Chapter 24-- Blood

Part 1--

Rebekah and Christine went back out to the living room, where Julia and JT were talking. What they heard was JT asking,

"Julia why is your hair short like a boy's?"

Without missing a beat, Julia replied, "It's easier to take care of than my long hair was."

"You gotta boyfriend?" asked the boy.

"Jacob Taylor!" his mother said sharply; "You don't ask people you hardly know questions like that!"

JT looked at his mother, and said,

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll answer the question, Christine," Julia said, chuckling. "It's not a big deal, really. JT, I have a fiance. I'm engaged to be married."

"Wow, that's cool, Julia!" the boy exclaimed.

"I think so," Julia said. "His name is Ryan."

"I have a friend named Ryan, but she's a girl," said JT.

"Ahh..." Julia said.

"JT," his mother said, "it's time to do your homework. Julia and Rebekah will be here for a while, so you'll have plenty of time to hang out with them."

"Yes, Mama," JT said, and dragged his bookbag to the kitchen table and started on his spelling homework.

Christine's phone rang, and she answered it. She said, "Very good. I'll send the ladies back over there, then."

After Christine hung up, she said,

"Jeremiah and Nik are at the apartment building, and your 'landlady' would like you to come back and help them get settled."

"When should we come back here, Christine?" Rebekah asked.

"You'll be notified if you're needed this evening," Christine said. "Until then, get settled in your apartment, order out, have fun."

"Yes, Madame Director," Rebekah replied.

Soon, a car came to collect Julia and Rebekah to return them to their apartment.

"Order out?" Julia asked Rebekah.

"You like Chinese, Julia?" Rebekah asked; "There's a great place near here that will deliver. And Christine has a tab, so we don't even have to worry about money."

"Love Chinese!" Julia said. "I'll even eat pork friend rice!"

"I won't tell David," Rebekah teased.

The two got out at their apartment and went up the stairs, where their "landlady" was showing two new "tenants" their temporary digs.

"Ah, here they are," Chrystal said; "Ms. Taylor and Ms. Jacobi, this is Mr. Mathews and Mr. Gunter. They'll be your neighbors for a little bit before they move on campus."

Julia almost couldn't keep a straight face, knowing that their "neighbors" were her brothers.

"Pleased to meet you," Nik (Mr. Gunter) said in a rather good German accent, extending his hand towards "Ms. Taylor" and "Ms. Jacobi".

"Likewise," Rebekah said, shaking Nik's hand firmly.

"Would you like to come in for a bit?" asked Julia. "We're ordering Chinese, you're welcome to join us."

"I'd like that," Jeremiah (Mr. Mathews) said. The two guys went into the two girls' apartment to get acquainted.

After the door was closed, Julia started laughing. "Oh my! We need to get Academy Awards for that shit!"

"You know," Nik said; "just for the record, our made up names were not our idea."

"I didn't think they were," Julia said. "We didn't make up ours either."

"About that accent, Nik," Rebekah said.

"That wasn't my idea, either," Nik replied. "I was asked if I could do one, and I said I could. They said to go ahead and use it."

"We really having Chinese?" Jeremiah asked.

"We really are," Rebekah said. "I stayed with Madame Director for a while when she first recruited me, and I know of an awesome Chinese place near here that delivers."

"Well, then," Nik said; "let's get some grub!"

----------

The phone rang in the Donegan's safe house on the compound, and Dan looked over at the time on the bedside clock. It was one in the morning.

"Who the hell is calling me at this hour?" Dan asked.

"Whaaa..." Nicole said sleepily.

"Nothing, Nic," Dan said. "Just the phone."

He answered it. He should not have been surprised that David was on the other end, but he was.

"Brother," Dan said, "you do realize it's one in the God damned fucking morning, right?"

"Yes, Danny," David said. "It's two here so quit your bitching."

"What is so damned important that it couldn't wait til morning?" asked Dan.

"Someone's trying to kill Stefanie," David said. "The driver we got to take us to her house was a fucking Illegals plant. I need to know who ordered a hit on Stefanie's alter ego Charlotte Rush."

"What happened to the plant?" Dan asked, now fully awake.

"Morbus killed him and disposed of his body somewhere."

"So you and Morbus and Stefanie are safe?" asked Dan.

"Yes," David said. "Stefanie is raising two granddaughters, and she sent them off with their aunt to be safe. Stefanie is anxious to get them back as soon as possible. That's why I need to find out who's trying to kill Stefanie."

"Can it wait til morning?"

"I wish I could say it could," David said; "but I want to know so I can tell Stefanie in the morning."

"Okay, David," Dan said. "I'll fire up the old computer and do some checking. But you're gonna fucking owe me, got that?"

"Loud and clear, Danny," David said, laughing. "Call me as soon as you learn something."

"Okay, I will," Dan said. "But if you don't hear from me in a couple of hours, call me and make sure I'm still awake."

"I'll be up a while, so I'll do that," David said. "And Danny? Thanks, brother. I know I can always count on you."

----------

David hung up the phone and looked out the window of his room on the old Naval Base. His thoughts soon turned to memories as he remembered the first time he laid his tour weary eyes on the pretty, short-haired brunette who had come to accompany the band on part of the tour.

She had asked all the expected questions, and a few he didn't expect and didn't have answers for. They then began talking about current events, history, politics, religion... and David found that Stefanie was well versed in all those subjects. She told him she had a natural curiosity about things she didn't understand, and wanted to know more. "Thank God for the internet," she had said; "I got an education from researching things I wanted to know more about. It's why I may go back to school at some point and finish my Bachelor's in Mass Communications."

As they got to know one another better, David was the first to feel something other than friendship for her. She was guarded, having been through a divorce and a post divorce relationship that left her questioning herself. Little by little, he broke through the wall she had built around herself. The first time he kissed her (and she actually responded without turning away from him, embarrassed), he knew there was no one else who would ever kiss him this way. And the hunger they felt for one another the first time they made love had yet to be matched.

But why? he asked himself over and over, staring out that window, why did I take such advantage of her, thinking she'd always be there for me?

"Because I'm the biggest fool in the fucking universe!" he said aloud. "I had everything I ever wanted in her, and I threw it all away!"

Now, she was in trouble, and he knew he had the tools, the information, and the desire to free her from the target she had on her back.

"If I could unbreak her heart, You know I'd do it," David said; "You've provided me with a way to redeem myself, God. Help me save her!"

He went back to bed and tried not think about her, but it was next to impossible. The softness of her skin; the gentle touch of her lips against his; the dark brown eyes that demanded answers he couldn't give her; her walking away from him and their life together; his helpless cries as she left: "But I love you..."

"Maybe men like you aren't meant to be tied down by women like me."

Fifteen years later, he still felt helpless around her, though he had her forgiveness. It wasn't enough.

He knew he had to find out who was trying to get her killed and save her. He had the means.

I know I can't have you, sweet Stefanie. But I can save your life.

Just then, the phone rang. David reached over for it and noted the time: 6:45am. He had slept for nearly five hours.

God, Danny, he thought; I hope you have something for me.

----------

The kid finally had the courage to check out the house he rode past every day. He knew there was something going on there, but didn't know what.

He saw no cars or people come or go over a couple of nights of observation sitting at the long-abandoned general store about a half mile from the driveway. He could see the roof of the house through the trees, but that was it.

He finally rode his bike down the long drive that led to a clearing on the beach. There was a BMW parked in the carport, and tire tracks that had faded over the weeks since anyone was last here. They were just ruts in the dirt and sand, but someone had been here, though not recently.

Laying his bike down by the car, he climbed up the steps to the porch and knocked on the door. No one answered his knock. The door was locked. He thought briefly about breaking in, but he decided against that because it would cause more problems than he was equipped to deal with.

He walked over to the windows and peered inside, and all he saw was furniture-- a couch, chair, desk with a laptop computer on it, a printer, and a large bookcase filled with books.

As he walked around the house to see if there was another way inside, he saw another window that was partially open. Sheer curtains covered it, but he was still able to see inside.

But, it was not the room he had seen before. This was clearly a bedroom, and there appeared to be someone asleep on the bed.

He knocked on the window, but the figure inside did not respond.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" the kid called out. "Hello? Hello!"

Pretty sound sleeper, he thought. Or they're deaf.

Then another thought crossed his mind; that the person inside was dead.

Thinking that it's better to be safe (and be wrong) than sorry, the kid ran to his bike and rode up the drive back to the main road. He saw the sign that said "The House of Hope" and made a note of it.

He then rode off in the direction of the sheriff's office in town.

----------

The Chinese food the four assassins ordered was a good as promised. "Man, that was awesome!" Nik exclaimed.

"There's a place near Northwestern that I used to order from all the time," Jeremiah said; "That place can't touch this!"

"Agreed," Julia said; "Not even the places in Chicago are this good!"

"I knew you guys would be pleased," Rebekah said. "But now, I think we need to formulate some kind of strategy to keep Christine and JT safe."

"Good idea," Julia said. "You have any ideas, Rebekah? You know this town better than we do."

Rebekah had plenty of ideas, and she laid them out for the other three to contemplate.

"If anyone's going to try and get at Christine, the plaza downtown would be the place," Rebackah said; "It's surrounded on the east by high rise apartments with balconies. A sniper could very easily hide there."

"Could we go there, maybe in the morning?" Julia asked.

"Wait, how do you know this?" asked Jeremiah, suspicious.

"It's one of the places that Christine trained me at when she first recruited me," Rebekah said. "Security Forces owns about four of those apartments. Three of them are occupied now, but the fourth is furnished and looks occupied, but no one lives there. It looks like it to anyone who goes inside, because I've gone in there and made it look 'lived in'."

"Could we gain entrance, just to see what the view from there looks like?" Nik asked.

"We'd have to talk to Christine about that," Rebekah said. "She gives the okay for anyone, even me, to go into that apartment. Of course, if someone breaks in, then they'd have their hiding place until they're ready to carry out their assignment to kill Christine."

"There could be someone there now, couldn't there?" Julia asked, that thought suddenly coming to her.

"That's a possibility," Rebekah said. "A very real possibility."

The phone rang and Rebekah jumped at the unexpected sound. She looked at the phone's display. It had a four digit number on it, and Rebekah knew it was Christine's code number. She flipped it open.

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Rebekah," Christine said; "there's no need to come back over here til morning. JT's aunt is coming to pick him up for school, and he'll stay with her until the threat against me is neutralized."

"Good," Rebekah said. "Then Julia and I will see you in the morning?"

"Oh seven hundred at my office," Christine said.

"We'll be there. What about Nik and Jeremiah?"

"They'll get their orders from Morbus, probably sometime tomorrow."

"Very good," said Rebekah. "We'll see you at oh seven hundred, then. Good night, Madame Director."

"Good night, Jessikah."

Rebekah looked around to see if the other three had heard Christine address her by her true first name. Satisfied they had not, she closed the phone. Rebekah will have to ask about that in the morning.

----------

Part 2--

The kid was exhausted when he finally got to the sheriff's office. He locked the bike against a pole and went inside.

"May I help you?" a female deputy asked.

"I hope so," the kid said. "I think there's a dead body in a house about a mile, mile and a half down the road. There's a sign at the entrance to the property that says 'House of Hope'. I've tried knocking on the door, but no one answers, but there is definitely someone in the bedroom who doesn't respond to knocks at the window."

The deputy said she'd get someone to speak with him, and asked him to wait.

Finally, after about ten minutes, a male deputy comes out and asks the kid to follow him to an office. Once in the office, the kid repeats the story.

"That's the old Hope place," the deputy said; "They've been dead for years, though. They raised two of their grandchildren there, but they're probably old enough to be grandparents themselves."

"Does it have to do with the President?" the kid asked.

"I don't really know about that," said the deputy. "But you think you've seen a dead body in the house?"

"Someone who didn't respond to my voice or my knocking on the window," the kid said. "I pass by there all the time on my way to work, and for a while, there was this weird smell. But I didn't smell it when I was there just a while ago."

"I'll have to check to see who the owner of record is," the deputy said, "and get their permission to search the premises. Thank you for bringing this to our attention."

"When you check the place out," the kid said; "could I come with you?"

"The sheriff would have to okay that, as soon as we get permission from the owner of record."

The kid left his name and phone number with the deputy.

When he left the sheriff's office, he continued to ride into town, even though it was his day off. He wanted to talk to a lawyer friend of his family's. Just in care the sheriff gets a wild hair up his ass about what he thinks is going on at the "House of Hope".

----------

"Okay, David, this is what we've got," Dan said as he began to tell David what he had spent all night finding out. "I looked under both names, and it seems that a judge in Austin wants Stefanie to come back to pay for the crime of killing another judge years ago."

"Stefanie didn't kill that judge," David said. "Her husband did."

"That's another thing," Dan said; "There's a marriage license for Charlotte Rush and Larry Epperly that was issued about eight or nine years ago. Searching further, I found that Dale Grant, aka Dale Guthrie, Stefanie's broadcasting partner, had been arrested about a year before Stefanie was placed under house arrest. His real name is Dale Lawrence Grant. So one question I had is-- who the hell was Larry Epperly?"

"The first name makes sense, since Grant's middle name is Lawrence," David said, "Where did Epperly come in?"

"I was getting to that," Dan said. "Seems that Dale Lawrence Grant grew up in a town in Oklahoma called Del City. It's a suburb of Oklahoma City. A man named George Epperly founded the city after World War Two and named it after his daughter, Delphina. Grant/Guthrie/Epperly are all the same person. Grant is Dale's real name; Guthrie is his radio name; and Larry Epperly is the name he took when he and Stefanie went into hiding in the Tidewater Region."

"That doesn't answer why some judge in Austin wants Stefanie dead."

"It looks to me," said Dan, "that when you found Stefanie's IDs in the mouth of a skeleton, that this judge took that to mean that Stefanie had returned to retrieve them. So he contracted someone to kill Stefanie... provided he could find her."

"Where do I fit in to all this?" asked David.

"When you entered the house, it tripped a video camera," Dan said. "I found the video on a secure site, which I hacked. You are seen entering and leaving the house. Apparently, they put two and two together and figured you had something to do with Stefanie, since her IDs came up missing. They also found out you were going to the Tidewater Region and the hitman replaced the man who was supposed to be your driver there."

"Great, now someone other than the Committee knows I'm here."

"The Committee doesn't know you're there," Dan said; "But this judge will probably tell them you are. He's in with them as far as I can tell. Just as long as you lead them to Stefanie."

"How do I throw them off so I can get to Stefanie before they figure out where she is?" David asked.

"A double," Dan said. "The one you use to throw off those who stalk you."

"John? The one who looks like me from a distance?"

"Exactly," Dan said. "He can appear to go to your meeting while you enter from another way. And he'll throw off anyone trying to harm you while you go see Stefanie."

"I was just going to call her with the information, Danny," David said. "I wasn't planning to see her."

"You're going to have to, or this won't work, David."

"She's not going to have to go underground again, is she?"

"If this works the way I think it will," Dan said; "Anyone trying to get to her will be killed. I've already sent instructions to Morbus."

"What about the judge?"

"That's what assassins are for, David," Dan said. "I'm sending Kylee to Austin. She can seduce anyone under the sun."

"Let this judge think he's gettin' some, then boom!"

"No, more like let the judge think he's gettin' some, then poison him..." Dan said. "Apparently, Rebekah is really good in chemistry, and whipped up something that triggers a heart attack. And it's untraceable."

"Nice. Get rid of the threat, and the person who set the threat into motion, with no tie back to us."

"John is en route to Tidewater, and Kylee is en route to Austin," Dan said. "All wrapped up before lunchtime. Efficient, no?"

----------

Nik and Jeremiah received a message on their phones:

STAND BY. THREAT TO CC IMMINENT. MINOR IS UNDER PROTECTION. WILL BE IN-SECTOR WITHIN 24 HRS. FEMALES WILL BE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS FROM DIRECTOR. BE PREPARED TO LEAVE AT ANY TIME. MTS.

"Well, shit," Nik said. "We sure didn't get to stay long."

"We'll just have to stand by," Jeremiah said. "We'd have to leave with David anyway. You'll be home earlier than you thought."

"So will you."

"True," Jeremiah said. "I can't wait to be in a bed with Jasmine and not in a room with you."

"I won't have to wear earplugs when I sleep," Nik shot back, he and Jeremiah engaging in their usual teasing of each other. "You still sound like a motherfuckin' freight train when you sleep! Can't they fix that? How does Jasmine put up with that?"

"Earplugs and love, my brother," Jeremiah said.

----------

Part 3--

The car came early for Julia and Rebekah to take them to Christine's office. Julia hadn't sleep well. She thought she could hear Jeremiah's snoring through the walls.

It sounds like Grand Central Station in there, Julia thought. Poor Nik! Just like when we were living with the Rileys...

She shuddered uncontrolably at the thought of those people.

Julia got out of bed and walked down the hall to get something to drink. After quenching her thirst, she thought she could still hear Jeremiah snoring.

When she got up later, she felt like she'd had no sleep. Rebekah noticed Julia looked tired.

"You look like you've been up all night, Julia."

"You didn't hear Jeremiah snoring from across the hall?" asked Julia, rubbing her eyes.

"No, why?"

"Because I did," Julia said. "He's done that since he got into a fight with some asshole at school when he was sixteen. Broke his nose, and he's sounded like a bulldozer ever since."

"I'm a pretty sound sleeper, except when it comes to doing my job," Rebekah said. "Then it's like I sleep with one eye open all the time."

"I'll probably sleep in the car on the way to Christine's office. Haven't had a night this bad in a long time!" said Julia.

And that's what Julia did; she slept in the back seat of the car for the entire thirty minute trip to the Security Forces building. When they arrived, Julia felt much better. Now, she thought, I can handle anything.

Again, the two were escorted to the Director's office, where they sat before Christine's desk, waiting for her to arrive.

When she didn't show at the appointed time, Julia and Rebekah looked at each other. Was Christine in trouble and they weren't available?

Rebekah looked at her phone, and no new messages with Christine's code had come in.

Just then, ten minutes after 7am, Christine walked into her office, apologizing for her tardiness.

"I had to tell JT he was staying with his aunt for a while, and he was not a happy camper, let me tell you," she said as she sat at her desk.

"We did wonder about you, Madame Director," Julia said. "Rebekah even checked her phone to see if you had sent any messages."

"I would have sent one, but I was dealing with a very headstrong nine year old," Christine said. "Just like his father, I swear!"

Julia smiled to herself. She'd been compared to her father on more than one occasion by her mother.

And her stepfather.

And her fiance.

Christine outlined the reasons she called Julia and Rebekah into her office. There was a date set for the hit on her to go down. It was within the next 48 to 72 hours.

"Morbus will be here by then, and I can send Nik and Jeremiah back to Chicagoland with David," Christine said. "After today, you two will be spending the rest of your stay with me. You'll take watches, just like any stake out."

The two young women nodded, and Christine continued,

"Whoever has been assigned to kill me has been staking out my house, and saw you leave last night. So you'll move your belongings to my house starting right after you leave here. This is why JT will be staying with his aunt. He doesn't know why you two are here, except to do your jobs. He thinks you are field agents working for me in the MidWest Region. I'd like to keep it that way for a little while."

"We'll come up with a plan once we've moved into your house," Rebekah said. "We've already figured out where the hit may go down, so all we will have to do is keep you safe. Just one thing..."

"What is it, Rebekah?"

"Nik and Jeremiah were interested in seeing the vantage point an assassin might have from the high rise apartments on the plaza. As far as I know, there is still one that is vacant."

"This is true, that apartment is still vacant," Christine said; "Unless whoever is here to kill me is hiding there. But I could arrange for you, Julia, Nik and Jeremiah to see one of the other apartments to get an idea of the vantage point from there. I'll have agents sweep the vacant apartment to see if someone's set up shop there. If so, then we have half the battle won."

"When would that take place, Madame Director?" asked Julia.

"Today after you move your belongings and weapons to my house," Christine said. "Call me when you're moved. Then we can set a time for this afternoon."

Soon, the meeting was over and Julia and Rebekah were on their way back to the apartment to gather their belongings. When they arrived there, Julia noticed that Nik and Jeremiah were out, as the car they had been assigned was gone. Maybe David's gotten into town with Morbus, she thought.

She had a question to ask Rebekah.

"Christine keeps mentioning JT's aunt. Have you ever met her?"

"Just once, but it was brief," Rebekah said. "She works for Christine."

"I read intel that Christine had brothers," Julia said. "Is JT's aunt married to one of the brothers?"

"No, JT's aunt is the sister of JT's father."

"I see," said Julia, but she didn't really.

"Let me ask you something, Julia," Rebekah said. "Does your father have any siblings?"

"Not that he's mentioned to me," Julia said. "But there's probably a lot of stuff he hasn't told me about his family. I asked Mom once, and she told me that she'd never met any of my father's family. They may not know I even exist."

Rebekah thought on that for a few moments. Maybe, she thought, JT and Julia don't have the same father, despite what Christine said. What nagged at her is that JT and Julia definitely had a family resemblance. Julia didn't notice, and she's usually very observant, Rebekah thought.

She let the subject rest for the moment. It would come back to haunt her later, though she wasn't aware of that fact yet.

----------

Part 4--

At about the same time as Julia and Rebekah's meeting with Christine, David's "double", John, had arrived in the Tidewater Region.

John, which wasn't his true name, was about the same height, weight, and build as David. The main differences between the two men were that they looked nothing alike in the face, and John had tattoos whereas David had none. John was also older by almost two years. But from behind, no one could tell the difference.

The plan was this: John would go with Morbus to the meeting on the old Naval Base. If anyone was watching, they'd see John, and not David. At least from behind. That would free up David to go elsewhere on the base and see Stefanie and tell her what he had learned from Dan about who was trying to kill her.

Later, David would show up at the meeting, taking John's place, while John took David's place in the hired car with a known Disturbed Ones bodyguard at the wheel.

The people representing the current owners of the base were made aware of the switch and agreed to wait for the real David to come to the meeting.

----------

Jordan saw two little girls slowly become restless, and she felt that she could handle it.

"Mama, when's Daddy coming home?" Kimber whined.

"When he's done with his meetings," said Jordan.

"When's that gonna be?" asked Niki.

"Soon," Jordan said. "Daddy does a lot of important work and he has to go to meetings away from us sometimes. I know it's not fun, but we have to be brave and strong while Daddy's away."

"Is Aunt Tina coming over today?" Niki asked.

"No, Niki," Jordan said. "Aunt Tina and Ava have other things to do today. Ava will come over tomorrow after she gets home from school."

"No fair," muttered Kimber.

"Life isn't fair, Kimber," Jordan said.

"What's that mean, Mama?" asked Niki.

"That sometimes we want stuff to happen, and it doesn't. It's no one's fault, it just happens that way."

"Oh."

"That's all you have, Niki? Oh?" her mother teased.

"I'm bored, I'm going to take a nap," Kimber said.

"Me, too," her sister said.

And they walked to their bedroom and put themselves down for a nap.

"David isn't going to believe this," Jordan said aloud. "That Kimber actually wanted to take a nap!"

That actually sounds like a great idea, she thought.

----------

The deception began about an hour before David's meeting was scheduled to begin. John was in place so that whoever was watching the meeting site would think he saw David Draiman walk into a building on the old Norfolk Naval Base.

Meanwhile, the real David was escorted by an armed guard to the Bachelor Officer Quarters (BOQ) location where Stefanie was in hiding. She had been informed that David was coming over to see her to give her some important information.

Still, she was surprised to see him at her door when he arrived.

She let him in, then locked the door.

"I was told you have information for me, David," she said.

"I do, Stefanie," David said.

"Isn't your meeting soon?"

"That's being taken care of. I'm still going to the meeting, it's just taking the long way home," he said.

"I see," Stefanie said. "So what's this information you have? Is it about who's trying to kill me?"

"Yes, Stefanie," David said. "We know who has contracted a hit on you. And that threat will be neutralized."

"Well, who is it? Who wants me dead, David?" Stefanie asked, annoyed with herself that she sounded like she was whining.

"The judge Dale killed before you went into hiding had some powerful colleagues," David began; "One of them took the liberty to have someone follow me to get to you. We're taking care of him, too. He wanted you to be returned to Austin for 'trial', and possibly be executed. Then he changed his mind and wanted you killed outright. But they couldn't find you, until I broke into my own house and found your IDs. They had video of that, and put two and two together. They had me followed from the moment I arrived here yesterday. I led them straight to you. That's when Morbus killed the driver. He was a plant."

"I thought I had covered mine and Dale's tracks pretty well," Stefanie said. "When I left those IDs in the judge's mouth, I was hoping that you'd return there soon after. Every year that went by told me you had not returned to the house, since you found them just a few months ago. I had no idea that they essentially wired the house for video to trap people who wandered inside. I didn't know I was putting all of us in danger by doing that."

"We're having someone kill the judge who ordered the hit, and the assassin who has taken the place of the man posing as my driver," David said. "I have a double who will be going into the meeting to throw anyone trying to harm you off. If they're watching me, then they won't be looking for you."

"They could have also figured out I was here, and seeing that you were in your meeting, would have ample opportunity to kill me," Stefanie said.

"I thought of that, too," David said. "Or actually, Dan thought of it. That's why I'm here telling you this in person and not over the phone like I'd originally planned. I can and will kill anyone trying to harm you."

David then removed his gun from the shoulder holster under his jacket. "I don't go anywhere unarmed, Stefanie."

Before Stefanie had a chance to respond, there were a series of gunshots outside. "Hide behind that wall," David hissed at her. Stefanie did as she was told.

David heard someone trying the doorknob, and got down in a crouch to shoot whoever entered. Stefanie was hiding about five feet behind him.

When no one entered, David went to where Stefanie was hiding. He said nothing to her as he sat down on the floor next to her.

"I'm scared, David," Stefanie whispered. "My granddaughters need me. They've lost their parents, they can't lose me as well."

David looked at her. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, even fifteen years older. "No one's going to hurt you, Stefanie," he said. "I won't allow it. I'd rather sacrifice myself than to see you get hurt."

"You have little ones, David," Stefanie said. "I won't allow them to grow up without a father."

Just then, someone kicked in the door.

----------

Julia and Rebekah got all their belongings and weapons to Christine's house within an hour of returning to the apartment. Then, Rebekah called Christine's office to inform her that they were in place at her home, and what their instructions were to be.

"I'll be there within the half hour," Christine said. "Nik and Jeremiah have made contact with me and they will be accompanying me. We'll talk about the apartment thing when we get there."

Rebekah told her that they'd be waiting and closed the phone.

"Within a half hour, Julia," Rebekah said. "Nik and Jeremiah are with her. We'll see those apartments today to see what we might be dealing with."

"I'd just as soon get this all out of the way, kill the motherfuckers who want the Director dead, and get the hell outta Dodge," Julia said. "But we need to be ready in case the apartment thing isn't what the assassin has in mind. Is there any place else where Christine could be a target?"

"Everywhere, basically," Rebekah said. "Christine may have ideas of her own. She was a sniper, and who better to know what a sniper is capable of than another sniper?"

"True," Julia said. "It's the fucking waiting that kills me, knowing that this is going to attempt to go down."

"Anyone tell you that you've got some mouth on you?" Rebekah asked. "You don't talk to your parents like that, do you?"

"I was once described as a very dangerous girl," Julia said. "But no one has ever said anything about the way I speak when I'm on assignment. And no, I don't talk to my folks like that... there are two little sets of ears listening to everything I say. Soon to be four sets with the arrival of twin boys in the fall."

Five sets, Rebekah thought, certain that JT was Julia's brother.

"I've heard that you change your demeanor when you're prepping for an assignment," Rebekah said. "That you actually scare Morbus sometimes."

"Morbus," Julia said, "isn't afraid of anyone, much less little ole me. But the demeanor thing, yeah, that's true. I've scared David with the change I undergo when I'm on the hunt for my target, but Morbus, no."

A car pulled up to the house then, and Rebekah and Julia drew their weapons. When the car turned out to contain the Director, Jeremiah and Nik, the two reholstered their weapons.

Now we'll get some shit done, Julia thought.

----------

David released the safety on his gun and crept down the hall to see who had entered the house. He saw two people in uniforms of the New Army.

"Ms. Rush?" One of the uniforms called out. "Are you here? We have word of your granddaughters."

Stefanie, who was still hiding in the back hallway, thought, if you have word of my granddaughters, why did you kick the door in? She stayed hidden.

David was now convinced that who he was looking at were two assassins sent by the Committee. He had the same thoughts as Stefanie: why break down the fucking door if you have information about Stefanie's granddaughters?

He was outnumbered, but that was nothing new to him. He knew Stefanie didn't have a weapon, and protecting her was his main goal. David had to take one of the assassins out before the playing field would be leveled.

Two more uniforms entered the residence, and while they were distracted, David crouched down behind a leather recliner.

"She doesn't appear to be here," one of the uniforms said. "Maybe we were given bad information."

"The person following her said they saw her enter this building yesterday evening, she has to be here," the apparent leader said. "Search the house."

Oh no you don't, David thought. He saw one of the uniforms heading down the hall towards where Stefanie was hiding, and shot him. The soldier crumpled to the floor about three feet from where David was hiding.

"What the fucking hell..." the leader said; "Someone is here!"

David stood up from behind the chair, making himself vulnerable. It was three to one, and those weren't good odds. Even if Stefanie had a weapon, it wouldn't be good odds.

"I am," David said. "And I intend to kill the rest of you."

"Where's Charlotte Rush, Draiman," the leader said. It was more a demand than a question.

"Where you won't get your hands on her," David said. "You have to get through me to get to her."

"Killing you would be a pleasure," the leader said. "Prepare to die!"

Instead, it was the leader who fell to the floor dead.

David didn't shoot him.

"All right, motherfuckers," Stefanie said, armed with the first dead soldiers gun, "I may be someone's grandmother, but I know my way around a gun. You two," indicating the two soldiers still left in the living room, "turn your backs to me, kneel on the floor and put your hands behind your head. David, take their guns."

After they did as they were told, and David was in possession of their weapons, Stefanie asked them,

"Now, do you want to die like men, or like dogs?"

David shot a look at Stefanie. Where the fuck did she learn to use a gun? Then it occured to him that Dale must have taught her. He had owned a farm at one time, and slaughtered hogs with a shotgun.

The two soldiers begged to be let go unharmed.

"That's not going to happen, sorry," Stefanie said as she coldly shot both of them in the back of the head.

Then, in a move that surprised David, she dropped the gun on the floor, and fainted.

----------

Part 5--

In the one apartment Christine allowed them to see, all four assassins saw that an execution could easily take place, and the killer could get away without being seen.

This would be too easy, Julia thought. This is kindergarten stuff. She had to take into consideration that this scenario could take place, as it had the least margin for error for a trained sniper.

Trouble was, the New Army wasn't training snipers. And this was definitely a sniper's job. So who was being contracted to carry out the hit on Christine? Julia thought.

"Do we have information about who will be carrying out this plan, Madame Director?" asked Julia. "This isn't the kind of job that a civilian could do, even with a little bit of training."

"All I've been told is that it's someone that's being specially trained," Christine said. "But, I agree, this is a sniper's job. It's something that I could do."

"Are there any other places in town where this could be carried out?" Jeremiah asked. "Somewhere that someone with minimal training could do the job, considering the quality of the assassins that have been sent to kill David over the last several months."

Christine thought about this, and came up with several locations. Then she said,

"If they're training someone specifically to carry out this assignment, that means they could be a highly trained gunman; If that is the case, then this would be the ideal spot. I'm in this area several times a week, and avoiding it is not an option."

"Why not?" asked Nik.

"My son's school is less than a block from here. I walk through this plaza to get there because the parking at the school is limited. And JT likes the hotdog cart down there," said Christine, pointing to a brightly colored umbrella on the plaza below.

"Could the owner of the hotdog cart be behind this, or coerced into revealing your pattern?" Rebekah asked.

"Possibly, but I've known the family for years, and they wouldn't willing give up anything about their customers. And there is no pattern, per se," Christine explained; "We don't always stop to get hotdogs."

"We could do undercovers at the hotdog cart for a while, couldn't we?" asked Julia.

"That's something I've been thinking about," Christine said. "I've already had someone in contact with the owner to allow that. The owner has agreed, but he and his family doesn't know that it's me that we're trying to protect."

"You say you don't always stop for hotdogs, Madame Director," Nik said; "but you're always in this area. The assassin will be counting on that."

"That's why I think the attempt on my life will take place here," Christine said. "And why I want Morbus here."

"What will Morbus being here do, Madame Director?" Rebekah asked.

"Maybe scaring off the assassin, especially if he doesn't know it's Morbus," Christine said.

"Morbus is pretty unique looking," Jeremiah said. "How are you going to disguise that?"

Christine looked at Jeremiah and said,

"There are ways to make even a disfigured man look normal for a short time."

----------

"Stefanie!"

David looked at Stefanie on the floor where she fainted. He had no idea what to do except check her breathing. She was breathing, and her heart rate seemed normal. Maybe it's the adrenalin wearing off and it made her lightheaded, he thought.

Soon, she stirred a little, slowly coming to. "What happened?" she asked David.

"Besides you shooting two New Army soldiers in cold blood?"

"Yeah," she said weakly.

"You passed out, Stefanie," David said.

"I felt weird, so I just went with it," she said. "It's not the first time I had to kill another human being, but they were going to kill you, David! I had to do something!"

"We need to get you out of here before more of them show up," David said. "Grab your bag and lets get out of here!"

"And go where, David?"

"I'll figure that out later," David said. "Get your shit and let's go!"

After Stefanie grabbed her things, and one of the dead soldier's guns, she and David left the building. Where on the base could they go until David had a chance to get in touch with Morbus?

They walked a little ways before spotting the empty living quarters for the base commander. They entered through an unlocked door and settled in one of the bedrooms. David then sent Morbus a message to tell the bodyguard where he and Stefanie were.

Morbus replied: WILL BE THERE WITHIN TEN MINUTES. DOUBLE IS SAFE IN MEETINGPLACE. MTS

"What's 'MTS'?"

"Morbus the Sickness," David said. "That's how he's signed messages since becoming my bodyguard seventeen years ago."

"So he's been around a long time, even on that tour where we met?" asked Stefanie.

"Yes," David said. "He stayed out of sight and kept me and the guys safe. He has done his job well, but after this trip, he will retire as my bodyguard. He will still train assassins, but no more bodyguard duty. He's chosen two men to replace him. They will join me later in the week after I leave here."

Stefanie looked at David with that same look that had driven him crazy with wanting her. "I hope it won't be another fifteen years before I see you again."

"Maybe it should be, Stefanie," David said. "We have different lives now. We couldn't go back and recapture the past, even if we wanted to."

"You have a family now and they must be your main priority," Stefanie said. "I understand that. But perhaps we could still keep in touch..."

"Stefanie," David said, taking her hand in both of his. "I love my wife more than my own life. My children are my top concern. I can't be around you, Stefanie. You tempt me in ways that are just not possible anymore. Please understand..."

She looked down, embarrassed. Why did I start to say that? she asked herself.

"I do understand," she said. "I'm sorry if I put you in an impossible situation, but it was you who asked for closure."

"And it was you who wanted me to come get that closure in person," David said. "I was going to be here anyway, so that didn't seem like an unreasonable request. It was only after I got here that I realized that I can't be around you. You still, and probably always will, tempt me."

"Do I tempt you now, David?" Stefanie asked.

"Stefanie, part of me wants to rip your clothes off and fuck your brains out; but the rational side of me, the side that I've learned to listen to, tells me that I must honor my committment to my family," David said.

"You've always been an honorable man, David," Stefanie said; "it just took you a while to realize it."

Before David had a chance to respond, he heard Morbus' voice calling for him.

"It's safe now, Stefanie," David said. "I'll go to my meetings here, and Morbus will make sure you and your granddaughters are safe."

As they were getting into the car to drop David off at his meeting, Stefanie said,

"David, I did love you, you know. All those years ago."

He looked at her with a knowing smile.

"I know," was all he said.

----------

With David's meetings over with and Stefanie and her granddaughters reunited, David thought about the next part of his trip: trying not to get the Director of the Disturbed Ones Security Forces killed.

He would meet up with Jeremiah and Nik in Arlington and return to Chicagoland, leaving Morbus behind to protect Christine.

At least, that was the plan. Plans have a way of changing.

He and Morbus would leave the Tidewater Region in the morning and arrive in time for meetings with the Director that afternoon. At least it's all in the same time zone, he thought.

"David..." Morbus said; "Our lodging for this evening has been confirmed. We are to stay on the base until the car comes in the morning to pick us up and take us to the plane."

"Where on the base, Morbus?" asked David.

Morbus cleared his throat. David knew this was a sign that Morbus was going to tell him something he wasn't going to like.

"At the Commanding Officer's former quarters where I found you and Stefanie this morning."

"Oh, I see," David said. "And there's a problem with that?"

"Not for you, but for me, yes," Morbus said.

"Why is this a problem for you, Morbus?"

Morbus, David noticed, looked almost embarrassed.

"It was where Christine and I first became intimate. She had been Commander here before her promotion to her current position. It was her house."

"How did an Army officer become the commander of a Navy base?" asked David.

"It wasn't the Navy base anymore," Morbus said. "It was the first location of the Security Forces headquarters after the New Government took over. Director Roush, Christine's predecessor, moved the headquarters to Arlington where he was because it was closer to the Capitol Sector."

"It's just for the night, Morbus," David said; "but if you're not comfortable here, then I don't know what to tell you."

"I'll stay David, because it's my job to protect you," said Morbus. "My personal history should not come into play."

David headed up the stairs once they arrived at the Commanders Quarters, back to the bedroom where he and Stefanie had been in earlier in the day. He got settled, then went downstairs, where Morbus was arranging for their meals for that night and the following morning.

After their meal, David decided he wanted to relax in the bedroom he chose. He had plenty of reading materials, and settled in for a night of solitude.

First, however, he wanted to call Jordan. He missed her terribly.

----------

Jordan hadn't expected the phone to ring, so it caught her off guard momentarily. She looked at the display and saw David's code, so she knew it was safe to answer it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Jordan, it's me," David said. "God, I miss you so damn much!"

"I miss you, too, David," she said. "Your meetings go well?"

"Yes," David said, "but not without some drama. That's all taken care of now and all parties are safe and sound."

"So you're headed to the Arlington Sector in the morning?"

"Yes. More meetings, I'm afraid," said David.

Jordan chuckled. "Heavy is the head who wears the crown," she said playfully.

"How are you feeling, my angel?"

"Pretty good. Tina and Ava have been a huge help," Jordan said. "And Kimber put herself down for a nap today."

"Really?" asked David. "How did that come about?"

"She was bored. Niki followed suit."

"Hmmm," David thought out loud before laughing. "Think she's learning that life's not all fun and games?"

"I really don't know, David," Jordan said.

"I'll be home soon, Jordan," David said. "Whatever is going to happen in the Arlington Sector after I leave is going to happen whether I'm here or not. I have my best people on it, so there should be no trouble."

"I'm glad to hear that, David," Jordan said. "The doctor finally cleared me to have sex, so when you get home, I'm gonna rip your clothes off!"

"I'm looking forward to it, my angel," David said. "It's been too long!"

----------

Part 6--

He stalked his target, and the two women who were by her side since their arrival in-Sector a couple of days before. Terranova was easy to spot. It's that short haircut and the tiny, muscled frame that gave her away. The other one he thought might be Rebekah Mannion, but wasn't sure, as there were no current pictures of the newest of the Disturbed Ones female assassins.

It doesn't matter, he thought. None of you will live to see another day.

It never occurred to him that he could fail.

----------

Kylee made contact with her target and she was succeeding in seducing him. He was a horny old bastard who liked his sex with very young women, and the rougher, the better he liked it.

Kylee sensed that he liked to dominate his partners after their first encounter. She gave as good as she got, and he liked that. Finally, he thought, there's a bitch out there who is even more depraved than I am! But I'll teach her a lesson she'll never forget... if she lives long enough to realize what's happening to her.

After a full day of borderline rape sex, they relaxed with cocktails in the target's hot tub. He had brought the drinks to tubside and left to go get something else. Suspecting her drink had been poisoned, Kylee pulled out a small vial from her robe's pocket and put a couple drops in her drink. It tested positive for a harmful substance by a change in color which quickly dissapated. She then took out a second vial and emptied its contents into her drink, then she switched drinks with him before he returned.

Not realizing that his drink was originially the one he gave her, the target took a large swallow of his drink and sat back in the tub, satisfied. Later, he thought, she'll be so out of it that what I have planned for her will go off without a hitch.

Instead, he felt tightness in his chest. Before he could get out of the hot tub, he passed out and slipped under the water.

Kylee simply got out of the tub, put on her robe, and left the man there to drown. His autopsy would show he died of drowning during a heart attack, and not that he'd been poisoned.

Within two hours, Kylee was on a plane headed back to Chicagoland. She gave the man she'd been sent to eliminate not a second thought. He was an enemy of the cause, and he had to die.

And she silently thanked Rebekah for her vast knowledge of chemistry.

----------

The next morning, David and Morbus were on their way to the Arlington Sector to meet with Director Collins about the threats to her life.

Neither man said anything to the other, as both were engrossed in their own thoughts. David's thoughts were on his meeting with Christine; Morbus was also thinking about Christine, but his thoughts had nothing to do with meetings and everything to do with his relationship with her.

Soon they arrived at the private airstrip just outside the Arlington Sector and were being escorted to Christine's office.

Once in the Director's office, the meeting got to the point in a hurry. Also in attendance were Julia and Rebekah, and Jeremiah and Nik.

"I truly appreciate all of your being here to protect my ass," Christine said. "After today, Morbus will be my main bodyguard, with Julia and Rebekah as backup. Jeremiah will go back with David, and Nik will stay behind for an extra couple of days."

"Why is Nik staying?" David asked.

"Because I've been asked to use my Ghost Squad skills to beat the assassin at his own game," Nik said. "Apparently, the Illegals still think I died when Joe allegedly 'killed' me, Jeremiah and Julia last summer."

"That's kind of hard to believe," David said.

"I found that hard to believe,too " Christine said, "but I did some checking and it's true. The Illegals have no intel on Nik since last summer. So I thought it would be perfect if he stayed and showed this bastard coming to kill me that the dead do come back to life."

"Can you do without me for a few days, David?" asked Nik. "I have all the confidence in the world that Jere will be just fine."

"I guess I'll just have to make do," David said, laughing. "That okay with you, Jere?"

"I can't think of anything cooler than people thinking you're still dead," Jeremiah said. "Nik can handle it, and I can handle working alone for a few days. Nik complains about my snoring, anyway."

David saw both Nik and Julia roll their eyes, and smiled to himself.

"So it's settled then," Christine said. "Word is that the hit is going to go down in 24 to 48 hours. We have that long to bamboozle the assassin."

The meeting broke up and Morbus and Nik accompanied David and Jeremiah to the airstrip.

Just before David and Jeremiah got on the plane, Nik said,

"Jere, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure, brother, what's up?

"If anything should happen to me," Nik said; "you know what to do."

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Nik," Jeremiah said. "But in case it does, yes, I know what to do."

"Good," Nik said. "That's a load off my mind."

With that, David and Jeremiah got on the plane.

"What is it that Nik's asked you to do?" asked David. "If anything should happen to him."

"Take care of his family, David."

"That's kind of a heavy thing for him to ask," said David.

"It isn't, David," Jeremiah said. "Because he ain't heavy. He's my brother."

----------