Hostage (Bodyguard #1)(27)
Connor let the comment pass, appreciating that Jason was crestfallen at not being chosen himself.
‘So who’s Connor protecting?’ asked Marc.
The colonel looked to Charley to respond.
‘Alicia Rosa Mendez,’ she revealed. ‘The President’s daughter.’
Marc whistled through his teeth in awe. ‘Rather you than me, Connor.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Ling. ‘You’re going in at the deep end!’
Connor thought there had to be some sort of mistake. ‘They’re right, Colonel. I haven’t even done a test operation yet.’
The colonel looked him in the eye. ‘I won’t lie to you, Connor. This is the highest-profile assignment Buddyguard has ever been involved in. For us, we’re taking a huge gamble. For you, it will be a baptism of fire. But I’ve watched your progress closely. You possess your father’s ability to think on your feet. And, with any luck, his sixth sense to foresee danger too.’
Connor was taken aback by the unexpected comparison to his father. Their course had been so full-on he’d not had the opportunity to talk with the colonel about his father’s past life. But clearly Colonel Black had been noting the similarities. It was a boost to his confidence, but Connor couldn’t help feeling a new pressure on his shoulders of having to live up to the colonel’s high expectations.
‘Operation Hidden Shield will commence forthwith,’ declared Colonel Black. ‘Charley, I want a full profile on the Principal by 0900 hours tomorrow. Amir, prep a Go-bag with all the appropriate tactical kit. Ling, Marc and Jason, you’re responsible for compiling the operation folder. I want maps of all primary locations, threat assessments, sit reps on known hostiles, key personnel and any other relevant information that might help Connor in his task. Connor, come with me for further briefing.’
For a moment, Alpha team sat stock still in their chairs, caught like rabbits in the headlights.
‘What are you waiting for?’ barked the colonel. ‘You have your orders.’
At his command, they rushed to their stations in the briefing room. Alpha team had run through operational planning situations in training on countless occasions. But this time there was an urgency to their actions. This time it was for real.
Connor hardly slept all night. What reason could one of the most powerful leaders in the world have for selecting me to protect his daughter?
His martial arts skills couldn’t be the only justification. Jason was an equal match to him – in fact, Connor had learnt that his rival had once been the Australian Junior Champion. There had to be another reason. But Connor couldn’t think what it was. Aside from his twelve weeks of training, he had no real-world experience of being a buddyguard and this deeply worried him. Connor wondered if it was a case of mistaken identity and that the President actually believed he was choosing someone else.
But the colonel assured him that there’d been no mistake. He was to work alongside the US Secret Service, the Homeland Security department responsible for the protection of the First Family. He would be reporting direct to its head, Dirk Moran, while maintaining a line of communication with Buddyguard in the UK in case he needed additional support. His mission was to ensure the safety of the President’s daughter at all times, particularly those instances when Secret Service agents couldn’t be immediately at hand. The threat level for the operation was deemed to be ‘Category 1 Life-Threatening’.
Connor’s mind whirled with the possibilities – angry mobs, long-range snipers, knife-wielding assassins, exploding car bombs … the danger list went on and on. And he was to be the hidden shield between those threats and the life of the President’s daughter. The sheer scale of the task ahead was almost paralysing. He wondered if his father had ever felt like this before any of his assignments. Or did a seasoned bodyguard get used to the pressure? Perhaps it was like a constant trickle of electricity running through their veins, so they felt, yet suppressed, their fears.
And Connor’s greatest fear was that he would fail. That at the moment of an attack he would react too late – or, worse still, not react at all.
At 9:00, Connor, bleary-eyed and groggy from lack of sleep, joined Alpha team in the briefing room. They looked equally shattered from their late-night research.
‘As you know, your Principal is Alicia Rosa Mendez,’ said Charley, beginning her presentation as soon as Connor was seated. She clicked a remote to display the photo of a young girl on the overhead screen. ‘Fourteen years old of Mexican-American descent, she is the only daughter of Emilia and Antonio Mendez, the current President of the United States.’
Connor studied the photo. Alicia had chocolate-brown eyes, a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth smile and a mass of dark curly hair that fell past her shoulders. She looked like any other young teenager. It was hard to imagine her as a target for assassins and kidnappers. But that’s exactly what she was.
‘According to my research and press reports, Alicia is fun-loving, headstrong and possesses an impulsive streak. She has slipped her Secret Service protection on several occasions. And, as I understand from the colonel, that is the main reason the President has requested a buddyguard.’
Colonel Black nodded in confirmation. ‘It’s your job, Connor, to stick to her like glue.’