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Sunday, April 6, 2008
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Acronym - Chapter 4
The following material is subject to copyright. This is a slightly edited and preliminary version of 'The Acronym'.
Chapter 4
Northern Colorado
Douglas stepped out on the porch. His eyes wandered over the several hundred acres of lush, green pastures laid out in front of him. The mountains around him still had snowcaps on them and the bright mid-afternoon sun pierced his eyes. There was just a light breeze. The temperature was comfortable, in the low 70’s.
Henry, the live-in housekeeper, nodded down at him through a second story window. “Hi Buddy,” Douglas greeted Blue, an unusual mix of Australian shepherd and something else. The dog was obviously glad that Douglas had returned. He jumped up onto the porch to greet his master, wagging his tail and licking Douglas’ hands. After a few moments of giving Blue his full attention, Douglas’s gaze fell on the small herd of horses grazing the sweet, early summer grass. The sorrel mare had given birth to a beautiful filly a few days back. He watched as she hesitatingly tested her ungainly, long legs close to her mother.
The man they called “el pirata” was captured: his dirty money seized. His source of income had indeed turned out to be young women who’d been promised legitimate work and a prosperous future in the United States, so they could support their families in Mexico. Instead they had been forced into the dangerous and filthy business of cheap prostitution. The U.S. border patrol had been investigating for months, but a shooting at the border and a dead illegal immigrant had given the border patrol bad press, so the government had asked the Acronym for assistance.
Douglas shook off the memory of what he had witnessed and focused on the reason why he’d hurried back here. He took a seat in the big hammock, a favorite place he had shared with Mia so many times. And there she was, standing in knee high grass, several hundred feet away, with her back to him. Her shiny, auburn hair gathered in a ponytail and her slender frame dressed in GI bottoms and a t-shirt. She was in the middle of a training session with the Cambodian agent Bao Shuang. They did a series of quickly executed high kicks followed by a sequence of slow flowing movements. The small Asian man seemed to be Mia’s shadow. There was no delay in his motions: they moved in total unison. Douglas smiled. As he kept watching her the last bit of tension eased out of his body. He kicked off his boots and relaxed in the hammock, enjoying the view.
Bao focused on Mia’s position. He silently stepped behind her to assist her in a deeper stretch through her lower spine. There was no need to touch her. He just guided her wordlessly with his presence. Mia felt the light breeze on her sweaty skin. She focused on the endless distance of the horizon. Not allowing her thoughts to trail off, she let her mind and body become one as she took every breath in harmony with her movements.
Bao had been teaching her for almost six months, sharing his bottomless knowledge of eastern philosophy, yoga and martial arts. In the beginning the agents had tried to talk her into learning how to shoot. But she had never handled a gun in her life and had been apprehensive since it was a bullet that had almost shortened her life and gotten her involved with the Acronym to begin with.
Douglas and his partners had tried very hard to convince her that her best chance of survival in case of an encounter with an intruder was a firearm. But Mia didn’t want to know about it. She had been frustrated. “Don’t talk to me like you’re going to send me into battle. Who do you guys think I am?” Then she had turned to her fiancée and her beautiful, brown eyes had darkened with fear. “Douglas, aren’t you guys supposed to protect me? Why do I feel I’m going to be on my own out here?” He had understood her fear but explained, “We just want to make sure that you can protect yourself. I can’t always be here with you. You know that.” Sometimes he had wondered if it had been a good idea to bring Mia to Colorado. He had been responsible for Mia’s involvement with the Acronym. At the time he hadn’t had much of a choice. It had been either that, or he’d have to hand her over to the FBI. They would have stuck her in protective custody. His experience had taught him that the Fed’s safe house was anything but.
She had agreed to work for the Acronym and she’d been doing a hell of a job, but she hadn’t had any combat experience. The secret location of the ranch was unlikely to be discovered by an enemy, but nobody could guarantee safety a hundred percent, not even Douglas. And Mia was a smart woman; she understood that she had to undergo some sort of training in order to be able to defend herself. Nevertheless, she had refused to use a firearm. Douglas needed Mia to be able to fight back. He had racked his brain trying to figure out how to approach the issue, without any success.
Then Bao Shuang had voiced an idea. He requested that he be allowed to take charge of her training. Douglas had been skeptical, but something had to be done. At first Bao introduced her to the ancient Oriental art of T’ai Chi, teaching her to open her senses. He explained to her that she needed to know and trust herself. Douglas had been there, with watchful eyes. He knew that the quick, five foot two Asian was a master of close combat and all kinds of self-defense techniques. He had beaten Douglas many times in practice. Watching, he thought Bao was wasting time with repetitious exercises. Douglas had wished he’d be more aggressive with her training. Finally, he had voiced his concerns when Bao began to teach Mia postures with ridiculous names like Single Whip, Cloud Hands or Sparrow’s Tail. Douglas had been sitting on the fence, mouthing his opinion. Mia had been standing in the pasture, just the way she was now: barefoot and soaked in sweat. She’d gotten fed up with his negative remarks and shouted, “Why don’t you leave! As long you don’t understand what Bao is trying to do, I don’t want you here watching us!” He had mumbled something in return, but had known better than to argue with her.
A satisfied smile came over Douglas’ lips as he watched her now. How beautifully she moved. She looked so powerful and graceful. The intense training had turned this fearful woman into someone radiating confidence and calmness.
Mia was exhausted. She finished today’s exercise with the ‘Shoushi’ and closed her eyes for a moment. Her elevated heartbeat slowed momentarily; the warm sun on her body soothed her aching muscles. She turned around to face Bao and he said nothing. He just nodded in approval. He was proud of his student. Very proud. Then she saw Douglas and all the calmness was suddenly gone. He was home! But he wasn’t supposed to return until tomorrow! Her face lit up and a surprised scream escaped her. She came running across the pasture. Douglas rose and took the few steps down the porch to greet her. He opened his arms and Mia threw herself into him. God, how badly she’d missed him!
He laughed and hugged her tight. She let him embrace her for a moment and then raised her head to look up into those bright blue eyes she loved so much. “Hey stranger,” he drawled quietly before he kissed her passionately, starved for her touch. It had been two weeks. Not a very long time for a mission like the one he’d just wrapped up, but when a man like him had a woman like her to come back to, two weeks was almost unbearable.
Mia had to stop this kiss or she’d pass out. She peeled herself away from him, just a little. “You are crushing me, Douglas.” She didn’t really complain. She had missed him too much to be too close. She had her arms wrapped around his waist and her head sunk against his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled his marvelous, masculine scent.
He loosened his hug but didn’t let her go. His mouth was buried in her hair. He wondered how someone could go through a rigorous workout and still smell as sweet as she did.
Mia lifted her head just to study his features, as if he could have changed in the past few weeks: his strong jaw, thin lips, the small dimple in his chin. His short dark hair, which always seemed to be in boyish disarray. His surprisingly black eyebrows that contrasted with his amazing eyes.
She rested her head back against him and murmured, “I’m so glad you’re back. You have no idea.” “Hmm. I think I do. And I brought a surprise.” Mia raised her head and smiled, “Really? What is it?” “Brian is here.” Douglas knew how much Mia liked and trusted his partner. Very seldom did they have a chance to get together, but with Bao and Ludvika already here, the team was complete. He beamed at her, “You looked amazing out there. You must have been working very hard.” Mia rolled her eyes in playful complaint, “Four hours a day. Boa is a slave driver, but I bet I’ll be able to take you down, one of these days.”
Mia was rightfully proud of her progress, but Douglas chose to interpret her words a different way. His voice instantly became a bit raspy and his southern drawl intensified as he said, “Well, I certainly hope so, Ma’am. I’d be happy to be your sparring partner a little later on.” His hands caressed her back and when she saw the mischievous sparkle in those bluer-than-life eyes her knees weakened and her heart missed a beat.
Northern Colorado
Douglas stepped out on the porch. His eyes wandered over the several hundred acres of lush, green pastures laid out in front of him. The mountains around him still had snowcaps on them and the bright mid-afternoon sun pierced his eyes. There was just a light breeze. The temperature was comfortable, in the low 70’s.
Henry, the live-in housekeeper, nodded down at him through a second story window. “Hi Buddy,” Douglas greeted Blue, an unusual mix of Australian shepherd and something else. The dog was obviously glad that Douglas had returned. He jumped up onto the porch to greet his master, wagging his tail and licking Douglas’ hands. After a few moments of giving Blue his full attention, Douglas’s gaze fell on the small herd of horses grazing the sweet, early summer grass. The sorrel mare had given birth to a beautiful filly a few days back. He watched as she hesitatingly tested her ungainly, long legs close to her mother.
The man they called “el pirata” was captured: his dirty money seized. His source of income had indeed turned out to be young women who’d been promised legitimate work and a prosperous future in the United States, so they could support their families in Mexico. Instead they had been forced into the dangerous and filthy business of cheap prostitution. The U.S. border patrol had been investigating for months, but a shooting at the border and a dead illegal immigrant had given the border patrol bad press, so the government had asked the Acronym for assistance.
Douglas shook off the memory of what he had witnessed and focused on the reason why he’d hurried back here. He took a seat in the big hammock, a favorite place he had shared with Mia so many times. And there she was, standing in knee high grass, several hundred feet away, with her back to him. Her shiny, auburn hair gathered in a ponytail and her slender frame dressed in GI bottoms and a t-shirt. She was in the middle of a training session with the Cambodian agent Bao Shuang. They did a series of quickly executed high kicks followed by a sequence of slow flowing movements. The small Asian man seemed to be Mia’s shadow. There was no delay in his motions: they moved in total unison. Douglas smiled. As he kept watching her the last bit of tension eased out of his body. He kicked off his boots and relaxed in the hammock, enjoying the view.
Bao focused on Mia’s position. He silently stepped behind her to assist her in a deeper stretch through her lower spine. There was no need to touch her. He just guided her wordlessly with his presence. Mia felt the light breeze on her sweaty skin. She focused on the endless distance of the horizon. Not allowing her thoughts to trail off, she let her mind and body become one as she took every breath in harmony with her movements.
Bao had been teaching her for almost six months, sharing his bottomless knowledge of eastern philosophy, yoga and martial arts. In the beginning the agents had tried to talk her into learning how to shoot. But she had never handled a gun in her life and had been apprehensive since it was a bullet that had almost shortened her life and gotten her involved with the Acronym to begin with.
Douglas and his partners had tried very hard to convince her that her best chance of survival in case of an encounter with an intruder was a firearm. But Mia didn’t want to know about it. She had been frustrated. “Don’t talk to me like you’re going to send me into battle. Who do you guys think I am?” Then she had turned to her fiancée and her beautiful, brown eyes had darkened with fear. “Douglas, aren’t you guys supposed to protect me? Why do I feel I’m going to be on my own out here?” He had understood her fear but explained, “We just want to make sure that you can protect yourself. I can’t always be here with you. You know that.” Sometimes he had wondered if it had been a good idea to bring Mia to Colorado. He had been responsible for Mia’s involvement with the Acronym. At the time he hadn’t had much of a choice. It had been either that, or he’d have to hand her over to the FBI. They would have stuck her in protective custody. His experience had taught him that the Fed’s safe house was anything but.
She had agreed to work for the Acronym and she’d been doing a hell of a job, but she hadn’t had any combat experience. The secret location of the ranch was unlikely to be discovered by an enemy, but nobody could guarantee safety a hundred percent, not even Douglas. And Mia was a smart woman; she understood that she had to undergo some sort of training in order to be able to defend herself. Nevertheless, she had refused to use a firearm. Douglas needed Mia to be able to fight back. He had racked his brain trying to figure out how to approach the issue, without any success.
Then Bao Shuang had voiced an idea. He requested that he be allowed to take charge of her training. Douglas had been skeptical, but something had to be done. At first Bao introduced her to the ancient Oriental art of T’ai Chi, teaching her to open her senses. He explained to her that she needed to know and trust herself. Douglas had been there, with watchful eyes. He knew that the quick, five foot two Asian was a master of close combat and all kinds of self-defense techniques. He had beaten Douglas many times in practice. Watching, he thought Bao was wasting time with repetitious exercises. Douglas had wished he’d be more aggressive with her training. Finally, he had voiced his concerns when Bao began to teach Mia postures with ridiculous names like Single Whip, Cloud Hands or Sparrow’s Tail. Douglas had been sitting on the fence, mouthing his opinion. Mia had been standing in the pasture, just the way she was now: barefoot and soaked in sweat. She’d gotten fed up with his negative remarks and shouted, “Why don’t you leave! As long you don’t understand what Bao is trying to do, I don’t want you here watching us!” He had mumbled something in return, but had known better than to argue with her.
A satisfied smile came over Douglas’ lips as he watched her now. How beautifully she moved. She looked so powerful and graceful. The intense training had turned this fearful woman into someone radiating confidence and calmness.
Mia was exhausted. She finished today’s exercise with the ‘Shoushi’ and closed her eyes for a moment. Her elevated heartbeat slowed momentarily; the warm sun on her body soothed her aching muscles. She turned around to face Bao and he said nothing. He just nodded in approval. He was proud of his student. Very proud. Then she saw Douglas and all the calmness was suddenly gone. He was home! But he wasn’t supposed to return until tomorrow! Her face lit up and a surprised scream escaped her. She came running across the pasture. Douglas rose and took the few steps down the porch to greet her. He opened his arms and Mia threw herself into him. God, how badly she’d missed him!
He laughed and hugged her tight. She let him embrace her for a moment and then raised her head to look up into those bright blue eyes she loved so much. “Hey stranger,” he drawled quietly before he kissed her passionately, starved for her touch. It had been two weeks. Not a very long time for a mission like the one he’d just wrapped up, but when a man like him had a woman like her to come back to, two weeks was almost unbearable.
Mia had to stop this kiss or she’d pass out. She peeled herself away from him, just a little. “You are crushing me, Douglas.” She didn’t really complain. She had missed him too much to be too close. She had her arms wrapped around his waist and her head sunk against his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled his marvelous, masculine scent.
He loosened his hug but didn’t let her go. His mouth was buried in her hair. He wondered how someone could go through a rigorous workout and still smell as sweet as she did.
Mia lifted her head just to study his features, as if he could have changed in the past few weeks: his strong jaw, thin lips, the small dimple in his chin. His short dark hair, which always seemed to be in boyish disarray. His surprisingly black eyebrows that contrasted with his amazing eyes.
She rested her head back against him and murmured, “I’m so glad you’re back. You have no idea.” “Hmm. I think I do. And I brought a surprise.” Mia raised her head and smiled, “Really? What is it?” “Brian is here.” Douglas knew how much Mia liked and trusted his partner. Very seldom did they have a chance to get together, but with Bao and Ludvika already here, the team was complete. He beamed at her, “You looked amazing out there. You must have been working very hard.” Mia rolled her eyes in playful complaint, “Four hours a day. Boa is a slave driver, but I bet I’ll be able to take you down, one of these days.”
Mia was rightfully proud of her progress, but Douglas chose to interpret her words a different way. His voice instantly became a bit raspy and his southern drawl intensified as he said, “Well, I certainly hope so, Ma’am. I’d be happy to be your sparring partner a little later on.” His hands caressed her back and when she saw the mischievous sparkle in those bluer-than-life eyes her knees weakened and her heart missed a beat.
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