Alien in the Family

It took a few minutes, but his thrashing slowed, then stopped. “Get these guys off of me,” he growled.

I nodded. “Thanks, guys.” They stood up. “Jeff, how badly are you hurt?”

“Oh, a couple of broken ribs, my head’s killing me, I think my shoulder’s dislocated. You missed a lot of brutality. She only imitated my fighting style when you were around to see it and be confused.”

“Wish you’d said something. I could have shot her.”

“Love you, know you’re becoming as good a shot as your mother. Didn’t want to get shot by you, and, shockingly, didn’t want you saving me. It’s bad enough that the Amazon beat the crap out of me.” He closed his eyes. “You know, I’m officially tired of having to be rescued.”

I kissed his forehead. “Retire, and then I won’t have to.”

He managed a laugh. “Right.” He opened his eyes. “Any of you jocks know how to put a shoulder back in?”

Len and Kyle both nodded. “Really?” I found that hard to believe.

Kyle shrugged. “I’m premed.”

“Oh, come on.”

“I am. And, I’m sorry I was a jerk.” He mumbled that one.

“What did he try?” Martini was growling.

“I almost fell off the building. Len and the rest of his team saved me.” I figured it wasn’t worth getting upset over. There were so many other issues at hand.

Len and Kyle sat Martini up, then Kyle did some push and shove move with Martini’s arm and Martini bellowed again. I winced. “Thanks,” he said through gritted teeth. They helped him up, then Len helped me up. Martini’s eyes narrowed. Oh, good, back to jealousy. Oh, well, at least he was alive and reasonably unscathed.

I heard a shriek from Kyrellis. “What have you done?”

I looked around. Nothing was crumbling; nothing was going up in smoke. “Christopher?”

“They’re pretty sure they found all the bombs. An unreal amount—she had to have been planting them for twenty-four hours straight.” Christopher’s voice was clipped; he was in full Commander Mode. “Tito’s hunch was right—she’d rigged the mall. The rest of your hunches were right, too. She hadn’t rigged the other casinos outside of the Mandalay complex, but she’d set the bridges to blow, I guess under the impression it would cut the ‘palace’ off.”

“You are one whacked-out chick.”

“You will pay for this,” she snarled.

“No. I think you and Moira will. We’ve had her in custody for quite a while. You know, while you were hanging out, eating chicken wings and ogling the Hooters girls? I’ve been mentally torturing her. It was great.”

Kyrellis lunged at me, but the football players held her in check. “Get these beasts off me!”

“Nah. I’m almost tempted to let them have fun with you. But that would be wrong, and the men I work with would be appalled, so I won’t.”

“She in the WNBA?” Len asked me.

“No. She’s an Amazonian superbitch from another solar system.” Why lie? I was pretty sure Martini was going to have to give the team a different memory.

“You’re kidding, like Wonder Woman?” This from Kyle.

I took a look at his expression. Wow, you never knew when or where a kindred spirit would appear. “Yeah, only Wonder Woman wanted to protect the Earth, and she wants to destroy it.”

“That thing from her planet?” he asked, as he pointed to Harlie, excitement radiating from every pore.

“Nope, from theirs,” I pointed to Martini and Christopher, both of whom were giving me the looks that said I had a big mouth and was insane.

“Babe, really, I was drunk off my ass. Total apologies, okay? In fact, someone should probably kick my ass.” Kyle was sincere. It was touching in a weird way.

“I’ll be glad to,” Len said. He had a sarcasm knob just like Martini, and it was on, as near as I could tell, full.

“Do I want to know?” Martini snarled.

“No. Guys, really, we need to get our alien lesbian psycho and the wimp traitor over to the proper authorities.”

“Need their help with it,” Christopher snapped. “They’re both too strong for us alone.”

“You got it.” Len barked some orders, Kyle did the same. The line took Kyrellis; Len’s boys took Gregory. Len and Kyle both helped Martini. I took Christopher, who wasn’t as steady as he was trying to pretend he was.

Got my purse and shoes, checked on the Poofs. They were all asleep, cuddled around Harlie, who was back to small. “Why didn’t you have the Poofs attack?” Christopher asked me.

“Uh . . .” Damn. Hadn’t occurred to me. For all I knew, I might not have had to catch Harlie, either. Possibly the Poofs could fly along with all their other skills.

Martini laughed. “Ow, that hurts. It’s okay, baby. You found a football team. I’m sure they were as helpful. Slower, but still, helpful.”

“Trojan football always here to help,” Kyle said. “So, what planet are you guys from?”

“Far, far away.” Martini sighed. “Later, okay? I hurt.” He glared at me. “Stop enjoying helping Christopher.”

“Jeff, for God’s sake.”

I had Christopher’s arm around my shoulders. He hugged me. “Jeff, the jealousy promise. What was it again?”

“He had that chat with you, too?”

“Yeah. He fails all the time, but he’s trying.” Christopher gri

“Hilarious. Have I mentioned my head hurts?”

“Oh, Jeff, stop.” My phone rang, and I dug it out, moving Poofs as gently as I could. “Dad?”

“Kitty, I reached your mother. They’re out, over at the MGM Grand. What’s the status?”

“Pretty sure we found all the bombs, have the bad guys of the moment in our custody, I’m okay, Jeff’s hurt but not badly, as least so he says, Christopher’s about the same.”

“How are James and Paul?”

“Paul I don’t know, but I think he’s okay. James . . . James is going to be okay.” I filled my dad in on what had happened as we inched down the stairs to the elevators.

My father’s voice was shaking. “I’m heading to the Science Center. You all have too much going on. I’ll stay with him.”

“Oh, Dad, thank you so much.” My dad was the best, truly.

“It’s no problem, kitten. I know how much James means to you. Should I call his parents?”

“No. They . . . don’t understand, or know what he does. It would be harder for him if they were there.”

“Got it. I’ll be with him. I’ll bring the pets, that way I don’t have to wait for someone to come take care of them.”

“Okay, Dad. Richard’s either there or at Home Base. Call him and he’ll get a room for you. All the active agents are here, so you’ll be on your own.”

“Not a problem. Call me when you can.”

We hung up, and the elevators arrived. I got a fu

“Why?”

I looked at Kyrellis. “She’s shot, but she’s still got fight in her. Gregory’s a sneaky little bastard. The team’s willing but untrained, and we can’t all fit in the elevators together.”

Kyrellis gave me a look that said I was her newest target. “No prison will hold me. My God will free me, as She did before. Then I will destroy these while you watch. And then destroy you.”

“Blah, blah, blah. Heard the same crap from Moira. She’s in our custody and gave away your plot. I’m still debating whether or not to just have the Poofs eat you both, so shut the hell up. Jeff, the stairs?”

“Yeah, I’m with you. And I can do it.”

“No one does it better than you.” I refrained from adding in more about our sex life, at least out loud. I wondered how long it was going to be before he felt up to anything and hoped it wasn’t going to be too long.

“Glad you still think so. And, trust me, soon.” He gri

I shrugged. “It’s a gift.”