Solomon's Sieve (15 page)

“So,” Kay said. “Seven days. You told Litha?”

“I’m not calling from the hospital.”

Kay laughed darkly. “Yeah. She could do it, too. What I’m likely to get out of it is a very sullen, unfun wife and a very dry wick.”

“Hey!” Elora repeated. “Ladies present.”

“Oh?” Kay said. “Who else is there?”

She snorted. Ram grinned. “No’ a problem, lover boy. Just flip the switch in that great room of yours and start the mirrored ball goin’ round. She’s a sucker for your Disco Dino. I give her less than three songs to be callin’ your wick wicked.”

He wiggled eyebrows at Elora when he said the word “wicked”.

“You’re never growing up, are you?” she asked.

“From here it looks like growin’ up is highly overrated,” he said as his hand was slowly creeping up her thigh under cover of the tabletop.

She gave him a receptive smile, but moved his hand away and whispered, “Later,” into the beautiful pointed ear that was closest to her.

Storm abbreviated the events that culminated in the necessity for recall and, after Kay fully understood the gravity of the new developments, he resumed the Kay persona that they knew, loved, and counted on.

“Better get to it. I’ve got a lot of wrapping up to do if I’m going to be there in a week. So what are they saying about how long they’re going to need us?”

The three in the booth looked from one to another and shrugged. “They didn’t say. The new Sovereign…”

“New Sovereign? That’s news you left out. Who and when?”

“Guy who’s been hunting in Brazil for a few years. Seems okay so far. The biggest surprise is that he’s kind of taking to it like a duck to water. I swear you’d think he’d done it before.”

“That’s got to be a load off you and that kid.”

“Seems to me Glen and I just jumped out of the room temperature pan and into the fire. The Sovereign gig comes with headaches and long hours, but at least it’s a desk job.”

“You have a point.”

“Speaking of points, you in shape for hunting? I bet you have a paunch.”

“Yeah? I’ll see you on the mats. ‘Bout a week from now.”

“Count on it.”

Storm looked over at the famous couple across the table. “No point in delaying the inevitable. Better let the better half know what’s up.”

“She’s got to come pick you up anyway. Have her come join us for drinks right now. We’ll all four talk it over together,” Elora said.

“You don’t think that will make her feel like it’s an ambush?”

“I think there’s no
good
way to say this. I think that if she sees that none of us want this, but that we don’t have any choice, it will go down easier.”

He pulled out the phone and pushed a contact. She answered. “What are you doing?”

“I’m at the Farmers Market. Glen’s coming to dinner. He’s still a growing boy and I want to feed him good stuff.”

Storm grunted at that. “Growing boy, huh? What about me?”

“You’re a boy, but your body has finished growing.”

“Well, can it keep? What you bought? I’m having drinks with Ram and Elora. Something important’s come up and we were thinking you could join us for a little while.”

“What is it?”

“Tell you when you get here?”

There was a pause that made Storm visibly nervous. “Are you in the lounge?”

“Yes. We’re in one of the booths.”

She hung up.

A few minutes later Storm reached for his tumbler and raised it to his lips, but jumped when she appeared next to him.

“Gods Almighty, woman!” He set the glass down and started swiping at the spilled whiskey. He motioned to the bartender and pointed to his shirt. Within seconds he was holding a damp white linen towel.

“’
Tis goin’ to take more than that to cover the aroma of that fine whiskey you’re now wearin’.”

Litha wiped Storm down with the damp towel doing a terrible job of hiding the fact that she was amused.

“I ordered you a double foam latte with cinnamon, but it may have cooled off.”

“Not a problem.” She curled her fingers around the mug and four seconds later steam was rising along with an enticing aroma newly refreshed.

As she brought the cup to her lips Storm smiled and shook his head. “Some things you just never get used to.”

She took a sip and moaned approval as her eyes slid closed. When she opened them, she looked around the table. “So what’s up?”

Elora spoke before Storm had finished his internal deliberations on the best way to proceed with breaking the news. “We’ve been recalled to active duty.”

Litha was at full attention instantly. She jerked a big-eyed gaze to Storm. “What does that mean?” she asked him point blank.

“Well…” he started, but Elora beat him to it again.

“It means B Team is back in duty rotation in ten days. All of us. Including Kay.”

Litha cut right through the turbulent emotions circulating around the table. “No,” she pronounced with an emphatic shaking of her wild curls.

“Baby…”

Storm didn’t get far with whatever he was going to say.

“No. And that’s the end of it, buster.”

There was nothing funny about the situation and Storm knew that making light of it wasn’t the best way to handle a worried wife. But she was cute when expressing authority and he couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Buster?”

Unconsciously he reached over to push a wayward tendril back from her face. She slapped his hand away. “I’m not kidding!” A noticeable flush was creeping into her cheeks. “I have to get dinner started. We’re having company tonight.” She was looking around for her purse.

Storm looked across the table.

“Sorry,” Elora mouthed.

He shrugged. “I’m gonna catch a ride with her.” He looked like a kid on the way to the principal’s office. Ram and Elora nodded silently and sympathetically.

As soon as Storm cleared the booth and stood Litha snapped a purple sheepskin lined handcuff on him and they were gone.

Ram looked at Elora. “So. That turn out like you were thinkin’?”

She gave a little shrug that Ram found charming and feminine, maybe even adorable. Of course he found most things about her charming and feminine. And the rest he found adorable.

“I hoped we could soften the news, but we didn’t really get a chance. I haven’t seen her that upset since…”

As Ram leaned into Elora he caught and held her eyes. “Since her da’ lost him in the passes. That what you were goin’ to say?”

Elora took in a deep breath. “Maybe she hasn’t had enough ‘normal’. It’s always something. A long lost demon dad. Having a baby in record time. Storm being lost. Rosie growing up in a few months. Then leaving. I guess we just witnessed the last straw up close and personal.”

“I would no’ be surprised if she took him straight to some other worldly hideout and left him there where she thinks she can keep him safe, sound and all to herself.”

She looked at Ram with an open mouth. “You’re wearing that you-can’t-tell-what-I’m really-thinking face, but I know you’re joking. Litha isn’t the sort of person to take prisoners. And especially not her husband.”

Ram leaned back and put both arms across the back of the wide booth in a display of masculine territorialism. “If you say so.”

“Besides. Can you see Storm accepting that? Meekly submitting to being a love slave?”

Through the thin fine cotton of Ram’s tee, Elora saw his abs contract with silent laughter. “Love slave is it? ‘Tis a fantasy of yours?” He arched an eyebrow and canted his head to indicate interest in the subject as he brought his face closer. “You been holdin’ out on me? ‘Cause I’m thinkin’
I
would go willin’ly and comply eagerly.”

Her lack of rejoinder coupled with the serious expression on her face made him stop teasing and sit up suddenly. He glanced around, leaned into her and dropped his teasing tone about an octave. “Are you entertainin’ an image right this second?”

She looked away, but couldn’t hide a telltale blush.

Ram’s eyes twinkled with wickedness as his smile returned. “You
are
!” He slid closer and put his mouth next to her ear, grinning. “Tell me.”

“No.” She pushed him away playfully.

“Aye.” He doubled down by drawing a finger up her outer thigh. “Tell me, love. I’ll die if I do no’ know.”

She started laughing. “You will not die, Ram.”

“Oh. I will. I swear.” He said the words into her hair, her ear, and her neck.

“Stop it,” she said giggling. “Drink your whiskey.”

He looked down at the tumbler sitting half full on the table, but it didn’t distract him for long. Within a second he was right back on target, enjoying the game of extracting information from her as much as a hunt.

“The whiskey can wait. What I’m after now is a look inside that beautiful head.”

“Gah. Rammel. Some things are personal. Just mark that door private and move on to something else.”

He sat back. “Private? Personal? These are no’ words I’ll be acceptin’ if there’s somethin’ I could be doin’ to please. Somethin’ that‘s been left undone.”

“You mean you’ve never thought about anything, um, sexual and kept it to yourself? Really?”

The tiniest scowl formed between his eyes. “Considerin’ the inventive nature of our private and personal sex life, I’m a little taken back by the question.”

“Yes, but it’s entirely different when
you
suggest, uh, things.”

He wasn’t laughing at her exactly, but his amusement was evident. “’Tis only different if you make it so. I see now that I’ve been remiss in no’ pressin’ for your own imaginin’s. There’s no’ a thin’ in this life I want more than to see you pleasured.”

“You
do
pleasure me, Ram.”

“In every way possible,” he corrected.

Seeing that he was taking the idea seriously and was so sincere, she couldn’t help but smile. He glanced at his watch. “We have eighty-three minutes before we need to gather Helm. Let’s go to our place where I can get you naked and tickle you into revealin’ everythin’ I want to know.”

Unlike men who let the zest for life drain out of them when they become responsible for families, Ram still carried a party with him wherever he went. And that was just one of the things she loved about him.

She cut her eyes toward him and smiled slyly. “Do any of your fantasies involve unpacking moving boxes? Because there’s a lot of that to do.”

He snarled and bit her on the neck so suddenly that she shrieked. Looking around she saw that they’d drawn the attention of the few people in the lounge. “You’re embarrassing me, Ram.” She slapped at him playfully.

“Embarrassed?” Ram looked around the room and chuckled. “Elora, those fuckers are so jealous of me their balls are a semi-permanent shade of ugly cobalt blue.”

She shot him a pretend glare and slid out of the booth.

“What? If you do no’ believe me, pick one out. I’ll take his pants down so you can see.”

“Rammel. Ugh!” And that was the last thing she said before giving him the pleasure of watching her walk away. An activity of which he never tired.

When Rev showed up at the Operations Office at eight, Farnsworth glanced up and then did a double take. He looked freshly showered and enticingly damp. She, on the other hand, felt old, ill-used and in need of a long soak in a hot receptacle with scented bath oils.

She had dismissed the trainee assistants hours earlier so that they could complete their study and elective requirements for the day, which meant she was in the office alone.

Rev nodded at her. “First to arrive, last to leave?”

She smiled in a polite way that didn’t reach her eyes. “Always.” There was a folder sitting on the right side of her desk. She stood, grabbing that and her tablet. “I keep most things in digital form these days, but I printed some reports. I didn’t know if you prefer hard copy.”

Rev shrugged. “It’s easier when you’re reviewing details with a second person. Would you like me to carry it?”

She was so surprised by the question she laughed out loud. “No. I’ve got it. Lead the way.”

Farnsworth’s normal pace was more along the lines of a brisk determined stride, but she consciously decided that, if the new Sovereign thought there was time to stroll, she would follow his lead.

His eyes slid sideways as they ambled toward Mess. “I hope there are lots of pages in there that we both need to see at the same time.” Her brow crinkled momentarily with an unanswered question. “It’ll give me a chance to get close. Smell your perfume.”