“What did you tell him?”
“I said I wanted to think about that before I could agree. He wanted to talk about it some more but I said I had to go and we’d talk later. I wanted to stall for time until after I could discuss this with you. I don’t have anyone else I trust for advice on stuff like this.”
Missy was touched but said, “What about your mom? Don’t you trust her advice?”
Karen shook her head and said, “No. She loves me too much and my getting serious with any guy might be too complicated for her to give me any objective recommendations. You know how my father never married her and she won’t discuss him with me, right?”
“I’m guessing she got really hurt and that’s what’s bothering you so much. Look. It’s like this. You can’t be open to love and be giving your heart to someone without risks. I’ve seen how Marty has affected you. Your relationship with him is the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you fall asleep. And, he’s doing and saying all the right things. Right now? That’s how he’s feeling about you. And, he’s graduating in two months. So, he’s getting serious. He’s thinking maybe you’re the one. His person. Maybe he’ll change or something will happen and you’ll get hurt. Or, you’ll change and he’ll get hurt. But maybe he’s really your soulmate and you two will get married someday.”
“Sooooo … what’s your advice, then?”
Missy chuckled and said, “Go all in and don’t worry. Meet his parents. Enjoy the ride and all the romance. Just remind him that graduating from West Point is also important to you and if he loves you, he’ll respect that. You guys will find a way to work things out. Or, not. But if you’ve given it everything, you’ll at least always have that. You don’t ever want to regret that you didn’t give it your all. That would hurt worse.”
“Thanks, Missy. You’re right. As bad as I’ll feel if things don’t work out, I definitely don’t want to regret not doing everything I could on my end. We actually are going slow. Only, all of a sudden? It’s all happening so fast!”
-----
Sunday, Mar 8, 2020
When Colonel Dzierzeski was told he needed to come in to his office since the Secretary of Defense was on the phone and wanted to speak to him, he was very surprised. He questioned his sergeant whether the call could truly be from the Defense Secretary … it was Sunday, after all … but he was assured there was no chance it could be anyone else calling in on their secure line like that.
He headed over as quickly as he could and once there the sergeant transferred the call into his private line. He answered saying, “Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. This is Colonel Dzierzeski speaking, sir!”
“Yes, colonel, thank you for taking my call. I know you must be busy there at West Point while the Superintendent is recovering from his bypass procedure. I’m told he’s doing very well and might be able to return in a few weeks.”
The colonel hastened to say, “Yes, Mr. Secretary!”
“I won’t take up much of your time, colonel. I’ll get right to the reason for this call. It has to do with Cadet Missy McCrea. I understand you’re aware she has assisted us on occasion with some classified missions, correct?”
“Yes, sir! I understand the Superintendent approved her participation in those and agreed to cover for her absences. It was highly irregular, of course, and …”
“That’s why I’m calling, colonel. We need you to cover for her tomorrow night. I understand she’ll be up in Massachusetts playing basketball that day. She won’t be returning with her team but will instead go back to the academy sometime the next day. I’m hoping you can cover for her absence like the Superintendent there needed to do for those other instances. This is for a highly classified requirement.”
The colonel was flabbergasted but quickly replied, “Yes, sir! I will arrange an appropriate excuse for Ms. McCrea until she returns.” After pausing, he went on to ask, “Can I be cleared to know a bit more about this requirement? If this affects her status here …”
The Defense Secretary interrupted, saying, “I’m sorry but all I can say is I don’t think her status will be a concern. This is a matter of National Security. I’m sure she can make up any classwork or exams she might be missing, no problem. However, I’d prefer there be no documentation about her being absent. She won’t be signing back in. You can cover for that, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Well, thank you, colonel. I appreciate your assistance in this matter. Give my best to the Superintendent. Bye now.” The call was disconnected.
Colonel Dzierzeski stared at his phone for several moments. Then he hung up and called for his sergeant to locate Captain Bonomo. A few minutes later, the sergeant indicated he had the captain on the line for him.
“Captain, what’s going on with Cadet Missy McCrea? I just received a call from the Secretary of Defense about her. She won’t be returning Monday night and I need to cover for her until she shows up again on Tuesday, whenever that might be.”
“Sir, I don’t know anything about that. I assume this is another classified mission? Do you want me to make whatever arrangements are appropriate, as I’ve done in the past?”
“Yes, captain, I want you to do that. I would also like to know, since apparently I’m not someone in the need to know concerning these missions, what’s so special about this cadet? I was told this is a matter of National Security. This is unbelievable! Why does the U.S. government need to involve this young girl in something so secret and so mysterious that they can’t tell me what it’s all about?”
Captain Bonomo could sense the colonel’s frustration but had little he could say. “Sir, when the Supe agreed Ms. McCrea could return to the academy …”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve read her file, captain. And, I’ve read what those magazines said about her supposedly being in combat last summer. The Army gave her some medals and sent her home. Most of what happened over in Afghanistan is classified so who really knows what happened over there?”
“Actually, sir, Sergeant Town knows. He’s back on temporary assignment assisting Major Khan with that special languages class here but is still assigned to Team Twenty-Two, the Special Forces team she served with. He was with her. While he won’t discuss any of the classified stuff, he talks freely about her earning those medals. If that Campaign Angel’s Wing hadn’t been so successful that further combat over there was unlikely, at least for a while, she’d have gone right back after her convalescent leave was over. They didn’t just send her home. They believed she could do more for the Army by returning to the academy and wanted her here instead.”
“Well, that’s very interesting.” The colonel decided he would indeed have a chat with Sergeant Town. He’d noticed mention of some convalescent leave in her file but she had played on their soccer team and he’d assumed her Purple Heart award had been for something superficial. “Are you suggesting there’s any residual activity from whatever it was she was doing over there? Is that what these current missions involving National Security are all about?”
“Sir, as I said, I don’t know about this latest mission. I do know that on her earlier missions, the Defense Secretary was in the loop and yeah, National Security was involved. That’s all I’m free to say. I trust you understand, sir.”
“Okay, captain, you and the Supe were cleared about all this but I haven’t been. I don’t like not being in the loop but I guess if the Secretary of Defense wants her for something, that’s that. Make those arrangements. And, let me know when she’s back.”
Chapter Four
Monday, Mar 9, 2020
Captain Bonomo had called around to those who needed to know, explaining Missy would be away on official business. Then, in order to reinforce that, he’d made the trip to Massachusetts in his own car to watch the women’s basketball team play against Holy Cross. It had been a good decision since Mike had of course also come to the game. They knew each other well from back when Missy and Tracy had gone to Bogota the pre
vious semester. They’d both been along for that adventure and had seen one another several times since.
They sat together during the game and the captain explained why he was there. “I have no idea what this latest requirement might be but, as Missy’s TAC Officer, I figured it would be best for everyone to see her leaving with me after this game. Just to make her absence official, you know?”
Mike laughed and said, “Thanks! Yeah, it helps. I was thinking of skipping this game until she told me you’d be here. Otherwise, some people might be thinking she was merely sneaking away to be with me.”
“Exactly. Lieutenant Colonel Schermerhorn told me how she helped stop that WIJO attack over in London. I guess the Defense Secretary is pretty happy to have someone like her he can have teleport half way around the world in just two hours. I’m not surprised she needs to keep disappearing like that now.”
Mike laughed and said, “Actually, this time she’s staying right here in Massachusetts. She will be helping those two werewolves on Robert’s team who were brought back here.” He went on to explain about the situation with Gene and Amanda, whom the captain hadn’t met or heard about before.
“Wow, that’s interesting, Mike. I knew Robert’s task force had really been beefed up with a large staff but hadn’t heard about these two werewolf translators.” He wasn’t surprised Lieutenant Colonel Schermerhorn hadn’t mentioned them to him since he probably didn’t really have any need to know before now.
They watched as the Black Knights played an exciting game. The score kept going back and forth and it became obvious it would be going right down to the final seconds before one team might win.
Mike said, “Missy tells me her team is pretty good this year. West Point has actually won this Patriot League Championship once before and then went on to compete in the NCAA Tournament. She doesn’t think they’ll make it that far this year but, who knows?”
“Well, if they win tonight and win again Thursday, they’ll be playing in the Finals on Sunday. But if that happens and she stays with the team, she’ll miss Robert’s wedding.” Captain Bonomo was well aware of how everyone was excited to see Robert and Connie get married again. He had been invited and was planning to attend.
Mike nodded and said, “Yeah, she has very mixed feelings right now. She knows Robert scheduled the wedding when he thought she, Tracy and Candy would all be available. But she will do all she can to help her team win if they do make it to the Finals, even though she’ll miss the wedding. Her team will have to go on without her after that, however. If they should win, she won’t be available for any of the NCAA games coming afterwards. General Blake wants her back in Afghanistan Sunday night and is asking for that to be a higher priority.”
“Wow! Really?” The captain shook his head in amazement. “Your girl won’t be getting any vacation? How does she do it, Mike? For that matter, how do you do it?”
Mike chuckled and said, “I learned long ago that Missy will always go all the way if she believes she’s needed somewhere for something important. But she always asks me first if I’m okay with each assignment before she makes any big commitment. Me? I can’t tell her not to go, no matter how worried I get or how much I’d rather she’d just spend more time with me. She’s a supernatural, captain. Possibly the most powerful person on the planet. And, she’s chosen me to be her person.”
The captain was very impressed by Mike’s love and devotion. But since the game clock now showed less than a minute to go and the score was tied, any further conversation was postponed. They both watched as the two teams battled it out and the seconds slowly ticked away.
It came down to a final attempt by the Black Knights. They were trailing by one point but had the ball. Somehow, Missy managed to maneuver around two players and get a pass down to Sharen. The only way to then stop Sharen from scoring was to commit a foul, which of course one of the Holy Cross players did.
Sharen went to the foul line and sank her first shot and the game was tied. With no time remaining, they’d be going into overtime if Sharen missed her second shot. Everyone was on their feet and the tension in the air was palpable. Sharen bounced the ball on the floor two times and then took her shot. Swish! Army won.
It was pandemonium for several minutes after that as those in the crowd either celebrated the victory for West Point or bemoaned the defeat for Holy Cross. Finally, the players managed to make their way back to the locker rooms and things settled down. Mike gave directions to a local coffee shop where the captain was to bring Missy and then he left. He wasn’t going along for this.
Twenty minutes later, Missy emerged from the locker room dressed casually in blue jeans, an Army green t-shirt, an old pair of running shoes and a black jacket displaying the Black Knights team logo. She’d told her team she was leaving with Captain Bonomo for a special assignment and, spotting him waiting for her near the exit, she made her way through the still crowded gymnasium and joined him. “Thanks for helping, sir! Did Mike explain what this latest assignment is all about?”
Captain Bonomo chuckled as he held the door for her and they walked outside. “Yeah, he told me about Gene and Amanda and their situation.” He walked her over to his car and opened the passenger door for her. Then he drove them to where the Tremblays were waiting, along with Linda Rayburn. Introductions were made and, for some reason, the captain found himself more impressed with Linda than the two werewolves. She was about his age, very attractive and wasn’t wearing any wedding ring. He wanted to linger but knew this just wasn’t the time to do that. He then wished Missy well, said goodbye to everyone and drove away, heading back to the academy.
Linda said, “I’ve heard a lot about you, Missy. Thanks for agreeing to come along tonight.” Gene and Amanda both chimed in with their thanks as well. They all went inside the coffee shop where they could discuss things.
“I don’t know exactly what to expect,” explained Missy. “I’m not familiar with werewolf politics at all. But, if Gene and Amanda don’t want to join this pack, I don’t see why that would be necessary in this day and age. What can you tell me about the pack’s Alpha?”
“Well, unfortunately, when it comes to werewolves, most haven’t really moved forward to this day and age,” said Linda. “They’re still doing many things the old way. By that I mean pack laws have precedence and many of those laws are very archaic. This Brody Billiscombe, for example, is very wealthy and doesn’t need to work, thanks to his position as the Alpha and those laws. Whatever properties and riches the pack accumulates over the years automatically flow down to whoever becomes their Alpha. The pack’s legal team draws up all the appropriate paperwork for that each time a new Alpha is chosen. Plus, each pack member is required to tithe ten percent of their income to the Alpha.”
“Well, okay, I suppose that’s all right,” said Missy. “There are many religious organizations which require something similar where their members all give to their church like that.”
“Well, there’s more. There’s the whole mating requirement thing. This Alpha controls everything. He insists on being the first one to impregnate any female in his pack. The fact that Amanda hasn’t gotten pregnant yet is the only reason she and Gene might even be allowed to join the pack rather than being forced to leave the territory.”
“What?” exclaimed Missy. “That’s crazy!”
Amanda said, “Not really, Missy. Most werewolf packs have very strict rules about whom any female can mate with. When I was sent to Canada to live with Gene’s family, it was with the understanding I would mate with his older brother, the future Alpha. When Gene and I mated instead, we were forced to leave.”
Gene nodded and said, “If my mother hadn’t interceded in my behalf, I would have been executed and Amanda would still have been forced to mate with my brother. We left Canada and went to Illinois. There was a werewolf pack there but we presented ourselves to them and got permission to be there while we went to college. It was understood we’d be leaving once we graduated, of course, and th
at’s what we did. We’ve been overseas ever since until we were asked to join Robert’s task force.”
“Yes, I remember that story,” said Missy. “And, you’ve been together, mated, for more than fourteen years now. So, this Brody Billiscombe should be willing to accept that, right?”
Linda said, “Brody won’t care. His pack, his rules. He ignores supernatural mating bonds. He’ll still insist he be first and that Amanda agrees to sleep with him until she gets pregnant. Then, she can live with Gene and raise her baby with him. Only after that will he maybe allow her and Gene to have any future babies of their own.”
“Doesn’t he have a mate?” asked Missy. “I can’t understand how any female would allow her mate to sleep around like that, regardless of his being Alpha.”
“No, he’s never been mated or married but he has fathered several children. He does pay child support for each of them but, of course, he’s wealthy and can afford that. He has been the pack leader for more than twenty years now and the percentage of his children who are werewolves rather than merely human is very high. I think it’s maybe eighty percent when he impregnates a female werewolf. He’s quite proud of that.”
“What about the males in his pack who choose human females for mates?”
“Brody has the same requirement. Those females must sleep with him until they become pregnant. The percentage of children from those pairings who become werewolves is much lower, of course, but there have been a few.”
Missy Goes to Hong Kong (Missy the Werecat Book 8) Page 3