“Of course.”
“Are they here tonight? Bruce is, and don’t you think he would've brought his security? It’s like a status symbol at these things.” Parker turned to Ahmed.
“I'm sure he did. But the question is how to get them all together again?” And then, Ahmed just smiled. “Never mind, I know the answer. Go back to the party and just follow the flow.” Ahmed walked out the door whistling as all three of them stared at him.
“Uh-oh. It’s never good when he’s happy, especially when he’s whistling,” Mo said as he stood up from his desk. “Come on, let’s get back to the ball and see if we can get the senator in our sights.”
The ball was in full swing and the dance floor was packed. They made their way around the room, slowly nodding and waving to the people they knew. Agent Parker was introduced as a friend of Will’s from college when anyone asked. They were only about a quarter of the way through the room when Parker spotted him.
“He’s over there in the corner with a young lady. I'm guessing the girl to be at most eighteen. The way he’s touching her is almost enough for me to arrest him for statutory rape.”
Kenna, Will, and Mo casually looked around and spotted one obvious security detail. Before Kenna could ask what Ahmed was going to do, she saw him walk in.
“Look, there’s Ahmed.” She watched him walk over to the band director and talk to him a minute. The band director nodded and went to the microphone as the dance ended. Ahmed made his way over to the group.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our host has asked that specific patriotic songs be played for the countries represented here tonight. For our first selection, we'll be playing a part of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which includes a Russian folk dance. The next piece will be a selection from Antonin Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances. Please, enjoy.” Polite clapping broke out among the guests as the orchestra started the Tchaikovsky piece.
The group stared at Ahmed, and he rocked back on his heels, whistling along with the ebb and flow of the music. Kenna looked at Will and he shrugged in return. No one had ever seen Ahmed so relaxed.
“Let us slowly make our way over to the senator. We have a little less than four minutes until we see all of his security team,” Ahmed said as he turned and started slowly making his way over to the senator.
Mo arched an eyebrow but followed as the group moved to within hearing distance of the senator.
“Why don’t we just become part of his group? Then we would hear everything and be up close and personal with his security,” Will asked, looking around the group for their confirmation.
“We can’t just walk up to a senator and become part of his group,” Parker said.
“Sure we can,” Will and Mo said at the same time. Mo and Will took the lead and Parker offered Kenna his arm.
“Senator, good to see you again, sir. Have you met our host, Sheik Rahman?” Will gestured to Mo. “Sheik, this is Senator Bruce. He is a powerful man in Congress and I'm sure just the person you would want to talk with.” Will noticed that the senator had pulled his hand out from under the woman’s skirt. Will could see his ego expanding as he heaped on the praise.
“Senator, it is nice to make your acquaintance. We should talk after the Derby about a deal I want to make with the U.S. to help lower your oil prices. If Will recommends you, I'm sure you are just the man who is powerful enough to bring such economic relief to your people.” Mo bowed his head respectfully.
“Sheik, it is an honor for you to come to me with such a proposal. I would love to hear it. Will is right, I'm the chairman of the…” His words were cut off by the boom of the bass drum simulating cannon fire.
By the fourth boom of the bass drum, Kenna saw three men hurriedly making their way toward the senator. Ahmed had come to stand next to her so he could speak more easily to Agent Parker. The three took a small step closer to the senator to hear what the security men were whispering to him.
“Is there a problem, Senator?” Mo had reverted to his royal voice, but the senator didn't seem to have heard him.
“What do you mean explode?” She noticed his voice cracked and leaned in closer to hear the answer.
“Yes, sir. There appeared to have been a small gas tank leak. When someone flicked a finished cigarette, um, well, the fumes caught and then the gas caught. The car, um, it exploded.” The security guard’s eyes were glued to his shoes.
“That is unfortunate, Senator. I have more people to see to, as I'm sure you understand. Let me leave you with Ahmed, my head of security. Ahmed!” Mo snapped his fingers and Ahmed stepped to his side. “See that my personal limousine is at the senator’s disposal and make sure you take him wherever he wishes to go tonight.”