Chad jumped out of the van and stared in disbelief at the black-and-grey smoke billowing from the president’s car. A sick feeling washed over him. All their efforts to save the president had just blown up with one well-timed explosive device.
Natalie stumbled beside him, and he tightened his grip on her forearm.
“Stephen lied to us.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “And now the president’s dead.”
Paul shouted into his walkie-talkie to the marines who were still on the third floor of the palace. “I want a play-by-play from your position of what’s happening on the lawn. Once you see us drive in, get down there as fast as you can. I’ve got UN troops on standby that I’m calling in now. Everyone else, let’s go.”
Chad helped Natalie back into the van, then jumped in behind her and slammed the door as the driver started the engine. Centrifugal force slammed them against the side of the van as the driver spun around and headed for the palace. Paul signaled to the driver to stop at the security gate, where he flashed his identification at the guard. After an intense minute of arguing, the man finally opened the gate.
Chad stared ahead at the smoldering car that sat on the other side of the drive. Stephen had played them all by sending them on a wild goose chase.
In the lights of the entrance, he caught Natalie’s glazed look and squeezed her hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just ready for this to be over.”
When the van stopped, he jumped out, then quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve. Smoke poured from the vehicle, obscuring those who’d been injured from the impact of the explosion. The charred vehicle was completely destroyed and had clearly left no survivors.
A quick assessment of the grounds revealed complete chaos. They’d be lucky if they didn’t find more casualties among the injured. Guests ran across the grass toward the front gates, apparently afraid another bomb might detonate. When all this was over they were going to have more to deal with than just the physical wounds. In this situation neither position nor status mattered; trauma would affect all of them all.
Paul barked out orders to the marines on the ground, then turned to Chad. “I need you to deal with the injured. I’ll try and see if there are any other doctors here.”
“I’m on it.”
Chad knelt down beside a man in a three-piece suit with burn marks on his face. Natalie and one of the marines crouched down beside him.
“What can we do to help?” Natalie asked.
“We need to treat the more serious patients first, which is primarily going to be burn victims and those hit with shrapnel. See if you can find some room-temperature bottled water and pass it out to any of the responsive victims. They need to use it to flush any burns and then drink the rest to ensure they stay hydrated, which can be a concern with burns. Get whoever you can to help you, because I’ll be sending you more victims.”
He pointed to a clear area a good twenty-five feet from the blast sight and addressed the marine as he moved onto the next patient. “We need to get these injured people away from here in case there’s another explosion. Anyone who is injured but still able to get up needs to go with you there. I’ll deal with those who can’t move.”
While he didn’t expect chemical or biological agents to be involved, he wasn’t taking any chances. Even without them, there would still be large quantities of particulates in the air. “Excuse me, sir?”
Chad looked up from a twenty-something-year-old in front of him who was having trouble breathing to see one of the uniformed presidential guards. Maybe Paul had managed to find a medic. “Do you have medical experience?”
“No. I need you to leave the grounds immediately. I have orders to secure the scene and remove all nonessential personnel from the premises.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’m a doctor and I’m treating this woman.”
“General Dumasi is in charge of this situation now, which means you and the marines need to leave immediately.”
Chad ignored the man as he unclasped the woman’s bracelet from around her wrist in case of swelling. Bureaucracy was bad enough here on a good day. He wasn’t leaving these people behind because of some general’s lust for power.
“Sir, I’m asking you to leave now. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to place you under arrest.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” Chad stood to face the man, using the six inches he towered over him to his advantage. “There’s got to be at least two dozen people here who were just injured in a blast that killed your president. I’m not leaving until I know everyone has been taken care of.”
The guard reached for Chad’s arm, but Chad jerked away before he could grasp it. “Don’t even try it.”
Paul appeared from behind the man. “What’s going on?”
“Apparently Stephen was telling the truth about one thing.” Chad spoke above the growing clatter. “General Dumasi thinks he’s in charge now and doesn’t want our help.”
A UN-marked helicopter whirled above them, drowning out any further arguments as it prepared to land on the palace grounds.
Chad went back to work on the woman while Paul dealt with the guard. “We’re dealing with dozens of foreign delegates and other government officials here, and I can promise that you don’t want to see your face splattered in newspapers all over the world as the one responsible for their deaths.”
“I’m under strict orders to—”
“I don’t care what your orders are.” Paul stood his ground. “We’re going to care for the injured and evacuate as many of the delegates as we can by air and get them somewhere safe.”
A UN officer dressed in fatigues and a blue helmet jumped from the helicopter as the rotor blades began to slow. With the guard seemingly put in his place, Paul hurried off to coordinate the evacuation.
A car door banged shut behind them and Chad glanced over. At first he focused on Natalie, who was walking toward him. Then his attention shifted beyond her to the car directly behind the charred vehicle.
President Tau stood beside the car looking dazed.
Chad blinked his eyes and shook his head. It couldn’t be the president. He was dead.
Natalie caught his shocked expression and looked behind her.
Someone shouted.
Chad hollered for Paul, then darted toward the car. They had to get the president to safety.
President Tau slumped against the car.
Chad heard the shot a split second before the president stumbled, then dropped to the ground. Adrenalin surged through his body and he shifted toward Natalie. There was a sniper and she stood less than ten feet from the president. “Natalie, get down!”
He pushed her to the ground, then ran for the car. Several shots rang out as the marines sighted the sniper and opened fired.
Ignoring the danger, Chad dropped to his knees to examine the president, who was still conscious. His unexpected move as the shooter took aim had probably saved his life. “My name is Dr. Talcott. I’m here to help.”
“It’s my leg.”
“I want you to lie still so I can evaluate the extent of your injury.”
Chad ripped off the pant leg and found where the bullet had lodged. He pulled off his shirt and tore off a strip. Using it as a bandage, he pressed it firmly against the wound.
“Are you hurt anywhere else, sir?”
The burly leader shook his head and attempted to sit up.
Chad pressed gently against the man’s shoulder. “Not yet. I’m going to see that you get out of here as soon as possible, but until then I need you to lie still and relax.”
Keeping pressure on the wound, he studied the sloping grounds that led up toward the palace, where shadows played against the walls from the outside lights. His breath caught. The marines had taken down the shooter and were now leading him across the lawn.
Patrick.
Paul appeared above Chad. There’d be time to absorb the implications later. “How is he?”
“Lucky. The bullet went through his leg. He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’ll live if we can get him out of here.”
Paul called over two of the UN soldiers. “As soon as you’ve got him stabilized, Chad, I want him on that helicopter.”
Five minutes later, Chad watched as the two men carried the president to safety. He then took a quick look inside the car the president had been in, but it was empty.
Natalie stepped up behind him. “We’ve passed out all the water, and those who are able to are helping to dress wounds. Three were killed when the bomb exploded, but all other injuries appear to be only burns and shrapnel wounds. It was a miracle that it wasn’t—”
She stopped midsentence.
Chad ran his hand down his arm. “You okay?”
“I don’t know.”
He followed her gaze to the charred vehicle. “What is it?”
“I haven’t had time to stop and figure out what happened until now. Stephen said he was driving the president’s car, which was supposed to be the third car.”
“And the third car is the vehicle that exploded.”
“But the president wasn’t in the third car.”
She was right. He hadn’t had time to examine the situation closely either, but the president had obviously not come from the third car. He’d come out of the car behind it.
“What if Patrick had planned to take them both out at once, but in the confusion of the crowd the president got into the wrong car?” he asked.
“But if that’s true, where’s the driver of this car? And where is Stephen?”
“I don’t know, Natalie.”
Chad walked to the smoldering car, fearing what he was going to find. The backseat was empty, but in the driver’s seat sat a charred body.