Okey-dokey. That was as clear as mud. I noticed the portal was shrinking. “You need to cross over before the portal closes.”
His mom kissed my cheek. “Promise me you will take care of our son.”
“I promise.”
“Tell Kaylee she couldn’t have saved us,” Jake dad said and hugged Jake tightly.
Raw emotion choked Jake’s voice, “I will. I miss you so much.”
“Love is eternal. Remember that.” His parents joined hands and crossed the threshold. The doorway vanished.
Jake dragged me into his lap and teleported us outside the sweat lodge. He let out a shuddering breath. “Is it always like that?”
“My mother has never paid me a visit, if that’s what you’re asking.” I brushed my lips over his. “I like your parents.”
“It’s easier knowing they’re still together.”
“And watching over you and your family.”
Uncle Jesse crawled out of the sweat lodge. “Ancient Mother says in three days Giovanni will unleash his creatures on Rome.”
Jake erupted to his feet, pulling me up with him. “We start our hunt now.”
“I’m going with you,” Uncle Jesse declared.
Before Jake could protest, I said, “Good idea. I have a feeling we’re going to need a healer.”
“Shrek’s a damn good medic,” Jake countered.
“Shrek won’t blend in. Uncle Jesse will.”
Jake grimaced. “Not in that Speedo.”
Uncle Jesse gave him the one finger salute.
I let out a sigh. “Have you informed Zarek and General Jones?”
“He has,” General Jones said from behind us.
I jumped about a foot. Why hadn’t I sensed him? Was my radar on the fritz? I turned and my eyebrows rose. The General was wearing a black tee-shirt with Yee-Haw on the front and jeans.
His appreciative gaze swept over the ruins. “Zarek, CeeCee’s father and Trayon will join us in Italy.” He handed Jake a backpack. “Put some clothes on.”
“Yeah, no one wants to look at your nasty-ass junk,” Uncle Jesse added.
Jake yanked a pair of jeans out of the backpack and tugged them on. “You’re pushing it, old man.”
“How about we use all that testosterone on Giovanni?” I gave them the evil eye.
The General nodded. “An excellent idea.”
“Are you sure we can’t leave him behind?” Jake groused.
“Positive.” I grabbed a go bag out of the hogan and headed for the shuttle.
Uncle Jesse called, “Wait for me.”
I glanced over my shoulder and groaned as my uncle pulled on his favorite going to town shirt. It was bright red with snarling blue coyotes. “You forgot your pants.”
He looked down. “Right.” Uncle Jesse disappeared inside the hogan and came out wearing yellow Bermuda shorts.
“Is your uncle colorblind?” Jake asked.
“Nope. He says bright colors drive away the Coyote.” I entered the shuttle. “I’m flying.”
“Good idea. It’ll give Uncle Saul and me time to locate the catacombs,” Jake said.
The minute Uncle Jesse’s butt hit the seat, he was asleep and snoring like a chainsaw.
General Jones switched to mind speak. “Reminds me of Derek.”
“Is it true Uncle Derek snored so loudly, the Marines gave him his own room in basic training?” Jake queried.
“It’s true.”
“I can beat that,” I said. “Uncle Jesse’s snoring stopped a Tai-Kok attack on a school.”
Jake snicker. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. He had just done an all-nighter healing people hurt in a car accident and pulled over at the elementary school for a quick nap. Ten minutes later, the Tai-Kok landed. His snoring worked better than my freeze ray. It put them in a catatonic state. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“What did you do with their Marauders?” The General’s rock-hard gaze was fixed on me.
I hurriedly took the pilot’s chair and fastened my harness. “Ah. Well. Uncle Jesse impounded them.”
“You have a Marauder sitting in your vehicle impound lot?” The incredulous note in Jake’s voice had me smiling.
“Actually, we have eight Marauders in our impound lot.”
“And you didn’t think to let Central Command know?”
“We’re a sovereign nation and don’t answer to Central Command,” I responded.
Jake slid into the co-pilot’s chair. “You do now, buttercup, and we’re gonna confiscate those ships.”
“Gotta find them first.” Ignoring, Jake’s irritated glare, I did an accelerated takeoff. “We’ll discuss it later. We’ve got a mad scientist to stop.”
Chapter Thirteen
San Gagliano, Italy is a centuries-old medieval settlement filled with quaint stone houses and an abundance of olive trees. Majestic snowcapped peaks rose behind the town, and to the east was the Adriatic Sea. The crystal blue water called to me. “I’ve always dreamed of swimming in the Adriatic and touring the Colosseum,” I yelled.
Jake stroked the side of my face. “Once. Giovanni. Jia. Tourists.”
“What? I can’t hear you over, Tyranno-snorusus Rex!” I shouted.
“I said, once we’ve dealt with Giovanni and Jia, we’ll make like tourists,” Jake said in my head.
“Deal.”
General Jones tapped away on his bracelet, seemingly oblivious to Sleeping Beauty’s sonorous rhapsody.
“Have you found Giovanni’s lab yet?”
Jake hit an icon on the command console. The rubble strewn remains of an old pre-Roman building appeared on the main screen. “According to Central Command’s database there are catacombs beneath these ruins.”
“Huh? Why aren’t they showing up on the scanners?”
“The iridium is blocking our sensors,” Jake replied.
I frowned. “There’s no iridium in Italy.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve found Giovanni’s lab,” I said gleefully.
“We have.”
“What’s the plan?”
Jake hit the controls and a ravine filled the viewscreen. “Twenty meters down the gorge there’s a hidden entrance that leads directly to the catacombs. We locate the lab, take out the mad scientist’s security systems and do a tactical entry.”
“And if he sic’s his super soldiers on us?”
“We kill them, but Zarek wants to interrogate Giovanni. Take him alive,” General Jones instructed.
“Yes, sir.” I had a few questions of my own. Like who had sent all those bounty hunters to kill me? Had my sperm donor been responsible or was Giovanni the real culprit? “Where do you want me to park the shuttle?” The coordinates popped into my mind. “Thanks.” I set the shuttle down behind a grove of olive trees. The crawlies hit me. I opened my senses and searched for the source. Huh. Jia was hiding in a tree. Not only was she wearing camouflage face paint, skull cap and
