Chapter 370

Nashville, Tennessee

..."Long story," Jeff said. "Very long story, indeed."

Jeff and Charlotte passed a look. "It might be better if you started her off with what you know while the two of you pack her things. Diana and the others will finish with the rest of the story. No way is she going to believe it if I tell it here, and ... I need to check with my team, anyway."

"Pack?" Ada wondered aloud.

"Neither of you can stay here." Then turning his attention to Charlotte, "Even if the people in that vehicle are not who we suspect they are, you know what will happen eventually. The two of you are welcome to live with us until something can be worked out. Trust me, please; the ass behind all this does not give up. Please get your mom's and your things ready. My team will put them on the ship. Just clothes and personal items. If there is anything else you feel you must have, we can send for it later, but we'll provide anything you need at the Retreat."

Ada bristled as she came unsteadily to her feet. "I don't know who you think you are, and I surely don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going anywhere. I have a doctor's appointment next week for a new procedure that I'm told should help..."

"Go with us and you will be walking normally before nightfall," Jeff interrupted to say. Taking a step nearer, he reached to gently take her hands in his. "Ada, I know all this is strange, but listen to what your daughter is about to tell you. I have the means to protect you, and ... heal you. I know that you can't believe the latter just yet, but nevertheless, it will happen, and soon, if you will just gather your things and come with us."

Ada was astonished to feel the sincerity of his words, and there was something else. Her body responded to his touch in ways that she had never experienced before. Oh, shit. I want to please this man. How can that be? I've just met him.

As Jeff took a step back, Charlotte turned fully to her mother, noticed the look on her face and knew what she had felt. She wanted to discuss it with her mother, but instead, she said, "Mom, I should have told you about the threat, but I just didn't know what to do. Remember when someone came to the door before I left to go back to work?"

"Uh, yeah..." she responded, drawing out the word. "You said they had the wrong address."

"Well, I lied. It was a big guy who put a sticky note on my chest that said, 'BANG.' I didn't want to tell you because I just didn't know what to do."

"Why would he do such a thing? Did you know him?"

"No. I had never seen him before. He ordered me to kill someone, or he would kill both of us. He had just proven how easy it would be to kill me, and he said you would be even easier." When Ada tried to ask a question, Charlotte went quickly on. "Oh, Mom. I just didn't know what to do..."

Jeff's faced blanked for a moment before he caught Charlotte's eye. "The vehicle, an SUV, has started back this way. Let's get the two of you in Ada's bedroom and away from immediate danger. It will also give my team more maneuvering room. We're going to try to take these people alive. It's doubtful that they will have any information that we can use, but we have to try."

"But I..."

"Go now," the Prime insisted. It was evident that he would brook no more argument. A moment later, he was subvocalizing into his throat mike.

Charlotte helped her mother to sit in the wheelchair before hustling her down the hall even as the SUV stopped at the curb in front of the house. One person remained in the vehicle with the motor running, while the other, dressed in a suit, stepped out, looked casually around and strolled to the front door.

After ringing the doorbell, he checked his surroundings again while reaching under his coat. As the door opened, he brought the silenced pistol out as he stepped forward, expecting to push the woman back inside where he could shoot the wheelchair-bound victim out of sight from the street.

Instead, his hand was slammed inward until the palm hit the inside of his wrist. The gun falling from nerveless fingers was whisked away by invisible hands. The weapon quickly disappeared as Sergeant Gomez tucked it inside his belt. The wrist was not actually broken, but the sprain would prevent proper use of the hand for months – if he lived that long. Before he could even draw a breath, something was jammed into his back and every nerve in his body seemed to explode.

As he was slammed to the carpet spasming, invisible hands locked thick zip ties around his wrists and ankles – not that he was aware of it at the moment. Seconds later, he also had a ball gag in his mouth.

As this was going on, the driver's door of the SUV was opened by an invisible trooper. Before the startled man behind the wheel could even move, he was stunned. Within moments, he was also zip tied and gagged.

As Jeff watched through the window, "Too bad we didn't bring more of the invisibility blankets," he said with a sigh.

But before he could go on, Lieutenant Richardson chuckled. "Who says we didn't, Colonel?"

Jeff grinned, his team surprising him yet again. "Well done. Get these assholes aboard. Ship will bring them up as soon as you're out back."

In the street in front of the house, the SUV's door opened, and after a few seconds, seemed to shut itself. What couldn't be seen was Carter taking the unconscious and invisible driver out of the vehicle, seemingly negligently tossing him over his shoulder and starting toward the back of the house. Another trooper got in the SUV and shut the door. After deactivating his camouflage, he sat waiting, even though he could barely be seen because of the heavily tinted windows. Any observer watching would have sworn that the driver had remained in the vehicle.

As Carter stepped onto the curb, or at least intended to, he stepped, instead, across the threshold of Ship's hatch. Grinning, he dumped his burden none too gently on the deck, pulled the invisibility blanket off and deactivated it as well as his own camouflage.

Chuckling, he sat on one of the padded benches and commented. "Too bad I don't have a cup of cof..." and a cup of the hot brew appeared in his hand. Startled, he just managed to keep from spilling it as Ship's melodious voice giggled in his ear.

"Hot and black. Correct?"

Carter had already taken a sip of the coffee. "Thank you, Ma'am. How did you know..." he began.

"Oh, you would be surprised at what I know," Ship returned, the assurance of her voice making Carter really wonder.

Taking pity on him, Ship responded. "Your General has given me permission to access your database. And ... there are video cameras in the mess hall..."

"Well, however you did it, this is damn good coffee, and I appreciate it."

"You are welcome. Diana, and the other women, have shared many of their food and drink creations with me. All I do is duplicate them. Glad you like the coffee. Should you want more while you are guarding your prisoner, just hold your cup out and ask for a refill."

"You're gonna spoil me," Carter said with a laugh just as the prisoner let out a groan. A groan or grunt was about all he could make since the ball gag prevented anything more intelligible.

Carter took another sip of coffee. "Hurts like a motherfucker when the feeling starts to come back, huh?"

"Hmmmm uuummm!" the prisoner tried to yell, thrashing around and kicking his legs ineffectively, since they were bound together.

"Now, you're going to screw around until you manage to kick me and make me spill this excellent coffee. That's gonna piss me off," he finished as he reached a monstrous combat boot out to push not so gently against the prisoner's side. "Just imagine what that boot is going to feel like when I bury it in your side. Now be a good boy and let me enjoy my coffee before you do something you'll regret."

While Carter was drinking his coffee on the Ship, one of the troopers threw an invisibility blanket over the assassin in the living room of Ada's house, and two of them picked him up, activated their camouflage and walked out to the back yard.

Seconds later, they dumped their load beside Carter's prisoner.

As they took the invisibility blanket off, the prisoner lashed out with his feet. The trooper danced aside as the other stunned the idiot again. "Slow learner," he said with a laugh. Then realizing that Carter was drinking coffee, said, "Hey, where did you get that?"

"Hold your hand out," Carter told both of them.

Grinning, they did as instructed. Shortly, they also found seats to watch the prisoners while enjoying Ship's hospitality and waiting for the rest of the team.

Inside the house, Ada and Charlotte had only heard a couple of thumps, a moan or two and some quiet laughter.

"What's going on?" Ada asked her daughter as the two emptied drawers into suitcases.

Charlotte couldn't seem to stop the grin as she winked at her mother. "I think our assassin met a little more resistance than he expected."

"But, my goodness, only one man..."

"Oops. Sorry about that, Mom." Then watching her mother's expression, Charlotte continued. "Jeff ... uh, the Colonel's team is here, too. They're invisible, so you can't see them."

"Yeah, right," Ada sarcastically returned, thinking that Charlotte was kidding even as she tried to close her overly full suitcase. Taking a couple of pairs of jeans out, the woman managed to get the lid to latch. "If we're going to be gone awhile, I want all my clothes to go with us, and we only have two suitcases other than the ones you have with you on the job. And before you say anything, I don't have anything I don't wear from time to time, because I gave all my discards to the Salvation Army weeks ago."

Charlotte smiled at her mother, realizing that she didn't believe her. "I'll get some trash bags from the kitchen."

As she stepped into the hall and was about to call out to Jeff to ask if it would be all right for her to come back to that part of the house for a moment, he also stepped into the hallway. "How's the packing going?"

"We need some trash bags from the kitchen. Is..."

"They're both aboard the Ship. No one injured, although they might argue that point a bit. If they could talk, that is."

"I don't care what you do with the one that threatened to kill us."

"Where are the bags? I'll get them for you," Jeff returned with a grin.

"Under the sink."

"Be right back."

When Jeff came in with the box of trash bags, Charlotte took one and went to her room where she packed her remaining makeup that was not with her on the jobsite by holding the empty bag against the counter and raking the makeup, hairbrushes, etc. in. Back in her mother's bedroom, where Ada was putting one item at a time into her makeup case, Charlotte raked everything in the way she had done her own. Before Ada could say anything, "We need to hurry, Mom. I know you don't believe me, but there is an invisible spaceship hanging above our back yard. Once we're aboard, we'll be back in Colorado in a couple of minutes." After thinking a second, "Well, maybe that isn't exactly right. If coming out here was any indication, we'll be there instantly."