C H A P T E R    E I G H T
 
 
 

        "Welcome aboard Buz Air..." the PA in the cabin squawked. It
was Buz. "...Uh, we just turned on the yee-oo may not burn one
signage, but we'll let you know as soon as it's OK to get high in the
sky, if you're so inclined...and if you look out your right side, you can
see the remains of a once-fine Douglas DC 7 and, of course, one
soo-perb scene of national celebration of the forces of greatness
defeating the LA-MO forces of BEEZELbub...."
        "YO! CAPTAIN!" Kit yelled up to Buz, the peterpit door open,
then "owwww," Code winced with his pain.
        "Easy there, darlin'," Jess tended him, calming him with some
kisses, "take it eeee-zzzzz."
        Buz came back on the PA, "lo...what voice doth beseecheth?
Speak, beseecher..."
        "What the hell's got into him?" Kit pondered much more quietly
to the girls, all of them chuckling.
        "Prob'ly Gabey's pills," Flee conjectured.
        "NOTHIN', BUZ," Jess yelled forward, and the red-haired big
Scott leaned over in his seat and looked back at his compatriots out in
first class and gave a compassionate look. They all smiled and waved
back to him, except Kit.
        "Go get yourself a 727 takeoff, Jess," Kit winked at his girl.
        "I don't want to leave you."
        "You'll be right there..." he motioned gingerly toward the pit,
adding, "you know, get right back in the saddle, only plenty more
horses. How're your eyes?"
        "They're pretty close to back. Yeah, what the heck, huh, back
in the saddle again, right?...OK, I'll be right back, honey....C'mon,
Fleesh, let's drive this boing!"
        "Yeah, right," Flee meant as total disbelief, but followed Jess to
the penispit, and Buz and Savvy relinquished their front seats,
strapped on the jump and engineer seats and gave their instructions,
both having flown one before, and, after the one gave Buz the
engineer's post, the security aircrew just looked on in surprise, pleasure
and maybe a little worry from their back seats, but then piped up with
their added instructions.
        Kit got to know the shot-up security guys in the seats across the
aisle a little better in his spotty Italian and their spotty-er English, but
Sage and Jas helped out. Kit asked their soldiers if they had been paid
enough liras, and the Romans smiled and laughed. Ha ha ha, kind of
like that. Only in Italian.
        "We pay extra for new body holes and stuff like that," Code
told them, Sage interpreting, and Kit slowly extracted the checkbook
from Pute's bag. He wrote $25,ooo checks for each wounded "bro",
then $5,ooo each for all the others, Sage handing the checks out for
Kit. And that was fine with the men. It was more than fine, they
began thanking Kit. They had already been paid over $15,ooo each.
It was "bello a lot," they were saying, as the girls taxied the airliner
into position at the numbers.
        "Uh, we're now in one of our favorite positions..." Flee
broadcast over the PA, and they all had a laugh, shared by the
Italians after Sage's interpretation. "...Don't worry, we'll give you
guys a real nice ride," she added tantalizingly, evoking more snickers
and smiles.
        "What is it with this crew?" Kit joked.
        Jess juiced the Jet A-1 into the three GE's in their rear and they
roared into the wind. She and Flee did a great job on takeoff and
departure under everyone's tutelage. Everyone was a little on edge
about getting shot at again, but no one mentioned it.
        Kit had shut down the modem when they had lifted off and was
working the problems one-handed with Puteronics. Pute was feeling
down from having to say gooby again to Cygirl - Kit could recognize
his "sigh" - and down from Kit and the others being shot (asking how
"KC" was doing), but up with the outcome in Bosnia, then back
down with the job to get done.
        "Am I going to get shot, K?" the P asked winsomely.
        "I don't think so, P," Kit typed his ole buddy a "hug" back, and
they proceeded on with everything on the agenda, the effect of the
drugs, though, starting to grog Code up.
        Jess came back as they climbed on out and sat down softly
next to him again, saying, "how's my patient?...does Putey have
anything?"
        "I'm OK...and he's OK...but nothin' new," Kit answered.
        "Well, that was fun, sweetheart. Thanks for the suggestion. I
guess father does know best, huh," and kissed him.
        "Uh...majesty...I really don't want to be thinkin' about fathers
right now...but good...good, darlin'...I'm glad you did that," Kit
looked her way slightly, his mouth halfway between a grimace and a
smile.
        "Worryin' about them tryin' to finish you off, are ya?" she
razzed. He slowly nodded, with no smile, returning his eyes to Pute's
screen.
        "Well, you know there's Craig. And then there's my natural
Dad. But they're probably gettin' in line behind Ginny, Grampaw and
Uncle Fred," she snickered. "It's probably best we don't get me home
for awhile...." and looked right at his face. She was feeling good. She
had just taken off a 727 after being adored as a war heroine and
escaping death, and her honey was OK. She was happy. And she
kissed him again as he just nodded slowly while pretending to pay
attention to Pute.
        The security guys complimented Cody on his beyond-this-
world luck of companionship, saying that the girls were the most
bella they had ever seen. Well, American girls, they laughed. The
girls thanked all the complimenters, then the guy shot in the leg
suggested laughingly that maybe that was why the agents were
shooting at Kit.
        "Yep, they're really to die for," Kit fielded it. And Jess, being
the deep heart that she is, got up and hugged all the gents, and,
returning to Kit, picked up Pute, layed him on the next seat, then sat
on his lap as she checked it didn't hurt him, and they talked on with
their soldiers about their lives some, goshsakes, since they had just
put them out on the red line for our guys.
        Savanna had taken the pilot's seat vacated by Jess and was
flying with Flece, but Buz came sauntering back into the cabin and
offered a bro's handshake to Kit, saying, "was that your first bullet,
captain?"
        "Yowza, gyrene," Kit answered and grabbed onto his big red
bud's big hand.
        "Well, now you're a member of the real veterans club, ole
sport...here's to YOU guys. Semper Fi! Hoo-wa!" and Buz opened
the bottle of champagne that Sara had given them and offered Kit
the first swig, then took it to the other shot guys, then gave it to
Jess and the others. "Viva!" he toasted for his gulps, then took it up
to the pit for the girls and crew, came back and lit up a puro, which
got passed all around, and pointed out his bullet and other Marine
scars, and some of the others showed theirs too, to all the plaudits.
        Kit was tiring out, though, as were the other wounded, from
"those darn drugs". So Buz took the more effusive guys up to the
cockpit to continue the party up there.
        Jess, still on Kit's lap, quietly said to him, "well, rockhead,
we're gettin' pretty beat up lately, huh?...How're ya doin'?" and
kissed his lips.
        "Mmm," he kissed back, "I'm pretty OK....But I'm never
takin' you to a war zone again. You just don't know how to behave."
        "I know, I know, cowpoke. You're my hero in shining amor,
I guess you know," and kissed his eyes, sipping up their leaking
tears of happiness from her loving.
        "Well, I know how lucky that makes me. But I can't let the
shine get rusty, neither. I've got to get you and Flece out of this
mess...this is just too fuckin' dangerous now...majesty," kissing her
forehead, then temple, then ear, pushing her hair back with his nose.
        "We are out of the mess..." she said, eyes closed, pleasuring
in his kisses, then she opened her eyes and looked into his, adding,
"they're all stuck back there, at least for a while...you heard Julia..."
her brows going up with the realization that she was talking about
Julia Roberts. "And I'm going to call Bill..." giving Code another
'can you believe who we know now?' look, "...to get the fuckers off
our butts."
        "That's just it, 'high'. We can't call him on this. That would for
sure tell them who we are...well...hell, that's what I think, anyway.
Aw God..." he let out, just adoring her eyes, face, spirit and soul,
which she realized.
        "You're gettin' a lit-tle groggy, aren'cha there, Hotey."
        "I know it. Anyway...beautiful...I'm hoping the Prez'll be able
to get you guys off the hook. I'm just not sure when or how to go
about it yet. And we did kidnap those guys," then gave a little smile
as they both thought 'fark yea, we KIDNAPPED those pro's...
twice!'
        "Yeah!" Jess said, "...but they're going to have some problems
prosecuting us, aren't they? They're the ones shooting! And for
WHAT?!"
        "Well...you know they can prosecute anyone for just about
anything if they want to badly enough...'course, those guys are out
of control..." and they both did some quick thinking through the
ramifications. "But I won't....I will not....see you girls in any more
trouble." They were looking eye to eye, knowing that they were so
much in love that it was almost scary. Or nuts.
        "Boy, that's one heck a prediction," she answered with a smile.
        "Jeez, Jess, I don't think it's that funny what happened back
there in the 7."
        "I'm sorry. Take it ee-zz, honey..." and she gave his hair a few
loving strokes.
        "I'm tryin'...thanks, precious..." and gave her a kiss as he
nuzzled his face into her cheek. "But they already know who you are
now. And it's a scary feeling. They're out to kill, baby. I'd really like
you guys to go somewhere very safe until it cools out."
        "Do not."
        He had to chuckle, "you're right....But you should, dammit.
God, you and Flee're two of the bravest hearts I've ever seen...See,
this is exactly what I meant back when we talked about why you
deserve your share of the mine and that. You're the queen of my
world, angel....And not just mine," and gave her a 'duh' look. "And
you guys are going to be free and clear when this is all done....I
promise."
        "Hey...I'm pretty impressed by you, too...deephead," flicking
her eyebrows, amusing him. "But you need some rest, my lord,"
she affectated in high English accent, seeing the exhaustion in his
face, then whispered in his ear, "I love you forever, Kit Cody...and
I can't wait to give you my lovin' again.... But get some sleep,
darlin'...you need some sleep, precious..." and kept whispering to
him and nibbling his ear until he fell asleep in the nirvana of her
voice, beautiful thoughts, kisses and caresses.
        Jasmine had the other two wounded dudes sleeping against
her, across the aisle, and she and Jessy smiled to each other. Sage
was talking with the other guys in the seats behind and smiled at
the girls. And Flee, Savvy and Buz leveled them all out over
Dubrovnik at flight level two zero zero, then Flece came back to
talk with Jess.

Next Page