Growth 0f Love

by D. Anne Paris

  "Max, buddy!" Tiny hollered and Max bolted to him, wagging his tail. Tiny, a former teammate of Keith’s who helped rescue Anne Stevens was also invited to the brunch, so Tiny had made the trek down from northern Michigan for the brunch. A teammate of Keith’s, he had helped rescue Anne Stevens.

  Tiny bent down and gave Max a bear hug. "Look at you, boy!" When Tiny released him Max went over to Dean and wagged his tail.

  Dean bent down and petted him. "Hey, Max, old buddy."

  Max then went around the room to meet everyone.

  "What took you so long?" Dean eyed Keith questioningly as he placed the bags under the Christmas tree.

  "I had to fix a plumbing problem,” Keith said with a smile as he walked up casually to his friend.

  Dean's eyebrows lifted. "Plumbing problem? What happened?"

  He patted Dean's shoulder. "Everything's fine, Dean."

  Jeri sat down on the sofa next to Anne and hoped her brother would stop with the questions.

  "You feeling okay?" Anne gave her appearance a once over. "You look a little flushed."

  "I'm fine." She brushed a strand of hair away. Now was not the time or place to tell her about Keith.

  Missy's eye's narrowed, and she grinned.

  Damn it! She figured it out. Jeri felt her cheeks turn red again and she forced herself to look away. She focused on Max, who decided to sit next to Tiny. Tiny sat down beside him on the floor and kept petting him.

  Keith noticed Evan was missing. "Where's Evan?"

  "Has to work. He'll be here later," Missy responded. Her small engagement ring sparkled as she bit into a cookie.

  "Ok, we'll fill him in when he arrives. Tell us what you found, Daniel." Dean told him.

  Daniel put his coffee cup on a small table and tapped something on his tablet. "So, as everyone knows, I've been doing some more digging about our origins.” Daniel began as he looked around at all the people in his parents’ home.

  He nodded towards Keith, who stood by Dean and behind the sofa that Jeri, and his sisters Anne, and Missy sat on. "And with what happened to Keith, I was able to gain some extra info on his assassin."

  Dean placed his hands on the sofa. "So what did you find?"

  Daniel tapped on his tablet again. "This assassin's employer was hard to track because all the info was sent through proxy servers..."

  "Daniel, skip the techno babble," Kenneth told him as he leaned against the curio cabinet.

  Daniel sighed. "Right, sorry. I found the assassin was hired by a lady by the name of Karen Aimes who works for J&B Industries, which is a bio tech firm."

  "Bio tech?" Tiny chimed in from his spot on the floor. "I don't like the sound of that."

  "Yeah, they're a large multi-national firm, and this lady is the director of Genetic Research."

  "I really don't like the sound of that," Elle responded from her seat by the dining table with Christina.

  "Yeah, well some of the stuff I was able to uncover about her is not all that great, especially if you like animals."

  "Sounds like her mother didn't raise her right," Helen commented as she sat next to Christina. "Animals are to be respected."

  "Yes, they are. Right, Max?" Tiny asked as he continued to rub the sleeping dog's neck.

  "Well, she didn't get the email about it. Anyway, as I dug into her past and affiliations I uncovered something interesting. A lot of the emails she has kept referring to something called 'The agency'."

  "Sounds like a bad movie from the 90s," Missy said with a smirk.

  Daniel typed again on his tablet. "I wish it was, but from what I was able to gather it's an organization run by a bunch of high class mucky mucks."

  "What do they do?" George Tensel asked, standing by Kenneth.

  Daniel sighed. "The question is what don't they do."

  "What do you mean?" Keith casually placed his hands on Jeri's shoulders.

  Jeri wondered if anyone noticed.

  Daniel scrolled through his tablet. "I found emails that talked about political favors, stock trading, tech espionage, and in Ms. Karen's case genetic experimentation."

  "Why hasn't the NSA found out about this? They have access to everyone's emails and phone calls." Dean started to pace around the room.

  Daniel looked up at him with a grim face. "Because the director is part of the agency."

  "Son of a bitch!" Kenneth spat.

  "Kenneth, language!" Helen scolded him after she put down her coffee cup.

  Keith moved away from Jeri and walked over to Daniel. "Do you have a list of who's in this Agency?"

  Daniel tapped the tablet and then handed it to him. "This is all I could find so far. There is a lot more for me to go through, but since Ms. Karen is the imminent threat to us at the moment I was focusing on her.

  Keith scrolled through the list. "Shit. Dean, look at this."

  Helen shot him an annoyed look but continued to sip her coffee.

  Dean hurried over to him. His eyes widened.

  "Dean, what is it?" Anne questioned. She rubbed her protruding belly.

  Dean brought the tablet over to Daniel. "Find out all you can about this guy."

  "What is it?" Tiny asked as he kept petting Max.

  Keith looked over at him. "Green."

  Tiny visually stiffened.

  "Um, can you fill in the blanks for the rest of us?" Elle asked them.

  Dean looked at her. "Green is a general we served under. He took a particular interest in our team when we were deployed."

  "He was a nasty little man," Tiny said. "Didn't really give a shit about anyone but himself. He'd sell you to the devil just to get a better position."

  "And he's in this Agency?" George walked over to the dining table and grabbed a coffee cup.

  Daniel nodded. "Yes and actually," He took the tablet from Dean. "he was in touch with Ms. Karen."

  Dean looked over at Keith. "That bastard probably told her about Ramandi."

  "And being a genetic scientist, she wanted to learn more." Keith looked over at Daniel. "But why would she want me dead?"

  Daniel looked at him grimly. "She wanted to dissect you."

  Jeri gasped, as did the other women.

  "Sick bitch," Tiny grumbled.

  "But wait." Missy sat up straighter on the couch. "Why would she want him dead? Wouldn't he be more valuable alive?"

  "That's what I thought, so I dug a little deeper. I found that she already had your DNA."

  Keith's eyebrows shot up. "What? How?"

  "Someone sold it to her, and not just once but a couple of times." He typed again. "There is not much detail on it, just that the person was paid cash and there were a couple deliveries."

  "A couple?" Keith rubbed his hands across his face. "Did it mention what kind of DNA? Like hair, saliva, blood?"

  "Semen."

  Keith's head whipped around. "Why..."

  "Near as what I can tell, she got it and froze it because she wanted to merge it with an egg and have a surrogate carry it to term."

  "That's just sick," Christina murmured.

  "That's why she didn't need you alive," Dean told Keith. "She could experiment on your child."

  Keith crossed his arms. "The only way she could have gotten that was if..." His eyes widened. "That bitch!!!"

  Dean's jaw tightened. "Jennifer."

  Keith's face reddened. "She fuckin’ told me she couldn't use birth control because of the side effects. We had to use condoms. She always took..." He stormed out of the room and almost knocked over a vase as he headed to the front door. Max stood up to run after him but Tiny held him back.

  Dean started to walk after him, but Jeri grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "Let me."

  He nodded and she grabbed her coat and bolted out after Keith.

  When she was outside she saw him walk into the forest.

  "Keith!" For a man with a prosthesis he moved really fast.

  He didn't s
top when she called out to him.

  Thankfully, since she was wearing flats she managed to catch up to him. She grabbed his arm.

  He stopped and she walked in front of him. She honestly didn't know what to say to him. "Keith?"

  "Why the fuck didn't I see it?"

  "People get fooled all the time." She took hold of his trembling hands. "I got fooled, too. I thought Jake would stand by me through everything, but in the end..."

  He pulled his hands away and cupped them around her face. His mouth came down on hers and she savored the taste of him. When he released her he leaned his forehead against hers. "The best thing that happened was that you left that bastard and now you're mine."

  Her heart did a little jump at the thought. Her eyes looked directly into his. "I would never lie to you, Keith. You can use your power right now and ask me anything you want."

  Keith looked into her eyes. Would she feel his persuasive power taking hold of her?

  "Jeri, I want to trust you without having to use my power. Isn't that what the basis of a relationship is about?"

  "It should be, yes."

  He ran his fingers through her hair. "Then let's make a promise to ourselves- no secrets, okay?"

  Her lips curled up in a seductive smile. "All right, but that doesn't include me telling you what I plan to do for you on Christmas."

  His eyebrows shot up. "Oh, now I'm curious."

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips towards hers for a quick kiss. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow." She released him. "Now, let's get back to the others."

  She stared to walk back, but Keith grabbed hold of her hand and brought her against him.

  "Jeri, I need to find that woman and destroy all my DNA, but I don't want you to come with. I can get very... brutal on a mission."

  "I want to be there with you, Keith. You're not leaving me behind."

  "I don't want you to see that side..."

  Her finger silenced his lips. "No secrets, remember? I need to know you, Keith, no matter what you do. I know you and Dean probably did some bad things in the Middle East. I can handle it."

  He took hold of her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Tiny bolts of lightning zipped down her arm and straight to her legs, causing her to fall against him. "Let's get back before they send a search party for us."

  Jeri's legs regained their strength and Keith took hold of her hand as they walked back. They weren't that deep in the forest, so they were back at the house fairly quickly.

  They walked back into the house hand in hand. When they entered the living room all eyes were on them. Keith looked over at Dean and Daniel.

  "We need to go and find that bitch."

  Dean's eyes darted at their entwined hands.

  "No offense, Keith," Tiny chimed in from his spot next to Max. "But what exactly do you think you are going to do when you find her? Are you going to kill her?"

  Keith tensed as he looked over at his former teammate. "I want to stop her and Green."

  Jeri looked up at him. "You're going to need help. I'm coming with you."

  He turned his head to look at her. "Dean, Tiny and I can handle it. You need to stay here."

  Her eyes narrowed. "She tried to kill you, Keith. There's no way I am staying behind."

  "You need our help," Elle insisted. "We have abilities that could be quite useful to you."

  "Besides," Anne smiled. "you guys need a good cover. We can make it look like a couples outing."

  Dean shook his head. "No, you're not going."

  She shot daggers at him. "I can go where ever I want, Dean Miller."

  He strode over to her and hovered over her, arms crossed. "Not when you're pregnant."

  Anne stood up and stared him down. "It doesn't make me an invalid. I can take care of myself, Dean."

  "Honey," Helen looked over at Anne. "Dean is right. You shouldn't put yourself into danger."

  She spun and looked at her mother. "I'll be careful and stay in the car. If this woman really is part of some weird corporation the guys are going to need all the help they can get."

  "Not if it puts all of you in danger," Keith insisted.

  "Then train us." Christina stood and walked to the center of the room. "Like Elle said, we have abilities that will help you stop Karen and whoever else is involved."

  She waved in Elle's direction. "Elle can scramble a person's vocal cognition, meaning she fries the part of the brain that creates words so they won't be able to talk or write anything. I..."She stopped and the next minute she was gone. "Can make myself..." Elle then disappeared. "and others disappear." A moment later they both reappeared. "How can we get hurt when no one can see us?"

  "Having powers doesn't mean you are invincible," Kenneth insisted. "I agree with Dean and Keith. Let them handle it, they have the training. You girls are just setting yourself up for trouble."

  Anne stared daggers at her father. "We're not going to stay home in our little aprons and wait for the men to come back."

  Dean spun her around to look at him. "Anne, I need you to stay here. Having you with us will just compromise the mission. I'll be worried about keeping you safe instead of the mission."

  "Dean, you have nothing..."

  "He's right." Keith interrupted her. "The three of us will be constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure all of you are safe, which could get us in trouble."

  "Not if we..."

  "End of discussion," Keith boomed. He looked over at Daniel. "We need to discuss strategy." He let go of Jeri's hand and motioned to Tiny and Dean. "Let's get some fresh air to think this through. Kenneth, George, you're welcome to join us."

  "Oh no you're not," Helen yelled at them. She got up from her chair and headed in their direction. "It's Christmas Eve! No one is going to talk military strategy today or tomorrow. Even villains take holidays off!" She shooed them back into the living room. "Go have some eggnog while I finish brunch."

  Jeri tried not to smirk at Keith's expression. Apparently, he was so use to being in charge that he never expected anyone, especially Helen Stevens, to override his authority. She patted his shoulder and headed after Helen towards the kitchen. "Helen, let me help you with brunch."

  "Oh, thank you, honey."

  Elle, Anne, and Christine followed her. Each of them trying to hide their laughter.

  A shrill ringtone broke through the cheerful moment.

  Keith pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was from the city, but he didn't recognize the number.

  "Must be someone from work," he muttered to no one in particular. "Brinks, here." he answered.

  "Hello, Keith." a gruff male voice responded.

  "Who is this?" he asked.

  "Ha! Figures you wouldn't recognize me, but we do share something in common. A certain woman or more accurately women."

  Keith's head started to put the pieces together. "Jake." he growled out. "You really have some balls calling me."

  Tiny and Dean's eyebrows shot up.

  "I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas."

  "The fuck you do. You deserve to rot in hell! And the next time I see you I will..."

  "You shouldn't be threatening me, Keith."

  "Why the hell not? You're lucky you are still breathing."

  "You better watch what you say, Keith, because I know things that could make Jeri's life a bit more difficult."

  Keith slowly moved outside. He didn't want Jeri anywhere near this conversation. "What the hell did you just say?"

  "I'm just reminding you that the internet is a very powerful thing, and I could easily let some people know how gifted she is."

  Keith gripped the phone tighter. "You wouldn't dare try that."

  Jake snorted. "Oh, yes, I would. Especially if your mom retaliates and makes Jennifer's job difficult."

  "You know my mom doesn't have to do anything." Keith walked down the steps. "I bet you have some rather incrimi
nating photos of your ménage with my ex. Wonder what would happen if those were somehow leaked to maybe the members of the Board."

  "I don't have any photos." he flatly told him.

  Keith smiled. He was one of those guys who would have them just so he can brag to everyone. "I don't believe it. You have not one but two women who want to fuck you and you don't have any photos to show to prove you're not bullshitting?"

  "No. I don't have any."

  "That's too bad, because the video recording I have from my house would have given you bragging rights ‘til the next century."

  "What video? You didn't have any cameras in your apartment!"

  Even without using his power Keith could sense a slight quiver in Jake’s voice. He knew he had him, and it felt so good.

  He chuckled a low deep rumble. "You really think an ex-Marine wouldn't have surveillance in his home?"

  "If you did then you would have found out about us sooner."

  A smile formed on Keith's face. He loved playing this game. "Do you know how much time it would have taken me to view every day's footage? What's the point of looking through footage if everything was fine? Now, if there was a break-in or I found my ex screwing around in our bed then I would have taken the time to go through the footage."

  "Why didn't Jennifer find the equipment?"

  "I went back and grabbed it when she was out. Jake, you're offending me, and on top of that you really, really, pissed me off." He lowered his voice. "And you know what happens when you piss off a Marine?"

  Jake’s voice was barely a whisper. "What?"

  Keith removed the phone from his ear and hung up. He scrolled through the calls and added his number as Little Dick and changed the settings to block. He needed Jake’s number for the moment.

  Keith walked back up the stairs, opened the door and walked back inside the house.

  Dean and Tiny came up to him when he returned back to the living room.

  "What did he want?" Dean crossed his arms.

  "He wants me to make sure my mom doesn't ruin Jennifer's career. In exchange he won't disclose what he knows about Jeri to the world."

  Dean started stroking his jaw. "That son of a..."