The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper (7 page)

Andrea watched both men and listened to Ben recount the evenings events. He was matter-of-fact no emotion. The Sheriff was in shock, but only for a minute. He got up and patted Ben on the shoulder.

“They announced to everybody in the office they were going to do this, so it’s premeditated on their part,” the sheriff said. “You told me you would protect your family and you did. It was self defense the way I see it.

Ben didn’t reply; he was wiped out all of a sudden.

“Thank you Sheriff,” Andrea said to him as he walked back out to supervise the cleanup.

“Oh Major,” the sheriff said, turning back, “one question?”

“Yes I did, Sheriff.”

“But Major, you didn’t hear the question.”

“ Ben told you everything in total honesty,” she replied, “so if there is any question now about anything then I did it.”

“Ok, well good shooting, Major.”

“Thanks Sheriff,” Andrea answered.

“Major, I don’t know what your angle is but I’m guessing he doesn’t need to know about you and them.” Kilroy motioned with his head to the van.

“I would rather he didn’t, Sheriff,” Andrea said. “This was not supposed to happen. I will tell him one day, but not tonight.”

Ben was sitting on the porch with his eyes closed.

Andrea walked up on the porch and sat with him. Ben asked her if she would get a room at the hotel where she was living for Harold and Janet.

“Gladly,” she said. Ben yelled at the sheriff to see if one of his deputies could give them a ride. She started to say she could, but he put his hand on her arm and shook his head. Ben rounded them up and sent them with the deputy. He said he would have someone bring them back tomorrow and thanked the deputy. The meat wagon left with the bodies and Sheriff Kilroy left right after.

Ben headed towards the barn with Andrea in tow. They found Jen hiding. She said she didn’t want the deputies to find her, which made sense. Andrea reached down and pulled her boot knife out. Ben could see the fear in Jen’s eyes.

“Stand up!” he said in a gruff tone of voice. She was trying, but was more or less just squirming on the floor. Ben bent down and grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up in the air until she was eye level with him and her feet were hanging in the air.

Tears rolled down Jen’s cheeks but she didn’t say anything. Andrea didn’t know what he was doing. He sat Jen down on her feet and told Andrea to hand him her knife. He held out his hand palm up and waited. She slapped the handle in his hand and he knew she was getting angry with him.

Jen had more tears rolling down her face but she still said nothing. He took the knife in his right hand and put his left hand on the back of her head. Andrea wanted to intervene; she hoped he would not kill anyone else tonight. Jen closed her eyes as he pulled her to his chest. He lowered his head next to hers so he could whisper in her ear.

“Tonight I give you your life back. I want you to make something of it. Stay here and take care of the Vander Hoyts after I leave. They don’t know your part in this, and you can make atonement for the terror your crewmates brought to their door. Do we have a deal?”

He raised himself up to his full height, looking down at her. She nodded. “Are you sure?” She nodded yes again. He spun her around and cut her bonds.

“Go into the house,” Ben instructed her. “Upstairs there is only one bedroom, which is mine. You can use it tonight.” She nodded and headed to the house, leaving Ben and Andrea alone.

Ben handed Andrea’s knife back to her. She moved quick and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. She leaned forward.

“What did you whisper in her ear?”

“I offered her a job,” Ben answered. “ She will stay here in my absence and take care of the Vander Hoyts.” Andrea let go and stood next to him.

“You said more than that!”

“I was a little overly dramatic, but it seemed to work.”

They held each other for a few minutes without talking.

They walked up to the house and in the front door. “Jen!” Ben yelled. She came down the steps with wet hair and one of his black tee shirts on.

“I’ll be back in the morning. I’m trusting you,” Ben said. He grabbed his katana and knife from the downstairs bedroom. “I think you’re probably a good person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Take care of them and I will make it worth your while.”

He went upstairs and got some clothes. They walked out of the house, locking the door. Ben stood on the porch just looking into the night. Andrea had gone to get her car and was on her way back. She pulled up to the front of the house and he got in. He put his weapons in the back but the clothes he laid on the front seat.

“Stop at Gus’s,” he said. “I’m hungry and thirsty and I need to tell him about what happened.”

Ben and Andrea walked through the back door of Gus’s. “Two double cheeseburgers and fries.” he said to the cook. 

They came through the kitchen and stopped at the end of the bar. The first booth was occupied and the customers were looking up at them. Cindy was working the floor and Gus was behind the bar. The place was hopping and it was after midnight. Ben just remembered he hadn’t washed the blood off his face or arms. He told Andrea he was going to wash up and she followed him to do the same. As he passed in front of Gus, who finally saw them, he held up two fingers and kept walking. Gus saw his condition.

The bathroom was busy but after a few minutes, Ben finally got to a sink. He washed his arms and face. Blood was rinsing off into the sink. A guy waiting looked over.

“Are you bleeding?” he asked with a concerned look on his face.

“It’s not my blood,” Ben replied. He grabbed some paper towels and dried off. He felt a little better. When he walked out, Andrea wasn’t done yet. The two bar stools directly in front of where Gus liked to stand were empty. Gus motioned for Ben to sit down. He set the two beers down on the bar, one in front of each stool.

Andrea walked in bar and sat next to Ben. She was getting some attention and cat calls from some customers.

Gus smiled for Andrea.

“You sure do look different than you did this morning,” he said, turning to Ben. “And you, my boy, look like you have had a rough day.”

“It was killer!” Ben said, laughing at his own joke. Andrea punched him in the arm.

“That wasn’t funny,” she scolded.

“It was too,” Ben replied.

Ben asked Andrea to tell Gus about their evening. She brushed over the highlights. Gus got the idea quickly. The cheeseburgers came out next. The cook placed Andrea’s in front of her with a big smile, sat Ben’s down and walked away.

“I think my 15 minutes of fame is over around here. I’ve been replaced by a pretty face with a nice rack,” Ben joked. He caught an elbow to the ribs for that one. Andrea knocked down the double cheese burger and fries and started eating Ben’s fries. He gave up and pushed them in front of her. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and went back to eating.

Gus offered Ben the apartment again, knowing his house was a mess. Ben thanked him and asked for two more beers. He grabbed Andrea by the hand, pulled her out the back door and up the stairs. He unlocked the door and turned on the light.

Gus had had someone straighten the place up since last night. Ben ran back downstairs to get the clothes he had brought along and found the apartment dark by the time he got back upstairs. “Andrea,” he called softly.

“In here,” she replied. He walked into the bedroom and she was lying in bed under the covers. Leather clothing was strewn across the floor. Ben didn’t turn the light on. He undressed in the dark, adding his clothes to the pile.

She must have known he was undressed because she scooted over and pulled the cover back.

Andrea had no idea how things had happened so fast. The conclusion of her thoughts were that she wanted this man. Not just for tonight, but forever.

Her naked body lay on top of Ben’s as they held each other and kissed. They were both exhausted and they hadn’t even had sex. She needed this intimacy and it was wonderful even without the sex. They were bonding on a spiritual level and falling in love. They wouldn’t get many moments like this in the future. She had to talk to him tomorrow. If there was any chance of being together in a military unit, acting like love birds would be out of the question.

She slid off and lay at his side, her arm and leg laying across him still. She knew he was asleep. His deep breathing told her so. She traced her hand over his chest and shoulders. She could feel old scars. She put her lips against his arm and kissed it, then drifted off to sleep.

The sun was peeking through the window. Ben was slowly waking up. He could feel soft skin touching his body but underneath it was solid, tight. He could hear soft breathing and feel it against his arm. He also knew part of his body was at full attention. He was torn between letting her sleep and finishing something she started had Friday night out on the road.

He felt her arm move and her finger nail moving over the contours of his chest. He looked at her and her eyes were locked on his face. He could feel his emotions, pulse and body tense as her finger nail worked its way down his abdomen. She paused at his abs, stroking up and down the ridges of his muscles. She moved on to his navel and he felt her touch something else. He saw her eyes open up and a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

“Well good morning, soldier,” she said softly as her hand continued to explore what lay ahead. Ben didn’t know how long it had been since Andrea had a lover but he knew how long it had been for him, and a year and a half had felt like forever.

Andrea knew she was driving him crazy and knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Right now she wasn’t the major; she was just a woman needing the touch of a man. Ben rolled onto his side and pulled her body tight against him. They kissed passionately, Andrea making slight moaning noises as her leg wrapped around his hip. She was gently guiding him on top of her, never breaking the kiss.

Andrea knew any second there would be an explosion of pleasure. What she got instead was a banging on the apartment door that rattled the windows.

“Hey Ben!” they heard Gus yell. Then there was more pounding. Their bodies deflated like a leaking hover cushion.

“Ben, I know you are in there, get up,” Gus called. Ben had rolled onto his back and he and Andrea were staring at the ceiling.

“Ok Gus,” Ben yelled back. “Hold on a minute.”

Ben answered the door with a blanket wrapped around himself. Gus told him the major’s men were looking for her.  They had heard about the incident out at Ben’s place. Ben had left the bedroom door open and Gus was trying to maneuver so he could look in. He stepped around Ben and got the look he wanted, then immediately wished he hadn’t. Andrea was sitting up, covering herself with the blanket and staring icy knife daggers into his heart. Gus took a step back and made for the door.

“I’ll get you some breakfast started and tell your men you will be down soon,” he said, and he beat feet out of the apartment double time. Gus knew he had ruined something and that Andrea was super pissed. Gus went in the back door and through the kitchen to the bar. Matt and Bill were sitting there drinking coffee. They saw the look on his face and Matt said, “I take it you found her.”

“Oh yeah,” Gus replied. “Batten down the hatches, boys, because typhoon Andrea is about to blow in.”

Matt and Bill looked at each other. They had seen that reaction before in people and knew things were about to get ugly.

Gus got the cook working on a big breakfast for Ben, Andrea and her men. Cindy would be there in a minute or two and he would leave and go do some shopping for the walk-in cooler. He hoped there would be a bar left when he returned.

Ben and Andrea were still on the bed. Ben was laying on his back and Andrea was sitting up. She had let the blanket go now that Gus was gone and Ben was enjoying the view. She was pissed off — more than Ben thought the situation warranted, but he kept his mouth shut. She climbed over him towards the shower, talking to herself on the way about kicking some bartender and NCO ass.

Ben lay there thinking about the fact it was date day. She had not given him an answer yet, but it was a condition to joining her little band of merry men. He had to talk to Nick later about the ship and go ahead and get him thinking about the contract he wanted help with. Right now Nick and Gus were the two smartest men he knew. They both owned a business, and although he didn’t know their histories he felt they had experience with the military.

Ben started thinking about what he would do today on their date. He didn’t think Andrea had spent any time on Anubis, so maybe they would take an open hover car ride down to the equator to the jungle. It was beautiful there, and a little dangerous. Most of the bigger predators lived in that area. They would be in the air or at the park and shouldn’t have any problems, Ben thought. Most hunted at night anyways.

Andrea walked into the bedroom dripping wet. Her long black hair was wet and sticking to her body. He was staring at her in all her glory when she cleared her throat.

“Can you get my towel?” she said with a slight edge to her voice. Ben jumped up and went to the bedroom closet where a stack of towels sat folded on the shelf. He walked toward her and wrapped the towel around her back, pulling against his chest. She was warm from the hot shower. He kissed her and walked away to take one himself.

Ben got out of the shower and dried off. Andrea was not in the apartment, so he hurriedly got dressed and headed down to the bar. Ben walked in the back door and headed up front. He didn’t hear any yelling; that was a good sign.

Cindy was behind the bar. Gus was nowhere in sight.
Smart man,
Ben smiled to himself. Cindy looked over at him as he rounded the end of the bar. He saw no bodies on the floor, and he saw Andrea in the front booth by the door with Matt and Bill sitting across from her. They had their eyes cast down at the table sitting very still. Ben could hear words being spoken in a deadly hiss and saw a hand chopping through the air to accentuate the meaning of the words. Ben decided to walk to the end of the bar and talk to Cindy. She was wiping the bar down, staring at it like the men were staring at the table. He sat down in front of her. She raised her eyes to look at him, but not her head.

“Can I get water?” he asked. “And two cups of coffee?” She walked away without saying a word and returned, setting them down in from of him. “You ok?” he asked her.  She nodded with her head for him to follow her back to the kitchen.

Cook had eggs and bacon and pancakes all going at once. He looked up as Ben walked in and smiled.

“Damn Ben, what the hell is the matter with her?” Cindy asked. Ben just smiled, not wanting to share. Cindy took his silence in stride and told Ben about her entrance.

“I heard the back door smack the side of the building. Those two space rangers were sitting at the bar drinking coffee and chatting with me. She comes through the kitchen door into the bar and spots the men. I looked over at her and so did they. Damn, Ben, she looked like she had murder on her mind. Those rangers tensed up and sat up straight and she pointed to the front booth. She didn’t say anything and they got up and walked quickly and sat down. She looked at me like some kind of predator. Then, in a cold icy voice, she told me to get back to work. The bar was already clean, but I haven’t stopped wiping it down for the last five minutes.”

Ben heard a bell ding.

“Ben, would you take it over to them,” Cindy said. “I don’t want to go near that table.”

Ben arranged the four plates on the serving tray with two empty coffee cups. He left his plate at the bar. He knew he would catch hell for interrupting. He hoisted the tray up with one hand and grabbed the coffee carafe with the other. Ben walked to the table and silence fell. The major tried to stare holes into his head. He sat the coffee down on another table and proceeded to pass out plates.

He didn’t put her plate in front of her, but sat it down on the other table with the coffee carafe. He picked it up and turned back around. The major was still staring. He bent at the waist as he put the plate in front of her, facing her as he did so. He then turned and looked at the men.

“Eat, gentlemen, while it’s hot,” Ben said. “A man’s last meal on earth shouldn’t be a cold one.” The major didn’t see the slight smile crease the sides of their mouths. He stood up quickly, grabbed the coffee and filled all the cups, and left it on the next table, walking back to the bar where his breakfast waited.

Except for the noise coming from the kitchen, the bar was quiet. Ben ate his breakfast and Cindy kept wiping down the bar. He told her she could stop, but she wasn’t listening. Ben could hear the tap of forks hitting plates from behind him and smiled. He hoped that breakfast would ease the tension. He knew Matt and Bill had done nothing wrong.

Five minutes later Ben looked back over his shoulder. It didn’t look so tense at the table. He was admiring the major’s neck and profile. Her hair was in a ponytail; she must have found a comb and rubber band in the apartment. He liked it like that. He started doing some math in his head and decided she was 10 years older than him. She didn’t look it and nor did he care. He was hoping she didn’t care either. His bigger concern was the job and the mission. There were so many things that could go wrong. He noticed Cindy move quickly back into the kitchen and a second later felt Andrea’s presence on the bar stool next to him.

Her hand darted over and snatched the half a piece of bacon he hadn’t eaten yet. He turned to her to give her the evil eye. She was facing him and stopped chewing long enough to smile and start chewing again.

“You owe me an answer and some explanations,” Ben told her. He was surprised when she looked down at the bar, not wanting to look him in the eye.

Andrea looked away for a second, then turned back. She knew he probably wouldn’t let the morning’s events drop but she didn’t want to go into explanations now. She did owe him an answer.

“The answer is yes,” she told him. Ben smiled like a little boy at Christmas. She felt her face flush a little at his reaction.

“I’m sure I don’t owe you any explanations.”

Andrea was waiting for an argument when she heard Matt and Bill walk out.

“I need to go to the hotel, Ben, and do a report for the general,” she said. “Can I meet you about noon?”

“That’s fine, but can I get a ride home first?” he asked. “I want to check on Jen and work on cleaning up last night’s mess before Harold and Janet get home. Could you bring them back with you later from the hotel?”

“Sure,” she said as they got up and left the bar.

Matt and Bill were standing at the hover car when they walked up. Andrea walked to the driver’s door and Ben to the passenger side. The sergeants looked at each other and got in the back. The ride was silent for the first minute.

Sergeant Major Kim cleared his throat. “I believe this is yours,” he said, handing Ben’s katana to him from the back seat. His combat knife came second.  Andrea’s bra was hanging from an ink pen in mid-air as Ben grabbed it too. Andrea’s face was beet red but she didn’t take her eyes off the road or move to retrieve it. Ben had a big smile on his face as they pulled up to the farm.

Andrea decided to wipe the smile off his face. She knew he wasn’t paying attention — the bra had him distracted. She stopped the car 10 feet off the ground. He had his hands full.

“Spoils of war, gentleman,” she heard him say. Then the door opened and the car tilted violently. Ben slid right out the door, yelling obscenities all the way until he made a sudden stop at the ground. He required air to yell obscenities and he had none in his lungs.

Bill grabbed a handle to keep from sliding, mashing Matt into the door. Andrea was laughing loudly, enjoying herself. She leveled the car back and was watching Ben on the screen built into the control console. The underside camera showed Ben lying on his back. His knife and katana were on the ground but he clutched the bra to his chest.

Andrea keyed the mic and outside speaker. “You okay, Superman? You forget how to fly and land?”

The arm not holding the bra made a fist and he held it up towards the car. His middle finger shot up as he shook his fist.

She took off at full throttle, holding the sergeants against the back seat. “Not a word of this goes into any report, am I clear?” she barked.

“Is that an order?” Matt asked.

“You’re damn right it is,” she replied.

Jen heard the hover car and saw Bens fall. She didn’t move until the car flew off. She didn’t want to get near him till it was clear. Jen walked over and bent down to look at him.

“Hey Jen,” Ben said. He was finally able to breathe.

“Hey Ben,” she replied. “Nice bra.”

“Yeah, could you help me up?” Ben said, holding out his hand.

She pulled him up and he picked up his weapons. “You want me to take that?” she said, motioning with her head to the bra.

“Nope,” he said and walked in the house.

Ben went up to his room and saw Jen had made the bed. She had also started cleaning the house up. There were damaged items out in the back yard. He had her help him as they went room by room, cleaning and moving things out. Jen seemed okay around him. He thought she might be a little withdrawn or depressed at losing her shipmates or being forced to take care of a couple of old people. But whatever her job on the ship was, she was happy not to be doing it right now.

Ben took a break from repairing the wall between the two lower bedrooms. They cleaned the blood off the floor. They had the windows open throughout the house, letting it air out. The smell of death and ozone and burnt things could be overwhelming in a closed environment.

Jen had been in the barn during the fight. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened where. She just quietly cleaned. Ben walked outside to the barn with the com to call Nick. The device was trying to connect. Nick’s face finally popped on the screen, smiling.