Thumper (The Mandarin Connection Book 8) Read online

  “Yeah. Why? Is that something…” I trailed off.

  “They are going to try to assassinate the governor? Why?” I stammered.

  The Lt. Colonel paced the room in the warehouse he’d told us to meet.

  It wasn’t a large warehouse, and it apparently had been used to store sex toys at one point. There were shelves, and empty boxes. One or two of the toys were scattered about the floor.

  The Marine absently kicked one, and it slid across to the other side of the room.

  “No, I don’t think it’s an assassination. More a message to others,” he whispered.

  He stood, looking at some imaginary list of threats and scenarios in his head.

  “Hmm. I need some backup on this one,” he concluded.

  “Let’s take a little ride,” he said, indicating we should get into his Jeep.

  —————

  We had driven from the warehouse to an airfield, and then boarded a helicopter!

  Man, this was awesome!

  I know my father would never have gone for something like this!

  Then, I remembered he was dead – and all the magic of the moment drained out of me.

  Thumper was having none of it, gripping the seat with his hands, deathly afraid of falling out.

  The Lt. Colonel was sitting with a headset, and speaking to someone on the channel.

  We changed course, flying out over a lake.

  The chopper approached a boat, and hovered near the decks.

  “Everybody out!” yelled the Marine.

  “What? You’re fucking kidding!” shrieked Thumper. He was terrified.

  “You first!” shouted the Marine, and he unceremoniously tossed my brother over the side.

  Thumper yelled the twenty feet to the net, then bounced around until some other men pulled him, kicking and screaming, onto the boat.

  “Now, you!” the Marine said, moving to toss me out.

  But I beat him to the punch, and landed neatly in the center of the net.

  The men helped me onto to boat, where Thumper was glaring at me.

  The Lt. Colonel landed in the net, and then jumped off, almost in a single motion.

  “Inside! Quick!” he ordered.

  We went into the cabin, as the chopper peeled off.

  I almost had a heart attack when I saw my stepsister sitting in a chair around a large mahogany table.

  “What kept you two?” she teased.

  —————

  “Daddy told me all about it, after the game you guys threw,” she explained.

  “What exactly did he tell you?” I asked.

  Her eyes narrowed, and she looked very suspicious.

  “What did he tell you?” she said in a serious tone.

  “Trust no one!” Thumper said, looking a bit green around the gills.

  “Now I know why. Asshole!” he grumped.

  Five men, armed to the teeth, walked into the conference room. They took up positions around the room, at both entry points, and the one window. I couldn’t help notice that Bea was suddenly very intent, eyeing them hungrily.

  Thumper was sitting low in his chair, trying to decide if he were seasick or not.

  I was feeling a bit anxious, but interested in all this.

  I briefly entertained the idea that I might could be like these men, all armed and ready for action.

  Lt. Colonel Rodgers entered, followed by another man.

  He was definitely the boss man.

  When he entered, all of the other saluted, but also never took their fingers off their guns.

  “At ease, men. Keep a sharp lookout!” the man commanded.

  “Boys, Beatrice. This is Admiral Reginald Decker, the commanding officer of this mission. I’ve asked him to come aboard, to emphasize the importance of following instructions and keeping your wits about you. This is as grave a situation as any we have faced. Admiral?” the Lt. Colonel said.

  Admiral Decker was a formidable looking man.

  He was grizzled and stern, but missed nothing.

  “I am sure that Buck here has explained some of this to you. I am hereby granting you National Security Clearance ST-1. This means that you are going to hear and see things that are of the utmost importance to national security. It is a decision I do not make lightly!” he said.

  I know I gulped, and I am pretty sure so did Bea and Thumper.

  “Raise your right hands and repeat after me, please,” he ordered.

  “I, state your name, do solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution of these United States of America, in my best capacity!” he said.

  We repeated the oath. I was tempted to say ‘state your name,’ but, seeing the look in everyone’s eyes, decided against it.

  When it was over, we had been duly sworn in as members of the Alpha Team.

  —————

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THUMPER

  Bea’s father had explained what we had to do in the games, following Mr. Norton’s directions to lose.

  It made my blood boil to think we had to throw the game to those losers, the fucking Cobras!

  Shit, they could barely pass! Their defense was for crap, and their QB was a pussy!

  I tried to push my anger down, remembering how I had felt on the chopper, but that only made me angrier at myself for acting like a sissy!

  I went along with this dumb plan because of what had happened to Mom and Dad and Bea… but I really wanted to kill that fucker, the Frenchman!

  And, if Norton hadn’t pulled his gun…

  I was suddenly brought back to reality when Bea kicked my shin under the table.

  Admiral Decker explained the situation to us, and introduced the other team members in turn.

  “Boys, and Miss Sullivan, these men are members of the Alpha Team, which is an elite fighting organization that is committed to combatting the Mandarin Connection operatives,” he said.

  The men nodded in turn, as he told us their names and ranks.

  “This big Jamaican here is Travis,” he said.

  Travis was cradling a large machine gun in muscled arms.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, mon!” he said, his eyes never moving from the window he was guarding. He smiled, and I noticed he sported a gold tooth.

  “This one here is Randy!” Decker recited.

  Randy was a huge bear of a man, with a beard and eyes the color of steel. He was guarding the main entrance. He grinned at Travis, and winked, before nodding at us.

  “Welcome to the Alpha Team!” he chortled. He seemed insanely happy at his job.

  He, too, was holding a fierce-looking gun.

  “This is Walt, our Medic, and that one is Derek. Derek is a new recruit, almost as fresh as you two!” Decker chuckled.

  Derek looked mildly embarrassed.

  “This last one is Om Jaeger,” he said, with admiration.

  Bea drew a breath, and I could see why.

  Om was an older man, but he was built like a god. His chiseled good looks and tight muscles put almost all of the rest of them to shame.

  When he spoke, his voice was powerful, and tinged with great sadness.

  “I am not glad you had to join our team in this manner, Beatrice, Keith David, and David Keith. It is most unfortunate that your parents died at the hands of this terrible force of evil. But I am glad your father, Bea, alerted us to this situation. We must be firm, and careful,” he said, somberly.

  I almost wept, but held my emotions in check.

  I was moved by how these men felt so strongly about their roles, and our own roles in this.

  Om put a huge hand on my shoulder, and I looked into his blue eyes. They were piercing in their intensity.

  “Son, you will avenge them. This I can promise!” he said to me.

  —————

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  BEA

  I was in awe of the Alpha Team men!

  They were all brute force and muscles, but they obviously were shrewd, canny and in
telligent.

  When Om spoke, I felt my thighs loosen.

  I was almost drooling over Randy and Travis, too!

  Behave yourself, girl! I chided.

  Your steps are here, too, you know!

  That thought made my pussy even wetter…I had better concentrate or I was going to come right there in the room!

  Admiral Decker was continuing on about the Mandarin Connection, but I was dreaming of how it might feel to be ravished by all of them at the same time!

  Alas, it was just another silly girl’s fantasy.

  I put the thought into my spank bank…for later.

  —————

  “Now, then, are there any further questions?” Admiral Decker inquired.

  “Just one,” asked Thumper.

  “Yes?” the Admiral replied, but he looked as though he knew what it was already.

  “Why can’t we just blast these fuckers! They killed my parents! OUR parents!” Thumper said, waving his arms to indicate Stinger and me.

  My real dad answered.

  “David, these people are very bad people. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill dozens, maybe hundreds of innocents to achieve their goals,” he responded.

  “Over a fucking college bowl game? For some gambling or something?” Thumper shouted.

  The Admiral and my Dad looked at each other.

  The Admiral nodded.

  “This is about more than a game, son,” he said.

  “Om, can you show them?” he asked the older man.

  Om stood to one side.

  “Give me your hand, David,” he said, quietly.

  Thumper stood and Om motioned that he remain seated.

  Then, Thumper held out a hand.

  Om grasped it, gently.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, Thumper leapt from his chair, pulling his hand from Om’s grasp and holding it like it was burnt.

  “That’s not possible!” he yelled.

  His eyes were wild.

  He looked back and forth from me to Stinger.

  Stinger’s eyes were closed, and he gripped the table in front of him so tightly his fingers were white with the effort.

  Suddenly, he ripped a large chunk from the table. The other men lurched at the sound, then went back to guard duty.

  Stinger looked at Thumper, his eyes locked with his brother.

  Then he looked around the other men in the room.

  “You…you have all…seen…that?” he gestured to the ceiling, and the walls.

  The men all nodded, one or two answering ‘Ayes’.

  “H-h-how did I d-d-d-do that?” he said, stuttering.

  “It’s because of your feelings towards your stepsister,” Om said.

  “Love. That is the one thing we have that they do not,” Om answered.

  “And, it means the difference between success and death,” he concluded.

  —————

  We were riding in the Jeep, back to our home.

  My father was driving the vehicle, and I felt oddly safe.

  Ever since the accident, any time I went anywhere in a car I was terrified.

  I knew it was highly unlikely anything bad would happen, but the feelings were real.

  I tried to take my mind off of it.

  I turned to David Keith, who had been avoiding me since the briefing.

  “What did you see, Thumper?” I asked.

  He wouldn’t look at me.

  Ever since the briefing, he kept looking away, from me, and towards Stinger.

  His face held a sad smile.

  “I love you, Bea,” he suddenly admitted.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  “What? Why would you say that, just now?” I asked, astonished.

  I mean, I know how I felt about him.

  About Stinger.

  I knew that I shouldn’t feel ashamed of that love.

  But, to hear it stated so baldly, so raw like that.

  I was suddenly afraid.

  “I can’t tell you, Bea,” he whispered.

  “Why? Is it a big secret?” I asked.

  “No. It’s just too big. Too fucking big. Words fail me…” he said, quietly.

  He looked at me, and for the first time, I really sensed the depth of his emotions towards me.

  I feared I had hurt him, when I had kissed Stinger, that fateful night long ago.

  “Even if I could tell you, I just don’t have the words to describe what I saw. I just…There were a bunch of people surrounding a woman. A woman we meet…a long time from now,” he said.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

  “What do you mean? Did you…did you see…the future?” I said, shocked.

  Thumper nodded silently.

  Stinger, who up to now had been sitting back in his seat, was white as a ghost.

  “A…a…possible, future, Bea,” he said.

  “What the fuck? What’s all this sci-fi nonsense?” I shouted.

  “It’s true! I saw it, too!” Stinger protested.

  “Then, what the hell did you see?” I said.

  The fear in me only grew.

  “We can’t tell you, Bea,” said Thumper.

  Stinger nodded, and both of my brothers wept openly.

  I joined them, truly afraid.

  —————

  CHAPTER NINE

  BEA

  When we arrive back at the house, my father deployed two Alpha Team members to guard us, then went off on some errand.

  I was still very upset regarding the boys.

  Then, I had an idea.

  I cornered Stinger, and told him to get Thumper and meet me in my room in ten minutes.

  Then, I went there to prepare…

  —————

  “Do you trust me?” I asked.

  The two men I loved stared at me like I had two heads.

  I had taken a few minutes to spruce myself up.

  In fact, I was wearing fire-engine red lipstick, and mascara, and some light makeup.

  I was dressed in a skimpy outfit, with my boobs pushed up and out, and had my fuck-me pumps on.

  I looked ready to fuck them silly, and I was.

  “First, we’ve got to lose our babysitters. How about a game of kiss-sis three-hole?” I asked innocently.

  “It’s…uh…flip-six three hole…” stammered Stinger.

  Thumper looked about to faint.

  “Don’t tell me what game I want to play, ‘bruh’!” I teased.

  “What…what are we going to do?” Thumper asked. He was sweating lightly.

  “Help me ditch these guys. Then, you’ll find out,” I answered.

  —————

  CHAPTER TEN

  THUMPER

  Shit!

  That girl is crazy! How the hell did I let her talk me into this?

  Where are those two dudes?

  I spy the one guy, Al, over by the kitchen window.

  The other one, Mike Two, I think I heard him called, is standing near the back door. Both men have firearms, but they are holstered.

  They are wearing headsets, though.

  I get an idea…

  —————

  “Uh, Dad? It’s David? Yeah. I know, it still feels weird for me, too. Look, I just need to run down to the gym. I forgot something in my locker? What? Oh, no, I don’t want to bother them. Can you tell them, stand down, or whatever? What? Look, Sir, I can handle myself…no, the Frenchman is out of town, I think. He went off with that cheerleader, from what I could figure out from the recon…huh? Oh, yeah! I sound cool, heh!” I said.

  I tried to keep it light. I hated lying to this man. To all of them.