A Warrior's Return (23 page)

“No your touch on me is good. The more
lustful or forceful the male’s touch is signifies the lack of
security he feels in maintaining control of the affections of his
companion. What you’re doing appears as if you’re in control and
that I’m happy to be with you. Something they will both admire and
be jealous of. If you see a woman hit or mistreated tonight do not
go to her rescue! Chivalry is dead here. Chances are if the woman
is with such an abusive partner it’s because she’s into that kind
of thing.”

We were nearly at the top of the stairs,
when I felt Roric’s arm stiffen slightly. I followed his gaze to
where two women were openly kissing each other in full public
display of everyone passing by.

“Courage.” I whispered squeezing his hand
slightly, “It only gets worse!”

“I’ve seen worse than this.” He rejoined
softly back at me.

That was a depressing revelation to know. I
guess in some corner of my mind I had been hoping that Talaric’s
world would be better than the openly wicked and depraved culture
of this world. I guess people were the same wherever they went to,
whether it be Earth or somewhere else in the galaxy.

We entered the gay world of the party. A
servant took my wrap at the door. We mingled among the brightly
colored flock of gathered pigeons and survived.

When moving from one gathering to another
the first challenge occurred. A potbellied little businessman from
Brussels stopped us with one hand briefly catching a hold of my
free arm.

“Reginald, you certainly do have an exotic
one here! I could make it worth your while to lone her out for a
while. Sort of a shared investment stock opportunity.”

Sparky’s training of the last view days came
out, as Roric deftly flicked the man’s hand off my arm and
dispassionately said, “When I have something of value that needs to
be depreciated I’ll let you know.”

And then Roric directed me away and we
headed out onto the dance floor. That had been good. Sparky would
be proud of his pupil. I certainly was. It wasn’t easy to pull off
being a wastrel, when at heart you were a good person. The same
could be said of the reverse.

The dance floor was at least a slightly less
pressured atmosphere as no one could talk to us. I was looking
around at the people gathered in the ballroom, when the question
came that I had been dreading.

“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk since we
met. I’m very curious as to how you came to be acquainted with my
son.”

I glanced up at the face of the man so
similar to the man I loved and couldn’t help but cringe inwardly at
what he would think. What did I tell him?

I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t
look at him directly so I concentrated on his chin instead.

“I met your son at a place where women dance
for men. I was one of the dancers and I was also a whore by
profession at the time, but I’m not now. Your son is an amazing man
and you have every right to be proud of him. He saved my life and
Rafael’s many times over. He shared his faith with me and I believe
even as you and him in the Savior of us all. I’m basically starting
my life over again. All I want from life now is to please my God,
give Rafael a good home and to spend the rest of my life with your
son, if he’ll have me.”

That was pretty much everything in a
nutshell. We moved in the rhythm of the dance for a few moments and
I could tell that he was waiting for me to make eye contact with
him. I glanced up hoping I wouldn’t see rejection in his eyes.

There was no rejection, only a deep
appreciation reflected in his eyes that made me feel warm and
somehow special inside, when I deserved nothing close to it.

“Enough said my dear.” And that was all he
said.

I couldn’t believe it!

This was too easy!

I glanced up again and asked hesitantly,
“You’re all right with me being with your son?”

“What’s to mind about having a beautiful and
intelligent daughter-in-law that has her faith in the proper
perspective, loves my son and the child she’s already been blessed
with and doesn’t mind fighting for them or her friends when they’re
in danger? I’m blessed to have you as is Talaric.”

I shook my head softly. He made it sound as
if I was something precious and worthy to be treasured. Just like
his son treated me.

The men of this family were so strange and
yet simply wonderful!

Like a glutton for punishment or perhaps out
of the need for more affirmation that I was actually okay, I asked
softly, “But what about the whore part?”

Again I could tell he wanted my eye contact
and I looked up.

“Eva, I’m as guilty as the rest of mankind
is. I’ve done my share of evil and have behaved wickedly. I’m
redeemed from the death I deserve and my Savior sacrificed Himself
for me just as He did for you. We’re both forgiven. I don’t look at
you, as to who you were, but rather I’m looking at the very special
woman that you are now and it is my desire that soon you’ll be in
the position to call me father.”

“Please stop! You’re going to make me cry if
you keep it up!” I said already choked up inside.

It would be nice to have a real father! I
wished that everything taking place right now and the very real
danger we were in could all just be fast forwarded away so I could
get to the good stuff that God seemed to be offering me, but that
wasn’t how life worked. You had to take the good with the bad
sometimes.

Roric was speaking again, “And don’t be
worried about Krista. She’s completely enchanted with you.”

I smiled a little, “I did get the impression
that she was okay with me being with Talaric.”

“Oh and when did you get that impression?”
He asked curiously.

Looking up impishly I said, “On the
helicopter ride out of the desert we shared similar seating
arrangements, if you know what I mean.”

Roric nodded, “The woman has never ceased
from tormenting me, whenever she’s gotten the chance to!”

He looked away for a moment and then back to
me with a gleam in his eye.

“How did I get so lucky? Eva would you do me
a favor?”

“Anything!” I said with heartfelt
sincerity.

“When my son is gray-haired and losing a few
steps to his game like I am, would you please still continue to
torment him and make him feel young as my woman does to me?”

“I swear it!” I said smiling wickedly.

The dance was over and he led me to a
refreshment table. We stood there for a while surprisingly
unbothered, as we watch the next dance take place without us.

“These people remind me of the people that I
bought my wife from.” Roric said absent mindedly, as he studied the
participants of the ball.

I almost choked on my punch at his
words.

“Bought her?” I asked incredulously,
wondering if he was pulling my leg.

He gave me a discerning look, “Thought you
were the only one with a storied past didn’t you. I bought Krista
at a sex slave auction, which was after she had been given to me
the first time as my slave.”

My jaw had to be on the floor.

“The first time?” I asked not believing what
I was hearing.

“Yes, she was basically willed to me, but
she ran away before she could find out how charming I am.”

“I’ve got to hear this story!” I said
fervently hanging on every one of his words.

“I’ll make sure that you hear every
excruciating detail of it my dear, but it will have to wait till a
later date. Look whose joined the party.”

I turned and saw Sparky across the room,
only it wasn’t Sparky.

Sparky with Ellanara sauntering along beside
him, in her best impression of Eva, approached the checkpoint to
the tunnel entrance of the military base side of the mountain.
Talaric followed behind dressed in the obvious garb of a menacing
henchman.

The guard on duty looked through the glass
surprised and got to his feet abruptly, “Mister Vorstrom I thought
you were gone for this evening!” The guard asked before his eyes
strayed over to the exposed neckline of Ellanara’s ball gown.

“Well as you can see I am back. There’s been
a bad accident out on the main road that will take hours to clean
up so I diverted to back here. Open up now, I don’t want to be any
later than I already am for the ball. I have kept my precious pet
waiting long enough as it is!” Sparky said, as he patted Ellanara’s
hand.

In dutiful fashion she batted her eyelashes
at the man, who was slightly shorter than her and old enough to be
her grandfather.

“Certainly Sir, just slide your badge and
I’ll call ahead to make sure the rail car is at your disposal!”

“Excellent!” Sparky said, as he made a great
search upon his person for his pass.

“It would appear that I forgot to transfer
it with my change of clothes. No matter, open up anyway. Time is
wasting and you know how I feel about the efficacy of time!”

The guard dragged his eyes back off of
Ellanara’s chest to Sparky, “You know I can’t let you through
without a pass Sir! It’s protocol!”

Sparky sharply said, “I am well aware what
protocol is and is not! I did write it after all. There is no other
way of reaching the ball except through the mountain and I am not
wasting another precious hour’s time depriving my pet of the
pleasurable evening’s experience that I promised her, in order to
go back to my quarters and pick up the pass that I wrote the source
key for!”

The guard was sweating now and visibly
panicking.

He looked completely miserable as he
repeated, “I’m sorry sir, but I need a pass.”

Sparky studied him for a minute under an
intense stare that left the guard shaking, “I commend you for your
dedication Mister Coulson at your assigned task, but what do you
suppose will happen to you tomorrow when I will return with my
pass, after having disappointed by lady here of the previous
night’s entertainment?” Sparky spoke several words then in a
foreign language that visibly whitened the guards already white
complexion.

The blast door opened and Sparky stopped his
verbal assault and stepped through it with Ellanara, “A wise
decision that you have made this night Mister Coulson. I will make
sure that you do not live to regret it.”

Sparky made as if to continue through into
the tunnel beyond, but Talaric piped up.

“What about the package Sir?” He asked
holding up a large brown parcel.

“Oh yes!”

Turning back to the guard Sparky asked, “I
have a package which I do not wish to leave in the facility. I
there someplace that I could leave it where we can pick it up on
our return through the mountain?”

The guard pointed to a shelf and Talaric
slid the package onto it.

“Thank you. You have been most helpful.”

The guard nodded wanly and watched as the
three of them stepped down the corridor.

Sparky stopped and called back, “Mister
Coulson.”

The guard shot back up to his feet and
turned, “Yes Sir?”

“Since this is somewhat a breach in protocol
on your part I should think it wise for you to not mention our
presence in the facility.”

Sounding choked the guard responded, “Yes
Sir!”

The three of them continued on down the
hall. After a while Talaric chuckled, “What did you say to him
Sparky to turn him so white?”

With a somewhat wry expression Sparky
answered, “Not worth repeating I’m afraid in present company.”

“Hey! I want to know too!” Ellanara
exclaimed.

“No my dear. There are some things that
you’re better off not knowing about.”

The tunnel came to an opening where the rail
car was parked off to one side. Being after hours there was a
minimum of personnel and while there were some probing looks, most
of which were directed at Ellanara. No one stopped them.

The rail car clicked on its tracks, as it
raced along through the mountain. The ride took an average of three
minutes to complete. Both Sparky and Talaric pulled out pistols and
screwed silencers onto the ends of them.

Ellanara raised her eyebrows at the
seriousness of their impending adventure. Talaric looked at
Ellanara and gave her a curious smile.

“What?” Ellanara asked defensively.

“I was just thinking about how all grown up
you are now. The last time I saw you; you were in pigtails and were
a first-class prankster. Now… Look at you. You’re beautiful,
poised, and so smart; you make me feel stupid half the time.”

“You’re not the only one there my friend.”
Echoed Sparky smiling benevolently at Ellanara, who was blushing
profusely at their combined praise of her.

“You are utterly enchanting my dear, it’s a
pity that this couldn’t be a simple ballroom experience for you
instead of the desperate mission that it is.” Sparky added.

Ellanara didn’t know what to say to all the
praise other than to acknowledge in some deep part of her the need
every woman has to be told that their beautiful by the men in their
lives.

The rail car started slowing down and
Talaric and Sparky got up and moved to the door.

Ellanara start to get up, but Talaric
motioned her back down, “Just stay here until we clear the way.
Leave the package under your skirt in here under a bench.”

The rail car stopped and the doors opened
and Sparky and Talaric stepped out. There were the rapid clicks and
chokes of the silenced pistols and the sounds of bodies
falling.

A hand appeared motioning to Ellanara and
she quickly followed along. This for the most part, would be her
first mission and seeing death up close was new to her, but she
kept her head up and followed dutifully after her brother as Sparky
led the way.

They stepped into a large oval shaped room
and the two pistols choked away again several times before falling
silent. It was a little too much for Ellanara and her hand flew to
her mouth as her stomach heaved. Suddenly a wastebasket was before
her nose and she grabbed it and retched violently into it.