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# The Old Spies' Home

## by

## phair

Part 1

Chapter 9

The mission went flawlessly. The package got to the airport and was winging it to a safe location while the State Department smoothed ruffled feathers of the jilted husband. Phantom Squad was officially on a paid vacation with lodging, food, and entertainment provided by a grateful nation. Four of the six squad members were ecstatic with anticipation of the R and R on their trip from valet parking to their suites. Two members, however, trudged along like they were marching to their deaths.

Wolfe and Cobra were dreading the next phase of their stay in New York . A three day seminar on team building. It was a fate worse than three days in the brig. Maybe thirty days in the brig would be easier to endure.

Cobra reached over and took Wolfe's hand. The squeeze was gentle and reassuring. It calmed the brewing storm in Wolfe's troubled heart.

“Thank you,” Wolfe mumbled.

“Your welcome,” Cobra hushed as they climbed into the elevator.

When the other team members saw the entwined hands, they began to smirk. Except Robert. A slow smile spread across his face. He beamed at his two grandmothers and they smiled back.

“No more fighting,” Robert stated evenly.

“Never again,” Grandma promised.

“No more shouting?” Robert decided to push his luck.

“I'll try.”

Wolfe was able to maintain the agreement until the door of the suite.

“Grampy!” Robert shouted with delight when he saw the tall and broad shouldered figure standing by balcony doors.

“Hello Robert, get over here and give me a big ‘ol hug!” The man shouted and spread his arms wide to catch Robert as he barreled into him.

“Oh shit, Eli,” Cobra groaned.

Wolfe shook her head in disgust. “I thought they loaned you to NASA. What are you doing in New York ?”

“Well, hello to you my former Mrs. and to you too, the ever lovely Jude,” Eli laughed his greeting. “Boy, look how you grown, Robert. You're gonna be taller than my ball and chain real soon.”

“EX!” Both Wolfe and Cobra shouted the disclaimer.

Robert and Eli went into fits of laughter at the response. The infuriated expressions on both women sobered their mood quickly.

“You're still a wet blanket, Wolfe.”

“What are you doing here, Eli? Spill it,” Wolfe had no patience for the man.

He sighed, “Robert, you're gonna need to catch up with the rest of the squad while we old folks have a sit down.”

Robert nodded but kissed the man on the cheek before he stepped away. He hurried over to his grandmothers and kissed both goodbye. But, he paused a moment longer with Grandma.

“Be good,” he whispered and hugged her hard.

Grandma melted in his arms and promised, “I will try so very hard but only for you.”

Robert left the three of them standing in the living room of the suite staring at each other. Seconds ticked by as they waited from him to walk away.

“You look good, ladies. That retirement community must agree with you. Maybe I should give it a look-see.”

“No,” Cobra blurted.

Eli laughed, “Not to worry. I'm only up here for the weekend to work with you two and Rae.”

“What are you talking about, Eli?” Wolfe nearly growled.

“Easy,” Cobra warned.

“Well, NASA didn't need an elderly spy so I got some job retraining with their team. I'm pretty gosh darn good at it too.” Eli flashed a brilliant smile of false teeth, “I'm a Motivational Team Leader for Covert and Non-Earth Based Service Members.”

“Oh Fuck!” Cobra grabbed her head like it was about explode.

“Shit,” Wolfe could do little more than groan.

“Let's have a little talk, shall we, ladies,” Eli smiled and motioned to the chair.

He watched the two women walk across the room. They snuggled next to each other on the love seat. Eli's eyes widened a little.

“We make up or something?”

“Yes,” Wolfe attempted an end run to her problem of the three day seminar. “So, we don't need to team building. We're all set. When Rae gets in tonight, I'll take her down for a drink and we'll make up too. All my fault. See there, I said it out loud. Good for me. All my fault. Nice of you to stop by Eli but really, you're work is done. We're all set.”

Eli noted Cobra smiling and nodding agreement. “Nice try but I didn't just fall of the old turnip wagon.”

“Then you should smell better,” Cobra snapped.

Eli bellowed a laugh again. “Jude, you have always been a hoot and a half! Love your attitude. Look, I know our history makes this arrangement seem odd on the surface but I think it is the root of all the issues fracturing this family.” Wolfe began to speak but Eli would not yield the floor. “Now, hold on and hear me out for one time in our life, Micah. We are a family as well as co-workers. We suffered a brutal blow. Losing my boy,” Eli's eyes moistened and his voice caught before he could recapture his emotions. “Losing our boy, was more than we should have had to bare. It wasn't fair or right. But, maybe a small piece of good can grow from it.” His voice broke then and he dropped his face, “Miss my little Mattie every day.”

“Oh, Eli,” Jude was near tears herself.

The big man raised his hand which was roughly the size of polar bear paw. “I'm okay. He was just such a great guy. And, he was working so hard to bring us all together. He and Rae were perfect for each other and he knew if he was gonna have any peace he needed to make us sit around a table together to break bread. We ain't done it since he passed. Now, we got to step up and go on. Without him but with his spirit. For his sake, for Robert's sake, for our own sake.”

Jude was crying then. Eli was as well. Micah rolled her eyes.

“You were always full of it, Eli, and now you got a job where you can really spew hot air both barrels.”

He grinned a little, “You're never gonna give me a break, are you?”

“Last time I gave you a break was the day I said, I do,” Micah gave a small smile but Jude scowled.

“If you weren't so fuckin' drunk back then you'd remember it was midnight in a Vegas chapel.”

Micah chuckled, “If I wasn't so fuckin' drunk I wouldn't have married you and what happened after wouldn't have happened either.”

The two former lovers laughed but Jude's frown deepened. “Memory lane might not be our best idea, you know, if we are on a repairing relationships mission. Hurt feelings and dead bodies are at every turn, remember?”

“Right you are, little lady,” Eli agreed. “Okay, Rae get's in later tonight. I thought we'd save current family issues until she's here and work on the two of you and the break up.”

“Done,” Micah replied.

“ Mission accomplished,” Jude added.

“Really? You two got to the getting' on already?” Eli was stunned when they nodded. “Excellent! Well, things are going smoother than I hoped. At this rate, we might finish early and be able to catch up with the rest of the team for that there Circular DeLousing thingie.”

Neither bothered to correct him.

“So, we're done. Right? Jude and I are all set and you can go back to NASA and we'll see you at Thanksgiving,” Micah said matter of fatly.

“Or fourth of July. Ya, that would be better. Come on up for the fourth and we'll have a cook out and book the pool for a few hours. Robert will be thrilled.”

“You ladies are sure sneaky. Nice to know nothing changes. But, no dice. I'm sorry but we gotta deal with your feelings about Rae, Micah. And, more important, we gotta deal with your anger about Jude's pregnancy with Rae destroying your relationship and then Rae growing up and stealing your son away from you.”

Micah was ready to scream but Jude jumped to her feet first. “Is nothing private? Do I not have one slice of my life that is just for me? Does the government want every fucking detail of my life analyzed and hashed out like covert ops?”

“Jude,” Micah started to interrupt but Jude was nowhere near finished.

“Fuck it! They want my credentials, take ‘em! Who needs this shit! My life, my private life is just that.”

“It ain't,” Eli stated simply and the room quieted. “You signed on to something bigger than you a very long time ago, Jude. Time, money, and secrets were invested into you. You ain't out to pasture at that rest home. So, you could be this country's biggest hero or biggest liability. Choice is your own.”

“Fuck,” Jude muttered but sat back down.

“And, we are a family as well. Even if you sign off with the feds, you still got me and Rae and Robert in your life. So, let's stop screwing around and talk turkey.”

“Can we take a little break?” Micah asked as she felt Jude trembling next to her. “I promise, Eli, we're going to cooperate with you but you got to let her pull herself together. I insist.”

“Okay, fine with me. We gots the whole entire weekend.”

“Could I take a little walk? Would it be okay if I just checked on Robert?” Jude asked.

“Sure,” Eli agreed. “I think you need to see our grandbaby. It always lightens my soul to look at the little mug of his.”

“Such a sweet talker, I can see why you married him,” Jude got in a last dig as she stood.

* * *

“See, it's not such a bad hotel,” Brick noted between breaths as he powered his chair into the dilapidated lobby. “It just needs a little love.”

Margaret Ann had to push a sprawled leg of a passed out guest out of their way as they approached a card table with a phone which passed for the front desk.

“I only takes cash,” the skinny guy with a runny nose and messy orange hair staring into his lap said when they were within five feet of the table.

Margaret Ann could see he had a cell phone resting on his thigh that appeared to be streaming porn. “How much?”

“Seventy five an hour, two fifty for four hours, four hundred for six hours.”

“We want to spend the night,” Margaret Ann snarled.

The man looked up and his jaw dropped a bit before he asked Brick directly, “You always let the meat talk? It bad biz, man. They get thinkin' and stuff. You better set her straight, right and quick.”

Margaret was about to unleash a torrent of abuse when Brick chimed in, “No worries, my good man. I just want to specialize in the dominate woman fetish which flourishes so in the business district.”

“Oh, cool. Almost nobody around here does that. I gots a handicapped room that I'll let you ‘lease' for six hundred a night. By the looks of her, you're gonna have trouble building a cliental.”

“You friggin' little weasel,” Margaret Ann began to snarl but again Brick interrupted.

“Fantastic practice, babe, but I need you to grab our bags and start the tub for me. My tushie is awful sore from sitting so long.”

Margaret Ann flashed him a foul look over her shoulder. He gave a small nod and an exaggerated eye wink. She calmed a little remembering they had bigger issues to worry about.

“What's the room number?” She asked with a little more control.

“Lucky thirteen!” He took a key card out of his pants' pocket and offered it to her.

“Figures,” she muttered as she grabbed the offering.

Her eyes narrowed when she felt how sticky the plastic was.

* * *

“Robert, oh, I finally found you!” Jude exclaimed with relief seeing her grandson standing in the lobby. “Where have you been?”

“Here,” Robert answered practically.

Jude grinned, “You certainly are. But, I thought you guys would be by the pool.”

“Oh, well, we were. Then Scooter got hungry.”

“Figures. Did you eat?”

“Yep,” Robert smiled. “It was good too. Burgers, hmm.”

“So why are are you waiting around here by yourself?” Jude questioned.

“Scooter wanted to play video games but Carlos and Radio wanted a nap. I told Scooter I'd wait down here for him.”

Jude raised an eyebrow, “How come you're not playing too?”

“Spent my dollar already. Man, I lost too fast,” Robert replied with real grief.

Jude pulled a few dollars out of her pocket. “Well, good thing I have a little mad money.”

“JuJu, no. I spent my dollar already.”

Jude smiled. He was such a responsible young man. And, stubborn. “Robert Matthew Colton, I insist you help me waste my Social Security money.”

The pair laughed so hard they missed the sudden attention of a silver haired man near the bar. His muddy brown eyes glistened with excitement when they fixed on Jude. A slow, sickning smile spread across his face when Scooter exited the game room to speak briefly with Jude and Robert.

“I'm the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet,” he murmured and drained his whiskey glass.

TBC

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