~Chapter 7~

~Chapter 7~

~June 16th, 2019- “Sally’s Dress Mall” in Eugene Oregon
Maria leaned against the wall next to a tall man in a black security uniform. The man was Jason Vick, and he was the regular day watchman at the Dress Mall. And, since Lexy was a regular customer, he was familiar with both her and her youngest daughter.
He had met Maria about a year and a half ago. She had gotten herself lost in the jean department. And Jason had helped her find her mom. But, not five minutes since Maria had been reunited with her parent, she had tracked Jason down and insisted on shadowing him until her mom was ready to leave. Lexy had apologized profusely, but to be honest Jason found he enjoyed the little girl’s company and persistent questions. Since then, when ever Lexy came to shop at the Dress Mall, Maria sought out Jason and hung out with him for most, if not all, of her mom’s shopping trip.
Today the two of them were staking out the entrance. Shoppers smiled at the serious little girl leaning with arms crossed next to the big security guard. Maria had left Scarlet after getting instantly bored with shopping, and had gone in search of Jason. Now Maria and Jason where keeping tabs on who went in and out, and pretended they were looking for assassins or undercover agents.
Jason checked his watch and looked down at Maria. He noticed she was eyeing his Glock 9mm.
“What you thinking, Little Sister?”
Maria, who thought it was cool to be Jason’s “Little Sister”, pointed at the gun.
“What kind is it?”
Jason looked down and checked to make sure the gun was secured in its holster.
“That’s a Glock nine-millimeter.”
“Do you keep it clean?”
Jason smiled, he had learned early on that Maria’s dad was an ex-Marine and a veteran of not only the Iraq war, but also of Operation Israeli Rescue, and he was an expert in all forms of weapons and their uses.
“Yes, I keep it clean.”
Maria cocked her head to one side, “Do you ever shoot it?”
“I practice with it at the shooting range every week.”
Maria nodded, “What kind of bullets?”
Jason looked confused, “I said nine-millimeter.”
Maria shook her head, her brown hair fluttering around her face.
“No, daddy says there are different kinds of bullets. There are ones for practice, and a funny one that blows up when you shoot it.”
“Hollow points?”
Maria nodded, “Yeah, ‘ollow point.”
Jason laughed slightly, “Sorry, sister, I just use regular old nine-millimeter bullets.”
Maria looked disappointed, “Oh, Okay. I need to go find my mommy now.”
Jason smiled as he watched the little girl go running off.
“See you later, Maria”

It was about fifteen minutes later that Lexy and Scarlet were finally ready to check out.
Loaded down with clothes, Scarlet looked around for Maria.
“Lexy, you know where Maria is? She was here a few minutes ago.”
Lexy did a quick look-around and, turning back to Scarlet, shrugged her shoulders and sighed.
“She’ll be around here somewhere. Most likely we will run into her on the way to check-out, but if we don’t I’ll come back and look around.”
Scarlet hoisted her purchases onto one shoulder and fell in step with Lexy and Lola on their way to the front counter.
“She do this a lot?”
Lexy laughed and nodded, “Yeah, she started about a year ago. She hates to shop, and she normally gets along with store employees, so she never is in any real danger. It can be frustrating, but as I said, if we just start walking out then she normally pops up.”
But Maria didn’t pop up. They made it to the check-out counter with no sign of the little girl, when Scarlet clapped a hand on her mouth to stifle a giggle.
“There she is!”
Maria was behind the counter with an old silver-haired lady, pressing buttons on the register and helping check customers out.
She smiled at them as they approached, “Hiya, Mommy, Aunty Scarlet, Miss Alice lets me push the buttons!”
Scarlet was obviously amused, but Lexy was more relieved and slightly embarrassed.
“Alice, I’m sorry if she is bothering you…”
Alice smiled and shook her wizened head, “No, no, Maria is a joy to work with.”
Maria grinned up at her mom and, seeing her happy and smiling face, Lexy couldn’t help laugh.
“Okay Maria, check us out.”

~June 16th, 2019- Josh Taske’s House in Eugene, Oregon
Josh and Elijah had just finished vacuuming and dusting the house when the ring of the phone spilt the air.
Josh leaned against the bar in the kitchen as he answered.
“Taske home, Josh Taske speaking.”
“Captain? It’s Lucy.”
Josh’s eyebrows shot up, “I thought you weren’t talking to me anymore.”
Lucy Vale sighed, “I wasn’t. But some gal calling herself Emma Lector called me yesterday asking about how to find you.”
Josh ran his hand through his tousled hair.
“Wasn’t Emma Lector secretary at the Whitehouse when Matt was in office?”
“Exactly. And then she ran off with some shady businessman called James Hughes.”
Josh stopped a moment, remembering Wraith had said James Hughes was the current Chairman of the Board.
“What did you tell her?”
Lucy laughed coldly, “Well, you know me, always honest. But I figured I’d buy you some time to prepare for her, so I sent her to LA to see Hollywood. I figured, if she has the connections it is rumored she has, Hollywood should be able to point Miss Lector in the right direction.”
Josh jotted down a few notes to himself on a yellow sticky-note.
“Thanks Lucy, and hey… I’m sorry about Ralph, I really am.”
Lucy let out a breath of air in a hiss.
“Yeah, whatever. Goodbye, Josh.”
And with a click, Lucy hung up. Josh put the phone on the bar next to him and looked down at the notes he had taken.
Emma Lector, ex-Whitehouse Secretary + James Hughes, Board Chairman
Emma looking for me, gone to LA on detour
Is Emma working for James, or is she in trouble?
Call Hollywood to get information on Emma
Keep eye out for trouble


Twenty minutes later found Josh, Nathan, Scarlet, Lexy and Wraith in the Taske’s living room, discussing the phone call Josh had received. The kids were all upstairs in their rooms, playing happily. But happy was not the word to describe the emotion permeating the downstairs living room. Maybe foreboding would have been a better fit.
Josh and Lexy sat on one of the two black leather couches, Wraith and Scarlet occupied the other. Nathan sat between the two couches with his back to the coffee table.
Nathan looked up at Josh, worry lining his scarred face.
“You sure this Emma chick’s still going out with Hughes?”
Josh shook his head, “I don’t know. That was what I last heard; she left her job as Whitehouse secretary to go with him.”
Wraith’s green eyes were clouded over, a sure sign his computer-like mind was churning through its vast amounts of data.
“Emma Lector and James Hughes were going out as of when I left New York. It has been rumored by Underworlders in New York, however, that James was only keeping her around until he had no use for her anymore.”
Scarlet made a face, “Just like a man.”
Nathan glanced at her, “Hey, not like all men.”
Scarlet tipped her head at him in agreement, “You’re right, present company excluded.”
Lexy rubbed her temple in frustration, “So, you think James finally ran out of uses for her?”
Wraith shook his head, “No, James has a tendency to kill off his tools when he has no more use for them.”
Nathan shook his head and laughed hoarsely.
“Heh, why do all the guys who become Chairman have to be self-centered, cold-hearted, egotistical jackasses who deserve be six-feet-under?”
Josh looked down at his old friend, “Not all Chairmen were like that.”
Nathan nodded, “Yeah, your dad was a pretty good guy.”
Lexy looked at the two of them, “Sean Taske, right?”
Josh acknowledged with a nod, “Yeah, my dad was probably the best leader the Board has ever had. But he died of stroke in ’91.”
Nathan reached for the tequila he left on the table behind his head.
“Isn’t that about when you mom tried to take over the business so you and your sister could have it when you got older?”
Josh nodded, “Yeah, Belle Taske teamed up with Regent and killed off my Uncle Jay. Jay’s kids were the only others who had a chance at inheriting the empire.”
Scarlet shook her head in annoyance, “Josh, I know everyone in your family except your dad were a bunch of murdering psychos, but can we please get back to our current problem? Emma Lector?”
Wraith’s eyes came into focus for a moment to glance at Josh.
“Have you tried calling Hollywood yet?”
“She didn’t answer.”
Lexy looked over at Wraith, who had retreated back into his thoughts again.
“Who’s this “Hollywood” person?”
Nathan was staring at his bottle, “She’s a cute blonde who runs a print shop in LA. She also is one of the best at making up fake ID’s, passports, papers, and just about anything else. She’s what the Underworlders call a “Forger”.”
Lexy nodded slightly, thinking that over.
“Why would Lucy send Emma to her?”
Scarlet answered for Nathan, “Forgers tend to know a lot about the whereabouts of Underworlders. If an assassin or merc needs a passport to finish a job, or an informer or spy needs a fake ID to escape detection, the go to a forger.”
Lexy nodded that she understood, “Why haven’t I heard of forgers before? I’ve heard of mercs, assassins, spies, informers, and smugglers, but never forgers.”
Josh looked over at his wife and put his hand on hers.
“Being a forger in a hard job, and takes a special skill set. There are only about five forgers who have managed to stay in business.”
Wraith spoke up, “Six, actually. There is Hollywood in LA, Xerox in New York, Imprint in Houston, Texas, Splice in Washington DC, and then Watermark who is right here in Portland.”
Josh looked back over to Lexy, “There you go.”
Scarlet was really getting frustrated, “So, what about Emma?”
Wraith’s eyes focused and he looked over at the red-headed assassin.
“We cannot do anything until she shows herself. All we can do is be ready.”
Josh rose from his seat, “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll be ready.”

Lexy was preparing dinner when Nathan found his way into the kitchen.
“Need any help?”
Lexy smiled sweetly at him and offered him the big knife she was using to chop carrots.
“Sure, theses carrots need cut up. We’re having chicken soup.”
Nathan accepted the knife and started chopping the designated carrots with quick, exact movements.
Lexy was using another knife to slice onions and potatoes by the stove. She looked over at Nathan’s progress and shook her head with a smile.
“All that military training just to chop carrots in the kitchen.”
Nathan grinned, but didn’t look up, “Yeah, you’d think I could find a better use for it.”
Lexy smiled to herself, “No kidding. How are your headaches?”
Nathan automatically reached up and ran a finger through the permanent groove in the right side of his skull. He had been grazed by a sniper during Operation Israeli Rescue in 2008. The wound had healed for the most part; all that remained was the groove in his skull and excruciating headaches.
“They’re still there. I was in to see a doctor when I was back in New York about a year ago; he said he couldn’t figure out what was causing them. He ran a couple tests, but he never came up with anything. I figure it’s one of those things you just have to live with.”
Nathan glanced over his shoulder at Lexy, “Josh still have those nightmares?”
Lexy shook her head, “No, he hasn’t dreamt about his first wife’s death since a little after Lola was born.”
Nathan nodded absently, “That’s good. I remember back just after they died, he would have these awful nightmares and then wake up fightin’ mad. Normally with a knife or one of those Desert Eagles in his hand. I never been scared of a man in his sleep, but Josh terrified me.”
Lexy started putting ingredients together in a big pot.
“He used to scare me sometimes, but not because of the dreams, I just thought that was him being human. It was whenever he would shut himself off from the world. He wouldn’t speak, and his eyes and face would become stone-cold.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen him like that. Scary as Hell.”
Lexy went to stand beside Nathan, “Tell me about Josh’s parents. I know his father was Sean Taske, and his mother’s name was Belle, but I don’t think I’ve ever really heard the entire story.”
Nathan put down his knife and shrugged.
“Well… Not much to tell really. Sean was a nice guy from what I remember. He died of stroke a few years before I met Josh. Now Belle, she was a witch. After Sean died she wanted to ensure her kids were the sole heirs to the Taske Empire. So she teamed up with Regent to kill Regent and Sean’s other brother, Jay Taske.”
Lexy nodded, “I heard all that. Bell and Regent succeeded in murdering Jay. Did Jay have any kids?”
“Yeah, two; Mac and Melanie Taske. But they disappeared when he was murdered.”
Lexy took the carrots Nathan had cut up and plopped them into the soup pot.
“What happened to Belle?”
Nathan stared into the pot, “Belle died in ’05. Nobody knows how, but it was rumored that Regent did her in.”
Lexy looked at Nathan, “Wow, Josh’s family was kinda messed up, huh?”
Nathan laughed, “Well, Sean and Jay were okay, and I heard Jay’s kids were more like Josh than like Regent or Belle, but yeah, they were an evil bunch. That’s one reason why Josh wants nuttin to do with the Taske empire.”
Nathan shuffled his feet nervously, “By the way, I kinda had a question for you an’ Josh…”
Lexy turned to face Nathan, “Shoot.”
“Well, yah see, whenever me, Wraith an’ Red get together, we always play a few hands of poker, anaconda-style…”
Lexy smiled at him, “And you want to know if me and Josh will go on a date and leave you three here to play?”
Nathan grinned sheepishly, “Well, if it’s alright with you. I mean, you an’ Josh can play if yah want…”
Lexy winked at him, “You’ll have to watch the kids.”
“Deal!”