Cee Tee spun back around; his hand full of rail pistol when he did. Who was this young pup to think he could get away with such an egregious affront? But before the pistol could charge, a black-booted foot appeared out of nowhere, coming up in a swift arc to contact his wrist and send the gun flying. Cee Tee turned to glare into the eyes of his boss.
“We’ll have none of that!” Frost told him. “Not here! Not now!”
“You little bastard!” Seven now came to life, rage causing spit to splutter from his mouth as he strained to get at Cee Tee. He struggled in Grant’s iron grasp with everything he had. It was an exercise in futility; the creature held him like one might hold a child throwing a temper tantrum. Still, his fury was unabated, as his neck craned at the man. “Gonna shoot me, were ya? C’mon, you little coward! Let’s see you hide behind a gun drone now!”
“Goddamn it, Seven!” Frost roared. “You will stand down, soldier! That’s an order.”
“I’m not a fuckin’ soldier!” Seven now vented his rage at him. “I’m just a glorified bank guard! And we ain’t on the fuckin’ moon or Mars! And I don’t kill little kids and unarmed women, Frost!”
Frost’s face turned dangerously crimson. “I’d stop right there, mister.”
“I wasn’t trying to shoot you!” Cee Tee was livid as he rubbed his smarting chin and ran his tongue through the gap where his tooth had been. “When you shot at the drone, it reclassified you as an enemy. I didn’t do it! It did it on its own!”
“That’s cuz it was shooting up a house full of kids, you ass berry!”
“So, is this what you consider a successful mission, Mister Frost?” Cherry Denton’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Your men return wanting to kill each other …” She took in Lulah, whose eyes darted around like a terrified animal, wanting to run, but knowing in her heart; there was nowhere to run to. Cherry continued, “And not with the intended quarry … but with a half-naked, blood-covered woman scared out of her wits.”
“She’s Thomas’ lover …” Frost started.
“I’m well aware of who she is, Mister Frost.” Cherry made her way over to the trembling Lulah. “Could someone please cover this poor woman up?”
“Why? Somethin’ wrong with the way she is now, baby?” Senator Denton openly leered at Lulah’s panty-clad crotch. He gave Frost a conspiratorial wink, and they both snickered like two sixteen-year-old boys. Cutter started forward, but Cherry caught his eye and shook her head quickly. She would handle this.
“Jesus Christ! We’re in a city famous for putting a man into outer space, and I’m surrounded by a bunch of Neanderthals.” She turned on her husband, her face red. “Shelby! These other men may act like a bunch of uncouth heathens, but this is my house and yours. And this woman is now my guest … and she will be treated as such. And you ... as the man of my house, will see to that. Are we on the same frequency … dear?”
“Yes dear, of course!” Senator Shelby Denton’s voice turned timid as his head dropped, his eyes avoiding hers. He might’ve been a mover and a shaker in Washington, but anybody in the know knew where the real power lay. Shelby had ambition, but Cherry was driven. She was a force of nature, and when she put her foot down or set her mind to something, she was a woman to be reckoned with. And few, including her husband, relished sparring with her. Very few ever got the best of her, and even if they did, they rarely came back for a rematch.
“Shelby,” she spoke in a tone of voice that left no doubt in any of their minds who was in charge, “have that dullard of a robot you call a maid take Miss …” She addressed Lulah directly for the first time, and now her voice softened, taking a sympathetic lilt. “I’m sorry, hun. Where are my manners? I didn’t get your name.”
Lulah could only stare at the statuesque blonde. She’d seen her on multivision many, many times over the years … on the newsfeeds, talk shows, celebrity gossip channels … But none of them did the woman justice. Standing there in the flesh, her figure accentuated by her tight dress, those tan legs were even longer and her breasts even bigger. She moved in heels better than Lulah walked barefooted. And that hair … that long, thick blonde hair was like an explosion of gold. The woman was stunning.
“Her name’s Tallulah Carter,” Cutter volunteered. “Everyone calls her Lulah.”
“Tallulah Carter.” Cherry cocked her head curiously, studying Lulah now. “Such a divine old Southern name.” Lulah felt Cherry’s eyes race up and down her form. A quick, approving smile flitted across her face. She wasn’t as brutish as her husband. “I like it.”
Lulah somehow got the impression those last words weren’t just a commentary on her Christian name. “Very well …” Without turning around, she addressed her husband again, and her voice returned to that authoritative tone. “Shelby, have the lovely Miss Tallulah Carter escorted to our guest accommodations. See to it she has a hot bath drawn and some clean clothes provided.”
Yes, dear! Right away!” He was already on his PDC.
“No!” Frost intervened. “Get her something hot to drink, but don’t clean her up yet. I want her just like that for the time bein’.”
Cherry made no effort to hide the disgust on her face. “Do what you gotta do and be done here! You’re getting on my nerves. I want the whole lot of you off my property! ASAP!”
At that, she turned to storm away, but not before catching the eye of Grant. A naughty little smile barely touched the corner of his mouth. He recognized that look instantly. She’d simmered on low heat long enough. Now, he just needed to make himself scarce, slip away from
