by Gini Koch
Reader flashed the cover-boy smile. “Yep, that’s me.” He walked into the room and over to my mother. “My turn.” She laughed and passed him the baby. He cuddled her. “Where’s Sol?”
“Getting the pets,” Mom said with a sigh. “He has a contingent of four agent teams with him,” she added to my mouth opening. “The Lewises are here, too, just getting settled in. Kevin’s pulling in the rest of our team. As always, threat to one is likely to mean threat to all.”
“This sounds so much like Operation Fugly. I’m getting all nostalgic.”
Reader laughed and moved next to me. He bent down and whispered in my ear. “Then place your bets for the love connection, girlfriend.”
CHAPTER 18
I LOOKED AROUND. Amy was our new girl. Had no guess as to whom she could potentially hook up with out of this group. Tim was spoken for and pretty darned happy with his girlfriend Alicia, who was a human. It was almost exotic for our group, two humans dating.
Joe Billings and Randy Muir were married, to Lorraine and Claudia, respectively. They came into the room and insisted on baby holding. Jeff started to get antsy, but at least it took his attention off of Chuckie.
The single guys started to make baby-holding noises, and Jeff lost it. “No, that’s enough. She’s not even a day old yet, enough with the handling.” He snatched her out of Randy’s hands.
Mom laughed. “Jeff, the baby will be fine.”
“Huh.” He was cuddling her and had a very possessive look on his face.
“Jeff, come here.” I patted the bed. “Sit down so we can try to get the story out of Amy.” He did, making sure to sit on the side that blocked Chuckie from me. I just laughed and took Jamie from him. Reader sat down behind me, and I leaned against him. “Ames, really, try to give us all the details.”
“Hang on,” Christopher said. “My father’s not here yet.”
“I asked Gladys to call him.” Hated the funny feeling this gave me.
“Com on!” Jeff was in Commander-mode.
“Here, Commander Martini.”
“Gladys, where is the Pontifex?”
“He said he had a meeting he had to attend, Commander.”
“At any of our Bases?”
“No, Commander. Off-site.”
“Why did you let him leave?”
“Commander Katt didn’t say the Pontifex was in danger.”
She was right, I hadn’t. Jeff looked at me. I shrugged. “I always consider it self-evident.”
“What?”
“That everyone’s always trying to get Richard, in some way, shape, or form.”
Mom had already dug her phone out of her purse and was talking urgently to someone. Chuckie was doing the same. Both of them looked supremely worried. Christopher had his phone, but he wasn’t talking to anyone. He looked at me. “My father’s not answering.”
“Security has expanded the search to all locations, all active agents notified, Commanders.” Gladys sounded upset. Richard was the head of our A-Cs’ religion, but he was also her half brother.
“Gladys, please make sure Jeff’s parents are okay, too, just in case. Amy, details, all of them, now. No more playing around. I don’t care that you’re confused, scared, whatever. You’re safe here. Someone of extreme importance isn’t.”
She nodded. “Gotcha. Okay. I was on leave from my company, at the request of a business partner of ours. I was supposed to be helping them with an environmental issue. I handled it fast, then they had another business they partnered with, but my company didn’t, that had the same issue, so they asked me to help them, under the auspices of my leave arrangement. I figured it was good for relations, so I said yes. But then I got moved again, to another company, one not connected with my real employer or even our business partner at all, at least, I’d never heard of them before this.”
“Is that common?”
“Not in legitimate business.” Chuckie answered over his shoulder. “Note that the employing company has no idea of what’s going on. I promise you, if we investigate, they will think Amy’s still working for their business partner. It’s a typical plan, though. Use a network to get a smart, young, single, preferably one who’s not native to your country, who can do the work you need, kill them off when they finish the work; no one notices until it’s too late.”
“Jeez, Chuckie, how often does that happen?”
“A lot more than you want to know. Sorry, Amy, carry on.” He went back to his call.
She gave me a look that said she was one word away from losing it. “He’s right? He’s always been right?”
“Yes. Figure any bizarre theory Chuckie ever had is true. You’ll be better off. He might have been wrong on one of them, but not most.”
“I was wrong about where Hoffa was buried.”
“See? One. Anyway, go on. Wait, where is Hoffa buried?”
“This is my father’s life we’re dealing with here!” Christopher barked.
“Sorry, right. Ames, continue.” Jamie woke up and gave a contented gurgle. I kissed her head and did the baby-jiggle. Jeff tickled her tummy, while still paying full attention to Amy. He was going to be the best daddy ever. All my worry from earlier sort of dissipated in a warm, happy little glow.
“The environmental issue was no big deal. I solved it at each company by identifying the governmental jurisdictions for the parent company.”
“Were they all the same parent?” Jeff asked, as he played with Jamie’s toes.
“I didn’t think so at first. But when I was working at the last company, I hit a weird name I’d hit before. I did a little digging and found out there was a parent connection.”
“Name? And the relevant company names?”
“Ronaldo Al Dejahl, Al Dejahl Shipping. It’s a weird spelling for the name.”
“No worries. We know how to spell it.” Mom and I looked at each other. “He’s dead. I killed him. Personally.”
“Kitty? You killed someone?” Amy sounded freaked.
“Um, at least, uh, five someones. More, really. Starting to lose count. They were all bad guys. Some of them weren’t human, either.” This sounded as lame said aloud as I’d feared. “So, you know, bad guys beware and all that.”
“Got him.” Chuckie turned around. “We need to have a long talk with the Pontifex about humans and why they should not be trusted.”
“Where is he?”
“Paris. I know, what an amazing coincidence.” Chuckie’s sarcasm was up to eleven again. He didn’t believe in coincidence. “He’s been picked up by C.I.A. operatives. They’re in touch with the Euro Centaurion team. He should be back here shortly.”
“Gladys, make sure that happens.” Jeff looked at Christopher. “You want to go back to Paris?”
“Not with you. You need to stay here with Kitty.” Christopher looked ready to leave.
“Not at all.” Chuckie rolled his eyes as Christopher hit him with patented Glare #3. “If ETD and P.T.C.U. personnel are targeted, it stands to reason we are so targeted in order to, once again, attempt to destabilize Centaurion Division. I want Alpha Team here, right here, until we have the Pontifex safely back.”
“Reynolds, you don’t control Centaurion any more.” Jeff was ready to go again, I could tell.
“Oh, Jeff, stop. And, Chuckie, don’t start. I’m just too freaking tired, and the baby’s going to need to eat soon, at least if my inflatable chest is any indication. Jeff, Chuckie’s right, let’s get Richard back and not risk someone else to do it. If he’s already safe, there’s no reason for us to go racing off to help finish the save.”
“I’m going to get my father, sorry,” Christopher snapped. “I’m not going to be in danger.”
“Sure you are.” Mom sighed. “Remember when you first met Kitty? They were trying to kill her to get to me. It’s an age-old plan—put the people the target loves in danger—and it always works.”
“I foiled that one.” Just wanted it on record. Besides, Amy hadn’t heard about it.
> “Yes, yes, kitten, well done.” Mom shook her head. “You’d have thought she didn’t need constant praise still, but you’d be wrong.”
“Humph.”
“Anyway,” Mom went on, “Christopher, stay here. We’re pulling everyone in for safety. If you go running off, that means you could indeed get into trouble, and then more of us would have to run after you, and soon the entire facility’s running around out and unprotected.”
Jamie started to cry. “Okay, everyone out. Conspiracy theories later. Jeff and I need a few minutes alone here.” Mom and Reader weren’t budging. I looked at them. They looked back. “Oh, fine. You two can stay.” I handed Jamie to my mother. “Enjoy the diaper check.”
She smiled and took the baby over to the changing area. This room was, as all A-C facilities were, set up really nicely.
Everyone else filed out, Chuckie staying right by Christopher. Amy looked lost. “Ames, you can stay, too.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jeff sighed. “So much for that special bonding time between parents and baby.”
I kissed him as he helped me lie down. “We’ll have plenty of time. But, Jeff?” I wanted to ask him to stay with me unless it was dire, but I felt that was being sort of needy and potentially risky.
He kissed me. “I’m not leaving you and Jamie unless that’s the best way I can protect you two. Okay?” I nodded and felt much safer. He grinned. “More than anything else, you feeling that way makes me feel good.”
Fed Jamie while Mom, Reader, and Amy all watched. It was kind of like being on my own reality TV show. Thought about something. “Gladys, you there?”
“Yes, Commander Martini. What happened to the ‘com on’ shout?”
“Figured it was still on. Could you please ask Serene to come in here?”
“Okay.” Gladys sounded confused, but she didn’t argue.
Serene arrived a minute or so later. She was only a few months pregnant, just barely showing. Lucky thing. She walked in the room and looked at Amy. “Oh, wow. You’re Kitty’s friend from high school, aren’t you?”
Amy looked shocked. “Yes. Uh, have we met?”
“No. I’ve seen your picture. Brian showed it to me.”
“Brian?” Amy looked at me. “Your ex Brian?”
“Yep. He’s married to Serene now. They’re good together.”
Serene nodded. “I was going to convert to Catholicism, but Brian said he didn’t need me to, but he’s going to convert to our religion. He says he thinks it’s the right thing for the baby.” She looked around the room. “Hi, Angela. I’m so glad Kitty didn’t die.”
That was Serene, sweet and blunt. “Me too,” Mom said dryly.
“Serene, you’ve already covered one of my concerns. Do me a favor—I need you to be sure Christopher is who we think he is, and Richard, too, when he returns.”
“Okay.” She concentrated. “Christopher’s in the hall. He looks really upset. What’s up with his eyes? He looks like he hasn’t slept in days.”
“Yeah, that’s why I was worried. But it’s him, right?”
“Right.” She was quiet. “Everyone here is who they should be, Kitty. But Richard isn’t here.”
“He should be coming, soon. At least, I hope it’s him.”
“Why?” Jeff asked. He didn’t need to elaborate.
“Robotics. Yates was going to switch me for a robot to get to Mom. Could have done the same thing with others. And after the shapeshifting and image overlaying from the invasion, I just like to be sure we are who we think we are.”
Jeff got up and touched Amy’s shoulder. “Human. No superbeing.”
“I figured you’d have noticed while you were in Paris.”
He shrugged as he came back to the bed. “Christopher had her, not me. I was handling the rough stuff.”
“Do you need adrenaline?” Worry, as always, crashed over me. Along with guilt because I hadn’t even thought to ask him this before.
He kissed my forehead. “No, baby. It wasn’t that bad.”
“Define not that bad.”
He grinned. “Didn’t get overtired, didn’t get hurt. Hurt a lot of them. Enjoyed it.”
“Okay, that’s fine then.”
“The Pontifex is back on premises,” Gladys’ voice came through the com.
Serene concentrated. She heaved a relieved sigh. “It’s him. He seems fine. A little shook up, though.”
“Good. Someone let Christopher know.” Serene nodded and trotted out of the room. “Jeff, do you have any idea why Christopher looks so awful?”
“No. I thought it was because we were dragged up in the middle of the night after a busy day handling suspicious superbeings in Paris.”
“I don’t think so.” I thought about why someone’s eyes would be bloodshot. No sleep. Drinking, but since A-Cs were deadly allergic to alcohol, he’d be dead not bleary-eyed. Crying. Hmmmm. If that was it, what was he crying about? It wasn’t as if he was normally out of control, so it would have to be something really huge. Tabled for later, had to save the world right now. “So, Mom, there’s no way Ronald Yates is still alive.”
“The media mogul? He died almost two years ago, didn’t he?” Amy sounded almost normal. Anticipated my next statements. Couldn’t be helped.
“Ronald Yates was, in addition to being the creepiest man around, an exiled A-C, the former head of their religion, Christopher and Jeff’s grandfather, the actual head of the Al Dejahl terrorist organization, and an in-control superbeing called Mephistopheles. He was a total Renaissance Man for evil.”
“Mephistopheles? You mean like Faust’s devil?”
“Honors English was great, wasn’t it? Yes, exactly like Faust’s devil. Only bigger and uglier. And with the worst breath imaginable.”
I saw realization dawn. “You killed him? You killed Ronald Yates?” She sounded horrified.
“No. Mephistopheles let Yates die. I killed Mephistopheles. Took out the Devil, yay me. And all that.”
Jeff took the baby and burped her. “Mommy kicks evil alien butt. You’re gonna be just like her when you grow up, aren’t you, Jamie-Kat?”
“Jamie-Kat?”
He grinned. “Sticking with your Nono Dom’s theme and all.” My mother’s father had made cat jokes from the moment my mother had introduced him to my father. He’d shared that he expected Jeff to be a big tomcat and take care of me. Jeff was all over the big tomcat idea. I didn’t mind it, either. He always reminded me of a big cat, in all the positive ways.
Mom laughed. “I think it’s cute. Your father will love it, kitten.”
“You killed Ronald Yates?” Amy wasn’t letting this one go.
“Ames, was he a close family friend?”
“Well, no. But my parents knew him.”
“Mom, get Chuckie in here, pronto. Jeff, no snarling. Seriously, need him to hear this.” Mom trotted to the hallway, and Jeff grunted. I thought about his naked body.
“Okay, fine, I’ll behave. Just keep your mind where it’s at.”
I tried to move, and then Jeff and Reader helped me. Got situated so I was leaning against Jeff’s chest. Reader sat next to me and took Jamie. He leaned her against his shoulder and rocked her. She went right to sleep. Yeah, I found his shoulder totally a great place to be, too.
Mom came back with Chuckie. “Ames, you want to expand on your last statement? Your parents were friends with Ronald Yates?” Chuckie’s eyebrow went up.
“Not friends, but acquaintances. They knew him. I think my dad might have done some business with him, but not a lot.”
I looked at Mom. “What is Mister Gaultier’s business? Not the one he told Amy about, the real one. I ask,” I explained to Amy, “because, as I discovered, parents lie like wet rugs a lot of the time.”
“Geez, get over it,” Mom sighed. “He’s a legitimate businessman or I’d never have let you be so close to Amy. Imports and exports. No illegal drugs, no sex trafficking, nothing unlawful.”
“Why would Yates be
associated with him then?”
“Always a good idea to have some legitimate businesses to run your illegitimate dealings through. Show off Gaultier International as a friend, show how clean you are.”
The rest of Alpha and Airborne came back in the room. Richard White was still surrounded by C.I.A. agents, identified because they weren’t in Armani and weren’t drop-dead gorgeous. Chuckie had the agents leave the room but not the premises, which Jeff wasn’t happy with. I mentioned being tired of the posturing, and they didn’t get into it again. Brought the rest of the team up to speed. Then asked the big question. “Richard, who were you meeting and why did you go?”
He shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Richard, no choice.” Jeff had his Commander voice on full. “We’re in a Field situation. I want an answer to Kitty’s question.”
White’s eyes flashed to Chuckie, to me, to Jamie, where his eyes stayed for several seconds, and then back to the ground. It was rare to see the Pontifex act like this, ergo, I was pretty sure it was an act. So, what did he want me to figure out? Thought about it. “This is about the Gower girls, isn’t it?”
CHAPTER 19
“YES.” WHITE LOOKED UP AT ME rather expectantly.
“Geez, who did you give your promise not to talk about this to? The President?”
“No.”
I looked at Chuckie. He shook his head. “Wasn’t me. I’m all over hearing what the Pontifex has to say about why he was in Paris and what it has to do with Naomi and Abigail. Who, just to reassure you, are being picked up, along with Michael and their parents, and brought here as well.”
“You’re so good with the details.”
“Yeah, whatever. So, Pontifex White? Please answer Kitty’s question. I’m asking as the head of the ETD now, not as your son and nephew’s favorite punching bag.”
He still didn’t speak. I considered the possibilities of why.
Naomi and Abigail Gower were Paul Gower’s younger sisters. Unlike their two older brothers—Paul, who had the A-C talents of dream and memory reading, and Michael, who had no A-C talents but was a successful astronaut—the Gower girls had expanded, mutated A-C talents. They were the product of an A-C father and human mother. Serene, the product of an unknown human father and dead A-C mother, also had expanded and mutated talents.