Part 36 (1/2)

Neck held Ballgame for a few more moments before he let him go.

Dialing his cell phone, he spoke slowly. ”Boss, I can't explain it, but he's like Java and the others. Something wacko is going on here. I know, sir, we'll find out, no matter what it is. I know you won't let it go. I'm on it. I've never let you down, and I won't begin now.”

”Get up,” Neck said quietly, to Ballgame. ”He wants to know what's going on with the woman and the huge man who can do things no one has ever seen before. He says he won't stop until he knows. We're going back to Africa.”

EPILOGUE.

Chione finished packing her bag, but there wasn't much in it. Really, she didn't know what she would need there anyway. She'd so rarely left the village in all of her centuries, she felt concerned about what to expect.

All she knew was that she had to go. The universe puts people exactly where they needed to be, and it was completely apparent where she was being sent. To America. To a city called Seattle near the ocean.

Starla came in with Mal, both women carrying their daughters.

”Thank you, ladies, for bringing my girls. Oh, Mother Earth, I will miss these children more than anything while I am gone. Gimme.”

Wiggling her fingers, Chione took the two babies, one in each arm. ”They'll grow up so much, even in the short time I'll be away, and I will miss the changes!”

”You're sure you want to do this?” Mal asked. ”The city can be tough, and you're such a sweet, gentle woman. I'm worried for you.”

”I'm first blood, I will have no trouble taking care of myself,” Chione reminded her.

”I don't mean that, I know you can protect yourself, physically. But you're so kind, and vulnerable, and I mean that in a good way, you know that. I just hate to think of how brutal and mean some people can be. Erin said she will accompany you if you would like. She remembers what it was like to go out on your own the first time.”

”She'll be okay. She knows if she needs us, we'll be there, right, Chione?” Starla chimed in.

”Right, my friend. Mal, I must follow my path. You followed yours and look how happy you are. I will admit I am apprehensive, but I will forbear.”

Mal sighed. ”Okay, just be very careful, and remember that people often misrepresent themselves. And many can't be trusted. Lock your doors, and don't leave anything unattended that you don't want stolen, because, believe me, it will be. c.r.a.p, I know the cop in me is coming out, but I've grown to love you and I don't want you to be out there alone in that big American city.”

Chione gave her a soft smile. ”I love you and I appreciate your concern.”

Looking down at the two precious children in her arms, Chione was suddenly aware that what she was doing, where she had to go, was essential to the greater mission of these first blood children some day. The intensity of the feeling startled her.

She looked up at Starla and Mal. ”I am on the right path.”

IN SEATTLE.

Donovan Gualtieri pushed the door to his apartment closed, and entered without turning on the lights. He didn't need any, the cityscape brought light into the penthouse apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire front of the main living area. It was after midnight and he was exhausted from yet another trip to South America.

He dropped his bags in the middle of the floor and walked over to the kitchen to snag a beer.

Frustrated, because he'd had another unsuccessful mission, he walked over to the windows and just stared out at the view that he loved so much. In the distance, Mt. Rainier, not visible now in the dark, was the first thing Donovan loved to see in the morning. Now, the brilliant lights of the city sparkled and he just dropped his forehead against the cool gla.s.s.

It was hot in the apartment, which made sense, because he'd been gone over six months and didn't see the point in leaving the air conditioner running while the place was empty. He could afford to run it 24/7 for 365 days a year, that wasn't the problem, he just couldn't abide the waste.

Peeling off his s.h.i.+rt, and kicking his shoes aside, he scratched his chest as he walked over to his answering machine. He'd never really embraced cell phones, so he was still a dinosaur with a landline.