Chapter Eleven
Food of the Gods…
Oh, God, the hamburger was perfect. I took another big bite. Utter perfection. Picking up my corn on the cob, I slathered it with butter and chowed down. It was so damn good I moaned.
Captain Zan’s eyebrows rose and he enunciated carefully, “Do all human females have orgasms while eating?”
In English I snarled, “We should have fed him one of those damn MREs, then he would understand.”
Dad grinned and put another burger on my plate.
“Food has been scarce since the Tai-Kok began their attacks,” Uncle Saul advised.
Zan drained his glass of moonshine and blinked owlishly. “It is quite warm tonight.” His eyes rolled back in his head, and he slid off his chair.
“Is he still breathing?” I stuffed fried potatoes in my mouth.
Kaelen scanned him with his warrior’s bracelet. “He is.”
We all went back to eating.
Major General Timmy Showalter screamed, “The spiders are real! The spiders are real!”
“So are the Tai-Kok, butthead,” I shouted back.
The Oath Defenders started chanting, “Sic semper tyrannis.”
I glanced at Kaelen. “Would you mind?”
“They are annoying.” Kaelen’s power flared and the chanting stopped.
“Thank you, my love.”
Kaelen leaned over and gave me a smooch. “My pleasure.”
Dad shot us the evil eye.
“We have apples for dessert,” I said brightly.
Jaxor banged on the table. “More.”
I gave him a stern look, “More, please.”
“Please.”
“Warriors do not beg for food,” Xyler snapped.
I put another piece of buffalo steak in front of Jaxor. “Being polite is not begging, it’s just good manners.”
Uncle Saul’s satellite phone buzzed.
I frowned. “That can’t be good.”
Right before my eyes, Uncle Saul morphed into General Jones, a cold-eyed predator.
He tapped the phone. “Jones.” An expression of barely contained fury flashed across his face as he listened.
“Copy. How many casualties?” His mouth took on an unpleasant twist. “Good. You know what to do.” He disconnected.
A worried silence fell over the table as Uncle Saul’s fingers flew over his keyboard.
“Care to share?” If no one was going to ask, I would. “I thought the Oath Defenders weren’t going to attack for two more days.”
Uncle Saul’s grim gaze locked on me. “Timothy was wearing a body camera, and it was a live feed. General Hudson moved up his timetable.”
“Oh shit!”
“Exactly. General Hudson had his Oath Defenders attack Central Command an hour ago. They attempted to seize the command staff and control room. Using the weapons Zarek provided us, they were quickly neutralized.”
“How many casualties?” Dad demanded.
Uncle Saul grinned. “None on our side. Quinn and Jake were wearing the body armor Xyler gave us. The Oath Defenders weren’t.”
Xyler puffed up proudly. “Askole armor is the best.”
I let out a relieved breath. Yes, it was. “So, the two of them took on how many Oath Defenders?”
“Twelve of General Hudon’s highly prized special forces.”
“Most of the ones, I’ve come in contact with are badly trained and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn at twenty paces,” I sneered.
Dad smirked. “The majority of his special forces used to work security at the local malls.”
“These were police academy washouts,” Uncle Saul commented. “Your cousin Ethan and his Marines are raiding General Hudson’s compound as we speak.”
“And the bomb?” Uncle Ben wanted to know.
A muscle in Uncle Saul’s cheek twitched. “It hasn’t been located yet.”
“Shit,” Dad spat. “Has Julianna Martinez been arrested?”
Uncle Saul shook his head. “No.”
“Isn’t she the nutjob who tried to castrate you at a staff meeting with a sword?”
“Damn, where does he find them?” Uncle Ben muttered under his breath.
Uncle Saul turned his death stare on me. “Yes. She was stripped of her rank and jailed.”
“And lucky us, a Tai-Kok attack freed her. The scuttlebutt is she hooked up with General Hudson. He appreciates her special talents,” I said tongue-in-cheek.
Dad looked sick. “She’s also a skilled bomb tech who could easily rig a nuclear bomb.”
“There are two incoming Blackhawk helicopters,” Kaelen warned.
I tapped my scanner. “I’m showing a large concentration of plutonium 239.”
Uncle Saul interjected, “I am too.”
“We need to keep the nuke as far away from the portal as possible,” Uncle Ben warned.
“Get in the bunker and lock it down. Under no circumstances are they to be allowed access,” Uncle Saul ordered. “We’ll deal with the Oath Defenders and the bomb.”
“Yes, sir.” Uncle Ben hurried off.
I stuffed the last of my burger in my mouth and chewed rapidly. Who knew when I would get fresh meat again?
Dad let out a low whistle. “Julianna is madder than wet hen.”
Damn. I could sense the rage emanating from her and she was still a couple of miles away. Talk about holding a grudge.
“My scanner is showing twenty-two heavily armed soldiers,” Kaelen advised.
I grinned evilly. “I have a plan.”
“Oh, God. When Lexi gets that look, it’s nothing but trouble,” Dad groaned.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a good plan. Uncle Saul and I will distract the bitch, while Dad, Kaelen and Xyler take out the Oath Defenders. Easy peasy.”
“Let’s hear it,” Uncle Saul said.
So, I told them.
Dad and Kaelen burst out laughing.
Xyler grinned like a hyena.
Uncle Saul rubbed his face. “God help us, it’ll work. Julianna is easily provoked. Xyler, I need you to disable the pilots and Blackhawks. If you locate the nuke, guard it with your life.”
He clamped his right arm to his chest, scooped up Jaxor and zoomed away.
“Kaelen and I will take out the soldiers,” Dad said.
An implacable expression on his face, Uncle Saul commanded, “Find the damn nuke.”
“Yes, sir.”
With one hand on Dad’s shoulder, Kaelen teleported them.
“What me do?” Gita asked.
Picking her up, I put her in the mesquite tree next to the picnic table. “I need you to be our backup . If we need help, you can zap them with a web ball. Okay?”
“Me like.”