The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (3 page)

EUNAVAE CAME OUT
of her room in her yoga pants and vintage T-shirt and climbed onto the bar stool, combing her strands of wet hair.

“Do you want cheese?” Mel asked, motioning to the plate of bacon and toast in front of her.

“Yes, please.”

Kate handed her a glass of milk, her favorite beverage for dinner, and carried the mashed potatoes and asparagus over to the bar.

“Kate, I didn’t know you could cook,” Eunavae said with a smirk, scooping up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and plopping them on her plate.

“Neither did I.” Kate shrugged. “I found a recipe site on the web, and I’ve been poking experiments down Corey for two weeks.” She giggled. “He hasn’t complained at all.”

“Corey never complains.” Eunavae bit into her bacon sandwich and rolled her eyes. “S’good!” She nodded.

“Thanks.”

Tara strolled out of the bedroom and mounted a bar stool next to Eunavae to finish braiding her wet hair. She wore a black tank top and short shorts and her toned muscles rippled in perfection as she manipulated her long blonde hair into a fishtail down one side.

“No cheese.” She smiled at Mel when she held a piece up. “That asparagus looks good, load me up.”

Kate held up a container of bottled water and a juice box and shook them at her.

“Water, please.”

Kate tossed the juice box back in the fridge and cracked the top on the water and set it in front of Tara. She and Mel leaned across the counter.

Kate scrutinized Tara while she ate. She couldn’t wait to hear about the vacation and Trip. She hoped they were able to rekindle some of their relationship away from the distractions of jumps and dangers. And Kates.

Eunavae launched a story about their guide and how he fell over himself every time Tara went near him. Tara tried not to smile and rolled her eyes frequently during the story until finally she got caught up in the hilarity of the whole thing and joined in on the storytelling. They laughed until their cheeks hurt.

The guys came downstairs animated about their own stories. Trip took his sandwich out onto the patio and the guys followed. Kate snagged Corey’s hand as he passed and made him kiss her before he went outside. His hand lingered on her cheek as he gazed into her eyes.

Eunavae sighed, “Please.”

“What?” Kate asked as Corey released her hand and stepped through the patio door.

“Please never stop showing him affection in front of me.”

“Me either,” Tara added. 

Mel nodded.

Kate felt heat rise in her cheeks and imagined she matched Eunavae’s sunburn.

“We just lived with him for so long, watching him ache for you.”

“Miss you.”

“It was heartbreaking, seeing him so alone.” Tara set her fork down. “You were present with us every day in that man. Even in our quantum jump to Poland, the memory of you brought him back to us.”

“His love for you is overwhelming. When I thought you were going to betray him,” Mel added, shaking her head. “I couldn’t stand it.”

“I literally wanted to strangle you until I decided it was the dragon manipulating you again. From that moment on, I was determined to kill it and release you from its hold. How could we have ever imagined?” Tara said.

“…that there were two of me.”

“Exactly.”

“Gregory said the other Kate was his wife and he wants revenge. He wants to take me to replace her.”

Tara and Eunavae jumped off their bar stools and ran around to Kate.

“What? That is horrible.”

“He will have to get through me, first!” Tara growled, linking her arm in Kate’s.

Mel and Eunavae enfolded Kate in hugs and cooed comforting words of friendship and devotion.

“Do you think that is why all of the jumps were targeted on you?” Eunavae asked, pushing Kate back to arm’s length. “Was he trying to destroy the other half of his Kate?” She leaned forward and stroked Kate’s hair.

“I don’t know, but he is coming for me. He isn’t going to just give up. He hates Corey and wants the village destroyed.”

Tara stiffened and drew Kate to her side protectively. Eunavae and Mel exchanged determined expressions. Kate felt strengthened from their pledges of love and support. With the Keepers around her, she was sure she would be safe.

They moved to the living room, lounged on the sofas, and launched into telling the best parts of their vacations. They crooned at Mel’s romantic interludes in Italy with Donnie and shivered over the mysterious ghost. They gawked at Eunavae’s underwater pictures of the coral reef and the odd creatures in Galapagos. A picture of Eunavae and a cute baby seal sent them into oohs and ahs. Tara was strangely silent and it drove Kate crazy. She wanted details, but Tara wasn’t sharing. Finally, they turned to Kate.

“Spill.”

“What?”

“Tell us what you and Corey did. Where did you go for your vacation?”

“We stayed here.”

“What? You stayed here in First Cabin for two weeks?” Eunavae’s mouth dropped open.

“It was, it was,” Kate sighed dreamily. “It was perfect.”

Mel and Eunavae sighed at the sheer happiness that emanated from Kate. Tara lifted the corner of her mouth and crossed her legs.

“We took moonlight swims in the pool and had long philosophical conversations in the hot tub. We cooked together, studied together, jogged, played tennis and raquetball, and spent whole days in bed.” Kate’s skin flushed with heat. “It was perfect.”

Kate looked into the faces of her friends. They were caught up in the romance, eyes half lidded, and sighs and oohs escaped.

“I think I am having a religious experience,” Eunavae hummed and wrapped her arms around herself.

Tara and Mel laughed. Kate put her head on Eunavae’s shoulder and smiled.

The boys burst through the back door, laughing and jostling one another. Corey and Donnie found their wives and snuggled in beside them. Trip started the dishes and Tara got up to help him clear away the leftovers.

Kate stole glances at them and was satisfied to see they shared flashes of smiles and occasional eye meeting moments. They never touched except the one time Tara reached across the bar in front of Trip.

“Excuse me,” she murmured and their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Trip stilled, watching her closely. Kate thought she saw something kindled there. But Tara jerked her eyes down, breaking the connection, and it was over. They went back to business.

When they joined the others, Trip sat down on the love seat, but Tara curled up on the floor and leaned against Corey’s knee.

The conversation continued until they all became droopy eyed. Mel fell asleep against Donnie’s arm. Eunavae, curled up on the love seat with her head in Trip’s lap, yawned three times and drifted into dreams. Trip’s head lolled back, and he started snoring. Turning sleepy eyes up to Corey, Kate grinned. He kissed her and gathered her into his arms whispering goodnight to Tara. She climbed onto the couch they vacated with a dismissive wave.

Kate peeked over Corey’s shoulder as he carried her from the room. Crickets chirruped lullabies as summer blossoms tinged the air with night’s heady fragrance. Warmth rekindled in their hearts, the friends nestled into their dreams. Kate sighed, feeling safe once again with her dearest companions settled near.

“SO WHAT DO
you boys wanna talk to me about, t’day?” Chaps drawled in his thick Texan accent. Even as Acting Administrator he looked more like a cowboy than a chaplain or an executive. He pulled the shade down to block the bright morning sun, tossed his Stetson onto the hat rack, and moved behind the desk in Mama Ty’s office. He kicked his cowboy boots up on the corner of the desk and leaned back in the leather chair. The snaps on his western cut shirt shifted as he slid his arms behind his head.

“We don’t really know how much you know about the Keepers team,” Dirk started. He had come home to Heartwork Village during the wee hours of the morning and slipped into bed without waking anyone in First Cabin. The next morning was a buzz of welcomes and kisses as the Keeper girls fussed over him while Trip and Corey cooked breakfast.

“Well, now, Mama Ty said y’all had special status and I was pretty much to let you have whatever you asked for. She didn’t tell me much.” He sat up, tucked his boots under his desk and leaned his elbows on the smooth oak desk top, folding his fingers together. “Oh, she did say to confer with you before switching back to the quantum curriculum.”

“I think it would be okay to restart the quantum jumps, don’t you?” Corey asked the others. “The infiltrator is no longer in the Inner Circle. The safety measures have been placed back into effect.”

“Yeah, I think so.” Dirk looked at Donnie for confirmation.

Donnie nodded.

“Okay, that is good to know. I will recall the med techs and quantum monitors.” Chaps made a note on his compad. “What else can I do you fer?”

“We need a quantum team set up for the Keepers that is completely separate from the others,” Dirk requested. “The future of the village is at stake.”

“Chaps.” Corey scooted to the edge of his chair. “Do you know anything about where Gregorvitch Mattovdzky came from, or where he went?”

“No, Corey. I did some research after Dirk called. I hired a private investigator. The information in his file was bogus. Dead end on the address, transcripts, résumé, everything. Which surprises me, because we do detailed checks on the Inner Circle before they come on board.”

“So he erased himself?” Donnie asked.

“Seems so.”

“I’m pulling Chastain Security in on this, guys.” Corey flipped open his cell phone.

“Wait a minute, Corey,” Trip interrupted, raising his hand to stop him. “Are you sure you want to involve outsiders?”

“The more people we bring into this, the less control we have,” Dirk added.

“I’m just thinking of Kate’s safety,” Corey countered, finger frozen above the call button. “He came into my home. He invaded the safety of our property. He can get to her anywhere.”

“Then we will have to hide her,” Trip said.

“Hide her? Where?”

“Pick a site. Quantum drop us somewhere we can protect her,” Trip suggested.