"You want to know about your father, mother and sister, don’t you?" he said.
"Yes I do. I know their deaths weren't an accident. I need to know who did it." I unfolded the piece of paper with the names and blood spatter for him to look at.
"Is that blood on this paper?"
"Yes it is,” I answered. “I wasn’t as nice to him as I am to you right now. He is alive and will be fine, but only because he decided to cooperate."
"Who is he?"
"That isn’t important right now. What's on the paper and what you know are what's important."
"I'm not sure what you think I know," he said.
My hand slammed the table. I couldn’t help myself. "Do not fucking start with me! You and Grandmother are the only family I have left. You can explain to her your reasons for secrecy after I explain to her why I'll never be back." He sat quietly, staring off into space as if I hadn’t yelled. When he finally spoke, he didn’t look at me or anyone. He found a spot to stare at behind me and didn’t take his eyes off of it.
"They threatened to kill you and your grandmother if I got involved,” he said quietly. “They said they would make it look like an accident. They’re good at that. I couldn’t lose you or your grandmother, not after what happened, so I let things take their natural course with no interference from me. You got to grow up into a man and I still have the love of my life."
"You will need to take her and go away somewhere,” I said. “Go to Anubis. I have friends there, or I can make arrangements with a number of important leaders I know who can shelter you both." I was trying to get him to look at me.
"This is our home, Benjamin, and your home if you want to stay. You and Natalia could live here with us."
"You’re not listening to me. This is going to happen with or without your help. The more I know, the safer I can keep you. Do you understand?"
"I don’t understand why you would put your grandmother’s life in danger,” he said quietly
"Who is putting my life in danger?" Grandmother asked, walking up. The flower diversion was apparently over.
"No one, dear, just talking politics," Grandfather replied.
Standing, I grabbed my loving grandmother in a bear hug and kissed her, telling her I loved her. I walked back over to my grandfather and shook his hand.
"You have a day to decide how you will handle things,” I said. “I'll be back tomorrow, and depending on our conversation, I might be taking her with me. You can stay if you want." He didn’t say a word.
We walked back around front to load up and leave. Once we departed, everyone was quiet, probably silently blaming me for ending a good time with threats and promises. But I had known being nice wouldn’t get me what I wanted.
Family secrets be damned.
Chapter 23
I had a day to decide how I would get the rest of the information out without destroying the only family I had left. Grandfather wanted the dead to just stay buried, like some others. But I wanted more. I wanted them to rest in peace. I was hoping for some divine inspiration, a sign from above. My negotiation skills lacked the finesse of a real negotiator. I preferred removing body parts until the information flowed as freely as the blood.
We returned to the hangar and I headed to my quarters to think, and sleep if I could. Staring at the ceiling, it hit me — I could use drugs, like those idiots had tried to use on me. Maybe they could adjust the cocktail to a milder narcotic to make Grandfather feel good, with a light truth serum so there would be no chance of brain damage.
I took my com and sent Angel a message detailing what I wanted. I received her reply about fifteen minutes later, confirming she could have it for me mid-morning. I sent a thank you and turned off the light. Dreams swirled around in my head. No sooner would one end another would start. I was a child in most of them, sad and alone, but interrupted by occasional spurts of happy and content. Emily was there on and off, giving me a respite from my norm.
I woke this time instead of sleeping through her arrival.
"Don’t you have your own room to sleep in?" I asked, unable to keep grogginess and a slight irritation from my voice.
"Yes, but you’re warm, and this is my favorite place to rest," Taz said, sliding into bed as if she belonged there.
"Doesn’t it bother you that we don’t do anything?"
"I am content just to be here,” she said softly. “I am patient, and I know that inside you want me here with you."
I rolled onto my side, my back to her. "Whatever you say, just go to sleep," I said.
I felt her slide over against my back, her leg across me and her arm draped across my hip. I immediately felt two things. Her hand came to rest in a strategic spot and her warm breath was on my neck. She just let her hand rest, unmoving. I had no control over what happened next.
"You see, my love, with no effort at all you have proven what I have been telling you."
"That isn’t fair and you know it,” I muttered. “Men are sensitive there. The reaction is subconscious, almost on a cellular level."
I felt her move away from me and I thought I might have pissed her off. Now I could at least get some sleep. But a strong hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me onto my back. I felt the blanket lift and started to object to the chill air when her lips brushed across my stomach, silencing me as her hand pulled away my boxers.
I'm not sure how much time passed. I was sure Taz had studied this, but had not ever actually tried it. I tried to warn her but she ignored me. I grabbed her hair and gently pulled, but she must have thought it was a just part of it. She squealed when it happened, and I thought she would begin beating on me. Or not. I needed to brush up on the different squealing sounds, evidently, because we were now on round two.
To say I had lost track of time would be an understatement. I finally had to tell her to stop. I felt a little sore. There had been no break in between, and even now I was still erect after the third time.
"Why did you stop me Benjamin? It is clear you are not satisfied."
"Oh yes, I am positive I am satisfied,” I said with a chuckle.
"But you are still swollen. Lorelei said to continue until the swelling has passed."
"Lorelei put you up to this?"
"I don’t understand your question, love. She did not put me up to anything. She just gave me instruction on how to please you."
"I see, and what else did Lorelei tell you?"
She looked pensive as if trying to remember. “She said in the days of old there was a saying the fastest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She said with you I would eventually get there if I fed you cheese burgers. She laughed, but I did not get the humor. She then said that in her experience, the oral lovemaking was a much faster way."
"Oh really, that’s what she called it?" I laughed.
"No, she had other names, but I am a queen, so I felt that was possibly a better way to say it."
I let out a long exasperated sigh. I couldn’t be upset with her now, but I needed to talk to Lorelei later and get some things straightened out. They had been talking again, and I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
"Are you not happy? I felt your pleasure and I enjoyed it with you, can’t we just share something that only belongs to us?"
I kissed her and she put her head on my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her, searching for something to say. I tried to sleep, telling myself I wouldn’t be manipulated into a relationship because of great sex. But I felt myself still tingling five minutes later and thought maybe I could after all.
I woke up feeling good. It wasn’t just the activities of last night, although that probably had a little to do with it. I think it was bothering me on some level that I had treated Taz badly. I think I was scared. I believed I would have to give up who and what I am if I was with her. There was obviously something wrong with me. She was gorgeous, and to be with her could mean an untold amount of wealth and power. Even now, though, that didn’t feel right. I wanted to be my
own man and make it on my own.
I heard the shower. I slipped out of bed and walked in the direction of the sound. Taz stood in all her glory, toweling herself dry. "You should shower and get ready to go visit your elders," she said.
“My grandparents, you mean?”
“Of course, who else?"
"Got it. How did your visit with the president go?"
"It went well. He was fond of the oral lovemaking as well," she said.
I pushed the door open a little too hard as it bounced off the wall. "You didn’t? Tell me you didn’t?"
"Gotcha!" she said, walking away with a slight exaggeration of her swaying hips.
I shut the shower door and let the water run over me. A ship full of snarky women. Somehow I loved them all in one way or another.
Clean, dressed and hungry, we went to see Adam, hoping there was something left for breakfast to eat. He had a plate of food put aside for Taz. There wasn’t much left to choose from, so I just had toast and coffee. My internal clock had been off since the week on the Cjittan hell ship, and especially since the healing tank on Taz's flag ship.
I reached to steal a piece of egg off of Taz’s plate and she growled at me. It was a real growl, like a junkyard dog just daring you to come over the fence. I pulled my hand back and looked at the dry piece of toast I had left. I put it on her plate. She smiled, leaned over and kissed my cheek. I smiled, even though I knew I’d regret giving that toast up later.
I was going to be really hungry later and there better be food or else. Binda paged me that I had a visitor. I excused myself to go meet Angel. I found her out in the hangar talking to Matt.
"Jamison, I have the package you asked for," Angel said, giving him an odd look.
I walked up to her and held out my hand. She crossed her arms. "I need someone to authorize payment first. The captain or a company officer."
"Just add it to the bill, I’ll deal with it later."
"Sorry chum, no can do."
"Not a problem,” I said, eyebrows raised. I wasn’t going to take this shit. “I’ll take my ship and go elsewhere. It’s my fucking ship, after all, chum. You keep that then. I’ll go to plan B."
"What's plan B?" she asked.
"I start cutting off parts until I find out what I want to know. You don’t know me too well, so you wouldn’t know this, but that is usually plan A. I was just going to try and go a little easier on this person, them being family and all."
Now she looked shocked. "You’re going to torture one of your own family?"
"Don’t you worry about it, it’s not your business or concern." I turned and walked away. I was seriously pissed off again at Taz for taking my business, regardless of last night. I went to my quarters and switched out my pistols for a stunner and buckled it on. My knife was on the other side. I pulled it out and ran my finger over the edge.
I didn’t think I could go through with it, but I would scare the hell out of him. Maybe he would just tell me what I wanted to know when he saw how serious I was. Sometimes people don’t see you as you are, but who you were when you spent the most time together. I was still just a boy to him, a boy he had kept secrets from to protect.
I walked into the hold to find the whole crew, Angel and Taz, and Natalia all standing and looking at me.
"Normally I would think I'm late for something, but we have no schedule,” I joked. “The way you’re all looking at me, I’m inclined to think we have a situation here."
"You could say that," Matt said. "We can’t let you go and do anything you'll regret."
"That’s how you're all feeling, is it? You’re gonna save me from myself?"
"It seems we need to," Lorelei added.
"So it’s like the old saying — if you’re not with me, you’re against me. How about you, where do you stand?" I asked Imelda. "And why aren’t you out in the hangar on guard?"
I thought if they go against you there would be fresh meat shortly, so I'm just waiting for you to provide it.
"Ah, an opportunist, imagine that. Not a problem fitting right in with this crowd.” I turned back to the group. “I was happy when you all joined or returned to the crew of the Claymore. I liked having people I thought I could trust. But it seems I was wrong about a number of things. I believe what is lacking is the respect I once commanded. It has been lost, and it’s the people I care about the most who seem to have the least. I got more respect from animals and some alien sub-species in an arena death match than I get from my so-called friends who are lined up here against me."
"What are you going to do, shoot us all?" Snake asked.
"I drew and fired before the echo of his voice subsided. Snake hit the floor like a rag doll. “Yes, Snake, that is exactly what I am going to do," I answered, looking at his crumpled form on the deck. Snake, always opening his mouth at the wrong time. "If you don’t believe I won’t put you down, just stay in my way,” I told the rest.
I saw Angel's hand come to rest on her side arm from the corner of my eye. "Angel, don’t think you are safe for one minute,” I snapped at her. “Get both hands in front of you or you’re gonna be sleeping with him. If Snake wakes up first, he’ll think he hit the jackpot." Laughing at the thought, I backed up. There was more than one way off the ship, so I stepped back through the door and shut it behind me hard, heading for the exit in the center starboard side of the ship.
I had both feet on the ground and moving when I heard Taz yelling for me to stop. I looked over my shoulder; she had Angel with her. Natalia was standing behind them looking a little worried. I wasn’t in the mood for another intervention, so I didn’t stop.
I was almost to the hangar door when two personnel craft pulled up and stopped, giving sudden birth to about a dozen armed security officers. This is what happens when you miss breakfast. I debated for a second with myself and made my decision. There was something special I had been saving, and now was as good as any to unveil it.
I tapped the code into my com and spoke. "Claymore, initiate intrusion protocol and target unknown force and vehicles. Authorization Reaper One." Panels on the hull of the Claymore slid back and weapons extended quickly, powering up. It was the first time I had heard it happen. The servos whined and the air crackled as dust and particles came into contact with the small amount of energy given off of the weapons as they charged.
"Natalia, move away from Taz and Angel, honey," I said and motioned her under the belly of the ship. Everyone was wide-eyed and the feeling of superiority seemed to have dissolved. I heard the rear ramp lower and the crew walked out, looking at the ship and taking in the scene. Two guns swiveled in their direction for a second then turned back to the unknowns. The sight stopped them in their tracks.
I saw Lorelei backing towards the ramp." You are all locked out of the system until I give the command,” I told her, voice raised. “Anything happens to me while this is active, and you'll never get control of the ship. Anyone not on the list from this point on will not be allowed on or near the Claymore. Not only will it incinerate anything in its path when it fires, but it will probably bring this building down on top of you all as well.”
Taz began to move away from Angel, and to everyone's surprise, one of the weapons tracked her, while the others stayed trained on the security chief. Her head whipped in my direction, and I do believe she was pissed. The red in her complexion wasn't that of a blushing school girl or a first kiss. At a glance, it seemed more like a mayhem, death and destruction kind of red.
On the surface it looked like a dick move, after the night she had treated me to. I knew that, but in my defense I hadn’t decided yet whether to add her to the list three weeks ago on Allond or anticipated the security troops and crew intervention today.
"Must be a computer error," I said but smirked. I couldn’t help it, she looked priceless. "I’ll fix it when I get back, maybe. Depends." I walked over to the security troop and spoke, not caring who was in charge. "I'm going to borrow one of these, and if no one harasses me, I will bring
it back without a scratch. Now, who has the chip for this one?"
"It’s in there, but it’s not going to let you take it. You’re not authorized." An officer with a couple of stripes on his sleeve informed me of this, smiling.
"So would you do me a solid and get me authorized?" I asked.
"Not on your life," he answered.
"Okay, well, I have to retract my statement about scratches then.”
I knew this model. It was military issue with a fancy paint job. I walked around it and got in, grabbed the controls and gave a little tug. A face appeared on the screen of a young man in the same uniform as the others.
"Sir, you need to exit the vehicle and wait for further instructions,” He said.
"Yeah right," I said reaching for my knife. I shoved all six inches of the blade through the screen and into the electronics behind it. Looking out the glass I saw no one was smiling now. Imagine that.
Lights flickered on a different area in front of me as the backup computer kicked in. Fortunately, it didn’t give a shit who was driving. I pulled back on the control and waved at them all as I sped away from the compound.
Chapter 24
I arrived at my grandparents’ house, leaving the hover transport running three feet off the ground. I walked up to the door and was just about to knock when my grandmother opened the door. I scooped her up in my arms and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
"Where's the old man at?" I asked, putting her down.
"He's out back, Ben, and he has a stunner!" she said.
"Did you ask him why he needed one?"
"Yes, of course I did, and he broke down and told me the whole story,” she said with a disapproving look.
"Really? You don’t seem too upset, so I'm thinking he didn’t tell you the whole story or truth."
"He did, even the pictures. I've had my cry and now I need to move on. I’m not happy about what he told me, but I believe that it's the truth. It has not been easy on him, Benjamin. He was trying to protect us."
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: No More Lies (Book 3) Page 18
