‘Yeah, but I need the Secret Service to check you out first. Got to confirm you’re no “threat”,’ she said, raising her eyebrows teasingly.
‘But I’m a senator’s son!’ he replied, clearly not getting Alicia’s joke. He walked off in a huff, muttering, ‘Well, don’t take too long about it.’
The girls regrouped round Alicia.
‘I don’t believe you!’ said Paige, her blue eyes wide. ‘Ethan asked you to the Prom and you didn’t say yes.’
‘He’s got to work a bit harder than that,’ replied Alicia.
‘Treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen, eh?’ sniggered Grace.
‘No, the guy needs some style first. He needs to impress me. I mean, he asked me in the lunch queue, for goodness’ sake!’
As the girls stood gossiping, Connor became aware of someone staring intently at Alicia through the glass pane of a door marked NO ADMITTANCE. He couldn’t make out the man’s features clearly, since the glass was obscured. But the man’s eyes were magnified by it and his attention was definitely fixed on Alicia.
Connor’s awareness shot up one level to Code Orange. As he evaluated the potential threat, the man noticed Connor looking in his direction, and suddenly disappeared.
‘What’s behind that door?’ Connor asked Kalila.
‘Just the kitchens,’ she replied, helping herself to a Caesar salad from the food bar.
‘We’ll sit over there, Connor,’ Alicia called, pointing to a table by the window.
‘Right behind you,’ Connor replied, quickly selecting a sandwich and a soft drink. He hurried over to ensure he got a seat beside Alicia. He allowed his alert level to drop to Code Yellow again. But for her safety he wanted the best position to view the refectory and NO ADMITTANCE door – just in case the watcher made a second appearance.
During his afternoon lessons of English and geography, Connor pondered the face at the glass. If not for his bodyguard training, he doubted he’d have noticed the man in the first place. There was no real reason to suspect anything more than a curious member of the catering staff. The face never reappeared and could simply have been a chef checking the length of the dinner queue, or a new kitchen hand who’d had his first sighting of the President’s daughter. But something about the intensity of the stare unsettled Connor. Perhaps it was the way the eyes were magnified by the rippled glass, or the fact that the gaze was directed at Alicia alone and nobody else.
The school bell rang, interrupting his thoughts.
‘Remember, I want your assignments on my desk by Friday,’ said Mr Hulme, their geography teacher, over the scrape of chairs and thumping of bags.
Connor wished he’d been paying more attention. He hurriedly scribbled down the assignment from the whiteboard as the students piled out of the classroom, eager to go home and enjoy what was left of the day’s sunshine. Alicia waited for Connor and they headed for the main foyer with her friends. At the end of the corridor, he held the door open for them.
‘Thank you,’ said Alicia, surprised by his courteous gesture.
‘Aww, English boys are so polite,’ said Paige, skipping through after her with Grace and Kalila.
Before Connor could follow, Ethan barged past. ‘Good work, doorman.’
His friend, whose name Connor had discovered was Jimbo, also muscled his way through with no more than a grunt of acknowledgement. Connor held himself in check at their rudeness. He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of any of Alicia’s friends – even the most obnoxious. At the same time, he wasn’t going to be pushed around.
‘Next time leave a tip!’ he cried, keeping his voice light and humorous.
Neither Ethan nor Jimbo bothered to reply.
Letting the door swing shut behind him, Connor instinctively checked over his shoulder. He noticed a man with black hair, glasses and a dark complexion standing at the far end of the corridor. He was staring intently in Alicia’s direction. Could this be the face behind the glass? But the man wasn’t dressed in catering clothes. He wore light-coloured chinos, a shirt and a striped blue tie.
‘Who’s that?’ asked Connor.
Alicia glanced back down the corridor. ‘Oh, that’s Mr Hayek, the new IT teacher. He must be on hall duty.’
Connor let his guard down. He realized he was being too paranoid. If he continued to suspect everyone and anyone who merely looked at the President’s daughter, he’d be a nervous wreck by the end of the week. He made a mental note to study the photos of the teachers and school staff that Ling had compiled in his operations folder. That way he need only be suspicious of strangers and any staff doing something out of the ordinary.
They congregated in the foyer to say goodbye.
‘So who’s up for the National Mall this weekend?’ asked Alicia.
Grace smiled. ‘Sorry, seeing my grandparents.’
‘Catch you later for shopping maybe,’ said Paige.
‘You always want to go shopping,’ laughed Alicia.
‘Hey, it’s my favourite hobby. And I’m already meeting a friend for lunch.’
‘A friend or a friend?’ enquired Grace.
‘A friend called Steve,’ Paige replied with a cheeky smile.
‘You go, girl!’ said Grace, high-fiving her. ‘See you all tomorrow.’
She waved goodbye and Paige followed before Alicia had a chance to question her any more about her lunch date.
‘What about you, Kalila?’ asked Alicia.
‘I’ll have to ask my father first,’ she replied with a timid smile.
‘Of course,’ said Alicia. ‘I understand. I have to get my father’s permission to do anything!’
Kalila glanced towards a sleek silver Mercedes Benz in the car park. ‘Sorry, I’d better go – my brother’s waiting for me.’
Connor followed her gaze and spotted a young man in the driver’s seat, looking in their direction and impatiently checking his watch.
‘Bye, Connor, it’s been lovely meeting you,’ said Kalila, smiling shyly at him, before hurrying down the steps and over to the car.
‘We should go too,’ said Alicia. ‘Otherwise Kyle will start getting edgy.’
As Connor followed Alicia, he looked back at the silver Mercedes and remarked, ‘Kalila seems nice.’
‘Yes, she’s one of my best friends,’ Alicia admitted. ‘Her father’s a foreign diplomat, so she’s not fazed by the fact I’m the First Daughter.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Connor.
Alicia considered him a moment, then seemed to decide to trust him with her thoughts. ‘Having a father who’s President can affect friendships. When my father came to power, some of my friends dropped away, worried they’d appear to be cosying up. Others, who’d never spoken to me before, tried to squeeze into my supposed “inner circle”. But Kalila, she just stayed the same.’
‘It’s good to have friends like that,’ said Connor, thinking of Charley and Amir back in the UK. He hoped he would get a chance to speak to them during his evening report.
As they headed down the school steps, Kyle subtly appeared from behind and guided them towards the waiting limo. He opened the door for Alicia. On the other side, another agent held the door for Connor.
‘I trust you had a good first day, Connor?’ asked Kyle as he shut Alicia’s door.
‘Tiring, but otherwise uneventful.’
‘That’s exactly how it should be,’ he replied with a wink.
The two black limos turned down a side street just as a woman with a baby stroller walked out into the middle of the road. The driver of the lead limo put on his brakes, slowing to allow her to cross. But when the mother was halfway she reached into the stroller and drew out a large black gun. Aiming the muzzle at the limo’s grille, she pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened apparently.
There was no bang. No sound of a bullet or projectile hitting the limo. Just a tiny mechanical click and a frisson in the air, like just before a bolt of lightning is about to strike.