by Robert Boren
She sighed. “If you want me, get in here now,” she said, “before I get dressed.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Kelly said, getting up and rushing into the bedroom, yanking off his robe on the way. They fell onto the bed in a naked embrace, becoming more and more familiar with each other now. What worked, what they liked, their passion fusing them together. They finished, breathing hard, damp with sweat.
“I hope this lasts,” Brenda said, lying next to him, eyes on the ceiling.
“Are you afraid it won’t?”
“I’m afraid I’ll push you away,” Brenda said. “I’ll try not to.”
“How would you push me away?”
“I can be a white-hot bitch,” she said, looking at him. “You might tire of that.”
“We get along well so far,” Kelly said.
“Oh, it always works for a while,” she said. “It’s usually my fault when it comes crashing down. It was with Chris.”
“Stop it,” Kelly said. “Do you love me?”
She looked at him, eyes tearing. “It’s a little early for that, isn’t it?”
“Answer the question,” he said.
“I don’t want to yet,” she said.
“Suit yourself,” he said, getting up. “I think I can make you happy. I know you can make me happy.”
“Well I hope so,” she said, “and that’s the truth.”
“Gonna go check that last email,” Kelly said. He pulled on his pants and a shirt and went back to the dinette.
“Who’s it from again?”
“Jasper,” Kelly said, sitting in front of the screen. He clicked it open and read. “Jasper and Earl are with Chris and his sister now.”
“Thank God,” she said, coming out of the bedroom with her clothes on. “Where are they?”
“Way north of us,” Kelly said. “Brownwood.”
“That figures,” Brenda said. “His sister lives in Comanche. They’re coming from there.”
“What’s she like?”
“Quite a bit older than Chris, and ornery as all get out,” she said. “You’ll like her. We ought to fix her up with Junior. They’d be two peas in a pod.” She poured coffee for both of them, then looked back at Kelly. “Did you hear what I said? You look really nervous.”
“We got a problem,” he said, looking at her.
She set the coffee next to Kelly and sat across from him again. “What’s wrong?”
“Simon Orr is with them.”
“Oh, dammit,” she said. “That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not,” Kelly said. “That guy is bad news.”
“What should we do? Warn them?”
“No,” Kelly said. “Not yet. Let’s wait until we’re all together in Fort Stockton.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want that guy to stick a shiv in our friends before we can protect them,” Kelly said.
“You think he’s that dangerous?” Brenda asked, eyes getting wide.
“I got a really bad vibe from that guy,” Kelly said. “Hopefully it’s just me, but I don’t think so.”
There was a knock at the door. Brenda turned towards it, eyes filled with terror.
“Don’t worry, that’s probably Junior,” Kelly said, getting up. He looked out the window. “Yep, he smelled the coffee.”
“Good morning, Junior,” Kelly said as he opened the door.
“Morning,” he said, “and morning to you too, sugar plum.”
Brenda smiled. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I love my new coach.”
“We can kinda tell,” Kelly said, laughing. “Got e-mails from Nate, Curt, and Jasper.”
“Good,” Junior said. “How about some of that coffee?”
“Help yourself,” Kelly said.
He poured himself a cup and then leaned against the counter facing the dinette. Kelly was shutting down his laptop.
“Where are they?” Junior asked.
“Nate’s group left Harper early this morning. They’re ahead of us.”
“What did Curt have to say? Didn’t expect to hear from him already.”
“He’s with those two Austin cops who were at the Superstore attack,” Kelly said. “They’re ahead of us too. They were in Sonora last night. Probably on the road by now. They’ll get to Fort Stockton first.”
“How about Jasper?”
“He’s with Chris and his sister,” Kelly said. “Oh, and Earl’s with them.”
“Good. Never met Chris’s sister.”
“You’ll like her,” Brenda quipped as she got up. “I’ll fix breakfast.”
“Excellent,” Junior said. He sat in the dinette across from Kelly.
Chapter 13 – Federal Pressure
Kip Hendrix walked into his office suite. He was earlier than normal. Maria had just arrived.
“Good morning, sir,” she said, smiling. He eyed her and smiled.
“Good morning, Maria. Have a nice evening?”
“I did,” she said. “My sister came over for a visit. It was nice to have some company.”
“You still live alone?” he asked, watching as she puttered with the coffee machine.
“No,” she said. “I have my cats with me.” She giggled.
“You sound happier than normal,” Hendrix said.
“I was worried about my sister,” Maria said. “She was living near Zapata.”
“Oh,” Hendrix said. “Getting dangerous down there.”
“Yes,” Maria said. “I talked her into moving in with our mother for a while.”
“In Austin?”
“Yes,” Maria said. She got behind her desk, then backed up and picked something off the floor, not realizing that she was showing too much cleavage until she saw Kip’s stare. She sat upright quickly and put her hand to her chest.
“Well, I’m glad she’s safe,” Hendrix said. He hurried into his office.
“Me too,” she said from behind her desk. “I’ll bring you coffee in a moment, unless you’d rather have tea.”
“Coffee would be good,” he said. “I’ve got to wake up. Had a bad night.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Something wrong?” She made the cup of coffee and carried it in, being careful not to bend down again when she set it on his desk.
“Oh, I’m just lonely, and worried about all this violence,” he said, making eye contact for a second, then looking away.
“Well, hopefully the coffee will help.” She walked out to her desk.
Hendrix picked up the newspaper and read as he sipped coffee. Attacks in all the major cities yesterday. Falcon Lake partially overrun by foreign fighters. Protests scheduled for today in Austin about the border closure. Hostage crisis continuing in San Antonio.
The phone rang.
“Sir, it’s the US Attorney General’s office, line one.”
“Thank you, Maria,” Hendrix said, heart beating faster. He picked it up.
“Franklin, how are you?”
“Hi, Kip,” he said in a Boston accent. “Got a few minutes?”
“I’ve always got time for the Assistant Attorney General of the United States,” Hendrix said, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“We’ve been hearing some disturbing rumors,” Franklin said. “You know what I’m talking about?”
“Governor Nelson?”
“Yes,” Franklin said.
“I’ve heard the rumors,” Hendrix said. “I don’t believe most of them.”
“Which do you believe?”
“I believe that the border shutdown will be longer term than we’ve been told.”
Franklin chuckled. “Come on, now, everybody knows that.”
“I believe that state military is being used on Falcon Lake and the Rio Grande.”
“Again, that is common knowledge. You aren’t giving me much. I’m disappointed.”
“What do you want me to say? I’m telling you what I believe. I know there’re rumors that Nelson is going to decl
are Texas a sovereign republic, but I doubt that will really happen.” Sweat dripped off of Hendrix’s forehead, onto his newspaper.
“You’re being too cagey,” Franklin said. “We can’t contact any of the Federal military bases in Texas now. Not a one. The funny thing is that US Air Force assets stationed in Texas are helping the Texas Air National Guard with attacks in Mexico.”
“I hadn’t heard that,” Hendrix said, heart beating quicker.
“Bullshit,” Franklin said.
“C’mon, Franklin, what do you want from me?”
“Information. Confirmation. Somebody inside.”
“I’m always been willing to share my opinion,” Hendrix said.
“So it is true, then,” Franklin said. “Nelson is taking Texas out of the union. You’re being cagey because you don’t want to be considered a traitor to Texas after the announcement. Treason against the state could land you in prison or worse.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hendrix said.
“Okay, play it that way if you want to,” Franklin said. “I’ll call upon you after the announcement. You’ll be our eyes and ears inside Texas.”
“You can’t make me do that,” Hendrix said, face flushing.
Franklin chuckled. “Oh yes we can. Don’t forget about those little problems we helped you push under the rug. How many chiquitas has it been now? Pretty nasty what you did. Pretty expensive to US and Texas taxpayers, too. You could end up with free room and board for quite a while. Hell, Federal and Texas agencies might be fighting over your sorry ass.”
“That’ll come back on you, too,” Hendrix said.
Franklin laughed. “Yeah, but then I’ll be just another foreign bureaucrat. The Attorney General’s office would protect themselves. Vigorously.”
“You’d still get splattered enough to end your career,” Hendrix said.
“Well, if it comes to that, we’ll see,” he said. “You are excused for now. We’ll be in touch.” The call ended. Hendrix stood up, loosening his tie, gasping for air, heart hammering in his chest. He felt himself going numb and crumpled to the floor.
“Sir, what’s wrong?” Maria asked, rushing to him, getting down on her knees and checking him for a pulse. He was still alive. “Sir!” she said, shaking him. He woke up to her face above his, her breasts resting on his shoulder. He touched her cheek, and then pulled her face down, kissing her. She stiffened and got up quickly. “Mr. Hendrix, stop that! It’s very unprofessional.”
“Sorry,” he said. “Please forgive me.”
She stood above him, looking down as his eyes pleaded. “You can’t do that with me. It’s not right.”
Hendrix got to his feet. “I’m sorry. It’s all this stress, and I’m so lonely. I didn’t mean anything.”
She looked him up and down. “You won’t do it again?”
“Not if you don’t want it,” he said, looking down, shame on his face. Maria watched him as he began to cry.
“Sir,” she said softly. “Pull yourself together. You’ve got meetings coming up shortly.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Will you forgive me?”
She looked at him for more than a minute, thinking. Then she sighed. “All right, sir, as long as it doesn’t happen again. And quit looking at my chest. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that you’re so beautiful.”
“You need to find a girlfriend,” she said.
“I’d like it to be you,” he said.
She shook her head. “You’re old enough to be my father. Find somebody your own age. There’s plenty of attractive women who would love to be with a powerful man like you. You’re still handsome enough, and you can be charming.”
“So there’s no chance?”
“No, sir, there’s no chance,” she said. “Do I have to resign?”
“No, no, please don’t do that,” he said. “I’ll behave. I promise.”
She sat down on a chair in front of his desk. “What got you so upset? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Yes, sir, but don’t tell me if you shouldn’t.”
“As long as you don’t tell, it’s fine. It’s not classified or anything like that. It would make me feel better to talk to somebody about it. Somebody I can trust.”
Maria’s face went from worry and revulsion to intense interest.
Hendrix studied her face. This is my way in. “You promise not to say anything? It’ll stay between us?”
“Yes,” she said, eyes dilated.
“Governor Nelson is going to declare Texas a sovereign republic. We’re breaking away from the United States.”
Maria’s pulse quickened, her eyes getting wider. “Really? Why?”
“Because of the invasion,” Hendrix said. “The Governor believes that the Federal Government has been corrupted by the enemy and is working against the states and the people.”
“Is he correct?” Maria asked.
“Partially,” Hendrix said. “It’s a very complex issue. I can’t say too much here. If you want to know more, we should go someplace else.”
“Sir,” she said.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that,” Hendrix said.
“Why can’t you talk about it here?” she asked.
“The walls might have ears.”
“Why did the US Attorney General’s office call you?” Maria asked. “Do they know about this?”
“They heard rumors, and wanted me to confirm them,” he said.
“They threatened you, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” he said. “They want me to spy on Texas for the Federal Government.”
“Oh,” Maria said. “Now I get it.”
“There’s a lot more going on, but that’s all I’ll talk about here,” he said. “If you want to hear more, it must be someplace else. Maybe over lunch or dinner or something. Talk only.”
She sat back in her chair, thinking. “I’m not sure if I can trust you, Mr. Hendrix. I won’t be your office plaything.”
“That’s not what I wanted anyway,” Hendrix said.
“You stare at my breasts and my butt all the time,” she said. “We women know what that means, you know.”
Hendrix smiled at her. “Of course I want you, but I didn’t want you for some fling that would be over after a one-night stand. I wanted a relationship with you. I’m lonely. Don’t you understand that?”
“Our ages are too far apart,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” he said, “but anyway, if you want to discuss this more, I’m willing, just not here. At least it would help with the loneliness, even if we can’t be intimate. Having somebody to confide in makes a big difference.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, standing up. Hendrix made sure he only looked at her eyes, and she noticed. “Your first appointment is in half an hour. You sure you’re all right? You passed out.”
Hendrix laughed. “I fainted, but only for a few seconds. I’ll be okay. I don’t like to be threatened, but it helped a lot talking to you about it. Don’t worry, I’m ready for my day.”
“Okay, sir,” she said as she left. Hendrix smiled as he went back to the newspaper. I have her now.
Chapter 14 – Carthage
“How long do we stay on State Route 2517?” Kim asked.
“A little while longer,” Eric said. “Antioch road is coming up, as I remember. We take that north to Carthage.”
“We can make it there before dark?”
“It’s gonna be close,” he said. “There was a nice RV Park there, on Route 79, heading out of Carthage. That’s the road we want to be on. We should see if we can get in there.”
“Wish we had our phones,” Kim said.
“Yeah, it’s a real pain. I resisted smart phones for quite a while. Now I have a hard time getting by without them.”
“You think Dirk and his guys are gonna be okay out there?” Kim asked.
“I
don’t know. Deadwood is pretty small. If I was them I’d pack up and split.”
“You think there’s going to be more Islamists coming in from that direction?”
“I think it’s possible, because the border is easy to sneak across there. Hell, we did it.”
Paco trotted up to the front, looking up at Kim. “Okay, Paco, come on,” she said, patting her lap.
“Hey, buddy,” Eric said.
“He doesn’t get spooked with the gunfire,” Kim said.
“Yeah, noticed that. I’m surprised. It’s not like he’s a hunting dog.”
Kim laughed. “He’d be great at hunting field mice.”
“Be nice,” Eric said. “He’s a real killer. Look at that face.”
“Right,” Kim said. “I love him. You know that.”
“He does have a way of winning you over. I wasn’t wanting a dog when I got him.”
“How did you get him?”
“Friend of mine,” Eric said. “He got evicted, and couldn’t afford a place that allowed pets. I took him temporarily. ”
Kim laughed. “Yeah, looks real temporary.”
“The friend went back to California. I haven’t heard from him for over two years.”
“You wouldn’t give him up now anyway, would you?”
“No way,” Eric said. “He’s family.”
“Softy.”
“Hey, you found me out,” Eric said.
They rode along silently for a while, Kim dozing off a couple of times, then waking up and watching Eric, her affection for him almost overpowering.
Eric caught her staring at him and smiled. “Look, there’s our road already.” Kim looked at him, embarrassed, as he made the right turn.
“How big is this city?” she asked.
“Lots bigger than Deadwood,” Eric said.
“Good, maybe I can get some more clothes while we’re there.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Eric said, “but let’s get set up at the RV Park first, before the office closes on us. Be dark in less than an hour.”
“Okay,” she said. “The road changed names. Now it’s Forsythe Road.”
“Yep,” he said. “Forgot about that.”
“We’re getting into town now,” she said. “Lots of industrial here.”
“Lots of residential on our left,” Eric said.
“Look at that big factory there,” she said, pointing out the driver’s side window. “Wonder what they do there?”