“Oooookay!” said Les. “Well, we knew we were asking a lot. Would it help if we started late Sunday night? You can actually sleep during each of these flight segments, right? General Blake thinks it’s important to enable you to teleport your way back and forth. Just to be ready. You know … just in case he needs you over there. This just seemed like a good opportunity for doing that. It’s in between your sister’s wedding and Christmas …”
Missy was suspicious and asked, “Why not wait until after Christmas? I’ll have eleven days before I need to be back at the academy.” She looked at the others and could see they obviously had further plans for her.
“General Blake would like you to come back after Christmas,” admitted Drew. “He thinks having you spy on some of the WIJO leaders over there might really make a difference.”
-----
Mike was not happy about the latest demands. Missy had explained they were merely requests, not demands, but … in Mike’s view … the “P” Branch team knew she wouldn’t say no. Hence, they were demands. “Look, I don’t mind you going back out tonight. Helping stop these terrorists is important and your unique ability to teleport back to each of these guys, locating them and making sure the BAT task force will really have all of them under surveillance? That’s a good idea. Then? They shouldn’t need you after that.” He stared at her, again all wrapped up in that fluffy bathrobe she’d been climbing into each time she’d materialized that day. She looked sexy as hell, regardless. Very distracting!
He sighed. “I suppose I can even see this crazy plan … what did you say they were calling it? Operation Lily Pad? Where you hop-hop-hop half way around the world, again using your unique teleporting ability?”
“Yep,” she giggled. “Marsha thought it would be cute and misleading, since anyone outside the agency would assume it was some sort of frog reference, rather than actually being about a cat.”
Mike rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Okay, okay. I get it. The Army wants to be prepared. But General Blake doesn’t really need you going back over there again. During your Christmas break? He’s taking advantage. He wants you over there, just because you can be his invisible spy. His supernatural soldier. He’d love having you stay there and spy for him all the time, the hell with you going to West Point. The hell with what you want. Or, what you need. He’s rationalizing.”
Missy said, “Did I tell you Oliver and Candace are doing another Mid-East embassy tour? They’ll be over there visiting Israel and a few other places.” She’d just learned about this from Marsha. She hoped changing the subject might help since there was no arguing with what Mike was complaining about. It was all true.
He said, “See? I’m not surprised. The general is taking advantage of them as well. Proves my point.” He stared at her, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders in an exaggerated manner. He was well aware she knew he was right but she still wanted to do whatever they were asking of her anyway.
But, he also knew she would only do so if he agreed. It was up to him. She always insisted what he wanted came first and he believed her. He could say no and she’d stay home with him. Only, if he did ask her to say no to this, she would be hurt. She really wanted to always help, always rescue, always give one hundred percent. It was who she was and why he loved her so much. With a huge sigh, he asked, “Can I be over there with you? When you go back after Christmas?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dec 21, 2019
Tracy was beyond excited and as they drove away from the academy in John’s car, she exclaimed, “Free at last, free at last!”
John laughed and said, “I thought you loved being there. Why so much enthusiasm about escaping?” He glanced quickly over at her, noting how she was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, and then he looked back at the road ahead. “Excited much?”
She really was and getting to be with him for the next two weeks was the main reason. Of course, she didn’t want to come right out and admit that since he already had a big enough head, so she quickly began babbling about how West Point was always so confining, her time there so constrained, any chance to relax and enjoy life nonexistent, etc., etc. It was all pure bullshit but she knew he got a big kick out of hearing her go on and on, complaining. Since he was able to exaggerate about life with an even greater amount of blarney than she could, she understood how much he appreciated hearing her do it.
John listened to her for several minutes and finally said, “Soooo, in other words, you’re saying you love being there. What I said in the first place.” They both laughed.
She said, “Well, it’s also true I’ve been looking forward to your sister’s wedding. I think family events are great. I’m an only child so having your family make me feel included the way they do is extra special.”
John was her soulmate and they were totally committed to one another, which had already helped increase her witch powers exponentially. But his whole family had embraced her as one of their own and the way her heart was moved by that, experiencing this second family she now had, was overwhelming. “I wish other families would welcome outsiders the way yours does.”
He quickly picked up on that sentence and asked, “What other families? What outsiders?” They hadn’t talked much recently but their email communications back and forth usually allowed him to keep up to speed about everything affecting her. “Are you worried about the reception Sally might get when Troy finally brings her home to meet his Mommy Dearest?” He’d met Angelina.
Tracy laughed and said, “No, I wasn’t but I suppose it’s possible the welcome she gets there might not be all that wonderful. She and Troy can handle her though. No, I actually was thinking about Emily and her family. Donald wants to visit her at home and she’s facing a real dilemma.”
“Donald Quigby, that plebe you’ve been mentoring? I think you did mention something was going on between him and Missy’s plebe Emily. Only, I thought he was so super shy around girls …?” John had really enjoyed Tracy’s stories of poor Donald being braced by all the Quigby girls which she had sicced on him. All for his own good, of course. Especially the instances when it was Kelsey … her boobs would render any man speechless … yeah, a guy couldn’t help babbling when forced to stare at the way her breasts would bob up and down, just from her breathing …
Tracy interrupted his musing to say, “Oh, he is! He is! Except he isn’t shy around Emily. And, she really likes him. They’ve really clicked and are very open to one another, both intellectually and emotionally. There’s all kinds of chemistry between them. She’s looking to maybe take things to the next level. I mean, I don’t think they’ve even kissed one another yet.”
He laughed. “Since you said this was about families welcoming outsiders, I’m guessing it’s because Donald isn’t a witch. But, she isn’t one either, right? I know her twin brother Scott is a witch but Missy told me Emily wasn’t a supernatural at all. Unless her marksmanship counts. I understand she’s really amazing at all those shooting competitions.”
“Scott wants her to end up marrying a witch. That’s the dilemma.”
“Oh! Wow!”
Tracy said, “Yeah. Exactly. Scott plans on being very active in the New York coven and does not trust outsiders knowing about witches or knowing any of their secrets. Maybe that’s selfish but you can’t really accuse him of being paranoid. History has shown governments and officials in authority have always persecuted witches. He’s unwilling to risk exposure and doesn’t trust the whole military-industrial complex.”
“Doesn’t he trust his sister?”
“Oh, he trusts she won’t betray them but her going off to West Point? He’s not happy about that. He was hoping she’d quickly get discouraged and come running back home. Then, if she were to settle down and marry a witch, all would be good.”
John nodded and said, “But if she chooses not to come running home? Then, she’s not welcome to return. And, she’s not welcome to bring any outsiders back with her, especially if they’re
from the military. I get it. But, that’s really terrible!”
“As I said, a dilemma. And, Emily is doing really, really well at the academy. Your sister has helped with that a lot, of course, but Emily has been thriving there. She’s getting good grades, is passing all the physical fitness tests and is really making a name for herself at all those marksmanship competitions.”
“Aaaand … has maybe found a boyfriend!” John laughed.
“He can only become her boyfriend if she can share her secret with him. Of course, that means he needs to be someone she can trust, even if they later breakup. Otherwise, it won’t work. She’s already learned that from other relationships, both those which others have told her about and from her own actual experience as well.”
John remembered how conflicted Tracy had been when she’d shared her secrets with him. He knew she was relating to Emily’s dilemma but feeling helpless all at the same time. “I don’t suppose saying to just ‘wait and see’ is much help, huh?”
“Not when your potential boyfriend is so super nice and super shy. He’ll just continue being all proper, holding back until she can show him she’s ready for more. And, she can’t do that if she’s gotta keep this big family secret. Likewise, her family won’t welcome him since he’ll always remain an outsider.” Tracy giggled and added, “What I said in the first place.”
“Yeah, you did.” He laughed. “Of course, if you’re interested in even more outsider drama, guess who Mark tells me his lovely wife is bringing with them to the wedding tomorrow.”
“Who?” She knew Mark was John’s closest friend so wasn’t surprised he would know this. The guys talked to each other all the time. “Has Alice taken on someone new as a project?” Alice was always reaching out to help young girls get whatever assistance they needed.
“Alessandra D’Amato.” He glanced over to see her reaction to his news. “Mark tells me Sandy isn’t allowed to talk about her ordeal with anyone else … not even to her own mother. So, Alice can’t recommend anyone to whom she can go. Besides, you know how much she hero-worships Missy. When Sandy asked about visiting this weekend, Alice figured bringing her to this wedding would be a good idea. Mark actually thinks so too.”
“Well, there you go. Once someone finds out about us supnats, it’s much better to include them in our normal everyday doings than to have them remain as outsiders, forced to keep our secrets. Hmmmm!” Tracy pondered, not for the first time, whether those Fates who often seemed to have a hand in how things played out, were being fickle or were actually being fabulous.
They continued to chat pleasantly about one thing or another and, due to not hitting any bad traffic, managed the trip back to John’s apartment in well under four hours. Like Mike, he had moved into his own place just off campus for privacy and security reasons. It would be wedding central at his home and he definitely didn’t want to bring Tracy there. That had been okay for a few days over Thanksgiving but now they wanted lots of alone time. Alone time with each other.
Salem was only ninety minutes from his place in Easton. They’d be going back and forth for the wedding and all the family activities over the holidays. But for today? It was time to freely frolic. John actually picked Tracy up and carried her across the threshold. It was her first time being at his apartment and he enjoyed making a big deal out of that.
Tracy giggled at his behavior and, once he put her back down inside, she looked around. “Ooh, are all these flowers ‘cuz I’m staying here?” She beamed at him appreciatively. There were yellow and white roses in several vases scattered around; he’d gotten three dozen of each and the affect was special.
“Of course! I know all you Texas gals like seeing things get done in a big way, so this is part of your welcome.” He dropped her two suitcases and closed the door. They’d left Missy’s suitcase in his car.
Tracy was suddenly feeling very antsy, after being so excited and then having to ride for hours and hours in the car. She knew what she wanted from him for the other part of her welcome. But, first she had to pee. “Where’s the bathroom?”
He pointed and said, “That would be door number two on the right!”
She could see there were only two doors and knew the other one was for his bedroom. She quickly announced, “Well, when I come out, I’m going to be checking that door number one on the left. And, I’m hoping I’ll be finding you on the other side, ready to do me in a big way. ‘Cuz, I’m horny as hell and I can’t take it anymore!”
John loved it when she misquoted stuff from old movies. And, since he was more than happy to oblige her wanton wishes, he ended up doing her several times during the next few hours.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dec 21, 2019
Arvind Pancholi had spent the last few days following Robert Ulrey around. From a considerable distance, of course. He hadn’t risked getting anywhere near Oliver Bessom who no doubt could have sensed him after having visited Arvind’s workplace back at the embassy in Turkey. He knew finder witches could sense the energy they were focusing on within a hundred miles. But, they needed to be focusing on that energy in order to do that, which was why he hadn’t been too concerned. While Bessom might sense his presence well beyond the one hundred foot radius typical for all witches noticing other supernaturals, it wasn’t likely Bessom would notice him provided he stayed at least a mile away.
Since the informant who had advised him about Bessom leaving Washington D.C. had included the fact Besson was staying at a hotel near the airport, when Pancholi had landed and picked up his rental car, he had immediately driven north, checking into a Marriott Hotel in Peabody. That was over fifteen miles away from the airport (and Bessom), was located close to major highways and was only about a mile and a half from Missy McCrea’s home in Salem. He’d confirmed there were no witches or other supernaturals anywhere nearby and had then established this as his base of operations. He’d settled into his luxurious suite and connected his laptop to the internet.
He had developed many sources during his years in the CIA and most were not actually aware of his real identity. He’d been careful and that was working for him now. Most believed he was working within a U.S. government agency. Thus, after two days of piecing together various bits and pieces from these sources, he’d learned about the BAT Team and how Ulrey and his psychics were supporting them. He’d even learned Ulrey was working out of Hanscom Air Force Base.
Things got easier once Bessom flew back to Washington D.C. He’d then been able to approach close enough to start taking some photos. Hanscom had two entrances but he figured the people he was interested in would probably be using the north gate. After spending the day grabbing photos of everyone who drove onto the base, he’d sent them all to one of his sources. Thanks to local law enforcement having access to the FBI’s facial recognition software, his source got back to him a day later with identifications for most of the people in his photos. Routine searches had been performed in a manner which avoided raising any flags, with the results uploaded and relayed back to his source and then on to him.
Of particular interest to Pancholi were identifications for Robert Ulrey, his ex-wife Constance, Millicent Pratt from Texas, another witch named Desiree Yerger who lived in Salem, a Major Schermerhorn from the Army, and another FBI agent named Edward Collinsworth. Of course his source hadn’t identified Pratt and Yerger as witches -- he had done that himself when they’d arrived, together, driving slowly past where he was taking photos. He’d later been greatly elated to learn the identities of these two since he didn’t have any other way of learning what Millicent Pratt looked like or where she might be staying. Further checking revealed an address for Desiree Yerger in Salem.
Although he wasn’t able to find out many details concerning the BAT Team’s investigation, as that was all highly classified, he did manage to learn the size of this task force was quite large, with participation by Homeland Security, the FBI, several local police agencies, representatives from the U.S. military, and even the DEA. An
d, he was able to learn they were there in Boston because one or more of the captured WIJO terrorists had talked. So, as he’d suspected, Robert Ulrey and his Psychic Division were not looking for any kidnap victims. No, they were searching for more WIJO members just as they’d done in Philly, Chicago and New York.
He was confident that by following Robert Ulrey around, he’d eventually be in the right place at the right time. He was also guessing Missy McCrea might be getting involved, now that West Point had released their cadets for Christmas break. Yes, he’d be able to provide a lot more info to Karimi to earn the rest of the money which was owed to him. That, and maybe more money besides. Karimi’s leaders were going to regret not heeding his earlier warnings about there being demons!
-----
Missy roused herself from a deep sleep and found Mike’s big body was still engulfing hers … he hadn’t moved since crawling into bed next to her about six hours earlier. He’d wrapped his arms and legs around her, pulling her close and then had immediately fallen into an exhausted stupor. Poor guy! She had snuggled right into his tight embrace, inhaled his wonderful scent and then … with his limbs entwined like that all around her … she had relaxed completely and promptly drifted off into dreamland herself.
That had been after keeping him up all night and well into early morning, relaying all her reports as she had visited each of the terrorist cell members and waited until a BAT surveillance team was in place and able to cover all possible exits. While several members were already being watched, with their home locations established earlier, there were many others who lived in places not previously known about or who hadn’t gone to their homes. Missy enabled the BAT task force to find and account for every one of them and, in turn, manpower and resources were assigned accordingly.
Missy's Operation Lily Pad (Missy the Werecat Book 6) Page 23