Page 41 of Pallas & Kawehi

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."

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