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“Do you two ever stop?” Christopher asked.
“Not really.”
“I’m really losing patience,” Chuckie said. “Mind actually telling me what you’re talking about?”
I filled him in on my theory about the two hunks who’d been flirting with me, including the fact that these two had probably been on Earth long enough to have learned how to blend in.
Chuckie nodded slowly when I finished. “It makes sense, and it ties up several loose threads. Or will if we can find them. Could you pick them out of a lineup?”
“Possibly, but since they can put images over themselves, we’re probably not going to get the opportunity until they’re ready to let us know they’re around.”
“Why were they so obvious?” Christopher asked. “I mean, you and Jeff were both aware of them.”
“Overconfidence,” Chuckie answered. “For all we know, they’ve been around all of you far more often than you realize.”
“Fabulous,” Martini muttered.
“It’s the only theory that fits so far,” I pointed out.
“True.” Chuckie sighed. “Oh, we found out what that dish was.”
“The Gruel of Grossness?”
Chuckie laughed. “Yes, that one.”
“It’s from Alpha Four,” Alexander confirmed. “It’s considered quite a delicacy. Boiled tapeworms.”
Everyone within earshot, human and A-C alike, gagged. “You have tapeworms that big?” I had to stare at Martini’s chest again to get my stomach under control. Worked like a charm. Lord, the man had incredible pecs and awesome abs.
“They’re nothing like the ones here on Earth. But, yes. However, once the property was cleared, Charles and I went back and checked. The dish was drugged. It’s being analyzed now for what it was drugged with.”
“How could you tell?”
Alexander shrugged. “It smelled wrong.”
I didn’t want to know. “Okay, we already had a good idea they weren’t our friends. Why did you two go back?” I wasn’t wild about the fact that Chuckie had risked himself for a nonlifesaving reason, and I realized it showed in my voice, at least if Martini growling was any indication.
Chuckie smiled. “Nice to know you worry. It wasn’t a risk, Kitty. We had time—the fire alarms had sent most of the hotels’ occupants out. I didn’t want to lose the evidence.”
“Evidence like that isn’t worth you dying for. This was a huge, scary situation, and you can act as nonchalant as you want, but the danger was real and so was the risk.”
Chuckie shrugged. “As emergencies go, this one, and I’m sure Martini and White will agree with me, while challenging, wasn’t the worst we’ve ever seen.”
“What a comfort.”
Gower laughed. “You know, Kitty. Routine.”
CHAPTER 39
APHALANX OF A-CS CAME TO TAKE KYRELLIS into custody and back to the Science Center. I wasn’t wild about her being there with both my dad and Reader in the same facility, but no one wanted to risk her getting loose at Area 51. She was drugged up before they left Hooters. She required double the drugs that Moira had, according to Martini and Chuckie, which didn’t make me feel any better.
Gregory was also escorted back to Dulce under heavy guard. He, Uma, and Lenore were to be put into separate cells, all on the 15th floor, like Kyrellis and Moira. I felt less happy about this, but, again, there was no place else secure enough.
Surprisingly, neither Chuckie nor Martini felt the need to do anything to the football players from a memory standpoint. They got the “thanks of a grateful nation” speech from Chuckie, a “thanks for taking care of my girl, and if I find out you did anything I wouldn’t like I’ll come and hurt you for it” speech from Martini, and the “we strongly recommend you forget about this” chat from Christopher.
Len and Kyle grabbed me before they went back up to their suite. “Kitty, what are the career opportunities with your organizations?” Len asked.
“Why? You’re both in an excellent school and are likely to go pro. I mean, SC has a great football program.”
“Sure, but it’s not the same as what you guys just did.” Len shrugged. “Saving the world, doing it undercover, aliens, action—it sounds great.”
“What’s your major?”
“Engineering.”
“Really? You smart or just pay someone to take your tests?”
“I’m at SC on a scholarship. I started out with a merit scholarship, since I’m a walk-on. So, yeah, I’m smart.”
Kyle nodded. “He’s a brain. I’m not as smart, but I make up for it by studying.”
“You study?”
“In between beers, yeah.” He looked worried. “You know, really, I don’t try to attack girls all the time. Ever. It just seemed so . . . weird.”
“And you were drunk off your ass.”
“That too.”
“My guys can’t drink. It’ll kill them. We’re not big on the alcohol or drugs, smoking, or steroids. Pretty organic and natural.”
Kyle nodded. “I can do that.”
“You’re premed, though.”
“Yeah, and that alien chick took a ton of bullets and is still standing. Your guys were banged up, and now all but your boyfriend are looking fine, and he looks a hell of a lot better than he should. And your doctors are smokin’ hot.”
Couldn’t argue with him. In the match-up between Dazzlers and any other women, Hooters girls included, the Dazzlers were always going to win. I called Chuckie over. “Give them your card, will you?”
“Why?”
“They would love to be recruited out of school. They may not work with us, but I’m sure they could fit into your side of the house.”
Chuckie gave them both a long look. “You, fine,” he said to Len. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kyle. “You . . . straighten up. You ever threaten a female again, not only will I not recruit you, I’ll send someone around to take you out.”
Kyle nodded. “You got it. If I stay clean, what are my chances?”
Chuckie sighed. “Pretty good. Big, smart, eager, and willing is a rarity.” He gave them both his business card. Len hugged me, and Kyle shook my hand, then they trotted off. “You sure you’re not bucking for Gower’s job?”
“Nah. Just a lot of talent in Sin City right now.”
“Yeah. Martini didn’t go to human schools, so he’s mostly buying that those football players were gentlemen.” Chuckie looked right at me. “I’m not. How close were you to being in real trouble?”
“Well, Harlie was with me, so not as much as I could have been. Len was protecting me, and he had some backup.”
“Right. And the line were the problem, led by Kyle?”
“Yeah. Look at it as proof of his leadership. I don’t know if he was just blustering or would have gone through with it. But he didn’t, and he came to help. Oh, and he’s a total comics geek.”
“So that’s where you two bonded. Okay, I’ll consider them. Believe me, though, I’ll be watching him.”
Chuckie seemed really upset. I put my hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
He sighed. “Not really.” He looked down. “I know Martini thinks I like being here with you.” He looked back up at me. “But I don’t. Because I’m not with you. He is.”
“Why did you choose this location, then?”
He gri
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to even try to follow the logic.”
“Fine with me. So, how many A-Cs do you think we have here? I mean that we don’t want or know about?”
“No clue. At least those two, maybe more. They must have used the same gate the Amazons did.”
“I’ve added some C.I.A. perso
“Oh, Chuckie, come on.”
“Not to take over.” He sounded exasperated. “Try thinking like you, or me, not Martini, for just a minute, okay? We have three to five interstellar criminals in the lowest level of that place. A level with external access, as you, White, and your flyboys have all confirmed. I want some humans there I can trust to kill without hesitation.”