In the Grey

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Sergeant,” the Admiral called into the intercom.

  The transportation sergeant got out of the driver’s seat and opened the door. The Admiral got out of the vehicle. Raz followed him out and helped Alex. By the time she was standing in the parking lot, the Admiral was laughing with someone from the White House staff.

  “What do you think?” Raz asked.

  He took her arm and they walked with their heads together.

  “I’ll tell you,” Alex whispered. “When he said those words, ‘watch it burn,’ I had an eerie feeling.”

  “Me too,” Raz said.

  “Do you remember talking about this before?” Alex said.

  Raz shook his head.

  “I don’t either,” Alex said. “But . . .”

  Alex shrugged. He kissed her cheek and they entered the White House for dinner.

  F

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next day

  Friday evening

  November 12 – 5:09 p.m. MST (7:09 p.m. EST)

  Denver, CO

  Alex sprinted into the house. She waved at Cian who pointed to the dining room. She nodded and turned up the stairs. She moved side to side on the stairwell to be certain her feet only fell on the non-squeaking part of each step. She made it to their bedroom and sprinted into the bathroom. She turned on the shower while brushing her teeth. She spat in the sink and jumped into the shower.

  Two minutes later, she was out of the shower. She grabbed the sexy underwear she’d stuck in the back of her drawer. She plucked her sacrum holster and handgun from her pile of clothing and put it over the now not-as-sexy underwear. She snatched the padded bra she’d worn the previous year when she’d dressed up like a prostitute to get into JFCOM from a hook in the back. She grabbed a maroon mini-shirt, a white dress shirt, a maroon tie, and matching shoes. At the door, she stepped into the skirt and the shoes. She pushed her arms into the white shirt and buttoned it while she trotted down the stairs. She found Troy standing on the landing between the first and second floor. He mussed up her hair, tied her tie, and sent her on her way.

  She reached the first floor, pushed her shirt into the band of her skirt, and took a breath.

  “John?” she said. “Cian? Have you seen John? He said he would be here fifteen minutes ago and . . .”

  Looking amused, John came out of the dining room. He was wearing dark slacks, and a dress shirt and tie with a blue silk sweater. His face lit up at the sight of her.

  “There you are,” she smiled and kissed his lips. “I’ve been waiting . . .”

  “Thirty seconds?” he smiled and tucked her shirt into the back of her skirt.

  “Maybe forty,” she said. “When does the party start?”

  John’s hands pressed against her inflated chest.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “When does the party start?” she asked.

  “Yes, just ignore me,” he said. “It started at five, as you know, my love. Just promise me you didn’t have any recreational surgery while you were in China.”

  “We should go,” Alex grabbed her long wool jacket and gave it to him. He helped her put it on.

  “Surgery?”

  “Not tonight,” Alex smiled. “I’m going to a work party with my gorgeous husband.”

  Laughing, he followed her out back to the garage where the luxurious Audi R8 lived. Worth more than they’d paid for the house, the car was shiny, very fast, and spent most of its life in this garage.

  “How did you get Raz to loan you his precious car?” Alex asked.

  “First, it’s not his car. Second, he’s on a plane to Denver from Washington DC as we speak,” John smiled. “What he doesn’t know . . .”

  Alex pointed to Raz standing in the doorway of the garage. They owned the R8 together with Max and Raz. The agreement was that everyone would agree anytime the car was driven. That way, if the precious automobile was scuffed, stolen, or wrecked, everyone was to blame. Raz waved, and they drove out of the garage.

  “You spoke with him on the plane,” John said.

  “I did,” Alex said.

  “Nice of you,” John said.

  Alex laughed.

  “What’s with the inflatable chest?” John asked.

  “I get a little intimidated by the silicone floaties,” Alex said.

  John laughed and stopped at the light on York Street and Eighth Avenue. He leaned over to give her a real welcome-home kiss. They kissed with increasing fervor until the man behind them laid on his horn. John waved and turned into the Cherry Creek Country Club neighborhood. Although not far from their home, the neighborhood was light years away from their funky urban life.

  “Jeez, these houses are huge,” Alex said. “Can you imagine if our menagerie lived here?”

  John laughed.

  “Sorry I was so late,” Alex said.

  “I told him we’d be late,” John said. “How many countries have you been in this week?”

  “Including Hawaii as a country?” Alex counted on her fingers. “Four.”

  Laughing, he got out of the car and came around to get her. He opened her door. When she got out, he held her close for a minute.

  “Thanks for coming,” John nuzzled her neck. “This is supposed to be the event of the season.”

  Alex kissed his nose. He took her hand, and they walked up the long sandstone path to the house. Alex leaned back to look up at the towering, three-story historic home. The house rivaled the mansion the Fey Team stayed in when they were in Washington DC.

  “It’s big,” Alex said under her breath.

  “Jealous?” John asked in a low tone as he pressed the bell.

  “Mmm,” Alex said. “I can just see Cian . . .”

  The door moved and Alex expected to see a butler like the one at Sheridan Circle Mansion in Washington DC. John’s boss Dr. Rupert Wolfe stood behind the door.

  “John!” Dr. Wolfe said. “So nice to see you! This must be your lovely wife.”

  “Alex.” She gave him a big smile and then wondered if there was lipstick on her teeth. Raz usually took care of those details when they were together.

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” Dr. Wolfe said. “You must come with me.”

  Alex realized she wasn’t wearing lipstick or makeup. She groaned at herself. Dr. Wolfe took her hand and led her into the house. She glanced back at John. He smiled and nodded her forward.

  “John told me you just returned from a trip,” Dr. Wolfe said.

  They entered a large living space where the party had gathered. Out of habit more than anything, Alex glanced around the room to assess the threat presented by the doctors and their dates. The French doors opened to a wide balcony, and a door at the end looked like it led to the kitchen. She glanced at the woman who walked by with an appetizer tray. The guy in the corner was probably a bodyguard for . . . that pudgy man sitting in the corner. The waiter with the tray of drinks was ex-military – Marines, probably. That woman too. When she looked back at Dr. Wolfe, he was still talking.

  “I’m sorry,” Alex said. “New room. I missed the last thing you said.”

  “We were in China just last year,” Dr. Wolfe said.

  “How lovely.” Alex’s words reminded her of her mother. She added another typical polite Rebecca reply, “Where did you go?”

  “Hong Kong, of course,” Dr. Wolfe plucked at his suit jacket. “You can’t beat Tailors Row.”

  Alex smiled. She watched an older woman, probably Dr. Wolfe’s wife, welcome John to the party with a big hug. The woman tucked her hand under his elbow and leaned in. After a moment, she began introducing John to the other people at the party.

  “Beijing and Shanghai,” Dr. Wolfe said. “Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall. Such an amazing culture. And the food! Don’t you just love Chinese food? We eat plenty of authentic Chinese here, but there? It’s better, so fresh.”

  Unable to think of anything say, Alex smiled.

  “Of course, we never eat outsid
e of the Hilton,” Dr. Wolfe said. “You never know what you might catch out on the streets. No, inside the Hilton, everything is just the way we like it.”

  “Good thinking,” Alex said.

  “Where were you?” Dr. Wolfe turned to face Alex. His eyes traveled the length of her neck and he put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Asia, mostly,” Alex said.

  “Is that where you were last month?” Dr. Wolfe asked.

  Alex glanced at John, and he gave her a quick roll of his eyes before shaking another hand. Under the intensity of the doctor’s eyes, she tried to think of some response.

  “Last month?” Alex dug into her finishing school training. “Gosh, my trips are so boring. Just work. I bet you had a better time.”

  “Probably true,” Dr. Wolfe smiled. “We did get to quite a few Buddhist temples. We’ve been to Laos, Vietnam . . .”

  Alex smiled and then chastised herself for her boredom. She’d spent three whole summers in finishing school after all. She could do this.

  “Did you hear about that poor man who was executed in Chongqing, China?” Dr. Wolfe asked.

  Alex’s mind stumbled on the use of “poor man” for Cee Cee Joiner. She gave a little shake of her head. She opened her mouth, but the doctor continued without her.

  “I can’t imagine who that guy pissed off,” Dr. Wolfe laughed. “The Chinese are such friendly and accommodating people. I can’t imagine them executing anyone.”

  “They executed more than five thousand people last year.” Sure she’d offended him, Alex bit her lip.

  “You are spicy,” he smiled. “I do love to take in everything.”

  She smiled. Her eyes glanced at the couple tongue kissing in the corner of the room.

  “Friendly group,” she said. “Do you get together often?”

  “As often as we can,” Dr. Wolfe said. “This party is always my favorite. We get a great group and have lots of time. We’re often saying good-bye to the stragglers Sunday night.”

  When the doctor laughed, Alex glanced at his drink to see what he was drinking.

  “I bet you’ll have a great time tonight,” Dr. Wolfe’s hand slipped around her waist. He pulled her close. “Being in the military, working with all those men, I’m sure you’ll find us fairly sedate.”

  “Sir?” Alex had no idea what he was talking about.

  “I hope you save time for me later.” Dr. Wolfe’s hot breath blew on her face, and his hand stroked her side.

  “You know I’m armed, right?”

  The words came out of Alex’s mouth before she realized what she’d said. The doctor laughed and hugged her.

  “Just glad you could make it,” Dr. Wolfe said. “If you’ll excuse me . . .”

  Dr. Wolfe pointed to a chef, who was signaling to him from the door to the kitchen. Alex breathed a sigh of relief when he retreated. She moved in the direction she’d last seen John. He was sitting on the couch. When a woman put her hand on his thigh, he got up. He was stopped by another woman.

  “Friendly bunch,” Alex said under her breath.

  “Sir?” the young female waiter she’d pegged as ex-military was standing in front of her. The young woman saluted.

  “At ease,” Alex said. “On leave?”

  “Stateside, sir,” The young woman nodded. “I need the money for Christmas. Me and . . .”

  She pointed to the young man Alex had pegged as an ex-Marine.

  “Marine?” Alex asked.

  “Army, sir.” The woman sounded so offended that Alex laughed. “Sergeant Davies, sir.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw the kissing couple get up and walk out of the room. She noticed another couple walk back into the room holding hands. They gave each other a weird nod and separated to different parts of the room.

  “What exactly is going on here?” Alex asked Sergeant Davies.

  “They’re . . . ,” the woman made a gesture.

  “Please be specific,” Alex said. “You may speak freely.”

  “Swapping,” the woman whispered.

  “Like a white elephant?” Alex shrugged. “I forgot to get something on our last trip. My husband asked, and they said we should just come . . .”

  Alex’s eyes traced another couple leave the room.

  “Oh,” Alex blushed.

  “Yes, sir,” the woman said. “We were surprised to see you. Here. With these . . .”

  Alex lifted a corner of her lip in disgust.

  “Jason said I should tell you,” Sergeant Davies leaned to her. “This is conduct unbecoming, sir.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant,” Alex smiled at the young woman.

  “Your husband is very handsome,” the sergeant said.

  “They practically begged us to come,” Alex said. “Here. They’ve begged us to come to this party.”

  “That perv,” Sergeant Davies nodded to Dr. Wolfe. “He’s been bragging all night that it’s his party; he gets you first.”

  “Ew,” Alex said.

  “Viagra,” the sergeant pointed a discrete finger toward the bowl filled with blue pills on the coffee table. She nodded behind Alex, “Condoms.”

  Alex turned in place to see a bowl full of multicolored condoms on the table near the door. A man picked up a handful and walked out the room after a woman.

  “There’s X in the drinks,” Sergeant Davies said.

  Alex turned back to the woman.

  “Listen,” Alex said. “I am not without resources. If you and Jason help to get us out of here, I will double whatever they’re paying you to work here.”

  “You don’t have to, sir. It’s a great honor to serve . . . ,” she leaned forward and whispered, “The Fey.”

  “Who?” Alex shook her head and put on her best clueless face.

  “Our unit was assigned to Grand Forks last year, sir,” she nodded.

  “Oh,” Alex smiled.

  “Uh oh,” Sergeant Davies pointed. John was picking up a drink from a tray.

  “I’d better go,” Alex said. “You’ll help?”

  Sergeant Davies gave her a sincere nod. Alex walked past the young man the sergeant called Jason. Hooking her hand in John’s arm, she tugged him to her. Another woman had latched on to his other side. John looked confused as they did a little tug of war until John said, “Will you excuse me?” to the woman in his most prissy London accent.

  “You’ll promise to return him to me,” the woman said.

  The woman bat her false eyelashes. Alex smiled and led John out onto the balcony. Miraculously, they were alone. They stood with their hips against the railing, looking at the perfectly manicured grass, tall trees, and beautiful landscaping.

  “Did you get a drink?” John asked.

  He held his martini glass out to her. She took his drink and set it down on a teak table.

  “I think we should go,” she said.

  “We just got here,” he said. “Did something happen?”

  “Remember that whole swap thing that you weren’t paying much attention to?” Alex asked.

  “Are you upset?” John asked. He moved to stand right behind her. He kissed her neck. “I know it’s not perfect politeness, but Dr. Wolfe said it was fine not to bring a gift.”

  Alex turned around to look at him.

  “They’re swapping wives,” Alex said.

  John laughed. She waited for his belly laugh to die down.

  “Did you notice people coming in and out?” Alex asked. “The bowl of Viagra on the magazine table?”

  “Viagra,” John shook his head. “My darling wife.”

  He put his hands around her face and leaned in to kiss her lips. He pulled back. His cobalt blue eyes looked almost black in the moonlight. They danced over the lines of her face.

  “Not everything is a big conspiracy that needs sorting,” John said. “This is just a party. A few professionals getting together for the holiday is not a big deal. I know you’ve been working a lot and God, you must be exhausted . . .”

  The
door opened behind them and one of John’s surgeon friends came out with Mrs. Wolfe. They started necking at the door to the balcony. The doctor pushed Mrs. Wolfe across the balcony and turned her around. She braced her legs and he pushed her torso over the railing. He unzipped his pants and his stiff member fell out. John took a step back.

  “John!” the doctor noticed them for the first time. “Would you like a turn?”

  “I’d love that,” Mrs. Wolfe grinned at them. “You can tag team me any day.”

  Alex raised her eyebrows and nodded to John.

  “Let’s form a line,” the doctor gave John a toothy grin. “I bet . . .”

  “I’m so sorry,” John said. “Alex was just telling me she wasn’t feeling well. Something she picked up while she was out of the country.”

  He grabbed Alex’s hand and started for the door. The couple behind them began grunting and moaning. They were about to go into the party, when Dr. Wolfe came out onto the balcony.

  “There you are, you little minx,” Dr. Wolfe said to Alex. To John, he added, “Are you joining us or . . . ?”

  Alex heard a faint whistle and turned to look. On the far side of the balcony, Sergeant Davies was standing on the top rung of a ladder. Alex slipped off her shoes and took John’s hand. They ran to the railing. Jason, the other soldier, was holding the bottom of the ladder. Alex helped John over the railing and followed him. On the ground, Sergeant Davies led them around the back of the house and they slipped out the gate. Sergeant Davies gave Alex her phone number before she ran to Jason’s car. John jogged to the Audi, opened Alex’s side, and went around to the driver’s side.

  He didn’t say a word when he started the car. They sped through the historic neighborhood. He ran a stop sign before slowing and turning toward home.

  “You know, I’ve been meaning to speak to you about leaving the position under Dr. Wolfe,” John said.

  “Oh?” Alex laughed.

  “Yes,” John said. “I’ve been offered suitable positions at other hospitals, but it’s more emergency work. While I adore emergency work, and I’m good at it, it means more call and a more unpredictable schedule, which could be a challenge if we have a child.”

  “I see your dilemma,” she said.