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Things had gone far beyond the game of brinksmanship and MAD from the Cold War era... this was fast approaching absolute lunacy. The Chinese Premier and Russian President were both demanding immediate meetings along with a temporary stand-down until they had contacted N. Korea with a diplomatic solution. Denning was adamantly ignoring pleas from around the world for him to halt the insanity. The meeting between the world leaders was kept quiet without the usual fanfare of a meeting of this magnitude.
President Anatoly Konstantinov and Premier Zhao Chiang met Denning along with Secretary of State Ralph Minnick in the Oval Office. Konstantinov spoke first after the formalities:
"The N. Koreans have assured me that there are no plans whatsoever to attack America or anyone else," he said firmly.
Premier Zhao confirmed the Russian President's assertion. Speaking through an interpreter he assured Denning that he had personally spoken with the N. Korean leader and was told that they had no plans to launch any nuclear weapons, or conventional weapons for that matter. The tests were for purposes of self protection and nothing else.
Denning, with his usual lack of aplomb, stopped just short of calling the Premier a liar- he had to be stopped by Secretary of State Minnick before things got out of hand. Zhao left angrily threatening retaliation if the proposed strike went on as planned.
The Russian President left shortly after, telling Denning that he would remain in Washington for a few more days and that they would speak later, also that he was hoping for a solution short of war. Although he made no threats, Konstantinov did express concerns that fallout from the blast could affect the entire region, including his own country. He urged Denning to reconsider and search for other options. Minnick thanked him for his concerns on his way out assuring him that he would speak to the President.
By the time the formalities were over it was late afternoon... Denning called Sean Welbourne in and instructed him to address the news media- that top secret negotiations were still in progress and that as of yet nothing had changed. Now it was time to call Fleming.
Przybysz was working late at the White House. Having access to the entire building because of his Senior Advisor status, he was in the elevator in the West Wind when he saw Fleming and two girls in their early teens approaching from down the hall. Under the pretense of answering his cellphone, he managed to snap a couple of pictures hoping the autofocus had time to make the proper adjustments. He nodded curtly to Fleming before going on to the room he kept in the Executive living quarters from when he was acting as "special envoy" to the teenage girls Denning demanded... he hurried there now.
He waited about 20 minutes before picking up a manila folder he had stamped "Eyes Only" and holding his cellphone in his hand he proceeded to Denning's quarters. There was a uniformed Secret Service officer outside the door. Showing him the folder, he muttered "urgent" before rushing in.
One of the girls was already dead, lying nude on a sheet spread out on the floor. There was a trickle of blood under her nose, her eyes wide and staring. Przybysz could see that her neck had been broken, blood was smeared across her genital region and backside.
Denning was standing in front of the other girl who was seated naked on the sofa with a terrified look on her tearstained face. She was holding Denning's erection in her small slim fingers. Przybysz would never forget the look on her face as she looked up at him... It was that of a terrified trapped animal, desperate for survival. He began snapping photographs as fast as he could hoping against hope for some good ones.
Denning opened his mouth to say something, but Przybysz silenced him with a look. He took the terrified girl by the wrist pulling her up from the sofa. Removing his suit coat he placed it gently around her narrow shoulders. He put his arm around her and escorted her from the room, murmuring softly to her.
"Do you speak English?" he asked the frightened girl.
She nodded assent: "Little," she replied in a heavy accent.
"I'm going to help you," he said gently. "You're safe now, but we have to move fast. Just do as I say and everything will be ok... Understand?"
Once again she nodded. Przybysz took her to his room, knowing that Denning would soon gain his composure and be after them. He quickly transferred the photos via email to his secure phone not taking time to check their quality. He grabbed a blanket from his bed and gave it to the girl to wrap herself in. She took it gratefully... Denning arrived seconds later.
Przybysz held the cellphone in his hand. There was a table nearby with a pitcher of water on it. He walked to the table and held the phone out over the pitcher. Denning looked surprised.
"The girl comes with me," Przybysz said. "This ends now and the phone goes into the water- evidence gone... It's your move."
"Fair enough," Denning smiled looking from the phone to the girl who was still clearly terrified, not understanding what was going on. "What are you going to do with her?" Denning asked nodding toward the girl.
"Do you really care?" Przybysz responded.
"Not really, she doesn't speak a word of English," Denning shrugged. "What the fuck do I care. She's just a piece of meat- you fuck her."
Przybysz had to fight back the urge to strike out. He never wanted to kill someone as badly as he did at this moment. "One more thing," he added. "Call off the strike."
"Sure, Przybysz," Denning agreed still smiling broadly, "You're the boss." He had no intention of calling anything off.
Przybysz dropped the phone into the pitcher before picking it up handing it to Denning who left grinning. He then picked up the small girl cradling her in his arms like you would an infant. She couldn't have been more than 12 and probably weighed no more than 60 or 70 pounds. He walked briskly to the elevators and then down to his car. She looked up at him and said in a plaintive voice, "Naida?"
Putting her into the passenger seat he fastened the seatbelt and drove toward Georgetown. On the way, he sent the photos to Dick before calling him.
"Holy shit," Dick exclaimed after answering the phone.
"I take it you got them ok," Przybysz said quizzically.
"Oh yeah," Dick replied, "these are dynamite."
"How's the quality?' Przybysz asked. "I didn't have time to wait on autofocus."
"Good enough," Dick said back. "Maybe good enough to sink that prick."
"I need a favor," Przybysz told his friend. Is Ann there?"
"Ann, yeah, why?" Dick asked curious.
"I've got something you need to see for yourself," Przybysz said looking at the girl who sat against the door looking quizzically at him.
"What is it?" Dick was puzzled.
"I'll be there in about 15 minutes," Przybysz said and hung up. He reached out and patted the girl's head the way you would a small child.
"Naida?" she said again.
When they reached the townhouse Ann met them at the door. "My God, Prz, Dick showed me the pictures. Does she speak any English?" She asked.
Przybysz could see she had been crying. clearly moved by the pictures. He nodded assent and carried the girl to the living room. "She needs clothes," he said.
"Of course," Ann replied. "Some of my daughter's things are here- she's bigger, but they'll do for now."
Przybysz pulled a couple of $100 bills from his wallet, but Ann refused them. "We'll take care of this," she said. "What's your name child?" She asked the girl.
"Anica," the girl replied meekly.
"Come with me, Anica," Ann told her, "let's get you some clothes."
The girl looked questioningly up at Przybysz who knelt by the sofa: "It's ok Honey," he said putting his palm on her cheek, "these are very nice people. They'll take good care of you."
Anica and Ann went upstairs and returned a few minutes later. Anica was dressed in a pink sweatsuit that was slightly larger than she was.
"It was the best I could do on short notice," she said. She tried to smile but it was obvious she was desperately fighting back the tears. "She says the other girl was Naida, her sister. They're from a place called Trogir."
"Croatian," Przybysz said.
"Your neck of the woods isn't it Prz?" Dick asked.
"Nah, I'm just a Pollock," Przybysz smiled trying to lighten the mood.
"She told me their parents are dead, killed," Ann went on. "They were in an orphanage when a man came and brought several of them to America... all girls in their early teens."
"Sex traders," Przybysz remarked, "bastards. They promise a new life- and those poor girls get one... Not the one they imagine, that's for sure."
"She'll stay with us... as one of our own," Ann said.
"Don't you think you might want to consult Jim on this?" Dick asked smiling.
"She'll stay with us," Ann repeated putting her hand on the girl's head. "For as long as she needs to."
Ann knelt next to where the girl was sitting and said: "You're a part of this family now Anica- such as it is. You're one of us now." She smiled at the girl lovingly and Anica smiled back as best as she could.
Przybysz turned to Dick. "Make sure Yuri gets these pics and tell him to sit on them for right now. I'm going to go try to get her sister's body back... the least I can do is give her a decent send-off." He got up to leave and the girl threw her arms around his waist. "You can't come with me right now- not where I'm going. This is your new family... you're safe here."
"You come back?" Anica asked, eyes welling up with tears.
"Every day, Baby, every day," Przybysz told the girl.
"Looks like somebody likes you Daddy," Dick smiled.
"Poor kid," Ann said tenderly stroking Anica's hair. "God only knows what she's been through already."
"Well, it's over now," Przybysz said leaning over to kiss the top of Anica's head gently. "I'll be back tomorrow," he promised her.
When he got back to the White House he found that Fleming had brought the sister's body away. "I want it back," he told the man.
"Fuck you," Fleming replied smiling.
Przybysz punched him hard in the throat and grabbed him by the hair. "I want it back now," he repeated.
"Alright," Fleming croaked. "It's downstairs in my car."
They went to the garage where Przybysz gently wrapped the girl in the blanket he had brought back with him from Dick's. He then called the Doctor for the name of a funeral home in the Washington area used by the Council. After explaining to the Doctor what had happened, Przybysz brought the tiny body to the funeral home to make the proper arrangements. He instructed the funeral director to purchase spaces in a cemetery near Georgetown so that Anica could visit her sister. When he was finished he called Dick to check on Anica before returning home, hoping he could sleep.
(For links to previous chapters- go to Chapter XV)
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xv-the-boogeyman
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xvi-wars-and-rumors-of-wars
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xvii-blood-of-the-innocent
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xviii-connecting-the-dots
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xix-the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-georgia
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xx-a-dangerous-man-part-1
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xx-a-dangerous-man-part-2
https://steemit.com/writing/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xxii-a-new-revelation
https://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xxiii-clouds-of-warhttps://steemit.com/fiction/@richq11/the-night-gods-ii-chapter-xxiv-yuri
