by T K Eldridge
Kane snorted laughter and reached out to shake the doctor’s hand. “You got it. So, how will this work?”
“Two members from each compound will be on the decision-making team and you can participate or not depending on your preference. There will be a call in two days for the first mission parameters to be discussed. Each region will get missions for their area, but some may require working with other regions.”
“Works for me. Kane, you want in on the decision-making?” I asked him.
“Hell no. Get Logan or Cole. They’re better at that,” Kane said.
“I agree. Since I have a wedding to get ready for, I’ll put those two up as the first round crew, if they’re game.”
“Ah, that’s right. The wedding is this weekend, isn’t it?” Dr. Thorpe asked.
“Yes, sir. Are you able to attend?” I asked him.
“I might be, but it’ll be last minute. I’m just glad Edgar can officiate for you. Enjoy the celebration either way. It’s time to find those moments in life that make your heart happy,” Doc said.
I shook his hand again before we left. “Thank you, for everything, Dr. Thorpe. Stay safe.”
The helicopter ride home was another quiet one as Kane and I watched the lights pass below us.
As we landed, I looked over at him. “Feels like home, doesn’t it?”
Kane paused, then nodded. “Yeah, it does. Let’s go make sure everyone’s tucked in.”
I laughed and slung an arm around his neck. “I’m the only one tucking Peyton in.”
Kane laughed too and fake-punched at my side. “Not if I get there first.”
We play-fought and laughed the whole way back to the house. It felt good to have my brother at my side.
Chapter Fifteen
I wrapped my arms around my bride and swayed with her on the dance floor beneath the trees painted in autumn hues. The tent covered a section of the front lawn, strung with lights and flowers. Peyton was breathtakingly gorgeous in my eyes, her strapless satin gown was elegant and simple. Samantha wore a beautiful russet-hued satin dress that swirled around her knees as she danced with Sinjin. Kane had stood up as my best man and Samantha was the maid of honor for Peyton.
Our honeymoon was an unexpected surprise wedding gift from Dr. Thorpe. He was flying us out on a helicopter to a private airport nearby and then to somewhere warm. We were told to pack jeans, summer clothes and one nice outfit. Peyton was excited and I was just glad to see her so happy. I didn’t care where we went as long as it was together.
Cole and Affie had both agreed to keep watch over Sam and make sure she didn’t get into mischief. She was a good kid, but you didn’t leave a seventeen year old without supervision for a week in the same house her boyfriend lived in. Yes, I trusted them both, but I also remember being a teenager and trust wasn’t enough. Hormones were powerful stuff.
Anyway, Sam would be okay, everyone else stepped up to take on any other tasks and Peyton and I were going to spend a week on a private island with a chef, maid service, and no one else around. I couldn’t wait.
“You ready to toss that bouquet so we can get out of here, Mrs. Eagleson?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Peyton said and kissed me. We made our way to the table where the delicious cake had been decimated by the crowd to grab her bouquet.
“Everyone, get out on the dance floor. I don’t care if you’re male, female, married, single – just get out there so we have a crowd to catch the flowers,” I said. Much laughter ensued as everyone, even Hattie, got out on the floor. Peyton put her back to the group and on three, launched the flowers high into the air. A hand reached up and snatched them mid-flight and everyone applauded as Peter handed them to Affie.
“Hey, Edgar,” Z called out. “Can you marry triads?”
“I can marry whatever you want,” Edgar replied.
“Good to know,” Z replied and moved towards Peter and Affie to group hug.
Peyton grabbed my hand and tugged. “Let’s go. We need to change before we fly off.”
I let her lead me upstairs and helped her get out of the dress. I left my tux on the bed and changed into jeans and a t-shirt while Peyton put on a striped t-shirt dress and sandals. She found her purse and we headed towards the door. Once we got outside, the shower of birdseed nearly blinded us. Laughter, good wishes and bawdy comments chased us toward the helicopter and we waved as we lifted up over the house.
The flight to the island took a couple of hours, so we slept on the plane. It had been a hectic weekend and we were both exhausted. I woke first, about an hour before we were to land. My gaze settled on the gold band on my hand. It looked good there. I’d take it off for missions and training, otherwise I would be wearing this. I never thought I’d have this, not after the IED.
The plane landed and we got on a boat for the run across to the island. Our luggage was loaded up and the crew was friendly as they took us on the last leg of the journey.
“Let’s see what they’ve got for food, and then go for a swim,” Peyton said. “I didn’t eat much at the reception and I’m starved now.”
“Sounds like a plan. Doc says the place has good security so we’ll be uninterrupted. Let’s get settled and changed, then find food and the pool.”
“Enrique is your chef. He is also my brother-in-law. He is making grilled swordfish and herb rice with vegetables for your dinner. I know this, because he said he’d make some for us to eat before we left the island,” a man who’d introduced himself as Jose told us. He was one of the three man crew for the boat.
“That sounds delicious. Thanks for letting us know, Jose,” Peyton replied.
“You will love Curador island. It is very beautiful and very private. Dr. Thorpe doesn’t let many enjoy his special place.”
“Curador, that means healer, doesn’t it?” I asked. My Spanish was passable, but not fantastic.
“Aye, the original owner was also a doctor, but he gave the island to Dr. Thorpe when the doctor saved his family,” Jose replied.
The boat pulled up to a dock and Jose got to work. Soon Peyton and I were on a golf cart with our luggage, Jose and Miguel, Jose’s son. The island was truly beautiful, the house a two-story sprawl with most of it one story high, just a section at one end that went to two. Walls of glass took in the views all around and the second floor turned out to be the whole master suite. A massive bath and bedroom suite filled the second floor in a space about the size of a normal person’s whole house. We unpacked and changed, then wandered until we found the kitchen and dining areas. Enrique had set a table for us out near the pool and was happy to serve us there so we could swim and relax after we ate.
“I think I could get used to this,” Peyton said a bit later as she sipped her wine, the meal already devoured.
I got to my feet, pulled off the t-shirt I had on over my swim shorts, and dove into the pool. It didn’t take long for Peyton to join me. It wasn’t too long after that, that both suits were floating in the pool.
“I think I could get used to this,” I told Peyton.
* * *
“Check the flight path again. That drone should have been over the island twenty minutes ago. Why are you still not getting information?” the General demanded of the soldier that sat at a console in front of him. “You promised me you could keep an eye on them without anyone knowing. This is unacceptable.”
He’d managed to learn that Thorpe had loaned out his island to David and his new bride. He wanted to see what was really going on there, because he doubted it was just honeymooning. He would do whatever it took to get those sons of his back under his control.
Even if it meant something as radical as kidnapping his new daughter-in-law, or threatening the lives his sons were building. Some of his people were out trying to find where the so-called compounds were located. No one had been able to find anything yet.
“I’m sorry, General. The drone went down in the ocean. It seems the island has a security system that shoots drones down befo
re they can get within a hundred yards of the island,” the soldier said.
“Then get me a satellite that can see what’s on that island,” he shouted.
“That is not possible, General. None of our satellites pass over that section, by order of the Pentagon.”
The General leaned down and snarled in the soldier’s ear. “Then get me someone else’s satellites that can see what’s going on. Your continued incompetence will get you…replaced. I suggest you fix that.”
Leaving the room, the General stepped outside and took a deep breath. The repurposed bunkers did a good job of hiding what they were up to, but it annoyed him that he couldn’t have found a more convenient location. High in the mountains on the US-Canada border was not an easy commute to DC. A soldier did what he had to do, to protect his country. Even if he was protecting it from it’s own.
In his mind, those mutants were no longer human and should not be living. He thought the teams that he had sent to remove them would have been more efficient, but they failed. His sons? They were not his boys any longer. They were pets that shared some genetic similarities to the sons he once had. He thought he’d accomplished all of what Wilson had wanted, then Wilson tried to out him as a rogue. Wilson died, Hansen died, and now the rest of these mutants would die. Thorpe? He was too well-known and popular, too in demand, too much of a humanitarian, to be killed without repercussions. He’d live.
His pets, however, would not. The General would see to that, one way or the other.
Acknowledgements
The writing of a book may be a solo matter, but the production of it is not. As always, my undying gratitude to my editor, Donna, my son, Wayne, and my ARC team and Enthusiasts crew for encouraging, supporting, and generally making this author journey so satisfying. As always, thanks to my Mumma for being my biggest cheerleader, and thanks to my Dad (and every other member of my family, past and present) who taught me what it meant to sacrifice for something bigger than a single person.
This book was a tough one to finish. I was making some great progress when it all came to a screeching halt as the world went into lockdown for the Coronavirus Pandemic quarantine. It is difficult to write about bad things happening to your characters, when the stuff in your real world is so horrific. I had about a week of my brain being derailed before I could process enough to get back at it and finish this thing. See, I’m a retired Intelligence Analyst for the US Government. I saw this coming long before people believed what I was saying - yet I never imagined the actual numbers, the lockdowns and the horrific incompetence of those who should know better.
As this one goes out to be published, we’re still in the middle of this nightmare. I’m going to ask everyone to try and be a little more kind and understanding to everyone - in person and in virtual. We are ALL connected and we are all vulnerable. Be the light you want to see in the world.
Thank you, each one of you, for reading my work and taking the time to share part of your day with me. It is appreciated more than you know.
About the Author
T.K. Eldridge writes paranormal, supernatural, and urban fantasy. When not writing, they are enjoying life in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina. Two dogs, two cats, a garden, a craft hobby and a love of Celtic Trad music keep them from spending too much time at the computer.
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Also by T.K. Eldridge
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My books are available through Kindle Unlimited and on Amazon in E-book and paperback format.
The Descendants Series
The Sid & Sin Series
The Hybrid Chronicles Series
