Ninety Degrees Out

“You never told us when the wedding is.” Akira said as Alicia swung up on Dolly.

“June 21st. We want to give ourselves a party after we get Rico taken care of.”

“Don’t count on that.” Akira shook her head at Alicia’s statement.

“We can’t just put things off. I want the date because of Ari’s birthday. She’ll be six. Home schooling when we can do it, has her doing grade three work already. She flying through the basics of math, and well, reading’s been second nature since she was two. I want her to know her family is solid and legal before more fear sets in.”

“All right. I’ll let Erik know.” Akira stepped away from her daughter’s mare.

“He knows already. I had some questions about the legal side of things. He’s the one keeping track of everything so we can register it all with the government when systems come back.”

“Trust the boy to know the answers. Go then. I’ll talk to you soon. Might make the hike up to your place in a couple of days.”

“I’ll do you one better. Let’s go swimming tomorrow. Ari loves it and the new pool is amazing.”

“After lunch? Give an hour for food to settle, and your Dad and I will meet you there. Catherine and Jett are gone up to Mac’s place manning lookouts up on the hills there. I miss them already,” Akira admitted.

“Next time you see them, ask Jett about wedding plans. And that’s all I’m going to say. He’ll kill me for letting that much out of the bag.”

Alicia kicked her mount into a canter before she could open her mouth. What was that all about?

Was her boy was thinking about marriage too? Jett, her wandering photographer/videographer? Jett who was always too busy with his next project to even consider bringing a girl home to meet them was thinking about settling down. Akira smiled. Alicia was right. Her daughter would pay for it if Jett figured his secret leaked. At least she knew what to watch for. Maybe Catherine would be the one to talk to. Or her father.

Akira went around the corner to the kitchen garden. Time to do a bit of weeding and figure out how she was going to make sure both weddings happened together. Alicia was right. They couldn’t put the joy off because evil threatened.

Now where was Bear? She put her fingers to her mouth and two piercing tones cut through the air. Her wonderful dog wasn’t happy to see the children climb on the plane.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Do you want to kill them off quick, or can we play with them a bit first?” Angel was sitting on his lap wiggling against him. The distraction was welcome. The gang’s search for a way into the ranch, was frustrating.

Grange, who still frightened Rico, was recommending leaving it alone. A bad risk he said, but Angel and her tight little butt, and perky tits had his attention. She appealed to that secret little part of him which loved to punish. Loved to see the pain.

“What were you thinking?”

She pushed herself up against his chest and kissed him, her minty tongue pushing against his lips.

“Can we get hold of some poison?” She whispered it as she nipped his bottom lip.

“Why?”

“To kill the damn bear. Ursa needs to be gone. We can’t have a grizzly on the property. Headquarters remember? No one should have to worry about getting mauled. The babies will die without her, so problem solved. Besides, she cost you a lot the last time you were in the area.”

“We’ve got to go on a road trip, just you and me. We’ll let the boys keep on scouting up here. Maybe set a fire or two, to keep the assholes busy.” Rico pushed Angel off his lap.

“Hey, I’m horny,” Angel whined.

“You’ll be wetter yet after we get to town. I’ll do you in an alley, like the first time.” He watched her eyes go feral with excitement. He smacked her ass hard enough that he knew the bruises would be there when he pulled her ultra short denim cut-offs off her in two hours. “Let’s get out of here. I doubt those idiots will spot our camp over here on the town side of the bridge.”

“You can thank me for that. I knew the old storage barn was there. My Dad showed it to me. A fucking long drive between Fairbanks and here, but they put all the stuff for the resort here. Pretty nice having beds, eh?” Angel’s satisfied smirk echoed his.

“Even if we only have the one bathroom it’s better than roughing it.” Rico grabbed her hand and headed toward the loading dock door. “Pull the chains, my little devil.” He swung his leg over his Harley and turned the key.

She hauled the door up just far enough for him to duck under it and stop. The chains rattled as she cleared her own head and let them go from outside. The door closed with a hard thunk and he revved the engine.

Grange came out of the gate house.

“Where are you off to?”

“Angel had a brilliant idea. We’re going to poison that damn bear. Leave her a little surprise in a dead animal. You get a couple of rabbits or maybe a deer, and let it start rotting. And if you can figure a way, burn down that damn place where we stayed before.”

“Pleasure. Now you’re thinking for once. What about a grass fire or two?” Grange’s suggestion was spot on. There were times when he thoughtt the tough ex military infantryman could read his mind. He congratulated himself for rescuing him.

“Keep those cowboys busy, distracted. They won’t figure us out before we can move. You’re the boss while we’re gone.”

“Ursa will distract them too.” Angel said. “The Stargazers have kept her alive, even though she’s fair game.”

“How do you know about the bear?” Rico was still learning about her. She knew the most unexpected things.

“City Hall. They have a bear activity board. She’s been on it every time we came into Anchorage to haul shit between here and the hot springs.”

He felt her shrug her shoulders like everyone should know.

Grange gave him a two finger salute as he felt Angel tighten her grip on his waist. She wasn’t the only one who was horny. Her nipples were little pebbles pushing into his back. He cracked the throttle and passed the car in front of them. Gas was his next supply issue. Time to raid a few tanks. There weren’t many places where fuel was easily found, but it was guaranteed if you found a running vehicle.

“Are we going to take it?” Angel asked.

“You read my mind. Do you have your pistol too?”

“Yup, the usual?”

“Yeah, you’re passed out on the side of the road. We’ll reel them in that way.”

Angel wiggled against him as they looked for a spot to ambush their prey. He didn’t give a damn how young she was. She fit him like a glove.