Touched by a Phoenix (35 page)

Saracco Moscato d’Asti

Plenty of strawberries and champagne, and anything else Beth sees fit.

Brad Scott

Senior VP of Technology Development

Advanced Aeronautical Surveillance, Inc. (AAS)

From:
Pete Mitchell

Sent:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:18 AM

To:
Bradley Scott

Subject:
RE: Yacht Availability

By the way, sir, does your father know?

Pete Mitchell

Sea Captain, Lady Dariea

From:
Bradley Scott

Sent:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:22 AM

To:
Pete Mitchell

Subject:
Yacht Availability

No Pete, I will tell my parents after Alexis agrees to be my wife.

Brad Scott

Senior VP of Technology Development

Advanced Aeronautical Surveillance, Inc. (AAS)

From:
Pete Mitchell

Sent:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:27 AM

To:
Bradley Scott

Subject:
RE: Yacht Availability

She is a fine young lady sir. I am sure you will both be very happy.

Pete Mitchell

Sea Captain, Lady Dariea

From:
Bradley Scott

Sent:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:31 AM

To:
Pete Mitchell

Subject:
Yacht Availability

Thank you Pete, she is extraordinary. I will touch base with you tomorrow.

Brad Scott

Senior VP of Technology Development

Advanced Aeronautical Surveillance, Inc. (AAS)

He smiled, pleased with his progress. Two task complete and one to go, the single most important one…an engagement ring. The last piece of the puzzle would be the most difficult and would have to wait until after 10:00 AM. Surely, Alexis would be up by then. How would he find a few minutes to make the call?

He turned on the coffee and went to check on Alexis. It was unusual for her to sleep so late. He sat down on the side of the bed; she was sleeping peacefully. He brushed a stray lock from her face.

She really is exquisite in every way, he thought. Her soul was more beautiful than her physical appearance, but in his eyes, she was perfect.

She stretched. One long leg peeked from under the edge of the cover. It was the first time he noticed the cuts and bruises on her legs. He moved the cover to take a better look. Alexis stirred, but did not wake. There were so many. How on earth had he missed her injuries? She had knelt in the tub the other night and on the bed last night to care for him. He felt like a jerk. She must have been so sore, yet she had been taking care of him all this time without a single complaint. No wonder she was tired. He decided to let her sleep for a while longer.

He pulled the door partially closed as he padded barefoot back to the kitchen. He grabbed his blackberry and poured a cup of coffee before heading to the patio. As he opened the door, a refreshing little breeze blew across his face and bare chest.

It was a rare morning for mid-July in Washington. Typically, the humidity was stifling this time of the year. He sat in the lounge chair by the pool and began responding to emails. He had gotten a fair amount of work accomplished and responded to emails providing direction to the team. He noticed that it was just a few minutes before 10:00 AM.

Hmm,
what was the chance that Dennis might be in a little early this morning? he wondered. He decided to give him a call anyway.

After several rings, he was disappointed. He moved the phone to hang up just as someone answered on the other end.

“Good morning. This is Brad Scott. May I speak to Dennis—I mean Mr. Boone?” Brad inquired.

“Yes, I’ll wait.” Brad’s heart jumped; this was his lucky day.

“Good morning, Dennis. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you, sir. Listen, I need your assistance in selecting the perfect engagement ring.”

“Yes, I do have something in mind. I am looking for a 2 to 2.5-carat stone with perfect cut, color, and clarity. Perhaps a couple of side stones in the half-carat range but they must be proportionate to the center stone. The side stones must be perfect as well.”

“No, sir. I don’t have a particular cut in mind but it will need to sparkle as brightly as the stars in the night sky and have fire equal to the sun.”

“Platinum band.”

“I am laid up at the moment. Would you be available to bring the stones to the house first thing tomorrow morning? Yes, around 10:00 AM would be perfect.”

“Size, I have no idea, but I’m sure we can sort that out tomorrow. She has several rings in her jewelry box.”

“I will need it set, sized, and ready for pick-up early Friday. Will you be able to have the ring ready by then?”

“Yes, of course. Will 60K be sufficient? I will send the difference after we make the final selection and agree on the price tomorrow.”

“I’ll make the transfer within the next half hour.”

“Thank you Dennis, I appreciate your help.”

As Brad ended the call, a brilliant smile emerged on his face. All of his plans were coming together nicely. Now to convince Alexis to take a trip with him without causing suspicion. He decided to give Phillip a call.

“Hello, Phillip.”

“Yes, I’ve arranged for Dennis to be here at 10:00 AM tomorrow.”

“Great. Please tell Mrs. Kincaid that I appreciate her help.”

“How’s the investigation coming along?”

“I see. I would have rather the men found something—at least we would know.”

“No, I’m taking her out on the yacht.”

“I’m planning to leave Friday as soon as the doctor releases me.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll have him out here and ready to go when I get back to the office.”

“Yes sir and thank you again sir.”

He hit end and immediately placed another call.

“Nate, it’s Brad.”

“I need you out here on the 29th.”

“What do you mean you can’t make it?”

“Nate, I’d prefer it to be you.”

“No Nate, I understand. Send Stephen. Tell him he will be here for about six weeks.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“What was that about?” a sweet voice asked from behind him.

He turned in the chair, hitting his arm against the side. He tried to hide the pain. She already doted on him enough.

“Good morning beautiful,” he greeted as he stood.

“
Mmm,
good morning. How long have you been up?”

“A while,” he admitted.

“Please tell me you haven’t overdone this morning.”

“The most difficult task I’ve done this morning is turn on the coffee, sit by the pool, and answer a few emails,” he smiled fondly at her.

Her tension eased. “Well then, why don’t I make a fresh pot, some breakfast, and join you?”

“If you let me help.”

“No, sir. You need to sit.”

“Alexis, I am not an invalid and I am feeling much better,” his tone was firm.

The hurt flickered in her eyes and he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

“Darling, your tender loving care has been perfection. I could not have asked for a better nurse. I’m feeling much better and I promise I will rest when I need to,” his voice tender and loving. “I’m sorry, please forgive me for snapping.”

“Don’t do it again,” she insisted, as she slipped into his arms and took her good morning kiss.

“So if you will not let me help you with breakfast, how about if I keep you company?”

She beamed, “Perfect. You can tell me why you let me sleep until after ten.”

“That’s easy. You were tired and I want you rested for later,” his mischievous smile telling her he was definitely beginning to feel better.

He sat at the bar watching her cook. She was so at ease with everything she did. To anyone else, Alexis did not have to try at anything although he knew differently. Phillip had told him how hard she worked when she had to learn to walk after the accident. No, nothing had come easy for Alexis. She was driven—sometimes too much so—but she appreciated all she had and did not want more.

He cocked his head at the thought—he was wrong. She wanted more from him, more of everything. His heart, his mind, his body. And for the first time in his life, he was willing to give himself to someone…to Alexis because she accepted all of him—the good—the bad—and the ugly and without trying to change him.

“I was thinking, since I can’t go back to work next week, how would you like to take a trip on the boat for a few days?”

“Really?” she flashed a brilliant smile at him.

“Yes…,” his smile was soft. This might be easier than he thought.

“But Brad…you can’t manage the boat alone.”

“No, I can’t manage my boat but we could always take the yacht.…”

“How would your parents feel about us taking…,” she turned to him mortified. “Crap, Brad, I didn’t think to call your parents and tell them about the accident. I’m sorry. I just didn’t.….”

“Please don’t worry, darling. I will call them soon, I promise. So how about a little excursion on the boat if the doctor releases me Friday?”

“
Hmm…
if you promise to rest this week and the doctor releases you, I would love to take a trip together.”

His usual boyishly charming grin spread across his face. “Where would you like to go?” he asked, pulling her close with one arm.

After a much-needed and long-awaited kiss, she murmured, “It doesn’t matter to me, sweetheart—wherever you would like to go will be perfect.”

Oh yes, this had been much easier than he thought! A few hours ago, he was unsure how he would convince her that taking a trip would be a good idea. His charming ways must be more effective than he’d thought.

“You are too good.” his little devil told him.

“Don’t get cocky,” retorted his little angel. “She loves you and would do anything you asked her to do.”

He smiled. He didn’t care what the reason. The only thing that mattered was his love for Alexis and if she agreed, she would soon be his wife.

“I’ll call Pete and make the arrangements.”

Chapter Fifteen

I
t was early
afternoon when Brad put the next piece of his plan into motion.

“Darling, I need to run by the penthouse tomorrow and pack a few things for the trip. Would you mind driving me?”

“Not at all. Have you decided where we are going so I can begin packing?”

“Nope. I told Pete to pick someplace warm and sunny, but since we are on the subject of packing, I hope you’re planning on taking a few bikinis for the Jacuzzi,” he grinned.

“Brad, I don’t own a bikini.”

The horrified look on her face caused him to smile. “
Hmm…
swimsuits are overrated anyway,” he teased.

“Brad….”

“Okay. If I can’t convince you to skinny-dip with me, perhaps we should do a little shopping while we’re out tomorrow,” he smiled smugly.

“On no you don’t, buster. You are not going to overdo this week. You promised.”

“But Alexis.…”

“No, I’ll call Mom. Perhaps she can come over for a few hours while I run out.”

Oh, he was way too good! She had stepped right into his little trap. If she were not standing in front of him, he would rub his hands together in delight.

“Alexis, I will be fine.”

She was in love all right. Her tone was soft but firm when she said, “No Brad, I mean it. I want you to get well and a day trip to pack and shopping will be too much for you.” She nestled against him. “Partly because I am selfish and because I miss you. I want you whole again.”

“All right darling, if you insist, I’ll stay here and rest. Why don’t you call your Mom and make sure she is available. I’d hate to interrupt her plans,” he finished slyly.

While Alexis was on the phone with Catherine, Brad picked up the phone and called Nan.

“Hi Nan, I need you to do me a favor. Alexis will be at the penthouse tomorrow and I need you keep her busy for an hour or so.”

“Yes Nan, I do love her and I’m working on it, which is why I need your help.”

“Nan, not a word to her tomorrow. I want this to be a surprise.”

“Thank you, Nan.”

“Talk to you soon. I love you too.”

Now it was up to Phillip. The telephone rang—speak of the devil! he thought as Alexis answered the phone.

“Dad, are you kidding me.” He heard her exclaim.

“No, can’t you get someone else to take care of the contracts for a few days? Negotiations can wait until I return.”

“Dad please…I don’t want to leave Brad alone for too long and I’m sure Mom has other things to do,” she sounded frustrated.

“Yes Dad, I understand,” she sighed with resignation.

Alexis ended one call only to make another. “Mom, Dad needs me at the office by ten in the morning. Would you be able to stay for a couple extra hours?”

“Oh thank you Mom. I appreciate your help.”

“Love you too.”

Cha Ching!
Brad thought. Done and done. He was quite proud of himself—for an invalid, he had accomplished quite a lot in one day.

“
Grrr!
So much for a short little trip to pick up a few things,” Alexis harrumphed.

“Why don’t you tell me about it while I rest for a bit.” He smiled knowing his decision to rest would make her happy and calm her.

Alexis curled up on the bed beside Brad. Everything else washed away.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound grumpy but Dad hired some security person and he wants it to look as though you hired him to work in your department before the elevator incident. He wants me to bring him up to speed while pretending to review some of the contracts. Phillip wanted me to talk to you and see what I can and cannot divulge about the project.”

“Who is this guy?” Brad asked.

“His name is John Martin. He’s former CIA and supposed to be one of the best they ever had but I think he freelances now.”

“How does your dad know him?”

“I have no idea but I’m sure it has something to do with his military days.”

“Alexis, I know your dad is trustworthy and I have the utmost respect for him, but I’m not so sure I’m willing to trust a stranger with our development,” Brad explained.

“No baby…it’s your development.”

“No Alexis, she is our development. Do you remember when I told your dad that I couldn’t get the AI system to work until I met you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I had the logic down but she never responded the way I wanted her to. I had assumed all along that if I gave her the information I wanted her to know, it would be enough. It wasn’t until I met you and began to fall in love with you that I realized she was missing consciousness. Do you remember when we were talking about her in the lab at lunch about a month ago and you asked me if her brain worked like ours do?”

“Yes, I asked if she learned like we do and if so, how would you teach her to analyze the data.”

“Well, your ability to reason combined with your emotion caused me to realize that she needed a memory…a starting point from which she could grow and learn and that she needed specific quadrants to store the data. That’s when I began developing the DNA string.”

“Brad, I don’t know what to say. I had nothing to do with your creation. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

“But darling, you are the reason she exists. You are the most logical and rational person I have ever met. You are the inspiration for Rescue One. She is modeled after your thought processes. She has a fair and judicious mentality, following the letter of the law based on facts and facts alone. Then and only then can she use cognitive reasoning skills to form a corrective action plan.”

“Sweetheart…what do you want me to tell Mr. Martin?”

“Let me think while we rest.”

“All right, love.”

Brad was at odds with himself. He trusted Phillip but not this Martin guy. It was far too risky to let him in on Rescue One’s secrets. He needed to speak to Phillip directly.

“I need to talk to Phillip about the situation with Mr. Martin. I don’t want anyone to have more knowledge than they need to. It would put them in danger as well.”

“I understand. Why don’t you give him a call?”

Brad did not hesitate. He picked up the phone and dialed Phillip’s number.

“Phillip, yes, thanks for your help.”

“No, I need to talk to you about Mr. Martin. Have you left the office yet?”

“Great, would you stop by the house on the way home so we can discuss the situation?”

“Thanks…see you shortly.”

“Phillip, I know you are trying to help but I have to ask, how well do you know this Martin guy?”

Phillip sat back in the chair and took a long deep breath. He looked at Alexis as he began to speak.

“John was with your father and I on our last mission. We had been gathering advanced surveillance.” He held up his hand. “No, I cannot tell you for what,” he stated before either could ask. “A surface-to-air missile took out the tail rotor, causing the chopper to go down during the extraction. My leg was broken in several places and your father broke his collar bone and arm.”

He closed his eyes for a few moments before continuing, “John took a different direction, putting as much distance between us and him as possible, leading the enemy on a wild-goose chase. But more importantly…away from Marshall and me.”

A deep sigh escaped him, “I couldn’t walk so your father carried me out. John was not so lucky. The enemy caught him and held him captive for twenty-one months before he escaped. When he returned to the U.S., the CIA wanted nothing to do with him because his identity had been compromised. He was of no further use to his country. We understood how CIA missions worked but it was still hard to swallow. The Government left John to rot in a prison and then denied his existence when he returned to the U.S. We felt responsible for his capture since he was trying to make sure we made it to safety.”

Brad squeezed Alexis’s hand gently to comfort her. He knew this information must be a shock to her. There was much she didn’t know about either of her fathers’ military careers.

It appeared that Phillip was reliving the crash. Both sat in silence, unsure of what to say.

After a few minutes, Phillip elected to go on, “John was the best the CIA had, has ever had. He is brilliant and resourceful, can pick-up on any subject with little-to-no study and impersonate the most educated specialist within a few hours. John is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a quick thinker, and fully capable of handling multiple opponents at one time. His pain threshold is nearly impermeable and he can make a weapon out of almost anything. Although these days, he comes with a small arsenal of his own. He had a significant number of confirmed kills and he’s an expert in interrogation techniques from around the world.”

Phillip was quiet for a moment. “In other words, he is the most dangerous man I know.”

“Phillip, why did you call him in?” Brad asked quietly.

“I don’t know of another person that I can trust to get to the bottom of this.”

“Dad, if he’s a gun for hire, how can you be sure you can still trust him?”

“Honey, John still possesses his humanity. It is what drives him. It’s just for money now, not the country that betrayed him.”

“Dad….” Alexis stood up and hugged Phillip. “You don’t have to do this. I’m sure we can figure out how to handle this out without him.”

“Alexis, he is the one person I trust to protect you and Brad.”

She looked at Brad. “How much do I tell him?”

Brad looked at Phillip, weighing his alternatives. Unless he agreed to tell this Mr. Martin everything, he was screwed. Anything less than full disclosure would offend Phillip. He stood and walked to the porch. “I need a few minutes to think.”

This was all he had ever wanted…since he was twelve. His goal had always been to change the world. To develop something worthy of the history books, perhaps even go down as the greatest inventor of all times. Now all of his goals were within his reach. He had earned the love of the one person capable of loving him as no other could. He had created the most advanced technological creature of all time and he had to reveal it before he was ready…taking the chance of someone stealing his work. Rescue One had the potential to stop violent crimes, acts of terrorism. Stop wars before they started, to save innocent lives, and to win if need be. However, in the wrong hands, she could be used for total obliteration.

Alexis stepped onto the porch and sat on the ottoman in front of him. She took his hand in hers. “Sweetheart, this is your development but I think we should protect her for now.”

In less than a femtosecond, Brad realized that out of everything he had ever created, nothing had been worth doing until he met Alexis. Nothing in his life compared to what he had accomplished when he gained her love and trust. No development, going down in history or changing the world would mean a thing…if she were not with him. He had to protect her. She was his life and if he lost her because of this, he would have nothing left to live for.

“Tell him whatever he needs to know,” he commanded quietly.

“But Brad….”

“No, Alexis. Tell him everything.”

He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. She was sure he did not really want to do this—this was his life and without it, he would not be whole.

She stood and turned to her father. “Dad, I will tell him what I think he needs to know. No more—no less.”

“Alexis,” Brad said firmly, “I want you to tell him everything and I mean everything. Show him what he needs to see.”

“No, this is your life’s work and I will protect it and you. I will tell him only what he needs to know to do his job.”

“Alexis,” he growled. “Stop it now. If this is what needs to happen—what it takes to keep you safe—then so be it. Do not argue with me on this.”

She had never seen him like this before. He was explosively angry. She didn’t understand. She was trying to protect him and he was mad at her…go figure. Well, she could give as good as she got.

“Dad, I think you should leave. I will see you in the morning.”

Phillip did not hesitate to leave. This argument would likely get ugly and while he believed Brad had made the right decision, he had to let them work it out.

As soon as her father closed the door behind him, Alexis snorted, “Bradley Scott, how dare you treat me as if I were a child.”