Holding Their Own XI: Hearts and Minds (12 page)

“I have to talk to Terri,” the Texan said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Let me go with you,” Butter said, rising from his perch. “We don’t need another fat… ice cream truck.”

Bishop smiled at his teammate and friend. “Thanks, big guy, but no. I need to do this alone. I promise not to start another international incident. I’m cool.”

Both members of the SAINT team relaxed a little when Bishop didn’t take his rifle or knife.

He saw her coming two blocks away, her outline against the backlight of Alpha unmistakable. She was pushing Hunter, on a direct path for the guesthouse. Bishop instinctively increased his stride.

Terri spotted her husband a second later, her legs involuntarily lengthening their step.

Both of their stomachs were churning, both had weak knees. Both kept coming, each keenly aware of the collision course that lay between them.

They met in the middle of an intersection, studying each other in the pool created by the streetlight above. “I’m sorry,” both said at the same instant.

And then she was in his arms, the embrace sending waves of relief surging through their cores. Bishop held her so tight, Terri melting into his chest. They felt warm, safe, and finally secure.

After a very long time, he held her at arm’s length, having a million things to say all stuck in his chest. Nothing would come out.

“I need to explain,” Terri finally blurted.

“No, you don’t. I love you, and I trust you. It’s all good.”

She shook her head, “No, I need to explain for me. I have to make you understand.”

“We had an ice cream truck,” Bishop said with confidence. “That’s all there is to it.”

Terri laughed, the analogy making her adore him even more. “Yes, we did, and I’m glad it’s over. I love you more than anything, Bishop. You have to know that.”

“I do.”

“Come on, let’s take a walk. I don’t want to let one little old fistfight ruin such a perfect evening.”

After Bishop had checked on his son, they began walking. It took Terri almost 20 minutes to explain the earlier events. For the most part, her husband pushed Hunter’s buggy and listened, only occasionally asking for clarification.

“Well that explains why you didn’t shoot him on the spot,” Bishop teased after she’d finished.

“He had a little too much wine and was always a bit aggressive. Right before you slammed him to the ground he was apologizing.”

Bishop digested her remark but wasn’t quite finished. “After you’ve spelled it all out, I have no issue with you, darling. I did, however, clearly see Mr. Chase McGuire’s eyes and body language. He still has the hots for you, and I think you need to be careful. If there is ever a next time, I promise he won’t see me coming.”

“There won’t be a next time, darlin’,” she replied honestly. “I’m not going to be so stupid as to put myself in that situation again. Besides, from what I hear, he’s just as embarrassed as I am. I imagine he’s still stinging with regret.”

“And my right hook,” Bishop teased, flexing his sore hand. “Damn that guy has a hard head.”

Terri stretched long and kissed his cheek, “I seem to attract men with that quality.”

Chapter 4

A light tapping at the door pulled Bishop out of a deep, satiated slumber.

Terri was asleep on his arm, her position requiring a careful maneuver to extract his limb without disturbing her rest.

Pulling on his pants, the Texan padded quietly to the door. He could see Grim standing on the front porch, the contractor’s face about as close to embarrassment as it got.

“Morning,” Bishop croaked, opening the door.

“Sorry, boss, but Nick asked me to come by. He’s already ripped Butter and me a new one for not following his orders last night, so I didn’t want to press my luck.”

“It’s okay, Grim. I needed to get up anyway. What’s going on?”

“You and the missus are hereby summoned to present yourselves at the courthouse at ten zero hours. That dude you whupped last night is raising a bit of a fuss, and Diana wants to have an air-clearing powwow. Nick hinted that your arriving unarmed would be beneficial to the international diplomatic relations.”

“I see.”

“I hated coming by so early on your day off, but I’m already on the big man’s shit list for not backing down last night. If you want, Butter and I will sneak you out of town. I know this bar over in El Paso that….”

Bishop cut him off, “It’s okay, buddy. Everything’s cool. Terri and I will straighten it all out.”

“If you say so. You want Butter and me to be hanging around? Just in case?”

The man’s loyalty was warming. “Thanks, pal. I appreciate the offer, I truly do. But I don’t think this is going to be that big of a deal. You two both recharge your batteries and take care of personal business. We’ll be going back to that damn canyon soon, and I want both of you fresh and frisky as new kittens.”

“If you say so, Chief. Good luck.”

Grim turned to leave, but Bishop stopped him. “Hey, seriously, thanks for having my back. You don’t know what that means to me.”

The contractor waved him off, “Save that mushy, politically correct crap for your meeting. It all rolls off me like water off a duck’s ass. I’ll see you in a few days, and my regards to the missus and the boy.”

Returning to the master, he found Terri awake and stretching. “I get the bathroom first,” she stated.

Bishop faked a hurt expression, “No ‘Good morning, love?’ No, ‘Oh baby, you were ab-so-lute-ly amazing last night?’ Not even ‘I love you?’ How long have we been married?”

Hunter announced his need for a diaper change and breakfast right then, Terri pointing toward the spare bedroom with her head. “Good morning; you were amazing last night, as usual; and yes, I love you. I still get the bathroom first because I know our son is going to require my attentions. You, my love, are to make coffee, toast, and four eggs with cheese.”

She rose from the crumpled sheets, stretching again with a hearty yawn. Bishop received a kiss on the cheek, and then she was closing the door behind her. “Change your son’s diaper while the eggs are cooking, and wash your hands somewhere in the middle.”

“Yes, ma’am. Oh, by the way, that was Grim at the door. Nick and Diana want to see us at 10. It seems your old boyfriend is raising a bit of a fuss.”

“Great. Terri go here; Terri do this; Terri do that. I need a vacation,” came her voice, muffled by the bathroom door.

Bishop chuckled, “I know that. But remember our last holiday didn’t turn out so well. We ended up right in the middle of a salt war as I recall.”

“I didn’t say I was taking Hunter and you with me,” the young mother responded.

“My, my, somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” he mumbled, heading off to retrieve the ever more persistent Hunter.

An hour later, the family was on the way to the courthouse, nodding and greeting the good citizens of Alpha, Texas as they wandered along the sidewalk.

Terri checked Hunter into the daycare and then hooked arms with Bishop. “Why do I feel like I’m being called into the principal’s office?”

“Fuck them,” Bishop said, a serious thread in his voice. “The Alliance needs us more than we need them. I’m going to keep quiet and let you handle this… up to a certain point. After that, we probably won’t be welcome in this building anymore.”

Terri raised a finger to his lips, “You just keep that famous temper of yours under control, young man. I’ve got this.”

They arrived at the conference room right on time. Nick was there, as well as Diana and Chase. Bishop noted four security men who all were giving him the eye. In a lackluster attempt to break the ice, the Texan spread his arms wide and announced, “I come in peace.” When the no-neck security detail seemed unimpressed, he elaborated, “Gentlemen, I am unarmed.”

The snarky remark fell flat.

Little eye contact was made while everyone took a seat. Diana started off, “I want to thank everyone for coming. It should be known that having this little informal get together was my idea. Ambassador McGuire’s first evening in Alpha ended up being a bit more eventful than planned, and I don’t want any ill will or hard feelings gumming things up. The Alliance is implementing a new set of guidelines regarding private ownership of property in the next few days. This is a huge endeavor… and critical to the future of our citizens and way of life. We can’t afford any more distractions.”

Chase spoke next, “First of all, I want to apologize to Terri and the Alliance Council for my behavior last night. I should have known better than to drink wine while suffering from jetlag. However, my actions were inexcusable, and I assure everyone that it won’t happen again.”

Terri, after clearing her throat, said, “Apology accepted, Chase. I think we all regret the events of last night. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all forgotten.”

All eyes then moved to Bishop, but the Texan didn’t say anything. Terri bumped his leg under the table.

“What I have to say is simple, straightforward, and the honest truth,” Bishop explained in a low tone, his eyes fixed on Chase. “You respect me, I’ll respect you. That’s all I have to say.”

The ambassador didn’t quite know what to make of Bishop’s words but quickly decided it was about the best he was going to get. “Well then, now that this has all been settled, I guess we should get down to business.”

Bishop abruptly stood, nodding to everyone but Chase. “Today’s my day off,” he said evenly. “If you good folks are going to conduct business, then I should excuse myself.”

The Texan headed for the door, wanting nothing more than to put space between himself and the jerk from Washington before he worked himself into a mood and ruined the day. He’d just arrived at the daycare room when Terri caught up with him.

“Are you mad at me?” Bishop asked, trying to read his wife’s expression.

“No, I’m not. I suppose, given the circumstances, that was about the best I should have expected. I think Diana is a little pissed though.”

Bishop shrugged, “I’m not going to apologize to that assclown. I’m not sorry for what I did or how I acted toward him.”

Terri thought for a moment before speaking, “Let’s say we were in Pete’s, and some old drunk came up and tried to plant a big smooch on my kisser. Would you kill him?”

“Depends,” Bishop responded. “Did he know you were married? Did he try to pull a gun on me? Did he fire off a shot that almost killed our son? And after I put him on his ass, did he try and have me arrested? If the answer to any three of those questions is yes, then he’s a dead man if I’m capable.”

Now Terri was getting upset. “You are incorrigible, stubborn, pigheaded, and living by some testosterone-fueled system of honor that is completely unreasonable. You would really take another life just because a buzzed man would try and kiss your wife?”

Bishop shook his head, calmly putting a soft hand on each of his wife’s shoulders. “No. Of course not, and it’s a little insulting that everyone thinks that’s where I’m coming from. This isn’t some high school feud over the prom queen. It’s far more important than that. First of all, Chase What’s-his-name isn’t just a random drunk in a bar. He’s an ambassador representing a man who I respect and call my friend, the President of the United States. Now I know everybody thinks I don’t have a diplomatic bone in my body, but to me, getting liquored up your first night at a new posting shows a tremendous amount of arrogance. If I were Diana, I’d already have his ass on a plane back to Washington. If that’s not enough, following you out of a formal reception thrown in his honor tells me he isn’t taking this assignment seriously. Think about that – who would do such a thing? I don’t care if he had a hard-on for the pretty married woman or not. And finally, to hit on one of your host nation’s most regarded citizens is just plain disrespectful. Does the Alliance want someone like that playing such an important role in our future? That guy has the president’s ear. Can we really trust what he whispers?”

Terri was stunned, her eyes remaining locked on her husband’s face. She knew everything he was saying was true; she just hadn’t put it all together in such matter-of-fact terms.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down. And then, “Seems like I’ve been saying that to you a lot lately.”

Bishop gently lifted her chin, his face showing nothing but admiration. “If I had gotten pissed and put some Joe Nobody on his ass, and later found out it was just some dude who thought you were the princess of the ball, I’d be the first one in line trying to make amends and apologizing with all sincerity. While I think you’re hotter than Pete’s chili, trying to kiss you isn’t a capital offense. But that’s not what all this is about. Chase now occupies an extremely powerful, a critically important position. He proved to me last night that he isn’t the right man for the job, and that’s why I’m not playing nice.”

“Bishop, I love you. You’re right. I completely missed where you were coming from. Do you really think Diana should send him packing?”

Bishop shrugged, “How Diana and the council deal with Mr. Chase is their business. It’s above my paygrade, and I have no part in the decision. Hell, for all I know, he learned his lesson last night and will toe the line from here on out. But I doubt it.”