Justice Keepers Saga - Books 10-12

Chapter 4-1

Gaping at the hologram, Jack blinked a few times. He gave his head a shake as if trying to dispel an image that had formed in his mind. “Slade is planning to assassinate the Leyrian Prime Council?” he exclaimed. “I knew the guy was evil, but even for him, that"s ambitious.”

Anna had to admit that she was dubious as well. Not that Slade would do it – there was no low that man wouldn"t stoop to – but that he would actually be able to accomplish such a lofty goal. The Prime Council was one of the most well-protected people in the galaxy. Even Slade would have a hard time getting through those defenses.

Anna stepped forward to face the hologram with her lips pursed. “You"re sure?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Slade to pull that off.”

“Difficult,” Ven agreed, “but not impossible.” The hologram waved a spectral hand, and a globe appeared, a world of blue oceans and green landmasses. Similar to Leyria but not the same. Anna recognized it on sight. That was Alios. “Slade"s original plan was to kill your Prime Council during the final debate, three nights before the election. But your recent treaty with Antaur has changed the situation.

“Yesterday morning, Sarona Vason and Jeral Dusep announced plans to visit the Fringe Worlds in the hopes of smoothing over tensions after your world agreed to cede Belos to the Antaurans. The final debate will be held on Alios, not Leyria.”

Cassi marched through the globe with her teeth bared, shaking her head. “That was a crap decision,” she growled. “Fifty million people living on Belos. Now, every last one of them has to move or petition the Antauran government to let them become citizens.”

“The point,” Larani cut in, “is that the Prime Council"s security team will have to adapt to these new circumstances. They"ve been holding these debates at Dantharus Hall, in Denabria, for over two centuries; the security team had detailed plans for how to cover every single entrance and exit. Now, they will have to make up plans on the fly for whichever venue the candidates choose.”

“And there are bound to be gaps,” Jack lamented.

“Exactly.”

Rajel turned away from the window, pacing across the room. “All right,” he said. “So, why don"t we place a long-range call through the SlipGate network and warn the Prime Council of the danger?”

Sitting primly on the edge of her desk, Larani sighed. “I did precisely that half an hour ago,” she explained. “The Prime Council remains adamant that if she doesn"t visit the outer colonies, her chances for reelection are gone. She"s going. And we"re going to make sure that she has adequate security for every step of that journey.”

“No offense, Larani,” Jack said. “But it"s an eight-day flight from Earth to Alios. We"re a bit far off, don"t you think?”

“I"ve convinced the Prime Council to delay her departure by three days. That will give us enough time to rendezvous with her on Leyria. As I said, we"re going to be with her every step of the way. I have also contacted our best people on Alios and reassigned them to the security detail. I want you five there because, out of all my agents, you have the most experience with Grecken Slade and his lieutenants. You"ll know what to watch for. I will be assuming command of all Justice Keepers assigned to this mission. As of right now, this is our number one priority.”

They all nodded.

Larani stood up with her back straight and her shoulders square. Her face was stern, but she nodded once to each of them. “Special Agents Hunter and Seyrus,” she barked. “For the duration of this assignment, you will be reporting directly to Operative Lenai as members of her team.”

Anna had a serious case of the warm fuzzies when she saw the tiny smile on her boyfriend"s face. “Works for me,” Jack said. “Hell, maybe we can make that a permanent arrangement.”

“We"ll discuss that later.”

Anna gently laid a hand on Jack"s back. She would be more than happy to have him as a permanent member of her team. They had always worked well together. A part of her wanted to name Jack as her second in command, but Rajel had seniority. The role should go to him.

“Would one of you please contact Ms. Armana?” Larani asked. “It wouldn"t hurt to have a telepath along for this mission.”

“I"m sure I can persuade her,” Anna said.

“Excellent,” Larani said. “Then gather your belongings. We leave for Leyria in six hours.”

Della"s kitchen was well lit by multiple windows that looked out on her yard. It was the sort of place that you might expect from a woman who had grown up accustomed to a certain amount of affluence: white tiles, granite countertops, an island in the middle of the room with a sink built into it.

Harry stood by one of those windows, frowning as he watched squirrels scurrying up a tree outside. “So, you"re sure this is what you want?” he asked. “You"ve made a lot of friends on Leyria, honey.”

He turned.

Claire sat at the table with her hands folded on a place-mat. One look at her, and you knew without a doubt that she was expecting the worst. Maybe she thought he would make this difficult, put up a fight. It broke his heart to see such distrust in his daughter"s eyes. When had that started? Was it after he had made her a telepath or before? He had a bad feeling that it had been growing for some time now. “I think…” Claire began. “I think I need a break from everything.”

Della was sitting at the island with her elbows on its surface, her chin resting on laced fingers. Her eyebrows shot up. “Please tell me that you"re not going to make a fuss about this, Harry.”

He closed his eyes, fighting back tears, and shook his head slowly. “No, I won"t.” It took a great deal of effort to keep his voice steady, but he did it. Claire had been through enough in the last few months. Seeing him cry would only make this harder for her. “If this is what Claire wants, then I support it.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“We"ll keep in touch,” Harry promised. “I"ll call you once a week.”

It surprised him when Claire hopped out of her chair and bounded across the room in three quick strides. She slammed into Harry, throwing her arms around him in a fierce hug. “I"m gonna miss you, Dad.”

Now, the tears were flowing freely, and Harry made no effort to stop them. “I"m going to miss you too.” He returned the hug with just as much gusto. “Promise me you"ll stay safe. And listen to your mother!”

“I promise.”

Harry dropped to one knee, resting his hands on Claire"s shoulders. As hard as it was, he forced himself to look her in the eye. “And I promise to visit,” he said. “At least once every few months.”

Claire smiled as tears streamed over her cheeks. “I would like that,” she whispered. “And maybe, in a little while, I could visit you.”

“You"re always welcome.”

She hugged him again, throwing her arms around his neck, and she didn"t let go for a very long while.

Jack peered through the small window in his mother"s kitchen, taking in the sight of his hometown. It would be the last time he would see it for a long while – somehow, he knew that – and that left him with a lump of sadness in his belly. Sunlight glinted off the windows of skyscrapers. If he strained, he could just make out the Red River in the gaps between buildings. Winnipeg was a beautiful city. It dawned on him that he hadn"t appreciated it enough when he was living here…And somber thoughts kept his mind off the conversation his mother and girlfriend were having not ten feet away.

Crystal threw her head back, roaring with laughter and trembling so hard that some of the contents of her glass spilled onto her hand. It was only water, but it still made quite a mess. Hell, she practically fell out of her chair. “So…You just dared him to watch the two of you having s*x?”

daredAnna sat across from her with one leg crossed over the other, grinning as she shook her head. “Well, you know me,” she said. “The sluttiest s**t who ever did slut.”

Slouching in her chair with a hand over her mouth, Crystal…tittered. “Oh, I like this girl, Jack!” she exclaimed. “When are you getting married?”

Jack buried his face in the palm of his hand, groaning under his breath. “Great job, Mom,” he said. “Nothing convinces a woman to stick around quite like pressure from the in-laws.”

Anna stood up and paced over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She nuzzled his chest. “I don"t know if you"ve noticed, sweetie,” she murmured. “But I"m not exactly trying to get away.”

He licked his lips, then shut his eyes and offered a curt nod of approval. “Well, that is good to know.” Damn it! He was so embarrassed he could barely find the willpower to speak. Why couldn"t he have one of those classic sitcom moms who was scandalized by the thought of her baby boy having s*x? Summer thought the whole thing was hilarious. “But uh, you know, it would probably be good to not share details of our s*x-life with my mother.”

not“Oh, grow up!” Anna teased.

“Men,” Crystal muttered over her glass of water. “Always so modest.”

She rose from her chair with a sigh, then came over to join them in a group hug. “And now you"re going away again,” Crystal murmured. “And I won"t see you again for another six months.”

“I"ll try to come sooner,” Jack whispered.

His mother pulled away, brushing a tear off her cheek with the back of one hand. “No,” she said. “You have a life to live and a promising career. I get the sense that the galaxy needs you. Both of you.”

“We will visit,” Anna promised.

will“I know,” Crystal said softly. “I just…” Her eyes lit up with that spark she got when she had a sudden flash of brilliance. Jack had seen that look on his mother"s face many times. Mostly when she was helping him with really difficult math homework. “What if I went with you?”

“To Alios?”

“The hospital owes me several weeks of vacation,” Crystal explained. “Oh, I kept meaning to take them, but we always got swamped. You know how it is. I could request a short leave of absence.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Jack shook his head. “I don"t think it"s a good idea, Mom,” he said. “We"re going to protect the Prime Council from a potential assassination attempt. If Slade finds out you"re there, he won"t hesitate to go after you.”