She gave him a flirtatious smile. “Shall we?”
He hesitated. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to come right through his chest. Suddenly, the only thing he could think about was the blue box in his pocket. Veronica seemed to sense his hesitation.
She frowned. “What’s wrong, Clay? You all right?”
White took a deep breath, smiled, and got down on one knee in front of her. From the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket, he pulled out the small blue box. He cracked it open, revealing a two-carat diamond engagement ring.
Veronica jumped, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes lit up in surprise.
“Veronica Hammond, I’m no saint, and I’m no hero. I’m just a man who loves you. But every moment I spend with you, you inspire me to become a better person. Your passion to make a difference in this world is contagious. I want in. I want to be part of your future, and you part of mine,” he said, pausing before his voice cracked.
Veronica’s eyes shone wet. Her bottom lip trembled.
White continued, “Most people don’t believe in soul mates. I do. I swear I’ll stand by your side through the good days, but also through the worst of days. Veronica Hammond, will you—”
And that’s when White heard the first gunshot.
CHAPTER TEN
The Ritz-Carlton
San Francisco, California
Van Heerden knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet, but the operation had started smoothly. Two of his men had already reported back to him. The Secret Service drivers were dead, and Van Heerden’s men had taken possession of the two government SUVs. They had performed well, and, most importantly, silently. As far as Van Heerden could tell, no alarm had been activated. The Secret Service mobile communications unit van was next. He didn’t expect the two well-trained mercenaries he had assigned to the van to encounter any serious resistance. Once the mobile communications unit was down, the two men would move out of the danger zone and go to a staging area a couple of neighborhoods away to await further instructions.
Van Heerden inserted a magazine into his pistol and racked the slide. He then released the magazine and pressed another round into it, assuring a full load. He reinserted the magazine into the pistol’s grip and dropped the black suppressor into his coat pocket for later use.
“Albert, this is Chuck,” crackled a voice in his ear.
“Go for Albert.”
“I’m with Daniel, and our target isn’t where he’s supposed to be. We walked the whole floor twice. Do you want us to breach the room?”
Chuck and Daniel were Van Heerden’s best men. The three of them had served together in the Recces, and they had all transitioned out of the South African military around the same time. Chuck and Daniel were highly capable warriors, hence the reason Van Heerden had tasked them with the most important assignment. Their job was to neutralize the bodyguard standing outside Veronica Hammond’s door and secure the vice president-elect’s daughter.
“Stand by, Chuck,” Van Heerden replied. “To all call signs, this is Albert. Does anyone have eyes on Flower?”
None of them did. Was it possible that Hammond had left the hotel? If so, to go where? Barry, who was in the lobby, would have let Van Heerden know if he had seen her. Chances were that she was still in her room and that the bodyguard had simply gone to his own room to use the washroom and would be back at his post in a minute or two. Still, Van Heerden didn’t want Chuck and Daniel to breach Hammond’s room only to be caught seconds later by the Secret Service agent. So far his operation had remained under the radar. He wanted to keep it that way.
Chuck, just like Van Heerden, was in possession of a key card that would unlock Hammond’s room, courtesy of their employer.
“Chuck, this is Albert. Wait for me. I’m on my way.”
“Copy that, Albert.”
Van Heerden holstered his pistol and then slipped out of his hotel room and walked down to the elevators. While he was waiting for the elevator to arrive, he scanned the length of the hallway and observed a young man exiting a room not far from the elevators. Van Heerden hoped the elevator would arrive before the man did. He had no such luck.
The man was in his midtwenties, tall and fit with light skin and longish black hair. He was dressed in a pair of expensive jeans and a designer T-shirt. He nodded at Van Heerden and stood next to him.
“Oh,” the young man said. “You’re going up?”
“Yeah,” Van Heerden replied.
The young man pressed the down button and looked at Van Heerden. “Hey, man, do you know a good steakhouse around here? It’s my first time in San Francisco.”