by Jill Cooper
Jake sighed. “You really have to stop eavesdropping on people.”
“It’s my house too.” Liz said with defiance. “Not my fault your voice carries up a flight of stairs so well. And you walk so loud, I think you’d drown out a herd of elephants.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that.” He grinned. “I’ll try to be quieter in the future.”
“Don’t be. When you’re around, I want to know.” Liz tucked her head down low, her fingers reaching out to hook in the belt hoop of his jeans. “When you’re around something in me burns hot.”
Whoa, Jake thought. So much for the sweetness of Liz Nuefeld. “It’s just a short trip. A short trip. Then I’ll be back.”
Liz’s eyes shined as she peered up at his face. “Weren’t you even going to say good-bye? Didn’t you even think of me?”
Jake stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. This could be their last moment. This could be the last time Liz would look at him like he was the catch of the century. If they ever saw each other again, she might hate him. Just like everyone else. Maybe she’d recoil at his touch. For once, maybe it was okay to give him a moment of happiness, because Jake might not get another shot at this.
Not with her. Not with anyone.
“You’re all I think about.” He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Doesn’t matter if I’ve just left you or been at my farm all day, my mind always falls back to you.”
“Oh, Nick,” Liz gripped his shirt. “Then why stay away? Why act like you don’t?”
“Fear, I guess. Guilt. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. I’m afraid it’s too soon.” He sighed, looked away but her hand on his face brought him back.
“Don’t be afraid,” she whispered and pressed her body up against his, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt. “If anything, I know this life can be hard. We have to take joy where we can find it. Cling to any happiness that might find our way.” Her hand ran down his chest.
“And if you’re gonna go, if you’re leaving on some trip. I want you to remember me.” Liz closed her eyes and Jake couldn’t resist any longer.
He grabbed her face and kissed her. His hot lips meeting hers over aver again. Her mouth separated and her breathe labored, gripping his arms, clinging to him hard.
Jake didn’t want to pull away. He wanted to stay forever in the feeling of love, desire, acceptance that Liz gave him. Most of all he wished he was the man Liz thought he was. “Liz,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.
Liz bit her lip looking yummier than ever. “Just hurry back. I’ll be waiting. I think I’d wait forever if it means we might get to do that again.”
Jake wanted to sigh and tell her not to; he wasn’t worth it but he gathered her up in his arms in a deep embrace. He buried his face in the nape of her neck, taking in the sweet smell of honey and oats against her supple skin. Committed it to memory. He would try to remember that smell and her smile so when he was fighting for his right to live and maybe he’d come up with the right words.
Maybe if he remembered her face, he could convince the humans his kind didn’t deserve to die. And maybe he could convince any glistening that would oppose him, that humans deserved to live.
****
Victor brushed back sweet Marie’s vibrant hair from her face so he could peer into her eyes. They studied him with a few simple blinks. Such a simple girl, but with such lovely features and a giving heart.
And an open sustainable mind.
Marie sighed. “He won’t let me go.”
“I know.” Victor said softly. His tone was loving, even. Like a psychiatrist would talk to a patient. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t go. It just makes things….less direct.”
“But how will I get there?” Marie’s eyes were wide. Innocent.
“You’ll just have to fly.”
Marie turned to face him with her mouth fallen open. “Fly? I can’t. I’ve never transformed.”
“Then it’s time you do. Time we practice.”
“How?” Marie asked.
Victor reached for the duffle bag on the dresser. Unzipping it, he pulled out a needle.
Marie gulped as he held it out to her.
“Take it.” He edged her on. But she hesitated and her eyes flickered. “Marie,” there was heavy disappointment in his voice. The corners of his mouth turned down. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do. I would do anything for you, Victor.”
“Then take it. It’s just adrenalin. It will help you through your first change. Give you enough power to get to DC.”
Marie nodded and Victor smiled with satisfaction as her fingers coiled around the needle. “Just tell me what to do. What to expect.”
“Tonight, after dark, we will see to it you head straight for the states.”
“Won’t I be late?”
Victor shook his head. “You’ll still show up with enough time. Don’t worry, Marie.” He stroked her chin. “I have thought of everything.”
Relief washed over her face and she grinned. “Oh, I know. I know you have, Victor.”
“I will miss our little talks.” Sadness washed over him and then they shared a kiss.
Chapter Twelve Jenna
If the days went any slower, Jenna thought she might have killed herself.
There were tasks to be done, rosters to go over, and Jenna spent her time reading officer bios, interviewing potentials for the security task force. She was so busy, she hardly had time to think about baby Travis. Hardly. But even when she was busy, her mind drifted to him and her body ached to see him again. She never knew it was possible to miss someone so much that her bones ached and her heart longed so deep, it felt broken.
Dirk was busy getting gears packed and making sure all the vests were up to snuff. He went over the plans of the capitol building and the streets, plotting the best ways in and out. Jenna was in the chief’s office waiting for her final meeting with Carl Spector. She practiced her poker face and hoped it would mask her disgust when the door opened.
She stood to salute him and ignored the clenching in her gut. She gripped the side of the chair.
“Officer Morgan,” Carl saluted her. “I hear you’re putting in a lot of hours. Your hard work will pay off.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Jenna took her seat and not a moment too soon as the cramps in her uterus hit her hard. “Our team’s a strong one. Good guys, most I’ve worked with. Some I haven’t, but their records speak for themselves.”
“Good.” Carl took the seat behind the desk. “Your confidence in this mission is vital. If you didn’t think you could pull this off, I would be inclined to pull out.”
“Is that an option?” Jenna wish she knew that. That’d be easy enough.
Carl’s face was grim. “Not really, but no pressure. We have no choice but to move forward.”
Jenna forced a snicker. She wanted to appear to be a team player, at least one more time. She didn’t need anything standing in her way or holding her up. “If I may ask, how is it that the HI has gotten Congress and the speaker of the house to go along with this? Doesn’t it put them at risk?”
Carl nodded. “To some extent, but they want an end to the resistance more than we do. Any legislation is hard to move through with this cloud of impending doom hanging over their heads. Plus, it wasn’t hard to convince them.” He smirked and Jenna had to wonder why. “We simply told them what was expected of them.”
“Sir?” Jenna asked with an uneasy feeling in her gut.
“Oh, come now, Morgan. You’ve been with the HI long enough to know the pull we have. You know better than most what we can get away with and what is expected of us.”
“But we’re not the government…Sir.”
“No,” Carl smiled. “We’re something more. Something better. Congress, the President answer to the people. Who do we answer to?”
His answer scared Jenna. But there had to be someone, didn’t there? If they were allowed to do what they wanted and issue order
s to Congress…it made her skin crawl. “We are still government funded. The President could shut us down.”
“Not without a PR nightmare. Last I heard he wants to be reelected. And Americans sleep better at night with us in charge of the monsters. They wouldn’t sleep so well if the glistenings were out there and it makes them feel better about themselves to know we are keeping them alive.” Carl sighed. “Oh, those glistenings are alive, thanks to us, in those bubbles. Now, let’s go out to eat and get a nice fat steak. Pat ourselves on the back.”
Jenna forced a laugh but it was lost somewhere between her stomach and her throat. She liked to think there was a deeper reason for it all. People weren’t that shallow. She refused to believe it, but maybe Spector was right.
“And if I can ask about the harnesses, Sir? What’s been made of Tim.”
His face clouded over. “I think you know I can’t answer those questions. It’s classified, but it’s being handled. Without incident.”
“Well,” Jenna raised an eyebrow, “I guess that should make me feel better.”
“And I must thank you for always doing such a thorough job. Always seeing it through. It reminds me why you were wanted for my own job. And why I hate to see you go.” Carl held up his hands. “But I can’t force you to stay. Just wish you would reconsider.”
Jenna nodded and stood. “Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re dismissed. Good luck out there.”
She paused at the door. “Sir, who was commissioned to make the harnesses? It was contracted out, wasn’t it?”
Carl’s lips were pushed together. “Good day, Officer Morgan.” He turned his seat around and Jenna knew that was the end of it. She wasn’t going to get any more answers that day.
But for her, it was never going to be over. Jenna could never give up, never stop searching for the truth whether she wore the badge or not. Not until she found out who made the harnesses and what they knew. In Jenna’s experience, she discovered it didn’t matter how big the tree was. If you shook it hard enough, a few nuts always fell out.
****
The moment arrived. The van was loaded up and they were again on the outside, hitting the open road for DC at the rendezvous point to meet up with Jake Monroe. Jenna hadn’t decided yet what she was going to say to him. What in the end she planned to do and for now she refused to think about it.
She was just glad to be out and finally able to use her phone to check in with her mother and make sure baby Travis was all right.
Dirk drove and had barely spoken since they hit the highway. Not that she blamed him; they both had a lot on their minds. It turned Jenna’s stomach into knots, but that wasn’t why she felt so sick with vomit that the idea of food turned her green. No, there were other reasons she felt sick and soon, she was going to have no choice but to fess up to Dirk about the cluster of cells in her uterus.
Jenna had been a fool to believe she could get it taken care of after the mission. Missions rarely ended like she thought they would. Now she just needed to find the right time to tell him and the day before they were set to betray the father of their adopted baby boy, definitely was not that moment.
Still she needed to tell him something and soon.
She fumbled with her phone and as the unanswered rings set in, it set Jenna on edge. Closing her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief when the phone was answered. “Mom, thank God.”
“I feel like I should be saying that. I’ve been watching the news for days. What the hell is going on? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Travis? I need to know--.”
“Yes, yes.” Jane went on impatiently. “Of course he’s all right. I’m here, aren’t I? And except for my worry about you, what’s going on, we’ve been having a perfect time. Now tell me what happened. Were you hurt? Is Dirk all right?”
“We’re both fine. We were just locked down in Outpost. And now…now we’re going on a final mission.”
“How many final missions are they going to give you?”
Sometimes Jenna thought they really were too much alike. “We don’t have much of a choice. After what happened--.”
“When you killed all those glistenings, you mean?” Jane’s voice was filled with venom and Jenna winced upon hearing it.
“There were innocent people everywhere. What was I supposed to do?”
“Find another way.” Jane said. “I know you didn’t ask to be thrust in the middle of that, but what you did? Jenna--.”
“I saved all those innocent people from getting caught in the middle of a glistening attack. They didn’t deserve to be casualties of war. I did what I had to.”
Jane gave a labored sigh. “You always do.”
Should have been a compliment, but coming from her mom it was a jabbing criticism. “Please just keep Travis safe for a little bit longer. Tell him I love him.”
“Of course I will.” Her tone was annoyed and offended. “What is this next mission? Does it have anything to do with what is going on in the capital?”
“Thrown into the fire, yup. We’re escorting Jake Monroe.”
Jane sighed. “How your life ends up like a soap opera all the time, my dear.”
“Who better to keep him safe, right?” Jenna’s voice cracked and she bit her lip.
“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. What you’re going through. When this is done come home, honey. I’ll make you some tea and stay as long as you want. If you and Dirk want to take Travis and come to my facility, where you can rest, be taken care of--.”
She was talking about her pregnancy. Jenna nodded and pretended to wipe some dust from her eyes and hoped that Dirk couldn’t see the tears. “I appreciate that.” She forced herself to stay calm.
“All that time alone and you still haven’t told him? Oh, Jenna…”
“It’s not the right time. Who has time to go out to eat when we’re rushing into this thing? And New Haven is up to something.”
“Oh?” Alarm crept into her mother’s voice. “Not that I should be surprised.”
“Just…keep the home fire burning. I’ll tell you everything you need to know when we get back.”
“All right. Stay safe. Tell Dirk if you get hurt, I’m coming after him.”
Jenna smiled through the pain assaulting her heart. “You want me to scare him?”
“Hmm…sometimes. Be safe darling. And do say good-bye to me. I hate knowing you hung up because I hear dial tone.”
“Mother,” Jenna huffed, “there’s no dial tone anymore.” She sighed. “Good-bye.”
“See?” Jane asked. “Was that so hard? Why don’t you--.”
Jenna hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket. She adjusted in her seat to get comfortable and adjusted her seat belt. Glancing over at Dirk, she saw he was studying the road but his hands were gripping the steering wheel like they were getting ready to go off a cliff. “She said hi.”
“And?” Dirk prodded.
“And if I get hurt, she’s going to string you up by your balls and skin you alive.” Jenna chuckled when Dirk’s face went paler than Casper the ghost. “Okay, I embellished the last part, but it was implied.”
He laughed “Thanks, I can always use a good skin-Dirk-alive joke.”
“Those are the best.” Jenna felt herself drifting away, but she forced herself back into the present. “Want me to drive for a while?”
“I got this.” Dirk said. “You haven’t been sleeping well. Get some shut eye before we’re in the center of the storm.”
“Can’t get anything past you.” Jenna reached her hand out and caressed his thigh. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out. Now get some sleep. That’s an order, Officer Morgan.”
Jenna didn’t need to be told twice. She grabbed her baseball cap from the back and angled it over her eyes. It didn’t take long to drift away. Even as her abdomen tingled and cramped like something in her was stretching, she slept like a baby.
****
At the road stop diner Jenna could barely eat and what she did manage to get down, wouldn’t stay there. She ended up excusing herself to the bathroom and then puking her guts out. She leaned her head against the cool metal stall and took in the sweet relief against her sweltering forehead. Jake Monroe couldn’t have picked a better time to call in a favor.
Groaning, Jenna wretched again, gripping the side of the basin as the chunky brown river flowed from her mouth. She’d puked more than she ate. Jenna didn’t know how that was always possible, but she hated it. She really did.
Jenna wiped her mouth with some toilet paper before standing and teetered out to the washroom. For a brief moment the world spun; she really needed to get a handle on this thing. “Get a grip, Jenna,” she whispered to herself as she cupped her hand under the faucet and enjoyed a few slow drinks of water. Putting anything in her stomach now was just asking for trouble, but she needed to stay hydrated if she was going to get through this day.
Hopefully soon it would be over.
For all of them.
Jenna zipped her vest back up, aware every moment of the day how tight it was against her abdomen and how she couldn’t suck in like she used to. It snuck up on her. Less than a week ago she hadn’t noticed, but now her breasts were pushing their way out of her bra and all her clothes were uncomfortably tight.
It was just bloat. It had to be, but that didn’t make any of it any easier. Her body was changing and how Dirk didn’t even notice, didn’t say anything, was beyond her comprehension.
Dirk wasn’t inside the diner anymore. Jenna found him leaning up against the van with a toothpick swirling into his mouth. “Hey,” she said and tried not to look like she was avoiding his eyes, “ready to get this show on the road?”
He nodded and with his arms crossed his biceps bulged the way they did sometimes when he was angry or lost in thought. Jenna couldn’t tell which. “You want to run that, I’m fine crap, by me again?”
Well, there was the answer to that unspoken question. “I’d really just like to get there in one piece.”
