Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch Page B

crispy critter.” I went back to Chuckie. “So, have you checked out his living quarters?”
    “Yes. They’ve been rifled with extreme prejudice. So do what Iknow you want to, even though it’ll mean I have to listen to another one of your husband’s temper tantrums: Bring him to the Embassy. White will handle film and disk exposure, and Serene’s team can fix whatever he doesn’t catch.”
    “You got it. You know, Jeff doesn’t exactly throw tantrums.”
    “In your opinion.”
    “It’s been a crappy day for everyone, I see.”
    “Yeah, it has. You’re all alive not due to anything your people or my people did, but rather because you, thankfully, listened to a tabloid reporter, who also happens to be my source, my
only
source, for putting a large number of operatives on the highest of alerts.”
    “Dude, our limo and his car are toast. I think he’s got the goods, so to speak.”
    “Yeah. God alone knows what’s coming next.”
    “Well, let me add more for the confusion grist mill and share what’s already happened.” I brought him up to speed on the taxis, including the fact that they hadn’t seemed to want to kill us.
    Chuckie groaned. “It’s worse. Did anyone get a license plate on any of those?”
    I checked and was able to confirm none of us had had the foresight to look. Chuckie managed not to say that he thought the four of us were idiots, for which I was grateful. He merely heaved a sigh. “Fine, I’ll see what we can find out from other channels. Not that I expect to find anything.”
    “You’re Mister Polly Positive.”
    “I’m not used to none of us having any idea of what’s going on.”
    I thought about this as we sat in traffic. “Maybe it’s because we actually have a head’s up.”
    “Mind explaining that?”
    “Sure. Usually, we’re in complete reactive mode. Something bad happens, then we go into action. This time, we know the bad’s coming, but that’s all. We’re all used to being reactive and this is a proactive thing right now.”
    “Wow, great to know you can still pull up the marketing talk when you have to.”
    “Blah, blah, blah. Think about it. I know I’m used to having more clues to work with. I think everyone else is, too. We had more even when Amy triggered Operation Confusion.” Our last big mission had happened right around and after I’d given birth, when the creeps had been after my baby. “Think it’s another attempt to get Jamie?”
    “No, not the limo explosion, or if it is, it’s the most roundaboutplan ever conceived. She’d have been killed right along with you if you hadn’t listened to Oliver.”
    “So it’s not the ‘control the A-Cs’ team in charge, then.”
    “How do you mean?”
    Amazing. I was running my mouth and the ideas were flowing. Some things never changed. “The ones who want to control Centaurion Division want at least one of us under their complete control. They don’t want Jamie dead—they want her, and Jeff, and Christopher, and all the others doing what they want, not dead and buried.”
    “Makes sense. Only cuts out a third to a half of those who might be in charge.”
    “Well, they could still be involved. I can’t think of a time when it was only one plan triggering against us.”
    He laughed. “Too true. And let’s not forget that your taxi situation could have easily been a kidnap attempt in order to gain control of Jamie. So we’re right back to everyone being a potential suspect.”
    “How nice. It’s good to be popular.”
    He snorted. “How long before you’re back at the Embassy?”
    I looked around. We were stuck in a lot of traffic. “Not too long. At least, distancewise. No guess timewise. What’s up with all the construction? I don’t remember this all going on a week ago.”
    “Standard road work. It happens, you know.”
    “Yeah, I guess. It’s a pain in the butt, though.”
    “Your husband’s told me I can’t think about or mention your butt.”
    “Yeah, but we both