''Slap him? Lordy no, Miss Longknife. Remember me. I want''—and here Gramma Ruth held up her fingers and counted them off—''great, great, great, however many great-grandkids. You two start misbehaving and I'll hitch up my skirt and run, cackling, for the door.''
Now it was Jack's turn to stand slowly and very carefully stretch. He winced at the pain. ''I think your honor is safe with me. At least for the moment, Your Highness.''
Captain DeVar shook his head. Whether at this verbal tripping of the line of fraternizing or some failure of Jack to uphold the masculine tradition of the Corps, he said not.
Kris was just getting comfortable in the tub when Nelly spoke up from the dressing table where Kris had left her. ''Call coming in from Penny.''
Gramma Ruth had taken one look at the string bikini that Abby had left for Kris and whistled. ''I'm not sure that's better than nothing.'' But she helped Kris into it and into the tub before Jack arrived.
He had gotten a soft whistle from Kris's gramma. Whether for the fine-looking man that he was or for all the pretty black and blue, yellow and brown that he sported, she said not.
And Kris was just starting to feel the knots of pain unwind when duty called.
''Yes, Penny?''
''Is that you?'' Penny seemed to shout back. ''I can't hear you over all the background noise. What's going on?''
Ruth killed the jets.
''Oh, that's better. We're at the last of the warehouses. It's wide open. Also empty. Someone got here before us and cleaned it out.''
''Any leads about what was in there and where it went?''
''I've got scouts covering the place, and my woman Marine volunteered to do a physical look around. She figured she could talk her way out of trouble better than her hardcase friend could shoot his way out.''
That produced some reply in the background, but Kris ignored it.
''I think we better assume that this is a dead end,'' Penny said. ''And someone got away with a lot of revolution in a box.''
''I'm afraid you're right,'' Kris concluded. ''We are running into a lot of dead ends at the moment. See if you can find anything, then come back.''
''Will do, Kris.'' And Penny rung off.
''So no luck there,'' Ruth said.
''You know, with the jets off, there's a lot of you to see,'' Jack said.
Kris glanced down. The water was amazingly clear.
''Gramma, would you please turn the jets back on.''
''I don't know. If I want those grandkids, maybe I should hightail it for the door.''
Kris reached out. It was a stretch, and it hurt, but she could reach the jets. She hammered hard on the plunger, and the jets once again filled the water with bubbles that cut visibility to nothing.
''Oh, darn,'' Jack said. ''Haven't seen that much of you since, what, Turantic?''
''Oh, you must tell me about Turantic,'' Gramma Ruth cooed.
''You must not,'' Kris said dryly.
So they lounged in the hot tub for several long minutes. Kris tried working her muscles. At least in the warmth of the water, they didn't hurt the way they did normally. Jack moved in the same slow way, stretching, pushing, trying to make muscles that didn't want to move obey his bidding.
It went on that way for what seemed like forever.
Then Nelly spoke up again.
''Kris, Abby is calling. She's very agitated.''
''Gramma, kill the jets,'' Kris said. ''Abby talk to us.''
''I just got a call from Cara,'' Abby said, and her voice was replaced by the young woman's. ''Bronc's gone. A guy we both know on the street said he left with Mick and Trang and a couple of gang heaters. I tried to call him, but found he'd left a message on my phone.''
Now the girl's voice was replaced by static. Then Bronc's voice came through in a whisper. ''They're going to kill them all. Tell…''
39
Jack was out of the tub without a backward glance.
Gramma Ruth helped Kris out, dried her off, and got her dressed again in whites. Nelly passed along the call to Captain DeVar; he immediately began assembling the Tac team.
''I'll have the two Marines who took Bronc's mom to hiding bring Cara in. We need to know what she knows,'' he said.
Fifteen minutes later the Tac Center was full when Kris marched in, Jack to one side, Gramma Ruth on the other. She was about to take her seat at the head of a full table when Nelly said, ''Kris, you have a call from the ambassador's secretary.''
Kris rolled her eyes at the overhead. ''I'll take it.'' She paused, and then added, ''Can we make this quick?''
''Why? You don't ever seem to be doing much of anything,'' the young man answered. Now the whole room rolled their eyes.
''It has come to my attention that you have not acknowledged your invitation to the presidential reception tomorrow evening. I assume you are going.''
''Tomorrow evening,'' Kris answered slowly.
''It was sent out over a week ago. You did not reply.''
''I don't think I got it.''
''Or that computer of yours lost it.''
I DID NOT LOSE IT!
DOWN, NELLY.
''I'm sure the invitation will turn up somewhere. Tell me about this reception,'' Kris said.
''Just everybody who is anybody will be there. You'll meet the president, the vice presidents, and most of the senate. Don't expect to say much to them. It's a cattle call. You go down the reception line, smile, say a word or two, and get passed on to the next. Lots of fast pressing of the flesh. You know how it goes.''
''And it's tomorrow night,'' Kris said, eyeing Captain DeVar. He nodded. Faces around the table got grim.
''I said it was.''
''Where?''
''The National Gallery of the Arts. Lovely place. Modeled after some Earth place, the Versailles Palace I think.''
Captain DeVar messed with his battle board. A map appeared on the wall. A huge building surrounded by gardens and lush trees appeared. He zoomed out, and Kris saw it was several miles from the embassy, along a riverfront.
''Yes,'' Kris said, ''you may tell the ambassador that I will be glad to represent Wardhaven at the reception.''
''Good. He expects to be your escort. I'll tell him you'll be ready early. Say seven o'clock.''
''I'll talk to my maid about that,'' Kris said.
Kris waited until the commlink clicked off. ''Is the line broken, Nelly?''
''As broken as I can make it.''
''Everyone will be there,'' Kris said slowly.
Abby nodded. ''Bronc says they're going to kill them all.''
''And I wondered what I was going to be doing with that huge limo tomorrow night,'' Kris said, letting a tight smile free to play on her lips. ''Captain DeVar, shall we look at the security problems that huge, drafty place must have.''
Instead, the wall screens' map was replaced by…a sailing schedule from High Eden.
Captain DeVar stood, and cleared his throat. ''Before we do our best to do something well, may we first consider if we should do it at all.''
''Thank you,'' Jack said.
''What do you mean, Captain?'' Kris said, not sure whether to scowl or just sigh at this turn of events.
''Your Highness,'' DeVar started off respectfully. ''My responsibilities are to assure the safety of the embassy and its personnel. The lieutenant, here, is supposed to specifically see that you keep on breathing, right?''
''I'm supposed to try,'' Jack said, grinning from ear to ear.
''Therefore, I must ask,'' the Marine captain went on, ''if it wouldn't be best if we got you out of Dodge? Fast! The Great Panda Maru seals locks in four hours, twenty, ah, two minutes. I may just be a dumb Marine, but it seems to me that the best way for us to assure you stay not dead would be to have you on that ship. Quarters ain't luxurious, but it is headed for Yamato and you could catch a liner for Wardhaven.''
He paused. ''I am merely offering this for discussion.'' And he sat down.