Don’t mess with Diana Diego…
Trevor was the first guest to arrive and be scanned. A laser light outlined a shape in his pocket, and a DSS agent confronted him. “Please empty your pockets, sir.”
–From A Time to Heal, Book 3 of The Umea Bakearen
“It’s just a pocketknife!” Trevor slowly pulled it out to hand to the agent. “See? I never go anywhere without it.”
The agent gave the knife back to him and nodded. “Here you go, Mr. Stiles. This scanner is still calibrated for airline protocols.”
“Can’t we alter the settings?” Even from her wheelchair, Diana could be intimidating. “It should only go off if it detects something that could be used in an assassination attempt or terrorist activity.”
“We’re tweaking its threshold now,” the agent said weakly. “It should be properly calibrated by the time guests begin arriving.”
“Mr. Stiles is a guest; therefore, guests have begun arriving. How much longer will the recalibration take to complete?”
Trevor cocked his head. “I am kind of early.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Diana leaned forward in her wheelchair to inspect the scanner’s specifications. “It should have been properly calibrated already.” She pointed to a control. “See? Here is where the settings need to change. Pocket knives are not a threat. We’re only concerned with ranged weapons or explosives.”
The agent set his jaw. “A person with a knife could still get close enough to the Mediator to harm him.”
“My husband and I will deal with anyone who tries. I’ve been protecting dignitaries since before you hit puberty.”
“All due respect, Ma’am, but your husband is in the wedding party, and you’re in a wheelchair. What could you possibly—?”
The agent never got a chance to finish his sentence. Diana took hold of his hand and flipped him over her chair and onto his back. She used the momentum to tip herself out of the wheelchair and was now on top of the agent, pinning his arms to the ground. “You were saying?”
“I stand corrected, Ma’am. May I say that I’m impressed, and humbly ask that you don’t kill me?”
Diana rolled off of him and propped herself up. “I wouldn’t kill you. I’m on your side. Now, would you mind helping me back into my wheelchair? I’m a bit helpless in this position.”
“I don’t believe that for a second, Ma’am.”
“You gain wisdom.”
