Alien Proliferation

exactly as if she’s mine—she’ll call me Daddy, and I’ll be sure to spoil her and her mother. I think Kitty and Jamie will love it in Australia.” He hung up the phone and handed it back to me. “Expect your husband any moment.”
    Christopher handed Jamie to me again. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to do what I know I’m going to have to do.”
    I took Jamie, Christopher moved between Chuckie and the door. He caught Jeff as he came barreling through at hyperspeed and got him into a chokehold. “Stop it.”
    Jeff was snarling. “Let me at him.”
    “Why? What he did was the only thing that was going to make you listen.” Christopher tightened his hold on Jeff. “It’s adapted to my system, just like it did to yours. I’m stronger now, too. Do you want to spend the time to find out if I’m stronger than you while we have our people in mortal peril? And while your wife’s just holding it together? Or do you think you can wake up and realize there’s a reason we wanted you back here, first?”
    Jamie started to cry. I tried to comfort her, but it didn’t do any good. I was close to crying, too, so that might have been why. I saw Jeff pay attention to what we were feeling instead of being enraged. His body relaxed, and Christopher let him go.
    Jeff came over to me and took Jamie. He cuddled her and hugged me. “I’m sorry.”
    “Let’s get you into dry clothes. Where are the others?” I felt panicked that they’d gone to Paris already.
    “Here, girlfriend.” Reader walked in, Kevin and Paul right behind him. “Hard to catch up to Jeff when he’s doing the enhanced hyperspeed.” He grinned at Chuckie. “Gotta hand it to you, you sure know how to push his buttons.”
    Chuckie shrugged. “Some people make it easier than others.”
    “Look, everyone get into dry clothes, make sure your cell phones are charged, and then, for God’s sake, regroup here before you go racing off.” I figured it couldn’t hurt to remind them not to be foolhardy. I mean, better late than never.
    “Get weapons,” Chuckie added. “I’m sure we’re going to need them.”
    Christopher nodded. “Yeah. I can’t see much, other than the room they’ve got them in. It’s big, but I can’t tell how big. I can only see it because . . . of the bodies.”
    “Change, back here in ten minutes or less.” Jeff had his Commander voice on full.
    Everyone scattered, women included. I got the impression that Melanie and Emily were planning to come back. Well, like daughters, like mothers. Lorraine and Claudia were off fieldwork, but maybe their mothers could cover it. They were doctors, after all, and we clearly needed medical along.
    We went into the bedroom. I put Jamie down in the middle of the bed and helped Jeff get out of his jacket and shirt. I got a towel and started to dry him off. He took it from me, wrapped it around my back, and pulled me to him.
    “You’ll go to Australia with him over my dead body.”
    “That was Chuckie’s point.”
    “Yeah, yeah, fine.” Jeff bent and kissed me. I melted against him. When he finally ended our kiss I nuzzled into his chest and buried my face between his pecs, one of my favorite places to bury. Didn’t have time to bury in my other favorite place. He kissed the top of my head. “You’re staying here. With Jamie. Where it’s safe.”
    “It wasn’t safe for Christopher here.” I brought him up to speed fast on what we’d learned. “Chuckie will explain it all in fuller detail, I’m sure.”
    “I hate him. I really hate him.”
    “As I said to him the other day, I’m glad you’re both straight, or you two would probably be married.”
    “Hardly.”
    I kissed Jeff’s chest. “I wish everyone was safe. Because I know I can have sex now.”
    He laughed. “No one focuses on the priorities better than my girl.”

 
    CHAPTER 43
     
    J EFF PUT ON A DRY SUIT—the Elves never failed to produce. His long Armani trench coat was hanging in our closet. It looked great on him. Then again, everything looked great on him.
    I changed Jamie’s diaper. She was going to need to eat soon. I hoped it could wait until everyone left. I picked her up and considered that I also needed to give her a bath and do all those other good mommy things I was most likely failing at. I’d been on the ball a couple of days ago, when nothing much was going on. Add life-threatening dangers, though, and I was already in need of assistance.
    “Oh, by the way,” Jeff said as