Page 49 of Alistair

“Sniff? Lucy? Are they dangerous?” he asked calmly.

“Only when they think you’re trying to harm them or touch their young. They defend themselves like any other animal,” said Lucy.

“And will they be okay on the island?” he asked.

“Yes,” nodded Sniff with a smile. “It’s big enough that they’ll be fine.”

“Okay, Mama. The bison stay,” he said calmly. He walked forward, kissing his mother’s cheeks, and then just laughed, shaking his head.

All the others smiled, not sure why he handled this one so well. As he walked toward the cafeteria, they could hear him laughing.

“Bison. We have fucking bison on the property. What next?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

With the Marines at full strength, the team offered them a variety of weapons that they might be comfortable with. Considering the number of people that would be at the premiere, they hoped that no weapons would be needed. If Stone valued his own life at all, he’d surrender without any shots fired. If not, the team wouldn’t hesitate to take him down.

The same team that had been in West Virginia, minus Tailor and Alec, plus Bremmer, Crockett, Swan, and Clark, they loaded into the two Ospreys and headed to L.A. Since they were supposed to be security blending in with the others, they all had tuxedos, except, of course, Clark, who had a custom-made dress from Gwen.

Checking into the most prestigious hotel in the city, they almost hoped that he’d be staying there as well. Instead, they’d been informed by LAPD that he was in his main home at the beach. While everyone was going on about their business, they left the hotel and moved to their real base. A beautiful home in Malibu far enough away from the glitz and glamour, prying eyes, and rapid cameras. It was also far enough from Stone that they didn’t need to worry.

Early the following morning, they did a walk-through of the venue to ensure they had all entrances and exits covered. Noting several concerns from a security standpoint, they made preparations to cover possible exits backstage.

Not wanting to be seen by anyone, they ordered several types of food to be delivered to the house and basically created a smorgasbord of ethnic food. There was Italian, Chinese, Greek, Lebanese, and, of course, American.

“I’ve never seen so much food in all my life,” said Crockett.

“We like to eat,” smirked Alistair.

“We’ve noticed. The question we want answered is how all of you stay so fit? I’d be three hundred pounds if I ate like this all the time,” said Swan.

“Lots of good training, brother,” smiled Leif. “So, tell us. When you heard Stone’s voice, what did you think?”

“I swear it was like a veil of darkness being lifted,” said Bremmer. “I was racking my brain trying to figure out what we could have seen or heard, and there was nothing there. Nothing. Then Victoria calls us all in and plays the voice of his brother. We stared at one another, knowing that it sounded familiar, yet not.”

“That was exactly how I felt,” said Clark. “Then, when she showed us a movie clip, it was so clear. I remember you all getting out first, and the DEA agents were hanging back. He was right near the fire and stared directly at us, then turned and ran. I don’t know how he got away, but he did.”

“He was in the treehouse,” said Alistair. “We’re almost positive of it. He went up there to hide, and when the agent went up to check it, he was pulled inside and killed. With all the weapons firing, no one saw it or knew what had happened.”

“He deserves to hang just for that,” said Swan. “But also for killing one of our own.”

“He’ll pay for what he did,” said Leif, “but you all have to remain composed and not go off the rails. Clear?”

“Clear, sir.”

Most of the men barely slept, preparing everything in their mind to ensure they got Stone in front of the world. When it came time to leave for the arena, they were dressed in their tuxedos, their earpieces in place, and waiting for their moment.

Alistair glanced into the audience, seeing Stone seated in the front row with a very buxom blonde. She definitely had been gifted some plastic surgery, but she didn’t appear to be on his drugs. When his movie began, the others never lost sight of him at all times.

“Get ready,” said Alistair. “Curtain is about to come down.”

When the ending finished, the credits rolled, and the lights came up. There was moderate applause in the arena but not the standing ovation that they could tell Stone had been hoping for. He reluctantly stood, turning to smile and wave at the audience.

Turning back to the stage, he took the steps up, and as he did, four people were ushered out of their seats, and four others took their place.

Behind the lectern, Stone set down some notecards and then looked up, trying to find the beautiful face that was beside him moments earlier. Instead, he was greeted by four faces that he immediately recognized. The silence was deafening.

“I, uh. I, um, sorry. I’m humbled to stand before you today. This picture was a labor of love.”

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