Deuces Wild Boxed Set: Books 1-4: Beyond the Frontiers, Rampage, Labyrinth, Birthright

by Ell Leigh Clarke

Barnabas waved her off. “Nothing to worry about, Addie. It’s not actually a pit. It is the base’s security area.”

  Adelaide’s eyes widened at Barnabas’ casual use of her nickname. “Oh, okay then.”

  They left the others at the rec area, and Nickie followed Barnabas through the base to the underground level where the Pit was situated.

  Nickie didn’t recognize anyone in the bustling command center.

  A woman at one of the larger stations looked up as they entered. “Hey, Barnabas. Who’s your friend?”

  Barnabas smiled at the woman. “Hello yourself, Jennifer. This is my niece, Nickie.”

  Jennifer looked Nickie over with a smile. “Ah, the infamous Captain Grimes. You caused quite a stir on your last visit.”

  Nickie grinned. “Yeah, it’s a bit of a thing with me.”

  Barnabas motioned for Nickie to follow him. “We’ll use the smaller meeting room. Are you hungry?”

  “Always,” Nickie told him.

  Barnabas chuckled. “You are definitely Tabitha’s niece.”

  Nickie grinned, thinking about the last diary entry. “You bet. Hey, Uncle B, is there somewhere I can get a new coat? I feel like a change from overalls all the time.”

  Barnabas winked. “There are plenty of stores that have what you’re thinking of. Leather is a somewhat popular thing around these parts.”

  Nickie gave him a look. “I thought you weren’t reading my mind?”

  Barnabas pushed open the door to the meeting room with a chuckle. “Just a peek, my dear. How else would I know what you need? I promise I haven’t looked any deeper. It would be rude. We can shop if you are staying long enough.”

  She would have argued, but she saw the sense in what her uncle said. “We’ll see how this debrief goes. Then I’ll decide if I’m going to stick around.”

  Nickie made herself comfortable at the table while Barnabas stuck his head into the fridge and returned with two Cokes.

  He handed Nickie hers and sat across from her. “So, what happened on Vietania?”

  Nickie made a face. “Ugh, I hate Coke. Is there at least some rum to mix it with?”

  Barnabas waved at a cabinet next to the fridge. “Help yourself.”

  Nickie fixed her drink and sat back down. “So, um… We left the eldest sister in charge.”

  Barnabas frowned. “You assassinated the rightful heir?”

  Nickie shook her head. “No. No assassinations were necessary.” She took a sip of her drink and gave her uncle a pointed look. “You didn’t exactly have accurate information. We got there and there was a conflict, but it was mostly between the people. The sisters were just mad at each other because they were jealous and frustrated, and the whole system was suffering because of it. The older sister, the illegitimate one—she was the best choice to rule, so I made a decision.”

  “And the younger sister?”

  “She eloped with Prince PITA. It was all sickeningly romantic.”

  Barnabas smiled. “Slightly unconventional, but if it worked as a solution, who am I to argue with it?”

  Nickie pointed at him. “Exactly. It got the job done.”

  Barnabas gave her a searching look. “And what would you have done if this solution hadn’t presented itself?”

  Nickie shrugged. “I would have taken the queen out so her sister could rule.”

  “Hmmmm.”

  Nickie glared at him. “What? You said, and I quote, ‘by any means necessary.’ I can get Meredith to play the conversation back if you’d like?”

  Barnabas waved her off. “No need, my dear. I was just considering how similar we are. Do you think you could see yourself doing this sort of work for a while?”

  Nickie shrugged. “I guess so. It’s not the worst.”

  Barnabas chuckled. “No, it is not.” He paused for a second. “How would you feel about sticking around for a few days? I have something to take care of, but I think it would be an excellent time for you to reacquaint yourself with the people who have missed you.”

  Nickie frowned. “Like who?”

  “Well, Sofia, for one. And who knows who else will turn up while you’re here?” He folded his hands together on the table. “Things are a little different than when you left. They have…evolved, you might say.”

  “I thought you wanted me to go out there and do vigilante shit and all that?”

  Barnabas inclined his head a touch. “Well, if you are already walking the walk, then you may as well talk it, too. But I have to admit I’m a little concerned as to whether you understand where the line is for people like us. I want to be sure before I send you out there again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Barnabas paused to think. “We could talk endlessly about this, but what it really comes down to is ethics.”

  “I have ethics,” Nickie grumbled. “It doesn’t matter if they don’t fit with everyone else’s. Except maybe yours.”

  Barnabas nodded. “I’m sure you do, and that is what I would like to learn about you. Why do you think I became a vigilante when the Rangers were disbanded?”

  Nickie grinned. “Because you couldn’t live for one minute without fucking things up for whatever assholes decide they can take what isn’t theirs?”

  Barnabas looked a little guilty.

  Nickie clapped her hands in delight. “HA! I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Barnabas sighed. “That is a rather crude way of putting it, but yes. I have lived a long life, Nickie. My rage has been tempered by time.” He steepled his hands on the table and adopted a serious expression. “My concern is whether you understand your own motivations and how they affect your decisions.”

  “You mean, do I know the difference between right and wrong?”

  Barnabas nodded. “What you did on Vietania, making the choice to act as a queenmaker? It was not a light thing. The implications of interfering with a planet’s constitution are far-reaching, Nickie.”

  Nickie slumped a little in her seat. “I know, but what was the alternative?”

  Barnabas smiled. “That is a very good question, my dear, and one that the Federation is restricted from answering. One that most vigilantes don’t bother to consider. But one that I believe you would benefit from thinking about.”

  “I thought hard about it before making the decision to put Jolie on the throne. It wasn’t a snap reaction, Uncle B. And it was the right choice.”

  Barnabas nodded sagely. “Tell me how you came to the conclusion that the rightful heir was not the right ruler.”

  Nickie twisted her glass between her hands. She sure as hell wished the alcohol in the rum wasn’t being scrubbed from her system as soon as she drank it. This was some heavy shit to deal with. “When we got there the situation was sort of like the brief, but it turned out to be much more complicated than any report could cover.”

  “In what way?” Barnabas asked.

  Nickie thought carefully before she answered. “Well, for a start, there wasn’t really a feud between the sisters. It was more like your usual sibling rivalry.”

  Barnabas frowned as though he hadn’t known any of what she was telling him. “What do you mean?”

  “They were both a little bitter toward each other. Cynthia, the heir, was forced into being queen, and the firstborn had been sidelined because of some fucking ridiculous law about legitimacy. Cynthia had no leadership skills at all; just wanted to be a socialite. Then we had the older sister, Jolie, who did all the work to run things and had the most public support. If I had removed Jolie as planned, the only way the Six were getting into the Federation would have been as part of the relief efforts after the civil war ended.”

  Barnabas’ frown deepened. “I was unaware that the situation was so severe. I can only apologize for sending you in underprepared.”

  Nickie shrugged and looked down at her drink. “It’s cool. We dealt.”

  “You did indeed.” Barnabas was quiet for a moment. “My final question: what gave you the right to make that decis
ion for a whole planet?”

  Nickie’s head snapped up.

  “That was not an accusation, Nickie. I would like you to tell me why you believe you had the authority to countermand your orders.”

  Nickie snorted. “Because my orders were stupid, that’s why. I did what was right, and if Cynthia hadn’t run away with John, I would have taken her out—no problem whatsoever. I had the right because I was there to do whatever those people needed me to do to make sure they carried on living in their humdrum bliss.” She paused as a realization hit her. “Ohhhh. Fuck me sideways, Uncle B. This is one of those things where I say I’m sacrificing myself for the cause or some shit, right?”

  “Or some shit,” Barnabas agreed. He got up from his seat. “I am impressed, Nickie. I am also glad that fate intervened to save you from the burden of killing an innocent. You were faced with difficult decisions, and you made the right choice at each juncture. You should be proud of yourself.”

  Nickie got up, looking away to hide the burning in her cheeks. “I don’t know about that.”

  Barnabas patted her shoulder. “I do. You did well, and I expect you will do well with your next challenge also.”

  Nickie narrowed her eyes. “What challenge?”

  Barnabas smiled sagely. “All in good time, my dear. Now, I believe you wished to go shopping?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Undisclosed Location, QBS Shinigami, Bridge, One Week Later

  Barnabas and Shinigami sat together over their usual game of chess, which was to say their usual game of attempting to cheat one another out of a victory.

  “It’s my move,” Shinigami protested. Today her avatar wore Tabitha’s face, simply because she knew it put Barnabas off kilter much more than Bethany Anne’s or Baba Yaga’s. She was on an eight-game losing streak, and any advantage she could get against Barnabas was fair as far as she was concerned.

  “I distinctly remember you making the last move before Nickie arrived,” Barnabas reminded his companion.

  Shinigami snickered. “Sucks to be an old man with memory loss.”

  “Memory loss?” Barnabas snorted. “I’ll give you memory loss. Right after I give you a master reset for resorting to such boring tactics and rudeness.” Barnabas made his move and winked at her. “Now it is your move.”

  Shinigami stuck out her tongue at him.

  Barnabas laughed. “My, my, aren’t we petulant today?”

  “I would be in a fine mood if I could work out how you are cheating,” she grumped. “But it will have to wait. You have a call.”

  “Oh, yes?”

  Without warning, General Lance Reynolds appeared on the viewscreen.

  “Barnabas, how the devil are you doing?”

  Barnabas smiled at his old friend. “Very well, thank you, Lance. It’s been a very productive couple of weeks.”

  A small voice piped up. “Who is it, Daddy? Is it Bethany Anne? She promised to call me!”

  Lance lifted his son Kevin onto his lap. “I’m the one who’s making the call, sweetheart. Look, it’s your Uncle Barnabas.”

  “Hi, Unca Barnabas,” Kevin trilled. “Thank you for my spaceship!”

  “You are very welcome, Kevin,” Barnabas replied with a warm smile. The boy was growing up, although not as quickly as Alexis and Gabriel, thank goodness.

  “Byeeee!” Kevin waved, then jumped down from Lance’s lap and ran off making pew-pew noises.

  Barnabas watched him go fondly. “He’s an angel.”

  Lance grinned. “He’s a chip off the old block, that’s for sure.”

  “He is that.” Barnabas chuckled. “So, what can I do for you? I’m guessing that this isn’t a social call.”

  Lance grinned. “You guessed right. I’ve had an unexpected contact from the Six. They’ve resolved their issues and are ready to sign the agreements. However, the monarch of Vietania is not the person I was expecting.”

  Barnabas was pleasantly surprised. “That was fast. I believe that Queen Jolie’s confirmation was a resounding success.”

  Lance narrowed his eyes. “Yes. I can’t help but wonder what you had to do with that, although after suffering through a meeting with the other queen I have to say I’m somewhat grateful for the change.”

  Barnabas touched the side of his nose. “A vigilante never tells, Lance. You should know that by now.”

  Lance regarded him skeptically. “I know for a fact that you haven’t left High Tortuga, and yet you look like the cat that got the cream. Come on, spill. How did you resolve it? You did resolve it, right?”

  Barnabas lifted a shoulder. “In a manner of speaking. I outsourced it.”

  Another Boxed Set From…

  If you love Boxed Sets, check out The Ascension Myth boxed set- another series from Ell Leigh Clarke and Michael Anderle. Now available at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

  Available at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  Author Notes - Ell Leigh Clarke

  October 8, 2018

  Thank Yous

  Massive thanks as always goes out to MA, aka Yoda. Can you believe it’s been 18 months and that nickname still STICKS!

  Had I known… yeah, I still would have said it.

 

  Tee hee.

  Thanks Yoda for your continued support and jousting.

  Despite the shit I give you, you’ve still been super helpful in my new solo projects… even though there is a risk my solo books will knock yours out of your regular number #1 slots. (Not that I’m competitive… Just giving you something to joust against. You’re welcome.)

 

  Seriously though, even though it’s not in your best interests commercially, I really appreciate the help you’ve given in reading the first few chapters, and helping tweak the covers to give them the best chance possible.

  I don’t for one minute suspect you might be secretly sabotaging me either… ;)

 

  Massive, uber thanks also go out to our JIT team and Zen-Steve for all their hard work in making sure the words are consistent with the KU and reach you in tip top condition. Thank you so much for all the care and attention you put into the process. Without you… well, we’d probably be crying in a corner every time we needed to get a release out!

  Reviewers

  Massive thanks also goes out to our hoard of Amazon reviewers. It’s because of you that we get to do this full time. Without your five-star reviews and thoughtful words on Amazon we simply wouldn’t have enough folks reading these space shenanigans to be able to write full time.

  You are the reason these stories exist and you have no idea how frikkin’ grateful I am to you.

  Truly, thank you.

  Readers and FB page supporters

  Last, and certainly by no means least, I’d like to thank you for reading this book. Your enthusiasm for the world, and the characters, is heart-warming. Your words of encouragement, and demands for the next episode are the things that often stay in my mind as I flick from checking the Facebook page to the scrivener file when I start each writing session.

  Thank you for being here, for the giggles and interaction, for reading, and reviewing. You rock, and without you, there really would be no reason to write these stories.

  Thank you.

  E x

  Mossad 101

  Ok, so it’s rare that I start author notes off by saying – OMGyouhavetoseethis!

  But – OMGyouhavetoseethis!

  As you know, I’m a bit of a Netflix binger. It’s my way of relaxing… and also unleashing my creative brain to come up with new stories to tell. I’ll see something in Mission Impossible and a variation on it may just appear in a heart to heart conversation between two characters for instance. (Oh yeah, there is no direct pulling from other stories – it’s all about it triggering ideas or mor
al arguments, or set ups that I decide I want to explore while mindlessly watching other things going on on screen! And don’t tell me you’re not the same ;P)

  Anyway, I digress.

  Recently, since I’ve been healing from the adrenal failure, I’ve had more focus and energy. Enough energy to watch things like The West Wing. (OMG how awesome is it?? I have favourite episodes. I know… super geeky).

  But recently I found a show called Mossad 101.

  Now anyone who has seen any NCIS will know about their super cool Mossad Agent, Ziva David. She’s an inspiration. Bad ass. Cute. Israeli. Multi-lingual. Oh yeah, and she kicks everyone’s ass without breaking a sweat.

  So when I saw this show, I figured it was going to be lots of badassery and clever stuff going down.

  And it didn’t fail to impress. Within thirty seconds I was hooked. If you do TV (and I know a lot of you guys don’t, because you prefer reading… and that’s cool) but if you’re ever looking for something cool on TV – check it out: Mossad 101.

  Now, I have to tell you, it has subtitles, because it’s mostly in Hebrew. I say mostly because when there is a French agent and conversation, they speak French. In an Arabic setting, they speak Arabic. And so it goes… just like in real life. Another reason why it is EPIC.

  The subtitles are always in English though.

  But it means you have to keep up with reading, and it’s no good if you’re tired coz it moves fast and it’s also got layers of things you might miss if you just miss one screen. (It took me a while to figure this out because I’ve become so used to wandering off with my headphones on and not looking at the screen to see what’s happening. One can do this with NCIS. Not with Mossad!).

  Anyway – the text messages are also in Hebrew! IT’S. SO. COOL!

  So cool in fact that I’ve been inspired to learn Hebrew.

  I kid you not. (Check Patreon, I’ve been posting screenshots of my app in there! This is happening.)

  I’m currently on Module 4, of the Pimsleur course, and have just about learned the alphabet. Or aleph-bet as they call it. I’m inspired. I feel like may I knew this in a past life. It seems to be fairly straight forward to pick up and retain. Way more so than my efforts at Arabic or Icelandic.