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Alien Proliferation

Page 46

by Gini Koch


  Oh, great. I had nothing for him. “Oh, thank you.”

  Jeff took Jamie from me. “Open it.”

  “Jeff, I don’t have anything for you.”

  He gave me a blank look. “Why should you?”

  “Uh, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, whatever reason you’re giving me this.”

  “Just had my child. I’d have given it to you a week ago, but for some reason, things were a little tense.”

  “Oh.” Felt stupid. “I should still have something for you.” Jeff was incredibly thoughtful, and I was incredibly not-so-thoughtful.

  He laughed. “Open it, baby. I like giving you presents a lot more than I like getting them. You are my present, remember? And you gave me the next best present in the world a week ago.” He kissed Jamie, who cooed at him and the lights.

  I opened. The light from the Christmas tree showed a beautiful scarf—in red. “Oh, wow, Jeff. Color! And it’s gorgeous, too.”

  “Unroll it.”

  As I did, I felt something smaller inside. Decided it would be smart to finish unrolling carefully. A diamond tennis bracelet landed in my palm. “Oh, Jeff. Oh, my God.” There was one charm hanging on it, a single diamond encircled in platinum, with December 25th etched on it.

  “We can add more, if . . . you still want more.” He sounded hesitant. I looked up at him. I could tell what he hoped I’d say, but also that if I didn’t, he’d still love me.

  I leaned up and kissed him. “Jeff, I want as many of your children as we’re given. Whether that’s one, two, or many.”

  “Really?”

  I laughed. “Yes. Really. And I want to practice all the time, too. Just so we never miss a chance and all that.”

  He grinned. “Like I’ve said since the moment I met you, I love how you think.”

  Jeff kissed me again, our usual wonderful kiss. Then he gave me Jamie, put the bracelet on my wrist, wrapped the red scarf around my neck, and put his arm around my shoulders. We stood there, watching the tree that represented, in its way, everything we worked and sacrificed for every day, while the snow fell softly on our little family and the rest of our lives stretched ahead of us.

  It was the best New Year’s Eve of my life.

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  Coming in April 2012.

  The fifth novel in the Alien series from Gini Koch

  ALIEN DIPLOMACY

  Read on for a sneak preview

  “WHO’S THAT?” LEN ASKED.

  “Someone from my Washington Wife class.”

  “Why’s he here?” Kyle asked.

  “No idea.”

  I pondered this weirdness for about half a block, when a familiar figure with black hair and beard stepped out of a doorway. He was dressed as I was used to, in casual, baggy, well worn but clean clothes, big camera around his neck. I still couldn’t tell if the clothes were hiding muscles or pudginess. He was under six feet and much smaller than Len and Kyle all the way around.

  He beamed at me, blue eyes twinkling. “Here you are, my favorite alien lover.”

  “Mister Joel Oliver, always a pleasure. Meet Len and Kyle, my friends who, like me, don’t believe in aliens.”

  Oliver snorted. His snort was a lot more like mine than Mrs. Darcy Lockwood’s. I wondered for a moment what her opinion was of Mister Joel Oliver, then figured it had to be poor. He was the main investigative reporter for the World Weekly News after all, and I didn’t have to ask to know what Lockwood thought of those kinds of newspapers.

  Len and Kyle nodded at him. “Nice to meet you, Mister Oliver,” Len said, in a tone indicating he was lying.

  Oliver smiled wider. “Mister Joel Oliver, please. As Missus Martini is well aware, a man in my position needs to ensure whatever shreds of respect he can garner. How are you, my dear?”

  “I’m good. Why are we having this conversation?”

  Kyle shoved past Oliver, gently, as Len took my arm and kept me and the stroller moving along.

  Oliver wasn’t fazed, of course. He trotted along with us. “I have more information,” he said quietly.

  “This is you barking. This is me being the wrong tree.”

  “I can’t risk going to your oldest friend right now,” Oliver said as he tried to get a couple of snaps of Jamie, which Kyle quite effectively blocked. Football players as paparazzi protection was rather brilliant. Not a surprise Chuckie had come up with it.

  “And why is that?”

  “I’m being followed.” He said it calmly.

  “Turn about being fair play and all that?” Hey, I had a sarcasm knob, too.

  Oliver sighed. “I’m not your enemy. But I believe the people following me are.”

  We turned a corner and kept on walking. We weren’t rushing; in fact, we were going quite slowly. I was used to having big guys around, but Len and Kyle were clearly adjusting to their new protection detail, and having Oliver along was causing some issues on the sidewalk. I considered if we should just run for it. It was a safe bet that Len and Kyle would have no problem beating Oliver over a short distance, and circumstances constantly ensured that my sprinting skills remained topnotch.

  Jamie started to cry, loudly. We all stopped while I did a fast diaper check. Oliver poked his head around as I was doing this. “Oh, what a beautiful baby!” He sounded sincere, and the camera wasn’t snapping.

  Jamie looked right at him, gurgled and smiled. He bent closer; she reached up and tugged on his beard. Oliver laughed and tickled her tummy, earning giggles. I cleared my throat and Oliver backed off. Jamie looked back at me. I decided to take the hint.

  “Fine. Why don’t you come along with us and share the latest?”

  Len and Kyle gave me looks that said I was crazy. I was used to looks like that. Since meeting the boys from A-C, I got those looks on a very regular basis. “Jamie likes him.” Which, because she had both empathic and imageering blocks implanted, courtesy of Jeff and Christopher, likely meant that ACE was giving me a hint.

  Since ACE tended to leave us alone so it didn’t interfere with our free will, I’d learned to pay close attention to whatever hints Jamie seemed to be giving me. I was all over getting an assist from the superconsciousness whenever possible. I liked being alive and keeping my nearest and dearest alive, too.

  Len shook his head. “You’re the boss.”

  We started off again, Len on one side of the stroller, Kyle on the other, Mister Joel Oliver walking next to me while I pushed. If we went at a leisurely pace, this wasn’t too bad. The limo appeared to be several blocks away, but even though it was cold, it was a pretty day, so I decided to enjoy our impromptu constitutional. “So, MJO, how did you find out about the assassination attempt?”

  “MJO?”

  “I like to save the breath when I can.”

  He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me. I glared at him. He sighed. “I have a network of informants. All of them agree that something big is going down, and the President’s Ball came up as the likely location more often than not.”

  “That’s it? Something big?” We had our entire network panicked over this? I began to wonder if Chuckie needed a vacation or something.

  He sighed again. “Missus Martini, there’s more to it than that. I have informants all over the world. When, worldwide, the same things start popping, you have to pay attention.”

  This I knew to be true. “So, why are we assuming assassination?”

  “Every major political player will be there, foreign dignitaries, high-ranking military…”

  “Got it. It’s essentially like shooting fish in a barrel, right?”

  “So it seems. Thank you for listening to me,” Oliver said quietly. “I appreciate you and Mister Reynolds occasionally treating me as more than an idiot annoyance.”

  I broke down and shot him a smile. However, I neither confirmed nor denied. No reason to let Oliver feel like he was a trusted member of our team, though he certainly seemed to want to be. “You said you had more news.”


  “I do. I haven’t shared it yet because I still feel I’m being followed.”

  I faked a trip, stopped and checked my shoelace, taking the opportunity to do a quick scan around me. I saw no one and nothing suspicious, however, if they were good, I wouldn’t be likely to spot them anyway. “So, now whoever’s following you knows you’re with me,” I said as we started up again. “How is this a good plan? If you have a plan, I mean.”

  “You have a beautiful little princess there, and I mean that quite literally. I’m negotiating for another World Weekly News exclusive. After all, we got all the pictures from your wedding. It makes sense that we’d want to gain the exclusive baby pictures. And, of course, I’m approaching you while your husband isn’t around because he’d object and you might not.”

  It was a good story, actually. I figured it was even one Chuckie would approve of, though Oliver was right—there was no way Jeff would okay pics of Jamie being published anywhere, let alone in the tabloid with the worst reputation around. “So, you spend time on that or are you just winging it?”

  “Unlike you, I tend to think things out beforehand. However, a good investigative journalist has to be instantly adaptable.”

  I decided to let the comment about my ability to plan pass. After all, in some ways, he was right. “Who’s following you?”

  “I’m not sure.” We finally reached the limo. Against all odds, Len had found a street without any cars on it. “Please check the car before we get into it,” Oliver said to Len.

  “Why?” Len asked.

  “You shouldn’t have left it out of your control.”

  I coughed. “They’re special cars.”

  “Yes, but even the most advanced car can be tampered with if it’s left unattended.”

  Len looked like he felt he was flunking his first assignment. “Len, it’s fine.”

  Kyle looked worried. “Not if there’s something wrong. Mister Reynolds will be furious.”

  “Dudes, seriously, we leave the limos unattended all the time. But, if you have some special way of checking for car bombs, let’s be paranoid. Chuckie will be happy if we find a bomb, in that sense, and pleased with your precautionary instincts if we don’t. Win-win all the way around.”

  The SUV we’d been in for a big battle during Operation Fugly had been tampered with—by an A-C. I’d learned early on that we couldn’t really trust anyone and were probably not safe when we thought we were. While Len and Kyle made a couple of phone calls, I did what Reader wanted. I thought. The first thought that came to mind was that ACE had clearly allowed Jamie to share that she liked Oliver. Meaning, there was a reason ACE felt Oliver should be with us, right now.

  I looked up and down the street. “Why are we the only car on this street?”

  “A good question,” Oliver said. He sounded like he thought it was not only good, but that it had occurred to him, too, and he didn’t like his conclusion. I was with him.

  “We weren’t when I parked it,” Len said. “Two cars pulled out while I was cruising around, so I took advantage of the opportunity.” He and Kyle exchanged a look. “I think we might want to move away from the limo.”

  I did a fast inventory. I had Jamie, my purse, the stroller, and her diaper bag. I didn’t think we had anything of importance in the trunk, and the boys hadn’t brought any paraphernalia with them that wasn’t on their persons. “What about Jamie’s car seat?”

  “If I were planting a bomb that wasn’t set to go off when the car started,” Oliver said quickly, as Kyle moved to open the door, “I’d absolutely figure the new mother would want her baby’s car seat.”

  Kyle’s hand froze. “That makes sense to me. You think Kitty’s the target? Or the baby?” He growled this last question. I liked overprotectiveness toward my child from our new bodyguard.

  “As I already told your superior, I don’t know who the target is. However, Missus Martini is on the guest list for the President’s Ball, ergo, she’s a potential target.” I realized we weren’t even pretending that Chuckie was just a globetrotting millionaire playboy, nor we were pretending that Len and Kyle were merely along for the ride. Under the circumstances, I decided to table my worry about our lack of good security procedures and just accept that Oliver clearly knew all about us. No one believed him other than us, so really, it was back to the bigger issues for me, like getting away from a potentially rigged limousine.

  We quickly moved our little group across the street and back down the block. “I’m not that new a mother anymore,” I mentioned to Oliver as I took Jamie out of the stroller and held her tightly.

  “Three months is still new,” he said with a smile. “How long for the bomb squad?”

  “Not too much longer,” Kyle said shortly. He and Len were busy looking all around. We weren’t exactly being subtle, but no one really seemed to be around to notice.

  I dug my phone out of my purse. Jeff answered immediately. “What’s going on? Reynolds has been making urgent calls for the past few minutes and his stress is off the charts.”

  “There’s been a lot of that today. Your blocks okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m concerned about my wife and child.”

  “We’re fine, as far as we know. We’re with our personal paparazzo. Len found a too-convenient parking place and we’re all waiting for some folks to come and let us know if our limo’s been rigged or not.”

  “Reynolds says his people will be there in another minute. How far from the limo are you all?”

  “We can still see it.”

  “Get farther away.”

  “Jeff, really—”

  I was going to tell him he was overreacting. Only the limo exploded before I could finish my sentence.

  Gini Koch lives in the American Southwest, works her butt off (sadly, not literally) by day, and writes by night with the rest of the beautiful people. She lives with her husband and daughter, 3 dogs (aka The Canine Death Squad), and 3 cats (aka The Killer Kitties). When she’s not writing, Gini spends her time going to rock concerts with her daughter, teaching her pets to “bring it,” and driving her husband insane asking, “Have I told you about this story idea yet?” You can reach her via her website (www.ginikoch.com), email (gini@ginikoch.com), Twitter (@GiniKoch), or FaceBook (facebook.com/Gini.Koch).

  DAW Books Presents GINI KOCH’s

  Alien Novels:

  TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN

  ALIEN TANGO

  ALIEN IN THE FAMILY

  ALIEN PROLIFERATION

  ALIEN DIPLOMACY

  (coming in April 2012)

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

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sp; CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  CHAPTER 52

  CHAPTER 53

  CHAPTER 54

  CHAPTER 55

  CHAPTER 56

  CHAPTER 57

  CHAPTER 58

  CHAPTER 59

  CHAPTER 60

  CHAPTER 61

  CHAPTER 62

  CHAPTER 63

  CHAPTER 64

  CHAPTER 65

  CHAPTER 66

  CHAPTER 67

  CHAPTER 68

  CHAPTER 69

  CHAPTER 70

  CHAPTER 71

  CHAPTER 72

  CHAPTER 73

  CHAPTER 74

  CHAPTER 75

  CHAPTER 76

  CHAPTER 77

  CHAPTER 78

  CHAPTER 79

  CHAPTER 80

  CHAPTER 81

  CHAPTER 82

  CHAPTER 83

  CHAPTER 84

  CHAPTER 85

  CHAPTER 86

  CHAPTER 87

  CHAPTER 88

  Teaser chapter

  DAW Books Presents GINI KOCH’s

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

 

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