Leader: Book Three (Princes of Prophecy 3) (10 page)

“Yeah,” Jeremy says scaring the shit out of me.

“Fuckin’ kids. You almost gave me a heart attack.” I drink the rest of the glass and sit. Jesus. He doesn’t say anything. “I’m scared Jeremy, but I’ll get through it.”

“Yeah.”

I think about what I decided earlier. “I’m going to make this good.”

“Yeah.”

I look out at the water. “I was going to wait until we get clear of this shit, but I won’t wait. I’ll marry her soon.”

“Yeah.”

I look at him. He’s watching the water. His brain is moving like a tornado is in there. “I’m going to bed. Good talk Brother.” I kiss his head and walk back in smiling.

I’m scared to death. All I can think is at least we’re married. I throw the trash away and save the stick. Gross, but I want to show him. Since I peed on it, I put it in a baggie and zip it up. I have no idea what the protocol is on sticks you pee on so this will have to do.

Now that I don’t have the stick to keep my mind occupied I pace the room. He’s been so happy I hope this doesn’t change that. He said he wanted kids. I have no idea if we’re ready, but it feels right. I think about all the things we’ve been doing. Jess does them and she’s got kids. I smile. I’m having a baby. I love babies.

I hear his bike and put the stick in my pocket running down the stairs. I have a beer in my hand when he walks in. Before I give it to him I stand on my tippy toes and kiss his chin. “Hi.”

He laughs pulling me closer. “Love you babe.” He always says the same thing. I’ll never get tired of hearing it. When he finishes showing me with his kisses he loosens his hold.

“Good day?”

“It started out rough, but ended up here with you in my arms so it’s looking up.”

I laugh. It’s about to get better I think and pull him into the kitchen. “I cooked.”

He takes a deep breath and moans. “Smells good.”

I smile. That’s better than the last time when he said ‘what the hell is that smell?’ “I got help this time. Jess showed me how to use the crock pot for a roast. I came home at lunch and dropped it all in then went back to work. I had no chance of screwing it up.”

He laughs and kisses me again. “I can cook when I get home, but I’m glad you did this. It smells fuckin’ good.”

He would too, but I’m working on cooking more so he doesn’t have to. I’m taking the classes at work and they all laugh at me, but I’m determined to learn. I get the rolls out of the oven and on the table while he puts the crock pot in the center.

We eat talking about our days and finally get the table cleared. I sit back down and wait for him to sit. I’m so damn nervous and excited. “If you don’t tell me soon, I’ll spank your ass and get it out of you.”

I’m thinking that wouldn’t be so bad, but I was hoping for the water later. “Babe, spit it out.” He stops me from daydreaming here.

I pull the stick in the baggie out and hand it to him. When he starts to unzip it I yell at him, “No! I peed on that!”

He looks at me then the stick. “You peed on it.” He looks closer at it. “You’re pregnant.” His voice shows no emotion one way or the other so I nod not real sure how to feel. “We’re having a baby.”

Again, I get no emotion and feel my eyes start to burn. “That’s what pregnant usually leads to.”

He pulls me to him. “You’re not happy? We’re having a baby and you don’t want to?”

“I was happy, but you’re not showing any emotion and I’m scared to death that you don’t want to be a father right now.”

He hugs me laughing. “I’m shocked. Of course I want to be a father. Every fuckin’ thing is going through my head. A baby. If it’s a girl we can name her Honor. I hope she looks just like you. I can teach my boy about Brotherhood and protecting his family. A baby.”

I laugh and tears fall. “Thank God. Yes, a baby.” He’s thinking about names and what he’s teaching his boy. I can’t believe how relieved I am.

“When? When are you due?”

“I think about six or seven months. I have to go to the doctor...”

He stops me with a kiss. “I want to go with you. Everything you do for our baby I want to do with you.” He’s using the Prez voice and I laugh.

“When I have to waddle my butt up to pee, in the middle of the night, fifteen times, you can do that too.”

He smiles. “I’ll carry you.”

“Eeww! No thanks I think I can manage that one alone. I was kidding.”

“I’m not. Everybody pees. I think it’s safe for me to know that you do.” He’s serious.

Shit. “I don’t think you need to see it.”

“Don’t care. I’m carrying you from now on.” He stands up as if proving his point and I crack up. It’s going to be a long seven or so months.

I watch the monitor but can’t tell what the hell I’m looking at. Lily has tears in her eyes, but the sweetest smile on her face. “Do you have twins in your family?”

I crack up. Lily takes in a breath. I’m watching her, but she doesn’t let it out. “Breathe babe.”

“Twins? We don’t have twins in our families. You don’t just have twins right? It’s just one? One big baby right? You’re big.” I kiss her to stop from laughing and stop her from panicking.

The doctor laughs. “There must be twins somewhere because you definitely have two boys growing.” She hands me a box of tissues and I take it, knowing we’re not done.

Lily cries. “Two. I don’t know how to take care of one, how do I do two?”

I kiss her head. “We do it together. We’ve been around twins our whole life, we got this babe. You’re not alone here. Wait until our family hears. You’ll be begging for a minute alone to hold your babies.”

She nods, but her tears still fall. The doctor tells us they are healthy and everything looks good. We come back in a month.

She leaves us and I get Lily dressed and everything straight on her. She doesn’t say a word. I hand her her purse and she takes it automatically. I can’t leave like this so I sit and pull her to my lap. “Babe?” She looks at me. I clench my jaw. She’s still in shock. “We can do this. When has anyone ever had trouble with twins? I’ve never heard a complaint and we have two living right on the side of us. Geek and Marty have Riley and Kyler and they’ve never complained about two. We got this.”

She nods. “Yeah. Marty does it and works full time. Jess does too. I can do this right?”

I smile, but don’t laugh. “No babe.
We
can do this. It’s not just you.”

Her head is bobbing again. “Yeah you help with everything.”

I stand up setting her down. “Let’s get some lunch then I’ll get you back to work. Is Anita here again?”

“Yes. She’ll help too.”

I walk her out the door. “Yeah Lily. Everyone will help. They always do.”

I take the card from the nurse and keep walking. Lily is looking less pale and gets in the truck herself. I hold her face. “Thank you baby. I can’t wait to tell my dad.”

She smiles for the first time then it falls. I know she feels the loss of Casper. Her mom refused to come to the wedding and that has to hurt too. “Brenda will be excited too.”

“Geek, Marty and Aubrey too,” I throw in so she feels her family. She smiles.

I walk around the truck wondering if there is a way to get her mom closer to her. “What do you feel like eating?”

“The Deli?”

I nod and drive to the Deli wondering what the hell to eat. We’ve had Deli for a week straight. I’m running out of options. I park and think the restaurant is not too far they could probably deliver meatloaf or a hot turkey plate. My phone goes off and the hologram board shows on my windshield. Fuck! “What’s going on Darren?”

“The feeds are down. I have Air gearing up and HS coming in. We have nothing coming our way that we can see. I checked with Connecticut and New York, but they have I95 clear. The MC is not responding so I have Brantley calling backup phones.”

I scan the boards while he talks. “I’m four out.” I swipe him off and look at Lily. “You can be closed in the Center or with me at Ops.”

“The Center. They have food.”

I laugh and drive her over. When I walk in HS is here. “Lock it down.” I kiss my girl telling her I love her and will pick her up. She tells me I owe her the Deli and I laugh as the steel panels roll down.

Walking in Ops I get the status and tell Brantley to get us on the new satellite. I take the satellite phone and call Mitch. “Nothing showing on the feeds and no contact with the MC.”

“I’m glad you called. We’re just getting the MC up now. You have bikes and trucks coming your way and already moving in. A small plane and a helicopter also. Do you need me to remote you up?”

Fuck! “No. Brantley just got us there. Thanks Mitch.”

Me: “Air One to Prince.”

Dakota: “Prince standing ready.”

Me: “Eagle Eye I have us up. We have a small plane and chopper headed our way. Permission to engage. I need you to run the Ops until I get everyone running.”

Dakota: “Roger Prez. Halo on my three.”

I drop the headset with Josiah. “Give him anything he needs to run. I’ll be right here if he gets jammed up.” He nods at me, but is talking to Dakota.

“VP, Teams Three and Four are going to get hit hard, get PD backup. Shoot to kill.” I stand with Brantley. He hands me a headset. “Jessie we have trucks moving to grid seventeen. Stop them however you can Brother. I’ll have backup headed your way in five.” I get roger’d and move to Chevy.

“Get me all Security on call. I need backup with every team. At least four for each.” He rogers me and I go back to Brantley.

“Taylor, split and give Eliza some help. She’s got at least twenty fuckin’ bikes coming straight for her.” I get a roger and move to Air. Before I put the headset on, I scan the boards. Tracking shows our bikes moving to the outer grids. It throws relief and I sign back on with Dakota and Jared. Josiah points to the board.

Me: “Eagle Eye I have a boat headed to port in town two.”

Dakota: “Roger Prez. I will get there in time.” I smile and think I probably should be worried right now, but we’re up and he’s confident. I’ll take my smiles when I can get them.

I see the plane from his camera then it explodes. “Fuck.”

Dakota: “Prince clear, Air One. Halo follow to the coast.”

I look at the board and hold my mic. “Where’s the chopper?”

“He blew it up.”

I look at him and he stops typing and looks at me. “When? I was gone less than five minutes.”

“As soon as he saw it he had Jared fire a missile at it from behind him.” Jesus. “He said he didn’t have time to wait to see what they were going to try for.”

“I guess not.” I let the mic go. “Roger Prince.”

I scan the boards and see everyone holding their own. The PD backup shows in blue and they’re everywhere. “Call Co. See if they need backup.” He rogers me and I watch my chopper feeds. The coast looks clear so far. I scan and come back to the choppers. Fuck it’s not a boat, it’s a fuckin’ ship.

Me: “Prince sink it.”

Dakota: “That was my thought Air One. We can shoot the jumpers without a threat.”

Me: “Roger Eagle Eye.” He’s in no mood to play today. He gives Jared the go ahead to fire and he does again from behind. As the missile flies Dakota rises up and fires. The bow rises up slow. Men are jumping off.

“What the fuck were they doing with so many fuckin’ people?”

Dakota: “They had plans of overtaking key positions Prez.”

Me: “Sorry Eagle Eye. I didn’t realize I said it out loud.”

Dakota: “Roger Prez. I take it back then.” I hold the mic and laugh. Josiah is laughing and I kick his chair.

Me: “Fire at will Prince.”

Dakota: “Roger Air One.” He tells Jared to move south while he moves north. I hear them give their leads the fire at will order.

I hold the mic. “Get Cleanup to the dock with an empty box trailer. Have Water Security transport the bodies to the trailer.” I get a roger and watch the gunners shoot in lines. This seems like a shit move, but waiting for them to shoot us first doesn’t feel like an option. I have no clue what Dakota saw so I have to trust his instincts. Kill or be killed is what Pres says. When Josiah stops typing I ask about Co.

“He said they had a run, but they weren’t expecting the guns at the gate. Nothing made it through. They are secure, but staying alert.” I nod. I’ve had Security training there for three fuckin’ weeks now. I’m glad I didn’t call them back home.

I scan and see Sheila standing in the middle of the road firing a machine gun at a truck. “Where the fuck did she get a machine gun?”

Darren is smiling. “Took it from the pussy that shot her bike.” She walks to a Security bike and hands the Brother the machine gun then pulls her gun on him and takes his bike. They’re getting as crazy as the MC. Darren is holding his mic doubled over. Fuck.

Dakota and Jared’s gunners are slowing down. I see Security pulling bodies and moving quickly. Nice. They have the whole area cordoned off so nothing is moving anywhere near them. That was smart.

Dakota: “Eagle Eye to Halo cease fire.”

Jared: “Roger Eagle Eye.” I hear him give his gunner the order and the guns are pulled in on Halo.

Dakota: “Prince to Air One. We are at the point of shooting fish in a bucket.” I clench my jaw. “Security is pulling bodies and securing the area.”

Me: “Roger Prince. Scan the area for additional threats. I see nothing on tracking.”

Dakota: “Roger Air One.” He has Jared run north while he runs south in a two-mile circle.

I watch the boards and shake my head. Eliza and Taylor are beating the shit out of pussies. I swear they like being off their bikes more than on them. I look at Darren and he’s shaking his head too.

Jared: “Halo to Prince. I have visual on a ship with no tags. Flying solid black.”

I look at Josiah and hold my mic. “Pirates?” Isn’t that the only people to fly black flags?

He shrugs and starts typing. “It looks like it Prez.”

“You Googled it?”

He shrugs again.

Dakota: “According to Google it’s a pirate ship. Move back to our zero degree and hold steady.”

“Get me Jamie at MC Baxters.”

Josiah starts typing.

Me: “Eagle Eye I need a minute for a direction here.”

Dakota: “Roger Prez. I do not think we could get away with another sinking ship.”

Josiah laughs and I kick his chair. He tries to stop, but Jamie catches him and smiles.

“Thanks for taking my call. I have a ship that’s flying a black flag.”

He nods. “Pirates.”

Josiah looks up at me. I nod. “Josiah Googled it to make sure we were right in that thinking. My question is what do we do? We just sank a ship full of men planning on overtaking the town’s key positions. Dakota doesn’t think we’d get away with sinking a second right now.”

He laughs and Josiah looks at me as if to say, ‘see it was funny.’ I kick his chair and wait for Jamie. He’s typing then looks up at me. “The coordinates?”

Josiah gives him latitude and longitude and he types it in. “You made a friend in the Coast Guard. They will handle your pirate ship.”

“Thank you. The reservation is settled and secure after a run on them. How are you faring up there?”

He smiles. “The MC is crazy but effective. Danny got a rocket launcher from the enemy and started using it on them. He cleared trucks trying to get the aim right, now he’s aiming for the pickups and bikes.”

Josiah moves his chair putting his face on his arm. I stomp on my foot. “Roger One. I need to get my choppers home if you cleared our pirates.”

He nods. “They’re taken care of. The Coast Guard will pick them up and seize the boat.”

“Thank you.” I kick Josiah’s chair and he clicks the OC off. I bend and breathe. Fuck.

Me: “Eagle Eye your friends in the Coast Guard are on their way for the pirates.”

Dakota: “Roger Air One. I did not really believe there were pirates here, but today I learned they are real on this side of the world too.” Oh shit. Josiah gets up and walks away.

Me: “Roger Eagle Eye. Return to support HS, Prince and Halo.” They both roger me and I walk away holding the mic. “Holy fuck!” I bend and breathe. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a funnier conversation on Ops.” I breathe through the picture of Uncle Danny shooting a rocket launcher at a pussy on a bike.

Darren looks over at me and I throw him chin hoping to reach professional at some point today. I look at the boards and see Taylor and Jessie on top of a box trailer shooting with the machine guns. What the fuck is going on with machine guns? I don’t even ask, I walk back and watch my chopper views.

Josiah comes back and sits. “I almost pissed my pants. I want to work at the MC for just one day.”

I point to Taylor and Jessie. “You don’t need to leave for that crazy train, I think it pulled in and unloaded right here.”

“Oh fuck.”

“Yeah.”