as sincere in both his voice and mannerisms, and he kept the message brief and to the point. Even Mason noticed and said, “Wow, that wasn’t half bad.”
Bonsam raised his head and continued. “Senator Kirk was the longest serving member of the United States Senate and a close personal friend of mine.”
“Uh-oh, here it comes,” said Mason under his breath.
“I assure you, his death will not be in vain.” Bonsam’s demeanor slowly changed, and his voice became deeper and louder. “I, as your president, will continue to boldly lead this nation into a glorious, prosperous future!”
Clark stared at the television as he watched Bonsam arrogantly babble on about his amazing leadership. He could not believe that the president would take a somber moment such as a tribute to Senator Kirk and turn it into a self-aggrandizing spectacle. “That bastard,” he said as he turned and walked away in disgust.
As Clark walked off, Mason said, “Oh by the way Gov, the Secret Service is doubling your detail. They don’t want to see another candidate involved in any ‘accidents’ like Senator Kirk’s.”
Chapter 14
Jorge Delgado had barely slept since he left Reagan National Airport two days before. He was still so full of adrenaline that he could barely sit still. He always felt a surge of energy after a hit, but the Kirk assassination was the mother of all hits. He was ready to climb the walls. He looked out the windows of the SUV as it made its way through the Maryland countryside. I need to be calm, I am about to meet with my boss.
As the miles rolled by, Delgado’s mind wandered. He thought about his life as a boy growing up in Oakland. He never knew his father, and his mother had raised him alone. Consuelo Delgado spent years working in a factory to provide for her son, a factory that was more like a sweatshop. She was just another lowly señorita in the unending rows of illegal Mexican immigrant women who sat at their sewing machines stitching garments fourteen hours a day.
Delgado’s life in the barrio was rough, but he was headstrong and he didn’t let anyone push him around. He did the gang thing, but he had seen too many of his friends die in gang violence. He knew that staying in a gang was a certain death warrant, and he was smart enough to find a way out. He enlisted in the Navy, and soon thereafter became a member of a Sea Air and Land Team. He excelled as a SEAL and participated in several black operations that were so sensitive that there were no records of the operations’ existence.
He smiled as he thought back on the many exhilarating adventures he had had as a SEAL. He was smart, tough, physically fit, and good with a gun or a knife. His specialty was demolitions. He could place an explosive anywhere. “Just ask Senator Kirk,” he thought to himself.
He loved being in the Navy; however, there was a dark side. The Navy denied its existence but it was there – racism. There was discrete but persistent discrimination against Hispanic and Black SEALs. His commitment to the Navy had always been tempered by his utter disdain for those, who in spite of their shared passion for defending the nation, believed that they were somehow superior to minorities. Even though it ate away at his soul, Delgado was able to suppress his anger toward the prejudiced dickheads who tried to make his life miserable.
Although Delgado was very adept at keeping his emotions regarding race relations in check, his inability to deal with the inept authority that he sometimes encountered led to his downfall in the military. He was on a covert mission in Afghanistan when a cracker lieutenant gave an order that would have gotten their entire team killed. When Delgado objected, the lieutenant called him a wetback. The lieutenant received a broken jaw and Delgado received a dishonorable discharge.
The discharge had closed the doors on his military career, so Delgado returned to Oakland and soon
Bonsam raised his head and continued. “Senator Kirk was the longest serving member of the United States Senate and a close personal friend of mine.”
“Uh-oh, here it comes,” said Mason under his breath.
“I assure you, his death will not be in vain.” Bonsam’s demeanor slowly changed, and his voice became deeper and louder. “I, as your president, will continue to boldly lead this nation into a glorious, prosperous future!”
Clark stared at the television as he watched Bonsam arrogantly babble on about his amazing leadership. He could not believe that the president would take a somber moment such as a tribute to Senator Kirk and turn it into a self-aggrandizing spectacle. “That bastard,” he said as he turned and walked away in disgust.
As Clark walked off, Mason said, “Oh by the way Gov, the Secret Service is doubling your detail. They don’t want to see another candidate involved in any ‘accidents’ like Senator Kirk’s.”
Chapter 14
Jorge Delgado had barely slept since he left Reagan National Airport two days before. He was still so full of adrenaline that he could barely sit still. He always felt a surge of energy after a hit, but the Kirk assassination was the mother of all hits. He was ready to climb the walls. He looked out the windows of the SUV as it made its way through the Maryland countryside. I need to be calm, I am about to meet with my boss.
As the miles rolled by, Delgado’s mind wandered. He thought about his life as a boy growing up in Oakland. He never knew his father, and his mother had raised him alone. Consuelo Delgado spent years working in a factory to provide for her son, a factory that was more like a sweatshop. She was just another lowly señorita in the unending rows of illegal Mexican immigrant women who sat at their sewing machines stitching garments fourteen hours a day.
Delgado’s life in the barrio was rough, but he was headstrong and he didn’t let anyone push him around. He did the gang thing, but he had seen too many of his friends die in gang violence. He knew that staying in a gang was a certain death warrant, and he was smart enough to find a way out. He enlisted in the Navy, and soon thereafter became a member of a Sea Air and Land Team. He excelled as a SEAL and participated in several black operations that were so sensitive that there were no records of the operations’ existence.
He smiled as he thought back on the many exhilarating adventures he had had as a SEAL. He was smart, tough, physically fit, and good with a gun or a knife. His specialty was demolitions. He could place an explosive anywhere. “Just ask Senator Kirk,” he thought to himself.
He loved being in the Navy; however, there was a dark side. The Navy denied its existence but it was there – racism. There was discrete but persistent discrimination against Hispanic and Black SEALs. His commitment to the Navy had always been tempered by his utter disdain for those, who in spite of their shared passion for defending the nation, believed that they were somehow superior to minorities. Even though it ate away at his soul, Delgado was able to suppress his anger toward the prejudiced dickheads who tried to make his life miserable.
Although Delgado was very adept at keeping his emotions regarding race relations in check, his inability to deal with the inept authority that he sometimes encountered led to his downfall in the military. He was on a covert mission in Afghanistan when a cracker lieutenant gave an order that would have gotten their entire team killed. When Delgado objected, the lieutenant called him a wetback. The lieutenant received a broken jaw and Delgado received a dishonorable discharge.
The discharge had closed the doors on his military career, so Delgado returned to Oakland and soon
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