Jessica's Revenge

Jessica’s Revenge

Edited by Catherine Linda Michel

It’s called synchronicity. It weaves lives and events together even when they don’t know one another. It is stronger when people have met, even if years earlier. We move or travel a hundred, thousands of miles from home and meet or cross paths with people we met before. Synchronicity is what the law uses to catch the bad people. It is interwoven with habit among many other things. People have a human nature to return to a place they have been before. People want to return to the same vacation spot. Fishermen want to go back to the same fishing pond. They want to shop at the same store. And crooks…? They go back to the same neighborhood, the same stores, the same friends.

Even those of us who understand that human nature makes us creatures of habit, do the stupid trick of returning to familiar places. Or else we let the odds of synchronicity find us with our guard down and old enemies show up.

I hurt like I had never hurt before. On a pain scale of one to ten, I would call it a twelve.

“You’re going to tell me, you stupid bitch. Who you working for?”

Licking the blood at the corners of my mouth, I tried to smile. I had no idea if I did or not because my face was like the rest of my body, beyond feeling. “muf aaf wov mif”

“What?” He leaned down and turned his head to put his ear closer to my mouth.

It was plain enough. I said fuck you. He must be hard of hearing. “mas ur gugg aff”

“Eddie, give it a rest. You beat her so bad she can’t even move her mouth. She has a mouth full of blood. You have no skills. When you want them to tell you their secrets you don’t beat their face off. You need to be more subtle.” The second man bent down to look me in the eyes. He opened up a pen knife and grabbed my left hand.

There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to start cutting off fingers. I was wrong. That wouldn’t have been painful enough. He held my index finger and rammed the blade up under the fingernail.

The air left my lungs and my mouth in one huge gasp of pain. The two men were sprayed with blood. I passed out.

“What if she has aids or one of them other contagious diseases?” Eddie looked at Doug in disgust. “I’m going to wash this shit off.” He walked out of the room.

Doug looked at the blood splatter on his hands and clothes. He pushed over the chair she was tied to with his foot before he left the room. “Stupid bitch.”

Ricky and I were in the second lab he built. Although it looked like the original lab that was destroyed in Mexico, it didn’t feel the same. I knew it was my imagination because the labs had to be the same or this one wouldn’t be working. There was no tolerance for error.

“You ready?” He never looked up as he worked at the control panel.

“I’ll never be ready.” I was shedding my clothes before I stepped into the chamber.

Ricky looked up and smiled as I stepped out onto the glass floor and walked into the middle of the chamber. “Relax, I promise nothing will go wrong.”

“Un huh, I’m betting that is the same line they told all those they killed inside this thing.” My absolute faith in Ricky not withstanding, his machine was like a brain surgeon’s knife. One little ‘uh oh’ and the patient becomes ‘sorry old boy’.

The glass chamber lowered down to the glass floor. It rose back up with me inside. I braced myself for any memories. Inside that chamber they stopped being memories and were relived. The walls, ceiling, and floor glowed a pinkish white.

Dad and I were stacking hay bales on the trailer as the hay loader picked them up off the ground and elevated them up to the trailer. I was tossing them up to dad as they came off the hay loader. He was stacking them. Momma was driving the pickup. Momma turned on a small ridge. A tire on the low side of the trailer blew and that side of the trailer dropped. Daddy went over the side and half the hay load followed.

“DADDY! MOMMA STOP! STOP!” Scrambling over the bales still on the trailer I jumped down on the ground and started tossing hay bales back.

Momma jumped out of the pickup and ran back to where I was tossing bales. “Lynn?”

“He’s under the hay, Momma!”

Mom started tossing hay bales with the strength that would match any man.

When we finally pulled the hay bales off daddy he was beat up and badly bruised. Thankfully nothing was broken. I unhitched the trailer as mom helped dad into the pickup. Once home she helped him into the house. I loaded up jacks, blocks, and a spare tire for the trailer before heading back to the field. I was glad daddy was okay. My biggest worry wasn’t him. All that hay was piled up. The loader wasn’t going to be able to get them, as it was designed to pick up one bale at a time as it was pulled through the field. When I replaced the tire on the trailer I was going to have to toss those bales up there one at a time. Because daddy wasn’t helping, I was going to have to climb up on the trailer and stack each bale in place. I was tired before the job started.

Before I got the lug nuts tightened after replacing the wheel I heard a pickup coming across the field. It was Yule, our neighbor to the north. Seconds later another pickup came into the field. I recognized the old rusty Chevy as Paul’s truck. He lived several farms north of Yule. It turned into a flood of pickups and trailers. Some were bringing their own hay loaders. There were several tractors with hay forks on the front as neighbors poured into the field.

An hour later the hay was either back on the trailer, stacked in the pickups, or on a neighbors trailer. The hay that had been scattered in the field was picked up too. When I pulled that load back to the house I received another surprise. Martin was there with his elevator backed up to the hayloft. He was one of our neighbors who hauled hay commercially. Bale after bale was dropped onto the elevator. They slowly trundled up the ramp into the barn loft where other men were stacking them..

Mom was busy bringing water and what tea and lemonade she had out to the neighbors as the hay bales disappeared into the barn. Several of the neighbors tracked into the house to check on dad as the unloading progressed. Less than three hours after they came, everyone was gone. What started out as a full week job for mama, daddy, and me was done.

Although I didn’t have to handle every bale I was bone tired when I walked into the kitchen. “How did they know?” I watched as momma fixed some fresh tea for daddy.

She dropped a teabag into a cup of boiling water. “I called Ellen to see if she had Watkins White Horse Liniment for your father’s bruises. She asked me what happened. I told her that Lynn was thrown off the trailer and buried under the hay. I guess she told Paul and then started calling all the neighbors.”

After checking on daddy I started out the door. It was time to milk the cows. Something wasn’t right. Looking down I was wearing a poodle skirt the same as some of the girls in my class.

The chamber was rising up. Ricky was standing at the console logging data. Stepping off the glass table I headed for my clothes wondering how much my mind was changing? My memories were getting mixed in with my dreams. That poodle skirt I borrowed from a girlfriend and wore on Halloween. Pulling on my jeans I looked over at Ricky. “You ever dream you were wearing a dress?”

His head slowly turned in my direction. “No why?”

“As a kid, when we were on the farm. I know you never wore one for Halloween. Did you ever dream you were wearing a dress?” I could see the answer on his face before he said anything.

He rolled in his lips. His eyes were darting away before he would look at me. “No”

I shook my head as I laughed. “Liar. You’re the worst liar I have ever met. It’s a good thing you don’t play poker. I wonder if every boy has dreamed at one time he was wearing a dress?”

“Well…, you know pants are a fairly recent item in the time line of mankind. Like everything else, men started wearing them and excluded women. Joan of Ark was burned at the stake for heresy because she wore pants.”

Ricky was shutting down the equipment. “Your cellular mapping has changed from the first time. That was to be expected. I wish I had thought to map you after we built this machine. Sadly it never crossed my mind. Jess, I’m not a genetic scientist nor am I a doctor. Everything we have done should have been performed in a college where hundreds, thousands of students put in their labor and time tracking every change for their thesis.”

He was watching as I slipped on my blouse and tucked the tail into my pants. He sighed as sadness showed in his eyes. “I’m sorry Jess. I have no idea what I did to you.”

Walking up to him I pulled Ricky in and kissed him. “You gave me years of life I wouldn’t had otherwise. Am I dying?”

He shook his head before he pulled me into his arms and hugged the life out of me. “I don’t think so. Your scan doesn’t show any abnormalities. No cancer, no blemishes, no anomalies, no diseases.”

He pointed toward the door. “Take anyone from the billions walking this planet and we all have something wrong with us. You’re different from the rest of us. I don’t mean in that old saying there are no two people alike. If there was a perfect normal where we all should start from I think you are it.”

He pushed me back and looked into my eyes. “Jess, is this hard for you? I mean, you act and have the mannerisms of a woman. As kids you were a guy in every respect. I don’t mean to pry where I don’t belong. You don’t have to answer.”

Picking up his hands I held them to my breasts. “What do you feel? Do you feel a man or do you feel a woman? When you make love are you making love to Tom or are you making love to Jessica? Why do you think it would be any different from my side? You think I’m looking at Tom in the mirror? Do you think Tom pulled on a pair of pants and slipped on a bra just now? Was that Tom’s naked body you were looking at in the chamber as you did your mapping?”

I cupped my hands around the back of his head and pulled Ricky in for a long kiss before I pulled back to study his eyes for the truth. “Did you kiss Jessica or did you kiss Tom?”

Pulling his arms around me and laying my head up against his chest, I listened to his heartbeat. “Tom was a friend we both grew up with. It isn’t hard to believe I’ve always been Jessica and Tom’s memories are borrowed. My emotions, my feelings, the things a woman feels when she makes love, are mine now. I can’t explain them to you because you’re a man and never experienced these things.”

“Linda is a beautiful woman. At one time I would have walked barefoot across broken glass to get her into my bed. Now…? She’s a beautiful woman and I’m jealous. There is no sexual attraction. I don’t want to kiss her or take her to my bedroom. I love her as a friend. It’s kinda the same way Tom loved you as a friend.”

I looked into his eyes to make sure he understood how serious I was. “If you are trying to say the bloom has gone off the flower and you are no longer interested because I’m no longer a novelty. You can have your freedom. I don’t want anything that belongs to you. I’ll walk out of your life and leave you alone if that is what you want.”

Ricky pulled me in and squeezed the life out of me again. “I like women. They smell nice, look nice, and are nice to hold because they are soft. You didn’t find me as a virgin. I’ve experienced the pleasures of several women. More than a couple tried every way possible to get me to marry them. I never loved any woman to the point where I thought I wanted to wake up and see her beside me every day.”

“Until you.” He nuzzled around my neck sending shivers down my spine. “In all honesty it wasn’t instant love. It grew on me as you saved my life and protected me at every turn.
Now, I don’t remember a day when you weren’t beside me. I was alive, but I wasn’t living before. I don’t want any more of those days before you came. I love you Jess. I pray I don’t ever make you want to leave me for something I said or did.”

Two days later we flew from Tupase, Russia down to a little island off the tip of Greece. Heraklion had a decent airport. I picked it because we hadn’t ever been there before. Staying away from a routine wouldn’t make us completely safe from those who wanted me dead. What it would do is make it harder for them to do their job. One could figure with a half million dollar bounty for my head the bounty hunters would be trying really hard.

Linda leased the yacht four days earlier. We tried to make sure the plane, the boat, any house and basically nothing was connected to Ricky and me. You might say we lived kinda like gypsies. Always on the move, never in same place twice if it could be helped. It was nothing different than the life I had as Tom when I moved from construction job to construction job, but now…, I think it was the female nesting instinct. I would have loved to have a home and not be on the move all the time.

The weather was perfect. Those usual Mediterranean storms were laying off. The sea was softly rolling with moderate waves. It was pretty relaxing as the waves rocked the boat. The engine wasn’t running. We were pulling a sea anchor, which is like a tiny parachute in the water, behind the boat. It kept the yacht drifting straight with the wind. Ricky was trolling from the stern. I had come up from the cabin after changing to a red bikini. Linda was still below.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” I walked up beside Ricky and wrapped my arm around his neck for a hug.

“No thanks. I think I have a nibble.” He was slowly reeling in his line.

Scanning the waters for any yachts that had moved in toward us the past couple hours I saw two closing in. They weren’t that far away now. One had some kind of activity on the forecastle. “Ricky…, Never mind. I’m probably being paranoid.”

I headed for the stairwell to get binoculars when there was a loud solid thud beside me. I looked and there was a hole in the cabin wall. “RICKY GET DOWN!”

I spun around running toward Ricky. “GET DOWN!”

Linda came boiling up from below with her rifle in hand as I plowed into Ricky, knocking him out of the chair and onto the deck. He lost his grip on his fishing tackle when I hit him. It slipped over the stern into the waters.

It took Linda less than a half second to focus in on the problem. “I got him.”

She slid down to a sitting position with her back to the cabin wall and braced her rifle on her knees. There was a thunk thunk as two holes appeared in the cabin wall beside her. “Amateurs. Eat this.” She squeezed the trigger.

There was a thunk as a fresh hole appeared above her head. Linda racked another shell home and squeezed again. “Jess, could use a little help here. I got two of them. There are more taking their place. That second boat has some on it gearing up.”

“Stay down. I pushed up off Ricky and ran for the stairs. It sounded like hail as holes were appearing in the cabin wall and boat hull.

Six seconds later I was coming back up on deck. I headed forward to make them have to shift their targets. Linda took out two more. I didn’t want both of us aiming for the same gunman. “Ones on the right are mine. I’ll work back toward the left.” Time wasn’t on our side. Send enough bullets and the percentages go way up whatever you’re shooting at is going to get shot. They were sending a lot of lead our way.

I dropped down on the deck and focused in on the guys on the far boat. I missed as the roll of our boat and theirs threw off my aim.

Linda took out another one. “Damn show off.” I muttered under my breath.

I focused again. “Just shoot the damn cactus and stop thinking.”

Their boat was coming up on a wave and we had bottomed out in a trough. I aimed at his head instead of his chest. And squeezed. He wasn’t wearing a bullet proof vest. With the 308 it didn’t make any difference. His insides disappeared. There were thunks around me now as splinters flew up from the decking. The ones on that boat decided Linda wasn’t their threat at the moment. I was.

I accidentally managed to take out another one while Linda finished up with the last two on the left boat. Both boats were doing a hard turn to port which threw the shooters off balance. One threw his arms up in the air trying to maintain his balance. Linda nailed him. He fell off the boat face first. I tried again. The glass in the cabin shattered. Linda took out another one before the boats finished turning to speed away.

Our targets were gone unless we wanted to throw bullets at the back of boats speeding away from us. It wasn’t what we were trained to do. We were trained to focus on one target, one bullet, one kill. It was what all good hunters did. They never shot at a flock of birds or a herd of animals. They picked one and focused. Shooting at a flock or a herd meant a ninety percent chance of a miss. There was an awful lot of air and space between each individual target.

Linda walked up to where I was getting up off the deck. She nodded. “Nice shooting.”

“Poor shooting you mean. Jeeze hon, I didn’t know our government let Russians train with the Navy Seals. That didn’t come from shooting at targets on land.”

Linda was smiling as she gave me a wink. “I’m surprised you didn’t learn about our Navy Seals. Spetsnaz Group Alfa was the group I trained with. Women don’t become one of them. Some of us are trained with and by them.”

Leaning down I was picking up shell casings off the deck so no one would step on them and slip. “You would think they would be smart enough to paint over the names on the boats before they try and kill someone. I saw Bad Break and Knot Yacht. Where do you think they were out of?”

Linda looked out across the sea in thought. “They didn’t plan on losing. Who is going to be alive to tell about the boats? Think about it. How many were there? Twelve, fourteen? If it had been only me they would have managed to board us because of the sheer numbers.”

She reached out with her left hand and brushed my hair away from my face as she looked into my eyes. “Jess they aren’t ever going to stop coming as long as that son of a bitch is alive that put a bounty on you. Drunk or sober, men get together and swap tales about bounty money. They start thinking they will be the ones to win the prize money. It isn’t the professionals that worry me. They think things through knowing they need an edge or they aren’t going to return for the money. They also understand the law of retribution. There isn’t a single professional who doesn’t understand Raul brought it on himself. They understand the unwritten law of murder for hire. You kill someone in the business, you make damn sure none of their friends are left. Because you signed your own death certificate.”

“It’s those idiots like we turned away that worry me. There are a lot of them who don’t have two working brain cells. They think all they have to do is get a couple of their buddies to go along, kill you, and collect the reward.”

She turned and headed for the stairs. “We can keep killing the idiot crowd until the world ends and there will always be more of them. It’s time to take care of the problem at the source. I’ll put in some calls and see what comes up in the boat registry along the north side of the Mediterranean. Right now I’m pissed off enough I want to finish cleaning out one rat hole, even if it won’t stop the others. I’ll put a notice out to my sources and ask Serena to find out everything she can about Ernesto’s habits and where he normally stays. He is going to get his final lesson in this business. He’s out of his league. Don’t ask the girls to dance when you don’t know the steps.”

I headed for the stairs to check the engine room. “I’m going to see if any of those bullets breeched the hull. If they did I hope the bilge pump can keep up. Check the map and plot in the nearest land just in case.”

Fifty minutes later I was stepping into the cockpit where Linda and Ricky were.
Ricky heard me coming and turned to look. “Are we sinking?”

“Not yet. We are taking on water. I couldn’t find where. The holes have to be pretty close to the water line because it isn’t that much. Think in terms of a garden hose and that would be pretty close to what is coming in. The bilge pump is handling it without any problem. Still need to make a decent port with a boat lift to get this boat out of the water to fix the holes. At least we won’t have to beach it unless the pump quits.”

I stepped up to look at the nautical maps. “Did you find one while I was checking?”

Linda pointed to the map. “Anissaras is closest. Nothing there to handle a boat this big. We would have to take the bus back to Heraklion. We couldn’t take our gear on the bus. Let’s see if we can make it back to Heraklion. If the bilge pump is taking care of the leak it is the best choice.”

“Heraklion it is then. Keep in mind that’s a long swim back if that pump quits.” I was plotting in the distance.

Looking across the sea, I was tired. Where would it end? “Linda, we thinned them out. They lost a lot of friends. If they didn’t dump the bodies overboard they are carrying a lot of pain back with them. If you are right about them being a bunch of guys getting together and drinking their courage, we gave them a wake up call. Being guys they will talk about what they did today in whispers and lament the loss of friends until the day they die. They will pick up their guns and talk about revenge and make a hundred excuses why that day isn’t a good day to try again. Their liquid courage will never be up to the task again as long as they live.”

I turned to look at her. “Forget them.”

She stared at me for the longest before she nodded in agreement. “Every time I think I have you figured out you throw me off balance again. I wondered for a long time why you never contact your sources for information. Even if your government threw you under the bus for one reason or another, your sources you built up over time would still be there. You don’t have any sources do you? Yet, you are one of the best I have ever met in this business. Even freelance bodyguards build up sources over time when they become as good as you.”

I waited to see where Linda was going with this. She was getting awfully close to the truth. Had she figured out I was an accident in Ricky’s lab?

She looked over at Ricky. “Jess never talks about guarding anyone. She doesn’t talk about you as if she was hired as a bodyguard. But then she has protected you time and time again better than any four men could. She has no past beyond five years ago when your lab went up in smoke. If I was speculating on the impossible I would say she came out of that lab.”

Ricky swallowed and gave a fake laugh. “Hah. We all know that’s impossible.”

There was no doubt Ricky was the worst liar in the world. I waited for the accusation from Linda that she had found the truth.

When she turned from Ricky to look at me, shock was plainly visible in her eyes. She gave me a full body scan. “Impossible…,”

She turned and headed for the stairs. “I’m going to check on the bilge pump.”

It was over an hour before Linda walked back into the cabin. I was looking ahead, scanning the horizon in a mindless nothing, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I felt her staring at me.

Ricky was off to the side, as quiet as a mouse watching both of us. I think he was scared to say anything, hoping against hope Linda hadn’t figured it out.

“Thomas Baker.” Came as softly as a whisper in the night. Yet it couldn’t have been any louder if she had shouted the name.

Slowly I turned around wondering what was going through her mind and how she was going to handle it. “Yes.”

Linda took me in from head to toe several times over. I was still wearing the red bikini so there wasn’t much to hide.

“I don’t believe it and I’m looking at it. Ricky said it was impossible. My government has killed more than a dozen people trying to do what I’m looking at. Yet the impossible is standing in front of me. Was it an accident or on purpose?” She was staring at my face trying hard to wrap her mind around what she had been working beside all these years wasn’t her imagination.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “A little bit of both. Ricky wanted a date for the Halloween party. He had been removing terminal cancer a little at a time from my body
for almost six months. Everything was going the way he envisioned it. His machine was doing what no doctor could. He saved my life.”

Looking over at Ricky I smiled and gave him a wink. “Finish the story Ricky. You can explain it better than me.”

“cough, cough” Ricky was taking quick glances from me to Linda, to me, to Linda, to me…, “It…, I…, uh…, joke…, ah, uh, Tom and I grew up together and were always playing jokes on one another. I thought…, funny…, best joke ever.”

He looked down at his feet before he got the courage to look at us again. He focused in on me for support. I nodded and smiled. Ricky got a weak smile and tried again. “Mistake…, it was a terrible mistake. Looking back, analyzing the problems they are having now with the machine. It was a miracle I didn’t kill my best friend in that damn infernal machine.”

He frowned and got more than serious as he looked at Linda. “You understand don’t you? Why I won’t tell them about Jessica? They would try to duplicate the process and kill hundreds, thousands because the margin of error is so minute it borders on being impossible.”

“It has everything to do with molecular bonding and surface tension. Have you ever floated a needle in a bowl of water? That sliver of metal will float on top the water because the water molecules are bonded together and are resisting the needle pushing down and separating them. Add the slightest vibration and the needle will break through the bond and sink.”

“Add one drop of soap to the bowl and the needle will sink. Soap breaks down the cohesion between water molecules. It makes water wetter as a surfactant. If you leave that needle floating on top the water and put a hand on each side of the bowl, it’s possible you may be one of the very few who can move that needle from side to side. Or you may make it turn in a circle just by thinking of doing it. You are creating energy in your hands the same as you do when you flex your fingers, bend an elbow.”

“One of your own researchers was able to show us this energy by using Kirlian photography. The activation by vibration of the living cells was done by one of ours, Royal Raymond Rife. Nicola Tesla was another of your research scientists who showed the world the invisible electromagnetic forces around us.”

“I brought them all together. The machine breaks the bonding between the cells in the human body. In simple terms each cell is moved by a magnetic field. It’s a lot more complicated than that because holding a magnet against the body wouldn’t work. It has to be focused on each cell or group of cells. Too much of a good thing and the whole body becomes a mass of cells on the floor of the chamber. Not enough disruption of the cellular bonding and the body is torn apart like shredded meat.”

Sadly he looked at me and shook his head. “Because we were removing cancer, Tom’s cellular structure had been shifted over a long period of time. His cells were allowed to form a cohesive bond only to a limited extent. They weren’t really locked down at the time. I had the program of Jessica mapped out in the machine. I thought it would be funny to turn my best friend into a woman after we had removed all his cancer. It was a joke and only going to be for a couple days.”

Linda was staring at me again. “And you choose to stay this way? Are you one of those who wanted to be a girl?”

I wanted to laugh. “You’re referring to transsexual. No, I was boy or male through and through. If you remember, the machine was destroyed. I was trapped at the time as Ricky had designed me. There was no turning back. By the time the new machine was built I had grown accustomed to being a woman. I love Ricky as a woman, not as a man. If I become Tom again that would be past tense. There was another factor stopping the switch back. Ricky said it would kill me. What you see is what you get until I die of old age.”

Linda still looked shocked. “That explains it then.”

“Explains what?” I was curious.

“You watching me or Serena when we dress or change. You don’t just look, you…, look. Are you bi now?”

That brought a smile. “No. I’m not interested in women in that respect. I watch and take notes because women are different from men. Men get dressed. Period. Women decorate instead of dressing. Each piece of clothing is to cover their canvas, their body, with reason and purpose. They dress with purpose, not because they need a covering on their body. They are artists in a sense. The better they bring it all together, the better the final portrait.”

Linda’s eyes danced in amusement. “Damn! I missed something being born a woman. I always took it for granted women and men got dressed. I’m going to have to take female lessons from you so I’ll know the rules to the game.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Hon, where do you think I’ve been getting all my lessons from? From that first day I saw you back at Dallas I thought you were the most beautiful, sexiest woman I had ever seen. I told Ricky to get your phone number because I wanted you to be my first date when Tom returned.”

Linda laughed and then got serious. “Let’s keep this conversation between the three of us. Ricky is right. My government would march men and women through that machine like dominoes to try and duplicate what you and Ricky did. I have no interest in watching hundreds, thousands of my countrymen die for no reason.”

She got more than serious. “Jess, live or die you stepped into the meat grinder when you took out a drug lord in Mexico that first time. You must develop contacts and resources if you plan on staying alive. So far you have been lucky. That only goes so far. I didn’t research Tomas Baker. There was no purpose. Obviously he was a sniper, trained by the military. You carried that much through to present tense. It explains a lot, including that damn big cannon you like to use as a gun.”

Linda shook her head and got a funny grin on her face. “Thomas Baker is wanted by the CIA, Jessica Rabbit is wanted by the FBI and the drug cartels. You seem to have an uncanny knack for making friends wherever you go no matter who you are. And you do it so easily and naturally too. I’m not going to tell you to try and make nice with your own government. Not because I’m Russian but because your government has become corrupted from the top down. It wouldn’t surprise me if you asked them for help they would alert Escobedo you were coming. My government wants you working for them Jess. They would always consider you a double agent, never fully trustworthy because you have no background more than six years ago. I promise with my own life they would never sacrifice you. Give it some thought.”

“I’ll share some of my contacts with you. You must develop others for your own preference. You are always talking about a Texas Ranger. You need to contact him to see if he will share intel with you. You can’t call him up or send him a letter or an email asking if he will share. You will need to arrange a meeting face to face. Go find a fishing pole. I’ll get my camera. We will take some pictures of you fishing off the fantail to send to him. Enclose a hand written note with the pictures. Something along the line of, 'fishing is great, weather is perfect, looking to take care of the big one. Might need help pulling him in.' If he is as sharp as you think he is he will get the message.”

Five guys gathered around James’ desk after he opened the manila envelope postmarked from Greece. The six pictures, twelve by fourteen glossies, he pulled out and laid on his desk brought wolf whistles from three of the guys. One of the others let out a yelp, “whoo hoo.”

“That who you deputized? Is that an official Ranger uniform?” Dale picked up the picture of Jessica wearing a red bikini. She was bent over forward looking up at the camera showing more than a fair amount of cleavage.

Lonnie reached past James and picked up the next one. Jessica was standing on tip toe, all stretched out reaching up for the end of a fishing pole. “Hell yeah! I’d deputize her in a heartbeat. Just one question. Where does she carry her pistol?”

James pushed the pictures back before anyone else could thumb through them. “Hands off you vultures. Your hot breath is wrinkling the photos. Your clammy little paws are leaving smudges.”

The bottom picture didn’t go all the way back into the envelope with the rest. James pulled it out to rearrange it. “Holy shit!” Came from one of the guys behind him. It was a picture of Jessica with black hair. She was wearing a purple almost dress standing in front of a band. She had her right arm and hand behind her. Her left was reaching out as if she had just spun out from a partner. Her head was turned slightly away from the camera. She was looking back at it out of the corner of her eyes. The slit of the dress was open all the way up to her hip showing nothing but long beautiful leg. Her crystal chandelier earrings, multi strand necklace, and bracelet accented her uncommon beauty.

Bobby picked up a piece of paper off the next desk. “I’m starting a petition. That girl has got to be made a full time Texas Ranger. None of that temporary deputy stuff. And we aren’t sharing her with no FBI either.” He held it up. “Who wants to be the first to sign?”

Lorrie was walking by. She stopped to see what the guys were looking at on James’ desk. Shaking her head she headed for the office talking to herself. “I can see anything productive from the guys is gone out the window this morning.”

It was two days after James received the manila envelope. “James Daniels?” The guy walked over to James pickup before James left the parking lot of the Ranger station.

James looked him over and nodded. The guy had Fed written all over him. What was it about them that they all looked and smelled like the same cookies in the cookie pan once they joined up?

“You received a packet from a Jessica Rabbit a couple days back. I’d like to have it.” He waited for the packet.

The corner of James mouth turned up before he sighed. One of the guys told someone else about the pictures and they told someone until somewhere along the story line someone in the FBI heard the story. And now they think they can walk up and demand it? “No problem. Let’s see your warrant.”

The look on the man’s face was a mixture of surprise and disapproval. “I thought, with a little inter agency co-operation, a warrant wouldn’t be necessary. What about that packet?”

James smiled and nodded. “Sure. Just as soon as you hand me that court order so we can keep this inter agency co-operation thing on the up and up.”

“You’re not denying you received a packet from a felon on the FBI list?” He wasn’t happy with the turn of events.

Now it was James turn to look disgusted. “You, I, and most anyone in law who is doing their job receives information or data from those outside the law from time to time. I’m not in the habit of disclosing my sources nor handing out information about same to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who comes along with their hand out. You may have a warrant out for her arrest, but as of yet Miss Rabbit has yet to be tried and convicted of anything. I strongly suggest you go back and review your lessons in criminology because the lady is not a felon. One can’t be a felon unless they have been tried and convicted in a court of law. Or that is the way our system used to work.”

James stared up his pickup. “You go get your court order to seize whatever you think I might have received. Until then, try and do a little more studying about what is or isn’t legal. Don’t bring your Washington law games to Texas. We still practice the constitutional law here.”

Bud watched as James drove off. “You have no idea who you’re playing with cowboy.”

Returning to headquarters at eight that night James walked in, pulled the manila envelope out of his desk, and headed right back out again.

Those who checked in the following morning found manila envelopes on their desks. Funny thing about the envelopes, they were all postmarked from Greece. Inside each one were six pictures of twelve by fourteen glossies of iconic scenic views from around the world and two pictures of Jessica. One was her pose on the boat and the other was the nightclub picture. There was a typewritten note included. ‘Having a wonderful time. Not missing you. Regards Jessica’

Not missing a beat, Bud arrived at the Ranger station around seven A.M. with a warrant for the packet James may have received from one Jessica Rabbit. Bud dropped it on the desk in front of James. “I have that formal request for a little inter agency co-operation wise guy.”

James opened up his desk drawer and pulled out several manila envelopes. He tossed them up on top the desk. “I’m not sure which one is it or maybe none of them are. The guys wanted copies for their inter office co-operation. The lab wasn’t sure which packet was the original when they finished. I’m sure your agency can figure it out.”

Bud’s face scrunched up as he glared at James. “Who’s your superior? I’m sure he isn’t going to be pleased with the way you are trying to make sure we don’t receive the original packet she sent.”

“Actually, what his superior really doesn’t care about is how you went about demanding James turn over any information he may or may not have received from Miss Rabbit. I put in a call to your boss, Leroy Appelton. I explained to him Miss Rabbit has worked with us as a Ranger. I have two Rangers still on the job because of her assistance. Any information she may or may not have for us is confidential. Next time you want any information Miss Rabbit may have sent to us I strongly suggest you ask politely. If it has anything to do with Miss Rabbit don’t expect to get it. In the interest of inter agency co-operation I’m sure you understand.”

Bud turned around to see who was verbally harassing him. “And you are?”

“Henry Millman, I’m the captain of this back woods organization. Your boss told me you were one of those who met Miss Rabbit a few years back. I suspect you made this a personal vendetta. For your information it’s personal for me too. I have two Rangers who are alive because of her particular skills. Our report when she worked as a Ranger is an open report. Pick it up and read it. I read the FBI report. I also read the police report and the report written by one of our rangers from that day. Seemed to be a difference of expert opinion in those reports. She showed a lot of skill and restraint that day. It would have been a lot easier for her to shoot you and leave. You’re not alive because she’s a bad shot. You’re alive because she’s a damn good shot.”

Bud was fuming as he grabbed up the three packets James offered. He stormed out of the Ranger station shouting, “HAYSEEDS!”

Every Ranger in the room stood up and clapped, as hoots and hollers rang across the room. “YAYYYY!”

Henry looked around. “Don’t let this go to your head. She’s still on the FBI most wanted list. Whether we like it or not, if she turns up we arrest and hold her for them.”

He stared at James and then Matt. “Do I make myself clear? Don’t make me tell you two again.”

Henry walked over to Lonnie’s desk and laid a sheet of paper down. “Absolutely not!”

Lonnie pointed over toward Bobby. “He started it not me.”

Henry shook his head as he turned and walked back toward his office. “I am NOT going to hire her as a Ranger no matter how many petitions you guys sign.”

“I bet she could pass the marksman qualifications without any problems.” Came from someone in the back of the room.

“I’d give her an A plus on all her exams just for showing up.” Came from the other side of the room.

“James would probably give her his badge…, again.” Lonnie was looking over at James.

James nodded in agreement. “Darn right I would. I’d take her over any of you losers. She’s a lot prettier and smells better than you clowns.”

The office broke down in chaos as paper wads started flying through the air.

It was after four in the morning when James dropped off Matt at his house and headed home. The past two weeks had been a series of bad intel, poor planning, and wasted labor. The gang of car jackers managed to steal twelve more high end models. It didn’t make James feel any better to know Buck and Paul, the other two Rangers assigned to the case weren’t having any better luck.

The Houston police had asked for assistance from the Rangers as they were not any closer to catching the thieves than what they had been for the past five months. The insurance companies, along with several prominent citizens, were beginning to question if the police weren’t accomplices themselves.

James and Matt called a time out after two weeks to rethink the case. When he pulled into his driveway there was a brown Mustang on his driveway. It wasn’t a car anyone he knew might be driving, unless one of the guys traded cars in the past two weeks while he was out of town. He looked inside as he walked toward his house. There wasn’t anyone in it. When he opened his front door he didn’t hesitate as he drew his pistol. The house didn’t smell right. There was a lingering scent of a woman in the air. His house alarm had been turned off.

James was turning on lights as checked the kitchen. There were dishes out he had put away. Pans were on the stove he hadn’t left. He checked the garage. It was empty. In the living room he found a black sequined bolero jacket on the back of the couch. Black patent leather heels were in front of it. He headed to the bedrooms.

The first one he checked was his own, the master bedroom. A black haired beauty, she was snuggled down under the blanket. When he flipped on the lights she looked over sleepily at him.

“Would you mind?” She looked over at the clock. “Four thirty? Go away. Call me anytime after eight when you have breakfast ready.” She rolled over and pulled a pillow over her head.

It was one of the few times in his life James was shocked. He looked at the black sequined dress draped across the back of the chair along with a black bra, black slip and black nylons. “Lady, do you have any idea whose house you are in? That’s MY bed in case you might want to know.”

She moved the pillow, rolled back over, and looked at him. “Yes it is and a very nice bed too. Jessica sends her regards. Now be a good little Ranger and go find another one because I was here first and I’m not sharing. James…, turn out the light on your way out.”

She rolled back over and pulled the pillow back over her head. James stood there mulling that one over in his mind. He had been in some weird situations before but this one definitely moved up to number one. He decided to make sure he was safe in his own house. “How big is that gun you’re carrying?”

“She said you would ask that question. The answer is, it’s bigger than yours. Mine really isn’t. I couldn’t handle her fifty. Now go away.” Came the muffled reply from under the pillow.

Shaking his head James turned out the lights and was about to pull the door shut behind him before he stopped and looked at the woman lying in his bed. “You were there with her six years ago weren’t you.”

“Yes. I’d love to swap old war stories with you, but not at this ungodly hour in the morning. Now be a sweetheart and go away.” Came from under the pillow.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

She pushed the pillow back and looked at him. “If it had been anyone but you they would have been dead before they got both feet inside the front door. Now go get some sleep.”

James stared at her before he pulled the door closed. Either the girl wasn’t asleep like she pretended or else she slept with one eye open. Everything about Jessica and those she associated with were high end black ops speed bumps. They banged into his life without even a hint of a notice. James headed to the spare bedroom. If the black haired beauty didn’t kill him in his sleep she would explain in the morning. He was too tired to care either way. He slid his Glock under his pillow and climbed into bed after dropping his clothes on the floor. He was sound asleep in minutes.

It was the smell of percolating coffee and frying bacon that brought him up out of his sleep. He pulled on the clothes he had dropped beside the bed last night before looking at his watch. It was after eleven. He headed for the kitchen.

She had set two places at the table and was pouring a cup of coffee. “Morning sleepy head. I thought you were supposed to fix breakfast. Since you decided to see who could stay in bed the longest this morning I finally gave in.”

James stared at the black haired beauty. She was wearing a tailored gray silk pantsuit and four inch gray stiletto heels. She had nice soft understated curves, and an angelic face with the prettiest black eyes he had ever seen. He didn’t miss the obvious gun laying on top of the table. “Going to shoot me or do I get to eat a last meal?”

“Ha ha, funny. You have a guilty conscience and think you need to be shot?” She dished up some eggs and bacon along with toast on a platter before putting it on the table. She took a seat. “You can stand there and look if you want. I’m going to eat. You can join me if you feel like it.”

James found his chair. “I think I’ll join you since this is my house. Or it was when I left it two weeks ago. It was nice of you to look after things while I was away Miss…?”

“Serena, I’m here for two reasons. Jessica needs you to find out everything you can about Ernesto Escobedo in Columbia.” She was buttering her toast.

“The drug lord. She’s going after him isn’t she?” James felt a dread deep down in his soul. People who go after drug lords usually didn’t live to tell about it.

Serena nodded. “Any information, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant, can mean the difference between making it in and out alive. Requests coming through the Texas Rangers won’t be that conspicuous. Routine research on drug traffic coming into Texas.”

James watched as she took a bite of toast and then focused on the eggs. “And the second reason?”

Serena took a bite of egg before answering. “Jess will be at the Red Dragon Inn at eight tonight. She has some information for you. I’m going to give it to you now so you don’t inadvertently lead anyone else to her. There is a bug in your head quarters. The FBI is listening in to everything said around your desk. They are waiting for you to say where Jess is or lead them to her.”

“They bugged my desk? How? When?” James was having a hard time believing her.

“From everything we have been able to pick up it was done when one of their guys visited you. Bud Martin is his name. It’s a short range bug and needs a repeater which is located on a power pole behind your head quarters.” She took a sip of her coffee. “You better eat before it gets cold. I hate cold eggs and coffee, don’t you?”

James looked at the eggs and toast on his plate. He took a bite of toast as he gathered his thoughts. “How do you know all this? Who do you people work for? Are you double crossing your own agency?”

“You mean the FBI? No, we don’t work for them or the CIA. We know about the bug because we have been listening to the same thing the FBI has.” She was eating the last of her eggs.

James laughed. “You have the FBI bugged don’t you? Oh this is too rich. They bug us and you bug them. Is nothing sacred any more? Everyone is listening into everyone else. Now we have to join the rat race and start scanning our own building for listening devices every couple days. How long has this been going on?”

Serena picked up her coffee and pushed back from the table. “We started listening to your office the day before you received an envelope from Jessica. The FBI, the day they planted a bug in your office. We try and cover all bases before the game starts. James, Jessica and I are going to meet you in Houston to catch those car thieves you have been looking for. We can lead you right to them because they have a piece of equipment that belongs to us. It was stolen from one of our vehicles. It cancels out all electronic signals within a five hundred meter range. We can pinpoint it because it is a dead zone in the middle of the signal blizzard Houston has become.

“Your equipment? I’m guessing you aren’t part of our government?” He was watching her eyes for an indication he had stumbled onto the truth.

She got more than serious. “Jessica is married to Ricky. I know they look like a May December couple, but the love they share is real. She also loves you. Jess is different from anyone I’ve ever known. Even if you led the wolves to her she would give up her life if it meant one of you was going to die. Jess lives in a black and white world with good guys on one side and bad guys on the other. She won’t cross that line herself.”

Serena took a sip of coffee as she focused in on James. “I’m not that careful about who is good or bad. Those FBI guys are alive because Jess didn’t want them hurt. If you lead anyone to Jess don’t make me decide whether to kill you or let you go. Jess would never hurt me even though she would never forgive me. Keep that in mind when you check in to the office this afternoon.”

James watched as she rinsed her dishes in the sink and then put them in the dishwasher. She picked up a gray purse from the top of the cabinet and slipped the gun into it. “The dishwasher has soap in it. Put your dishes in it when you get through.” She was headed for the door.

“Do I need to give you a house key in case you want to come back?” James was admiring the view as Serena walked to the front door.

She turned and winked at him. “Silly Ranger, why would I need a house key? I’ll see you tonight at the club. Don’t bring any friends or shadows who might want to bring in Jessica. It could…, will get ugly if you do.”

James was staring at the door as it closed behind her. “Damn Red, you have some really interesting friends.”

He put his dishes in the dishwasher and started it before he headed to the bedroom for a shower and a change of clothes. When he opened the bedroom door he stopped and stared. There was no way she forgot. She left it behind to play with his mind he was sure. The black sequined dress was laid out on top his bed along with the rest that went with it. Was it a hint she was coming back or was it a warning she could walk into his home anytime she felt like it?

I figured James would share any information about the drug cartel without a face to face meeting. Linda told me I needed to talk to him personally and firm up the agreement. I also needed to let him know I wasn’t going to be the one he would be passing information to. It would be one of Serena’s or Linda’s contacts instead. Someone home based in Texas or Oklahoma.

Every time I returned to the states there was a certain percentage I would be recognized and taken into custody. Even flying into Mexico and taking a private plane into the states so I missed the airport screening still had its risks. The meeting Serena had set up tonight, and helping James catch his car jackers in Houston would probably be the last time I would ever see James.

It was a little before seven when I made the Red Dragon Club. The idea is to always be way ahead of anyone else so you can check who is arriving for the party. Extra guests are never welcome. If anyone came in that door looking like any of the alphabet soup groups the government keeps on a leash I would do my best to fade out of the picture.

My hair was a soft auburn pulled back into a bun. I forewent my natural red as it was as conspicuous a hair color one can have, unless you included the punk colors like florescent pink or lime green. My soft brown dress suit and jacket were two sizes too big in order to hide rather than accent my body. My black shoes were more on the design of men’s oxford with a two inch heel. The big owl glasses along with toned down makeup completed the office secretary look. I was carrying a well worn brown leather shoulder purse with a couple notepads and even a pen and pencil sticking out of the top.

Even looking as Plain Jane as I was, heads turned as I walked into the club. Men…, you gotta love em. I walked up to the bouncer standing inside the door like he was the matre’d. “Emmily Dutton, I’d like a corner table please.”

He looked surprised and then he laughed. “Ma’am, we don’t have reservations here. You find an empty table it’s yours or you can sit at the bar. Your choice.”

“Oh! Okay then. Would you please escort me to a table? A couple of friends are supposed to join me here.” I looked down at my feet and then away like I had never done this before. A little office secretary on her first adventure into the night life.

“Uh…, sure, why not. Follow me.” He kept looking over his shoulder to make sure I didn’t get lost as he headed into the club.

He led me to the back of the room back in a corner. I could see why several of the tables there were empty. I couldn’t see the stage and it was almost like backing into a closet. PERFECT!

“Thank you.” I held out my hand to him to offer him a tip.

He took the money and looked. It was a dollar. He started laughing. “Yes ma’am. You and your friends enjoy yourself now.”

“Big spender” I heard him mutter as he walked away.

Doug nodded over his shoulder. “That’s her.”

Eddie looked around and failed to see anyone he recognized. “Her who?”

“The damn bitch who broke my leg and your wrist.”

Eddie took another look around the club. “I don’t see her.”

“Back in the corner. She’s got a lot more frumpier than when she was at the mall but that’s her. Don’t stare at her. You’ll get her attention. The drug dealers have a five hundred thousand dollar reward out for her. I aim to collect it after I pay back what she did to me.” Doug smiled as he thought of payback.

“I don’t know. It sure doesn’t look like her. She was a red head then. What if it isn’t?” Eddie kept taking glances in her direction trying to fit the picture of the woman they went up against in the mall with this one. The pictures didn’t match.

“Women can dye their hair. She may even be wearing a wig. I’m telling you that’s the bitch. If it isn’t we can have some fun with her anyway and then dump her when we are through. If she is still carrying that big gun, will that convince you? We gotta get close enough to take her out before she suspects anything.” Doug was trying to figure out how they were going to ambush her before she got wise. He didn’t want to face that big gun if she was still carrying it.

Doug felt though his pockets. “You got any of them roofies with you? I used mine a couple nights ago.”

“Yeah, those two bitches never saw it coming.” Eddie pulled a couple pills out of his shirt pocket.

Doug nodded. “Keep an eye on the waitress. When the waitress takes an order from her table we will get her to come over here and order one too. When she brings them back we will drop a pill into her drink.”

The cute little waitress was smiling as she walked up to my table. “What’ll you have honey?”

“uh…, what’s one of them drinks that doesn’t have too much alcohol in it? A Shirley Temple?”

Her smile kinda drooped. “That is one of them.”

I smiled real big like I had thrown off the bonds of office boredom. “Then that’s what I want.”

She was back in a couple minutes with the drink. “Three dollars.”

“Oh…, so much? I pulled out a clasp pocket book from my purse and started pulling out wadded up dollar bills. Unfolding them I laid out three on the table. I closed up my purse holding it close to my chest as if I didn’t want her to see how much I had.

She was shaking her head as picked up the money, turned and was walking off muttering, “This is going to be one of those nights I should have stayed home.”

Sipping my drink as I waited for Serena my mind started getting fuzzy. I needed to call…? I couldn’t remember. I picked up my phone and looked at it trying to remember. In frustration I dropped it back into my purse. Two men walked up to my table. They looked familiar. “Help me.”

“Sure hon, that’s what we are here for. Come with us and everything will be okay.” One of them took my arm and helped me up.

I didn’t want to, but they did offer to help. “You’re going to help me?”

“Sure hon. You come with us and we will help you.” Doug had his arm around her waist leading her out of the club.

Eddie picked up her purse and looked in it. “Damn that’s the bitch.” He was looking at a big handgun.

Serena walked into the club at seven thirty. She expected to see Jess since Jessica had told Serena she would be there before seven. After scanning the club a couple times and still no Jessica, Serena headed for the ladies room. Still no Jessica. Serena walked back into the club the same time James came in the front.

She motioned James over toward the bar. “Trouble, I need you to do a cell phone location for me.”

“Whose?” James was wondering what the problem was?

“Jessica. She’s not here. Something is wrong. Do a location trace, area code nine seven two, seven seven four six.”

James nodded. “My truck, let’s go.”

In the pickup James picked up the radio. “Brenda, I need a cell phone trace. The sooner the better.”

A couple minutes later his request was answered. “James, it seems to be stationary at Colby and Bryant.”

“Okay, tell me if it moves.” He looked over at Serena. That’s eight miles north east of here. You riding with me or you following in your car?”

I hurt like I had never hurt before. On a pain scale of one to ten I would call it a twelve.

“You’re going to tell me you stupid bitch. Who you working for?”

Licking the blood at the corners of my mouth, I tried to smile. I had no idea if I did or not because my face was like the rest of my body, beyond feeling. “muf aaf wov mif”

“What?” He leaned down, turned his head to put his ear closer to my mouth.

It was plain enough. I said fuck you. He must be hard of hearing. “mas ur gugg aff”

There was no doubt he was going to start cutting off fingers. I was wrong. That wouldn’t have been painful enough. He held my index finger and rammed the blade up under the fingernail.

The air left my lungs and my mouth in one huge gasp of pain. The two men were sprayed with blood. I passed out.

“What if she has aids or one of them other contagious diseases?” Eddie looked at Doug in disgust. I’m going to wash this shit off.” He walked out of the room.

Doug looked at the blood splatter on his hands and clothes. He pushed over the chair she was tied to before he left the room. “Stupid bitch.”

Fifteen minutes later James pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex. Serena pulled in behind him. She got out and walked along in front of the parked cars holding her hand out until she felt heat from one. Walking up beside it she saw Jessica’s purse on the front seat. Everything had been poured out onto the seat. The cell phone was there, her gun was missing.

Four guys were on a landing leading up to the second story. “Hey babe, how about you and me going to my place?” Came from one of them, along with catcalls and encouragement from the others.

She turned to look. “The guy who drives this car. What apartment is he in?”

One of the guys stood up, straightened his collar and smiled. “Come to my place and I’ll tell you.”

James walked up behind Serena. The guys looked at James in disgust. The one who had been doing all the talking spit on the sidewalk. “Beat it Ranger, you have no business around here.”

Doug walked back into the room with a rifle. He set the woman and the chair back up. “You broke my wrist. Remember bitch?”

He brought the rifle barrel down on my arm.

I screamed in pain. “AAAAAHHHHHHHHH”

Serena looked up the stairs at the apartment where the scream came from. “Get out of my way.” She hissed at the four guys still blocking the stairs.

“Say pretty please.” The mouth for the group grinned.

Serena pulled her gun out of her purse and shot him in the left leg. He was tumbling off the stairs when she shot the next man in the leg. He was falling face first down the steps. The last two were jumping off the side of the stairs as Serena charged.

“You busted my leg.” Eddie took the rifle from Doug and swung it at the woman’s knee.

“AAAAAHHHHHHH” I passed out again.

James was up the stairs one step behind Serena. He put everything he had into it and then some as he brought his right foot up and plastered it against the door. The steel door held but the wood doorframe didn’t. It splintered into a hundred pieces as the door swung in.

Serena pushed James aside with her left hand as she charged into the room. She swept the room with her eyes and her mind in less than a hundredth of a second. She had her first target threat in her sights. She waited.

Eddie was turning to meet who ever had busted into the room. He was bringing his rifle up as pieces of the doorframe were still sliding across the floor.

Serena painted the wall with his brains.

Doug didn’t know the rule of a professional is to leave no threats. Not understanding Serena was waiting on him like a cat waiting for the mouse. He was pulling Jessica’s gun out of his waistband. When he had the gun free and was bringing it up Serena ended his life the same way she had the other one.

James made it into the room a second behind Serena with his gun drawn. One man was down and the second was going down. The second thing that caught his attention was the bloody mess tied to the chair. “My god, did they kill her?”

Serena was still at the ready. “Haven’t checked. Make sure these were the only two. Check the rest of the apartment.”

Taking a quick look at the two lying on the floor James headed for the kitchen. Less than a minute he had checked the rest of the apartment. He came back into the living room and stared at Jess as Serena finished cutting her bonds. “Jess?”

Serena shook her head. “She’s too beat up to understand anything. They broke several bones in her face, her left arm and her kneecap. Carry her to my car.”

Serena pulled a small hypodermic out of her purse and removed the needle guard. She noticed James staring with doubt in his eyes. Holding the needle in her right hand she measured halfway up the vial. “It’s kin to sodium pentothal. The whole batch will kill, half that will sedate her and keep her from feeling the pain any longer.

“I love you hon. Hang on.” She jabbed Jessica in the leg.

James slid his gun back into his holster. “Standard equipment for all field agents?”

Serena dropped the hypo back into her purse after slipping the cap back on. “A tool to kill if we don’t want to leave bullet holes. A heart attack is just as deadly and no one questions the death. If the situation gets bad enough we can use it on ourselves if we don’t want to eat a bullet.”

“I’ll call an ambulance.” James was positive they didn’t need to be moving Jessica.

“No! Jess was never here. You put a Jane Doe or whatever in your report when you fill it out. Jess can’t be treated in the hospital. Those like us live or die on our own. Hospitals mean pictures, fingerprints, blood samples, and arrest. I like you James. Jessica thinks the world of you, but I will kill you if you leave me no choice deciding between you or Jessica.”

James looked at the two dead men lying on the floor with a big chunk of their skulls missing. He looked over at Serena holding Jessica’s head up. “You’re right, the hospital would alert the authorities and Jessica would turn up on that FBI list. I’ll take her. Do you have someone who can treat her without any legal entanglements?”

“More than you need to know. Since you didn’t ask and I’m not saying, we will fly her out of the country.” Serena picked up Jessica’s fifty from the dead man’s hand. She walked over and checked outside the apartment to make sure they wouldn’t be ambushed carrying Jessica to the car.

James hated it as he carried Jessica down to Serena’s Mustang. Jessica’s broken arm and leg were flopping with every step he took. He took one last look as he placed her in the Mustang. “Red, I’m sorry. You saved my life and I wasn’t there for you.”

He watched Serena drive off before he walked over to his pickup and the radio. “This is unit nine two four. I have a ten seventy one and an eleven forty one. I have victims with gunshot wounds. I’m at Keletter Apartments at Colby and Bryant.”

“Ten four, nine two four. I have backup and ambulances on the way.” Brenda responded.

The four guys who had blocked the stairs earlier were gone. If they didn’t come back it would make it easier writing up the report. The coroner had to be called. The search for the four witnesses thankfully turned up nothing. The crime scene had to be cordoned off. The hardest part was explaining who shot whom and where the shooter and one of the victims went. Then the report had to be written up and filed at head quarters before he finally made it home…, again at two o’clock in the morning.

Her scent still lingered in the house as he walked in. He was too tired to really care as an unconscious smile crossed his face. James debated between a shower and bed before he headed to the shower to rinse off the evil he had gotten close to that evening. He had no idea why those two wanted to beat Jessica to a pulp. Maybe they were sick or maybe she said something to make them mad. He would ask Jessica if he ever saw her again, provided she could still remember anything. That was if she lived. She was in pretty bad shape.

He finished toweling off and headed back into the bedroom and stopped cold as he stared. She wasn’t there when he walked through the bedroom to take a shower.

She pulled the covers back. “I need some company.”

James blinked as he tried to gather his thoughts. What he was looking at was a lissome beauty second to none. “You have that gun?”

Serena slid her hand under the pillow. “Always.”

“You plan on killing me?” He was wondering if he was the fly invited into the spider’s bed?

She smiled and shook her head. “Not tonight.”

“Jessica?”

Serena looked over at the clock on the nightstand. “She’s headed home. She’s somewhere out over the Atlantic now. I would be with her except I have a job to finish up here. She’s in good hands. She will be okay. Ricky will make her well.”

She patted the bed beside her. “I need someone to cuddle up to tonight. Please. Hold me and make the world go away.”

It was an offer James couldn’t refuse. He slid in bed and pulled her up close as she snuggled up against him. Her head was on his left shoulder, her arm across his chest. He smelled her hair. She was different from any woman he had ever known. It was when he put his hand on her back he felt them. James slid his hand up and down her back counting the welts.

She took a deep breath. “I grew up raised by different people. The first couple, the man and woman beat me. I don’t remember how old I was. All I remember were the beatings. They passed me on to another couple when they adopted a boy. He was stronger, older than me and could do more work. They beat him too but not as often.”

She wiggled in closer as if it was possible. “I was six or seven when the first couple gave me to the second couple. The man beat me, the woman not as much but she made up for it by raping me with a broom handle when she felt extra mean.”

“I was eight or nine when one night the man forgot to lock up his gun after raping me. I killed them both and never felt so good. I walked the twenty kilometers over to the first couple’s house and killed them. For the first time in my life I felt clean.”

Her head moved around on James shoulder until it seemed she found the right spot and then she stopped. James wondered if she had gone to sleep as he felt along her back again.

She tried to snuggle in even closer, tighter. “The authorities found the first couple I killed and sent two men to check on the second couple. I was waiting as they walked in the door. Killing them didn’t make me feel good. I didn’t feel bad, but I didn’t feel good like the first four killings did. More men came and I killed three more. Why didn’t killing them make me feel good? I had no more bullets.”

“They were going to hang me. Someone in my government thought I might prove to be useful. They made me take many tests. They realized they could point me at anyone they wanted killed and I would do it. I don’t mind killing. Sometimes I feel really good when I kill someone like those two men I killed tonight. I know for everyone I kill there will be a thousand more taking their place tomorrow.”

She tilted her head back and looked up at him with those beautiful black eyes. “I know I’m a psycho. Your government would lock me up. My government points me at targets to kill. In time I will scare them too and they will kill me.”

She nestled back down in the curl of his arm again. “You understand don’t you? Normal people have a mental barrier like a wall to climb over before they kill anyone. For some it is too tall a barrier to cross. They can’t do it. For others it isn’t that big of a challenge. For me it isn’t even a bump. Sometimes there is a reward. I feel good afterwards.”

“I’m a psycho in a sane world where I don’t belong. At least there is one silver lining in being me. I’ll never grow old. Too many people are afraid of keeping me around too long.” She tried wiggling in tighter and then got real still.

James waited for several minutes as her breathing slowed down into light shallow breaths. She had gone to sleep, secure in his arm, hunting the comfort she never received as a child. What had they done to her? She was a broken spirit. Even as tired as he was it was a couple hours before he finally found sleep himself.

He could smell the coffee and bacon before he opened his eyes. She wasn’t in bed with him. He figured he was a light sleeper and yet she seemed to come and go without waking him. Quickly dressing in a fresh uniform he headed for the kitchen.

“Thought you were going to stay in bed until after I left. Figured I’d have to write you a note.” She dished up eggs and bacon onto a platter.

She had her back to him. He had walked into the room so quietly he didn’t even hear his own footsteps. How did she know? She was a beauty he could get used to looking at every morning and holding every night. She was wearing a pearlesent silver dress that hugged every soft curve of her beautiful body, along with four inch matching stiletto heels.

“Are you gone or do I leave the latch string out again tonight?”

She turned and set the platter on the table before pouring the coffee. “I have business to take care of today…,”

James eyes got two sizes too big as he knew what kind of business Serena claimed she was in.

She laughed as she looked up at him. “No not that kind. I’m going to meet someone for information. She’s lesbian and I’m bi. I’m very good at pleasing my…, clients. It’s only for the day. It is the reason I’m in Dallas. In two days I’ll be in Houston taking care of that little business we already discussed. If you want to come along we will let it play out however easy or hard they want to make it. Otherwise I’ll do what is necessary to secure our item and make sure no one is left to talk about it.”

Serena pulled out a chair and sat down, motioning for James to join her. “I haven’t asked to be invited into your house. It isn’t something I normally do. I take what I want when I want. If anyone doesn’t like it they can go to hell.”

She looked to study James eyes after he took a seat. “I’m not coming back unless you invite me.”

He didn’t quite know what to say. In her own way she was a beauty way past most of those he had ever known. Yet, getting close to her was like playing with fire. The girl was a true dyed in the wool, certified, psychotic killer. But then, Jessica killed just as easily. That day at the mall was still as fresh as if it was yesterday. She killed four men and went to pick up a dress. These women were unlike anyone, male or female, he had ever met before in his whole life.

James pushed back from the table and headed for the bedroom.

Serena figured that was as plain as it could get. She wasn’t welcome any longer. She was finishing up her coffee when James returned.

He tossed a couple keys down on the table. “Front door, back door, and garage door. Although you don’t seem to have a need for keys, you might try them. I’ve been too busy with my job to schedule any dates with any women. For the time you’re welcome to come and go as you like. In the future, seeing as how I’m a guy, I enjoy the company of a woman now and then. Call first before you check in to make sure I’m not entertaining someone of the fairer sex.”

She rose from the table, walked over to James and pulled him in for a hug and a long kiss. ”See you tonight. No soap in the dishwasher.”

He looked at the dishes still on the table and then watched as she walked toward the door. “Damn, this is just like being married. I’m already pressed into tidying up while the little woman goes off to work.”

Serena was shaking her head and laughing as she walked out the front door. She stopped and turned before she closed the door. “See you tonight dear. Don’t forget to pick up the kids at school. Make sure the dog isn’t left in the house.”

James was laughing as the door closed behind her. “Damn woman plays ping pong with the mind better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Matt was leaving as James was walking into the Ranger station. “Captain wants to see you. I don’t know what you did, but I’m sure glad I wasn’t with you last night. He has been growling at everyone since he read your report this morning. What did you do?”

James shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe got myself fired.”

He headed straight into the captain’s office. “You wanted to see me?”

Henry was looking down at the papers on his desk. “Close the door.”

He waited until James closed the door before he pushed back from his desk and looked up at James. “I’m looking at the worst cockamamie piece of bullshit report I have ever read in my entire career. Tell me what really happened.”

James studied his captain for several seconds. “It might be best if you didn’t know.”

Henry stood up as he looked down at the report and then at James. “On that door you walked in is a name. Above that name is Captain. I’m paid to be responsible for every man and woman in this division. I know a fabricated report when I see one. You didn’t secure the woman who shot the two men. You let her leave with the victim. There is no hospital report. Tell me I’m wrong but I believe your girl was the shooter.”

“You’re wrong. She was the victim. They beat her to a bloody pulp.”

Henry gave it some thought. “She died then? No hospital, no records.”

James looked out at the couple guys still at their desk. “I was told they were going to deliver her back to Ricky Clawson. I’m guessing that Philadelphia Project is real. It’s only a guess. I have no idea where it is set up if it is real.”

Henry nodded. “And the shooter? Why didn’t you bring her in?”

“She said she could save Jessica. Jess saved my butt. I owed her that much.”

Henry picked up the report and sighed. “James, you’re going to give me an ulcer. You didn’t list a name for the woman. Does she have one?”

“Serena. I think she is KGB or something. She is the one who told me our office was bugged by the FBI. How did that work out?”

Henry looked off into the distance at nothing. “Austin flew in a tech team yesterday. We were bugged as you said. They cleaned the station.”

“Okay. I’m going to cover this one up because your other girl gave us the heads up. We didn’t have this conversation. Don’t get tangled up in her skirts and don’t compromise this department or the Rangers. More than one good man has lost his senses after getting close to a beautiful woman. I take it she’s pretty?”

James snorted. “Pretty deadly. I’m betting she is in the same class as Jessica. You read the report. It was headshots. The rest of us aim for the body because it’s a bigger target. If we could hire them on as Rangers…,”

Henry was shaking his head as he looked down at the floor. “Get out of my office and stay away from the skirts. I don’t want to see any more pictures of your girlfriends spread around this station either. One Jessica is one too many.”

James had his hand on the door and hesitated. “Captain?”

Henry looked up and waited.

“I’m going back to Houston tomorrow. Will you assign Matt as back up?”

“She give you another lead?” Henry had a strong hunch why James requested Matt instead of one of the other Rangers.

James gave a very slight nod.

“I think I feel that ulcer coming on now.” Henry motioned James out the door.

Serena called Ricky and told him what they were doing before Jessica was put on the plane. They flew Jessica from Dallas to Paris on Lufthansa Airlines as an ambulatory patient. He flew into Paris with Dr. Volkov to pick her up and transport her back to Tuapse in a private jet.

The lab was being used at the time. Ricky knew there was nothing he could do except wait. While Ricky waited the hospital team pored over Jessica. They took X Rays of everything and did a medical diagnoses of all the broken bones and tissue damage. They didn’t have a chance to study the before and after when Linda had been brought in. Now they did. They wanted to make sure they didn’t miss a single detail.

Six hours and forty one minutes after she arrived Jessica was carried into the lab and placed on the glass table. Ricky waited until everyone left before he pulled the sheet off her. He kneeled down and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m so sorry Jess. This is all my fault. I wish I had removed your cancer and sent you home. I wish I had destroyed the damn machine before…, before I did this to you. Please forgive me.”

He walked back to the console. “Stay with me Jess.”

The chamber was dropping as he plugged his key chain into a port. The mapping he had done of her weeks before was going to pay off. The machine would put her back together. “Damn Jess why do you girls go out and play these games? You’re going to end up like Dimitri. I can’t give life to dead people. You’re breaking my heart every time I have to repair a broken one.”

He had to build another machine. Jessica could have died while waiting when this one was already in use. Or if it quit? It was after all only a machine and, like people, machines wear out over time. Only there would never be enough machines or enough trained people to run them. The machines took too long to fix broken bodies. There was no way to speed up the process. It had to go slow or tissue was torn apart. And people died. Ricky never planned on his machine fixing wounded warriors only fixing sick people. He now understood he didn’t have a wide enough vision for the purpose of his machine. Mankind would never be ready for this kind of technology. Someone would always get to decide who lived or who died because they would determine who had access to the machine and who didn’t.

“Ricky?” He was holding my hand. I fought my way up out of a fog as I looked around at a full staff of nurses and doctors.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” I hurt all over but couldn’t figure out why.

Ricky leaned down and gave me a kiss. “Welcome back Sunshine. I’m not there. You are here. Serena shipped you back to me. She didn’t enclose any information about what went wrong. What happened?”

Looking around as my mind cleared I realized Ricky was right. I was in the Russian hospital not an American one. I knew it well as I had spent enough time here holding Ricky’s and Linda’s hand while each recovered. “Why am I here and why do I hurt so much?”

Ricky kissed the back of my hand. “Pain is good. It means you’re still alive. Do you remember anything?”

The purple and black blotches on my left arm got my attention. “The last thing I remember is going into a club and ordering a drink. Why am I so bruised up?”

He brushed my hair away from my face. “Your arm, your knee cap, your jaw, your eye socket and several of your fingers on your right hand were broken. You looked like hell when we brought you in. Don’t you remember?”

I shook my head and that hurt. “No but if you will tell me who did it I’ll make damn sure they don’t live to regret it.”

“Too late. Serena already sent in a short report earlier. She wanted to know about you first of all. I told her you looked like shit. Told her she sent back the wrong one. It wasn’t the same girl I married. I told her to send back the real Jess and stop fooling around.”

I gave Ricky my best ‘you’re dead meat’ look, but it fell flat. I hurt too much to bring it off.

“Ha ha…,” Ricky shook his head. “Practice on it Jess. Your dead meat stare is not up to par. Anyway, to finish my story, Serena said there were two men. She used the word ‘were’ in a way which left no doubt they are past tense. You don’t remember?”

I didn’t shake my head because it hurt too much. “Last thing I remember is going into a club to wait on a meeting with James Daniels. It’s all blank from there until now.”

I looked at my arm again. “Obviously you put me back together again if I was broke up as bad as you say. I know I must look a fright. I’m sorry hon.”

He lifted up my hand and kissed the back of it. “You’ll always be a beautiful lady second to none in my eyes.”

I guess I had turned into a woman in more ways than looks because Ricky’s compliment warmed my heart. “Thanks Ricky, I love you too. How long have I been out of it?”

“Two days, why?” Ricky didn’t like where this was going. He knew Jessica too well. She wasn’t going to take a break before she was back in the meat grinder again.

“Find me some clothes. I need to be back in the states to work with Serena on a job she is going to help James with.” I pulled the IV out of my right arm along with the heart monitor off my chest.”

“Nyet!” Came from a nurse across the room.

“Yes.” I answered as I pushed everything off to the side and stood up beside the bed while wrapping the sheet around me. “Ricky, I need clothes.”

Ricky didn’t move. “Jess, I have never told you no. This time I’m telling you, NO! You can stay here in the hospital or you can go home with me. You are not going back to the states. Your body is bruised, beat up, and still healing. That machine can’t make new cells or heal damaged ones.”

He folded his arms across his chest as he frowned at me. “If the timeline you were working on is tomorrow it won’t make any difference. You won’t be able to fly back in time anyway. What are you going to do when you get there? I doubt you can hold a gun much less take aim at anything.”

“Ricky please, I promised Serena I’d be there.” For whatever reason I started to cry as tears trickled down my cheeks.

Ricky took me in his arms and held me as I cried on his shoulder. “No Jess. You’re too beat up to go out again. Give your body time to repair itself. I know you’re Wonder Woman, but even she needed a break now and then.

“Ricky…, I’m sorry. I’ve let everyone down. I’m so sorry.” I pulled him in and cried on his shoulder.

He stroked my hair as he held me. “You haven’t let anyone down. You’re the strongest person I know Jess. You’ve been on guard twenty four seven for the past six years. Linda gave me the name of someone who will give us a place to stay and no one will try to kill us. Nikolay Balakhnov is part of the Russian Intelligence Ministry. They want to talk to you.”

The tears finally stopped. I backed up to look at Ricky and watch his eyes. “I’m not joining the Russians, even if they have treated us better than our own government. I know why they play nice. They wanted your equipment.”

Ricky shrugged his shoulders before he pulled me back in against his chest. “The world is changing Jess. They want to talk. The place they offered was the trans Siberian Train. We will board in Moscow and in seven days arrive in Vladivostok.”

He pushed me back to look into my eyes. “It isn’t my equipment they want to discuss. It’s the equipment you carry that has them intrigued. Remember Sergie, the guy I called when we first returned to Dallas after the…, after I was shot? He’s part of the new KGB although it’s not called that. They call it the Foreign Intelligence Service. Nikolay Balakhnov cleared it for you to bring your toys. He said he will authorize it and give you a badge if you will talk to him. Serena still has your fifty and your rifle. She didn’t dare ship it back with you on a commercial flight.”

“Jess, please talk to them. It will give you government backing to carry your equipment anyplace in the world. You like that Texas Ranger? What if he decided to follow the exact letter of the law and arrest you after you helped him? This way the Russian government will be covering you. You won’t be leaving your Ranger friend hanging out to dry. Serena, Linda, and Dimitri worked hard to get their government to accept you as one of them.”

“Dimitri?” I pushed back and sat down on the bed. I was so tired. My strength was gone again.

Ricky eased me back into bed. “Linda confided in me after he was killed. It was one of the reasons he was on the yacht with us. He wanted to watch you on a day by day basis since Linda had bragged on you so much.”

Ricky smiled. “You know how smart a mouth Linda has. She said Dimitri had filed divorce papers and was going to marry you. It was her way of saying he approved.”

That brought a forced smile. “I thought at one time she said she was going to shoot him.”

Ricky hesitated. It was a comment too close to remembering the pain of Dimitri actually getting shot as he protected Linda. “Rest hon. In two days we will fly to Moscow and take a train ride. I’ll call Serena and let her know the situation. Linda is, or was, in Columbia doing recon. That’s the word when doing research of the kind you girls do, isn’t it?”

“That’s the word.”

He leaned down and gave me a light kiss. “I bet when Serena shipped you home she called in Linda as her backup. Wanna make a bet?”

“Not really. Neither one will miss a beat when a job needs to be done. They always have a secondary plan if the first one goes south on them. I wish I had them as my safety net when I was…,”

Ricky nodded. “Another time, another place, a long time ago Jess. Rest and I’ll find your clothes. I’ll take you home where I can take care of you.”

Four big men who could have played defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers walked into the room. Each one was wearing enough body armor and carrying enough weapons to start a war. “Miss Rabbit?” The big guy in front was seriously studying me.

“Yes?” They didn’t scare me. I wasn’t in any shape to be scared even if I was armed myself. Which I wasn’t.

He pulled a Desert Eagle and two extra loaded clips out of his vest and held it out. “She said she still had yours. She said you needed a backup. If she hadn’t told me herself this was your style I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“Serena?” I was sure but wanted to make double sure.

“That was the one.” He slowly gave me the once over. “Linda said they are ratcheting up the heat. Your parents were added to their death list.”

“Parents? I shook my head. “My parents are dead.”

James pulled up everything he could on the Houston car heists. There wasn’t anything new in the reports he and Matt hadn’t already learned from the previous trip. At nine that night he decided to call it quits. He headed home or what he liked to call home, even though it was only a stopping place every now and then along with a place to leave all the things he called his.

“James.”

He opened one eye to look, even though he was thinking he was still dreaming. She was standing in his doorway. “Serena?”

“Wanted to make sure you knew who it was and didn’t shoot me.” She walked over beside the bed. She slipped out of her jacket, reached up behind her back and unzipped her dress. Her satin slip and garter belt were next before she sat on the edge of the bed and removed her nylons. Her bra and panties went before she lifted the edge of the covers
and slipped in beside James. She cuddled up close.

James mind and emotions slipped into overdrive as her warm soft body snuggled up against his. Then she slid over on top of him, her hands beside his head pulling him in for a kiss. His emotions exploded right then and there. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled over on top of her.

James wasn’t a virgin. He had made love to beautiful women, but never a lisssome black haired beauty as beautiful as Serena. It was way into the wee hours of the night before she let his passion die down enough for him to fall asleep.

The light was coming in the bedroom window. He felt the bed beside him. It was still warm from her body even though she was gone. “We gotta stop meeting like this.”

He rolled out of bed and picked up the alarm to see why it hadn’t called him at six after he had set it. Did he forget to push the alarm button or did she turn it off? “She’s messing with my life and I’m not in control any more.”

Her dress and other things were in the chair on top of his uniform. He had to move them to get dressed. “More mind games. You don’t think I know what you’re doing?”

He smelled the coffee before he finished dressing and headed to the kitchen. That’s where he found her. She was dressed in a soft brown pants suit. He figured she was wearing boots although the stiletto heel added a nice feminine touch to her outfit. “Think you can run in those boots?”

She gave him a wink before turning to serve up French toast on a couple plates. “I don’t run from or for. When I tell them to stop they better stop, whether they are coming at me or running away from me.”

James sat down and took a bite of his toast. “I could get used to this.”

Serena looked at her plate for a couple seconds before looking up at James. “Don’t get too used to it. James, I have no future. I go where my government tells me. I do a job and then wait for the next assignment. I’m here because my government wanted me to take care of an equipment loss in Houston after I picked up some information from a client in Dallas. It meshed with Jessica wanting to get in touch with you to see if you would pass information about the Columbian drug dealer.”

She picked up her purse from the chair next to her, lifted out his keys and dropped them on the table. “Thank you for letting me stay. You weren’t a part of my job. I had forgotten what it was to be loved by someone when I wasn’t trying to pry information from them.”

She slid her chair back, stood up, and slid her purse strap up on her shoulder. “No soap in the dishwasher. I’ll call you when you get to Houston.”

James pushed back and wrapped her in a hug as she walked past him. He pulled her in and kissed her before he rubbed his cheek up against hers and whispered in her ear. “I hate being used as a one night stand. My relationships might not be permanent, but they usually last a little longer than one night.”

He moved back so he could look into her eyes. “Where you going after Houston?”

She studied his eyes, wondering if he was pumping her for information? “James, if I had an assignment I wouldn’t tell you. It so happens I don’t. I’ll head back home to check on Jessica.”

James pulled her back in and hugged her. It felt nice just to hold her. She was so different from any woman he had ever known. “Let’s call a truce or détente or whatever. I won’t pass you any information about my government and you don’t pass me any information about yours.”

Serena kissed him and then pushed back. “I’m going to recover our equipment. I’ll see you in Houston if you want those men.”

James watched as she walked out the door. Looking over at the table he picked up his coffee, took a sip, set it back down and headed for the door.

Matt looked at his watch as they left Dallas behind. “What’s the plan?”

James curled up his mouth as he smothered a chuckle. “Great plan…, there isn’t any. We are going to meet someone in Houston. She is going to lead us to the car thieves.”

Matt’s head snapped up. His eyes were dancing as he stared at James. “Jessica?”

“Sorry, no. I don’t think you will be too disappointed. She’s Jessica’s friend and I’d say in the same category. Did you read my report from the other night?”

Matts eyes became two balls of white. “Oh shit! The woman who killed two men? We are going to meet HER?”

James nodded. “That’s the one. She’s as ugly as sin. You won’t be able to forget her once you meet her. She has a long scar on her right cheek from her eye down to her neck and a big wart on the left side of her nose. Her left eye is glass and never moves. Try not to stare at it. She’s kinda self conscious about them things.”

Three and a half hours later James was coming into Houston. His phone was ringing. “James”

“Stay on I-45 to I-10. Meet me at Industrial Road and Greens Pipe Mill. Tell your young friend to not shoot everyone carrying a gun. There are two of us.”

James looked up into his mirror to see if he was being followed. “How…?”

“I dropped a tracker in the bed of your pickup this morning.” Came her recognizable voice on the phone.

“Serena…,” There was a click and the connection was lost.

An hour later James saw the brown Mustang parked off to the side. He pulled up in front of it and stopped. Matt got out the same time James did. He watched as the black haired beauty slid out of the driver’s side. He was thinking the passenger must be the girl James had described. That thought vanished the instant the auburn haired beauty slid out of the passenger’s side.

James was studying the other woman as Serena walked up to him. She stayed back by the car. The way she covered Serena there was no doubt in his mind she was the second woman who backed up Jessica that eventful day.

Serena pointed back the way James had come. “About a kilometer up the road is a container yard. They bring the vehicles into the yard, put them into containers, and ship them out. We aren’t interested in everyone who has been bringing in the cars. All we want is our equipment. The rest is up to you and Matt.”

Matt stood up a little taller as he grinned from ear to ear. She knew his name.

“Last night at two fifteen and two twenty they brought in a Cadillac and a Mercedes. From what we have learned they work on a specific time table and look for specific cars. They steal cars on customer’s requests. They use dealership car tags to slap on the vehicle at the time they steal it. Cars are stored in the yard until they have twenty of them. Then they are put on a ship and sent out.”

James nodded as he studied the woman by the car. “I’ll call for backup.”

Serena shook her head. “These people aren’t stupid. Too many unknown vehicles, too many unknown faces, they don’t bring in the cars. Either you and Matt are it or no go. What I’m waiting for is in the drop off vehicles. The drivers come in after the two stolen vehicles go into the yard. The other thing is, too many guys wearing badges show up and someone always wants to know why I’m carrying. James, I’m not Jessica. Anyone wants to question me or put handcuffs on me, bring the body bags.”

She focused in on James eyes. “We can track our own equipment. You’re here because of Jessica. She needs all the information she can get about Ernesto Escobedo. I do you a favor, you do her a favor. If this isn’t agreeable to you then we are out of here.

Serena waited for an answer.

“I’ll call for Rangers only, no local law. I trust the people I work with.” James knew the people he worked with wouldn’t push for information about Serena and the other woman if he asked them.

She shook her head. “You trust them, I don’t. The other thing is you can’t call anyone. Your radio? The locals monitor that frequency. Your telephone? National Security Agency monitors that.”

James rolled in his lips as he thought about it. He glanced over at Matt. “This is getting off the playbook. Do you want to pull out while you still have a job?”

Looking at James and then Serena a half hearted smile touched his lips. “You’re Jessica’s friend?”

“I like to think I am.” Serena gave a slight nod in agreement.

He pointed toward the other woman beside the car. “And her?”

Serena giggled. “Jess and Linda go back a few years.”

“Then I’m in. I hope you are as good as Jessica is. How many do you think are going to be there?”

“Four men are at the containers now. They open them up when the driver brings in a car. There will be two pickup vehicles with drivers. They come in to take the others back out again.”

“That’s eight men.” James looked over at Matt.

Serena focused in on James. “Our equipment is in one of the pickup vehicles. Most everyone is carrying automatic rifles except the drivers bringing in the stolen vehicles. We aren’t waiting for anyone to pick up a weapon and start throwing lead in our direction. No matter what, if they even sneeze wrong they are dead. We get our equipment and we are gone. Is everyone clear on how this is going down?”

James looked over at Matt who nodded yes before he looked back at Serena. “Now what?”

“We go find a place to eat. I’m starving. Haven’t had anything since breakfast. I don’t think Linda had even that much since she flew in this morning to cover Jessica’s spot. You pick a place and we’ll follow.” She turned and headed back to the Mustang.

A few minutes before ten James was parked back in one of the yards close to where they had met earlier. Serena was in the seat beside him. She was completely relaxed and looked half asleep.

He studied her for awhile wondering what she was thinking? “The waiting is always the hardest part isn’t it.”

“Do you fish?” Came back softly.

“What? Uh, no. Why? Do you?” He wondered how fishing got into the conversation.

“You need to try it. It’s a waiting game like this. Bait your hook, toss it into the water and wait to see if a fish might happen by and want the bait. Do you hunt?” Came just as softly.

“Not very often. Haven’t been in years.” Now it was hunting they were discussing?

“Pick a spot and wait for the game to come to you. You don’t go running through the forest to see if you can spot something to kill. You wait.”

She rolled her head over to look at him. “Instead of waiting for someone to bring in a couple cars. Wait on that fish to bite on your bait or that turkey to come strolling across the meadow. I never was any good at waiting on people to do something. Waiting on that animal or fish to show up never bothered me.”

He wondered if he would ever see her again after tonight? Problem with Jessica, Serena and the other lady is they made the rules. Thinking about that one he smiled. It was probably the reason they were still alive in the high stakes game they were living.

“How do you know so much about the men bringing in the cars? Houston has half a dozen detectives working on the car jacking gang. Counting the two in our office along with the ones in the field we have that same number trying to figure it out. We can’t even get a clue and yet you seem to have their schedule and play book.”

Serena closed her eyes as a slight smile crossed her face. “They are carrying our stolen equipment which gives us their complete movement same as a tracker. Ricky Clawson designed it. It kills all electronics in a given area. We follow the black out as it moves around the area. Every stop, every path they take is a beacon for us to check out. We could stop the vehicle and take our equipment back at any time. There wouldn’t be any witnesses left to tell any kind of story about what they thought they had.”

She looked over and studied James before she continued. “Gets complicated why you’re here. My government wants Jessica working for them. Jessica needs information about Ernesto Escobedo. Our intelligence will give her everything they have on the drug lord. They are willing to commit a dozen men along with equipment for support. There are always the small unknowns that get one killed. Maybe your government has some information we don’t. Maybe someone in your government is using Escobedo as a front in Columbia. There are Americans moving in and out. Are they dealers or government or both?”

She shook her head as she stared down the road ahead. “Jessica was supposed to be here, handing you what you were looking for. Hopefully in return you would give her everything you could find out about Escobedo. Requests coming from the Texas Rangers would be nothing more than seeking information about a drug lord and wouldn’t put him on the defensive.”

James shook his head as he studied her. “I would have done that for Jessica anyway. I have no reason to not share information with her as long as it isn’t government operations. There is something about her…, and you, that makes you different from the rest of us.”

They talked for hours until at exactly two fifteen Serena’s radio spoke. “Они идут”

James was curious. “What did she say?”

“They are coming.” Serena keyed the radio but didn’t say anything. “That was the first car. The second will be along in five minutes and the pickup vehicles five minutes behind that. They are precise. The headlights from any car not in their time sequence would be cause for alarm. You will have to drive without lights or we get out and walk.”

Five minutes later her radio came on again. “второй автомобиль”

“Now?” James was reaching for the ignition key to start his pickup.

“No. That was the second car. Five more minutes for the pickup vehicles.”

Finally it came. “два транспорта”

Serena lifted her gun from her purse, dropped the clip and pushed on the top bullet. When it depressed a little she knew she had a full clip. She slipped it home and racked the rail back slightly to make sure a bullet was in the chamber. “Let’s go.”

James started the pickup and was driving up the road with his lights off. “How often do you check?”

“First thing in the morning and again before I think I might get into a situation where I need it.” She picked up the radio with her left hand. “мы катимся”

The radio clicked twice. “They are rolling also.”

James stopped a couple blocks from where Serena told him they had the container yard. They got out and walked up to the yard entrance. There was a body lying on the ground. Linda came up carrying a rifle with a night scope, and a silencer. Matt was along side her. Linda put a finger to her lip and mouthed the word ‘guard’.

The two drivers for the transport vehicles were watching the others who were inside the container strapping down the last two stolen vehicles.

Linda looked over at James and gave a motion with her hand for him to close the door on the container. She crept up behind the driver furthest from the container. When she was nine or ten feet from him she brought her rifle up to her shoulder and aimed it at his head. “You move you die.”

The other driver was bringing up his gun and turning to see what was happening? The bark from Serena’s gun woke the others inside the container as the driver fell over.

James and Matt were pushing the doors shut as bullets started pouring out from inside the container. Even after the doors had been slammed shut the sound of gunfire from inside could still be heard as bullets rattled against the door.

Matt and James put the first driver up against the car and handcuffed him. When they frisked him they found two nine millimeter pistols. Matt was reading the driver his Miranda rights as Serena went through the car.

“I guess it’s okay to call for backup now?” James looked for Serena.

“Serena?” He was looking around.

“Where did they go?” James looked back at Matt.

Matt started looking around. “I don’t know. Did they leave?

Henry was looking at the report. On the other side of the desk Matt squirmed. He figured his career as a Ranger was washed up this time.

Shaking his head, Henry looked up at James. “You are really pushing the envelope. Your career, your retirement is headed for the trashcan. I don’t care if you lose everything you worked for the past thirty six years. What I do care about is you are dragging Matt into the toilet with you. Do you think this department makes rules for you to break?

He glanced at the report and was shaking his head again as he looked up at James. “These two women in this report, neither one was Jessica Rabbit. And you think they were foreign agents or something, but they didn’t say.”

James opened his mouth. Henry pointed his finger at him and wiggled it back and forth. “I’m not through with this fairy tale you turned in as an arrest report. Indulge me because I find this really fascinating.”

He cleared his throat. “hurrrumph, Now where was I? Ah yes…, One of the women shot and killed a man at the front gate before he had been warned you were Texas Rangers. The other one killed a man standing by a vehicle before he had been warned you were Texas Rangers.”

“I have no idea how much this is going to cost the state in attorney fees defending what you allowed to happen. The fact they were with twenty two stolen vehicles is your only saving grace.”

James took a glance over at Matt. “Twenty two?”

Henry looked from Matt to James. “Twenty inside the container. The two delivery vehicles were stolen also. The Russian ambassador contacted our governor this morning and thanked him for the cooperation of the Texas Rangers in closing down an embarrassing smuggling operation. This particular batch of vehicles was headed for Tajikistan. Interpol has been in touch with Washington this morning. The lead you sent them after interrogating the men who weren’t shot dead last night, helped them close in on the same organization in the UK. They were shipping stolen cars to Africa.”

Henry turned, looked out of the office window, and clasped his hands behind his back. “When I first read your report this morning I fully intended to place both of you on unpaid leave for a couple months. I wanted you to have time to think whether your way of flauting the rules would make you behave afterwards.”

He turned again to look at James. “The governor has told HQ in Austin you two are to be commended for your outstanding work. He wished all Texas Rangers could be as diligent in crime solving.”

Henry rubbed his stomach. “I think I have an ulcer thanks to you two. Next week there will be an awards ceremony where you will receive commendation medals for your efforts in breaking up the cattle rustling ring and the auto theft ring. The governor, the Russian ambassador, Houston's mayor, and Dallas' mayor will be there along with dozens of dignitaries and of course the press corp.”

He pointed to the report on his desk. “There is nothing in there about you interrogating anyone. Those women you were working with covered your ass in more ways than one. Don’t get tangled up in the skirts.”

James nodded. “Captain, they wanted something the car thieves had. Said it belonged to them. We were invited to ride along. They did it for Jessica. I don’t care what the FBI thinks, she isn’t the bad guy.”

“James…,” Henry shook his head. “You are playing with fire. I never thought I’d say this. Those women are out of your league. Probably out of everyone’s league. Make sure you remember which side you’re on.”

Butterflies as big as eagles were running around in my stomach as I pushed on the doorbell of a house I had only looked at in pictures. A young lady opened it and stared for several seconds before she gave slight curtsey. “Milady.”

“Uh..., is Mister or Misses Sorensen home?”

“Milady? Jessica?” She looked puzzled and then caught herself. “Please don’t stand outside. Your mother is in the greenhouse and your father is in the office.”

That stopped me cold. I gathered up what little courage I didn’t have and walked into the house with Ricky following. I stopped in the foyer. “Would you please tell Mister Sorensen, Jessica Rabbit would like to see him.”

She looked doubtful as she looked at me kind of funny. “As you wish.” She turned and left.

A minute later a tall distinguished looking gentleman came rushing into the room headed straight for me. “JESSICA! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US YOU WERE COMING HOME! I TOLD ANETTE TO FIND YOUR MOTHER!”

It shocked the living daylights out of me as he closed in and wrapped me up in his arms. “OH JESSICA THIS IS SUCH A SURPRISE! YOUR MOTHER WILL BE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!”

I was too shocked to hug him back. I did manage to stand there like a complete limp doll.

As he turned loose of me, a very attractive woman grabbed me and pulled me in kissing me on my cheek. “Jessica, why didn’t you call? How long can you stay?”

She held my hands as she backed up and looked me up and down. Her eyes were dancing knowing she had shocked me. “Let me look at you. Where did you get all those bruises? Were you in a skiing accident? Please, you must be tired after your trip. You go up to your room and freshen up and rest. We can talk after you're rested.”

That pushed me back onto my game plan. I held her hands as I studied her face. “We talk now. I’ve put both of you in mortal danger. Can we find someplace to sit? This is going to take a little time to explain.”

The problem with waiting on a large patrol to attack, or waiting on an individual to attack, is they have the advantage of time and place. It was going on four days since I had gone to Norway to warn my make believe parents they were in mortal danger. The drug lord in Columbia decided to hurt me mentally before he killed me for real.

One week earlier Linda had gone to Columbia to do what recon she could on Ernesto Escobedo. He was the drug lord who put out a five hundred thousand dollar bounty on me after I killed four of his men in a shoot out in a Dallas shopping mall. While in Columbia Linda learned Ernesto had put a bounty on the parents the Russian Intelligence Agency had assigned me. They were fabricated parents but real people I was assigned when Ricky asked Linda to give me a new identity after we fled his burned out lab in Mexico.

I informed Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen that any normal routine was out until we took out the threat. Their normal Friday evenings when they went out for a meal were no longer an option. Visiting the friends they associated with had to be unplanned ahead. It had to be a drop in visit instead.

Ricky initially came with me. I sent him back with Linda and Serena. They flew in and stayed for two days. They played the part of the assassins as they looked for ways and places to ambush the Sorensens and make their getaway. They both knew the game well. The Sorensens, along with myself, were killed four different times in those two days before they flew out again. I hated to see them go. They both had a job and schedules to keep for the Russian Ministry of Intelligence. I knew that unless I was extremely lucky there was no way I was going to save the Sorensens or live past the assassination attempt myself.

“Mrs. Sorensen, stay away from the windows.” I walked into the kitchen where Eva was preparing breakfast.

She placed the skillet back on the stove before turning to look in my direction. “Jessica, I will not be intimidated by a thug and his hired assassins. This is our home. I refuse to be afraid.”

Sliding the rifle sling off my shoulder I propped the rifle up against the doorframe. “Mrs. Sorensen…,”

She held up her hand. “Stop right there. You have been calling me Mrs. Sorensen since you arrived. Real or not I am your mother. People have noticed you never address me as mom or mother. It is always Mrs. Sorrensen or Eva. Our relationship may have been fabricated. However you are our daughter. It would be more convincing if you acted and spoke like one.”

“Mrs Sorensen, I…,”

She pointed her finger at me and waved it back and forth. “Ah, ah.”

“Mama…,” I choked after that one. “uh, Mrs. Eva…, mom.”

She nodded. “Honey, work on it. I feel like I was called something unclean rather than your mother. You are a beautiful young woman. Johan and I didn’t expect you to be more than a name when we agreed you could be our daughter. Johan was curious to what kind of person we had accepted even if it was all for show. He started collecting the stories from the society pages when you were in Dallas. He even ordered the back issues. The more we learned the more he and I came to think of you as our very own daughter.”

After all I had been through the past six years I didn’t think a whole lot could shock me. Eva just did, I had nothing to say.

She walked over and took my hands in hers as she studied my face. “The bruises are disappearing quickly. Young bodies repair themselves easily, don’t they. I’m sure it is one or both of your friends who were here yesterday who have been sending us information about you. Lots of pictures of you on a ship. They don’t mention where or when they were taken. Looking at the background in some of those places, we have been there ourselves.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Your dad can’t decide which pictures he is most proud of. I think it is the one of you dancing in a nightclub.”

She got more than serious. “Jessica, we know you are in government espionage of some kind or another. We haven’t decided if you are working for the Americans or the Russians or maybe both.

Anette Ferrari, the young lady who had met me at the door that first day, walked into the kitchen. She shook her head as she stared at the pistol holstered on my hip. She glanced at my rifle leaning up against the doorframe. “Those are illegal you know. You aren’t allowed to carry weapons.”

As if I hadn’t heard that tired old debate before. It usually started in some beer joint when some young thing who never read history got a few beers in them. “You going to turn me in?”

She frowned as she gave that some thought. “I might.”

Eva picked up plates out of the cabinet and carried them to the table. “Anette, you are a guest in this house. Jessica is only doing what she thinks is best for all of us.”

Anette got a smirk on her face as she looked at me. “You ever shoot anyone?”

“Not a topic for discussion.” I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn’t going there.

Johan came in carrying a stack of newspapers. “I was listening when the gun question first came up. I went back and got these from my office.”

He laid them down on the table. “Anette”

She stepped up beside Johan as he opened up the top one. I didn’t need a closer look. It was the Dallas Morning News. On the front page was a picture of a car with bodies beside it. ‘Norwegian Princess gives whole new meaning to Texas Justice.’

There was a second picture. It was me wearing a blue evening gown taken when Ricky and I attended the Dallas Orchestra for an evening. Certainly not what I was wearing when the Columbians tried to kill me.

Anette pulled the paper to the side and was busy speed reading about the mall shooting.

Johan opened up a tabloid, The Monthly Grinder. There was a picture of the burned out Acapulco lab with six bodies scattered out across the pavement. Unknown mystery woman linked to drug cartel deaths. There was a picture of me in that almost dress, obviously taken at the Halloween Party.

Anette quickly scanned the second paper. “You’re a killer, a murderer.”

“If that’s what you think.” I really didn’t feel like getting into a debate about what I had to do to survive.

Johan shook his head as he studied Anette. “Would you call a policeman a murderer if he killed someone who was trying to kill him?”

She looked mad the question was asked. “Of course not. That is his job, protecting us.”

Johan nodded in agreement as he opened up a Ft. Worth paper. “Norwegian Princess is working for the Texas Rangers. Miss Rabbit, along with two Texas Rangers, stopped a cattle rustling operation in Texas and Oklahoma. Texas Ranger Jessica Rabbit put down two of the rustlers. Fifteen others quickly gave up and were captured alive.

Anette looked doubtful as she kept switching from the papers to me and back again. “You’re a Texas Ranger?”

“I was then.” It was only for a few hours so it wasn’t a complete lie. Just not the complete truth either.

Through the kitchen window and out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow move across the back yard. My fifty was in my hand in less than three tenths of a second as I turned to cover the doorway and the window at the same time.

Anette shook her head. “Trying to frighten me isn’t working. Your theatrics need some polish.”

“Don’t shoot the guy in the yard. He’s one of ours.”

Anette jumped when a voice came from the dinning room.

Taking my hand off the trigger I slid the gun back into my holster. “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you too. Knock next time Serena.”

She had a rifle cradled in her arms and a big smile as she walked into the kitchen. “Trying to keep it down. No one needs to know. Вадим and his team are checking the perimeter. The Russian Ministry decided to put some men behind you. They asked for volunteers. A couple hundred men asked for the job. The ministry then checked arms lockers. They picked four out of the hundred or so who had a pinup of you in their locker. These men are Spetsnaz Group Alpha. They make the bad guys look like angels.”

I laughed over that one as Anette looked disgusted. My attention turned back to Serena. “I appreciate the thought, but there are two problems. One, the men are putting themselves in danger. And two, a show of force will scare off the killer. He or they won’t give up. They will wait for a better opportunity.”

Serena nodded in agreement. “We sweeten the honey pot. You and your parents are going on a hide a way vacation. A news reporter is going to happen to catch you with your parents as you arrive at the private chateau northeast of Runde.”

She got more than serious. “Jess, our intel received word there are six operatives with a team leader coming at you and your parents. They are here now setting up the strike plan. If we knew where, we would take them out, but we don’t so we can’t. No one can stop an assassin working on their time schedule. You know that better than anyone. We bait the trap and bring them to us when we know they are coming.”

Anette’s eyes kept getting bigger and bigger as she listened to Serena. “You plan on killing them!”

I’m betting I was the only one to see a hint of a smile cross Serena’s face. She nodded. “That’s the plan unless you want to wait and have them kill Johan, Eva, Jess, and you. You think because you aren’t blood kin they won’t kill you too? Stupid girl! You have a lot to learn about the give and take in the world between the wolves and the sheep. The only reason you are alive now is because Jess came here to protect Johan and Eva.”

Serena was still talking as she turned her attention toward me. “Johan and Eva were soft targets and Anette would have been collateral damage. Jess showed up and changed the game plan. A single assassin was no longer an option. Shooting someone like Jess becomes a life and death situation. If she isn’t brought down with the first bullet, she will kill those who targeted her. She won’t run away or back down like normal people would. To a professional assassin, Jess is the target assignment no one wants. There is a whispered phrase spreading in the underworld about Jess. mortem sibi consciscere. It is Latin. It means going up against Jess is death by suicide.”

She looked back at Anette. “Those like you are sheep who think if you don’t do anything your life will be okay. You never stop to understand that sheep need shepherds or the wolves would kill them all. The police can’t protect you twenty four seven. Their job is to draw a chalk outline around your cold dead body and assign blame. Jess is one of those who make sure the wolves never get that chance to kill. You get a chance to live your life safely as you demonize those like Jess.”

Anette wasn’t going to give up her idea that those like me were cold blooded killers as she looked at me and asked. “How many have you killed?”

“One was too many.” I responded, as I thought back to the answer I gave a Texas Ranger so many years ago.

She turned toward Serena. “I bet you have killed too.”

I noticed Serena’s eyes close slightly. I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer Anette had pushed for.

“Yes I have. I took great pleasure in most every one of them. If you’re going to ask me how many? Dozens, maybe hundreds, I don’t regret a single one. You might as well ask the wolf how many rabbits he ate and if he regrets having one for lunch.” Serena smiled and winked at Anette.

At that moment I think Anette thought she was being lied to. I didn’t make that error in judgment. I decided to change the conversation. “What’s the plan?”

Before we left, Linda had me change into a soft teal silk mandarin dress. It caressed every curve. There was no doubt I could not be packing heat of the leaded kind inside that little clinging number. The little matching clutch she gave me allowed me to carry the basic girl necessities and nothing else. It was to give the impression I wasn’t on guard nor expecting trouble.

Linda said the bases were covered as she sent the Sorensen’s and me to check on car rentals and or transportation tickets to Runde. I swear I felt naked without my fifty, or any weapon for that matter. Every now and then, as we stopped and checked at the different businesses, I would catch sight of her men covering us as they swept the area for trouble. Even though they were dressed to fit in like locals, they really didn’t blend in if one knew what to look for.

The purpose of our little sortie was to give the assassins the idea we were leaving town on a pleasure trip. There had to be a couple maybes in there. Hopefully they were already tracking our movements prior to setting up their ambush. Hopefully they were paying close enough attention to catch this outing, but not set up to take us out yet.

I certainly felt like a sitting duck all the time we were in the open like that. I prayed those six Serena said were coming didn’t take a chance, while thinking I wasn’t packing heat. Counter moves in chess or life only worked if the opponent didn’t guess what you were doing.

On the helicopter flight to the chateau at Runde, Serena and I discussed the pros and cons of her idea to pull in the killers. I couldn’t imagine this working unless they are complete idiots or raw amateurs. “This is going to feel like a set up to those Ernesto hired to kill Johan and Eva.”

She nodded in agreement. “Probably, but hopefully they will play the odds and believe this is an invited vacation for you and your parents. If they don’t know you came back to protect Johan and Eva they will be thinking they can kill them, get paid for that job, kill you and collect the reward. Half a million dollars dangling in front of them for taking you out too is going to be impossible to resist.”

Looking out the window I shook my head. “I wouldn’t take the bait and neither would you or Linda. We would wait for the target to move back into what are normal conditions and get a comfortable routine again.”

Serena leaned over and looked out the window too. “That is the reason we are still alive and those who are coming won’t be very much longer. They always want their blood money sooner rather than later.”

The chateau wasn’t some fishing cabin by the fjord. It was a mansion. After we landed Serena had all of us get into a couple cars, drive out the gate and come back in again as a photographer was busy taking pictures. We then waited as he drove off a kilometer or two and set up his camera and telephoto lens. Soon he called Serena to let her know he was ready. One by one we got out of the cars and stood up as if it had been a long trip. Then a distinguished older gentleman and a smartly attired woman came out of the house to greet us.

It was obvious that Johan and Eva already knew them as they greeted each other like old friends. Johan turned to introduce us. “Jessica, this is Anders and Inger Christensen.”

Inger took me in from head to toe. I didn’t think this was the first time she had heard about me from the way she looked me over. She smiled and then closed in and hugged me. “You are even more beautiful than your pictures and I thought they were stunning.”

As she turned loose I backed up and tried my best to return the compliment. “Thank you, that was very kind of you to say. I love your hair. That is such a beautiful dress. It accents your beauty.”

Inger turned her attention to Anette. “And you must be Anette, the exchange student Eva has told me so much about.”

Anette reached out and shook hands with Inger. “Yes ma’am.”

After formalities we were shown to our rooms and told to rest and freshen up. Although Linda wasn’t officially with us, she teamed up with me as a bunkmate. She was changing into military camouflage almost as soon as the door closed.

“Where’s mine?” I didn’t open my suitcase because I knew all that was in it were a few dresses and under things.

A smile spread across her face as she sat down to lace up her boots. “You’re the bait along with your parents. Dinner is formal. There are evening gowns in the closet. I think the sequined red one would be nice to start out with. It will look absolutely stunning with your long red hair.”

Her smile got even bigger if possible. “Hon, act like the princess you really are. The fabricated princess may be made up, but there is no doubt in any anyone’s mind who knows you, that you really are a princess, if not by birth, then by acts and deeds.”

That shocked the heck out of me as I tried to get a handle on my emotions. “But I’m not...,”

Serena closed in and wrapped me up in her arms as she hugged the life out of me. “Yes you are. You are everything all the rest of us wish we were. You’re soft and gentle, strong and courageous, kind and caring, tough as nails, soft as a kitten, strong as a warrior princess.”

I was blushing from the top of my red hair to the soles of my feet as Serena turned loose and backed up. “You and Linda are all those things too. I learned from the best and am still learning by watching and taking notes from two who are the best at everything.”

Serena’s eyes were dancing before she looked out the balcony doors. “Linda said you were one of a kind. She left that as a question and if I wanted an answer I’d have to ask you what she meant. She also told me to never ever, not in this lifetime, was I to ever underestimate you or what you were capable of. The way she said it I’m thinking you are going to pull a cape and mask out of your suitcase.”

She turned her attention back in my direction before I could respond. “The guys will arrive with all their gear in a couple hours. I’m going to go scout locations for perimeter defense. The pictures our lucky photographer happened to catch as the princess and her parents arrived at the chateau are being researched. The team will decide which ones look like coincidence and luck. Tonight and tomorrow the pictures along with a story about the Princess on an extended hide a way will hit the papers society pages and all the tabloids. The story will hint at the news coming from gossip to the locals, from the maid, butler, and grounds keeper at the chateau.”

“Tonight belongs to you. There is no way they can track you this far, this fast. Enjoy the evening. Tomorrow, and until things are settled, becomes high alert time twenty four seven. I’ll be coming and going most of the night as the team sets perimeters. I know you sleep with that gun of yours like most girls sleep with their dolls. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shoot me in the dark.”

I shook my head. “ if you think I’m sleeping while the guys are settling in position, you’re crazy. After socials are tended to for the evening there better be some proper gear laying on that bed or I’m going to be following you around in a dress and heels.”

Serena snickered as she rolled her eyes before she turned and headed for the door. “I bet you would too. I’ll be back around twenty four hundred hours.”

I was beginning to think the trap wasn’t going to work. It was going on day four. Everyone was tired and getting cranky. Even the ones who weren’t on watch were feeling the stress of waiting. I knew they wanted a quick resolve to the situation but killers set the pace and the place, not the victims. Hell if the events had been turned around I wouldn’t be coming in to kill anyone. I’d be dug in several miles away watching for movement and an ambush.

Anette was the most vocal and the most difficult. After the first day and the new wore off she acted like it was all a game. She wanted to go home, be entertained.

We had sit down to dinner when Serena walked into the dining room. “Two coming up the driveway. They look like photographers. Everyone act normal.” She turned and left.

“Think she is still there?” He leaned out from behind the bushes he was hiding behind to take a look at the house.

“If she is I plan on getting some pictures.” The other guy was locking a three hundred millimeter telephoto lens onto his camera.

“And if you don’t get off this property I’m going to call the police.” Came from behind them.

They both jumped and turned at the same time. There was a maid glaring at them. She had her fists resting on her hips.

“Is the Princess still here? We’ll pay you a week’s wages to forget you saw us. Let us get some pictures.” One of the guys got a great big disarming grin on his face.

She didn’t change position. “What you are going to get is a ride back to town in a police van if you don’t leave now.”

“We only want some pictures and then we’ll go. You go back to the house and get the Princess to come out front. We will take our pictures and leave.” The other guy chimed in.

“Two coming in the front, four from the back. They have weapons and launchers.” Came in to her earpiece.

“Shit!” She pointed at the two men. “You two idiots stay put. You move from here and I’ll shoot you myself.” She headed for the house moving at a fast pace but hopefully not fast enough to arouse suspicion.

Serena was shouting as she made it in the front door. “WE HAVE COMPANY. EVERYONE INTO THE SHELTER NOW.”

As everyone else headed to the safety vault, Serena and I were running up the stairs to our room. “How many?”

She was pulling off her maid uniform before she made to the bedroom door. “Two in front and four in back. They are carrying launchers. Going to blow the place up, chase everyone out, and kill us as we expose ourselves.”

Serena changed into camouflage as I pulled on jeans and a blouse. I was strapping my gun on my hip. “How much time do we have?”

“What, repeat…, Roger that. Take down if possible. All targets are hostile. Do not let the launchers acquire a firing option.”

I knew she was busy with the guys covering the perimeters. She turned toward me shaking her head. “No time. We are in a hot zone now. The targets are not open.”

Pulling my rifle out of the case, I headed for the balcony. “If they can see us, I can see them. Give me a location.”

“Vadim says he has you on the balcony. Three hundred meters out, seven degrees to your left.” Serena laid down on the balcony as she scanned in the opposite direction.

“I got him.” The bark from my rifle echoed back from the hills.

Bullets started peppering the house as the other three gunmen realized they had been spotted. I focused in on the one bringing up a large tube and pointing it at us. My rifle barked, he fell backwards at the same time he pulled the trigger. The rocket went up over the top of the house.

Serena’s rifle barked and then I heard the distant bark of a rifle way off in the distance. There was an explosion off in the distance. “I hope that rocket that went over the house didn’t kill anyone.”

The fourth one decided he had enough. He was turning to run when I nailed him.

Serena nodded “Area clear. Let’s try and get that guy out front with the launcher before he lets loose.” She was already on her feet headed toward the front bedrooms.

She stepped out on the front balcony and scanned. “Four hundred, sixty meters out, twenty meters to the north side of the driveway is the one with the launcher. He’s under cover from the guys. They can’t get a fix on him. The good news is he can’t get a fix on the house either from where he’s at.”

Every now and then bullets were smacking around us. “The other one isn’t having that problem. Where’s he at?’ I was scanning for flash fire from his rifle.

“I think I see him. Down the driveway approximately eight hundred meters, up the hill to your left about sixty meters. Look at the big pine with two little ones to the side. Isn’t that a gun barrel I see beside that tree trunk?” I adjusted my scope to focus in on the rifle barrel.

Serena focused in. “That’s him. He’s not giving anything away, is he? He’s too far back in the woods for the guys to see him. They will have to work their way down to him.”

“Tell them to hold steady and don’t let that rocket launcher get a fix.” I laid down on the balcony and concentrated on the sniper. There was a smack as wood shredded around the door. I honestly thought I felt that one part my hair. He was ranging in his scope and getting better with each shot. Obviously he didn’t count on being that far out before the fireworks started.

I adjusted the range on my scope. “What’s the wind? You need to take cover. He’s about through adjusting for distance.”

Serena backed through the doors and laid down. “Six to ten out of the north.”

“Okay.” I let go of my breath and watched as he leaned out from behind the trunk to take another shot. My three o eight answered first. Tree bark and splinters flew everywhere in front of his face. He screamed as he rolled out to the other side of the tree trunk his face full of splinters. I racked another round home and ended his pain.

“Rocket launcher is the last one. Don’t let him get a firing position. Tell the guys to hose down his cover. Maybe they can drive him out.”

“Лейте это на” As she focused in on where the guy was hiding.

Rifles started barking way back up in the hills as the little patch of brush in front looked like invisible angry mosquitoes were ripping it apart. Bullets were ricocheting off the rocks. The guy popped up with the launcher. I think Serena’s and my rifle barked at the same time, along with every one of the men’s.

The guy was stupid. He should have stayed down and given up. The problem with those who work for drug lords is they never think they will be on the receiving end of punishment. They deal out death and pain while thinking association with a drug lord will protect them from retaliation.

“Доклад о состоянии” Serena was still checking for movement.

After several seconds she looked at me. “Двух фотографов пить травы на передней дверцы.”

She giggled when I looked blank and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I asked the guys for a status report. They said the only ones still alive were the two photographers. Provided they didn’t have a heart attack.”

“Maybe we should go tell them it’s over?” Looking off across the lawn I easily picked them out. Serena was right, they weren’t moving.

In the five or eight minutes Serena and I took to walk out to where the two guys were, they still hadn’t moved. They were lying face down, trying to become a part of the lawn. Obviously they were not war correspondents.

“Hey guys, it’s over. You can stop eating the grass now.”

Both of them slowly raised their heads, their eyes still showing absolute fear.

Serena slowly shook her head as she stared at them. “I told you to leave.”

The one on our right focused in on Serena, her military uniform and the rifle she was holding. He swallowed. “You’re the maid.”

She giggled. “Well, I was cleaning up, but actually it was Jessica who stopped the killers before anyone got hurt.”

That got my attention as I turned to look at Serena. “But…,”

The slightest shake of her head stopped me. I didn’t do it alone. Serena and the guys were the only reason I’m wasn't dead myself. If we were counting bodies Serena and the guys took out two, although that last one was anyone’s guess who made the kill shot.

They both stood up and started taking pictures. “My god it’s her. It’s the Princess. How many were there? Do you know if they were mercenaries or working for the drug lord?”

“Is that the rifle? Is that what you used? Those men in Texas think they are part of this bunch? It sounded like a war zone for a few minutes. Is it always over that fast? I heard an explosion. Did they have a cannon?”

I knew this was going to be a long evening as they kept throwing questions at me too fast to answer. Their adrenalin rush was still surging through their bodies and they had no concept of reality. I had watched the new guys in Viet Nam do the same after we had run into a fire fight. It would take hours for their minds and their body to calm back down. Some took as long as a couple days after that first real brush with looking death in the face.

Thirty seven minutes later, the police showed up. Serena, along with the four men, magically disappeared before the police arrived. Over five hours later, after answering questions and giving statements to the police, they seemed to be satisfied. It didn’t make me happy when my rifle and pistol left in their custody along with the veiled threat I might be brought up on charges of carrying, along with murder.

All of us, with the exception of Anette, discretely never brought up the fact that we had help. Anette was ready to tell all the first chance she got until they started carrying in bodies, guns, and rocket launchers before loading them into the ambulances. I think that was the first time reality struck her young mind. It could have been her they were carrying in if not for those who watched over us for the past four days, ready to kill before we were killed.

Our two young photographers were having a field day burning up data storage in their cameras. They left with the police, knowing they had front page news to sell.

Serena and the four guys showed back up once the police left. I felt safe again with that many guns around me. I looked at the men. “Thanks for saving my life. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

One of them stepped up and held out his hand. “I guess I am second team leader since Serena was team leader. It was a pleasure.”

I took his hand. “And your name?”

“Vadim”

I closed in and gave him a hug around the neck. “Thanks Vadim.”

Turning loose I looked at the next man. “And you?”

He held out his hand. “Grigory”

I closed in on him and gave him a hug around the neck. “Thanks Grigory.”

The next two didn’t need prompting.

“Abram”

“Thanks Abram.” I gave him a hug too.

“Yegor”

“Yegor thanks.” I gave him a hug.

Vadim reached inside his pocket on his vest and pulled out a patch. “Serena said five of those were your kills. Officially and for the record, they are all yours and we were never here. I testify before these witnesses of the highest moral code you, Princess Jessica Sarah Rabbit, are now an official member of the Spetsnaz Group Alpha. An attack against you is an attack against every Spetsnaz Group Alpha member, past and present.”

He handed me a patch identical to the one he had on his shoulder. He smiled along with all the other guys as Serena snickered.

It brought back long buried fond and bitter memories of so many men I had bonded with and lost in a war from Hell. Tears came in a flood. I choked and the words caught in my throat as I tried to thank them for their friendship. I knew the price each member had to pay to be a part of that exclusive group. Each one had to be an over achiever giving more than most mortals could stand. I hadn’t paid that price. I wasn’t worthy of their honor. To tell them I didn’t deserve it would have been shaming them for offering. These men had a different set of codes and morals they lived by than what normal people have. I embarrassed them enough by crying. They didn’t cry, ever. They sucked it up and kept going, no matter what. Was that a tear I saw in Vadim’s eye???

Newspapers and tabloids kept dropping on James desk as the Rangers came to work that morning. He had to push a few out of his seat as he arrived. “Okay, okay, enough already! I can read. I know she is in the news…, again.”

Bobby threw his hands up in the air and shrugged his shoulders. “Six men…, snipers, killers, professionals, rocket launchers, tanks…, I’ve carried a gun for nineteen years and I haven’t ever shot anyone. What is it about that Princess of yours that makes her want to shoot people?”

Lonnie held up his hand and waved it around. “I know, I know. It’s called target practice. We go shoot paper targets and she works on…”

“Can it, you clowns.” James shook his head as he glared at the others.

“LORDY!” Dale was looking as three women walked into the room.

It got quiet enough to hear a pin drop as the others turned to see what Dale was looking at.

She was wearing skin tight jeans, western cut, tailored blue silk blouse, engraved belt with a big silver and gold belt buckle and long dangle diamond earrings. The big leather, engraved, shoulder purse rested on her right hip. Long red hair spilled out from underneath a blue cowgirl hat. She had the face and body the men had seen in pictures and dreamed of holding.

The auburn haired beauty beside her was similar dressed except her blouse was white, her earrings were silver spirals.

The black haired angel on the other side was dressed in a western tailored, silver pantsuit and stiletto heels.

Serena scanned the room and found him staring back. She walked up beside him, leaned down, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before she backed up. “Hello James.”

He shook his head and laughed as he stood up. “You just don’t quit do you? Hello Serena.”

She laughed along with him. “Life is too short to play by the rules. Enjoy it while you can. Tomorrow may never be there for those like us.”

Ben was staring at Jessica. “Do we arrest her?”

Bobby shook his head. “Didn’t you read the newspaper? You want to try, be my guest. James had the right idea. Swear her in as a Texas Ranger first so she won’t shoot us. The drug dealers are calling her Beautiful Death, along with a few other choice names. She scares them more than the drug lords now. You want to test the gossip?”

Ben took a quick look at Jessica. “Think she managed to get in here with that gun?”

Bobby snickered. “You want to pull yours out and point it at her to find out? Give me a chance to move over to the other side of the room first.”

As Linda and I walked up beside Serena I noticed Matt hanging back. “Hello Matt.”

Matt blushed as he looked down and then back up. “Jess…, I mean Jessica…, Princess…”

I winked at him. “Jess will work. We are all people here. Royalty and snobs never went over in Texas.”

Henry walked out of the office. “Ladies, I think I should introduce you to the Rangers, although everyone already knows Miss Rabbit.”

He pointed at Serena. “This young lady is Serena.

He pointed to Linda. “This young lady is Linda. These are the two ladies who led the investigation in the capture of the auto theft ring in Houston.”

He pointed to me. “And of course everyone knows our own Texas Ranger, Princess Jessica Rabbit. She told me on the phone she prefers to be called Jess.”

“Governor Harrison called and informed us that the ladies would be visiting this morning for a conference on crime prevention co-operations between Russia and our government.

Ben leaned over and whispered in Bobby’s ear. “Weren’t two men killed in that theft ring?”

Bobby whispered back. “Yeah, so you want to try and arrest the other two women now?”

Ben shook his head. “I’m slow, not stupid. Hell walked in our door and they are wearing heels. Give the job of arresting them to those clowns over at the FBI. I’d pay good money to see them try that again since I missed it the first time.”

“Captain.” A big grin spread across Bobby’s face as a thought hit his brain.

Henry turned his attention toward Bobby. “Yes?”

“I’m sure every single one of us in this unit would appreciate the ladies giving us lessons down at the firing range. In the goal of inter-agency co-operation of course.” His grin got even bigger.

Ben leaned over to whisper in Bobby’s ear again. “I think James has that inter-agency co-operation down a little too well now.”

Bobby laughed out loud. “You’re jealous.”

“Hell yeah I am. You can’t deny you and every male in here is too, even the married ones.” Ben couldn’t take his eyes off the eye candy across the room.

“Captain, what about that FBI file? I mean what if they find out she is here?” Lonnie was staring at Jessica.

Henry held up a sheet of paper he was holding in his hand. “It was canceled as of yesterday. Miss Rabbit is no longer on their wanted list. She is officially listed as a good will ambassador with full diplomatic immunity.”

A smile spread across Matt’s face from ear to ear. “A US Ambassador. That’s great.”

Henry shook his head. “Not so fast. Russia claimed her as their ambassador. Norway disputed that and said she was one of their citizens and their ambassador. Our government claimed it was their idea first. I think the first inter agency co-operation will be deciding who Miss Rabbit represents.”

Even though Linda had clued me in about the ambassador thing it was still embarrassing. I was blushing from the top of my head to the souls of my feet.

Henry gave me a wink. I knew at that instant he was giving the Rangers a snow job of his own design. For one the US couldn’t be thinking of me as they had no record of a Jessica Rabbit besides that fabricated Texas drivers license Linda had made up six years back. Same for the Norwegian ambassador offer. I was sure if the authorities dug deep enough I didn’t exist in their citizen data base either. The Russian ambassador offer was tentative on the premise I became a Russian citizen.

James held up his hand. “Wait, there isn’t any debate on this. Jess is Texas through and through. As Texas Rangers we don’t take the back seat to nobody. Jess, Serena, and Linda belong to us, the Texas Rangers. It is time we made it official. Ladies hold up your right hand. Do you swear…”

“JAMES!” Henry was glaring at him.

Badges started dropping on James’ desk in front of the ladies. “She can have mine.” “Here’s mine.” “Wait I was first.”

Bobby put his arms around Linda and hugged her. “It is part of the indoctrination. All new Rangers get a hug from the team.”

Linda was laughing as Bobby turned loose of her. In her best thickest Russian accent. “I love America.”

That made Serena and me laugh. Linda didn’t have a drop of Russian accent in her English until now.

James moved over close to me. “Leave him alone.”

Looking into his eyes I could see he was worried. “I can’t. You know that. One of us has to die before it will be over. As long as he and I are alive he will keep hiring men and sending them to kill me. It won’t stop until one or both of us are dead. I won’t live my life looking over my shoulder wondering if that person is the one sent to kill me.”

James nodded. “I do know. Know this, the Texas Rangers are behind you one hundred percent.”

Ernesto was in a rage. “SIX MEN! I HIRE FOOLS! WE SEND FOUR MEN, SHE KILLS THEM! WE SEND SIX MEN SHE KILLS THEM!”

He pointed a finger at the man standing in front of him. “You fail me again I will skin you alive. You hire as many men as you need. You pay them as much as they ask. Only if they kill the bitch do they collect a paycheck. Not one dime before. Death will be their reward, and yours, if they fail me.”

Kudos

Comments

A certain

lack of thinking. Brutal hard men who think they are the only ones who are dangerous. Sigh... Wonderful story!
hugs
Grover

Girlz Rule!

Fantastic tale well written. Maximum enjoyment for me.

Thank you,

Joani

Excellent Story

...and a great read

Joanna

hooray

Jessica is back. its been too long. cant wait for more. keep the good work.
robert

Barbie

great story. I would like to see you break up the chapters a little better make it easier to read. It was a little hard to read for me had to read parts over in order to figure out who was telling the story. But other than that it was a great story. Plenty of depth.

SDom

Men should be Men and the rest should be as feminine as they can be

I'll accept the blame

for that. As the editor I should have caught that problem and fixed it so it would be easier to tell who is telling what, when.

Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

Catherine Linda Michel

As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.

Not Cathy's fault

I had been dumping revisions on Cathy weeks, days, and hours before. That night it was around eleven when I dumped a "final" revision on her. She said she would post it after she had some sleep. God only knows what she was doing up at three thirty the next morning. But I asked her if she could do another revision before she posted. Bless her heart. If I had been her I would have thrown my computer out the door and told me to never darken my monitor again.

Yet, Cathy agreed and then asked me if it was okay to post? Keep in mind the miserable hours and the miserable revisions I was asking of her.

Hugs Cathy, you're a lot more forgiving editor than I ever was. I've told a few writers to burn my number and never contact me again.

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

It's easy to be forgiving

when working with such a great story and an author who writes as well as you do, Barbie. This story caught my eye... and pulled it right out of my head. DAMN! Sorry about that. Apparently I was channelling Emo Phillips for a second there.

As for sleep, I will ask again: What is this 'sleep' thing to which you refer? It sounds like an interesting concept. Can anyone enlighten me about it?

Cathy

As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.

Jessica's Back, Hooray!

Obviously, there's another story in the author's mind.

Portia

Hot sexy and deadly

Great story more pretty please

An unexpected, but very pleasant surprise!

I truly never expected to see any more in the story line - but I am sincerely glad that I was wrong! I loved the original story, and this addition was easily just as good, if not better. The expansion of Serena's character was a wonderful idea and really adds to the story.

I hope to see much more in the very near future!

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Whew!

That was some story. Obviously you have plans for another one given the ending on this. "Hell just walked through our door in heels." I liked that line.

Maggie

cheer

Awesome sequel and I can't wait for the next installment!

I like the expansion of Serena and her interaction with James. Very touching.

Moar please. :-)

-- Sleethr

very nice !

and obviously not finished. is the earlier story available?
great work, thanks

Just click on the author's name,

and you'll find the other story that preceded this one.

Cathy

As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.

Jessica Rabbit series

I just loved the jessica Rabbit series and I hope there is at least another episode in the process, prefereably several more.

Of course this is just one series of stories in the Barbie Lee bibliography and I have read all her other stories at BigCloset. Are there any more hidden gems out there? If yes then where?

Will

Excellent Story!

Very good, entertaining story. Loved the touches of humor, James and Serena, the Rangers throwing their badges at all three women when they visited at the end, and others. I do hope this is not the last we see of Jessica, Serena, Linda and the others.

glad she's off the FBI list, anyway

fun story

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this.....

There really should be at least one more sequel though - Ernesto's not dead yet.

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Jessica Reloads a Cliffhanger

I enjoyed the Jessica Rabbit series immensely. After reading it again after 3 years I was hoping for completion.
Is there a another in the series coming or is it going to be a cliffhanger?

More jessica

We need more Jessica please

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna

Just re-reading after a few

Just re-reading after a few years. Still a good story; a concluding (sort of) chapter would be good, but hey, it's still good as it is.

I suspect that the system _did_ do some modifications that weren't expected, beyond the 'used for six months steadily to remove the cancer'. The point was to put the best cells back in - which I suspect were fresh stem cells, without the deteriorated teleomeres. Doesn't mean she can't die, just that her aging isn't anywhere close to what "normal" people do.

Any information on how well her ovaries are constructed? I mean, she's apparently been producing estrogens, not androgens.

I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Jessica's Revenge

Comments

A certain

Girlz Rule!

Excellent Story

hooray

Barbie

I'll accept the blame

Not Cathy's fault

It's easy to be forgiving

Jessica's Back, Hooray!

Hot sexy and deadly

An unexpected, but very pleasant surprise!

Whew!

cheer

very nice !

Just click on the author's name,

Jessica Rabbit series

Excellent Story!

glad she's off the FBI list, anyway

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this.....

Jessica Reloads a Cliffhanger

More jessica

Just re-reading after a few

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