by I. T. Lucas
Eleanor grimaced. With her security clearance revoked and no access to government databases, that was not going to do her much good. She could call the various agencies and compel the receptionist or whoever was in charge to give her the information she needed, but that would take hours upon hours of waiting for someone to answer the phone on the other side.
Who had time for that?
She needed to find a good hacker and compel him or her to help her find the information she needed, but where was she going to find one?
Social isolation was nothing new to her, but this was different. She had no support system whatsoever and had no idea how to go about creating one for herself. Perhaps the guy who had originally supplied her with a bunch of fake identities would be a good start. He was a pro, and the documents he’d created for her years ago were still good today. He might know others in the shadow world, like hackers and surveillance experts.
Fortunately, money was not a problem. She had plenty.
67
Kalugal
Jacki poured the remainder of the coffee in the carafe into Kalugal’s mug. “I’m glad that we got to stay another day. Did you see how happy Atzil and Ruvon were this morning? They practically ran out of here to sit in the café and mingle some more.”
Rufsur hadn’t returned to the house at all and was probably the most grateful for the additional night he spent with Edna. Perhaps he’d arranged for that woman to drive by the house to prolong their stay?
It was a silly thought. Rufsur was a straightforward guy. If he wanted to stay one more night, he would have just asked. No subterfuge required. It was true what they said about people viewing others through the prism of their own characters.
Hiring a fake snoop was something that Kalugal would have done, not Rufsur.
Perhaps the reason for Kian’s mistrust was that under his holier than thou act he harbored nefarious plans, like luring all of Kalugal’s men away from him and leaving him without protection. Was he using the clan females as a honey trap? Did they know that they were being used?
So many questions and so few answers.
He grimaced. “Mingling is such a polite way to describe what they are actually doing.”
She sat next to him on the couch and tucked her feet under her. “Oh yeah? What would you call it?”
“Hunting. Although I’m not sure who is hunting whom, and it seems like neither side was successful. None of the clanswomen have taken the bait or caught either Atzil or Ruvon in their net.”
Jacki waved a hand. “They are not in a rush, and finding a mate is not the same as hunting for hookups in clubs. Both sides need to be careful in their selection.”
“I still wonder about Rufsur’s choice. I think that he fell for Edna only because she looks like that actress from Star Trek Picard.”
“Which one?”
“Narissa, of course. Didn’t you notice the resemblance? He’s been drooling over her the entire season and practically forcing me to watch the show with him.”
Rufsur had also roped Jacki and Ruvon into joining, and he had re-watched the first episodes with them until they’d gotten caught up.
Jacki huffed. “The evil Romulan spy? She doesn’t look like Edna. For starters, she’s much taller, and to be frank, she is also prettier. But she has a crazy look in her eyes, while Edna’s are full of wisdom and compassion.”
“Is that what you see in her eyes? Because all I see is resentment. The woman doesn’t trust me or like me.”
“That’s because you are indifferent to her and Rufsur’s plight.” Jacki sighed. “They just want to be together.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer against him. “You are young and a little naive.”
Jacki pulled away. “I might be young, but I’m far from naive. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth or a superpower that allowed me to control everyone around me and make shitloads of money. I had to fight for everything, and that included a peaceful night of sleep. So, don’t give me that crap. I’m a good judge of character, and Edna is a wonderful woman.”
“Ouch. I stand corrected.” He pulled her back. “Your life hasn’t been easy, but neither was mine. I grew up with a father who might have killed me if he realized the extent of my powers, and I had to fake my own death to escape him. But that’s neither here nor there. What I find suspicious about Edna is how quickly she has changed her mind. One day she was the loudest opponent of us even visiting the village, and the next she is lobbying for unification? Doesn’t it strike you as odd?”
“Not at all. Between then and now, she’s fallen in love with Rufsur. Before, it was a hypothetical situation for her, but now it’s personal. She wants to have a life with him, a family. You should have seen the envy in her eyes when Amanda and Syssi were talking about their pregnancies. She wants it too, and she is trying to find a way for her and Rufsur to be together.”
“I hope that’s the reason and that there is no hidden agenda.”
“Like what?”
“I refused her probe, so she and Kian know that there are things I don’t want them to know about, and as we discovered during Richard’s ceremony, Annani has the power of compulsion as well, even over me. If they get my men away from me, and especially Rufsur, they can find out whatever they want.”
Jacki frowned. “I didn’t think of that. Does that mean that we are not returning for the wedding?”
“We can’t do that without causing a diplomatic disaster. I don’t want the clan in my business, but I also don’t want them as my enemies.”
Jacki leaned forward and lifted her mug. “I think the same is true for Kian and Annani. They won’t compel you or Rufsur to reveal your secrets because they don’t want to lose you as an ally.”
“Annani can compel my cooperation.”
Jacki chuckled. “It’s kind of funny. Now that the shoe is on the other foot and it pinches, you can better understand how Kian felt.”
“I do, but that doesn’t help me to solve the problem. Any ideas?”
She huffed. “You must be really desperate to ask me for advice.”
“Why would you say that? You know that I value your opinion.”
“On human affairs, not immortal, and this problem is very specific to immortals. And not just any immortals, but those with the ability to compel others.”
“True, but since you are immune even to Annani’s power, you have an advantage over us.”
Jacki’s eyes widened. “That might be the solution. Turner is immune too, so there is one on each side. We can provide the buffer.”
“How exactly are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I have a strong feeling that’s what we should concentrate our minds on.”
“You see? I was right to seek your advice.”
68
Rufsur
Edna stopped in front of the office building. “You don’t need to escort me upstairs.” She glanced at the café where Atzil and Ruvon were sitting with two clan females. “You can join your friends, just don’t ogle the ladies.”
“I would just cramp their style.” He leaned to kiss her cheek. “Are you sure that you have to work today? We are probably leaving this afternoon or later in the evening.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could take a day off, but Kian needs me to go over a couple of contracts, and tomorrow I have to be in my office in the city. There is only so much I can do via teleconferencing. I’ll try to be done quickly.”
“Can you take a lunch break?”
She smiled. “I can, but that would mean finishing later.”
“You have to eat. I don’t want you powering through your day without nourishment. I’ll come to get you at one. Deal?”
She laughed. “Deal. I’ll try to finish going over the contracts by then. For the first time, Kian is going to get subpar work from me.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll fire you, and our problem will be solved.”
Edna affected a scowl
, but her lips twitched with a suppressed smile. “Go already, so I can do my work and be done with it by lunchtime.” She gave him a gentle shove and went inside.
He watched her through the glass door as she walked toward the staircase. It was a shame that she loved her work. Things would have been easier if she didn’t and had no qualms about leaving it.
Except, it wasn’t just about her job and her position on the council. Edna loved her clan, and even though she wasn’t very social, she would hate to leave.
He would hate parting with his friends as well, especially Kalugal, but if he could, Rufsur would do it in a heartbeat to have a life with Edna.
Taking another look at Atzil and Ruvon, he decided not to join them. Atzil was all smiles as he flirted with a dark-haired beauty, and Ruvon was having an animated discussion with a tiny blonde.
He could join Theo, who was in charge of keeping an eye on those two, but Rufsur decided to go back to the house. Perhaps Kalugal had had time to rethink his position on the federation idea.
When he got to the fence, Rufsur was surprised to see the gate closed, but when he tried the handle, it buzzed and then opened. Lifting his head, he smiled at the security camera and waved.
It was probably closed because of the Chinese crews working on phase three of the village, and not to keep the clan safe from their five guests. Still, having it there was an eyesore, and it detracted from the serene atmosphere of the community.
Hell, it made it feel like jail instead of refuge.
If a permanent solution required a fence, they would need to rethink the style of it. A double chain-link barrier with barb wire on top and security cameras mounted on its posts wouldn’t cut it.
The question was, what would?
A moat? A river?
Theoretically, it was possible, but to make it insurmountable for immortals, it would need to be damn big.
Rufsur chuckled. Kalugal would love the idea of building a castle for himself and his men, with a moat and a drawbridge to separate it from the rest of the village.
Jay waved at him as he climbed the steps to the front porch. “Your buddies and Theo are at the café.”
“I know. I just came back from there. Did Kalugal and Jacki go anywhere this morning?”
Jay shook his head and lifted a plate. “Jacki brought out breakfast for me even though I told her that I had already eaten. Can you take this back inside?”
“Sure.” Rufsur took it. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
The two daytime Guardians had become good friends by now. The night shift duo was more reserved, but Rufsur was warming up to them as well, which proved that if he moved into the village, making new friends wouldn’t be a problem.
Regrettably, he couldn’t.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He could assign Phinas the job of watching Kalugal. The guy was capable, but he and Kalugal weren’t as close, so he might not be as effective as Rufsur.
Except, Kalugal had already proven that their friendship didn’t mean much to him when it stood in the way of his plans. When he’d conducted his test on Jacki, he hadn’t shared his plan to do that with Rufsur. And what was even more troubling, Kalugal had had no qualms about freezing him in place when he’d tried to help her.
69
Eleanor
Eleanor parked her car two streets over from the mansion and walked towards it while checking out the neighborhood houses on her way.
She was dressed in a maid’s uniform, or rather an outfit that resembled one, and carried two more disguises in her large fabric tote. The thing was reversible, so she could flip it inside out, and it would look like a different bag.
With her slim build and height, Eleanor could pass for a man, and one of her disguises was a technician’s uniform. Well, it wasn’t really a uniform, just a pair of dark blue pants which would fit right in with the light blue button-down shirt that was part of the maid’s outfit. All she would have to do was to exchange the ugly skirt that was the same color as the shirt for the pants. If needed, it could be done in seconds while hiding under the shade of a tree.
Her hair was gathered in two braids that she could secure with pins to her head in moments. The pants, a work vest, a baseball hat, and a different pair of sunglasses would transform her into a guy.
At least from afar.
She hadn’t had time to go searching for proper costumes or real uniforms, and all the items had come from Target, but they would do. No one would be checking out her outfits too closely.
Passing a corner house with a for lease sign, she decided to take a small risk and pushed the pedestrian gate. If anyone asked what she was doing there, she could pretend to be a confused maid who had wandered into the wrong address.
The back of the property was on the same street as the mansion, so perhaps it could be a good spot to watch it without being noticed.
Looking through the windows, she saw that the place was furnished, but it didn’t look inhabited. The owner had probably furnished it to make it more attractive to potential lessors.
As she rounded the corner, a smile bloomed on Eleanor’s face. An exterior staircase led to the second-floor balcony, from where she would have an unobstructed view of the mansion’s driveway gate.
Just in case someone looked up and noticed her there, she pulled a rag out of her tote and held it in her hand. She could pretend to be wiping down the balusters or cleaning the windows.
For an hour or so, nothing interesting happened at the mansion. The gate hadn’t opened even once, and Eleanor decided that spying was not exciting at all. It was damn boring.
But then a restaurant delivery van arrived and stopped at the gate. The driver got out and pressed the buzzer, and a moment later, it opened. He got back behind the wheel and drove inside.
So, they were ordering food.
If she could stop the driver on his way out, she could ask him about the size of the order, and that way, figure out how many people resided in the mansion.
Racing down the stairs, she ran out into the street and waited for the van to round the corner. It took much longer than she’d expected.
When twenty minutes later it finally did, she jumped into the middle of the street and waved her arms. “Stop, please! I need help!”
With screeching tires, the van stopped a few feet away from her, and the driver jumped out. “Are you crazy? What the hell were you thinking jumping into the middle of the street like that? Do you have a death wish?”
“Get back behind the wheel.” She imbued her tone with compulsion.
Confused, he did as she asked while she hopped into the passenger seat. “Drive away at a normal speed.”
His eyes glazing over, he nodded.
She needed to ease up on the compulsion, or his brain would freeze.
“How many people did you deliver food for?” She used a gentler push this time.
“There were forty main courses in the order and ten side dishes.”
“Were there forty people inside?”
“I don’t know.”
That was the problem with compulsion. The answers matched the question precisely, while she needed the guy to elaborate.
“Tell me exactly what you saw inside the house and what you were told.”
“There were two security guards at the gate, but they didn’t move from their station. Three guys came out of the house and helped me carry the food inside. When everything was placed on the kitchen counter, one of the men complained that the portions were small and that there wasn’t enough food. I asked him if they were having a party, and he said that they were just a bunch of hungry men. He said that given the prices, he expected the portions to be bigger. Then the other guy said that servings in fancy restaurants were always small and that he would have ordered from their usual place. Then the first guy said that he was sick of eating the same food every day and called the restaurant to order more stuff.”
“Is someone el
se delivering the second order, or is it you?”
“I’m the only delivery guy they have. I’m going back.”
Eleanor smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Jesse.”
“I’m Gina, and I’m coming with you. If anyone asks you who I am, tell them that I’m your cousin from Illinois.”
70
Rufsur
“Do you want to come with us to the café?” Jacki asked. “Kalugal and I are meeting Kian, Syssi, Amanda, and Dalhu for lunch.”
Atzil and Ruvon hadn’t returned yet, and Rufsur wondered whether the ladies he’d seen them flirting with had taken them home with them. If not, they might still be there, checking out the selection.
When he’d returned to the house, Jacki and Kalugal had been in their bedroom, so he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk with either of them.
Jacki had emerged only a few minutes ago and had gone into the kitchen to make coffee. Kalugal was either taking a shower or a nap, but he wasn’t going to ask which one unless Jacki volunteered the information.
He glanced at his watch. It was only ten minutes after twelve, but maybe Edna would be okay with him coming to get her earlier. Besides, Kalugal still hadn’t emerged from the bedroom, so it wasn’t as if they were heading out already.
Lucky bastard. Not only was he mated to a great girl, but he could also enjoy her anytime he wanted.
“I told Edna that I will pick her up at one o'clock, and we will have lunch together, but if we get there before that, I’ll see if she can join us earlier.”
“I’m sure she can. That’s going to be our final goodbye for this visit. Are you all packed?”
“I never unpacked. I was living out of my duffle bag.”