Tihar touched his gauntlet and his armor simply shrank away, leaving him completely nude. “How can she resist this?”
My eyes bugged as I stared at Trayon’s crotch. Damn! He had a humanlike penis and humongous balls. “Huh? Would you look at that? Even his man parts have scales.”
Jake pulled his sword.
“Remember the treaty,” I yelled, jumping in front of him.
Jake pointed his sword at Trayon. “You have dishonored my lady.”
“Stop!” Father shouted in our heads.
I turned.
Uncle Jesse loped down the corridor with my father riding him like a horse.
“Now that’s something you don’t see every day.”
Jake slid his sword back into the scabbard and glared at Trayon. “I know how proud you are of junior there, but you need to cover it up before CeeCee’s father unmans you.”
Trayon took one look at my father’s expression and his armor formed around him. “I meant no offense, my lady.”
“I know your cultural norms are different from ours but displaying your private parts in public is frowned on here.”
Trayon gave a slight bow. “My apologies.”
“Apology accepted. Now let me check Central Command’s database for another Dragos female.”
“No. Jia will be mine.” He zoomed off.
“This is going to get messy.”
“Very messy,” Jake agreed.
“I made us reservations at Giulia. Zarek says they have the best risotto in Rome,” Father announced out of the blue.
Zarek went to restaurants? I frowned. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I packed a bag for you,” Father replied.
“Oh, you didn’t bring that horrible paisley print dress, did you?”
“No, the turquoise one.”
Great and I need a shower badly. I smell like dead things.”
“Zarek rented us a villa on the Adriatic Sea and we have a week off to make like tourists.” Jake kissed the tip of my nose. “We’ll go and do anything you want.”
“We can start with the Colosseum and then hit the beach.”
Uncle Jesse transformed back to his human form and rubbed his hands together. “Any nude beaches nearby?”
I let out a groan. “What are you twelve?” A glittering blue light suddenly formed around me.
Jake grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out.
The light expanded and the catacombs abruptly vanished.
Chapter Fifteen
The light faded away and we were standing on a transporter platform. “This is getting really old.”
Jake pulled his laser pistol. “Very old.”
“Put your weapon away. You won’t need it,” a heavily accented voice said.
A dapper, older man wearing a black turtleneck sweater and gray suit stepped into the light with his hands raised. “I am your father, Aldo Dragos.”
‘Luke, I am your father’, echoed briefly in my head before I said coldly, “My father is Samuel Tsosie. You’re my sperm donor.”
Aldo winced. “I was told you; your mother and my brother Max had perished in a fire.”
“Who told you that?”
“Giovanni.”
My hands curled into fists. “That murdering sonovabitch lied to you. His henchmen shot Uncle Max in front of us, barricaded the doors and set the house on fire.”
“You went out the escape tunnel?”
“We did and hid under the chicken coop until they left.”
“Bene. Bene. It was what I taught her.”
Jake rubbed my back. “Tell him everything.”
All my pain and fury welled up in me. I opened my mouth, and everything came spewing out. How we were forced to flee Italy with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Too afraid to use her telepathic abilities, mama worked as a cook on a merchant ship that was sailing to America. “Every time mama thought we were safe the hunters found us. They chased us across the United States until we ended up in Arizona.”
Shock flared in Aldo’s eyes. “Where in Arizona?”
“The Navajo Nation.”
“So close,” Aldo whispered.
I ignored his stricken look and plowed on. “Once again the thugs located us. This time our luck ran out. A tire blew on the old van mama had managed to buy. She lost control of the car and we crashed.” Tears leaked down my cheeks. “Even though mama was dying, her only thought was keeping me safe. I tried so hard to keep death from taking her.”
Jake wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve got you, buttercup. I’ve got you.”
“What happened to Giovanni’s men?” Aldo’s voice was taut with anger.
“I killed them,” Father answered.
I blinked in surprise and quickly wiped the tears off my face. Father, Uncle Jesse, and General Jones stood behind my sperm donor. All of them were seriously pissed. “How did they find us?”
“I put a tracker on you.”
I gave him the stink eye.
Jake just shrugged.
Uncle Jesse asked, “Want me to eat him?”
“Not yet,” I replied.
General Jones interjected, “Did you know Aldo lived in Sun City until about six months ago.”
“What?”
“If I had known you still lived, I would have moved heaven and Earth to find you,” Aldo responded.
The knot in my stomach began to loosen. He was telling the truth. “When did you find out I was alive?”
“Two days ago. I was investigating rumors about Giovanni’s activities and discovered the files he had on you,” Aldo answered.
Jake demanded, “Do you know why he wanted CeeCee dead?”
“Even as a child she could look at a person’s aura and tell if they were lying. Giovanni was afraid when CeeCee grew older she would expose his murderous activities.
“His fears proved to be true,” Father said.
I snorted. “Just not the way he thought. I was tracking Jia, not him.”
“Jia Stanka?” Aldo was clearly surprised.
Jake traded glances with the General. “Do you know her?”
“Jia is a master thief who appropriated one of my prototypes. Despite my best efforts to retrieve it, I was unsuccessful. In my search of Giovanni’s files, I came across an interesting fact. Jia Stanka is Derek Jones’s daughter.”
“That explains her green eyes and red hair,” I exclaimed.
“Impossible,” the General barked.
“I have proof.”
The General gestured with his laser pistol. “Show us.”
“You do not need that. I am not your enemy.”
“Aren’t you?” Jake countered.
“My niece, Kizzy, is mated to Ethan Jones and you are my daughter’s mate. I would never harm them or you.”
I stared at my sperm donor’s aura.
