Special Forces 01 (33 page)

He ran his own words back through his head and frowned in evaluation. “That was poetic? It just felt like the truth to me.”

“Very,” she said emphatically.

“I didn’t intend that to be lyrical.”

“Which is what makes it all the more meaningful,” she noted. “I want you to download a copy of that onto my laptop,” she added firmly.

He felt a little bemused, and certainly embarrassed, wondering how many times she might replay it in the future. “If that’s what you would like.”

Anne pulled back enough to glare at her father. “
This
is why I refuse to move—this man in my arms. He’s the first, best and most loyal friend I’ve ever had. I consider all of the 01 my friends, as well. You’re asking me to leave them all behind and move because you are concerned that I am getting too close to them, too close to Rys? You are too late; close doesn’t begin to cover it. I will not be going with you to Chapel. I am staying right here with Rosalita and Candice and Rys. If you try to force the issue, I will have myself declared an emancipated minor and move out on my own.”

“You are not thinking rationally, this is not your decision to make,” Dorian gritted out.

“No, but I believe it is at least partially mine,” a cool female voice sounded from behind them.

Rys looked up and around Anne to see Angela Dorian standing in the doorway, right behind him.
Oh good, she’s home too?
From experience, Rys could decipher the clear icy edge to Angela’s expression—her daughters projected the same look when they were in the process of gearing up for a major beat down. Worried about being caught in the crosshairs, he backed up a few feet, dragging Anne with him.

“Candace just informed me about the pending move,” Angela continued in that same chilly, deliberate manner. “Daniel, the girls and I will not be moving to Chapel for this assignment.”

Anne perked up at her Mother’s unexpected pronouncement, a hiss of triumph escaping her throat.

Dorian could be heard audibly grinding his teeth. “Angela, surely you can see why the girls need this move, this is getting totally out of control.”

“I can see that you’re being an overprotective father,” Angela returned calmly. “And if it were any other young man, I might agree with you. But I find that my daughter has excellent taste in men.
This
young man, especially, has proven to be trustworthy. I have no qualms about entrusting my daughter’s safety and wellbeing to his capable hands.”

Rys let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding until that moment. He felt honored and humbled after hearing her opinion of him.

Daniel’s hands clenched his into two tight fists, the knuckles stark white from the pressure. “Angela, I think we should go home and discuss this.”

“You are right about that.” Angela waved her husband through the door with her palm open, and a slight bow. Before she followed him out, she gave Rys a covert wink and a confident smile, self-assured of her inevitable victory.

If Angela were anything at all like her daughter, Rys had no doubt that she would prevail in the upcoming discussion; the Vice Minister had no chance. He nodded curtly back in solemn acknowledgement, struggling not to return her smile.

Anne produced a phone from her pocket, punching in a number so rapidly her fingers were a blur, before putting it to her ear. “Candace? Relax, we won’t be moving.” She beamed at whatever response this bit of news brought her. To Rys, it distinctly sounded like cheering. “No, really, I’m sure. Mom just dragged Dad out of here to go home and talk about it. She had her scary face on, you know the one I am talking about. I would be willing to bet my allowance for the next year that we’re staying put.” She threw her head back and laughed in relief. “I know, I know! It’s awesome, isn’t it? Yeah, okay, I’ll see you later. Bye.”

“Are you that sure she’ll win the argument?” Rys gave her an amused smile.

Anne just grinned at him. “I inherited my verbal skills from my mother.”

For Rys, that was assurance enough.

Chapter Seventeen

I really should know better than this by now.

It had been a very simple plan in the beginning. Just put in a call to Erksome, request a few basic pointers and strategies on deciding the best make and model of a vehicle for his purposes, and then go forward and select one. Erksome’s protest that it would be more efficient to just take him along on the procurement expedition was entirely reasonable. Jeremy’s observation that no respectable dealership would allow a seventeen-year-old to buy a vehicle without parental inclusion also was reasonable.

So just how had Anne, Gremlin and Snails wrangled an invitation, and become involved in the mix?

Rys’s elementary three-man mission had mushroomed into a full six person strike team! He’d had far less accompaniment on much more dangerous assignments. Managing to find a car that would meet everyone’s parameters of an ideal vehicle for his use would take an absolute miracle.

They took Jeremy’s van, as it was the only vehicle that would accommodate everyone. Rys frowned noticeably as he considered that fact. It would be fun to have a sporty little number like Anne’s, but he wanted a vehicle he could fit his entire team in, along with any necessary gear. If another situation presented itself—Guardians forbid—he might need the extra seating and cargo space.

“So, Erksome,” Rys ventured as they headed toward the business section of town, “how much does a well-maintained, moderately used vehicle run?”

“Oh, that depends on the make of the car, the features it comes with, the mileage…but I think you should be able to get something worth having for about ten thousand.”

That wasn’t nearly as bad as Rys had feared. “Would that be a vehicle that can seat a minimum of four people?”

For some unknown reason, all of his lieutenants immediately shot him an exasperated look.

“What?” Rys demanded defensively, searching their faces, trying to pick up on what he had missed.

“Sir,” Snails put Fourth with uncharacteristic patience, “we all have our own vehicles now; you are the only one walking. You don’t need to worry about transporting us somewhere. Why don’t you buy something that you’d like to have?”

Rys drew himself up in a dignified manner. “Well, what if I want to have a vehicle I can comfortably fit other people into?”

“At least make it a sports utility vehicle, for guardian’s sake!” Gremlin shook his head, obviously praying for the endurance to outlast his Captain.

“I don’t want a SUV,” Rys repeated with forced patience. “The insurance and gas alone would kill me.”

“Says the man whose pay grade is higher than ours,” Gremlin muttered to his team mates, who nodded in agreement.

“I’m the sensible one. I never live beyond my means,” Rys retorted.

“Don’t rough him up, he’s being practical about this,” Jeremy advised in good humor over his shoulder. “All right, so he wants a vehicle that can sit at least four people... Is there anything else you feel is important in your selection?”

“Not bankrupting me?” Rys pleaded, with a silent appeal in Erksome’s direction. The man was a proven impulse buyer.

“Establish a limit for me.”

“Well, you estimated ten thousand, correct? Don’t exceed that figure.” Rys was clearly relieved when Erksome gave a judicious nod.

“That should be doable. Are there any other limits?”

“Color selection: not orange, black, purple, and definitely not pink.”

Anne started chuckling. “I never suspected you might prove to be so picky about colors, Rys. I can understand three of the colors, but what do you have against black?”

“I don’t approve of it on a vehicle,” he expounded, warming up to his subject. “Clothes are fine. When it comes to a black vehicle, people can’t see it as well at night and I’m liable to get into an accident simply because I made a poor choice in color.”

“Oh, I never thought of that! Good point.”

Jeremy pulled into the first car dealership they came to and parked. “All right, people, we’re here. Just remember, there are plenty of other dealerships. We don’t have to make a decision right this minute.”

As it turned out, they visited four dealerships before Rys located the car of his dreams. It was a four door, like he had specified, with plenty of cargo space inside of it. This model was built along sleeker lines, however, looking more like a sports car than a midsize sedan. Rys drove it all of one mile before he fell in love.

It was fast.

It was sleek.

It was red.

It was incredibly sexy.

Rys decided he just had to have it.

Erksome pulled him aside after the test drive and whispered, “Sir, this breaks your budget by nearly four thousand.”

Rys gave a longing, appraising look at the car, weighing his budget and the payment schedules in his head. After a few moments wrestling with the numbers, he squared his shoulders, making the call. “That is immaterial, I want it. Erksome, you’re a better negotiator than I am. See if you can’t carve the man down a little. I think we have some room to maneuver.”

Erksome, with an evil leer on his face that shouted he was eager to accept this assignment, gave his Captain a casual analyst’s salute, and sauntered off in the direction of the office, looking for his prey.

“On it, sir.”

***

“And you said
Jason
was the impulsive buyer,” Anne laughed as they drove away from the dealership.

Rys shrugged, no defense on his lips. His euphoric state was worth the ribbing. His new car was an unholy joy to him at the moment, and every other consideration just shed off of his skin like a soft mist. It was the first thing that he’d ever really invested in, aside from his career. For some reason, owning this vehicle made him feel more grounded and attached to this place, more like a…civilian.

Not to mention the fact that he could finally take Anne places without making her drive.

“I like your choice, though,” she continued with an admiring eye. “I mean, it’s so you in many ways. It’s practical, but at the same time it’s just nice to look at too.”

He patted the steering wheel under his hands. “I’ve never owned something as nice as this; as a matter of fact I have never owned anything before! It’s a great feeling, to know that I have my own wheels, and I don’t have to depend on anyone else for transportation.”

“It is liberating,” she acknowledged. “I remember the day I got my car, I just had to drive it places. Nowhere in particular, but I had to go.”

Yes, that was what he was feeling exactly. “I never have taken you out to a movie. Would you like to do that tonight? I am flexible on the schedule.”

“Not science fiction,” she said firmly.

Rys shot her an innocent glance. “What? I can behave, and not keep up a running narrative on their plot errors.”

Anne was already shaking her head. “No way. I actually want to enjoy the movie. Comedy, romance, mystery, fantasy or drama is fine—but absolutely no science fiction.”

“Sir?”

Rys held up his index finger to indicate he was speaking mentally.
Yes, Snails?

“The Admiral is offering to take us all out to dinner.”

“Jeremy is offering to take us out to dinner,” Rys repeated out loud for Anne’s sake.

She perked up. “A movie and popcorn sounds good, but dinner sounds great. I’m starving!”

Tell him we accept,
Rys replied.
I’ll follow him there.

“Roger that, sir.”

***

“Hey Savar, over here!”

Rys wasn’t used to anyone calling out to him in school, especially during the lunch break, so he was a little surprised to hear his name. He glanced up from the lunch tray in his hands to see who was hailing him. This was one of those rare times when Anne had a club meeting during lunch, leaving Rys to his own devices. He normally ate a quick lunch alone, and then sequestered himself up in the library for the rest of the lunch hour when she had a meeting.

A waving arm caught his attention and he realized it was a classmate, Mark Bergert that was beckoning him to come over. He had not had an opportunity for much interaction with Mark, or his two friends, but Rys had the impression he was a decent sort of a guy. So without any hesitation he changed the direction he had been heading, and approached their table. “Hey, Bergert.”

“Hey. Isn’t Anne eating with you today?” Mark’s dark eyes were darting around, obviously scanning the cafeteria for a particular blonde.

“No, not today, she has a club meeting,” Rys explained.

“We were wondering,” Dave nodded, blond hair falling into his eyes at the movement. “Have a seat man, take a load off, we don’t bite.”

Aside from Anne and her family, and the Blochs, of course, Rys didn’t have a lot of interpersonal communication with other civilians he came into casual contact with. This was a good opportunity to expand his small circle of acquaintances that might eventually develop into friendships. He slid into a seat between Dave and Jon, eyes taking them in at a glance. Dave Hallifax played on the varsity baseball team. His tanned skin and muscular build testified that he spent a great deal of time on the diamond practicing. Jon Newart was a member of the swim team, also trim and athletic, with his face half obscured by thick glasses. All three looked pleased to have him join them at their table.

“Okay, now that we’ve finally slipped you away from Anne,” Jon gave him a smile that bordered on being an eager grin, “we have just one compelling question for you. Is it true you have an audiographic memory?”

“That would be true,” Rys confirmed with an easy nod.

“See, I told you so!” Dave crowed, slapping his hand down on the table and claiming victory. “I’ve got two classes with him, and I’ve never ever seen him take notes.”

“Oh man, that is completely on the south side of fair,” Mark bemoaned this startling revelation, head dropping for a moment. “I want one too! How do I apply for one? Is there much paper work?”

Rys highly doubted that he would willing to go through all of the intricate surgeries and training necessary just to gain an audiographic memory, so didn’t bother responding. Besides, he was way too old! He just smiled, shook his head, and took a bite out of his sandwich.