“Mm. Mm baby, you already wore me out, at least let me have the morning to sleep it off. Okay let me – Motherfucker!”

Carol had been asleep in the pool chair on the beach. She’d began to feel someone kissing on her neck and thought it was Caris, but then she woke up to a bird’s beak almost crushing her jaw. Her scream sent the bird flying but did very little to reduce Caris’ level of amusement. He laughed so hard at her as he approached.

“I’m actually a little offended that you thought that was me. A bird’s beak? Come on, babe.”

“Oh shut the hell up. I was deeply asleep, what do you want from me?”

Caris sat down on the pool chair next to Carol’s. “I should do you like that one scene from Parent Trap where the kids put the woman’s bed in the middle of the water. That’ll teach you to know the difference between a human and a damn bird.”

Carol rolled her eyes and hit back with, “You try that, and I’ll do you like the one movie where they caramelized that poor guy’s nuts and threatened to release ants on him.”

Caris’ face immediately went from amused to horrified. “Ay, easy girl, damn! It’s not like you wouldn’t suffer if you actually did that.”

“Oh I’d suffer for all of the three minutes it’ll take to mourn, and then I’ll schedule you for prosthetic balls. Come to think of it, that’s actually a great idea. You could go on without end because you would never have a need to bust!”

Carol lay back in pure satisfaction at the sight of the absolute discomfort on Caris’ face. She closed her eyes, which proved to be a mistake.

“You’re gonna pay for that one!” Caris suddenly picked her up and headed for the beach even as she squealed in laughter.

“Put me down, motherfucker! Don’t you dare get my hair wet! Put me down!”

*****

Stella sat in the single couch, crocheting while watching Karla pace up and down the room while on the phone. The last seven months had been a crash course in panic management for her. Karla had spent every night freaking out about the day the Bentons would come seeking their pound of flesh. Stella was worried too but Karla’s was on another level. She’d tripled security on the island, and then she’d made them leave to another safe house. At least this location had balmy weather all year round, which made the upheaval tolerable.

“Goddammit! They’re going to think it was us! … No motherfucker, we didn’t even know about the other two. We have enough problems of our own over here. Besides, we actually teed him up to close the case of a lifetime, why the fuck would we want him eliminated? … Listen to me. You make sure to deliver the message to whoever the hell it is that’s in charge that we neither knew of it nor ordered it. Make sure it goes to the ones who matter!”

Karla hung up in a fit of rage and fear. Stella waved over to her and tapped on her lap. “Come sit, baby.”

Karla remained on her feet, still wearing out the soles of her shoes.

“Baby Kay. Come here.”

Karla finally obliged.

“Babe, Caris and Carol are seducers and thieves, but killing is not a part of their M. O. They’d much rather blackmail than use force. You and I know damn well that they are not coming back here. If anything, they’d be on the run instead. So what is it that you’re really concerned about?”

Karla tried to get up, but Stella gently restrained her. “Babe, talk to me. This can’t be about the fact that they’ve escaped. We could always find them because of the special service we performed while they were captured. Come on. What’s the real issue here?”

“Someone’s been trying to kill Kpodo. I’m scared that they’ll try to pin it on us. I don’t want to go back to that godforsaken country as a goddamn suspect.”

Stella took the phone out of her hands and hugged her. “Baby, I’ve already taken the steps to make sure we can’t be touched. This location’s not known to anyone. I made sure of that. It’s not on any map, and the cell networks can’t be traced. We’re literally off the grid. We’re safe here. We’re good. Whoever freed the sexbots out of our warehouse has not tried to come after us in months, which tells me that we are not the subject of their mission. We don’t factor into their plans, for better or for worse. So please, stop worrying already.”

Karla looked her in the eye. “The last time you said that we were good was right before Caris and Carol escaped and we got a goddamn uno reverse card. And then, our boys got taken in a church. A fucking church! Same goddamn one that those two went on a pre-service romp in, if I remember correctly.” She took her phone and stood up. “Until we know for sure that there is no threat to us, I can’t be calm.”

******

“Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

“Four.”

“Can you tell me what today is?”

“Wednesday, the fifth.”

“What did you have for breakfast today.”

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

The paramedic took down a few notes. “Good. Let me know if you experience any mental lapses or any brain fog.”

“Where’s Mary?”

“She’s in the outpatient ward. She’s doing alright. You managed to shield her from most of the damage from the blast. All she has is a cut on her forehead, which we’ll take care of.”

“Great.”

The officer who had accompanied the ambulance to the hospital nodded to the doctor, who left. Then he handed Julius a phone. “First, your old station was blown up. Then they tried your car after that. And now, they managed to design an ordinate that blew up only your office. Someone must really want you dead.”

“Was anyone hurt? Did everyone get out in time?”

“Everyone was literally unharmed, Inspector. The bomb was designed to affect a specific area. Blast radius was so small, it didn’t even affect the offices next to yours. All they felt was a small vibration. This was custom designed to take you out.”

“Well, blessed is the man whom God chooses to show mercy on. I’m glad Mary’s alright, but I really need to find a better career. This one’s a little too mind-blowing for my liking.”

The officer shook his head and smiled as Julius had himself a good laugh. Once the laughter had died down, Julius took the officer’s hand. “Do our boys know anything yet? Have they figured out who could have done this?”

“They don’t know yet, Inspector, but they are honing in on a pattern the bomber seems to be using.”

“Good. Keep me informed, officer.”

“I will. And keep that phone close, just in case we need to reach you. Yours was destroyed in the blast.”

The officer nodded and walked away. Julius turned the phone on and found one number saved on it. He thought to call it, but then sleep immediately began to overwhelm him, so he fell asleep before he could even hit the call button.

Well, that’s wild to know! As for Stella and Karla, you definitely can’t deem them safe at the moment…