Midnight Sun (120 page)

“
According
to
Tomer,
only
half
the
time,
”
Hilde
said
.

“What?” Marcus face displayed stark disbelief.

“Yeah,” Mike muttered, “It’s a wonder this president has lived this long with a security detail that thinks like his.”

“
Anything
else
new
about
Farrah
or
Kharzai?
”
Marcus
asked
.

“
The lovebirds
were
both
here
a few minutes ago
and
had
nothing
to
add.
Warner
is
roaming
around
,
looking
very
conspicuously
like
a
government
undercover
agent.
Other
than
that
,
two
hundred
National
Guard
soldiers,
a
hundred
police
officers
and
state
troopers,
and
a
few
dozen
other
S
ecret
S
ervice
and
FBI
personnel
are
watching
very
closely
for
our
men.
”

“
I
would
be
very
surprised
if
they
show
up
here,
”
Mike
said
.

“
I
don
’
t
know,
”
Marcus
replied.
“
They're
both
here
for
revenge.
They
may
want
to
be
o
n
the
front
row
when
it
happens.
”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Mike pointed to the first groups of spectators entering the park grounds and heading toward the stage area.

“
The Secret Service has
screening
booths
set
up
on
the
streets,
”
Hilde
said
,
“
funneling
folks
in
through
a
limited
number
of
access
points.
They've
also
locked
the
entrances
to
the
underground
tunnels
and
we've
got
plenty
sets
of
eyes
that'll
be
mixed
in
with
the
crowd.
I
can't
imagine
them
getting
too
close
—especially
Kharzai
,
with
all
that
hair.
”

“
Let's
just
pray
you're
right,
”
Mike
said
.

A
voice
called
out
from
nearby
.
“
Hey!
Mojo
Johnson!
”

Marcus
turned
around,
eyes
scanning
the
slowly
increasing
stream
of
people
milling
about
the
park.
A
short
,
wiry
man
waved
his
arms
to
get
Marcus's
attention,
a wide smile on his face
as
he
approached.

“
Jim
Walters,
”
Marcus
said
,
his
expression
stretching
in
a
smile
as
memories
of
the
past
drifted
to
the
front
of
his
mind.
“
What
in
the
world
are
you
doing
here?
”

“
I
heard
you
were
in
town
and
figured
you'd
freakin'
need
someone
to
haul
your
ass
around
somewhere.
”

They
clasped
each
other
in
a
back
-
slapping
man-hug
,
both
talking
over
each
other
at
once.

“
It's
been
nearly
six
years
since
I
saw
you
in
Iraq,
”
Marcus
said
.
“
Good
to
see
you
made
it
out
of
there.
”

“
Yeah,
no
thanks
to
you
and
Wazzy,
”
Jim
replied
turning
to
Mike
and
Hilde.
“
Mojo
and
that
Seal
Wasner
put
me
in
spots
that
got
four
boats
shot
out
from
under
me.
Twice
I
found
myself
swimming
the
Euphrates
ducking
Republican
Guard
lead.
Good
thing
they
weren't
as
motivated
to
kill
me
as
I
was
to
stay
alive.
”