ever worried about before, actual physical danger. He was a fair-sized man, in pretty good shape, living in the hub of civilization. Hed had some training, years ago when hed joined the agency, in unarmed self-defense, with guns and with the taser, but right now that wasnt much comfort. He was not very good at such things, and, he knew, he was not at heart a violent man.
The last time he had been in a fight had been in the seventh grade. It had been with a boy named Robert Jeffries. Theyd bumped into each other in the hall between classes, and though it had been Jeffriess fault, he had gotten pissed off and told Michaels to meet him after school. That was the last thing Michaels wanted to do, but he was too afraid of looking bad to skip out. In those days, like most of his friends, he believed it was better to get beaten up than to be thought a coward.
So, with his gut churning, terrified and almost paralyzed with fear, he met Jeffries by the bike racks.
They took their jackets off and circled each other, neither wanting to make the first move. This close, he could see that Jeffries was pale, sweaty, breathing fast, and it dawned on Michaels that Jeffries had had time to think about things, and he was also afraid.
So, if neither of them wanted to do this, why were they fighting?
They might have talked the talk, pushed each other a couple of times, then backed off, but some boys in the crowd gathered to watch shoved them at each other.
Jeffries came in swinging, wild, wide, looping roundhouse punches.
What exactly happened had never been clear in Michaels mind. One moment, there were fists bouncing off his shoulders and head-fists he couldnt feel, and couldnt seem to avoid, even though they came at him in slow motion and dead silence.
The next moment, he had Jeffries on the ground,