Chapter 27

Present – Linus – C130 headed to Denver International Airport (DIA)

I find Maria to give her Jen's order and hope ... I see her talking to Thom and Byron: They are laughing and having a good time - possibly too good a time. I walk up but Maria doesn't even acknowledge me so I clear my throat and say, "Maria, Jens asked if you would order her a new mobile phone."

Maria turns, smiles at me and says, "Thanks Linus, I've already turned in a claim on her phone insurance so they should have one waiting for us in Leadville." Then she turns away from me and continues talking to Byron.

She says, "You're trying to blow smoke up my ass. Telling me you fired a three inch group at a thousand yards! I bet I can shoot better than you any day of the week."

Byron retaliates, "Like hell! If I'm lying I'm dying! You can ask Thom."

I clear my voice again, Maria turns and says, "Hey Linus did you forget something?"

I reply, "Jens said we should catch some rack time."

She smiles and states, "Okay Linus, you go hit the sack. I'm not tired right now." She turns and continues her animated conversation with Thom and Byron.

I wander off dazed and confused. I thought Maria and I were ... Damn it all anyway. Women!!!

Present – Maria – C130 headed to DIA

My princess boss is a fucking genius - I'd kiss her if I was into that sort of stuff. It was hard as hell not to follow Linus to share the sack since I could tell he really wanted to. It was worse when he left because he looked like a lost puppy dog.

I continued to sling the BS with Byron and Thom. Byron was relatively believable. But Thom - this old fart was trying to impress the pants right off me and there's no way in hell that is going to happen. I may be giving Linus the cold shoulder, but that sure as hell doesn't mean I am available.

I wonder? If my princess boss is such a fucking genius about men, how did she screw up so much with Ben? Then I remember the conversation we had with Mike in the helicopter before the attack ... Yeah with what happened to Ben, my princess boss didn't have a chance because everything she did would have normally worked, but with Ben it was all bass-ackwards.

Jens has helped me so much with – well everything. But she was especially helpful with Linus so I have to find some way to help her.

Present – Jens – C130 headed to DIA

Masha drifts off to a troubled sleep. After everything that's happened recently, I've decided she was at one time some sort of agent. But I don't think she is still active. The problem is that if I've figured it out, in my distracted state, I'm sure Jack has at least a heck of a lot of questions. And sometimes that COF acts before he thinks. I need to have a big fricken talk with him because it's evident to me that she married him because she is madly in love with him.

Just as I am with Ben! Yeah that reminds me Ben is running amok somewhere in Texas. I wonder if Maria has started the hunt for him and I really need to contact that fricken Stacy bitch's parents. Let's get them after her skanky bony ass. Then with what Mike told me I need to come up with some sort of way to fix my Ben and undo the damage I've already done. This is not going to be easy.

As I slip away from Masha, her breathing changes and she complains with a sigh. I hear Maria towards the front of the plane and I head up front. I see Linus sacked out by himself and smile - my girl Friday learns very fast...

Maria's talking to Thom and Byron. I walk up and apologize, "Sorry to break up this hen party, but I need Maria."

Byron laughs and Thom complains, "Hen party! Watch your mouth little girl."

So I stick my tongue out at him and taunt, "Unless I'm in front of a mirror there's no way I can do that."

Byron and Maria laugh as I move away with her. I comment, "Girl, you're giving Linus the cold shoulder."

She looks around then softly laughs, "Yeah, and it's working great. He is so confused. I might just keep it up until he puts a ring on this finger." She wiggles her left hand.

I caution her, "Maria, don't push him to hard. Give him a taste and then pull back, but don't cut him off completely."

She grins and responds, "Thanks Prin ... I mean Jens. Because I'm not sure I could hold out that long myself. So what did you need?"

I giggle because young love is grand! I remember ... Oh well, lets forget that derailed train for a while. I explain, "Maria, Ben and Stacy are probably in a fallout shelter in Texas or Arizona. We need to get someone to do a record search for Texas to see if any building permits were pulled for the construction."

She replies, "I'll make some calls right away."

I continue, "Do you have your laptop?"

Maria responds, "Yes Jens, you told me to never go anywhere without it so it's in my TAC backpack."

I smile, "Good because I don't have mine and I'm going to commandeer yours. Please go get it for me."

I look at Linus and smile - she just might catch him yet...

Maria hands me the laptop bag so I head over to a table and set it up. I login since I made sure I know her password then I begin looking for one of those fricken rewards ads. I finally find it.

I plug in the headset, fire up Skype and make a call to the reward hotline. After a whole bunch of BS from the flunky so I can prove I know what I am talking about, he finally connects me to the bitch's parents phone number. Little did he know I tracked the number so I quickly make a note of the skanky whore's parent's phone number for future reference.

Another flunky (what is it with flunkies today?) answers the phone, "Summer's residence. How may I help you."

I reply, "Listen Jeeves, this is Jennifer Donaldson, I need to talk to either Mr. or Mrs. Summers because I have a good idea where their daughter Stacy is located."

He clears his voice and sneers, "My name is Ricardo not Jeeves. I will see if one of them is available."

This strikes me as sort of peculiar because he didn't seem the least bit interested in the information I had. I wait for what seems like forever and I finally hear, "Hello, this is Mr. Summers."

I answers, "Mr. Summers, this is Jennifer Donaldson and I think we might have a common cause."

He interrupts, "Excuse me my butler told me you had some information about Stacy, what does that have to do with a common cause?"

I start getting frustrated and respond, "Well if you didn't fricken interrupt me I would tell you! Now, Stacy (I wanted to say skanky ho bitch!) is with my fiancé Bennie Blaine and that's our common cause."

He sounds really weird when he says, "Oh yes I finally recognize your name. You're the young lady who chased off her fiancé and did those terrible commercials. So do you know where Stacy and your fiancé are currently located?"

I guess I will never live down those fricken commercials, however I control my anger and think: This guy is as queer as a three dollar bill. But I really think we might be able to help each other so I reply, "Yes sir, we have reason to believe that my Ben and your daughter (I fought calling her skanky puss filled bitch) are in a fallout shelter located in Texas. I was hoping we could work together to find both of them."

He laughs (the bastard) and answers, "Thank you young lady for the information, but I know you're only after the reward money. If we do find Stacy we will make sure to tell your fiancé to run away from you." Then the phone goes dead!

What the heck just happened! Maria walks up and says, "Jens I can tell things didn't go as well as you hoped, but don't dare break that laptop since I need it. So tell me what happened?"

I look at Maria, shake my head and whine, "Well if that fricken skanky ho's mom is anything like her dad I can understand why she ran away. He wasn't interested in her - he just wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to pay me any reward money."