Alien Diplomacy

guys who’d been trying to kill me were undoubtedly long gone.
    “Poofies have to stay here,” I said. A lot of disappointed mewling hit my ears. “No, I mean it. Guard Jeff and Christopher.” An animal I couldn’t explain would probably also freak Bernie out. And I really wanted her to continue to think I was a normal gal like her, at least for a little while longer.
    I felt like I was sneaking out of my own home, but it wasn’t as though there was anyone to tell where I was headed. Well, Walter. But he probably needed the rest.
    I got us outside without slamming the door. Sure the Embassy had great soundproofing, but I didn’t want a slamming door to upset the new parents.
    We reached the sidewalk, and I headed off. I looked up at the Romanian Embassy. I was fairly sure Olga was sitting by the window. I waved to her and had Jamie wave, too. We walked on.
    After a couple of blocks, not having the stroller along was shown to be a really stupid plan. Enhanced or not, my purse, the diaper bag, and Jamie all felt really heavy after I’d hiked with them for a couple of minutes. The exhaustion let me know I was really not up to sprinting at human, let alone enhanced, levels, and walking was a poor idea, too. But that’s what taxis, real ones, were for. I gave up and looked for an available one.
    A couple went by with fares, but I lucked out on the third one. It pulled over and we got in. “Mitchell Park, please.”
    The driver grunted and took off. It didn’t take very long; Bernie had been right, it was close. “Thanks,” I handed the driver a $10. “Keep the change.”
    Jamie and I got out and looked around. It was a nice park, lots of foliage, lots of trees. I didn’t see a lot of families around, but maybe they didn’t do Sundays in the park around here too much.
    We followed the sidewalk in. Soon I spotted the landmarks Bernie had given me to find her, and we went onto the grass. Now I was glad I didn’t have the stroller—there was no way I’d have managed it on the wet and bumpy ground.
    “Kitty!” I turned to see Bernie stepping out from the bushes.
    “What were you doing in there?”
    She laughed. “Jordan lost a toy.” She tickled Jamie’s tummy. “There’s the precious girl.”
    I looked around. “Where is Jordan?”
    “Raul wanted to meet you, so the baby’s with him.” Bernie clapped her hands twice in front of Jamie. “Can you come to Bernie?” she asked with a big smile.
    Jamie grabbed hold of my jacket and made fussy baby sounds. “Oh, come on, Jamie-Kat. You remember Bernie. She was in Mommy and Me with us.” I tried to hand her to Bernie, but Jamie held on and screamed.
    I cuddled her. “We were gone for a long time last night. I think she just wants Mommy time.”
    Bernie looked disappointed. I looked around again. “Where the heck are Jordan and Raul?” I didn’t see anyone.
    “Over here.” Bernie headed off around the bushes she’d emerged from. I followed her. She went between a couple of big trees, and I lost sight of her. There were a lot of big trees here as well as really tall bushes, so it was shaded. In the summertime it would have been nice. Right now, it was cool enough that it made me shiver.
    I went where Bernie had to see her standing there. There was no sign of Jordan or a man who might be Raul. There was, however, a gun. In Bernie’s hand. A gun with a very professional looking silencer on it. Pointing at me and Jamie. We were standing very close to Bernie, and I couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t shoot Jamie if I tried to run.
    “What the hell?”
    “I’d like the baby now,” Bernie said calmly. “You can hand her to me and then I can kill you where she doesn’t see it, or I can kill you in front of her and then take her. Your choice.”
    Something Cartwright had said the night before clicked. She’d indicated there were at least three assassins, maybe four. Peter the Dingo Dog and Surly Vic were only two, and they were clearly a team. They hadn’t had someone else tagging along last night.
    “Is there really a Raul?” I tried to rev up, to get enraged, so I could do something. But I was still drained from all the energy expended the night before. Tito hadn’t put me into isolation because I’d hidden how tired I was from him. That now seemed like a really bad life choice. I didn’t have enough adrenaline to trot, let alone sprint.
    “Yes. Unfortunately, he was detained by the police last night. Someone with sharp eyes pointed him