Текст книги "Alien in the Family"

Автор книги: Gini Koch

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 32 страниц)

CHAPTER 37

KYRELLIS TRIED TO RUN, but I hadn’t been joking—my mother had been working with me on rapid firing techniques. I hit her torso and kept firing. By the third bullet, she shimmered and turned back into herself. By the eighth bullet I gave up on the torso and hit a knee. She went down.

“Christopher, need you and the guys, and my purse!”

Christopher pulled some of the football players off Gregory, and they covered Kyrellis. Len ran my purse to me. “That was weird and amazing.”

“Thanks. Need your help.” I dug through for the case where I kept Martini’s adrenaline. Got it out, filled the huge needle. Ripped his shirt open. “He’s going to start thrashing, and he’s really strong. You need to help me hold him.”

“Okay. Will you tell me what’s going on later?”

“Possibly.”

Martini’s eyes fluttered open. “Baby? Were you sure that wasn’t me?”

“Hush, Jeff. Of course I was sure. Why do you think I waited until you were on the ground?”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I meant I had to wait to see if the Martini standing was going to speak to me or not. I didn’t want to distract the real you.”

“I feel like crap.” He was gasping. I knew this scenario well.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” I, as always, hoped. I bent down and did my ritual. Kissed his forehead and said, “I love you, Jeff,” against his skin. Then I reared back and slammed the needle right into his hearts.

He bellowed and started thrashing. “Shit!” Len flung himself onto Martini’s body. “You weren’t kidding!”

I heard the sound of running feet and felt the roof shake. Looked over to see the linebackers coming our way. “Oh, great.” I was trying to hold Martini’s upper body and get the harpoon put away without getting hurt or killed.

Kyle’s eyes were wide and he looked as though he’d been scared sober. “I think that thing wants us to help you.” His voice was squeaky. I looked around him and saw Harlie, still huge and mad, herding the rest of the team to us.

“Help hold him, but don’t hurt him.”

Kyle and a couple others dropped and held. I got the harpoon put away, then put Martini’s head onto my thighs. “It’s okay, Jeff. Come on back, baby.” I stroked his head and tried not to worry about how badly Kyrellis might have hurt him.

It took a few minutes, but his thrashing slowed, then stopped. “Get these guys off of me,” he growled.

I nodded. “Thanks, guys.” They stood up. “Jeff, how badly are you hurt?”

“Oh, a couple of broken ribs, my head’s killing me, I think my shoulder’s dislocated. You missed a lot of brutality. She only imitated my fighting style when you were around to see it and be confused.”

“Wish you’d said something. I could have shot her.”

“Love you, know you’re becoming as good a shot as your mother. Didn’t want to get shot by you, and, shockingly, didn’t want you saving me. It’s bad enough that the Amazon beat the crap out of me.” He closed his eyes. “You know, I’m officially tired of having to be rescued.”

I kissed his forehead. “Retire, and then I won’t have to.”

He managed a laugh. “Right.” He opened his eyes. “Any of you jocks know how to put a shoulder back in?”

Len and Kyle both nodded. “Really?” I found that hard to believe.

Kyle shrugged. “I’m premed.”

“Oh, come on.”

“I am. And, I’m sorry I was a jerk.” He mumbled that one.

“What did he try?” Martini was growling.

“I almost fell off the building. Len and the rest of his team saved me.” I figured it wasn’t worth getting upset over. There were so many other issues at hand.

Len and Kyle sat Martini up, then Kyle did some push and shove move with Martini’s arm and Martini bellowed again. I winced. “Thanks,” he said through gritted teeth. They helped him up, then Len helped me up. Martini’s eyes narrowed. Oh, good, back to jealousy. Oh, well, at least he was alive and reasonably unscathed.

I heard a shriek from Kyrellis. “What have you done?”

I looked around. Nothing was crumbling; nothing was going up in smoke. “Christopher?”

“They’re pretty sure they found all the bombs. An unreal amount—she had to have been planting them for twenty-four hours straight.” Christopher’s voice was clipped; he was in full Commander Mode. “Tito’s hunch was right—she’d rigged the mall. The rest of your hunches were right, too. She hadn’t rigged the other casinos outside of the Mandalay complex, but she’d set the bridges to blow, I guess under the impression it would cut the ‘palace’ off.”

“You are one whacked-out chick.”

“You will pay for this,” she snarled.

“No. I think you and Moira will. We’ve had her in custody for quite a while. You know, while you were hanging out, eating chicken wings and ogling the Hooters girls? I’ve been mentally torturing her. It was great.”

Kyrellis lunged at me, but the football players held her in check. “Get these beasts off me!”

“Nah. I’m almost tempted to let them have fun with you. But that would be wrong, and the men I work with would be appalled, so I won’t.”

“She in the WNBA?” Len asked me.

“No. She’s an Amazonian superbitch from another solar system.” Why lie? I was pretty sure Martini was going to have to give the team a different memory.

“You’re kidding, like Wonder Woman?” This from Kyle.

I took a look at his expression. Wow, you never knew when or where a kindred spirit would appear. “Yeah, only Wonder Woman wanted to protect the Earth, and she wants to destroy it.”

“That thing from her planet?” he asked, as he pointed to Harlie, excitement radiating from every pore.

“Nope, from theirs,” I pointed to Martini and Christopher, both of whom were giving me the looks that said I had a big mouth and was insane.

“Babe, really, I was drunk off my ass. Total apologies, okay? In fact, someone should probably kick my ass.” Kyle was sincere. It was touching in a weird way.

“I’ll be glad to,” Len said. He had a sarcasm knob just like Martini, and it was on, as near as I could tell, full.

“Do I want to know?” Martini snarled.

“No. Guys, really, we need to get our alien lesbian psycho and the wimp traitor over to the proper authorities.”

“Need their help with it,” Christopher snapped. “They’re both too strong for us alone.”

“You got it.” Len barked some orders, Kyle did the same. The line took Kyrellis; Len’s boys took Gregory. Len and Kyle both helped Martini. I took Christopher, who wasn’t as steady as he was trying to pretend he was.

Got my purse and shoes, checked on the Poofs. They were all asleep, cuddled around Harlie, who was back to small. “Why didn’t you have the Poofs attack?” Christopher asked me.

“Uh . . .” Damn. Hadn’t occurred to me. For all I knew, I might not have had to catch Harlie, either. Possibly the Poofs could fly along with all their other skills.

Martini laughed. “Ow, that hurts. It’s okay, baby. You found a football team. I’m sure they were as helpful. Slower, but still, helpful.”

“Trojan football always here to help,” Kyle said. “So, what planet are you guys from?”

“Far, far away.” Martini sighed. “Later, okay? I hurt.” He glared at me. “Stop enjoying helping Christopher.”

“Jeff, for God’s sake.”

I had Christopher’s arm around my shoulders. He hugged me. “Jeff, the jealousy promise. What was it again?”

“He had that chat with you, too?”

“Yeah. He fails all the time, but he’s trying.” Christopher grinned. “I think it’s flattering. He actually seems to think you’re biding your time before you dump him for me.” He looked over his shoulder. “I think I’ll land her tonight, Jeff.”

“Hilarious. Have I mentioned my head hurts?”

“Oh, Jeff, stop.” My phone rang, and I dug it out, moving Poofs as gently as I could. “Dad?”

“Kitty, I reached your mother. They’re out, over at the MGM Grand. What’s the status?”

“Pretty sure we found all the bombs, have the bad guys of the moment in our custody, I’m okay, Jeff’s hurt but not badly, as least so he says, Christopher’s about the same.”

“How are James and Paul?”

“Paul I don’t know, but I think he’s okay. James . . . James is going to be okay.” I filled my dad in on what had happened as we inched down the stairs to the elevators.

My father’s voice was shaking. “I’m heading to the Science Center. You all have too much going on. I’ll stay with him.”

“Oh, Dad, thank you so much.” My dad was the best, truly.

“It’s no problem, kitten. I know how much James means to you. Should I call his parents?”

“No. They . . . don’t understand, or know what he does. It would be harder for him if they were there.”

“Got it. I’ll be with him. I’ll bring the pets, that way I don’t have to wait for someone to come take care of them.”

“Okay, Dad. Richard’s either there or at Home Base. Call him and he’ll get a room for you. All the active agents are here, so you’ll be on your own.”

“Not a problem. Call me when you can.”

We hung up, and the elevators arrived. I got a funny feeling. “Jeff, are you okay with the stairs?”

“Why?”

I looked at Kyrellis. “She’s shot, but she’s still got fight in her. Gregory’s a sneaky little bastard. The team’s willing but untrained, and we can’t all fit in the elevators together.”

Kyrellis gave me a look that said I was her newest target. “No prison will hold me. My God will free me, as She did before. Then I will destroy these while you watch. And then destroy you.”

“Blah, blah, blah. Heard the same crap from Moira. She’s in our custody and gave away your plot. I’m still debating whether or not to just have the Poofs eat you both, so shut the hell up. Jeff, the stairs?”

“Yeah, I’m with you. And I can do it.”

“No one does it better than you.” I refrained from adding in more about our sex life, at least out loud. I wondered how long it was going to be before he felt up to anything and hoped it wasn’t going to be too long.

“Glad you still think so. And, trust me, soon.” He grinned at me. “Love your laser focus on the priorities.”

I shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

CHAPTER 38

IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET DOWNSTAIRS. Hooters wasn’t the tallest hotel in town, but we had a lot of people to get from here to there, two of them were trying to escape, and four of them were hurt.

Kyrellis had eight bullets in her, but she wasn’t bleeding to death. We hadn’t done anything for her, so apparently the Amazons were faster healers than the A-Cs. By the time we were down, Christopher and Gregory both were looking better. Martini, not so much. I tried not to worry and failed utterly.

We decided to wait there and went into the Hooters restaurant. I enjoyed my feelings of inadequacy while waiting for the still-mobile rest of Alpha Team to arrive. We got a lot of looks from the patrons, but the Hooters girls were, to a one, hotter than any Vegas showgirl, and they were plentiful. The customers gave us the initial glance, then went back to the view they’d come to see. I had to remind the football players to keep an eye on the prisoners.

Martini and Christopher, however, weren’t looking at the Hooters girls. They were talking on their phones, barking orders, keeping things moving. I wasn’t talking, I was thinking. I was getting tired of thinking, but someone had to do it, and we still had alien plans active.

Chuckie and Alexander arrived first. Chuckie took one look and shook his head. “How did you get an entire football team helping you?”

“Talent. We need real security on Kyrellis. She’s got eight bullets in her, and you’d never know it.”

“We’ll take care of it. Your families are all fine. Once I found your mother, things moved faster, of course.”

“Thank you.” I wanted to just curl up in Martini’s lap and pretend this had been a TV show. No such luck, of course.

“Don’t mention it. Glad to ensure this wasn’t a tragedy.”

“How did the hotel management deal with all this?”

Chuckie shrugged. “As your mother knows, flashing the big Federal agent badge solves a lot of issues. For some reason, when people see Central Intelligence Agency, they get amazingly cooperative. They were relieved the terrorists weren’t able to destroy their properties and agreed to use an electrical fire in the basement as the excuse. Most of the guests have been comped a free meal for their inconvenience, and everyone’s heading back to their gambling.”

“Good, so business as usual.”

“Pretty much.” He looked around again. “How’s Martini? He looks like he had the crap beaten out of him.”

“He sort of did. He and Kyrellis got into it. But he’ll be fine.” I really hoped.

Alexander looked at his brother, who was glowering. “He did not try to help?”

“No, he was all over Kyrellis killing Jeff and Christopher. He and Christopher got into it, but they were more evenly matched.”

“This is all my fault. I should have told someone, anyone. And sooner than this.”

I studied his face. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Wow, I thought you were older.”

He shrugged. “No. Gregory is thirty.”

“And thought he was younger.”

“Sorry.” Alexander rubbed his forehead. “What can I do to help?”

“Get the rest of the emissaries rounded up. I want to be sure they’re helping.”

Chuckie snorted. “They helped, believe me.”

Before he could expand on this, Gower, Tito, Tim, Lorraine, and Claudia came in. Lorraine took one look at Martini and cursed. Impressively. She’d been spending a lot of time with the pilots.

She started doing some medical things to Martini while Claudia checked out Christopher. Gower gave me the rundown. “Found all the bombs, at least, if any are missing, they didn’t go off.”

“Kyrellis was expecting an explosion when we figured, so I think we’re good.”

“Hope so, but the Canus Majorians and Feliniads are still searching, just in case. They each have two field teams with them, so they should be good.”

“How’d you get rid of the bombs?”

“Spatiotemporal warp.”

“Come again?”

Gower grinned. “The Reptilians have the ability to create spatiotemporal warps between mated pairs. Once we started finding the bombs pretty much everywhere, they fired it up, and we tossed the bombs through.”

“Going where?”

“I asked, don’t worry,” Chuckie said. “It’s a complex scientific answer. You want it, or you want to trust me on it?”

“I want to trust you on it.”

“So I figured.”

“Where’s Queen Renata?” Chuckie and Gower both started to cough. “Um, guys? Where is Renata? It’s a clear question.”

Tito shrugged. “Don’t know why they’re acting like that. She’s with your mother and all the other women. Total girl bonding.”

“Oh. Goody.”

“At least,” Tito added, “I think it’s your mother. The woman who’s clearly in charge anywhere she goes and also looks like you? The one who could probably kick everyone’s ass, including the Amazons’?”

“Yeah, that’s my mom. She’s not that horrid.”

He grinned. “Wasn’t an insult. I think she’s awesome.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, there were some men with them, too. It’s pretty much turned into a party. Your mother wanted your father to come out, but he told her about James. I think the plan is your father will come to Vegas with James when he’s up to traveling.” Tito smiled at the look on my face. “Sooner than you think. Might be sooner than a week. The medical stuff the A-Cs have is incredible. And James is healthy, strong, and wants to get well. Said something about having to take care of his girlfriend’s wedding.”

I managed a laugh. “Good to hear.” I looked around. “What are we going to do with the psycho Amazons?”

“Queen Renata is all for killing them.” Gower sounded serious. I looked at his expression. He was serious.

“Um, Paul? I think that might pose issues, don’t you?”

“Yes. However, they are her subjects.”

“And they’re on our world. So, no. Not yet, anyway.” Chuckie’s voice was pleasant and casual, but I picked up the knife and it was clear.

Gower did, too. He shrugged. “Fine with me. But we have other problems as well.”

“True,” Chuckie said with a sigh. “We have no idea when the Alpha Four team will be arriving, but I think it’ll be soon.”

I shook my head. “I think they’re already here. At least some of them, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Chuckie sounded tired and a little annoyed. I remembered that he hadn’t been with us when I’d figured out who the spies were.

Martini and Christopher both heard me. “I’m still not sure I buy who you think the spies are,” Martini said. “Are we done yet? Ouch!” This was directed to Lorraine.

“Me either,” Christopher agreed.

“Spies?” Chuckie asked.

“We’d be done if you stopped jerking away.” Lorraine had Martini’s shirt off and was doing something to his rib area. He looked bruised all over. I started to worry about certain important body parts. Parts I knew Kyrellis would have taken particular aim for.

Martini flashed a grin. “I protected those. Trust me.”

“Okay.” I figured I’d test later. And give them tender loving care should he be in pain. I stared at his chest, and it did to me what it always did—I wanted my mouth all over it. “Can we go back to the hotel any time soon?”

“Almost done,” Lorraine snapped. “Not my fault you all get banged up so much.”

“Spies?” Chuckie asked again. “I’m still waiting to hear what you’re going for, Kitty. Besides Martini, I mean.”

Martini waved. “Eyes up here.” I looked up, and his grin went wider. “Not that I mind, but you were going to share your latest theory with Reynolds.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” I took a deep breath and was rewarded by seeing Martini’s eyes shift downward. “Up here.”

“Yeah, yeah.” His eyes weren’t moving up, but I didn’t care. There were a lot of impressively filled out tank tops in this place, and he was only looking at me. I was great with where his eyes were.

“Do you two ever stop?” Christopher asked.

“Not really.”

“I’m really losing patience,” Chuckie said. “Mind actually telling me what you’re talking about?”

I filled him in on my theory about the two hunks who’d been flirting with me, including the fact that these two had probably been on Earth long enough to have learned how to blend in.

Chuckie nodded slowly when I finished. “It makes sense, and it ties up several loose threads. Or will if we can find them. Could you pick them out of a lineup?”

“Possibly, but since they can put images over themselves, we’re probably not going to get the opportunity until they’re ready to let us know they’re around.”

“Why were they so obvious?” Christopher asked. “I mean, you and Jeff were both aware of them.”

“Overconfidence,” Chuckie answered. “For all we know, they’ve been around all of you far more often than you realize.”

“Fabulous,” Martini muttered.

“It’s the only theory that fits so far,” I pointed out.

“True.” Chuckie sighed. “Oh, we found out what that dish was.”

“The Gruel of Grossness?”

Chuckie laughed. “Yes, that one.”

“It’s from Alpha Four,” Alexander confirmed. “It’s considered quite a delicacy. Boiled tapeworms.”

Everyone within earshot, human and A-C alike, gagged. “You have tapeworms that big?” I had to stare at Martini’s chest again to get my stomach under control. Worked like a charm. Lord, the man had incredible pecs and awesome abs.

“They’re nothing like the ones here on Earth. But, yes. However, once the property was cleared, Charles and I went back and checked. The dish was drugged. It’s being analyzed now for what it was drugged with.”

“How could you tell?”

Alexander shrugged. “It smelled wrong.”

I didn’t want to know. “Okay, we already had a good idea they weren’t our friends. Why did you two go back?” I wasn’t wild about the fact that Chuckie had risked himself for a nonlifesaving reason, and I realized it showed in my voice, at least if Martini growling was any indication.

Chuckie smiled. “Nice to know you worry. It wasn’t a risk, Kitty. We had time—the fire alarms had sent most of the hotels’ occupants out. I didn’t want to lose the evidence.”

“Evidence like that isn’t worth you dying for. This was a huge, scary situation, and you can act as nonchalant as you want, but the danger was real and so was the risk.”

Chuckie shrugged. “As emergencies go, this one, and I’m sure Martini and White will agree with me, while challenging, wasn’t the worst we’ve ever seen.”

“What a comfort.”

Gower laughed. “You know, Kitty. Routine.”

CHAPTER 39

APHALANX OF A-CS CAME TO TAKE KYRELLIS into custody and back to the Science Center. I wasn’t wild about her being there with both my dad and Reader in the same facility, but no one wanted to risk her getting loose at Area 51. She was drugged up before they left Hooters. She required double the drugs that Moira had, according to Martini and Chuckie, which didn’t make me feel any better.

Gregory was also escorted back to Dulce under heavy guard. He, Uma, and Lenore were to be put into separate cells, all on the 15th floor, like Kyrellis and Moira. I felt less happy about this, but, again, there was no place else secure enough.

Surprisingly, neither Chuckie nor Martini felt the need to do anything to the football players from a memory standpoint. They got the “thanks of a grateful nation” speech from Chuckie, a “thanks for taking care of my girl, and if I find out you did anything I wouldn’t like I’ll come and hurt you for it” speech from Martini, and the “we strongly recommend you forget about this” chat from Christopher.

Len and Kyle grabbed me before they went back up to their suite. “Kitty, what are the career opportunities with your organizations?” Len asked.

“Why? You’re both in an excellent school and are likely to go pro. I mean, SC has a great football program.”

“Sure, but it’s not the same as what you guys just did.” Len shrugged. “Saving the world, doing it undercover, aliens, action—it sounds great.”

“What’s your major?”

“Engineering.”

“Really? You smart or just pay someone to take your tests?”

“I’m at SC on a scholarship. I started out with a merit scholarship, since I’m a walk-on. So, yeah, I’m smart.”

Kyle nodded. “He’s a brain. I’m not as smart, but I make up for it by studying.”

“You study?”

“In between beers, yeah.” He looked worried. “You know, really, I don’t try to attack girls all the time. Ever. It just seemed so . . . weird.”

“And you were drunk off your ass.”

“That too.”

“My guys can’t drink. It’ll kill them. We’re not big on the alcohol or drugs, smoking, or steroids. Pretty organic and natural.”

Kyle nodded. “I can do that.”

“You’re premed, though.”

“Yeah, and that alien chick took a ton of bullets and is still standing. Your guys were banged up, and now all but your boyfriend are looking fine, and he looks a hell of a lot better than he should. And your doctors are smokin’ hot.”

Couldn’t argue with him. In the match-up between Dazzlers and any other women, Hooters girls included, the Dazzlers were always going to win. I called Chuckie over. “Give them your card, will you?”

“Why?”

“They would love to be recruited out of school. They may not work with us, but I’m sure they could fit into your side of the house.”

Chuckie gave them both a long look. “You, fine,” he said to Len. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kyle. “You . . . straighten up. You ever threaten a female again, not only will I not recruit you, I’ll send someone around to take you out.”

Kyle nodded. “You got it. If I stay clean, what are my chances?”

Chuckie sighed. “Pretty good. Big, smart, eager, and willing is a rarity.” He gave them both his business card. Len hugged me, and Kyle shook my hand, then they trotted off. “You sure you’re not bucking for Gower’s job?”

“Nah. Just a lot of talent in Sin City right now.”

“Yeah. Martini didn’t go to human schools, so he’s mostly buying that those football players were gentlemen.” Chuckie looked right at me. “I’m not. How close were you to being in real trouble?”

“Well, Harlie was with me, so not as much as I could have been. Len was protecting me, and he had some backup.”

“Right. And the line were the problem, led by Kyle?”

“Yeah. Look at it as proof of his leadership. I don’t know if he was just blustering or would have gone through with it. But he didn’t, and he came to help. Oh, and he’s a total comics geek.”

“So that’s where you two bonded. Okay, I’ll consider them. Believe me, though, I’ll be watching him.”

Chuckie seemed really upset. I put my hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

He sighed. “Not really.” He looked down. “I know Martini thinks I like being here with you.” He looked back up at me. “But I don’t. Because I’m not with you. He is.”

“Why did you choose this location, then?”

He grinned. “Because it bugs the hell out of Martini. And I enjoy doing that.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to even try to follow the logic.”

“Fine with me. So, how many A-Cs do you think we have here? I mean that we don’t want or know about?”

“No clue. At least those two, maybe more. They must have used the same gate the Amazons did.”

“I’ve added some C.I.A. personnel into the Science Center.”

“Oh, Chuckie, come on.”

“Not to take over.” He sounded exasperated. “Try thinking like you, or me, not Martini, for just a minute, okay? We have three to five interstellar criminals in the lowest level of that place. A level with external access, as you, White, and your flyboys have all confirmed. I want some humans there I can trust to kill without hesitation.”

“You think they’ll get out?” My stomach clenched.

“I think they’re going to try. I also have C.I.A. around your father and Reader. And the Pontifex. Again, to protect them. I know the A-Cs have been vulnerable before, but nowhere near as much as right now.”

I tried to think the way I knew he did. “You worried this was all an elaborate ruse to get them inside the Science Center?”

“I think it’s possible. There are too many variables, but there’s more going on, you know it, I know it. We had to pull every active agent out of the field and put them here. I don’t even want to consider how much could have been affected by that. However, it’s my job to figure that out. So you’ll have to accept that I’m going to put humans I can trust into these alien strongholds, to ensure they remain strong.”

“Not your enemy. Not saying you’re wrong. Chuckie, you’re really . . . tense.”

“Yeah.” He looked at Martini then back to me. “Can’t imagine why.”

I forced myself to look past jealousy and try to figure out what he was worried about in regard to Martini. “You think Kyrellis was taking it easy on Jeff, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. Not that I want him dead, but he’s doing pretty well. Better than Reader.”

“James was fooled.”

“Yeah, but not as much as you may think. I’ve had a chat with him. He was lured out by Moira pretending to be Gower, but the moment Gower didn’t talk to him, Reader was on guard. He thought he was fighting an A-C imageer, not an Amazon, but he knew he was fighting someone. She was just more than he could take.”

“He’s human. Jeff’s an A-C. They’re a lot stronger, and they heal amazingly fast.”

“I know.” Chuckie sounded exasperated again. “But Moira almost killed Reader with one blow. One. There was only one hit on him—she smashed his head into a wall, and it almost killed him. Kyrellis is bigger, stronger, and older, meaning she’s far better trained. She’s bigger than Martini, stronger than him, and wants to kill him for a variety of reasons. But he walked out of that fight pretty much under his own steam. It doesn’t add up.”

“I’ll spend a lot of time worrying about it.”

“I’m not trying to make you worry needlessly.”

“No, I think you’re probably right. So it’s not needless.”

“I want guards in your room.”

“Not just no,” Martini said, coming up to us. “But hell no.”

“You explain it to him.” Chuckie sounded ready to actually lose his cool.

“No need. I heard most of what you said, and I’m touched.” Martini’s sarcasm knob was set to high again. “But I think I can handle anything they want to throw at us.”

“Can Kitty? Because, let’s be honest here, she’s what I care about, and you know it. She lucked out with Moira in that dressing room because they wanted her alive. Figure they don’t any more. She’s got no hyperspeed, no extra strength, no double hearts, no fast healing. We’re lucky as hell we aren’t attending Reader’s funeral. Luck, like lightning, rarely strikes the same place twice.”

“You saying I can’t protect her?” Martini was starting to growl.

Chuckie got right up in his face. “I’m saying that six months ago, it was luck that you got to her in time. Yeah, you beat the rest of us. But if you’d been a split second later, she’d be dead. I’m saying that we may be in Vegas, but I’m not willing for you to ever gamble Kitty’s safety on your damned ego again. Kyrellis let you off easy. There’s a reason, and I’m sure when we find out what it is, it won’t be good for any of us. You’re a pawn in some interstellar chess game, and we don’t know if we’ve stopped it or just opened up our king to be taken.”

They looked ready to go at each other. But something Chuckie had said struck me oddly. “Chuckie? Why do you think Jeff’s a pawn?”

“Because he’s not the king, and we all know it.”

“You’re right, he’s a knight. So’s Christopher.”

“And you’re the queen.”

“What are you?”

“Bishop.” Chuckie turned away from Martini. “What are you getting at?”

“Put the players on the board. White moves first, so we’re black.”

“Gower’s our other bishop. Reader was a rook.”

“Richard is our king.”

“What are you two going on about?” Martini sounded confused and annoyed.

“Chess. Jeff, you know how to play it. Help us. Who’s our other rook?”

“We replaced Reader with Tito. Call him the rook.” Chuckie started talking faster. “Tim, the flyboys, your girls, they’re the pawns.”

“They’re more powerful than that,” Martini protested.

“A pawn can take the king,” Chuckie snapped. “I’m talking about power on the board. Tito’s new, and he already has more influence than the pawns do.”

“I can get our side, Chuckie. But until we know who the opposition’s king really is, we don’t know who the power players really are.”

“Who has the most to gain?” Chuckie shook his head. “It’s always who has the most to gain—or lose. Find them, you find the key to everything else. And we need to find them fast, because my gut tells me we’re running out of time.”