by Jones, D. F.
Denise panicked, packed her things, and before peeling out of the driveway, she said, “I like you, Andy, and we have lots of fun together. But your friends are sketchy at best, and I’m not ready to dive into the skeletons of our closets. Call me when you work things out, and we’ll see whether to revisit this relationship.”
An hour later, Andy spotted Ruben’s Hummer coming up the driveway. Ruben and Julia exited the vehicle, then Klock burst through the open door in midair and ran off into the woods.
Andy yelled out, “I’ve been worried sick about y’all. I did as you requested and removed all the SIM cards from my devices and disconnected the wireless server. But Denise wouldn’t relinquish her phone. She asked me if I was involved in something illegal. So, she left. I guess I lost another one.” Andy jogged down the steps and helped Ruben with their suitcases, eyeing the weapons in the back of the Hummer. Hmm, that isn’t a good sign.
Andy nudged against Julia’s arm. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have left you.”
Julia started to reply when Ruben placed a hand on Andy’s right shoulder. “Charlie’s pulling in behind us. Take Julia inside while we secure the property.”
With an arched brow, Andy said, “Who is Charlie?” Charlie pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Andy’s stomach did a cartwheel. She was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen.
She waved and said, “Hi, Andy. I’m Charlie.”
Ruben frowned and glared at Andy. “Look, it may take a while to put safeguards in place. Maybe you and Julia could prepare some food?”
Andy nodded. “I have steaks marinating and baked potatoes in the oven unless, of course, if anyone has specific dietary restrictions.” He looked at Julia and said, “I’m placing you in the master bedroom on the main floor. It used to be Phillip’s room.” He turned back to Charlie. “I’ll put you in the room across from mine on the second floor.”
Tilting her head to the side, Charlie chuckled and replied, “Sure thing, hot stuff.”
Ruben grumbled, “We have a job to do, Charlie. Pay attention, please.”
Andy and Julia walked up the steps and into the main floor of the house. Sunshine streamed generously through all the windows and glass doors.
Julia’s mouth opened as she took in the interiors. “Andy, this place is great.” She traced her fingers along the soft caramel leather couch sitting on a ten-by-ten colorful Oriental rug. A small fire blazed in the large stone fireplace.
“It’s Phillip’s place. I never knew it existed until meeting with the lawyer after his death. He left a note, detailing the reasons he kept the place to himself. Phillip wrote that he built the place for you. He felt close to you here.”
Julia’s brows creased as she turned to Andy. “Me?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, weird, huh?”
Holding the suitcases, Andy gestured with his head toward the hallway. “Come on, let’s put your stuff in the master bedroom.”
He led them down the hallway to the last door on the left. The cozy room was decorated in browns and russet colors and had an awe-inspiring view of the mountains, a natural pine king-size bed with matching side tables, and a dresser.
Julia bypassed the bed and walked straight to an oil painting that looked to be about eighteen by thirty-six inches. Her breath caught. “It’s me at the Dyer’s farm.” The painting had Julia lying on Phillip’s old quilt looking up at the stars in the middle of the pasture. She traced her fingers over the painting and turned to Andy. With tears threatening to spill, Julia blinked them away and said, “It’s the night Phillip ask me to marry him.”
Andy placed the suitcase on top of the bed and unlocked the latches. “I wondered who you were the first time I saw the painting.”
Julia placed her hand on Andy’s forearm. “Please sit down, Andy. I have to tell you something. Ruben asked me not to, but I think you have a right to know regardless of the consequences.”
Andy sat on the bed, placing his hands on his knees. “Oh, man, you look fit to be tied.”
Julia sat down beside him and reached for his hands. She took a deep breath, looked straight into his eyes, and said, “I’m pregnant. I’m going to have Phillip’s son.”
Andy dipped his chin into his neck and leaned away from Julia. “You what? How do you know it’s a son?”
Ruben stuck his head in the bedroom and narrowed his eyes at Julia. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? Come on out into the den, and I’ll explain.”
Andy and Julia went into the main room with Ruben. “Charlie’s finishing up the Security Breach Beams, and Klock’s running the property perimeters for threats. I placed what we call a Cloak Shield around the house from ATTRA’s bag of tricks. It’ll be almost impossible for Monica to find the place.”
Andy paced about the floor. “Are you sure? Most of the locals know me, and they knew Phillip too. He built the Chalet during the sixties.”
Ruben sat on a stool and swiveled back and forth while his right arm rested on the bar counter. “Monica isn’t going to blow her cover by approaching the locals. We have eight months, seven days, six hours and oh, five minutes or so to keep the shield in place.”
Andy’s pulse thrummed so fast he began to feel lightheaded. “What are you keeping from me?”
Ruben proceeded to tell Andy about his mission regarding Phillip and Julia, detailing the information about the time machine, and Monica’s plot to overthrow the Empyreal Palace.
Charlie walked in with Klock as Ruben wrapped his explanation. Klock trotted over to the fireplace and made three circles before crashing on the rug.
Charlie leaned on the bar counter next to Ruben. “The rest of the story, about Julia having a son, came from me. I worked directly under Monica’s authority until last night. She assigned me to kill Ruben and capture Julia.”
Andy sat in a love seat opposite of Julia. His eyes darted to each of them while his right knee bounced up and down nervously. “May I address the elephant in the room?”
Everyone turned to Andy, and he extended his finger toward Julia. “What if I’m Julia’s grandson? What if Monica is looking for me? My father sold insurance, for crying out loud. He and my mother died in a small airplane crash returning from a convention in the Caymans when I was a baby.”
Ruben placed his hand on Charlie’s forearm. “Go and look in the back of the Hummer and bring in my medical bag.” He turned back to Andy. “I have a DNA kit in my vehicle. If you’re Julia’s grandson, then we’re treading in some very dangerous paradoxical territory.”
Julia went over to Andy, scrutinizing his face. “You know, I never thought you looked a thing like Amelia.”
Charlie brought in the bag and said, “Where’s the nearest bathroom with the largest counter?”
“In the master bedroom, down the hall on the left, first door on the left,” replied Andy.
“Well, there’s no time like the present. Julia, Andy, after you.”
Inside the master bathroom, Charlie began to lay out the instruments from the kit along with the needles to draw blood. “Who’s first?”
Julia said, “Me.” She pushed up the three-quarter-length sleeve of her sweater and laid her arm on the bathroom counter.
Wearing vinyl gloves, Charlie took a rubber strap and tied it at Julia’s bicep. “Give me a couple of fist pumps so I can find which of your veins is best.” Julia did as Charlie instructed, and minutes later, her blood was in a vial for testing.
Charlie turned to Andy and smiled. “It’s your turn, Andrew.”
Andy stepped over to the counter and rolled up his sleeve. Charlie repeated the procedure. While she took his blood, Andy inhaled Charlie’s sweet scent of citrus mixed with jasmine. He stared into Charlie’s crystal blue eyes, and then his gaze dropped to her full pink lips, and a surprising knot of heat tightened his groin.
Charlie finished by placing a cotton ball over the puncture and looked up into Andy’s eyes. “Press hard for a minute or two. I should have the results soon. Did
you mention steaks? I haven’t eaten in nearly twenty-four hours.”
Andy nodded and asked, “Rare, medium rare, or well-done?”
“Not rare. Anything is better than what’s served on the moon. Now, scoot.”
Julia and Andy looked at each other and mouthed, “The moon?” then stepped out of the bathroom and made their way back to the kitchen.
Julia giggled. “Andy, I believe you’re a little sweet on Charlie.”
“For space sakes.” Ruben stalked into the kitchen and began opening and closing cabinet doors. “Hey, Andy, where’s the plates?”
Julia looked at Andy and silently mouthed, “Ah, I think Ruben’s sweet on Charlie too.”
Steaks warmed on the stove’s griddle, baked potatoes roasted in the oven, and Julia made a tossed salad with Caesar dressing, chopped tomatoes, onion, peppers with bacon bits, and anchovies.
Andy looked over Julia’s shoulder and wrinkled his nose. “Anchovies?”
Julia moved around Andy and placed the huge salad bowl with the condiments on the counter. “I know, right? I guess I have my first food craving.”
Ruben pierced the steaks with a fork and placed them on a platter. “As soon as Charlie comes out, we’ll eat.”
Minutes later, Charlie stepped into the kitchen and said, “Well, I finished. Yum, the steaks smell fantastic. My mouth’s watering and my belly’s growling.”
Andy stepped over to Charlie and placed his hands on her shoulders. “So, Charlie, don’t keep us hanging here. What did you find out?”
“Congratulations, it’s a boy. Andy meet your grandmother, Julia Boatwright.” Charlie pulled away and stepped over to the counter and popped a cherry tomato in her mouth.
Julia went to her knees, but Ruben grabbed her before she hit the floor. He said, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine.”
“My head’s spinning. I think I’m going to be sick. Help me to the bathroom.” Ruben placed her arm around his shoulder, and his arm circled her waist as they made their way to the bathroom. He sat Julia in the little chair next to the Jacuzzi tub, but she jumped up, pulled up the toilet seat, and puked.
Andy couldn’t process the information fast enough. Julia was his freaking grandmother. He stepped into the bathroom just as Ruben ran cold water into a washcloth, squeezed out the excess, and placed it on the back of Julia’s neck.
A shaken Julia stared at him. “You look so much like Phillip.”
“You want something to drink? Anything?”
“How is it possible that you’re my grandson? How did Amelia come into the picture? I don’t understand.”
Ruben stood just inside the bathroom entrance. “I’m going to make a visit to the Lord Supreme. We need reinforcements. Freaking A, we have three generations to protect.”
Julia closed her eyes and sighed. “I must’ve died. That can be the only explanation.”
Charlie walked over and sat on the bathroom countertop. “Not the only explanation. You’re living in an alternate reality within a parallel universe. Ruben’s the smartest Tracker I know. He’ll find the answers for you and Andy.”
Julia swayed a bit when she stood, but Andy held onto her. “I can’t think about it right now. All I can think about is my baby.” She touched her stomach and glanced at Andy. “Your father,” she added and faltered again. “I-I need to eat some crackers to settle my stomach. There’s no way I can have morning sickness this soon. I think it’s my nerves. Sorry, but I don’t think I can eat steak.” She pushed away and walked slowly back to the kitchen.
They ate in silence. Everyone seemed too afraid to talk about the coming events with the arrival of Julia’s child. Halfway through dinner, Julia excused herself early and went to bed.
Cleaning up after dinner, Andy looked at Ruben and Charlie and said, “I think I’m the one who develops the time travel formula.”
Chapter 12
Ruben walked to the rail of the front porch and tilted his head to the sky. The Milky Way seemed so close to the mountains, and a ring of mist floated around the higher elevations. The captivating stars and constellations were what Ruben missed most about Lunar City. Leaning against the railing, he looked at Andy and Charlie. “I’ll leave for the Empyreal Palace in the morning. I have to find out what happens to Julia.”
Andy stepped over to the railing. “Whoa, brother. You need to give me a day or two to tie up loose ends with my house and the university. I made a phone call from the local store to a friend of mine that works for the Sheriff’s Department. Several neighbors heard the gunshots. He’s checked on the house and boarded the windows for me, but I have to stop by the station and fill out paperwork. I’ll put in for a leave with BFU. Then I’ll stay with Julia until she gives birth to my father. That’s still kinda freaking me out.”
Ruben looked at Charlie, then turned to Andy. “Take Charlie with you. Monica probably has your house staked out. Charlie is an excellent Tracker— and lethal. That’s why Monica asked Charlie to kill me.”
Charlie leaned forward and placed her hands on her thighs. “Andy, why do you think you’re the one that develops the theory?”
Andy sat in the rocking chair while Ruben joined Charlie on the loveseat.
Andy said, “Julia and I went through Phillip’s journals. One of the journals has a blueprint of a ship with several formulas that I started sequencing into my laptop. Most of the equations didn’t work out, but one of the methods has promise. I labeled it, Spinning Time.”
Andy rocked back and forth with a steady rhythm. “To my knowledge, my father never worked on any time travel projects, but Phillip spent his life trying to find a way to Julia. I have every theory he worked on stored on my laptop. I scanned most of the relative data including the sketches of the spaceship from Phillip’s journals.”
Ruben leaned in and said, “Do you have any copies at home or the university?”
“I brought the only copies with me, and they’re in Phillip’s study upstairs.”
Charlie exhaled and said, “Have you said anything to anyone about the project?”
Andy turned to Charlie and glared. “I’m not an idiot. I haven’t talked to anyone about Julia or the journals except the two of you.”
Ruben draped his left arm on the back of the loveseat. “The ship in Phillip’s journal is my Needle-Horn. The Plates of Prophecy state you find a way to travel without sequencing DNA, and it allows for transport of more than one person. The new ship’s capacity of time travel holds no bounds.”
Turning to Andy, Charlie said, “My ship, The Bus, is identical to Ruben’s so, you have two different ships available to work your theories.”
“The Bus?” Andy chuckled.
“Columbus, get it? The greatest navigator of all time.”
“Good one, Charlie.”
Placing his hand over his mouth, Ruben seemed buried in thought. “Go back to Burkett Falls tonight. First thing in the morning, secure the house, then put in for leave with BFU. I had already requested leave last week. I’ll put out feelers for our replacements. Leave no forwarding address, no mobiles, and no emails, nothing that can be tracked by the dark net. I’ll contact my liaison and send someone I trust to protect Sloane.”
Andy offered Charlie his hand and said, “Let’s go. You gotta drive because my date left me stranded.”
Charlie took Andy’s hand and stood. “Hey, give me ten minutes to change clothes. Then, we’ll roll.”
Ruben first clasped Andy’s shoulder, then Charlie’s. “Drive to Mount Rieve College and park Charlie’s car in one of the busiest parking lots. Then borrow one. You can report it later.”
Ruben stepped away and leaned against the porch rail crossing his arms over his chest. “I brought in several untraceable devices you can use to make calls or if you need to log onto the internet. Here’s my digits, nine–two-six, three-seven-one, six-two-one-zero. But call only if you’re in dire straits. No one has my contact information except the Lord Supreme and Prince Aelius. When you get back to the C
halet, I’ll travel to the Empyreal Palace.”
Thirty minutes later, Ruben watched Andy and Charlie drive away, then went back inside to check on Julia. She slept in the master bedroom curled in a fetal position with her arms around a pillow.
In the main room, Ruben slipped off his boots and pulled the quilt off the back of the couch. Klock jumped into his arms and nestled his chin on Ruben’s chest. “You’re a good dog.” Ruben closed his eyes as his thoughts ran the gamut of disaster. As he drifted off into a restless sleep, the idea that Julia would die on his watch was unbearable.
* * *
“Wake up, Julia.”
Julia stretched and yawned. Her voice drowsy with sleep, she asked, “What time is it?”
His deep laughter struck a familiar chord and Julia bolted upright in the bed. Rubbing the heel of her hands into her eyes, she blinked unbelievingly. “Are you a dream? Is this a dream? Or are you here with me, Phillip?”
Phillip reached for Julia’s hand and pulled her from the bed. He placed his arm around her waist and whispered into her ear, “If this is a dream then I pray that you never wake up.” He cradled her face in his hands, leaned in, and softly brushed his lips across her mouth. “You taste good. So perfect. So beautiful, you’re just as I remembered.”
Julia sighed and slipped her arms around Phillip’s neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Phillip twirled her in a circle before placing her feet back on the floor. “Come with me.”
Julia ran with Phillip up the winding staircase to the third-floor landing of the Chalet. He pushed the double glass doors open, and she followed him onto a wooden deck with sweeping views of the mountains. “I built this Chalet for you. Every room, every cabinet, every stick of furniture placed in the Chalet is for you, my darling.”
Julia leaned against Phillip’s shoulder and looked up into his beautiful eyes, and before she could utter a word, he kissed her. The energy between the lovers grew, building with a whoosh of release. She had longed for his sweet kiss since the day she left.