Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Easy Peasy

Hand in hand, they walked across the sunlit meadow. Dahvid dropped the cloaking for a moment so they could see where they were going. Raptor smiled when Grace gasped.

"I'll never get used to that," she said.

He looked at the ship with a fresh eye. "Pay attention to the inside of the ship. This model is bigger than ours. Made for a Guardian pair. Mine is smaller. Compact kitchen, no large open area like this has." Which is why they were going to Dahvid's ship instead of him coming to them. "I think after this trip, we may want to trade our ship in for a larger one. In our ship, there isn't space for guests or even children."

She raised her eyes at him, frowning again. But said nothing because the ship's door stood open with Dahvid on the threshold. This Guardian was tall, blond, and had blue eyes. Something that escaped Raptor's notice the first time he saw him—was that the man definitely read the mated Guardian's notes.

"My name is Dahvid."

Grace raised her eyebrows and snorted. "David, my ass. That is fine. I don't need to know your name. I'm Grace."

The men looked at each other, confused for a moment. Raptor was sure he'd told her the man's name. What was she going on about?

Dahvid figured out her humor first. He didn't miss a beat. "They always think we should have cool names... like Raptor. " He laughed. "Or Falcon."

Raptor grinned, catching on. "Or Talon. Gods and goddess forbid it be something like Dahvid."

Grace snorted again. "Well, I can tell by the leather jacket, long blond hair, and muscular biker boy looks—that he read the ridiculous dating manual—he's got to be one of you."

This time Raptor laughed and replied, pulling Grace into his body. "It worked, my Keeper. You have to admit, it worked."

Rolling her eyes, she gave a brief nod. Silently agreeing that some of it worked.

They walked into the spaceship, and Grace voiced her impression of the wider hallways. "It didn't look that much bigger than ours. Why is there so much room?" she wanted to know.

Dahvid answered, "This model has three floors. Upstairs you'll find the main living quarters with a kitchen and three bedrooms. One is the Guardian's suite. They planned the others for guests or children. Each bedroom has a private bathroom. The kitchen offers a good-sized living room connected to it, which is why you're here. On this level, there is the navigation and communication bridge. About twice the size of what you have on your ship, Raptor. There is also a small bedroom suite with a bathroom, a larger medical bay, and several large storage closets. Downstairs is a big cargo bay and a cell that will work for prisoners, unruly animals, and any cargo you want to keep under lock and key."

Grace laughed when Baby Monster dashed into Dahvid's ship and made a beeline down the hall.

"What the?" The Guardian turned to run after the animal.

Raptor stopped him. "That is our Monster. Grace's cat. He just wants to explore something besides our ship."

Dahvid frowned. "That was no small domestic creature."

Grace giggled. "Sure, it is. Look up Maine Coon cats when we're done today. If you leave the door open a bit, she'll go outside instead of using your ship as a litter box. And I promise she won't hurt anything."

He sighed and waved them in, leaving the door open about five inches. That would work.

Raptor liked what he saw of the ship. He really appreciated the larger bridge, and the family living area upstairs was impressive. He hoped his Keeper liked this. It made sense for them. She'd have a massive medical facility compared to what they had now, and they'd have more room to spread out.

She sat at the desk in the living room, and Dahvid handed Grace her backpack and the small data device. Then he showed her where to plug in everything and gave her several papers. "I can pull it all up on the screen when you're ready, but I thought you'd want to just look through this for a bit." Absently, his Keeper smiled at Dahvid and waved the man away.

Raptor moved to the monitor on the opposite end of the room. Placed on the outside wall like a picture window, the screen was impressive. He looked out over the meadow toward his hidden ship. Keeping his voice down, he asked, "Is Garret in the cell you spoke of?"

Dahvid nodded. "If your Keeper needs to speak to him, I can bring him to her. I think that might be better."

Raptor agreed. Garret was used to people coming to him. Whether he made them, or they sought his favor. Grace would not go to his cell.

His mate had been going through Dahvid's catalog of files, picking the ones she wanted to read. At one point, she lifted her head and searched the room for him. She whistled a quick burst and declared, "They are going to kill him."

Dahvid laughed. "That is exactly what Garret said when he saw Raptor had the disc. We think it's why he wanted to jump off a five-story building."

"What we have here, boys, is a list of names and places." Grace looked over at the men standing by the monitor. "And what you and I would call crimes. Polluting the water supply with intent to kill, causing mine fires, blowing up food processing plants, and the list goes on." She stood and walked across the room. "I bet he kept this disc for insurance. Maybe even blackmail."

Dahvid said, "I found an area in the sub-basement of his building. It's where Garret kept the poison and added it to the city's water supply. I gummed up the works a bit, so it isn't working now. But I left a pretty obvious trail, so when someone goes looking, they'll find it."

Grace sighed. "What both of you might not realize is that many of these names are very well known. Politicians, billionaires, and celebrities in several fields. They are also spread across several countries. If they find out he had this list and lost it, or that he got caught and might bargain away their names for a lighter sentence... they really will kill him."

Raptor cocked his head and watched his Keeper, trying to get a feel for her mood. He couldn't figure it out, so he asked, "Did you want him to live through this? To go to trial and bargain for his release."

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she paced away from the window and back toward the desk. "I think I did. Maybe a bit. I felt he needed to pay for his crimes, yes. The man and his poison are responsible for hundreds, maybe thousands or more miscarriages. From what I can tell, the water systems in at least five cities of varying sizes are also being poisoned. This is like their test study before they roll the program out nationwide. I want everyone to know what he did. I want them to realize what a horrible man he is. But no, he can't be allowed to live. "

There was a great roar from the hallway, and Garret ran into the room. His hair stood on end, his light blue eyes were wide and bloodshot. The man's clothing appeared torn and dirty. Looking like the madman he was—he clutched a thin metal bar in his hand and raised it over his head—rushing straight at Grace!

Grace

She heard a growl and turned to see Garret charging toward her. Before she could move to protect herself—Baby dropped from the ceiling. Right on top of Garret.

The cat landed on the man's head, dug in her front and back claws, and latched onto Garret's ear with sharp teeth.

The man collapsed under the cat's weight. He screamed and twisted on the floor—trying to knock off Baby or hit the cat with the metal rod. Baby held on. Yowling around the flesh in her mouth, she scrabbled for a better position on the twisting body, shredding the flesh on Garret's back to ribbons.

Before Grace could help her pet, Raptor and Dahvid were there. One Guardian pressed a knee into Garret's back and fought to control the man's hands. Her Guardian crooned to Baby and carefully hauled the cat up and away from the man. Baby refused to let go of Garret's ear, so a sizeable chunk of it was still in the animal's mouth. Raptor deposited Baby in her lap and went to help Dahvid with their prisoner.

The men weren't playing around. Within minutes, Garret was bound, gagged, and marginally bandaged. Nobody cared that he was bleeding. The piece of his ear was tossed in the med bay incinerator, and Dahvid determined the metal rod had been part of the cell. He was thoroughly disgusted and had already called the powers that be and demanded an upgraded ship.

Grace wasn't sure who the Guardian had been yelling at on the other end of his communicator. She was just happy he was on her side.

Baby positioned herself between where Grace sat on the couch beside Raptor and where Garret was lying on the floor. She growled and snarled at the man every time he moved. Each time inching closer.

Garret finally figured out what the cat was doing and stopped moving.

No one tried to tell Baby what to do. They were all pretty happy with her instincts right now.

Grace tilted her head back and rested on Raptor's arm. She inspected the ceiling. "I didn't look up," she admitted. "Not in here, or on our ship. I didn't realize the ceiling was open with beams the cat could crawl on. I wonder how she got up there?"

"Our spaceship has a closed ceiling. I like this. I like that the Monster can crawl up there and make it her own. Dahvid demanded a new ship be delivered immediately. He's pretty pissed that a Keeper almost got killed due to the holding cell failure. I am too." Raptor didn't look at her or make any appeal. "They're also going to send what they need to fix the bars on this ship."

But she knew what he wanted. She did, too. "It's going to be a bitch to move everything."

He laughed and hugged her. "No, it won't. I promise. The Helpers will do it all. Move his stuff out and our stuff on. They'll either load Dahvid's stuff on our old ship or store it until the new one gets here. To steal one of your favorite sayings— Easy Peasy ."

"Umm. Lemon squeezy . What do we do about Garret?" She looked at both men for suggestions.

But Raptor and Dahvid looked confused for a moment. Their shared pain was comical. Probably the lemon bit. Finally, Dahvid shook off the confusion and sighed. Admitting, "My father is the head of security for the Interstellar gods."

Grace blinked. Raptor made a sound that was suspiciously like a stifled laugh.

"Yeah. I get it. And yes, I get special treatment. I also get bitched at more than anyone else. I sent him all the info. The gods will take care of clearing and protecting all the city water supplies that were compromised. Then they are going to take the list and assign Guardians to expose or eliminate all the players. It will not happen right away, but they'll handle the critical stuff first. I'm going to Canada." He didn't sound happy about it.

Raptor leaned forward. "What's in Canada?"

"My Keeper. Not that it will do me any good."

Grace held up her hand. "Wait? Where in Canada? What does she do?" There was no way he didn't know everything about the woman. Not with his dad being in charge of security.

Dahvid frowned at her. "Toronto area. She's a news reporter. Why?"

Grace jumped up. "Oh, my hell! This is perfect." She rushed over to the desk, going wide around Garret. She ruffled through the papers and grabbed the page she wanted. She walked back and handed it to Dahvid. "Use this. Don't go showing off your silver bod and pounce on the poor woman with life- and body-altering sex the first day. Leave that for later. Arrange to accidentally run into her in a public place and become her friend. Be shocked and amazed that she is a reporter and then ask her to help you figure this out. It's a list of names for Garret's associates in Canada. It lists their job titles along with their crimes. You've got the information. Work it with her. Tempt her. Then pounce," she suggested.

Raptor laughed again. "She's right. Keep the Guardian's advice in mind. Just add Grace's spin."

Smiling, Dahvid nodded. "I'll try it. I may contact you with questions, but I think I can handle it."

"Good." Grace looked over at Garret. He was watching them. "So, our friend over there is the only loose thread. Raptor had an idea. Blast the media with this..." She nodded at her mate, and he played the version that would go to the media. It showed the beating, with her face blurred. And Raptor had bumped the audio to make Garret's voice very clear.

"It's more than damning. It's insulting to all those who gave him the water rights and pleaded for friendship with this narcissistic ass." Grace sighed. "Who do we send it to, and where do we leave him?"

Raptor wrapped his arm around her waist. "We send it to the Interstellar gods. They'll get it played around the world. Then I say we dump him at home."

Grace sucked in a breath. "What if he runs?"

Dahvid smiled. "We'll make sure he doesn't."

Raptor

He stood with Dahvid, looking down at what appeared to be a castle. "I don't know why I thought the man's home would be more tasteful than his office. Bet you twenty Earth dollars there is a picture of this creep on every surface."

Dahvid laughed. "Not taking that bet. There is only one live body in that monstrosity. A few more in the guard shack up by the road."

Raptor frowned, then sighed. He looked down at Garret, who was sitting on the ground—bound and gagged because the idiot wouldn't stop trying to bribe them. "He had servants. Probably lots of them. They either left or have been killed. What do you want to bet the bodyguard told on him?"

They both heard Garret gasp and start screaming behind his gag for them to let him go.

"Garret, shut the hell up before I decide you need more bruises. Nothing you've done... warrants compassion. You created a poison to kill people, put it in the water supply, then ‘discovered' an antidote. Once there were enough deaths from the poison and people were desperate—you planned to sell it to them. You've just been waiting for a higher death rate so you could charge more. You are everything that is despicable. Neither of us plans to save you. So shut up!" Raptor was through talking to him.

He picked up the man and started walking down the hill. "Let's go dump this piece of shit on the front porch and ring the bell. See who answers." He wanted to get back to Grace. His mate was more than mad when she found out about the antidote and the rest of Garret's plans. But he knew that anger would turn to sadness when she started counting the lives of both people she knew... and strangers.

At the edge of the tree line, they stopped. Dahvid reached up to the camera attached to one of the trees and with a light touch... shorted out everything in the house. The lights went dark, cameras quit working... anything in the house and guard shack that was electronic wouldn't work for several hours. Then some of it would reset.

They didn't need any more information. Or names. That would be for the police and other investigators to search for. Raptor doubted anything was there. He was pretty sure Garret kept everything at the lab.

Raptor sat Garret in front of the door, just as he was. They left the cable ties on his hands and legs, and the duct tape over his mouth. The Guardians were through listening. And they refused to chase him again. If he had the opportunity to spew anything about aliens and spaceships... well, his reputation had been shot to hell about five minutes ago when an all-media blast went out about this man's dirty deeds.

No one would listen to him ever again.

Plus, the Interstellar gods didn't mess around with someone who tried to poison the world they lived in, with an end game of ruling it. They had injected Garret with a Guardian gift. One the gods could activate anytime they needed. They weren't taking any chances. If his own kind didn't seek justice for the deaths, the Guardians would.

Dahvid knocked on the door and both Guardians stood back against a wall and camouflaged their bodies. Garret's eyes grew wide, and he stared right at them. The Guardians shifted their location. Away from where the idiot thought they were hiding.

No one answered the door for several minutes.

Then Raptor heard men scrambling up the driveway. Running from the guardhouse. Three of them surrounded Garret with guns drawn. "What the fuck?" the leader questioned and whirled around, searching the dark for... whoever dropped the man off. He found nothing.

The door opened, and it didn't surprise Raptor to recognize one of Garret's partners. This was one of the billionaire politicians, he thought. Grace was particularly disgusted that he was part of this mess.

The tall man was older, with white hair and a clean-shaven face. Distinguished looking in a very... calculated way, Raptor decided. "What took you so long?" the man asked the leader of the security force.

"We were in the guardhouse, watching the monitors. First, they went down, then the electricity shorted out. The door was locked." He looked sheepish. "Electronic lock. With no electricity, we couldn't get out."

"All three of you?" he demanded.

The guard nodded.

"Who left him here?"

The guard shook his head. "We didn't see anyone."

The man said nothing for several heartbeats. He shook his head—raised his arm—and shot the guard. The man crumpled where he stood. A bullet in his head. "I despise incompetence." He didn't appear to be talking to anyone. He looked at one of the remaining guards. "Search the grounds."

The two guards quickly scattered, and the white-haired gentleman looked down at Garret. "You have seriously threatened everything I want in life. The news is full of your failure." He didn't bother to take off Garret's gag or ask questions. Once more, he raised his hand and fired one bullet.

The older man reached behind him and picked up a small suitcase. Then he stepped over Garret's lifeless body without a glance and walked over to a black limousine. He pursed his lips and whistled two sharp notes. The remaining guards joined him within seconds. After opening the door for the man to slide in, one guard got in the driver's seat, the other on the passenger side. Within moments, they were gone.

Dahvid and Raptor slowly released their camouflage once they were sure the car had left, and no one remained behind.

Raptor hissed. "That man needs to be moved to the top of the list."

"I agree and will call my father tonight. Let's get out of here before the sheriff arrives." Dahvid cocked his head, listening. "I hear the sirens now."

Raptor clapped his hand on the other Guardian's back. "Yes. You need to make that call and go find your Keeper. Before you do, I need a favor."