Lean on Me (55 page)

“
By your leave, we’ll clean
up here and get to your house before Santa arrives,” Joseph
said.

The team was silent and all eyes were on
her.

“
That’s an order,” Alex
said and the team cheered.

FFF

Friday night

December 25 – 7:53 p.m. MST

Denver, CO

Alex touched John’s shoulder and he winked.
Getting up from the couch, she wandered through the lingering party
in the living room, through the kitchen to the milk porch. On the
milk porch, she stepped around a ferocious game of Pictionary being
played by the teenaged kids. She grabbed her heavy winter jacket,
stepped into her winter boots, and went to the back of the house
next door.

She needed some time to think. Usually, she
escaped the hubbub by going into her secure office in the basement.
Tonight, there was a Christmas tree, stacks of presents, and a
collection of chatting Bailey’s Irish Cream happy mothers just
outside her office.

Christmas had been a huge success.

And she still needed some time to
herself.

She went up the back stairs and through the
security. The house was quiet, clean, calm, and still had its
technological advantages. Her father planned to give the house to
his two homeless children, Samantha and Colin, for them to share or
sell. But the family wasn’t giving gifts until tomorrow morning.
She had the house to herself. She turned up the thermostat to get
the boiler going. Going through the first floor, she found an
abandoned old armchair near a lace-covered window on the side of
the house.

She looked up when Jesse came into the room.
Not having anything to say, she smiled.

“
Hiding?” Jesse
asked.

Alex nodded.

“
From?”

“
Everything,” Alex said.
“Larry’s death, everyone’s delight that we’re home in one piece,
the ridiculous puzzle of what Eniac actually wants,
and…”

“
Ridiculous puzzle?” Jesse
picked the only topic that would keep Alex from her
sadness.

She smiled to acknowledge what he was doing.
He held out his hand and she set her hand in his. Closing her eyes,
she felt the tingly feeling of their touch. Her eyes filled with
unspent tears.

“
Losing Larry was hard,”
Jesse said.

“
Climbing over his body.
His frozen look of surprise,” Alex shook her head at her own
sorrow. “I promised him I would…”

“
Save him from every pain
and trouble?” Jesse smiled. “He was your first child?”

“
I thought you were,” Alex
smiled and he laughed. “How many people have to die before I figure
out what’s going on?”

“
Yes, everything is about
you,” Jesse said. Making his voice big and booming, he added, “You
are the Master of the Universe.”

“
I love it when you do
that,” Alex said.

He gave her a cocky smile.

“
What if it is about me?”
Alex asked.

“
What do you
mean?”

“
Well, Larry made his team
memorize this statement : ‘If you see the Fey, tell her I never
lived, loved, or had a chance to be my best self until I met her.
I’m eternally in her debt. Tell Helene that I love her.’” Alex
drifted off in thought for a moment. Then she shrugged. “Raz,
Margaret, myself, and even Max went through it for a code or other
meaning. Nothing.”

“
Larry never had the knack
for that kind of thing,” Jesse said.

“
Very true,” Alex said.
“It’s just hard to imagine he left this message and…”

Alex shrugged.

“
He said that you were the
only one who stood in this guy’s way,” Jesse said. “Any idea who
this guy is?”

“
Eniac,” Alex said. “I
think he’s the answer we’ve been looking for.”

“
You mean, he’s the
mastermind behind the assault, the one who hired Eleazar, and well…
is behind everything?” Jesse asked.

“
It sounds pretty crazy to
me too.”

Jesse watched the movement of thoughts on
her face.

“
How can I help if you
don’t tell me?” he asked.

Alex’s eyebrows furrowed and she shook her
head.

“
How can it be weirder than
talking to a ghost?” Jesse asked.

“
Personally, I prefer the
term ‘spirit,’” Alex smiled. He laughed. “How about I tell you a
story?”

“
Tell away,” Jesse
said.

“
You may have heard it
before,” Alex said.

“
Okay,” Jesse
said.

“
Once upon a time, there
were seven men who ran the world,” Alex said. “Everyone else runs
around executing their plans without any knowledge of being in
these men’s control.”

“
I thought it was ten,”
Jesse said.

“
Seven or ten, no one’s
quite sure,” Alex said. “In order to rule the world, you must do it
in absolute secret. No one, even in this digital age, will know
that you rule the world. You cannot have an assistant…”

“
Or an assistant to have a
sex scandal with,” Jesse said. “Or a computer.”

“
No moving of large sums of
money,” Alex said. “Which means no lawyers.”

“
Sounds a little like the
Greek gods,” Jesse said. “You know ruling from Mount Olympus. How
many of them were there?”

“
Fourteen, depending on how
you count or who’s doing the counting,” Alex said.

“
Seven is half fourteen,”
Jesse said.

“
Good point.” Alex fell
silent. Her story hung in the air. The furnace kicked on and the
radiators began to tap. They sat for a few minutes before Jesse
jerked.

“
Holy Crap, Alex!” Jesse
said. “You think he’s trying to control the world.”

“
He’ll have to fight the
lizard people for it,” Alex said.

Jesse waited. Alex sighed.

“
It’s the only thing that
makes any sense,” Alex said. “If all went well, he’d have control
of our missiles. The Admiral said they found the virus in Russia’s
missile control too. He’s effectively shut down the international
intelligence network. It’s just…”

“
Too crazy to say out
loud,” Jesse said.

“
Exactly,” Alex said. “The
question is why would anyone want to control the world? Money?
There are a lot of easier ways to get money. Power? Shit, if he’s
so smart he’d know that federal judges have all the power in this
country. Plus, what does any of this have to do with
me?”

“
I’ve been wondering what
Eniac doesn’t know about you,” Jesse said.

“
Me too,” Alex
said.

They heard someone come in the back of the
house. Her dog, Maggie, and Bill ran to her. Fionn strolled in.
Just eighteen, he wore a bright, intelligent smile that made him
look younger than he was. He was tall and thin and moved with the
cocky ease of someone who’d spent most of his life outside.

“
Sorry to interrupt,” Fionn
said in his thick Scottish accent. He licked his lips and his eyes
flicked back and forth. “Is your ghost friend here?”

“
I prefer the term
‘spirit,’” Alex said.

“
You would now, wouldn’t
you?” Nodding, Fionn put his hands on his hips. He gave her a big
smiled. “So is he here?”

“
Who?” Alex
asked.

“
Your spirit friend,” Fionn
said.

“
Jesse? Are you here?” Alex
asked.

“
That’s a very good
question, Alex,” Jesse said. “Define here. I’m not literally here
as I have no matter. I know that I exist because I can act upon the
world. Thus I am here.”

“
What did he say?” Fionn
gave her a suspicious look.

“
He has an existential
treatise on what it means to be here,” Alex said.

“
Being here or
nothingness,” Fionn said. “An interesting twist on Sartre’s work.
I’m sure it will be a best seller.”

Alex smiled.

“
I was sent to get you,”
Fionn said. “Before you ask, I’ve been caring for this lovely home
while its mysterious inhabitants have scattered to the
wind.”

“
Mysterious inhabitants?”
Alex asked.

“
My term for spies,” Fionn
said.

“
Spies?”

“
My da is MI6,” Fionn said.
“Or didn’t you know.”

“
Really?” Alex gave her
best surprised look.

“
Right. And children are
the dumb fuckers,” Fionn said. “Well, you better come. Da and Ma
came in with Will and Uncle Jimmy. There’s an argument over where
they’ll sleep.”

“
Who’s involved?” Alex
asked.

“
Your mother…” Fionn
laughed when Alex launched out of her chair. They were in the
kitchen when Fionn said, “Everyone’s wondering what this monster
might not know about you. Ma’s brother, Jimmy, said it’s the number
of people you’ve killed. Caused quite a row. I…”

Alex zipped up her jacket and put her gloves
on.

“
Have you killed a lot of
people?” Fionn asked.

Alex dropped her chin in a slight nod.
Shocked, Fionn stopped walking.

“
Everyone says you’re
against killing,” Fionn said.

“
I am.”

“
But…”

“
Killing is easy,” Alex
said. “Any moron with a handgun and a grudge can do it. Death is
fast and killing is simple. Killing is nothing to be proud of.
Ever.”

“
Then why have you killed
so many people?”

“
Because, at times, I’ve
had absolutely no other option,” Alex turned to the young man.
“It’s not something I talk about. You’ll never see me counting
kills like some dwarf in a fantasy movie. Killing a person
is
not
brave or
honorable.”

“
Why? Most tales of bravery
and honor are about death.”

“
To me, it takes more
courage and honor to face your enemy and attempt to see their
humanity than to treat them like paper targets. Come on, Maggie,
Bill.”

The dogs scampered toward the door and Alex
continued out of the house.

F

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Friday late night

December 25 – 11:17 p.m. MST

Denver, CO

“
This was inspired.” John
held his arm out and Alex snuggled next to him.

They were lying in the plush attic master
suite above the silent and empty house next to their home. Alex and
John had graciously given their bedroom to Tom and Rita. John had
planned for a romantic night next to the Christmas tree in their
sitting area but Hector James and Hermes had fallen asleep there.
Much to his surprise, Alex shrugged her shoulders and invited him
to come for a walk.

She led him next door and up the stairs to a
private master suite. Champagne sat resting on ice. Their favorite
bath salts and lavender waited by the tub. Candles were set around
for romantic lighting. The bed was made with fresh linen and
comforters from their bedroom. She’d even snuck some of Cian’s hors
d’oeuvres for the family gift swapping the next day.

They’d started kissing on the stairs. They
were stroking and pressing by the time they got to the door. They
stripped off their clothing at the door and jumped into bed.
Champagne and hors d’oeuvres would wait. The tub would wait. Their
Christmas celebration began with deep connection and love.

“
I’ve been all over this
house,” John said. “I’ve never seen this room. How did you find
it?”

“
I knew it had to be here,”
Alex said. “The Mister and Mammy have a room like this all over the
world. He needs the bath and a good bed for his back; she likes
luxury. If they were living here, this room had to
exist.”

“
What do his wives say?”
John asked.

“
What can they say?” Alex
asked. “They knew what they were getting into. Mostly they enjoy
their children and the power of being ‘married’ to a powerful man.
You remember Clarissa, Raz’s girlfriend in Paris? She’s his
Parisian wife now.”

“
Didn’t she just have a
baby?” John asked.

“
I saw that in
Le Monde
,” Alex
said.

“
His?”

“
I doubt it,” Alex said.
“But I don’t ask.”

“
Well, this is brilliant.”
He kissed her head and stroked her naked shoulder. “Thanks for
including me.”

“
Including you?”

“
After missions, you
usually need time to regroup,” he said. “And Larry…”

“
Every moment I’m away, I
only want to get back to you,” Alex said. “Whether you’re at school
or work or here at home. I used to wait for you outside your
classes at UCLA.”

“
I can’t tell you the rush
I get when I know you’re safe and coming home,” he said. “I feel a
flush of joy that… I don’t have words for. I’ve said this a million
times: I would give it all up if I could follow you around. But you
don’t want me to be your pet.”

She rolled over to kiss him. He pulled her
closer to him.

“
I just miss you, I guess,”
he said.

“
I keep hoping to find some
balance between home and work but…” Alex said. “I
haven’t.”