by Gini Koch
“I can buy him looking for another mistress,” Amy agreed. “Just because you’re a loser doesn’t mean you don’t think you’re awesome on a stick.”
“And maybe he found one,” Reader said. “Because I can buy that a lot more easily. But why lie to you about it?”
“Because Kitty’s never forgiven him for using her as his cover for adultery,” Jeff answered. “I’ve caught up,” he added to me with a grin. “There is no way in the world Eugene was going to tell Kitty that he got this information from Pia because they were sleeping together.”
Reader nodded. “Makes sense. He’d just murdered someone in front of her; telling her that he was cheating on Lydia again would have only made her angrier, and he was trying to convince her that he was doing this for God and Country.”
“Okay, so Pia recruited Eugene using one of the oldest recruitment techniques in the book. Meaning, Chuckie, that it might be time to call Internal Affairs.”
“Not yet. I want a full workup done on her and her department, as far back as you can go,” he told Stryker. “Do it in a way it can’t be traced. And before you whine, I realize that will take longer. I also realize it won’t take as long as you want to pretend it will.”
“You know, I’m late on my deadline,” Stryker muttered as he started typing furiously.
“Look at it as getting new plot ideas, Eddy.”
“Just kick me after I turn in my next manuscript, okay, Kitty?”
“I make no promises. I’m going to have Raj read your manuscript before you send it in, just in case you’ve decided to add a female character and make her an unflattering version of me.”
“Focus,” Tim said. “Jeff’s right. We have only a few more minutes before we have to head to the Capitol, and I know you’re going to have to drill those two Amazons on how to behave, and I guarantee that’ll take more than a minute.”
“Oh, yes, sir. So, what do we focus on? We’re kind of spoilt for choice.”
“I want teams assigned,” Jeff said. “We have enough people who are all capable.” He looked at Reader. “If that’s okay with you, James.”
Reader grinned. “You’re allowed to make decisions, Representative Martini. And I agree. However, regardless of anything else, our biggest concern is protecting you. You’ve already been attacked with intent to kill. If Vance’s theory is correct, then you’re a target just by being in the House. If Kitty’s ‘assassin’s revenge’ theory is correct, you’re a target there, too.”
“Yeah,” Tim said slowly. “Because Kitty killed that guy’s wife, right? So maybe he wants to kill her husband to make her suffer.”
“Maybe he does, but let me remind all of you of a very important point—I didn’t kill Bernie. Malcolm did.”
“But he’s not dead,” Chuckie pointed out. “So I have to lean on the side that says Buchanan was hit by someone other than the assassins.”
“So who goes where?” I asked.
“Paul and I have to be with you,” Reader said. “Reynolds, too. So, Tim, that’s going to put you and Airborne on one of the other teams. Christopher, you’ll head the other one. Who wants to hunt assassins and who wants to determine if Buchanan stashed Colonel Hamlin somewhere?”
“Put Christopher and a team of A-Cs on the search for the assassins,” I said, before the others could reply. “We’re safer with people who can move at hyperspeed going after them, because while I don’t think the Dingo intends to harm anyone I like, if he feels threatened, I’m sure that concern will go out the window. And Raul has no such compunctions.”
“I can agree with that,” Christopher said. “So, who’s with me? Dad? Raj?”
They both nodded. “Take the Barones, too,” Chuckie said. “That gives you a fully trained Field team along.”
“Amy stays with us or works a different angle,” Jeff said. “Only A-Cs for this.” Christopher nodded.
“I’ll stay here and keep these guys working on the Pia angle and anything else you have them working on,” Amy said. “I want to dig deeper into what’s going on inside the company I’m trying to reclaim, and that way, you have me here as point.”
“Be sure to be looking for other potential patsies,” Reader said. “The information you found indicates that Eugene might not have been the only one contacted.” He handed the file to Chuckie, who started speed-reading it.
My phone beeped. “Officer Melville’s checked in. He says that he couldn’t find anyone named Dier on the rosters, and he checked not only D.C. but all the surrounding counties, he says that’s why it took him so long to reply. There are a couple of officers named Reid out there, and he’s running backgrounds on them now.”
“Does Airborne search for Hamlin or search for the Dier-Reid people?” Tim asked.
“Melville just offered to start a full search. Impersonating an officer is a big offense. So, I’ve told him to coordinate with you, Tim, if I’m not available. Amy, make sure that Hacker International here stays on the Leventhal Reid angles, too, in their research.”
“We’re in the room, Kitty,” Stryker said.
“I’m fully aware, Eddy. Okay, Tim, that leaves Airborne with the hunt for Colonel Hamlin.”
Tim nodded. “I’ll call your mother and Kevin and see if they have any idea where Buchanan lives, if he has safe houses, and, if so, where they are. Can we ask for help with any of this? Because if your mother and Kevin have no idea, or those are dead ends, all I can come up with is going door-to-door.”
Looked at Chuckie. “The Middle Eastern Contingent and/or Romania’s New KGB?”
Chuckie heaved a sigh. “They fall under the ‘not sure we can trust them’ category. Do we want to take the time to revise that now?”
“Ask my mom,” I told Tim. “If she thinks they’re okay, add them in.”
“I see we do.” Chuckie’s sarcasm knob was at eleven.
“Dude, you’re trustworthy and Mom is trustworthy. Let’s just assume that you both know what you’re talking about when it comes to who to trust and who to figure is a lying sack of excrement.”
“Time’s up,” Gower said. “We have about ten minutes to get everyone over to the Capitol and get Jeff sworn in.”
“Let’s roll, people,” Jeff said.
Reader and I looked at each other. “He sounds so street when he says that,” Reader said with a grin.
“Yeah. Let’s all go keep it gangsta and be sure we shoot the other guys before they shoot us.”
CHAPTER 65
THE OTHERS HEADED DOWNSTAIRS. I left the briefcase from Reader with Amy and the hackers, but told them not to go through it until I was back. For whatever reason, I wanted to be there when we went through everything. It was a gut thing, so I didn’t argue with myself.
Headed to our rooms to grab Jeff’s new trench and fedora and my coat. Took a moment while I gathered these to relax and try to center myself. This wasn’t one of my go-to skills. When it came to focusing on the Inner Me, I was best with doing so in order to rev up to kick butt.
Opened my purse to make sure my Glock and a few clips were in it and saw the stuffed eagle from Reyes’ office. Decided it had seen enough action and put it with the briefcase. As I did I noted that it was a stuffed hand puppet. “I’m going to keep this, if it’s okay with you, Santiago,” I said softly. “I can play with it with Jamie and that way we have something of you with us always.”
Eagle out, extra clips in, no Poofs at all. “Poofies? Any Poofies?” Nary a mew or a whiff of a bundle of cuteness. Hoped this wasn’t indicating bad news. “Peregrines able to report, please assemble.”
Harold appeared. And only Harold.
“Bruno’s not back?”
Got some cawing, ground scratching, and head shaking. Bruno was still on the case, being supported by a lot of Poofs. The rest of the Poofs, along with all the female Peregrines, were guarding Jamie and the kids. The male Peregrines were stationed strategically throughout the complex. Harold, however, was going to come along and fill in for Bruno, in c
ase someone again tried to kill Jeff or me.
“You’ll be in stealth mode?” I asked as I gave him a nice scritchy-scratch between his wings.
Affirmative. Harold disappeared from view. I only knew he was there because I was touching him.
“Super. Going to do my best to forget you’re there. I’m getting the impression that’s how all of you prefer it.”
Harold squawked his approval about me being totally on board with Peregrine Thought Patterns. Thusly armed and accompanied, I headed downstairs. Time was of the essence, so I used hyperspeed.
Checked the first floor, but found no one, which wasn’t too surprising. Was all kinds of proud of how well I was doing with the control, as I headed down to the basement.
Fortunately Jeff was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and he caught and stopped me from barreling right through him and into everyone else and the wall. Clearly I’d self-congratulated a little prematurely.
Jeff chuckled. “I’m not wearing the hat and coat right now, we’re going via gate.”
“I still want them along.”
“Whatever makes you happy, baby.”
Everyone leaving the Embassy was going via the gate, so pretty much everyone in the Embassy was down here. “Doreen and Irving are meeting you there,” Christopher said. “She just called me. Naomi and Abigail are staying with the kids at the Pontifex’s Residence.” He grimaced. “Naomi’s using the time to figure out which kids will be doing what at her wedding.”
“Good use of time. I guess. Is Kevin still there, too?”
He nodded. “And Michael’s there now, also. Caroline’s feeling better and she had to work. Gladys is there, too, as is your father.”
“Works for me.”
White was manning the gate controls, while Gower explained how gate transferences worked in layman’s terms and how they should be considered highly classified information in strictest terms. Vance was vibrating with excitement, Nathalie and Brewer looked concerned but game to try, and Rahmi and Rhee seemed relieved to see me. Pulled them aside.
“Okay, girls, you two are visiting dignitaries. You can identify as princesses, but that’s it. No sharing what planet you’re from, who your mother is, and so on. You are coming along to be seen but not heard.” They both nodded. “Good. You’re also coming along to put that force field of yours around Jeff. Someone’s already tried to kill my husband today and I don’t want anyone else to try or, worse, succeed.”
Rahmi nodded. “Our mother said you protected the men. We will follow your lead.”
“But where is the Great Tito?” Rhee asked without any form of guile, as Reader took the lead and stepped through the gate.
“Excuse me?”
“We expected that the Great Tito would be going to protect you and your . . . husband,” Rahmi said, trying out the word as if she’d never heard it before. Maybe she hadn’t.
“Was the Great Tito killed in battle?” Rhee asked politely, radiating sympathy.
“Ah, no. The Great Tito is a doctor. Our doctor. On staff. He still kicks butt when needed, though.” The princesses looked shocked and sort of horrified. “He’s a great doctor.”
“I’m sure he is.” Rahmi looked incredibly disappointed. Rhee looked as if she might burst into tears. Clearly meeting Tito had been top of their list of Awesome Things To Do On Earth.
“He’s, ah, guarding one of our warriors who was felled in battle. You two can meet him later, when we’re back. Would you, ah, like that?”
Both princesses brightened up immeasurably. “Oh, yes, please!” Rhee said. Rahmi nudged her, no doubt due to her excessive enthusiasm.
“If it would please the Great Tito to meet us,” Rahmi said, “we would be incredibly honored.”
“I’m sure it’ll make his day.” Tito would probably prefer that someone get him enough information to be able to cure Buchanan, but that didn’t seem diplomatic to share right now.
Vance and the Brewers were through. We sent Rahmi, then Gower, then Rhee, so the princesses could flank him, so to speak, with stern admonitions from me that Gower was also to be protected. Chuckie was next, then Len. Jeff and I were next, with Kyle bringing up the rear.
“Uncle Richard, alter for two, please,” Jeff said as he swung me up into his arms.
“It’s not exactly a professional look,” Christopher shared.
“Don’t care. I don’t want this job, my wife had to watch me be gunned down in the street in front of her, and we’re going through like this or we’re not going.”
“What Jeff said. Double. Good luck to everyone else and please be careful. Christopher, your dad’s a better agent than you are, which is not actually an insult, so I’d listen to him while your team’s out on Assassin Patrol. Mister White, call if you need me.”
With that I buried my face in Jeff’s neck and prepared to get sick to my stomach.
CHAPTER 66
SINCE DAY ONE with Centaurion Division, gates had been the bane of my existence. Getting A-C powers hadn’t changed that, either. The gates could move you thousands of miles in seconds. And it felt like it.
As Jeff stepped us through, time both sped up and slowed down, and the two met in my stomach. It was lucky that gate transfers were over fast, though they never felt fast to me, because too much time in this state meant what we’d be doing was watching me barf for real, probably on the nearest congressman.
But the horror stopped and I pulled my head out of Jeff’s neck. We were in a bathroom. Always the way.
“Seriously, we got let out in a bathroom? Here?”
“Easier to explain,” Jeff said as he put me down and we walked out of the stall. Len was still here, waiting, and Kyle came out right after us.
“We’re going to be explaining why I had a foursome with all of you in here, that’s what we’re going to be explaining.”
Luck was on our side, and the rest of our group had congregated near enough that they were blocking the bathroom door from view. I credited Reader with that move.
“That was interesting,” Brewer said. “We have about three minutes to get to the floor of the House.”
“Do we all go?” I asked as we all scurried off, Brewer in the lead. I wasn’t sure at this point.
“You do, for certain. I’d assume your Pontifex should be there, too. The others?” Brewer shrugged. “You can get away with a lot by claiming that it’s your alien ways.”
Rahmi caught up to me. “We can guard from a distance,” she said in my ear. “So if we are not to be nearby, we can still assist.”
“Awesome, thanks. Take the rear with Kyle right now, then, please, and thank you. Only attack if someone is pointing a gun or another projectile weapon at anyone in our group. And be sure it’s really a weapon.”
The Capitol was a beautiful building, but as with so many beautiful buildings I got to visit, my focus wasn’t on getting to enjoy the architecture or the artwork—my focus was on keeping me and my team alive.
“Chuckie, who goes down on the floor besides Jeff, me, and Paul?”
“I think, under the circumstances, Representative Brewer and his wife should.”
Looked at Chuckie’s expression. His poker face was on. Now wasn’t the time to ask if he wanted Brewer down there for a political reason or because I thought Brewer was a target and therefore would take a bullet intended for Jeff.
Brewer looked incredibly pleased. “Only if you and Jeff think it’s appropriate.”
“If Chuck says it’s alright, then it’s great with me,” Jeff said pleasantly.
Managed not to swallow my tongue with the shock of Jeff being totally reasonable and not arguing with what Chuckie suggested. Figured Jeff was either picking up Chuckie’s emotions or didn’t want to have a fight with anyone right now. Or both.
“Who else?” I managed to ask without sounding shocked out of my mind.
“Reader is the Pontifex’s husband, so he makes sense. I don’t, so I’m going to stay with the others. We’ll be spread out. Vance
will stay with us,” Chuckie added as Vance opened his mouth. “His husband isn’t a representative nor a religious leader.”
“What about Doreen and Irving?”
Doreen shook her head. “This isn’t a diplomatic thing. We’re here to witness and show support, but I think we should be with Chuck and the others.”
Irving nodded. “We’ll have a better view of the room, too. Just in case.”
“In case?”
Doreen and Irving exchanged a look. “You are aware that we know that someone tried to kill Jeff earlier today, aren’t you?” Doreen asked carefully.
“How did you know? I’m not asking because I wanted to hide the information, but how you found out might be key.”
Doreen shrugged. “We saw it on the news. Thankfully the kids were in the other room, because I think Jamie would have comprehended what we saw.”
“Huh. So, no one announced that Eugene murdered Santiago and then was shot to death inside a SWAT van, but an unsuccessful assassination attempt made the news. Interesting.”
“There’s a lot more going on, isn’t there?” Irving asked quietly.
“Yeah, there is. We just haven’t had time to fill you guys in.” Or time to determine if they were totally trustworthy.
Doreen gave me a long look. She stepped close to me. “I don’t blame you for wondering,” she said in a very low voice.
“Wondering?”
“If you can trust me. They were my parents, I was an only child, I could resent what happened to them. But I don’t. Just like Amy doesn’t. We talk about it a lot, when she and I can get away and be alone, or when one of us wonders why we got stuck with such terrible parents. But when you see your parent for the evil being they truly are, it becomes hard to continue to love them.”
“I know. I’m still sorry about it.” I wasn’t sorry we’d killed the Colemans. I was sorry that Doreen lost her parents.