My Ride is a Bitch (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 13) (2 page)

Bethany Anne reached out to grab the offered letters, “Thanks, Kevin.” She nodded her thanks and grabbed an apple from the fruit available on the sideboard, “Ashur!” She called over her shoulder. She heard Ashur get up from his location under the table where Team BMW was eating. They were such wusses about feeding him. One sad face and all three men caved and tossed him food under the table.

Yet, they blamed each other for being the one who fed him.

Ashur caught up to Bethany Anne on her way to the suite. She nodded to a few in the hallways and ruffled Ashur’s head. She would swear he had gained a couple of inches.

TOM.

Yes?

Could Ashur gain in size after coming out of the Pod?

Yes, that is possible. The nanites might have decided he needed to change for some reason. Possibly due to his continued physical efforts during your training. We can always put him back in the Pod and have a look.

No, it’s not that important. At least, not yet.

Bethany Anne nodded to the guards up from the doors leading to the Bitch’s and the Elites areas and finally, down to her own suite. She might have just walked Etherically to her suite, but it was good for everyone to see her.

She entered her room, the door already opened by ArchAngel and mumbled ‘thanks’ as the door shut behind her. Biting into her apple, she walked into her bathroom. Ashur jumped up on her bed.

“Hey!” She turned towards her door, “Don’t shed all over my bed. I had to get the last cover cleaned. What the hell were you pissed about, anyway?”

Ashur chuffed from her bedroom.

“That’s not my fault! Your lazy ass didn’t go to the cafeteria in time to catch them.” Another chuff, “Bullshit, they aren’t required to eat at the same time every day because you have a preference. Besides, you always have dog food available.” Bethany Anne grinned when she heard Ashur’s whined response.

She turned and tossed the apple core into the trash can and then started going through the mail.

She picked up the first letter, “I’ve won an island…file 13.” Then the next, “I’ve been asked to join a symposium on technology next month, another file 13. I have unpaid speeding tickets in Florida. Huh, wonder if I should frame this one.” She shrugged and tossed the envelope into the trash.

She saw an envelope in nicer block handwriting but done in a crayon. Weird. She opened it up and read the letter inside.

Then, she read it again, slowly.

ADAM, track this address. Is this legitimate?
 

>>Yes, there is a family of three living at that address in Las Vegas.<<

Who does the dad work for?

>>Security Blocked, unknown at this time.<<

Seriously? Fuck.
Bethany Anne tapped the letter on her palm a couple of times
.
Can you figure out if there is a problem?

>>The daughter, Anne, is twelve. She has been absent from school for two days. Previously, she had not missed the last one hundred and eighty-two days of school.<<

“Trap or real, trap or real?” Bethany Anne said aloud.

Are they mutually exclusive?
TOM interrupted.

“No, they are not,” Bethany Anne agreed.
 

Are you going to send someone to check it out?
 

No, I’m going to do this. It needs a deft touch, a woman’s hand.

What about Gabrielle?

I don’t want to mess up her time with Eric.

What about … huh… right.

What do you mean ‘right’?

You are bored.

I’ve always heard that the problem with Royalty is that they aren’t connected with the people. I am not going to have that happen to me.

You are bored.

And that, too.

Just the three of us?

No, it will be the four of us.

Well, thank God. For a second I thought you would go out and not have any support.
TOM sighed mentally.

“Ashur,” Bethany Anne started towards her closet, “Let’s go rescue a little girl.” His chuff came back, excited. “I know, right? Silly of my guards to leave me alone and allow me to get into mischief all by my little lonesome.” This time, Ashur sounded like he was laughing, not chuffing.

“Oh, shut up.” Bethany Anne said, “be happy your lazy ass is going, or you would be stuck in here.”

She switched clothes and loaded her weapons. Seeing the wakizashi, she smiled and grabbed her shorter blade, “Come here, you. We haven’t partied in a while.” She looked down at her boots on the floor, “Ugh, no boots, this time, Pumas it is.”

She grabbed a jacket and hid her weapons, “ArchAngel, lock this door.”

Why did I think you were going to be mature about this?
TOM asked.

“Beats the fuck out of me.” She replied, “let’s go, my furry white guard.” Bethany Anne grabbed Ashur’s neck and took a step forward, disappearing.

A minute later, the lights went off in the closet.

TQB Base Denver, Colorado

Bethany Anne arrived at the Colorado headquarters with Ashur in one of her arrival rooms. It took her a little while to sneak outside.

Unfortunately, the personally-modified F12berlinetta upgraded for her was locked up in the garage area and had an on-duty guard. It had required her to order him to not speak about her taking the car for twenty-four hours.

Leaving the base forced her to order personnel at two additional security checkpoints to not mention her presence. At least for twenty-four hours.

Bethany Anne enjoyed the crisp air for a couple of hours as she and Ashur drove through the mountains heading towards Las Vegas. She looked in her rearview mirror to confirm no one was behind her and then told TOM to punch it.

Their car lifted off the road and started flying through the night sky.

Within fifteen minutes, she was arriving and setting down on a small road outside North Las Vegas. She entered the address into the onboard navigation and drove into town as the barest hint of dawn was cracking the sky.

“Hey, no shedding on my leather,” she reached over and brushed a few of Ashur’s white hairs off the seat. “We should look for a girlfriend for you, maybe she would teach you to not shed on the seats?” Ashur looked over at Bethany Anne, cocking his head to the side and chuffed, “I don’t know how to tell if she is smart,” she said, “probably the best test will be if she bites you in the ass the first chance she gets.”

He chuffed and looked out the window as Bethany Anne laughed.

>> I could have easily told you the directions to the location.<<

I know that ADAM, sometimes the little computers need some attention too.

You just wanted to play with your new toy.

You say that as if it is a bad thing, TOM.

The directions took her to the west side of Las Vegas, and she pulled up to a neighborhood security gate.
 

Bethany Anne could see the Red Rock Casino a couple of miles away and the Red Rock Canyon just beyond it.

—

Casper was reading the latest Vegas news when a car pulled off Spanish Trail, and the headlights flashed through their window as the beginning of another bright day started. He looked up in time to see a Ferrari when his partner, Jocelyn said, “Ten bucks says it is an old man with gray hair wearing a toupee.”

While he couldn’t see inside too well, but he did notice what looked like a large white dog in the front seat, “You got a bet,” he replied and stepped out of the air-conditioned guard house, closing the door behind him.
 

The Ferrari smoothly pulled up beside him and the tinted window started dropping.

So did Caspers jaw, “Hello,” he managed to croak out. Jocelyn owed him ten bucks, now. No mistaking this lady for an old, fat and balding, white guy using a car to market himself. She didn’t look like she needed the car to sell herself, either. But, this was Vegas. Casper supposed she could be an Elite Companion. If she was, then Casper couldn’t afford her.

“Hello, Casper is it?” she smiled and nodded to his name badge, “I’m here to surprise my brother,” her voice, velvet smooth over steel warmed his soul, “would you mind letting me do that without putting me down on your notepad?”

Moments later, Casper stepped back inside and put his clipboard in the slot. He barely noticed when Jocelyn slid the ten dollars in front of him. “You win the ten bucks. She wasn’t an old fat guy.” Then, Jocelyn started pulling the money back towards herself, “But, you lose the money for not putting her name down on the clipboard. It’s now hush money.”

Casper just nodded his agreement to the deal.

—

Bethany Anne drove up in front of the four thousand square foot two-story. It had a Spanish brick roof and a nicely kept lawn. All of the homes in this gated community were well kept.

She slid out of her car and walked around to open Ashur’s door. He jumped out and looked around, sniffing the air.

A few cars were leaving for work already, but her car tended to show everyone living in this neighborhood that she belonged.

The two of them walked up to the door.

—

“He has visitors,” Dieter said as he looked out the window with his binoculars, “Attractive woman, and … a dog.”

“Not exactly your standard military rescue team,” Gunter commented, as he drank his coffee and walked up beside his partner, “Maybe his family?”

“Can’t tell,” Dieter pulled off the glasses, “Here, take a look, I’m going to wake up Klaus in case we have a snag in the plans. Today he is supposed to pull the data in exchange for his wife.”

Gunter put his coffee down, accepted the binoculars and put them on his face, “Yes, attractive. Weird that she’s wearing a jacket in Las Vegas.” Gunter looked back at the car, “Dealer plates, I can’t see what area. Perhaps she is not from around here?”

Dieter called back from the room across the hall, “I don’t know.” There was a knock, “Klaus, wake up. We have an unexpected visitor.”

“Here?” Gunter could hear the tired man ask.

“No,” Dieter replied, “across the street, we might need to intercept so get prepared.” He stepped back into the front room, “What now?”

“She is knocking on the door,” Gunter said. “Is the volume up?” Seconds later, they heard the door open from across the street, and Mason’s voice came in loud and clear.

“Hello?”

The female’s voice answered, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jayden, but the Clark County School District is concerned about your daughter, Anne. She has missed two days of school already.”

“Anne? Yes, she’s sick.”

“May I see her?” the lady responded.

“What? No. I’m sorry, who did you say you were again?”

“My name is Bethany Anne…”

—

If anyone had looked straight up, they would be looking in the right area to see a tiny little black dot up in the sky.

Would they be able to see it? No.

John was listening to the conversation below, “ArchAngel, you are capturing the audio from wireless signals?”

“Yes, John. Small wireless signals are coming from the house Bethany Anne is at and sending in the direction of a couple of houses across the street.”

“You can’t tell which one?”

“No, only direction. It is either the house directly across, or the one to the south of it.”

John continued listening to the conversation as Bethany Anne spoke.

“My name is Bethany Anne, and I help the Clark County School District maximize their income by confirming all able-bodied children are attending school. It reduces truancy.”

“In a Ferrari?”

John chuckled, wondering how his boss was going to answer this question. He could hear the pause, almost seeing her turn around to confirm that yes, she had driven a Ferrari.

“Well, yes. It’s my new car. You see, I’m a helper for the school district in the mornings. The rest of the day, I play a trophy wife.”

Up in the sky, John was slapping the side of the Pod trying to control his laughter, “Oh God!” He screamed, “ArchAngel, please tell me you are recording this?”

“I am, John.”

He wiped a tear from his face as he tried to stifle his laughter, “Sweet blessed mother of Saint Payback-is-a-Bitch, I’m going to use this sometime in the future.” John had to stifle any further comments as the two beneath him continued talking.

—

“She is a school helper?” Gunter asked, puzzled.

“American school’s get paid by how many children are in the classroom each day. It is very expensive for the local school district when a child is out sick.” Klaus explained as he walked into the room, adjusting his holster and slipping in his pistol.

“This could be a problem,” Dieter explained. “We only need him to go to work one last time. Do we snatch her, or what?”

Gunter shrugged, “We only do something if she won’t leave.”

—

The lady in front of Mason’s voice changed, sweeter somehow and yet more commanding, “Let me in, Mason.”

Mason opened the door wider and stepped back, “Why don’t you come in, Ms. Anne.”

Bethany Anne stepped into the home behind Ashur who had jumped in ahead of her, looking around. “My name is just…you know, never mind.” She looked down at Ashur, “Find out if we have a problem.” Ashur took off, running up the steps.

“NO!” Mason scrambled behind Bethany Anne, pushing her out of the way as both of them heard a chuff from the room up the stairs. Mason grabbed hold of the railing, swinging to jump to the third step. He was running up the stairs and was surprised when he stumbled off balance, feeling as though he was pushed aside. He righted himself and continued racing to his daughter's room.

She absolutely, positively couldn’t leave that bed.

—-

“Gott Verdammt!” Klaus bolted out of the room, running down the hall to the front door. “If that bitch pulls the child off the bed, the operation is a bust,” he yelled, frantically trying to unlock the door.

Gunther and Dieter were hot on his heels as he yanked the front door open, all three men racing down the front sidewalk.