The Shepherd's Crook Pt. 01

"I get that, and I have no issues with it. I still appreciate your coming to our rescue, not them," Ben replied.

David nodded then frowned once more. "It's another group that's causing us grief and these guys have long memories. They've reported that several long-term operations have been terminated and your visit is being cited as the cause. They're out for blood."

Ben looked at him nervously. "Who are they?"

"The CIA," David said with a grim tone.

"Shit."

"They indicated that Yuri Gruzinsky had gone radio silent since you visited him. He's avoiding the contacts they spent years building. Worse, Colonel Vasiliev, who works with Yuri and whose trail is difficult to track, hasn't been seen for at least a week- what's wrong?"

Ben wasn't sure what he could say. Anything he said could be potentially incriminating. But he couldn't leave it as it was as the CIA didn't seem to be the type of organization to forgive and forget. "Ummm, Yuri's dead. So's the Colonel."

The two stared at Ben in shock until he frowned. "Hey, I didn't kill them! I just... happened to be there when it happened... to both of them."

David opened and closed his mouth a few times. "You know who killed them? Was it your neighbor?"

Ben shook his head. "No! Geezus! It wasn't Trish either." He frowned and realized he couldn't speak about Yuri's death. He couldn't incriminate Nikolai. The Colonel, however, his death could be addressed. "The Colonel ran Black Ops projects for his government. He confessed to this after telling me he intended to kidnap me to design weapons for him. One of his projects was a team of elite assassins. Not sure how many there are, but according to the Colonel they were highly successful." He took a deep breath as they waited attentively. "One of those assassins, Liliya Sokolov, was trying to escape the control of Gruzinsky and Vasiliev. She was there when I visited. When Yuri was killed, she took the opportunity to kill the Colonel. She told me she had to hunt down and kill the other members of her team to ensure her safety. She killed one of them, named Maksim, but I haven't heard from her since."

"You expect to see her again?" He could see the wheels turning in David's mind. "The Sokolov child you registered as a visitor when you arrived. She's the daughter of this assassin. She's how they controlled her mother- They were the woman and child you were going to try to free!" David reasoned out, and Ben just nodded sadly.

David put that aside for now. "Vasiliev was a long time target for the CIA. They wanted something from him, but they wouldn't tell me what it was, just that they needed him to get it. They couldn't get close to him and now that he's dead? They're going to be pissed."

Ben thought about that. Something the Colonel had that they wanted and couldn't get. A light went on in his mind. He stood. "Come with me," he said.

He left the media room and walked over to punch in the code for his workshop door. It unlocked, and he went inside with David and Evelyn at his heels. When the lights came on and the display cases illuminated, the Sergeant gasped and rushed over to peer inside. David saw Ben's surprised expression as they heard her excited chatter as she read all the tiny detail cards beside each prototype.

Ben turned to David as the woman made her way down the wall of cases. "I was going to let you know I had this when I called, but you called me first. This belongs to the Colonel." He lifted the briefcase onto his drafting table which he'd tilted down to its flattened position.

David's eyes were wide with surprise. When Ben opened the case, David saw a tall stack of dockets jammed inside. He pulled one out and flipped it open to see design specs for an automated weapons platform for satellite deployment.

"Holy shit, Ben!" he gasped. He flipped up a few other dockets and examined the contents. "The CIA is going to have kittens when they see this!"

Ben chuckled. "That's good, right?"

David grinned. "Yes, I'm sure it'll be an 'all forgiven' kind of good! I'll make sure of that, after I make copies!"

"Great!" Ben sighed in relief.

"Did you remove any of the dockets? Are they all here?" the Captain asked.

"I didn't remove any, but I saw Liliya take one. I think it might have been for the Assassin Project. She'd need it if she is going after them."

David nodded. "Makes sense. This is brilliant, Ben! Thank you! You've made my job that much easier and you did something even the spooks couldn't!"

Ben chuckled.

"There is just one more detail I need to speak to you about. It's the condition for being able to continue our working relationship," David explained, and the Sergeant's head swiveled back in their direction. She gave the cases one last fond glance then moved over to stand next to Kendricks with a smile on her lips. Ben glanced at her questioningly. David continued. "My bosses are insisting that you've become too vital an asset to leave unprotected. You, yourself, just admitted that a Russian Colonel planned to kidnap you-"

"He thought I did weapons design for you guys and didn't believe me when I tried to set him straight!" Ben growled, then realized that he was arguing David's case for him. He saw the small smirk on David's lips and scowled. "There's always the option of ending our working relationship. If the Russians know I'm no longer working for the US Military, then they'll lose interest."

David nodded. "They might. Or they may try to grab you again. They believe you did work on weapons. You're a brilliant engineer. The Sergeant can vouch for that. You think in directions that don't exist on the map." Ben looked to the woman who was nodding emphatically. "I believe we have a solution that allows us to continue to work together and alleviates the Brass' security concerns."

Ben looked at him skeptically but held his tongue. David took that as a positive sign.

"I was able to convince them to scale down their requirements, and I presented them with an option that they have accepted. I need you to consider the idea." He held Ben's eyes, and the man nodded.

"When you submit your work, we have to review the documentation and digital files and crunch the numbers before we can pass it along to our testers. That work has been managed by the Sergeant for the past six months. She will continue to be dedicated to those duties." Ben smiled at the woman, and she grinned in return. "When you reported that your neighborhood was going to be invaded by a group of commandos for Gruzinsky, we sent two squads of soldiers to defend the perimeter and Sergeant Killcade to deal with the terrorists directly." Ben looked at the woman once more in surprise. "She neutralized eight soldiers for hire and took the leader prisoner. I told you she's one hell of a soldier."

The Sergeant blinked at her commanding officer in surprise as she wasn't aware of his opinion of that side of her duties. She knew he appreciated her analysis work, but most men found her proficiency with her other skills more than a little unnerving.

Ben looked at the woman. He knew full well what the euphemism neutralized actually meant. So, she was a highly proficient killer. He'd taken lives himself so he wouldn't be her judge. "I appreciate how she protected the neighborhood, but I'm not following how this solves my personal secur-" Ben's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. "You want her to be my security detail?" His mind was leaping ahead. "A live-in assistant and bodyguard, 24/7?"

"It's the least intrusive solution that protects you and increases efficiency. As I won't need to make as many trips from Washington, it reduces the attention focused on you. Having a Captain frequently visit a civilian contractor obviously set off some major flags. That will have to stop. I'll miss the regular trips out here, but I'll still be able to do special occasions with the engineering squad."

Ben smiled as he recalled the barbeque on the rooftop deck. The smile slipped away as logistics surfaced. "Where is the Sergeant supposed to live?"

"I just need a cot. You could put it in the corner of your workshop. I can eat rations," she blurted.

Ben looked at her in dismay. "That's-" He looked to David and was shocked to see the man thought this was a viable plan. For Ben, the idea of sticking the woman in the corner of his workshop like an afterthought was distressing. "I- I can't do that! You'd need a room of your own!"

"I don't have that now. I sleep in the barracks. I have a bunk, a locker, and a footlocker. I can make do with less," she asserted reasonably.

Ben's brows dropped in a scowl. "No. I can't- That's not- you'd have to have a room, and this house is full!" He looked to David. "Does this condition require the security detail to live in the same house?"

The Captain considered that. "Not necessarily, but she'd have to be nearby. If she weren't within the premises, she'd need a way to be connected to your home's security system to be aware of intrusion attempts so she could address them immediately, externally."

Ben was nodding as his mind tumbled these requirements to examine them from all sides. An idea was forming.

Evelyn was tingling madly with excitement. Ben hadn't immediately dismissed the idea of her working with him, and he seemed to be seriously considering the concept of her living conditions. She was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be allowed to sleep on a cot in the workshop. To be that close to his genius... It wasn't going to happen. Still, she'd take what she could get.

"There are spare bedrooms in the house I just renovated for my daughters. Their security system is already slaved to mine." David's eyebrows went up, and Ben's expression became defensive. "They're my daughters! If someone tries to break into their home, I'm going to know so I can be there to protect them!" David smiled, and Ben shrugged. "Anyway, I have a line of site antenna between the homes set up to transmit and receive. I can adjust the transmitter on my home to send as well as receive. Then it would just be a matter of setting up a terminal at that end to see the feed from my home for all external cameras and motion detectors plus the window and door sensors. There are no internal cameras in either home."

Ben rolled his stiff neck muscles. He was seriously contemplating yet another intrusion into his life only to keep the relationship going with David and his team. He paused to think about that.

"Something wrong?" David asked when he saw Ben's forehead wrinkle.

Ben looked to him and sighed. "No, I'm just thinking of the extra complexity I'd be adding to my life if I went ahead with this. It seems to be a trend with me. I love working with you and your engineers. No offense intended towards you Sergeant, but I don't appreciate the Brass forcing these conditions on me." He saw a look of desperation surface in her eyes. He held up his hand before she could say anything. "If you don't mind, I need a little time to think about this. In the interim, why don't we walk over to 12 Ashburn Court to determine if that's even a workable solution."

They nodded so Ben locked up his office, brought them back upstairs, and he poked his head into the living room.

"We're just going over to check out Karen and Penny's place for a moment," he said to Tina and Lucy who smiled and nodded to him.

He slipped his boots on, and the others removed the booties.

"You'll want to hang onto those for the other house," Ben suggested, so they tucked them into their pockets.

They walked down the driveway to the personnel carrier where David stowed the Colonel's briefcase. Then they walked over to 12 Ashburn Court.

"You own this house too?" David asked.

Ben nodded to him. "Yeah. I bought it from the Walkers, the previous owner. Tore off the top level, extended the basement and augmented the framing with I-beams to support the cantilevered balconies on the two south bedrooms upstairs. Over-engineered according to my builder friend but that's the way I like it!"

The Captain chuckled as the Sergeant smiled at him in admiration. Ben felt a little uneasy with her attention, so he turned back to the front door and rang the doorbell. He heard the thump of running feet then the door pulled open to display his daughters in their nighties and open dressing gowns. The two women squealed their happiness and leaped up against his chest. They kissed his cheeks before he gave them hugs and managed to push them back to look at them. He closed Karen's dressing gown and tied the belt as Penny did her own with a grin.

"Now, what was that for?" he asked.

"We heard you were in a shootout with Russian mobsters!" Karen blurted.

He shook his head. "It's done. Trish and I are home safe and sound. Ok?" They nodded. "Now, Karen, Penny, I'd like to introduce you two to Captain David Kendricks and Sergeant Evelyn Killcade."

His daughters blushed as they hadn't seen the two people behind Ben's broad chest until he stepped further into the hall and moved aside for them to enter as well. The girls nodded to and shook hands with the new arrivals.

"Is that Ben?" a voice cried out from the back of the house.

"And guests!" Ben called out to prevent another embarrassing display.

Rain trotted around the corner into the entrance hall to grin up at Ben. She looked over at the two people standing next to him. "Hello, I'm Rain Palomo."

David shook Rain's hand and introduced himself and the Sergeant.

When Rain shook Evelyn's hand, she grinned at the soldier. "That's quite the grip you have. You must be hella fit!"

Evelyn returned the smile. "Job requirement."

David and Evelyn put the booties back on as Ben kicked off his boots. Ben gestured for them to precede him into the next room. The moment they moved forward, Rain pressed herself against Ben's chest and tilted her face up for a kiss. He huffed in exasperation then bent down to kiss the woman. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick but passionate kiss before she released him. She smiled up at him as he gave her a heated look, his passions stirred up.

Ben moved to join his guests in the living room. David was pretending he hadn't witnessed the kiss, but Evelyn made no such effort. Her eyes were wide with surprise and confusion. Ben wasn't in the mood to start explaining his relationships, so he just ignored her reaction.

He pushed through his embarrassment as Rain moved into the living room with a cute little wiggle in her hips. He struggled to get back to the subject at hand. "As you can see we went for an open concept for the main floor. This is the living room, leading into the dining area and finally the kitchen. The sliding doors back there lead out to a large deck, hot tub and outdoor kitchen with a large barbeque. Upstairs there are five bedrooms, three of which are in use by these lovely ladies, so two remain free and unfurnished. Downstairs, there are two additional bedrooms, also unfurnished.

"Could we see the ones downstairs?" the Sergeant asked.

Ben nodded and led his guests downstairs where they admired the large playroom and huge, wall-mounted televisions.

There were two bright bedrooms at the front of the house, with large egress windows facing lovely tiered flower boxes which doubled as steps. Both were sizable rooms which seemed larger due to the lack of furniture. Between the two rooms was a bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower.

Evelyn pictured where she would put a cot and a workstation with a bank of monitors. She could use the exit window to exit the building rapidly. This was ideal. She looked at the Captain excitedly.

David acknowledged her enthusiasm with a nod as he could see this location had excellent potential as well. He looked to Ben. It was all up to him. "This would be suitable accommodations if the security system configuration you mentioned was included. I could sell this solution to the Brass, but it's up to you."

"Let me sleep on it. I need to consider how this extra complication is going to affect my family. I'll talk it over with them tonight. As much as I enjoy working with you, I can't let my desires overshadow their happiness," Ben sighed.

David reached out and touched Evelyn's arm as she appeared to be about to argue her case. "We understand completely, Ben. Give me a call when you come to a decision. I'll let my bosses know we're on hold until then."

Ben nodded his thanks and led them upstairs once more. He said his goodbyes at the door as he needed to speak to his daughters and Rain. He saw the Sergeant was not happy with how things concluded, but he couldn't be worried about her desires either.

He looked out at the lovely homes nestled into the surrounding forest, and a shiver ran down his spine as he contemplated the violence that crept close through those woods such a short time ago. An evil that would have killed his family, his friends, and destroyed everything he'd worked so hard to build.

David was right about one thing; even if he disassociated himself from the US Military now, the Russian military might still see him as a threat and come after him again. It didn't help his case that he'd visited Russia and left with the Colonel dead and his secret files, taken. Damn it! Ben hoped the Colonel hadn't shared any news about his visit.

He needed to speak with the ladies. They always offered a fresh perspective on issues that he struggled with. He'd be asking them to accept a weapon into their midst. Sergeant Killcade would be a new element in the dynamic of his household. He wasn't the only one who this decision would affect.

Ben also needed to speak with Walter and Jerry to arrange what to do with the assets he picked up in Berlin on the return trip.

Ben sighed. Why couldn't his life get simpler?

Small hands slid around his hips and down into the front pockets of his pants. They only stopped once they were cupping his heavy balls. He glanced down and was relieved to recognize Rain's tattoos.

He couldn't stop a grin from reaching his lips. If his love life was this complicated, how could he hope for simplicity in any other aspect of his life?

-=- End of Part 1 -=-