by Jamie Davis
Shereen shook her head and reached out, putting a hand on Clara’s shoulder. “Clara, you’re my friend and I know you might feel like you owe Kurt something after your marriage failed, but don’t let that cloud your good sense. Don’t cover for him. He’s not worth it.”
“Shareen, I’m not covering for anyone. I needed something picked up for a delivery and I hired the best man I knew for the job. It just so happens that was also my ex-husband. I know coming through an unregistered gateway without reporting it to authorities is technically wrong. That’s not anywhere near what you’re accusing Kurt of. Let him go. If you could give me the box, we’ll be on our way. I’m sure when you look at all the evidence from this break-in you’re talking about you’ll find out we had nothing to do with it. Question the others on this side of the gateway. You’ll find that Kurt and I have been in the warlord’s custody as prisoners for the last four days.”
The Major shot Shareen a glance. “She’s not wrong Captain Henderson. We’ve already talked to some of the local soldiers we captured. They’ve all pretty much said they were here chasing after some escaped prisoners trying to get back to our world.”
Major Hicks shifted his focus to Clara, Kurt, and Marci. “I suppose that was you three?”
Kurt shrugged. “I tried to tell you we had nothing to do with the break-in. I don’t know who broke in at that armory. I do know that modern weapons were used here recently near the gate in a pitched battle before you arrived.”
Sergeant Jackson cleared his throat.
“You have something you want to say, Sergeant?” The major asked.
“It’s just that we both know Kurt here has that little problem with guns. It’s why he mustered out when he did. I think the last thing he would’ve done was run guns to anyone, let alone some petty local warlord. You know he’s better than that, sir.”
The Major met Kurt’s eyes and held his gaze there for a long time as if trying to see into Kurt’s soul. He nodded and turned to the GEU captain.
“My advice is to let them go Captain Henderson. The sergeant’s right. I have no doubt Kurt here would steal a lot of things and break any number of laws in the process of operating his little delivery service. He would not, however, steal guns, and he’d definitely not give them to indigenous forces on another world so they might be used against us. As far as I’m concerned, he’s innocent of the armory heist. I’ll be passing my assessment along to my superiors when I return to Earth Prime.”
The Major headed back to the command post, leaving the GEU Captain with the problem in her hands.
Shareen,” Clara said. “You heard with the Major said. We had nothing to do with this. It’s just a coincidence that we happened to be here when something happened on the other side of the gate in our world. We couldn’t be two places at once.”
“Clara,” Shareen said. “Does he have some sort of blackmail he’s holding over you? If he does, I can help you.“
Clara laughed out loud. “Believe me, Shareen, if anyone in our old relationship has something to blackmail someone about, it’s me. Come on. Give me the box I sent Kurt to pick up for me and let him go.“
Shareen stared at Clara for several seconds before she walked over and handed over Jonesey’s box. She spared one last steely stare for Kurt then turned around and marched back towards the command post.
“I guess, that means we are free to go,” Clara said. “Wouldn’t you say, Sergeant Jackson?”
“I guess it does, Clara. It’s good to see both of you together again, by the way.”
Clara laughed. “Believe me, Leon, we are not back together. This was a one time deal. I needed his services, that’s all.”
“If you say so, Clara,” Sergeant Jackson said. He gestured to where Shareen stood talking with a pair of GEU agents nearby. “Why don’t you three get up and wander back through the gateway before the agent changes her mind.”
Now that is an excellent idea,” Kurt said. He shook hands with his former comrade and turned to his two companions. “Ladies?”
Together the three of them walked through the portal back to Earth Prime. He gave one last glance at the strange constellations in the starry sky above and stepped through the gateway. Kurt was happy to see the last of that world. This had been one of his least favorite excursions through a portal and he wanted to put it behind him.
As they walked through the gate and arrived at the other side, a female National Guard sergeant took their names and checked their personal ID chips against the information she had on her datapad. When each of them came up clear, she let them head back down the trail towards the parking lot at the base of the hillside.
Kurt saw that the military had already cleared trees and brush away, creating a larger space around the gateway for their operations. Military engineers were setting up temporary shelters for the security detail that would be assigned to watch this gate. Additional, more permanent structures would be built soon to begin processing this Gateway and the world on the other side so that it could be cataloged and put into the international database.
From now on everyone who passed to and from this gate would have to check in with the GEU agents or government forces before and after their trip through the gateway.
“I don’t suppose my SUV is still parked down there at the bottom of the hill?” Kurt asked.
Marci nodded. “It’s still there, or at least it was when I came back through the gate yesterday.”
“Then we should probably get down there and head out. Like Sergeant Jackson said back on the other side, there’s no telling what else they might discover or decide to do. Agent Henderson has it in for me. Even with your help, Clara, I’m not sure you could convince her to let me go if she really thought she had the evidence to keep me.”
“Shareen is my friend, but she’s also a professional. She’s very committed to her duty as a Federal agent. You should stay out of her way.“
“Believe me, I plan on it.”
Clara nodded and started towards the path back down the hill.
As she passed him, Kurt held out his hand. She glanced at it, then smiled and handed over Jonesey’s box.
Kurt returned her smile and tucked the box under his arm. Hopefully, no one would take it away from him this time and he would be able to deliver it to Jonesey. This was one package he’d be glad to be rid of.
His hands traced the runes on the lid as he walked back down the hill. For the first time in a long time on one of these delivery runs, Kurt really was tempted to crack open a package and see what was worth all the trouble he put into getting it back. Then he remembered what Jonesey might do to him if she found out.
He shook his head. It wasn’t worth it. Besides, Kurt had to keep his principles. At the end of the day, that was all anyone had to call their own. He had a reputation to uphold. His motto was “deliver or die” for a reason.
Chapter 23
Kurt pulled up to the terminal at the Atlanta airport and put the SUV in park. He turned to look back over his shoulder at Marci in the backseat. “You know, you can still drive back to Baltimore with Clara and me.”
“That’s all right. The plane will get me there faster, and I already told Dad to pick me up at the airport. He’ll be disappointed if I don’t get off the plane. Besides, I think he wants to hear a little bit about our recent exploits.”
“Don’t tell him too much,” Kurt warned. “If he ever finds out how much danger you wind up running into on these runs, not only will he skin me alive, he will also likely ground you for the rest of your life.”
“He can try,” Marci said and laughed as she got out of the SUV.
“Take care Marci,” Clara said. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I could say the same to you, Clara. You know how to get ahold of me.”
“That I do. Have a safe flight.”
Kurt waited until Marci grabbed her single bag from the back of the SUV, then pulled back out into the circling traffic passing through the airport terminal and
started back to the interstate leading north towards Baltimore.
Clara sat in silence next to Kurt for a long time. When she finally spoke, it wasn’t to say what Kurt had hoped she might say.
“Kurt, when you asked me to come with you on the drive back to Baltimore to keep you company on the drive, it was obvious you were making an excuse to spend more time with me. You’re comfortable sleeping while the car does the driving. You and I both know you can sleep anywhere.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Kurt, you’ve always worn your emotions on your sleeve, especially when it pertains to me.” Clara placed a hand on his arm. “You know, there’s no hope of us getting back together.”
“None at all? I kind of got the feeling that we worked pretty well together even after everything that’s happened between us.”
“This was a one-time deal like I told Shereen back on the other side of the gate. I wasn’t just making up a story to help convince her to let us go. I meant it. I don’t think it’s fair to either of us to stay around each other too much. It’s obvious there are still strong feelings between us, both good and bad. Let’s just try to remain friends and leave it at that, what do you think?”
“I think it sucks.”
Kurt had already set the autopilot as he pulled onto the interstate heading north. The SUV’s internal navigation and driving system took over. Kurt took his eyes off the road and turned in his seat to meet Clara’s eyes.
“If we’re going to remain friends, then at least do me the honor of having dinner with me when we get back to town. It will be just about that time when we arrive and I know we will both be hungry by then.”
“I suppose that’s all right. But, just so you understand, this is not a date.”
“No, of course not. I think you’ve made it perfectly clear where you stand on dates.”
In the back of his mind, of course, Kurt hoped it would be sort of a date. He still believed Clara harbored stronger feelings for him than she let on. He decided to continue reaching out to her. He could wear down her defenses and then she’d take him back. He was sure of it.
The drive back to Baltimore went without a hitch other than the traffic around the nation’s capital. The packed cars still moved along at a decent speed. The automated driving systems allowed vehicles to travel safely much faster than a human driver could drive, even in heavy traffic. As the Baltimore exit leading to Kurt’s apartment came up, Kurt retook control of the vehicle and resumed driving. He pulled the SUV off the highway and started back towards his place.
“You know, Clara, why don’t you stay here just one more night. I’ll sleep on the couch. There’s no sense in you coming back, having dinner, and then having to head all the way back to your place that late.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Clara said while she scrolled through her datapad.
Kurt thought she sounded annoyed about something but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He decided to let it go since they were almost back to the apartment.
Kurt pulled the SUV into his private parking area in the underground basement garage. He got out and helped Clara unload a few things she’d gathered. Then he grabbed Jonesey’s box and went over to lock it in the secure storage room he had built in the basement.
Using both a palm scan and a retinal scan to unlock the door, Kurt placed Jonesey’s box on one of the shelves. He’d check in with the elf in the morning to find out when she’d be back in her workshop. He’d leave it locked in the storeroom in the meantime. Clara joined him as they went back up the stairs to his apartment.
It felt good to be home. It was even better with Clara here again.
“All your stuff is still up in the bedroom. I’m sure you’ll want to go shower and change.”
“That would be nice.” Clara headed off to the stairs up to the master bedroom where her clothing and the master suite bathroom was located.
“Hey, I thought maybe instead of going out for dinner I’d run down to the corner market and pick up a few things and we could make dinner here. What do you think?”
Clara waved her hand over her shoulder. “That’s fine, I suppose.”
Kurt thought a nice dinner at home would be a wiser option than going out somewhere. Besides which, he knew they were both tired of traveling and it would be nice to settle down for the night and not have to go anywhere.”
Kurt stopped in at the liquor store on his way back from the corner market to pick up a bottle of wine. He knew she’d probably enjoy a nice glass of Pinot Grigio with her dinner. He selected an excellent Australian white wine that fit the bill, paid for it, and headed back to the apartment.
When he got back inside, he called upstairs to Clara.
“Hey, I’m going to go ahead and start dinner. I got us some steaks and I can roast some vegetables in the convection oven.”
Clara didn’t answer, and Kurt figured she was still in the shower.
Kurt got out a frying pan and a baking sheet and started preparing dinner for the two of them. Fifteen minutes later he had dinner nearly finished and the table set for two. He opened the bottle of wine and poured a glass for both of them.
When she didn’t come down after a few minutes, Kurt called upstairs once again.
“Hey, Clara, come on down. Dinner is ready.”
When she didn’t answer this time, he ran up the stairs and knocked on the bedroom door. He certainly didn’t want to screw up anything by walking in on her while she was getting dressed.
When no one answered, Kurt tried the knob. It was unlocked and he opened it.
It only took him a few seconds to realize Clara wasn’t there. He looked around. Her suitcase was gone and there was a note on his nightstand.
Nothing remained of her but a folded slip of paper from the notepad on his dresser.
Kurt,
I know you had some grand gesture planned for this evening. While I hate to disappoint you more than just about anything, I think it’s a bad idea for me to stay here tonight. I’m sure you have the best of intentions, but it’s just not going to work out anymore for the two of us.
Maybe we will run into each other sometime down the road and things will be different. For now, though, let’s leave things the way they are.
Clara
Kurt’s shoulders slumped. Emotion-laden memories raced through his mind. He sat down on the bed and reread the note.
He didn’t care about dinner anymore.
Epilogue
Two days later, Jonesey returned Kurt’s message telling him she was back in town. She told him to come by her shop to drop off the box first thing in the morning. He replied to the message and put his datapad away.
Kurt knew it was probably a good idea for him to get out of the apartment. He’d been moping around in there ever since Clara left.
It was time to get back out into the world. Besides, in addition to delivering Jonesey’s box, there was a lot of other work to be done and he still had that other job to do for Trent.
The next day, Kurt got up and headed outside for the first time since Clara left. He got to Jonesey’s workshop right after nine in the morning. She buzzed him in before he announced he was there. She must’ve seen him arrive. Kurt passed through the security gate and walked down the hallway, heading into the workshop.
He found Jonesey sitting at the workbench hunched over her latest project just like she always was. She turned, and her eyes brightened immediately when she saw the box.
“Excellent! Kurt, you are the man.”
Kurt handed Jonesey the box and stepped back.
“I heard you had some excitement after you picked this up. Did everything work as planned?” She asked.
“Yeah, it was mostly the usual nonsense. I delivered a package, got the crap beat out of me, and at the end of it all, lost Clara all over again. I got your box delivered though.”
Jonesey shook her head. “Seriously, dude, you have the absolute worst luck with women. To be honest, I think you’re bad luck for th
em, too. They seem to get in nearly as much trouble as you do whenever you’re around.”
“It doesn’t seem to carry over to affect you.”
Jonesey laughed. “That’s because you’re not my type at all. You won’t catch a man in my bed.”
Kurt chuckled in response. He knew the tech mage preferred women.
“So, are we good?” Kurt asked, pointing at the box in Jonesey’s hands.
“Yup, we are definitely good.” Jonesey traced the runes on the lid with one finger. As she did, the runes started to glow and changed colors from blue to orange.
Kurt realized she was showing him how to open the box. Maybe he’d finally find out what rare magic item or secret technology have been worth all the trouble to break that box out of the impound warehouse.
Jonesey flipped up the lid and her eyes widened.
“Kurt, you have no idea how much it means to me that you got this here.”
The elf reached into the box, pulled out a small round cookie, and took a bite. Her eyes closed as she hummed herself while chewing.
“These are so delicious. My mother sent them for my birthday and I’ve been craving her secret recipe cookies ever since she told me they were on the way. Do you want one?”
She held out the box towards Kurt. All he could do was stare at the box of cookies and laugh. Another delivery made and another happy customer.
Ready for more from Kurt and Marci?
Check out Book 2 - Deliver the Goods.
Also by Jamie Davis
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