Alien in the Family

CHAPTER 38

IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET DOWNSTAIRS. Hooters wasn’t the tallest hotel in town, but we had a lot of people to get from here to there, two of them were trying to escape, and four of them were hurt.

Kyrellis had eight bullets in her, but she wasn’t bleeding to death. We hadn’t done anything for her, so apparently the Amazons were faster healers than the A-Cs. By the time we were down, Christopher and Gregory both were looking better. Martini, not so much. I tried not to worry and failed utterly.

We decided to wait there and went into the Hooters restaurant. I enjoyed my feelings of inadequacy while waiting for the still-mobile rest of Alpha Team to arrive. We got a lot of looks from the patrons, but the Hooters girls were, to a one, hotter than any Vegas showgirl, and they were plentiful. The customers gave us the initial glance, then went back to the view they’d come to see. I had to remind the football players to keep an eye on the prisoners.

Martini and Christopher, however, weren’t looking at the Hooters girls. They were talking on their phones, barking orders, keeping things moving. I wasn’t talking, I was thinking. I was getting tired of thinking, but someone had to do it, and we still had alien plans active.

Chuckie and Alexander arrived first. Chuckie took one look and shook his head. “How did you get an entire football team helping you?”

“Talent. We need real security on Kyrellis. She’s got eight bullets in her, and you’d never know it.”

“We’ll take care of it. Your families are all fine. Once I found your mother, things moved faster, of course.”

“Thank you.” I wanted to just curl up in Martini’s lap and pretend this had been a TV show. No such luck, of course.

“Don’t mention it. Glad to ensure this wasn’t a tragedy.”

“How did the hotel management deal with all this?”

Chuckie shrugged. “As your mother knows, flashing the big Federal agent badge solves a lot of issues. For some reason, when people see Central Intelligence Agency, they get amazingly cooperative. They were relieved the terrorists weren’t able to destroy their properties and agreed to use an electrical fire in the basement as the excuse. Most of the guests have been comped a free meal for their inconvenience, and everyone’s heading back to their gambling.”

“Good, so business as usual.”

“Pretty much.” He looked around again. “How’s Martini? He looks like he had the crap beaten out of him.”

“He sort of did. He and Kyrellis got into it. But he’ll be fine.” I really hoped.

Alexander looked at his brother, who was glowering. “He did not try to help?”

“No, he was all over Kyrellis killing Jeff and Christopher. He and Christopher got into it, but they were more evenly matched.”

“This is all my fault. I should have told someone, anyone. And sooner than this.”

I studied his face. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Wow, I thought you were older.”

He shrugged. “No. Gregory is thirty.”

“And thought he was younger.”

“Sorry.” Alexander rubbed his forehead. “What can I do to help?”

“Get the rest of the emissaries rounded up. I want to be sure they’re helping.”

Chuckie snorted. “They helped, believe me.”

Before he could expand on this, Gower, Tito, Tim, Lorraine, and Claudia came in. Lorraine took one look at Martini and cursed. Impressively. She’d been spending a lot of time with the pilots.

She started doing some medical things to Martini while Claudia checked out Christopher. Gower gave me the rundown. “Found all the bombs, at least, if any are missing, they didn’t go off.”

“Kyrellis was expecting an explosion when we figured, so I think we’re good.”

“Hope so, but the Canus Majorians and Feliniads are still searching, just in case. They each have two field teams with them, so they should be good.”

“How’d you get rid of the bombs?”

“Spatiotemporal warp.”

“Come again?”

Gower gri

“Going where?”

“I asked, don’t worry,” Chuckie said. “It’s a complex scientific answer. You want it, or you want to trust me on it?”

“I want to trust you on it.”

“So I figured.”

“Where’s Queen Renata?” Chuckie and Gower both started to cough. “Um, guys? Where is Renata? It’s a clear question.”

Tito shrugged. “Don’t know why they’re acting like that. She’s with your mother and all the other women. Total girl bonding.”

“Oh. Goody.”

“At least,” Tito added, “I think it’s your mother. The woman who’s clearly in charge anywhere she goes and also looks like you? The one who could probably kick everyone’s ass, including the Amazons’?”

“Yeah, that’s my mom. She’s not that horrid.”

He gri

“Me too.”

“Oh, there were some men with them, too. It’s pretty much turned into a party. Your mother wanted your father to come out, but he told her about James. I think the plan is your father will come to Vegas with James when he’s up to traveling.” Tito smiled at the look on my face. “Sooner than you think. Might be sooner than a week. The medical stuff the A-Cs have is incredible. And James is healthy, strong, and wants to get well. Said something about having to take care of his girlfriend’s wedding.”

I managed a laugh. “Good to hear.” I looked around. “What are we going to do with the psycho Amazons?”

“Queen Renata is all for killing them.” Gower sounded serious. I looked at his expression. He was serious.

“Um, Paul? I think that might pose issues, don’t you?”

“Yes. However, they are her subjects.”

“And they’re on our world. So, no. Not yet, anyway.” Chuckie’s voice was pleasant and casual, but I picked up the knife and it was clear.

Gower did, too. He shrugged. “Fine with me. But we have other problems as well.”

“True,” Chuckie said with a sigh. “We have no idea when the Alpha Four team will be arriving, but I think it’ll be soon.”

I shook my head. “I think they’re already here. At least some of them, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Chuckie sounded tired and a little a

Martini and Christopher both heard me. “I’m still not sure I buy who you think the spies are,” Martini said. “Are we done yet? Ouch!” This was directed to Lorraine.

“Me either,” Christopher agreed.

“Spies?” Chuckie asked.

“We’d be done if you stopped jerking away.” Lorraine had Martini’s shirt off and was doing something to his rib area. He looked bruised all over. I started to worry about certain important body parts. Parts I knew Kyrellis would have taken particular aim for.

Martini flashed a grin. “I protected those. Trust me.”

“Okay.” I figured I’d test later. And give them tender loving care should he be in pain. I stared at his chest, and it did to me what it always did—I wanted my mouth all over it. “Can we go back to the hotel any time soon?”

“Almost done,” Lorraine snapped. “Not my fault you all get banged up so much.”

“Spies?” Chuckie asked again. “I’m still waiting to hear what you’re going for, Kitty. Besides Martini, I mean.”

Martini waved. “Eyes up here.” I looked up, and his grin went wider. “Not that I mind, but you were going to share your latest theory with Reynolds.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” I took a deep breath and was rewarded by seeing Martini’s eyes shift downward. “Up here.”

“Yeah, yeah.” His eyes weren’t moving up, but I didn’t care. There were a lot of impressively filled out tank tops in this place, and he was only looking at me. I was great with where his eyes were.