Alien in the House

Building, aren’t you?”
    “You got it. Enjoy your new personal bodyguards.”
    Jeff groaned. “Can it get any worse?”
    “Oh, I’m sure it can. Just give it some time.”



CHAPTER 59
    W E HEADED BACK DOWNSTAIRS. Everyone was still in the ballroom, it remained unscathed, and Rahmi and Rhee looked like they’d been dressed by a former international model. In other words, they looked hot.
    None of the men in the room were giving them any kinds of looks other than suspicious, truculent, angry, terrified, or, in the case of Chuckie, thoughtful. Even Gower’s normal calm and cool appeared to be affected.
    “Looking good, girls. Great work, Nathalie. Guys, why so serious? And Chuckie, what’s going on in my favorite conspiratorial mind?”
    He looked at the others. “We need a minute. Representative Brewer, would you be in a position to advise the Speaker of the House that there’s been an attack on Representative Martini, and that we may be coming a little later than planned?”
    “Yes, absolutely.” Brewer pulled his phone out and started dialing.
    “Jeff’s not really a representative yet, is he?” I asked.
    “Technically he is, because he’s a presidential and gubernatorial appointee, so he assumed office the moment they appointed and he said yes,” Chuckie said. “However, it’s a little gray until he’s sworn in, which is why they wanted that to happen so quickly.”
    “So I can still get out of it?” Jeff asked hopefully.
    “You wish.” Chuckie jerked his head at Reader, who nodded. Reader still had Reyes’ stuffed briefcase and was also holding a folder he hadn’t had when Jeff and I left the room.
    Chuckie moved us out of the ballroom. Reader, Gower, and Tim followed. We went down the hall to one of the unused music salons. Chuckie looked around and sighed. “I hate to ask this, Paul, but would you mind—”
    “Checking for bugs?” Gower asked with a grin. “Not a problem.” He zipped through the room and was back in a flash. “We’re clean. And thanks for getting us out of the room. I still remember fighting the women of Beta Twelve, and other than Renata herself, not that fondly.”
    “Sorry about the flashbacks, but I think they’ll be helpful.” I did. At least, I figured they’d be helpful to me, and if they could put that force field around Jeff and keep him safe, then they could move in permanently.
    “Love your optimism,” Tim said.
    “I don’t want to talk about Renata’s daughters,” Chuckie said. “They’ve been trained to follow the head female, and ours just laid down the law to them. I also happen to agree with Kitty—I think they’ll be useful. However, Kitty, to answer your question—I’m wondering about who shot your husband.”
    “Raul the Revengeful Assassin. At least, that’s my assumption.”
    Chuckie shook his head. “The shot didn’t come from the rooftops. I’m not saying that every assassin works from the roofs, but in the daylight, with a lot of people around, it’s the smartest place to be. The inside of a car that’s moving is also a smart spot. You do the drive-by, floor it, and are out of there before anyone’s registered anything.”
    “So maybe he’s getting frustrated.”
    “I watched everything that happened to the two of you and I’ve been replaying it in my mind. The shot came more from the side than from above. And based on the way you were positioned at the curb, it came from nearer than I think any of us realized at the time.”
    “I heard a car peel out.”
    “Yeah, but that might not have been the shooter’s getaway car. If most people see and hear someone being shot, their first instinct is to get far away fast.” The other men nodded their agreement.
    “Okay, so what are you thinking?”
    Reader had that file, and he waved it at me. “He’s thinking about the information regarding Vance’s theory.”
    “Oh, so that’s not from the briefcase, you got it from Stryker?”
    Reader nodded. “There are a lot of representatives dead, I’ll give you that. But they all look legitimate. Heart attacks, illnesses, accidents. Santiago and the thankfully unsuccessful attack on Jeff are the only ones that stand out as not being normal.”
    Chuckie rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there anything you’ve forgotten to tell me, or held back for some reason? Anything at all? It could be small.”
    “Tito asked me the same thing, about Santiago. And, I did remember something that helped. So to speak. I