Alien vs. Alien

expediency’s sake. “We need to convert part of the Embassy into an aviary,” he said finally.
    “You’re kidding. Who has an aviary in an Embassy? And where would we put them, anyway?” White looked at me and shrugged. “Richard, you’re not serious. I realize this place is humongous, but what if the future Ambassadors don’t want to keep these things?”
    “The future Ambassadors will be A-Cs, either by birth or marriage. Therefore, they will want to keep the new Royal Flock in good stead.” He was serious.
    “They aren’t going in our living quarters.” Jeff had his Commander voice back on full.
    White shrugged. “They do need sunlight.”
    “Buy up the building next door and gut it.”
    “You’re kidding,” Jeff said.
    I pondered. “Actually, no, I’m not.”
    Christopher nodded. “For this areaFor this, it’s dirt cheap, too.”
    “I don’t want to know.” I didn’t. The A-Cs treated money the way probably everyone should—as a tool. They were extremely casual when they dropped huge sums that made me physically ill to even think about.
    “It would ensure we didn’t have neighbors we don’t like,” Doreen said. “But it might make us stand out too much. The last thing we want is to be showy in the wrong ways. That draws the wrong kind of attention.”
    I looked at the birds. They looked back. “Not if we turn it into a gift.”

    Yi

CHAPTER 26

    “P ARDON?” DOREEN SOUNDED CONFUSED. I looked around. Okay, unsurprisingly, everyone was looking confused. Well, everyone other than Chuckie. He looked rather proud. I didn’t let it go to my head.
    “If we buy the building, we say we’re doing it to help the economy. We earn the current owner’s gratitude and sound like we really care about moving the ol’ dollars around. Then, we turn it into an aviary that’s also a park or museum or something. Where people can, for a small fee, come in to view the lovely birdies and such. We make income, which we can in turn donate to the zoo or something, meaning that we come under nonprofit status, which is advantageous. We house the Peregrines safely, don’t piss off Alpha Four, come across as total caring folks from wherever the hell everyone thinks we’re from, and extend our real estate holdings. Good from both a financial and public relations viewpoint. In fact, if we do it right, the tax benefits alone could pay for itself, potentially with profit.”
    Everyone stared at me, some with open mouths. Other than Chuckie, who was in the back of the group. He applauded silently. I managed not to laugh.
    “Peregrines got your tongues?” I had to say something. Or get offended by their expressions.
    “Just shocked to hear those words coming out of your mouth,” Christopher said finally. “They sounded so mature and professional. Are you feeling okay?”
    I shrugged. “So glad I appear to be a moron to the people closest to me. What you all choose to forget is that I have a degree in business, and one of my best friends happens to be a self-made millionaire many times over via entrepreneurship and the stock market both. I did pick up a couple of pointers along the way.”
    Everyone turned and looked at Chuckie. He grinned and shrugged. “I’m always so happy when I discover she was paying attention all this time. Kitty’s right, it’s a sound financial investment that will double as a great way to house your ever-growing menagerie without creating too much talk.”
    Jeff groaned. “You have to be kidding me, Reynolds. Richard, what do you think?”
    White cleared his throat. “I believe listening to Mister Reynolds is in our best interests. As your wife so succinctly put it, he’s made his money the American way, and we would be remiss if we didn’t follow his guidance.”
    “Then that’s settled.” And it might mean I could move Bellie off into the other building, too. This was definitely a big selling point for me. “So, what did everyone else’s gift cards say?”
    “Ours said something similar to yours and Tito’s card,” Doreen said. “Congratulations on the birth of your baby, keep the birds around.”
    “Mine came with instructions for how to use the birds for security purposes,” Walter said. He’d joined us, too, which was a rarity. I had the feeling Walter wanted his set of birds not only out of his Security Command Center but never returning.
    “Richard?”
    “My note was personal in nature, Missus Martini.” White gave me a small smile.
    I thought