Heavy Traffic Ch. 11

Without comment, Sean took Amanda's arm and led her to sit beside him on a leather love seat next to where his grandmother had been sitting in her chair. Kirby and Wendy took seats on a matching sofa across from the others. Merlin quietly lay down at Amanda's feet. Sean noticed this and smiled at the obvious attraction that his dog had for her already.

"This is a lovely house," offered Amanda as an ice breaker.

"Thank you," said Carol. "It has been in the Wallace family for over a century and every generation has contributed to its grandeur in their own way." She paused to look directly at Sean before continuing, "And I'm sure that Sean will eventually find it in himself to also contribute. It is inevitable after all, since he now owns the entire estate."

Turning back to address Amanda, Carol asked, "I understand from Beth that you are an orphan. How very sad. Family can be such a strengthening influence on a person and far too many people take this fact for granted."

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal," said Amanda. "Family will always exist in a person's heart. Even death cannot chase away the bond, the traditions, the obligations, and the devotion that exists within a true family. I live to honor the memory of my parents and my brother, and while they may not be here with me on Earth, they are always here with me in spirit. I believe Sean feels the same way about his parents." She squeezed Sean's hand and he nodded. Kirby and Wendy just sat quietly, satisfied that someone else was getting the "family" lecture instead of them for a change.

Jessica the maid came into the room carrying a large silver tray with three pitchers and five crystal glasses on it. Setting it on the coffee table she announced, "We have lemonade, sweet tea, and unsweetened. Would you like me to serve you or do you prefer to help yourselves?"

Before anyone could answer, Amanda went to the table and began pouring Sean a glass of lemonade. She was prepared to step over Merlin and was surprised to see that he had disappeared without her noticing his movement. As she handed the lemonade to Sean, she asked, "Carol, would you like something?"

Carol Wallace replied, "It's Mrs. Wallace, and I would also like a glass of lemonade please."

Everyone in the room took note of Carol's reprimand of Amanda for her informal use of her name, but Amanda was not to be dissuaded, "One lemonade coming up." She poured the glass and when handing to Sean's grandmother said, "Here you go Carol." She then sat back down next to Sean as Wendy poured iced tea for herself and Kirby.

Once everyone was seated again, Wendy attempted to steer the conversation to a safer area, "Mrs. Wallace, who all are you expecting for dinner? Is there anything that I can do to assist you or Jessica?"

"Ben Evans and his wife Maureen will be joining us. I didn't want to inconvenience too many other people with last minute invitations," replied Carol. "Jessica has everything under control, I'm sure."

Rising from her chair with an agility and grace that belied her age, Carol looked down at Amanda and said, "Please come with me."

Without hesitation, Amanda handed her glass to Sean as she stood to follow his grandmother out of the room. Carol Wallace led them up the wide curving staircase and down an ornate hallway with several doors along it. Finally reaching her destination, Carol opened a door and held it for Amanda to enter.

***

Sean had a grin on his face as he watched Amanda accompany his Grandmother out of the room.

"I hope she holds up," said Wendy. Kissing Kirby on the cheek she added, "I almost surrendered to her when she pounced on me during our engagement." Holding her thumb and index finger close together, she showed them to Kirby. "I was this close to walking away from you rather than having to deal with her as a mother in law."

Kirby chuckled and said, "Why do you think I keep our visits here to the bare minimum?"

"Well, I have no doubt that Amanda will give as good as she receives from Grandmother," said Sean. "You two have no idea how formidable Amanda can be, and Grandmother is about to find this out."

"It's about time for Mom to meet her match," said Kirby. He then gazed at Sean to make certain he had his attention, "There's something we need to discuss."

"Okay," said Sean. "What's up?"

Kirby began, "The preliminary reports from Michelle Anderson and the FBI on the smuggling of the girls indicate that while there was some involvement of foreign nationals, the conspiracy and core operations were domestic in nature. Consequently, the investigation has been reclassified as criminal and no longer considered a national security event."

"As long as justice is served..." said Sean.

"My reason for mentioning the changes is not over a concern about whether or not justice will be served," said Kirby. "It relates to your involvement up to this point as well as going forward. When you informed me about the events at Glenn Parker's cabin, one of the first things I did was call the Pentagon to get your reserve status activated retroactive to yesterday at oh one hundred Zulu time. Under a national security event, your military reserve status would protect your legal position to act in response to the threats. Once this became a criminal matter, your military status no longer protects you, and in fact can work against you in many instances."

Sean understood his Uncle's concerns, "Do you think I need further legal protection for some reason?"

"Until this case is completely resolved, I'm not going to assume that you will not face other situations where you will be compelled to react in response to a threat against yourself, Amanda, or someone else. While you would have every right to defend yourself or someone else, your unique skills could raise questions related to the use of deadly force and whether it was justified, and so on. You are trained to put down a threat, and to do so quickly and without concern for eventual legal scrutiny of your actions. This is what concerns me. We have too many former Special Forces personnel in prisons due to them simply defending themselves in a bar fight or something and some over-zealous prosecutor claiming that their training made them lethal weapons turned loose onto society."

"I won't let someone hurt Amanda or anyone else I care about, regardless of the potential consequences for myself," said Sean.

"I wouldn't expect you to," said Kirby. "That is why I want to offer you a solution that would protect your ability to respond as you deemed appropriate to any threats which may come up in the future."

"Go on," said Sean.

"I want to hire you as a consultant in non-lethal, close-quarter combat training for the Department of Homeland Security," said Kirby as he handed Sean a Federal credentials wallet containing a DHS badge and ID card. "You would have Federal law enforcement authorization, including the right to apprehend and arrest. I wouldn't expect you do any actual work, especially since I would set you up to be paid one dollar per year for your consulting services, but your authorization would be quite valid and legally defensible if necessary. It would also result in your permanent release from the military reserves so you would never have to worry about getting reactivated again."

Sean accepted the credential wallet and asked, "Let me ask you something else; Could Amanda being an Australian citizen be an issue where Biomorph Research and the government are concerned?"

"Not at all," said Kirby. "In the first place, Australia and the US have virtual reciprocity where security clearances are concerned - just like Canada and the UK. In addition, your name isn't listed anywhere as an owner of Biomorph Research so it is unlikely that her name would even come up as being associated with it either."

"That sounds like a 'win-win-win' to me," said Sean. "Thanks Uncle Kirby."

***

The bedroom that Amanda entered was as luxuriously decorated as every other room she had seen in this house. A large king-sized four-poster bed dominated the room, with a separate sitting area containing two overstuffed chairs angled slightly towards each other. Carol Wallace went to one of the chairs and sat. "Please join me," she told Amanda.

Amanda had anticipated Carol Wallace pulling her aside for a private conversation, but didn't expect it to be this soon after arriving. The timing really didn't matter though because she had been preparing herself for this eventuality since Beth had provided her with warning and subsequent advice on how to handle it. She had barely settled into her chair when Carol spoke again, "I wanted to personally show you the room where you will be sleeping while here. I hope you find it satisfactory."

Amanda glanced around the room before answering. "I'm sure that Sean and I will be very comfortable here. Thank you."

She felt something at her feet and found that Merlin had joined them without her noticing and was once again lying on the floor beside her shoes.

"Sean has his own room," said Carol. "I will not condone unmarried people sharing a bed under my roof, especially someone who Sean has just met. Sean has been the target of Gold-Diggers and opportunistic girls and women his whole life, and I intend to continue protecting him from harlots and whores courting him under false pretenses as long as I am alive to do so. I hope you understand."

Amanda spoke in a calm quiet voice that Carol Wallace had to struggle to hear, "What other kind of pretenses are there Carol but false ones?"

Not expecting an answer, Amanda continued, "What I understand is that Beth shared with you how Sean and I met, her witnessing of our love and devotion to each other, and our commitment to our future together. I also understand that in the time since your conversation with Beth that you have also spoken to Bryce Pierre, and I would assume Sean's Uncle Kirby to get their perceptions of me. The limited time available to you still has allowed your hired investigators to discover all the information on me that is readily available in the public domain. Understanding both your desire to learn more about me as well as what you would have found out, this does not bother me."

Carol Wallace kept her gaze on Amanda as she spoke and merely nodded occasionally at her observations.

"What does bother me," Amanda continued, "is that armed with this information, and knowing that I am not only financially independent, responsible for my own family's business and willingly shared my finances in support of Wallace Enterprises when Sean was tied up and unable to deal with the situation on his own, you still feel a need to test me with your animosity and holier than thou attitude. In less than 48 hours, I have demonstrated my love and devotion to Sean, as he did for me today with the establishment of the foundation to care for the young girls that I am responsible for, followed by his proposal of marriage, which I happily accepted. Sean and I shared a bed last night, and we intend to share our bed every night for the rest of our lives. So fine Carol, I'll play your silly game. When Judge Evans arrives here, he will have in his possession a marriage license for Sean and me that I arranged for in preparation for your little show. We will take the license into a private room downstairs, and in the presence of only Kirby and Wendy, be legally married by Judge Evans. You can explain to Beth why she was not able to attend the wedding of her only grandson. You can deal with the disappointment that Sean will have over us being denied the wedding we had planned and dreamed about, and you will live with my resentment for you having disappointed Sean. This resentment will be deep, strong, and all encompassing. While I would never turn Sean against you, I will make certain that you never see our children - the only great-grandchildren you will ever have - or allow you to play any role in their lives. If you think that Sean will choose you over his own wife and children, then you are as foolish as you are cruel."

Having her say, Amanda stood and started for the door. Merlin once again had disappeared. "Amanda, please sit down." Carol's voice was soft and quiet, but Amanda heard the pleading in it. She returned to her chair and waited for Carol to continue. Beth had really nailed this one, Amanda thought.

***

DeMarcus was on the rutted dirt road approaching the safe house where Folsom was hiding out when his cell phone rang. The caller ID showing a number he recognized, he answered with "Watch what you say and how you say it."

Splint considered his words accordingly and started his report, "Jules, Link, Dwight and Cody are all in the jail ward of the Davidson County Hospital. Link be in a coma, and not expected to survive. The others got some internal injuries an are scheduled for surgeries dis evenin."

"Whatda hell happened to them?" demanded I-Bar.

"Couldn't get no details yet, but da lawyer will be trying to talk wif dem as soon as da poleec let em."

"What bout da Morris'?" asked I-Bar.

"Lawyer sez dat day beein held as 'Material Witnesses' so he can't get in to see dem til the Feds say so. He be fightin dat, and spects to either get dem out soon or be allowed to see dem."

"Karen Kirkland?"

"She ben released afta she giben a tikit for tresspassin. She at home if you want to talk wif her, but she doen seem to know noffin udder dan Sean Wallace and his lady showed up and had her arrested when she wouldn't do what he wanted."

"Whad Q-Tip fine out bout Amanda Wallace?"

"Hang on an I'll put em on wif you." Splint handed his phone to Q-Tip who started right in, "Hey I-Bar, der was sum stuff on Amanda Wallace, and ders more dan we could git through real quick. Da main info you should know is dat she be one rich bitch."

"Whacha mean 'rich'?"

"She hab ober tree hunner millon dollas," said Q-Tip.

"Where'd da money come from?" asked I-Bar.

"Look like famley bidness, but I still be checking tings out."

"Sheet," said I-Bar. "Forgit bout her an git me information on Sean Wallace. I wanna know bout his houses an udder proportees. Fine out where we can hirt dat pussy an make him respect us as he should. I'll see wha Folsom knows in a bit an we can compare. I'll call ya back."

***

The sound of voices approaching from upstairs drew their attention. As Amanda and Carol drew closer, their conversation became clearer, but the tone of their voices is what Sean, Kirby and Wendy focused upon.

"Sean would love seeing it," Carol was saying with a lilt in her voice that made her sound like a teenage girl.

"I know he would," agreed Amanda. "I'm glad you reminded me of it. I haven't been to the Taranga Zoo since I was a little girl, but I remember how much I loved going there and sharing it with Sean would make it even more memorable for me."

As they rounded the staircase and came into view, Sean and the others saw Amanda and Carol Wallace holding hands and carrying on like life-long friends with Merlin trailing behind on Amanda's heels. Kirby and Wendy just stared in amazement at the transformation that had occurred in the relationship between these two women, but Sean wasn't surprised at all.

Rather than returning to their seats, the two women stopped at the base of the stairs. Carol was literally glowing and appeared younger and more enthusiastic about life than Sean could remember seeing her in years.

"Sean," said his grandmother, "Why don't you get yours and Amanda's things and take them up to your room. I moved you into your father's former suite, by the way. I'm going to finish showing Amanda around the house while you do that. I'll bring her up to you when we are done." Turning to her son and his wife she added, "Kirby, why don't you help Sean and Wendy can join Amanda and I. I'm sure Wendy would like to get to know Amanda better and vise-versa."

Wendy didn't give Kirby a chance to answer. She simply kissed him on the cheek and rose to join Carol and Amanda. Carol took Wendy's hand in her free hand and the three women walked off together giggling like school girls, with Merlin in Amanda's wake.

Kirby sat with his jaw agape until Sean laughed at him and said, "I told you that Amanda would impress you. I have been totally bowled over by her, and have loved every minute of it."

"What's not to love," agreed Kirby. "And you say she can shoot too?"

"From what I saw, she could shoot the stink off a skunk at a thousand feet."

Both men laughed and rose to start unloading Sean's car. Together, they were able to unload and carry everything up to Sean's room in a single trip. Kirby excused himself to go check his messages before he showered and dressed for dinner. Sean unpacked his duffle bag, hung Amanda's dress in the empty walk-in closet, and then went to the other walk-in closet to consider the suit that he would wear for dinner.

After plugging his cell phone in to recharge the battery, Sean opened the French doors that led out onto the private balcony from the room. Stepping out onto the balcony, he took in the view that he had loved since his childhood. Some of his fondest memories were the few special occasions when both of his parents had been in this house and he would join them for breakfast on this balcony overlooking the horse pastures and the Cumberland River that formed the border of their property in the distance. Sean sat in one of the cushioned wicker chairs on the deck and put his feet up on the railing. The tranquility of the scenery, coupled with his contentment from spending the day with Amanda soon found him dozing off to lustful images of what he wanted to share with her.