Red Angel (26 page)

Just then, a corporal handed her a towel. "Here,
hold onto this until the major can get you to the hospital," she said
while placing it over the wound.

"Can you walk, Lieutenant?" Pannell asked.
When I nodded, he supported me under my arm and walked me to the car, with two
marines following. I was glad to sit, not sure if the sudden weakness I felt
was from a loss of blood or the aftershock from the incident—the lieutenant
could have killed Red or I could have shot Kris, or both.

"You can shoot, Lieutenant Paulus. Even with a
shard gun, that was a remarkable shot. Your mother must be a Seer, Chief Ransom
an excellent teacher, and you a very clever ... woman. Even with your shard gun
set to a tight beam, you couldn't have shot the admiral's lieutenant without
hitting Lieutenant Sinclair. With a laser maybe. So that was quick thinking and
risky. If I understand correctly, if the lieutenant had killed your krait, you
would have eventually died of the Coaca Virus."

"Some things are worth dying for, Major," I
said knowing I'd do it again, and I pressed Red to my cheek in apology.

* * *

After I was released from the hospital two days later,
Adrian, Kris, and I spent the next two weeks going over the admiral's files,
CPC, tablet, and private computer system. It detailed the names of merchants
—
which we already knew
—
and his contacts
on every planet as well as in the FPU.

Two weeks later, Admirals Webb, Lulltrel, and Rawls
appeared on Oasis for a review of our findings. Arrest warrants were issued for
the names in Comstock's records and the merchants who were still loose.

And at a private ceremony, the three of us were
awarded the Navy Cross for solving the drug and contraband crises which had
been growing for more than twenty years, and I received another Purple Heart.
To my delight, Alexa was allowed to attend the ceremony. Afterward, she took
the team to dinner at a very exclusive restaurant.

"Alexa, how would you like to adopt me?"
Kris said after the waiter delivered our drinks. They had all ordered some
wine. I thought about doing the same but in the end decided against it. I
wasn't sure how it might affect Red or me. Wine did enter the blood stream, and
Red drank my blood. "Your daughter has become like my little sister this
past year. We could make it official."

"You will always be welcome in our home, Kris. It
terrifies me Anna risked Red to save you, but it also shows how much she thinks
of you."

"That terrified me to death. I would have stopped
her if I could, but she was too quick."

"You should have seen her, Mother. After I shot
the lieutenant's hand and he fell to the floor, Kris ran over and scooped up
Red and examined him from head to tail."

"And obviously Red didn't bite her."

"No, he somehow understands those close to me. I
don't understand, but I know he’s something more than a common krait, and he
communicates with me on some level."

"I believe her. On the ship when she had her
tirade with Captain Sharat..." Kris went on to explain the incident.

"Red stayed with you and didn't try to leave or
feed off you? That is amazing," Adrian said, shaking his head in
disbelief. "Remind me not to go on missions with Anna without you, Kris.
Actually, hanging around both of you is dangerous." He laughed and raised
his glass. "One for all and all for one."

* * *

The next day, Stauffer called a team meeting, which
turned out to be a sort of mini-party.

"You have made a lot of people very happy.
Admirals Webb and Lulltrel are looking like geniuses and getting credit for
breaking up the smugglers' operation. Admiral Rawls is being promoted to Vice
Admiral and will be in line for Admiral Lulltrel’s position when he retires.
I'm being promoted to Commodore. Thank you," he said, and paused until the
clapping stopped. "Adrian and Kris will be promoted to Lieutenant
Commanders on the next promotion list. Anna, they are not sure what to do with
you. They want to promote you, but your age presents them with a dilemma."

"I understand," I said. "I'm not old
enough to be a full lieutenant."

"It's not fair." Adrian scowled. "Many
of the clues that led us to the smugglers were Anna's."

"No, it's not fair. The missiles led us to the
merchants and were our first big break. And then there was the admiral,"
Kris said, looking mad.

"I know. I don't know what they are going to do.
They might start Anna's time in grade as a lieutenant commander from today but
hold the promotion for a year or two, or ... who knows what they will decide.
It's being discussed way above my pay level." He shrugged. "Admiral
Rawls would like to keep the team together on Oxax." He paused, looking at
each of us. "Hearing no objections, I assume that means you are all
agreeable?" He received nods from each of us. "Good, you each have
three weeks’ leave coming as a bonus. By the time you come back to Oxax, I'll
have an assignment for you. I have to keep you busy, but in truth, you will be
held in reserve for the next big NIA case."

To be continued.

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SCIENCE
FICTION

The Riss Series:

  
The Riss Gamble
(Book I)

 
 
The Riss Proposal (Book II)

 
 
The Riss Survival (Book III)

 
 
The Riss Accession (Book IV)

 
 
The Riss Challenge (Book V)

The Black Guard

Red Angel

FANTASY
EPIC

The Shadow Series:

 
 
The Shadow Ryana (Book I)

 
 
The Shadow Gypsy (Book II)

Zara the Wolf

Women of Power

Talon of the Unnamed Goddess

Scales of Justice

URBAN
FANTASY

The Kazak Series:

 
 
The Kazak Guardians: Lynn's Rules (Book
I)

 
 
The Kazak Guardians: The Unthinkable
(Book II)

PARANORMAL
ROMANCE / HORROR

The Seer Renee

The Laughing Hounds