Missys misadventure, p.26
Missy's Misadventure, page 26
They kept their conversation light and after another thirty minutes, she walked Oliver to the door. They’d arranged for him to come back and pick her up four nights later on Friday night at five. For dinner and a movie; it would be their first date. She’d be able to describe how all her classes had gone and how difficult it would be getting caught up after having missed all those earlier classes. Yep … they’d have lots to talk about.
They didn’t kiss but after she closed the door behind him, she realized they’d actually just taken things to a whole new place. She was feeling rather excited about that. Yeah, this was maybe the beginning of a relationship, just as Alice had hinted might be possible. And, for once, she wasn’t feeling any pressure about that. With Oliver, she really was able to feel relaxed. It would be very interesting to see how things with him might go. She also suddenly realized her panties were feeling very damp. That too was very interesting!
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Sep 11, 2019
Manuel Rodriguez looked up as Pablo Estaban entered his office, looked around nervously, closed the door, and finally came over and stood in front of his large desk. He waved at him to be seated and sat back, ready to hear whatever was obviously troubling Pablo. “You look worried. Will this be anything I need to worry about?”
Pablo said, “I’m not sure. I certainly hope not. But, I don’t like this. I just heard from one of our sources over in Dubai. There was an explosion. Sinbad is dead. It looks like that WIJO organization decided it was his fault the U.S. Special Forces managed to locate Candace Axtell. They’re already taking credit for this bombing. The entire top floor of Sinbad’s building is now gone.”
“Well, that is unexpected. I suppose they had to blame someone. But, there’s nothing that connects him with my organization, is there?”
Pablo shook his head. “There may have been connections back to Jacques Arbogast or even Blackbeard, but even the drugs they paid us? It was all set up to look as though we purchased those from Sinbad. There’s nothing showing he was actually working for you. And, no one will ever find where he kept his money, of course.”
“Exactly. I’m guessing WIJO was more concerned about sending a message about betrayal than they were about getting back any payments they’d made. And, I doubt they’ll bother chasing after Blackbeard. How is our pirate friend, anyway?”
“Last I heard, he sold his boat, shaved off his beard and has disappeared. My guess? He’s somewhere in Cuba. He’ll call us in a year or so, when he’s ready to maybe do any more work for us.” Pablo laughed. “When he heard that girl Candace was back in the U.S., he figured it was time to retire. Depending on how long it takes him to squander all his money, we might not be hearing from him for quite a while.”
Manuel said, “With all the disruption to my operations, I almost wish we’d simply sold that bitch to some Saudi Sheik like all the others.”
“Yes, it’s going to take us a long time to reestablish things in Cancun and to replace Sinbad. And find a replacement for Blackbeard, too. But, we should be able to keep the prices down for what we’re paying to buy our drugs for much longer, so in the end … it’s worth it.”
“So, has everyone agreed to our lower prices now?” Manuel raised his eyebrows and waited. This was what this meeting had originally been scheduled to review. Pablo was supposed to be telling him if they needed to go to war with any of the cartels.
Pablo said, “No, there are still a few holdouts, waiting. Carlos has made a lot of noise and the others are watching to see how we handle him.”
“He wouldn’t dare sell to anyone else. You’ve put the word out on that, right?”
“Oh, the word is out there, don’t worry. And, there aren’t any buyers willing to take a chance on him, either. They all remember how we dealt with the Sinclairs.” Two years earlier, not only had the entire Sinclair organization been wiped out, but there had been several U.S. buyers killed as well. The Frenchman’s influence on the market had been increasing ever since.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sep 13, 2019
Captain Bonomo had decided he needed to meet with the Superintendent. After watching Miss McCrea for the past ten days, her performance at the academy was extraordinary and his concern now wasn’t that she may have been getting special treatment. No, he was now worried that her actions down there in Cancun might eventually surface and lead to her getting into trouble. That trouble, of course, would most definitely prove embarrassing for the academy.
He had no doubt whatsoever she had been the one performing on that bar, dancing in the skimpy outfit and making such a scene that videos were still being distributed all over the internet. It had gone beyond viral and the fact no one could identify the mystery girl had only added to that.
He had watched her at both her Combat Weapons Team matches and her Rifle Team competitions. Not only was she able to shoot a rifle or a pistol with greater speed and accuracy than anyone he’d ever seen before, he suspected she was only doing whatever was needed for her team to win. He believed she was actually capable of doing even better. Just like when she played soccer, her efforts all seemed focused on helping the team win rather than earning individual recognition.
Of course, she still was breaking all the old marksmanship records and setting new ones, almost every time she went out on the firing range. She was a rare and unique phenomenon and more and more articles kept getting written about her. Hence, his concern her high status and visibility might end up causing greater damage to the academy’s reputation should she eventually be identified as the Cancun Cancan Girl or, as that girl was often now being referred to, as the “CC” Girl.
He wanted to avoid any scandal or negative fallout, especially after that business with the Caesar Club the year before, which she of course was also associated with. Had any of the guilty cadets wanted to cause problems for West Point, they certainly could have done so. Fortunately, they’d all pled guilty and accepted whatever punishments had been meted out, agreeing not to reveal anything to the news media. That included the infamous seven who were now serving time in the stockade.
He suspected there had somehow been a cover-up of massive proportions, with each individual probably liable for far greater punishments should he decide to ever embarrass the academy.
So, yeah … he had asked for this private meeting with the Superintendent. If there indeed was some risk to the academy’s honor and reputation, he felt it was his duty to expose that risk to the Supe. Hopefully, the Supe would know how to best mitigate any risks … even if that meant dismissal for one female cadet who otherwise was so outstanding. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He actually liked Miss McCrea.
Once they were both seated and the preliminary greetings were out of the way, the Superintendent asked, “Alright, captain … you asked for this meeting. You have some grave concerns. So grave, in fact, you’ve not sent them up the normal chain of command but have requested this meeting, referencing my ‘open door’ policy here at the academy.”
“Yes, Sir, the concern has to do with the behavior of one of our best female cadets. Since she is so outstanding here at the academy, that only makes the potential damage from her behavior all the greater. I didn’t want this being shared with any of your staff and rather than voice any concerns through the chain of command, I thought you’d prefer hearing this directly from me. If there’s any way to avoid embarrassment for West Point …” Captain Bonomo let that question hang, looking for any reaction from the general to what he’d stated so far.
The Superintendent had already made a pretty good guess as to what the captain was concerned about, having been briefed by General Blake and Drew Martinson. He’d watched several Cancun Cancan Girl videos after that briefing and, indeed, Miss McCrea had put on quite a performance. He knew Captain Bonomo was her company’s TAC officer and had already considered whether or not the captain might have a “need to know” about supernaturals.
“Captain, I assume you’re concerned about the rumors, the unfounded rumors, all based on a remarkable resemblance cadet Missy McCrea bears to the mystery girl who was dancing on a bar down in Mexico awhile back. Since that happened during the period Miss McCrea was out on leave …” He could see the captain was clearly surprised by his bringing this up.
“Yes, Sir! Sooo … ahh … you were already aware of this behavior?”
The Superintendent laughed. “I do have my sources, captain. Keep in mind there is absolutely no proof whatsoever concerning the identity of that Cancun Cancan Girl. And, I’m rather confident there won’t be any positive identification being made.”
Captain Bonomo was now even more shocked and surprised. The Supe was more than merely “aware” of the behavior. “Sir, clearly you know that girl is indeed Miss McCrea. Aren’t you concerned we may have to question her at some point? If she denies it, and some proof comes out later on, that would be an Honor Code violation.”
“Captain, I’m going to ask you to agree not to reveal some highly secret information. This is a matter of national security and your agreement will be recorded. I’ll need to have you sworn in and also sign some things. Are you willing to do that?”
Now Captain Bonomo was really concerned. The Cancun Cancan Girl’s identity was somehow a matter of national security? What the hell?
Twenty minutes later, after having been duly sworn in, on tape, and having signed binding non-disclosure agreements which, in the event he should reveal any secrets, would allow the government to basically lock him up and throw away the key … Captain Bonomo was ready to be briefed.
The Superintendent said, “I’d already considered how you might have a need to know this, captain. You’re going to be here for the next three years and as TAC officer for the company Miss McCrea is in? Well, hopefully, you can help keep some of her secrets. Miss McCrea is a supernatural. Our government monitors supernaturals, both here in the U.S and elsewhere, all around the world. They exist.”
During the next thirty minutes, Captain Bonomo was briefed by the Superintendent all about supernaturals. He learned all about the unbelievable things these individuals could do. Witches were real. So were shapeshifters. Psychics and paranormals and all sorts of strange, weird, incredible beings were indeed sometimes real, rather than phony. Yes, they were rare. And, often quite different from the general public’s perception and awareness of such beings, based on all the legends.
For every real individual who was a supernatural, there were more than a hundred charlatans and phonies. But … bottom line … there were now two such real individuals at West Point. Missy McCrea and Tracy McGonagle.
“Sir, I’m not sure I fully understand all this yet. Are you saying the emergency leaves these girls took weren’t real? Because they both have claimed they were visiting close friends in a hospital.” Captain Bonomo was still concerned about whether the girls might have told lies, a definite violation of the academy’s Honor Code.
The Superintendent nodded and said, “Oh, the leaves were quite real, as were the friends they visited in the hospital. Their friends were members of the team searching for Candace Axtell. They were injured while arresting the two men who did the actual kidnapping; there was an explosion. Three of our investigators were killed and five others were hospitalized for days afterwards.”
Captain Bonomo asked, “But … if they were only visiting their friends in the hospital?”
“Miss McCrea actually went there to heal them. That apparently is one of the many things that girl can do. Then, she went dancing in various nightclubs, making a scene by yelling out the name of one of the dead kidnappers.” The general continued his briefing, explaining all the details he’d been given concerning the search and rescue for Candace and the aftermath, with arrests still being made down in Cancun.
“So, Miss McCrea and Miss McGonagle managed to find the man behind much of the crime in Cancun, convinced him to turn himself in and go into witness protection …” The captain struggled to process all the general had explained. “They were there using false identities, arriving and leaving on one of the U.S. government’s private jets and that’s why there won’t ever be any proof. And, as long as we deflect any accusations here at the academy, ridiculing them as either a joke or some weird fluke, with Miss McCrea’s resemblance to the mystery girl only a coincidence, there can’t be any scandal."
The Superintendent smiled and said, “That’s the plan, captain! Both these girls are very determined to become career Army soldiers and don’t want to reveal they have supernatural powers and abilities. It’s our top government officials who have asked for their help, wanting them to do some of the special things they can do but, at the same time, asking them to manage hiding those things from the general public.”
Captain Bonomo nodded. “That’s a lot to ask for, isn’t it, Sir? These girls are only, what … nineteen?”
“That’s why they need our help, captain. That’s why you and I have been cleared to know about them. Those top officials have decided they may want to continue asking these girls for help, now that the girls have demonstrated they can be trusted and actually do seem successful at hiding what they can do. I’m told Miss McCrea actually considers hiding her abilities to be one of her greatest abilities; she’s trained herself for years, going to great extremes in order to manage that.”
Captain Bonomo laughed. “Having watched her on the soccer field and out on the firing range, and now realizing what you’ve explained? I can definitely say I’ve witnessed how she hides herself. That is, hides what she probably can really do.”
The Superintendent looked at his watch and noted the time. Looking at the captain, he said, “I’ve invited the two of them here tonight. They’ll be arriving any minute now.”
“Really, Sir? What for?” The captain was definitely surprised by this news.
“I wanted to speak to them both, letting them know you and I are now aware they’re witches. When you asked for this meeting, I knew I’d be briefing you and I wanted to take this opportunity to let them understand we’ll be supporting them.”
“So, they’ll be getting some special treatment here after all?” The captain was joking but the Supe seemed very receptive to his making such a remark.
Laughing, the Superintendent said, “Yes, well … they are special, captain. But, I also have another item on the agenda. Miss McCrea’s awards have come through and I want to present her with them. I’ve been advised not to do that in front of the entire academy, especially since she’s now completely recovered from the wounds she received on the battlefield less than two months ago. She really isn’t a normal girl.”
Captain Bonomo had known she was receiving awards but having watched her on the soccer field, he’d assumed her Purple Heart was for a minor injury. “Were her wounds serious, then?”
“Oh, yes … she might have died out there but fortunately, she didn’t bleed out. After being shot in the abdomen, she crawled out and saved two of her Special Forces teammates. They were injured and under fire, out in the open. She was shot twice more in the shoulder but managed to drag them to safety. The medics found her passed out but managed to get her back to a hospital before she died. Both of her teammates survived as well. Her Bronze Star citation details all of that but, again, I’ve been advised not to reveal any of this to the general public. Since most of what she did during Campaign Angel’s Wing is classified, we’re going to keep all of this information from being released. The awards are going on her record now and she’ll wear them on her uniform, but the details will be kept classified for a few years.”
Just then there was a knock on the door and shortly after that, Missy and Tracy came in and presented themselves. After the door was closed, the general explained he wanted to present Missy with some awards, which he wanted to give her in private, her being a witch and everything. That got some laughs and both girls were greatly relieved; they’d not been given any reason for this summons. The fact that both the general and the captain were now aware they were supernaturals was very heartening for them both to hear.
Missy was presented with her Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Afghan Campaign Medal and a new award the Army had recently issued, a Campaign Angel’s Wing Unit Citation. This Unit Citation ribbon would be worn over her right breast while the ribbons for her other medals were worn over her left breast. The ribbons for the three new medals were in addition to the National Defense Service Medal ribbon she already wore. And, of course, her CIB and Jump Wings would be positioned above these.
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Candace had really enjoyed her “date” with Oliver and now was asking if he wanted to come inside her apartment to “visit” just a bit longer before going home. They’d talked all about her school work and his social work during their dinner, had made several jokes about it being Friday the Thirteenth … definitely not a night for any scary movies. Then, they’d agreed they’d already had enough “action/adventure” and had watched a fun, romantic comedy instead.
Since she didn’t have classes the next day and it wasn’t that late yet, she really wasn’t ready to say goodnight. Could he come in for a while or did he have to get up early the next day for work? As it turned out, he didn’t have any work scheduled for Saturday and was very happy to spend some more time with her.
For the first twenty minutes, their conversation continued about various mundane topics but they each were noticing a buildup of sexual tension. Candace finally blurted out what was really on her mind and had been on her mind all week. “Oliver, are we going to have sex tonight?”
Oliver chuckled and said, “Would you like to have sex, Candy? Or, are you merely feeling obligated, because I definitely would never take advantage. You don’t owe me anything and I will only make love to you if that’s what you really want.”
“Is that why you’ve been holding back? In case I’m feeling obligated or something? Because, it’s not like that. I mean … I know guys enjoy sex …” Candace stared at him, suddenly very unsure of what she felt. But, she wasn’t feeling obligated and she knew she liked Oliver. Even though she didn’t enjoy sex, she somehow did want to show him just how much she liked him.
