Alien in Chief (9 page)

CHAPTER 15

P
ROVING THAT WE
as a group rolled with the weird punches naturally by now, no one was even remotely fazed that Lizzie was here, let alone had come in via the roof.

Denise was happy to have the extra help, Walter was apologetic for not knowing that Team Assassination had doctored the cameras to hide their arrivals, our Secret Service agents gave me their standard Why Do You Go Anywhere Without Us, Do You Hate Us? lecture, and Jeff merely muttered that we apparently needed to put a welcome mat up there, and that was it.

My Secret Service detail did search Lizzie and her messenger bag while they sent another part of our detail up onto the roof to search there. Nothing dangerous was found on Lizzie or the roof, but the agents seemed so happy to be doing something that I decided not to argue with them.

When we reached Pierre, our Embassy Majordomo and the Most Competent Man in the World, however, the casual attitude about Lizzie being here was over. Because Pierre took in the same things I had and made the leap that Lizzie was here without anything she might actually consider hers. Including a change of underwear.

“Our brave young lady needs her personal things,” he said once he'd gotten the full story, or at least as much of it as I was willing to give him with the Secret Service standing there. They'd all proven they were trustworthy, but why mention that we had more assassins in town? That tended to make them twitchy. “May I send either the Operations Team or some agents to retrieve?”

“Operations Team, please and thank you.” I'd prefer to have Algar snapping his fingers and making whatever so than risk sending any of our people into a trap or a situation they weren't prepared for.

“Excellent. Now, once that's taken care of, I'll get you settled into your room in the Ambassador's suite.”

“Excuse me?” Lizzie and I coughed out in unison.

Pierre gave us both an arch look. “Where else would we be housing her? She's underage and therefore needs a guardian. While I could ask the Lewises, the Gaultier-Whites, or the Coleman-Weismans if they were willing, it seems to me that our brave Mister Siler put her into
your
care, Ambassador. Meaning she should be staying in
your
suite.”

Ran through all the other options. All the single males were out, of course—not that any of them would do anything inappropriate with an underage girl, but still, I knew without asking that Siler didn't want his daughter sleeping in a room with a strange man.

Other than my Secret Service detail, which had women on it so that I didn't have to risk going to the bathroom by myself in public places, we didn't have a lot of single gals on staff anymore.

And after we'd gotten back from Operation Civil War, Abigail Gower had asked Mahin Sherazi to room with her. Mahin had been excited to have the bonding time, and the two of them had gotten close, which was great for both of them. They went to clubs and on double dates all the time,
and why ask them to stop actually having a little fun in order to essentially babysit?

There were Rahmi and Rhee. She'd be incredibly safe with them, but having to take care of her could potentially throw them, because I had no idea how anyone on Beta Twelve treated teenagers. Plus they had other things going on that were getting the majority of their focus.

No, of the four families housing in the Embassy, Pierre was right—it made the most sense to have Lizzie with me and Jeff.

Plus Pierre was being extremely formal—he only called me Ambassador when we had people around he felt needed to have my status impressed upon them, or if he felt I wasn't acting up to that status. Meaning he potentially had other reasons for this plan.

Decided he was usually right, and nodded. “That makes sense, Pierre, thank you. Our suite is gigantic, Lizzie, so don't worry about us cramping your style.”

The soundproofing was fantastic in the Embassy, so I wasn't terribly concerned about my waking her up when Jeff and I had sexy times. Plus, we were going to be on the train and in Florida for most of her stay anyway.

Interestingly, once I'd agreed to this, Lizzie seemed to relax. And Pierre clearly approved because he flashed his gracious smile at me then shooed me out of the kitchen. But not before giving me one of Jeff's mother's brownies which, because they were the best brownies in all the galaxy, I'd sort of passed an embassy law that we had to have on hand 24/7.

I left Lizzie ruining her appetite for dinner by happily scarfing brownies and drinking milk while Pierre gave instructions to the refrigerator, which was how we dealt with the Operations Team. That no one found this odd was proof, if I'd ever needed it, that Algar worked in mysterious and powerful ways. It also confirmed that he liked his little jokes just like the rest of us.

Was going to head upstairs when our doorbell rang. “I've got it,” I called to Pierre and anyone else who might be listening. Went to the door and opened it up, to see the last person I'd expected.

Cliff Goodman.

CHAPTER 16

F
ORTUNATELY,
my being shocked wasn't out of character—most people, Cliff included, called ahead to let us know they were coming. “Cliff! Are you okay?”

“Yes, sorry I'm dropping in like this, but I've been trying to reach Chuck and he hasn't picked up.”

Chuckie never took Cliff's calls unless he felt emotionally able to play pretend, and this week he hadn't been. “Yeah, he's been having a lot of migraines recently. I mean, he's fine, but that's probably why. He's napping right now, for example.”

“He's had to do that a lot this past year and a half.” He looked sad. As if he wasn't the one who'd set things up to begin with. Then again, he probably was sad, since Chuckie's mind hadn't been destroyed.

“Yeah. It's been sucky, but we're getting him through it.”

“Are you okay?” Cliff sounded totally concerned about my welfare. “I saw what happened to you and Lillian. That was awful.”

“Yeah, it was weird, too. Lillian and I were trying to do a rare girl's lunch out. Guess that won't be happening again for ages now.”

Cliff looked around. “Ah, can I come in?”

“Oh!” I did not want him inside. It was Sunday, so no one was at work, and therefore Chuckie was here. He was also
wide awake and totally unprepared for this visit. And Cliff seeing him awake would be the epitome of not good. “Well, actually, I was just getting ready to go out. That's why I got the door.”

“Without your purse?”

Crap. This man knew me well. I shrugged. “Yeah.” I dropped my voice. “Jeff's been like a mother hen since that attack and I'm going a little stir crazy. I was only going to go across the street and visit the Romanian Embassy. But if I have my purse on me, then everyone would know I was planning to leave.”

“Ah, gotcha.” He seemed to be thinking. “Well, if you want, I can go with you. That way, you're not alone and you have someone to protect you.”

“Sure, that sounds great.” It didn't, but I was now committed to this course. Fortunately, I'd learned to play poker young, because I was now riding on the bluff.

I stepped out and closed the door quietly behind me.

Cliff offered me his arm. “Across the street, then?”

Took his arm as if he was really our buddy and someone who wanted to protect me. “Nah. Since you're here, I don't have to go. They aren't expecting me, I just figured it was a safe place to sneak to that Jeff couldn't bawl me out too much for visiting.”

Cliff laughed. “Gotcha. So, a walk, sit at the park in Sheridan Circle, hit up the Teetotaler, what's your pleasure?”

I appeared to consider this. “While I'd love to head for the Teetotaler, let's just go for the park at the Circle. It's close, so Jeff hopefully won't be too mad if he catches us.” And I certainly planned for him to catch us, since I was doing my best to send carefully tuned emotions and thoughts to him.

“Sounds good, and if you change your mind, it's always easy to grab a cab.”

“I like where your head's at.” Time to talk to Cliff as if he wasn't the Mastermind. And time to also see what he
might let slip. He'd slipped before. Not a lot, but enough. “So, that weird assassin chick hasn't tried for anyone else, has she? I haven't heard it if she has.”

“Assassins aren't my thing anymore, unless they cause disaster-level damage, but since she appears to be hitting allies of American Centaurion's, I've been extra careful.”

Considered this, and what I'd say if this was a real ally of ours. “Maybe we shouldn't be sitting outside in the park. I mean, I don't want anything to happen to you.”

I didn't. Cliff knew where the Leventhal Reid and LaRue Demorte Gaultier clones were, and how many more of them were being created. He knew where everything planned against us was hidden and he knew what was being created to be tossed at us. We were all sure he had a doomsday plan or a kill switch that would cause the end of the world if he was killed out of hand. He was the Mastermind, and as much as I wanted him dead, I had to keep him alive.

“Well, I'm sure I'm okay. I took a cab here, and we're close to the Embassy.”

“Yeah, but seriously, dude, I don't want anything to happen to you. Jeff will be even madder if I've snuck out and gotten you hurt or worse.” I wanted to ask him if he'd heard from Stephanie, since he'd been dating her when she'd disappeared. But he'd been dating her on the down low, so my asking would give away that we knew about the relationship.

“I guess.” Cliff put his free hand over mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I appreciate the concern, Kitty. I really do. If it's making you nervous, we can go to the Teetotaler, to the Romanian Embassy, or just back to your Embassy if you'll feel safer.”

We were crossing the street to get to Sheridan Circle as he said this. And no sooner had the words left his mouth than I heard a sound I was becoming familiar with—the roar of a Harley going fast.

CHAPTER 17

I
DIDN'T STOP TO THINK.
I pulled my arm out from Cliff's, then grabbed his hand. Took a look around and saw the Harley coming toward us. It wasn't the same bike she'd been riding before, but it was big, fast, and loud, so wherever she was getting these bikes from was definitely working on a theme.

“We need to run,” I told Cliff. I was about to take off when it dawned on me that if I did, I'd be going at hyperspeed. I couldn't remember if Cliff knew I was enhanced—because it was hard to remember who knew what these days—but if he didn't know, my taking us to hyperspeed would give away one of the only secret weapons we possessed.

“Yeah.” He started running toward the park and dragging me with him. He wasn't going slowly, and he wasn't leaving me behind.

Ran at human speeds and checked his expression. He looked freaked out. “The park isn't going to give us much cover. We should go back to the Embassy.”

“We can't.”

He was right. Huntress had come to a stop, between us and the Zoo. If we couldn't make the Zoo—and without my using hyperspeed we couldn't—we certainly couldn't
make the Embassy, any of them on the street, let alone our own.

Cliff dragged us behind a tree. “We need a plan.”

True enough. The Harley started going again. This might be a ruse to get me to use hyperspeed. Then again, Cliff had wanted to get inside the Embassy. Me going out with him couldn't have been in his game plan, because normally Pierre or Rajnish Singh, our Public Relations Minister, answered the door. And Cliff hadn't done anything I'd seen to send a message in the short time we'd been together, and I
had
been looking for it.

He pulled me around the other side of the tree, meaning the arrow missed us and went into the tree's trunk. I pulled him toward the street. He pulled me back and down. Just in time, as yet another arrow just missed us.

“Kitty, seriously, she's going around in a circle and is faster than we are. We need a plan. Up into the trees, you think?”

It was a viable option, but one that would take time. “She'll be able to shoot one or both of us if we try,” I said, as we scurried around to the other side of the tree again and I wondered where the hell Jeff was.

Huntress got tired of going in a circle and drove up onto the grass, blocking us between her motorcycle and the tree. She leveled the bow, but not at me. She was aiming for Cliff's heart.

I readied myself to pull him down, fast, when someone slammed into us and suddenly we were far away. I looked up expecting to see Jeff, but instead saw White. “Great timing,” I said as we zipped up Massachusetts Avenue, aka Embassy Row.

“It's luck. I happened to look out the window at the right time. I'd inquire as to what the two of you were doing outside, but I'm sure it's a reason that makes no sense.”

“Kitty was feeling stir crazy,” Cliff gasped out. “I'd
dropped by and figured I could keep her safe and let her have a little time-out. I was wrong and I'll be the first one to admit that I'm an idiot.”

“Hardly. But she must have followed you, Cliff. She was aiming for you.” Of course, during Operation Sherlock, Cliff had had his own brand new car blown up for the sole purpose of making us think the bad guys were after him. It wasn't beyond him to have done the same now. Only . . . he'd looked terrified. Truly terrified. Ready to die and not wanting to terrified.

We turned left and followed Waterside Drive back toward our section of the Row. Got off the street behind our property. White and I could have scaled the fence, but there was no way Cliff could do it, and no way I could do it if I wanted to keep Cliff in the dark about my A-C abilities.

White stopped and I caught my breath while Cliff had the standard human reaction to hyperspeed—he threw up. Tried not to enjoy it a little. Failed.

“I think we need protection on Cliff.”

“I think we need to get Mister Goodman somewhere safe,” White agreed. “However I'm not convinced our Embassy is that place anymore.”

“Not sure my place is safe, either,” Cliff retched out.

“Protective custody? The police will absolutely do that for you.”

Cliff stood up and shook his head. He was shaking. Did what I would have before I knew who he really was—took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back, and gave me a grateful smile. “Thanks, Kitty. I don't know how you guys do the action stuff all the time. It's not fun at all.” He shuddered. “Neither is having someone pointing a deadly weapon at you with clear intent to kill. You guys are all a lot braver than I am, I guess.”

“You get used to it.”

“Really?”

“No, I'm lying. You really don't. Some of us have fight, some of us have flight, Cliff. That's all it is.”

“I suppose.” He heaved a sigh. “So, do we go to the Embassy and get bawled out, or do I go to the police?”

White looked thoughtful. “Honestly . . . if you feel safe enough, I'd say the police. They have no leads on this would-be killer, and you're a prominent person in town. You'll have top protection, and what you saw could help them.”

“We have nothing, too, so it's not like we've got more than the police. But will Cliff be safe with just humans guarding him? If you hadn't come when you did, Richard, both of us might be dead.”

“We'll assign some Field teams to protect you as well,” White said. “If you'll allow it.”

“I normally say no, but this time? This time I'll gladly take the protection, Richard, thank you.”

“Then, prepare your stomach, Clifford—we're about to go fast again.”

We zipped off and went to the D.C.P.D. location where the K-9 squad was based. Gave our stories, which didn't take all that long because there wasn't much to tell. More units were assigned to Embassy Row, Cliff was put under protection, and three Field teams arrived before we were ready to leave.

Hoped that the six agents and the cops wouldn't get hurt, either by Huntress or one of Cliff's people.

We were offered a ride home, but White and I passed. Instead, we used good ol' hyperspeed—this time with me providing the speed and White providing the navigation and steering—and headed back to the Embassy.

We got inside and I was prepared for questions and a lot of shouting. But no one was waiting for us.

“Where's Jeff?”

“I have no idea,” White said. “Truly, I looked out the window at the right time.”

“Huh. I was sending mental and emotional signals. Good ones, too. I was sure of it.”

Heard the sound of running feet and all of a sudden Jeff was there, looking freaked out. “What's wrong? What happened? Why are you two so stressed?”

White and I looked at each other. “Mister Goodman must have been wearing a particularly strong emotional blocker,” White said.

“Yeah, that's the only thing that makes sense.” We filled Jeff in, fast, on what had just transpired.

When we were done he didn't bawl me out. “That was honestly good, quick thinking, baby. And Richard's right—Cliff must have been wearing a blocker of incredible power, because I got nothing from you at all.” He hugged me. “And you could have been killed.”

Hugged him back. “No. I'd have used hyperspeed before I let her kill me. Or, sadly, him. I'm just glad Richard was there.”

“So, you really think he wasn't faking it?” Jeff asked.

“Well, without empathic confirmation, I have no way of being a hundred percent sure. But he looked and acted totally terrified. And I've seen him for a long time now—this is the first real fear I've ever seen Cliff show.”

“We'll discuss it with Charles,” White said. “And get his impressions. For now, however, I think we work under a new assumption—that whoever this Huntress is, she's after our allies. Because Cliff is identified as such.”

“Maybe. But there's another possibility.”

“What?” Jeff asked.

“She could be after us and our allies
and
after Cliff. For two entirely different revenge reasons.”

“You think your Huntress is Stephanie?” Jeff asked sadly.

“More and more each day, yeah, I do. She's had time to learn to drive and the Yates blood is, let's face it, strong in your family, Jeff. But, as we say in Pueblo Caliente, that's a cactus spine for another day.”

“Do you really say that where you come from?” White asked, sounding mildly surprised.

“Well, I do. As always, I can't speak for anyone else.”

White chuckled. “You can, and do. But as
we
say, that's a fight I'm not willing to have right now.”

“Wise man once again proves his wisdom.”