He chuckled. “It’ll run for a while.”

  “Good,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “I get noisy,” she said, pulling him over herself.

  The passion built fast between them, and they were together, riding the waves, beside themselves as they rose and fell, crying out. Tex focused on her face, amazed and so much in love. Then they settled down, laying on their sides facing each other, silent for a time.

  “Told you I get loud,” she said, her eyes misty.

  “My God, woman,” Tex said, caressing the back of her head as he went in for a kiss.

  “Was it worth the waiting? Worth all the dramatics?”

  He chuckled. “I’m so much in love with you that I can hardly stand it.”

  “I’ve known that for a while. Sorry it took me so long.”

  “So long?” Tex asked. “I’m the one that should be apologizing. I’ve been hounding you since the moment I met you.”

  “Yes, but in a nice way,” she said. “I was so angry when we met. You pushed past it. You pushed me past it.”

  “When did you decide?” Tex asked.

  “Decide what? That I’d let you take me?”

  “No, that I was okay. That I was safe.”

  She smiled, a calmness showing on her face that was new to him. “That’s not what you really want to know.”

  “What do you think I really want to know?”

  “When I fell in love with you,” she said, her eyes dancing with his.

  “You don’t have to say that yet.”

  “You did.”

  “I know,” he said, “but it has to happen naturally. Without pressure.”

  Her eyes teared up more, and she reached up to pet his cheek. “Okay, cards on the table. I knew I was in love with you last night. When I offered myself to you and you wouldn’t do it.”

  “Oh. I was hoping. It felt like you were close.”

  “So, you calculated a little in turning me down?” she asked.

  Tex smiled. “No, it was after that. It was your reaction when I admitted that I loved you.”

  “Okay, I could see that,” she said, more tears coming. “I cried. Geez, it’s so obvious. I’m such a dope. I should’ve told you then and there.”

  “You weren’t ready. It happened when it was supposed to happen.”

  “Yes, it did.”

  “We can get up for a while if you want,” Tex said.

  “No way. We’re not done yet.”

  They kissed again.

  ***

  “You hungry?” Jules asked, sitting up in bed next to Shelly.

  “I guess we’ve worked up a good appetite. What did you have in mind?”

  “There was peach cobbler in kitchen fridge. You like, no?”

  “Oh, yeah, I like,” she said. “Should we go get some and bring it back, or just eat it there?”

  “Maybe eat there,” Jules said. “Mind?”

  “No, not at all,” she said. “We need a break anyway. We’ve been making love on and off since this afternoon.”

  “Sore?”

  “I should be. You know why I’m not.”

  “Oh,” Jules said. “Sorry. I wish that never happen.”

  “I know, sweetie, but I’m a survivor. That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

  Jules smiled. “That one of Ivan’s favorite sayings.”

  “Will I ever meet him?”

  “Almost certainly,” he said, getting out of bed. He pulled on his clothes, and picked up his phone. “Message. Didn’t even hear it come in.”

  “Gee, I wonder why,” Shelly said as she dressed, her face turning red.

  Jules shot her a sidelong glance, then focused on his phone. “Oops, it Ivan.”

  “Call him back,” Shelly said.

  “Let’s wait until we get to kitchen.”

  “Somebody’s got a sweet tooth.”

  “Maybe little. Let’s go.”

  They left the coach, stepping out into the crisp night air.

  “Northern California is always cooler than I expect,” Shelly said, pulling him closer as they walked.

  “Warm compared to home,” Jules said.

  “You want to go back there?”

  “Back to Belgium?” he asked. “Spend time there, spend more time here. This new home. I run business with team who reside both here and there.”

  They walked to the house and stepped into the kitchen. Jules opened the fridge.

  “Still there?” she asked.

  “Yep.” He pulled out the large glass baking pan and set it on the counter, then removed the foil covering it. “Look. Enough for us, no?”

  “I think so,” she said, looking at it. “If you want me to keep my figure, don’t feed me this stuff too often.”

  He chuckled, looking for silverware in the drawers. Shelly went to the cupboard and took down two small plates. They split what was left and took it to the table.

  “Mmmmm, this is good,” Shelly said after a bite.

  “Yes, good,” Jules said. “I call Ivan, put on speaker, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Jules hit the contact and put the phone on the table, hitting the speaker button.

  Ivan picked up. “About time.”

  “Sorry, boss, I was otherwise occupied. I’m with Shelly in the kitchen of the groundkeeper’s house. What going on?”

  “Oh, with your milkmaid again, huh? Getting anywhere?”

  Shelly giggled. “Yes, he got somewhere.”

  “Oh, my my,” Ivan said. “Congrats to you both. I’ll be waiting for wedding invitations.”

  “One step at a time,” Shelly said.

  Ivan chuckled. “Well, I’m happy for both of you, however serious this is. Now on to business. I have good news. General Hogan’s team has given us the prototype of the apps we were talking about.”

  “No, really?” Jules asked. “Why they do that? They finish?”

  “Very close. We still have to keep it to leadership team, though, okay?”

  “I understand,” Jules said.

  “Who’s on the leadership team now?” Ivan asked.

  “Sparky, Tex, Ted, and me,” Jules said.

  “Want me to leave the room?” Shelly asked.

  “Put her on the leadership team,” Ivan said. “Anybody who can put up with you deserves it.”

  Jules laughed. Shelly shook her head. “I’ll bet you two are a riot at a party.”

  “You’ll find out, when this is over,” Ivan said.

  “What next?” Jules asked.

  “I send link to each phone. Have Shelly call me so I get her number.”

  “Yes, I do,” Jules said, his mouth a little too full of food.

  “You guys are eating? Kinda late, isn’t it?”

  “There was some left-over peach cobbler,” Shelly said. “Sorry.”

  “I’ll bet it was Jules’s idea,” Ivan said. “He always did have a sweet tooth.”

  Jules’s phone dinged. “I got link.”

  “Good, follow it, download, and install, and I’ll walk you through what it does. Then you can show the others.”

  “Downloading now,” Jules said. He took his last bite of cobbler. “This good, wish more left.”

  Shelly shook her head. “You have to watch your figure too, you know.”

  “Belgians,” Ivan said. “No wonder they’re famous for chocolate.”

  “Downloaded. Installing app number one now,” Jules said, watching his screen.

  “This is going to make our operations a lot safer, isn’t it?” Shelly asked.

  “Yes, it will give us an enormous advantage,” Ivan said, “but we must avoid letting the enemy know about this, at all costs. That’s why we’re keeping it to the leadership team.”

  “Does Ji-Ho get this?” Jules asked.

  “Yes, he got it earlier today. Same situation. Leadership team only.”

  “Can we tell the others that we have it?” Shelly asked.

  “Yes, but they can’t have it on their phones. Soon, but not yet.”

  “Any word on General Hogan?” Jules asked.

  “There’s an operation happening to get him out in a couple days,” Ivan said. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

  “I do,” Jules said. “Second app done.”

  “Great, then open the first app.”

  Jules tapped the tile, and the app opened. “Map show up.”

  “If there are enemy fighters within about half a mile, you will get buzzed, and the display will show their location.”

  “Wow,” Shelly said.

  “Nobody close now,” Jules said.

  “Yes, and that’s good,” Ivan said. “This app can be used even where there is no cell coverage. It works peer to peer with the enemy RFID chips.”

  “Wow,” Jules said. “They can’t sneak up anymore.”

  “That’s right,” Ivan said.

  “How do we know this really works?” Shelly asked. “Since nothing will show up?”

  “Let’s check the long-range app,” Ivan said. “Load it.”

  Jules tapped that app, and it loaded, taking a little longer than the short-range app. “Okay, it up.”

  “Expand the map, just like you would do with the normal map application. Go to San Jose.”

  Jules did that, and his eyes got wide. “Whoa.”

  Shelly got close and looked. “My God, there’s so many that they just look like a blob on the screen.”

  “That’s the first target area,” Ivan said. “Mertins Electronics factory. They’ve been making the RFID chips.”

  Jules snickered. “Are you kidding? The enemy chips are made in America?”

  “You got it,” Ivan said. “One of your Belgian buddies did it.”

  “Daan Mertins,” Jules said, a look of disgust on his face. “That man’s whole family has been a disaster for Europe, going back hundreds of years.”

  “He’ll get his,” Ivan said. “We’re going in on three sides to hit this factory. Then we move on to another pocket. Move the map towards San Francisco. Make it wider. Expand to show the entire Bay Area.”

  “Wow,” Shelly said. “Daly City. Palo Alto. Oakland.”

  “Not many in San Francisco,” Jules said.

  “Islamists aren’t in the city itself, but the UN is,” Ivan said. “Look at Sacramento. That’s the other big hive of enemy activity.”

  Jules moved to that part of the map. “More here than Bay Area. We hit next?”

  “Yes,” Ivan said. “Remember the focus, though. You don’t try to kill them all yourself, you make a big show for recruitment. Don’t get killed trying to destroy any single target. Do you understand? We’ll couple your operations with more of my TV appearances. Just like LA and Orange Counties.”

  “Yes,” Jules said.

  “One other thing,” Ivan said. “There are three locations we know of where women are being held as sex slaves. I think your team is uniquely qualified to liberate them. Do you agree?”

  Jules looked at Shelly, who shook her head yes, terror in her eyes.

  “Yes, we agree,” Jules said.

  “Think about it and get back to me after you’ve talked to the others. The rescue missions will be the most dangerous jobs you will take on.”

  “Okay, I discuss, but I think we fine with it.”

  “Damn straight,” Shelly said, resolve showing on her face. She put her hand on Jules’s.

  “Okay, that’s all I have for tonight. Remember to have Shelly call my phone. Also be ready in the morning to work with team leadership. Take a vote on the liberation missions. Call me when you’re done. Conference call with the leadership, including Shelly. Got me?”

  “Yes, I got,” Jules said. “Thank you.”

  “Talk to you soon, old friend.”

  The call ended. Jules set his phone on the table and took a deep breath.

  “Wow,” Shelly said.

  “Look,” Jules said, showing the phone screen to Shelly.

  “My God, is that Washington DC?”

  “Yes, is,” Jules said. “This why we wait for wide release. Need names of traitors before they can get rid of RFID chips and hide.”

  “Can we win this?” Shelly asked.

  “Yes, we can win,” Jules said. “Ready to go home?”

  “I’m ready,” Shelly said, getting out of her chair. Jules picked up the plates and put them into the sink, and they left the house, heading into the night air, holding hands, fingers intertwined.

  {12}

  Breakfast Meeting

  S eth woke up as the sun shined into the battle wagon’s bedroom window. Kaitlyn was still asleep, her body rising and falling, her breathing relaxed. He snuck out of bed, slipped on a shirt and his sweat pants, and went into the salon to start the coffee maker, then looked out the windows. Nobody was up yet. He picked up his phone. Only six. Geez.

  “Hey, you up already?” Kaitlyn asked from the bedroom. He walked back in there.

  “I woke up because of the sun shining on my face. You don’t have to get up yet, if you’re not ready.”

  “You could always come back in bed, you know.” She pulled back the covers to show herself to him.

  He moaned and joined her. They kissed passionately.

  “You still have clothes on,” she whispered, tugging the shirt over his head. He slipped out of his sweats and ravished her, both caught in the moment together, not caring about anything but each other.

  “Wow,” Kaitlyn said as Seth rolled off her. “This just keeps getting better.”

  “I know. When are we getting married?”

  “Maybe today, if things aren’t crazy,” Kaitlyn said. “Everybody’s here.”

  “Yes, everybody’s here. What were you going to tell me about your mom and dad?”

  She looked at him, her eyes showing pain. “It didn’t work. They’ve been unhappy for a long time. The elders let them dissolve their marriage.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. Where is your dad? Is he with us?”

  “No, he left the tribe for a while,” Kaitlyn said.

  “You don’t look too upset about that.”

  “We never got along,” Kaitlyn said, “and by the way, he has a big problem with women in the tribe wedding men from outside.”

  “You never seemed worried about that.”

  “I knew this was coming, and I knew he’d be leaving. Happened earlier than I thought.”

  “So, your mom really was flirting with Garrett, then, wasn’t she?”

  Kaitlyn giggled. “Not seriously, but I’ll bet she’d give him a good roll in the hay.”

  “He does like her,” Seth said. “I could tell by the way he was looking at her.”

  “She’s a little on the hefty side. A little bottom heavy. I’m liable to get that way, you know.”

  “Yeah, especially after you have all the babies I’m going to put in you.”

  “Stop it,” she said. “You just can’t wait, can you?”

  “Neither can you. Deny it.”

  She looked at him, her eyes misting. “No, I don’t deny it. You’re my man and I’m your woman. It’s what we do.”

  “It is,” Seth said. “Can I get up now?”

  She grabbed her pillow and hit him in the head.

  “Oh, you want to play, do you?” Seth asked, picking up his pillow and doing the same.

  “Stop! We don’t want to break these. They aren’t ours.”

  Seth laughed. “Okay, okay. You’re right.” His phone dinged.

  “Uh oh,” Kaitlyn said, eyes showing fear.

  Seth looked at the phone. “No worries, it’s just a meeting. In an hour.”

  “We should get up and eat, then,” Kaitlyn said.

  “Don’t worry, they’re feeding us breakfast,” Seth said. “This is early for a meeting. Must be something important.”

  “Well, if we don’t need to eat, maybe you can keep me occupied for a while.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Seth said, turning towards her. Then there was a knock on the door. Seth laughed. “So much for that.” He went to the door and looked out the window.

  “Who is it?” Kaitlyn asked,

  “Angel and Megan,” Seth said. “Get dressed.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Seth cracked the door. “Give us a minute. We’re not decent.”

  “We already knew that,” Angel said.

  “Hardy har har,” Seth said as he shut the door. He got dressed in the bedroom. Kaitlyn opened the door while he finished.

  “Good morning,” Megan said.

  “Good morning to you,” Kaitlyn said. “Uh oh, what’s up? I’ve seen that grin before.”

  “We had a little chat with Tyler,” Megan said.

  “You did, did you?” Seth asked as he came out of the bedroom. “We were just talking about that.”

  “Backing out already?” Angel asked.

  “Yeah, right,” Seth said, pulling Kaitlyn close to him. “I can’t wait, and that’s the truth.”

  “You got the meeting notice, right?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “Meeting notice?” Angel asked, reaching for his phone. “Oh, yeah, here it is. My phone ringer was off.”

  “Oh, crap, what now?” Megan asked.

  “Just a meeting with breakfast,” Angel said. “Ji-Ho and Garrett are holding it.”

  “Well, I hope it isn’t something that will foil our plans with Tyler,” Kaitlyn said.

  “Me too,” Megan said. “We’ve got to get this done sooner rather than later.”

  “There’s that look again,” Kaitlyn said.

  Seth laughed. “Damn, dude, you knocked her up already, didn’t you?”

  Angel snickered. “Knocked her up? How crude.”

  “Megan?” Kaitlyn asked, looking her up and down.

  “All right, all right, I’m late. Might be nothing. It has been a little stressful, and that plays hell with my clock.”

  “Why’s your face turning so red?” Seth asked.

  “Yeah, imagine if she was a white girl,” Angel said.

  Megan elbowed him. “Stop that, and don’t tell anybody else, okay? This is bad enough as it is.”

  “Not even Trevor?” Seth asked, a sly grin on his face.

  “Oh, geez, then Kaylee would know,” Megan said.

  Seth laughed. “You’ll be lucky to beat those two.”

  “Are they getting married?” Megan asked.

  “Not with Tyler,” Kaitlyn said. “I think they want to go into town and find a Justice of the Peace.”

 

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