“The Catalyst” Series Book 6
		“Building a Legacy”
		Crumbly Writer All rights reserved © 2013
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05:  Mystery Guests, Mystery Host

           

“You did WHAT?” Gini asked—rather strenuously—after Alex and the others met back in LA the next morning—after having fled San Diego—and briefly described what Alex had done.

“Hey, I think I did pretty well considering it was an unproven premise I’d never attempted before; plus there’s no way to tie it back to me.”

“No? You don’t think one of these gangbangers is going to get caught and decide to turn over evidence against someone else in order to get off? I’m not sure you have a handle on the thinking process of these lowlifes. Jeez,” she reflected, running her hand through her short hair, “this is why I should have never agreed to leave you to your own devices. Gail is going to kill me for letting you get away with this!”

“I don’t think that’s likely,” Alex replied, feeling put upon to defend an already tenuous response. “It isn’t like these people are likely to open up to the cops, especially with something they’re sure the police would never take seriously.”

“Still, it’s an open-ended link to you, and the police are going to remain curious about it, since it’s such an odd case. Two known criminals, both dropping dead from unknown causes at the exact instant they threaten you? All they need is an inkling something isn’t right and they’re going to be all over you. What’s more, if the information ever does leak out, either through the police or via word of mouth, all kinds of people will be searching for you to figure out what you did.”

“Again, there’s no evidence I did anything. I never lifted a finger, and that’s documented on several videos of the encounter. Plus, there were no recordings of what I actually said.”

“There doesn’t need to be,” Gini emphasized. “All they need is the suggestion you did something unusual and they’ll find some confirming physical evidence. Do you think anyone is going to question how you did it before they alert the relevant authorities? These people get answers by questioning people! They figure they’ll find out what you did by putting you into a little room and badgering you for hours on end. It won’t matter how much sense it makes, they’ll have a reason to suspect you, and once they do your name is going to be mud!”

The other girls remained silent, and Cate, as much as she wanted to defend her brother, was more than a little disturbed by what he’d so easily done. Frankly, he scared her at the moment. Gini threw her hands in the air, turning away in frustration, but turned back for one last point.

“Have you spoken to Gail? What was her reaction to it?”

“No, I’ve been … avoiding it,” Alex admitted.

“Hmmph! While I can understand your reluctance, you’d best do inform her right away. I’m sure she’ll tear you a new one, but she’s also better prepared to know what to do next.”

Swallowing nervously, Alex decided to face the music and his second fiercest critic.

‘Gail, I have some news you’re probably going to dislike,’ he said by way of greeting.

‘Ha! Finally. I was wondering how long it would take you to contact me. Just so you know, I’ve already been alerted. The girls are all talking about it, each one wanting my take. You should know by now you can’t keep secrets from people with telepathy.’

‘That’s it? You’re not going to lecture me about how stupid my actions were?’

‘What for? You already know how risky it was. I’m sure you had your reasons and that it seemed like your best option. I’m not sure I would have advised it myself, but then again, I’ve never had that kind of power to be worried about. The point now, though, is what do we do in the future?’

‘I was planning on getting out of Dodge,’ Alex admitted. ‘We left San Diego sooner than I’d been counting on. I was thinking of heading to San Francisco, and I figure it’s an even better idea now.’

‘That’s not going to buy you much if you reserve a hotel room under either your or Cate’s name. Even if you pay for it using Gini or the Angel Foundation, it’ll implicate other people.’

‘That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve got people here who can rent it for me. As long as no one identifies me while I’m there, I should be OK.’

‘If that’s your plan, then you’d better get rid of your devices. That includes Cate’s iPhone and iPad, since they’re easy enough to track.’

‘I’ll tell her. She won’t be pleased losing her newest toys since she relies on them so heavily,’ Alex replied.

‘If she needs them that much—which is another security risk in itself—then you should work out something with one of your people there. Give someone else your phone and let them answer for you. She can convey the message without having to physically call you, and if they decide to burst in to arrest you, you’ll be the first to know about it. But you can have them buy a replacement device under her name, or someone else unrelated to her can, and they wouldn’t be able to track you with it. But remember to not use the same identities when you authorize it. You’ll also have to scratch all the data on it.’

‘Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Cate won’t like it, but it’s better than the alternative. This way I can simply disappear, though I’ll still be able to respond if they’re looking for me. It won’t solve any real problems, but it gives me a little more latitude.’

‘Hey, that’s what I’m here for,’ Gail told him. ‘I’m not your mother, or Cate, so I’m not here to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I’m here to protect you, and right now, keeping you away from the Police is probably our best option. The last thing we need is for you to accidentally say the wrong thing to someone under pressure. Have you talked to a lawyer yet?’

‘Yeah, I already contacted both Molly Bishop and Lisa Woodall so they can get me some local contacts. I should find out who they located.’

‘That’s probably why the girls already know the full story,’ Gail laughed telepathically, which always produced the oddest sensations inside Alex’s head. ‘Anyway, let me know what happens. You DON’T want to keep me out of the loop on this kind of stuff,’ she warned before signing off.

“OK, Cate, it’s time to lose the iPhone and iPad,” Alex informed his sister, turning back from his discussion with Gail. He figured she’d be satisfied they had some solutions. “You’d better transfer all the data you want to save, because we’re going to have to erase them. I’ll give them to Debra Keer, so she can tell us if the San Diego police want us, and I’ll see if Emily can buy us some new devices. We’ll have to pay her indirectly, having the Foundation pay someone else who then pays her back, but it’ll keep anyone from tracking us using the devices.”

“OK, but don’t give Debra my iPad if you give her the phone,” Cate warned. “There’s a lot more information on that, and if they question her, they’ll take the phone and search everything on it. I don’t want to provide them a list of our contacts. After all, these devices aren’t that secure and it’s fairly easy to recover any deleted information from them.”

“OK, that makes sense,” Alex acknowledged with a nod. “These are all stopgap efforts, though. If someone wants to know what we’re up to, we’re probably up a creek, but I’m hoping they’ll never stop to question us until it’s too late.”

“Uh, Cate?” Chalise said, stepping into the room from the attached bathroom. “I think you’ll both want to see this.”

Curious, Cate followed her back in, though Alex took his time responding. When he got there, he saw the three girls crouching around the mice cages. Getting another niggling feeling, he moved up to see what they were examining.

“What’s up?”

They stood back, revealing the cage’s contents.

“It’s Shani, one of the ‘Alex’ mice,” Cate said, looking upset. “She passed away while we were gone. The others are still alive, but they aren’t looking very good.”

“I’m guessing this isn’t good news?” Alex guessed, a bit uncleverly.

“Duh! It’s more evidence you’re in trouble. The average lifespan for a mouse is about two years. Figuring 80 for a human, that means they get 40 years for each of ours. The problem with using them to research what happens to you is there isn’t enough comparable time to observe how they respond, but this is too soon. For them to die now is like you dying before you ever reached New Orleans. I’ll check, it may be a fluke, but given how the others look, I’m thinking it’s not. Either our calculations of how much energy to give them was way off, or we didn’t take into account the healing effects of the constant BCM you’re experiencing. But, in either case, I wouldn’t count on being around for a long time if I were you.”

“Shit. That’s the last thing I needed to hear,” Alex replied, shaking his head. “It’s one thing dealing with the fact you don’t have forever to live out your life, but it’s another knowing it’s this close. Even before, I got around it by concentrating on what I needed to do, not thinking about what it meant for me, but I don’t think I can avoid it any more. I’m going to die,” he announced, throwing his hands into the air, “and it’s probably going to be fairly soon.”

Kitty and Chalise guided Alex back to the other room, situating him on the bed as they tried to both sooth and distract him, but it was clear his mind was caught up both with this bad news and with trying to figure out what to do over the next few days with the situation he’d gotten himself caught up in. Suddenly everything seemed that much more real, and he realized his remaining time was very precious.

---

“It’s amazing you got all those details worked out so quickly,” Kitty marveled on their way to San Francisco, having checked out of their hotel and stopping by the LA Apple store. “I thought it would take much longer than that.”

Alex glanced at her, suspecting she was commenting on it simply to distract him. She had a bit too much of a cheerful attitude. It stood in marked contrast to what they’d all just experienced. However, while both Kitty and Chalise were overly attentive, Cate had been standoffish all morning.

“Upset about losing your devices?” he asked softly, trying to get her to say something so he’d understand what was up.

“I don’t care about the devices,” she answered curtly. “They’re tools. They help me work, but they’re not that important.”

“Then what’s bugging you?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion. Both Kitty and Chalise seemed to unintentionally shift away from him, showing they were more aware of what was going on than he was.

“What could possibly be bugging me?” she asked, leaning back and theatrically putting her hand on her chin. “Hmm, let me think. Maybe it’s because you put both of us in very real physical danger last night; or maybe it’s because while I’d thought I knew my brother pretty well, he suddenly turns around and kills two men without a second thought?”

“Those ‘two men’ were threatening to kill us,” Alex replied calmly, if a bit steely, which didn’t help the situation.

“That may be, but you don’t seem to be upset by it, and the fact you approached them, knowing exactly what you were planning, means it wasn’t purely defensive. You decided you were going to kill them ahead of time.”

Alex sighed, closing his eyes briefly before responding. He knew this was going to come up, but he’d been hoping he could avoid it a little longer. “No, I never planned to kill anyone, but I knew I couldn’t avoid the situation and I did keep it in mind as an option. But I never decided to do anything until the very last minute.”

“Well what about your response?” Cate shot back. “Why aren’t you reacting to it?”

“As you well know, I react each time someone I care about is threatened. I try not to second guess protecting someone, so instead I’ve been trying not to dwell on it. After all, anyone who threatens you really doesn’t deserve second thoughts. But then, instead of considering it last night, I instead had to contemplate my impending death,” Alex told her, finally showing more emotion than he’d shown since the episode.

“Frankly, we were weirded out by it too,” Kitty admitted timidly.

“Yeah, after all this time discussing my father and brother, I find my boyfriend acting just as cold,” Chalise said.

“I didn’t mean to convey that what I did doesn’t bother me,” Alex said, pausing as he looked at each of them, “but the fact of the matter is I’ve gotten fairly good at masking my emotions. All this talk about how little time I have left upsets most people who hear about it. I’ve found if I get morose then everyone reacts even worse, so I’ve had to maintain a false front, never revealing just how scared I really am about it. After a while of that, you kind of forget how to open up again.”

“But that’s just silly,” Cate argued. “You should know you can always open up to…,” she halted, unable to finish the sentence.

“I’m always able to tell you everything?” Alex said, guessing what she’d been intending to say. “As you guessed, that sounds better in theory than in practice. Usually every time we’re in bed together, there’s someone else there as well, and even if there isn’t, my girls can pick up any emotional leakage I can’t manage to control. Thus it’s better to simply not let it out. If I were to cry on your shoulder one night, chances are each of my girls would fall apart the next day. It’s a heavy load I’m carrying here, not only the emotional load on myself, but everyone else’s as well.

“And frankly, this whole ‘mission’ thing is just as treacherous. Everyone wants me to tell them how to live, or provide them a moral compass, but I’m resisting that as much as possible. The problem with morality is what starts out as simple, sensible advice ends up as a means of attacking others. Jesus’ simple admonition to love one another ended up as a justification to murder and enslave millions of people. Moral principles meant to provide guidance in life end up being used as a sledgehammer to enforce uniformity. I don’t want my movement to fall into that trap, so I’ve been treading carefully, not giving anyone any advice which can be misinterpreted. I’ve been keeping the whole movement about our survival as a people, not judging what’s right or appropriate for anyone else.”

“Wow, we never knew you were so worried about all of this,” Chalise observed. “We’ve always known you were plagued by self-doubts, and obsessed with security, but you’ve managed to hide these obligations so well we never really suspected you were suffering so much.”

“Uh, I hate to say it,” Cate suggested, “but do you think these frustrations may have played a role in how you handled things last night?”

“No, I don’t,” Alex stated firmly. “Frankly, despite how it all turned out, I think I made the right decision. I tried to talk them out of it, but I never expected them to let it go, and if I didn’t make a strong enough point, they’d either attack us in the future, track down Angelica in New Orleans or cause my other people grief. This way, I’ve officially served notice that you attack us at your own risk. And while my followers can’t do what I did, hopefully I’ve introduced enough doubt they can capitalize on it and bluff their way out of difficulties in the future.”

“You really think about this all the time, don’t you?” Kitty asked, amazed Alex was as focused as he’d always been. “You spend all your time deciding how to approach difficult issues, how to deal with different crises and how to help those who depend on you. Don’t you ever take time for yourself?”

Alex gave her a crooked grin. “You saw how well that works out. My ‘Make a Wish’ moment turned into a fiasco. I can’t afford to do anything for myself. My life no longer belongs to me. Whatever time I have left will be dedicated to helping all those who depend on me. I need to increase our organization, our member base, so if we’re ever attacked we stand a chance of surviving. I also need to increase the potential political clout we have, so we can use it to help each other. As much as I’d love to curl up into a ball right now, I really can’t afford to. There’s too much riding on me.”

“But, if you don’t, you’re likely to burn out that much faster,” Kitty responded, placing her hand on Alex’s chest and resting her forehead against his shoulder. Chalise also approached his other side, taking his hand in hers and kissing it softly.

“If that’s the case, then it really can’t be helped,” he answered firmly, holding Kitty’s head against him as he responded. “It is what it is. I never chose this life, and given the option, I’d never have selected it. But I asked for my own time to finish high school like anyone else, and for that I’m thankful. That time allowed me to discover the two of you, to really find love that wasn’t based only on obligation. But having been granted that boon, I’m now obligated to pay for the luxury. And frankly, while the price is steep, I knew it was going into it. So if I don’t break down and cry on occasion, I hope you’ll understand why. Now, what would you like to do in San Francisco?” Alex asked, hoping to end the discussion.

Cate had joined them while Alex had been talking, stepping behind him and cuddling into him, wrapping her hands around him as Chalise wrapped her hands around him from the front. Chalise was about to respond when Alex held his hand up, cutting her off. But he lowered it a moment later.

“That was, of all people, Robin. Seems she’s coming out to meet me with some ‘friends’, whatever that means. I told her to meet us in San Fran.”

“I think you already know what ‘friends’ mean,” Cate told him a little archly, now that she knew just how much each of these encounters cost him.

“Yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I like to approach these things with an open mind, not judging anyone before we meet. Still, it may limit what we can do there. We’ll have to see what happens when we arrive.”

---

“Hello, we’d like to check in,” Gini told the hotel receptionist. She was checking them in since Alex didn’t want to use his own name, fearing the San Diego police would track him down and drag him back to San Diego for further questioning, something he wasn’t about to put up with. “My name is—”

“Oh, don’t worry, we know who you are and we’ve been waiting for you,” the receptionist pleasantly responded, addressing Alex directly, even though he hadn’t approached the desk. “Mr. Jenning’s room is ready and it’s already been taken care of. If you need anything at all, please feel free to ask. We try to make our Premiere Members feel right at home,” she added with a brilliant smile.

“Premiere?” Alex asked, stepping forward. “Wait, I think there’s been a mistake.”

“There’s no mistake,” she assured him, “three to stay for an indefinite period in our premiere suite. Do you need anyone to assist you with your bags?”

“No, wait, we never made any arrangements. This wasn’t even supposed to be in my name. I didn’t want it showing up on my credit card.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will show up on your credit card. The entire suite has been comped. Please enjoy your stay. Samuel, could you help them up to their room?”

A very efficient and professional hotel employee approached and began taking the bags and animal cages from Cate, loading them onto the dolly he’d pulled up. Cate was so surprised she never stopped to question it.

“Enjoy your stay, and if you need anything, please use your room phone and ask for Jean,” she replied, smiling sweetly.

Alex glanced at Gini and Cate, hoping for some explanation, but they both looked just as confused as he was. Here he was, trying to fly below the radar so he wouldn’t attract the attention of the police, and suddenly he was being given star accommodations at one of the city’s better hotels. In fact, they’d only used this hotel because…. Alex froze as the pieces began falling into place.

‘Patricia, what the fuck is going on?’ Alex demanded as he backed away from the reception desk. Samuel, the bellhop who’d been waiting for him, saw Alex glancing at him so he started for the elevator, forcing Alex to hurry after him to keep up, still not knowing what was going on. ‘We just checked into the hotel you recommended, and instead of a quiet little unobtrusive spot, it turns out to be a swarm of activity and they’ve given us the premiere suite. What the heck is up?’

‘I guess I should have warned you, but you’ve been upgraded,’ she told him with a laugh. ‘Don’t worry, though, it’s not costing you or the Foundation a thing. I’ve also arranged for Robin to meet you at Fisherman’s Wharf. She’s already waiting for you there at a little restaurant called Alioto’s. You should hurry so you can meet them for lunch. I’ve also arranged for a couple of meetings. There are a few people who want to speak with you so I’ve arranged one to meet you at La Folie’s this evening, and the other will meet you at Gary Danko’s tomorrow morning.’

‘What the hell is going on?’ Alex asked as the door slid closed on a special private elevator which took them to a top floor. ‘Something is up and I have no idea what it is. No one is even supposed to know I’m here, and suddenly people are just dropping in for a chat?’

‘As I said, don’t worry. Some people asked for a special meeting with you and I made the arrangements. They want to ask you a few things, so just hear them out and decide whether you’re interested or not. If not, then you’re done with it. Oh, there’s also someone else who wants to meet with you tomorrow, but I haven’t been able to finalize the arrangements, so keep your lunch plans open.’

‘I have no idea what’s going on, and you know I don’t like surprises. Surprises have a way of getting me into trouble. As for tomorrow, don’t go booking things too tight. You know how things tend to pop up, and I’ve got to be able to deal with new followers. If nothing else, make it a late lunch so I’ll have time to take care of anything else that might come up and so there won’t be too many people there.’

‘Sure thing,’ Patricia replied. ‘I’ll take care of it. Have fun in San Fran and I’ll talk to you later,’ and with that she was gone. Of course, Alex could always reach her at any time he wanted, but he figured she had her own reasons for arranging things and he didn’t think she’d do it frivolously, so instead he concentrated on their first rendezvous.

“It seems Robin is waiting for us at Fisherman’s Wharf, a place called Alioto’s,” Alex explained to the others.

“A very nice restaurant,” Samuel replied. “Should I call you a car?” Suddenly Alex seriously doubted he was just a simple bellhop.

“Oh, I’d love to see the waterfront,” Chalise responded, clapping her hands. “Can we walk? I want to see the city. I’ve always heard so much about it. It’s got so much more personality than LA did.”

“That’s fine, we’ll hoof it,” Alex told Samuel, purposely trying to sound relaxed and in control, as opposed to completely befuddled.

When they reached the room Samuel let them in, holding the door for them. The inside was gorgeous, with fresh flowers arranged in several large crystal vases and a full suite with several attached rooms instead of them each getting their own separate room. Samuel refused to allow Cate to carry her own cages in, assuring her he’d treat them gently and they’d be fine. She merely glanced at Alex, silently asking him what the hell was going on. Gini seemed a bit alarmed as well. About the only ones who weren’t distraught were Kitty and Chalise, who assumed Alex had arranged all of this just for them.

“This is tremendous, Alex,” Kitty gushed, enjoying the view of the waterfront from the expansive living room window which took up the entire wall. “I can’t believe you set all this up. I mean, yesterday was a bit unsettling, but you really didn’t have to go to such extremes to make up for it.”

Alex hung back, waiting until Samuel finished while Gini did a quick survey of the room, never leaving her view of the door, still not knowing what was going on and not feeling any more secure at the surprises than Alex. Samuel not only set the mice’s cages in the room without questioning why they had them, he also unpacked each of the bags in a separate drawer, arranging everyone’s things in each room in some sort of prearranged order. When he finally finished, Alex started to reach for his wallet, having no idea how much to tip someone for such service, and not even sure he had enough cash on hand to avoid insulting their professional attendant, but Samuel waved him off.

“There’s no need, Sir, everything has already been taken care of. They’ve even left me a very nice tip assuming my service would be top-notch,” he said before backing out of the room, smiling at Alex as he closed the door behind him.

“Alex, you won’t believe the bathroom,” Kitty screamed. “It’s gorgeous. It’s all marble and it’s almost bigger than my house is!” Chalise announced, joining Kitty in her excitement, screaming along with her while Cate looked at Alex questioningly again.

“Marble hell, the tub has a dozen jets, and they aren’t just stainless steel,” Chalise added. “If I’m not mistaken, these are solid gold bathroom fixtures.”

“What the hell is going on?” she whispered, trying not to alert the girls.

“I’ve got no idea. Apparently it’s something Patricia cooked up, but she won’t tell me what it’s about. There’s something about a whole string of meetings.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Gini observed, still checking out each room for potential booby traps or possible assassins. “No one was supposed to know we’d be here.”

“Hey, don’t complain to me, I’m as surprised as you are,” Alex reminded her.

Kitty and Chalise ran into the main room, throwing their arms around Alex and showering him with kisses, clearly impressed at the lengths he’d gone to on their account.

“This is wonderful, Alex,” Chalise gushed. “Now where’s this restaurant, and how fancy should we dress?”

---

Entering Alioto’s, Alex immediately felt ill at ease. While the girls had dressed up, putting on nice dresses and some simple jewelry, Alex found himself without a lot of options. He’d existed throughout most of his trip with simple clothing, most often wearing just a T-shirt and jeans. Hoping for the best, he’d put on a clean shirt and matching undershirt, but it hardly fit the tone of the restaurant, where many of the men wore suits and ties. While a few tourists weren’t wearing suits, they were still dressed much nicer than Alex.

“Good morning, welcome to Alioto’s,” the girl at the door said, not noticing Alex’s attire. “How many in your party?”

“Uh, we’re meeting a party already here,” Alex said. “I believe the name is Robin Peters.”

“Oh, yes,” the girl said, flashing them a brilliant smile. “Please come right this way,” she added, leading them into the restaurant.

She led them through collections of people, eventually guiding them to an area providing a nice window view of the waterfront and the many boats docked along it. As they approached, Alex saw Robin wave at them. She was sitting with two other women, both of whom were facing the waterfront so he couldn’t immediately tell who they were, but still…. The two women, seeing Robin’s response, both turned.

“Alex!” Winona cried, jumping up and rushing to him, smiling widely as she wrapped her arms around him. Alex certainly hadn’t expected to see her, even though Robin had teasingly told him she was bringing a couple of ‘surprise guests’. Alex was certainly surprised. So too were Kitty and Chalise, but Cate appeared to be a little too upset to be considered surprised.

Cate had taken an almost instant disliking to Winona, despite being the one who first talked Alex into taking her claims seriously. Although her ‘spirit dreams’ of his gracing her with a ‘glowing’ baby made sense in the context they’d been in, it was her attitude which had gotten Cate’s hackles up. She seemed to think she was the only figure in Alex’s life, as if she had an undeniable exclusive claim over him. For Cate, who stood by as Alex got together with one woman after another, never objecting to any of them, that attitude was unforgivable. Yet here she was, ignoring Alex’s two girlfriends, throwing herself at him as if he was returning to her from battle.

Kitty and Chalise seemed to react to it as well. Although surprised by the familiar reaction, they were taken aback at how long she held him, never once acknowledging either of them, despite it being clear they’d entered with him. They both stood on either side of him, gawking at the tall and lanky Winona excitedly telling him how glad she was to see him again.

“Hold on, give me a break,” Alex said, pushing her back—ostensibly to talk—but mostly to distance himself for the sake of his girlfriends. “Now tell me about…. What the heck are you doing here?” he asked, finally noticing the other person at Robin’s table was Kubba, the older Paiute woman who’d had the initial dream of his rescuing their tribe.

“Sorry for not warning you,” Robin said, her wide grin denying her words, “but I wanted to see the look on your face.”

The only seats available at the table were mostly facing away from the window, so that was where Alex headed. Although the view was nice, he really didn’t need the view as much as he needed some control over the situation, and the empty seats meant he could both distance himself from Winona and also ensure both Kitty and Chalise could sit by his side, sending a clear message. Robin, guessing his intent, moved over, giving up the central seats. However, this meant Cate and Gini were stuck at the two ends of the table, which Cate viewed as yet another insult to her, another strike against Winona.

“So what brought you all the way out here?” Alex asked, addressing Robin, even though the other two women were sitting directly across from him.

“Our community is splitting up, going to other tribes, at least until we can find a new area to live,” Winona answered before Robin had a chance. “We decided to join the Cupeño nation which is located near here, and since we were so close we put off moving in right away so we could spend some time with you.” She didn’t notice the daggers Cate was staring at her, and Kitty and Chalise, while slightly more patient, didn’t look any more pleased. It was clear Winona was almost ready to crawl across the table to get to Alex.

“So what about all your stuff?” Alex pointedly asked Robin, but Winona jumped in once again.

“I decided I didn’t need most of my stuff since I’m starting a new life. I figured I should start fresh. But my family is bringing a lot of it with them.”

“What about you, Kubba?” Alex asked, trying a different tack. “Are you joining this local tribe as well?

She simply nodded, not saying a word, but Winona jumped into the lull, making the contrast between them that much more pronounced. Alex actually felt sorry for the taciturn Kubba, having to sit in a tightly packed car traveling from Utah listening to Winona prattle on about him.

Alex, knowing the girls only had an inkling who these women were, made formal introductions, explaining a little about each one. He also made a point of referencing both Kitty and Chalise as his girlfriends, using the term “followers” every time he referenced anyone else, hoping to drive the distinction home for Winona, but he didn’t imagine it would be so easy.

“So you’re the one who dreamt of Alex helping your people?” Chalise asked Kubba, examining her closely. “Have you had any similar dreams since then? Any updates on what the spirits think about how things turned out?”

“Alas, spirits no work like Tweeter,” she answered with a hint of a smile. “They only say what need saying. Now they lay low, go back to where they were before. It take great effort to speak with us.”

“That makes sense,” Chalise responded, hoping to get her to talk to ease the obvious tension. “So what do you think of the big city here?”

“I don’t think she’s especially fond of it,” Robin answered for her. “While I’ve visited several cities while attending to my tribe’s people, your cities are a bit … soul sucking. The land we come from nourishes us, and we can commune with the spirit of nature and let the animals and surroundings speak to us. Here there is nothing but silence. A huge spiritual silence hidden by the shouted nonsense of the modern world. No offense, of course,” she added. “That’s just what we believe.”

“No, I find it fascinating,” Chalise said. “I’d love to pick your brain more. How long are you staying?” she asked, not even looking at Winona, even though they all knew the question was really in reference to her.

“We have no need to be anywhere at any particular time. Kubba and I have already selected where we’ll live in the Cupeño reservation, so we can stay for a while, assuming our money lasts,” she added with a laugh.

“Actually, our room has plenty of…,” Kitty blurted before realizing what she was implying. However, it didn’t take Winona long to pick up on it.

“Oh, Alex, could we stay with you while we’re here? That would be great. We don’t have a lot of spare money, and it’s very expensive here.”

Alex, knowing he was between a rock and a hard place, wasn’t quite sure how to respond. On the one hand, he knew how the other girls felt, but he also couldn’t very well reject those who had taken him in and had done so much for him, trusting him so much.

He sighed, placing his hands flat on the table, addressing Winona directly. “Actually, I guess you can stay tonight, but we really have no idea how long we’ll be staying. Usually we hit a town, meet as many people as we can and then leave soon after. We only spent a single day in San Diego, so I can’t imagine how long we’ll stay here.”

“Miss Patty said you have several big meetings,” Winona replied, even though there was no way she could have spoken to her personally. Alex cast Robin a dirty look, causing her to blush. “Surely that means you’ll be here for several days,” she finished, batting her eyelashes at Alex in full sight of his two girlfriends, who clutched his arms in response.

“Frankly, I don’t know what these meetings are about, but since they didn’t feel it necessary to contact me directly, I can’t imagine it will involve anything I’m personally interested in. I imagine it’s simply people with sick kids whose relatives in New Orleans told them to look me up. I can’t imagine it would take long to take care of that, especially since it’s unlikely I’ll be able to do anything for them.”

“You did amazing work for us,” Winona marveled, pouring it on thick. “You saved us, allowing us to continue.”

“Yeah, but I killed several people doing even that much, and parents aren’t likely to appreciate that kind of assistance,” he told her. “Besides, while I can shrink cancers, I can’t change what causes them—like their familial genes—and even then there are limits to what I can do.”

“Still, you must try to help if you can,” Winona insisted, concerned for the lives of people she neither knew nor even had any knowledge of. “Saving even one life is a vital gift for those suffering and their families.”

Alex could hardly argue with that, even though he desperately wanted to. Instead he simply shrugged to convey his own feelings on the subject. He didn’t like being backed into something he wasn’t ready for. He didn’t mind helping people, but he preferred deciding when and where to do it, rather than having people demanding favors, holding their knowledge of his abilities over his head.

“So, did Simon get all his stuff wrapped up?” Cate asked Robin, referring to Dr. Reinhart, hoping to change the topic.

“Actually, since Alex invalidated most of his research, he found it very easy to clean it up, though he was still settling things and saying goodbye to everyone when we left.”

“I feel guilty messing up a man’s entire life’s work,” Alex complained, leaning back and trying to avoid the dreamy expression on Winona’s face.

“He was more than willing to throw it away in order to save so many people,” Robin replied. “He was hoping to make a tiny difference, while you managed to save us.”

Alex was about to argue, still not feeling comfortable about the extent of his abilities, when Robin decided to shift the topic away from Alex again, keeping him from having to disabuse those at the table of his abilities.

“Gini, how have you been? Still having flashbacks?”

“Actually, I’ve been doing amazingly well,” she answered. “I’m social, I’m happy, I’m relaxed, and no, I haven’t had any flashbacks for the last week and a half. I won’t say I’m completely cured at this point, but I think it’s safe to say I’m well on my way.”

“That’s wonderful,” Robin told her, grinning widely at the happy news. “You were such a mess my heart ached for you. I’m glad you’re doing better.”

“And Alex claims he can’t help people. He performs miracles,” Winona announced, addressing Kitty, as if she didn’t know what Alex was capable of. Kitty fought off the desire to roll her eyes at the comment and simply smiled weakly at her.

“Look, let’s hurry up and eat, then Kitty, Chalise and I would love to tour the city,” Cate said, seeing a handy out. “You people probably need to get your stuff together, and I’m sure you aren’t anxious to wander the streets of this soulless city.”

However, Cate’s plans backfired. “That’s a great idea,” Winona said. “While you walk around doing the touristy stuff, we’ll get our stuff and move it into Alex’s place. Right now we’re parked in a garage, where our stuff is open to anyone willing to break in and take it.”

The girls looked back and forth amongst themselves, trying to figure out how they’d unintentionally extended an invitation. Alex decided he needed to speak up now and at least limit the extent of the damage.

“Look, it’s OK if you spend the night, but we need to set some guidelines. You have to understand I’m likely to bring a whole string of strangers home to sleep with, women whom I’ve never even met before, and even if that doesn’t happen, I’m sleeping with Kitty and Chalise. They’ve come all the way out here to spend time with me, and while they’re willing to look the other way if it’s essential, I don’t think it’s fair to limit their access to me.”

“Oh, yes, I understand perfectly,” Winona said, looking hurt Alex would impugn her sensitivity. “We’ll take whatever room you want us to, and we don’t mind sharing a bed,” she said, glancing meaningfully at Kitty and Chalise as she said it. This time, Cate wasn’t staring daggers at Winona anymore, figuring it for a lost cause; now she was doing it to Alex!

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“What is up with that girl?” Kitty asked once they’d gotten out on the street after saying goodbye to Winona, Robin and Kubba.

“I know, she doesn’t seem to pick up the most obvious social clues,” Chalise commented.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Cate said, finally venting the bile which had been building up in her. “She’s had a fixation on Alex and seems to think she’s the only one Alex should be interested in. She seems to have her claws out, and I hate to see what she’ll do if anyone gets between them.”

“Uh, she never actually said—” Kitty tried to argue.

“Whatever! She doesn’t know how to get along with people, and she doesn’t fit in. If we allow her to get away with this attitude then everyone else will feel entitled to that kind of thing too,” Cate shot back.

“So what do you suggest?” Chalise asked.

“I don’t know, but we need to nip this in the bud. Whatever happens, we’ve got to get her out of here,” Cate concluded with a sense of finality, staring meaningfully at Alex as she said it.

           

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