They Walk Among Us Ch. 10

"Nope, just checking the bar Bob. Can't be too careful with Martina running around again."

"Give me a break Dvorska. You need to find another girl and fuck the shit out of her so you can move on. How long do you plan on carrying that bitch's luggage around with you?"

"Don't you start in on me too Bob," Kevin told him with a hint of anger.

"L-tee is right, you need to pull your head out of your ass."

The lecture stopped when the two draft beers arrived. They both took a long pull off the dark liquid, and then Kevin reached over for a napkin. After handing one to his Team Chief, Kevin wiped his mouth.

"Wow, is this Guinness?"

"Yeah, some chick named Jaz something or other turned me on to it during a lay over in London."

"Man the English sure know how to make an ale," Bob said and then took another long drink.

"You know I would never correct one of my elders..."

"You better be talking about your grandparents Kevin."

"Sorry, my superiors, but just for the record it's a stout not an ale."

"Same difference Kevin."

"Not to some people. I met up with some guy from Ireland when I was home for the funeral. When I ordered one there, he corrected me when I said the same thing. To some people it matters a lot because the Irish have a high regard for it."

"So it's from Ireland not England?"

"Yep, and it's the UK not England."

"Are you going to sit here and correct everything I say, because if you are, you and I might not be friends very much longer -- Petty Officer Dvorska."

"Sorry -- Chief -- just thought you'd like to get the facts straight. I'll shut up now."

"See there Kevin, you're getting smarter everyday."

Just then, someone placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder. He knew exactly who it was when his senses went into overdrive. He spun around quickly and stared at her.

"Oh I'm sorry Kevin, I didn't mean to startle you. I just got off my break and I saw you sitting there. I wanted to come over and say hello."

"Hi Laura, allow me to introduce one of my fellow sailors. This handsome grandpa is Bob Holiday."

She extended her hand cautiously and Bob reached out and softly lifted it to his mouth and kissed the top. He never took his eyes off her. After pulling her hand back, she turned eight shades of red and diverted her eyes down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Laura. If I may be so forward to offer some advice, I think you should have dinner with Kevin as soon as possible. I'll wait until tomorrow to punch his teeth out for the grandpa remark."

Laura giggled quickly, and if possible, turned even redder. The bartender cleared her throat and Laura abruptly left to check her area. Bob Holiday turned in his chair and looked at Kevin with bafflement in his eyes.

"You can't be serious that she's the one Kristine is talking about."

"Let it drop Bob, you don't know what you're talking about," Kevin said and then grabbed his drink.

"I might be old but I'm not dead yet. You want something to make you forget that bitch Martina. Here's a news flash for you, it just walked over there."

"Jesus, not you too! Did Kristine and Adam put you up to this?" Kevin took another drink.

"You'd have to be nonhuman not to notice her."

Kevin spit his Guinness out over the bar top. After coughing and wiping his face off, he turned to his Chief and glared at him.

"Hold it right there Mister. Don't blame me if you can't drink and breathe at the same time."

"Do you really think she's the one for me? Oh please Bob, help me overcome my ludicrous shyness around the opposite sex," Kevin said sarcastically.

"Maybe I should sit on the other side of the bar? I think I'm loosing IQ points being this close to you," he replied as he started to get up.

Kevin laughed and pushed him back down. They talked for a while at the bar and then after his second Guinness, he needed to use the restroom. As he passed Laura, she waved quickly and had a big smile on her face.

'I wish you'd turn that charm on someone else.'

Bob was finishing his drink, when Laura came up behind him. After tapping him on the shoulder, he turned to see the blond haired youth smiling at him.

"Um -- I don't want this to sound strange, but, I was wondering if Kevin is um -- you know -- seeing anyone?" she asked timidly.

"As a matter of fact no, he isn't. He is trying to get over a very bad relationship, and he just can't seem to get back in the game."

"Oh well maybe I should just leave..."

"Actually I think it would be a nice gesture to surprise him. You see, I know he likes you and I bet it would brighten his spirits if you suddenly showed up at our friend's house. Her name is Kristine and she lives..."

"Oh wait, I met her the other day. She told me anytime I wanted to come over I could."

"Great, then it's settled. He should be there in around thirty minutes. Do me a favor and don't tell him you're coming over. He really likes surprises."

**********

Adam and Kristine had the contents of the folder spread out over the living room floor. Adam finished his beer, set the empty can down next to the other three, and tossed the photos of Jack Gilmore and Jason McKinley back into the pile. He reached over and pulled another beer from the box.

"Is the beer helping you find anything yet?" Kristine asked as she sipped her wine.

"A little, but I keep coming back to the same thought."

"You have my attention Adam."

Adam handed the last two pictures to Kristine. "Look at these photos of the two agents. One of them has his nuts blasted all to hell and two rounds through the heart. Look at his weapon -- it's still in the holster."

"Ok, but I'm still not seeing what you're seeing."

"Now look at the other one. He has a single shot to the side of his head. His weapon is on the ground in front of the door."

"I guess you're going to have to connect the dots for me."

"This was a professional hit. I'm not talking about Serbian military either. I'm leaning more towards Merc's than anything else. Not normal one's either, these people know what their doing. That's my problem. Someone wanted her back really bad. Bad enough to risk taking out two CIA agents."

"Ok but that still doesn't answer why. Who's connected enough to do something like that? I've read everything there is on Martina, and there's nothing special enough to try and get her back," Kristine told him.

They were both baffled at the situation. Adam had his head back against the cushions of the couch as Kristine stared blankly at the pile of photos and reports. Scattered in front of her, the photographs of the assault on Radovan Valenta stared back. The CIA had two agents undercover as police officers who took photos of the crime scene.

'What the hell does she know that is worth all this? Why risk a life on the run from the CIA for her?'

Suddenly something caught her eye. Slightly obscured by an open door, she saw a picture on the wall in Kordic's study. Kristine cocked her head to one side as she picked it up off the pile and looked at it closer. Her breath caught in her throat as she focused on the picture.

Kristina jumped up off the floor as if the house was on fire. Adam lifted his head up as he watched her bolt to the small table in the hallway. Kristine pulled a large magnifying glass out and studied the small detail. Her head shot back up as she spun around and faced Adam Dawson. Her mouth was open as if to speak but nothing came out.

"You look like I did when I saw Kevin's grandmother. What's the matter? Did you find something?"

"It can't be, it just can't be," she whispered as she walked over and handed him the photo and magnifier.

"You have to be kidding me. This is turning out to be a fucking nightmare," Adam said as he stared at a photo of a small dark haired girl riding on Viljem Kordic's shoulders.

"You asked who wanted her back bad enough to kill two armed CIA agents, how about her daughter?"

"Kristine, if this is really Kordic's daughter, then she might be a..."

"We need Kevin, and we need him right now," she told him as she picked up the phone and dialed Kevin's pager.

**********

Kevin was slowly walking towards Kristine's house as he thought about his current situation with Laura. Every time she touched him, his emotions ran wild, and the wolf screamed louder for release.

'It has to mean danger, it just has to be.'

Kevin's pager started buzzing and he looked down at the number. It was Kristine's home phone, but it also had a 911 behind it. Kevin bolted towards her house. It was only three more blocks and he covered the distance quickly. He didn't bother knocking and his mind was on Kristine. If she hadn't paged him, he might have noticed the car parked down the street with two brown haired men sitting in it.

Kevin opened the door and ran in. He was breathing hard as he quickly walked into the living room.

"That was fast." Kristine got up off the couch and brought him a beer.

"I don't get it, what was with the 911 message? Hell I thought something happened to you or Adam."

"Have a seat Kev, I think we found out who broke Martina out," Adam told him.

Kevin sat down in an overstuffed chair and took a sip of the beer. "Well he's number one on my hit list."

"Take a look at this, and tell me what you see," Adam said as he handed the photo to Kevin.

After staring at it for a few moments, he handed it back. "It's the safe house we hit a few months back. What does that have to do with Martina? I thought we killed everyone except the officers."

"Take a closer look at it. You're supposed to have perfect vision, so you should have picked it out first," Adam said, and then pushed Kevin's hand back.

Kevin pulled the photo back and stared at it for a long time. His vision then came to rest on the photo of Kordic and Martina. Adam could see Kevin's hand start to shake and he suddenly crushed the beer can he held.

As the cold beer exploded, it covered Kevin's legs and splashed down on the carpet. Kristine ran into the kitchen and grabbed a rag. When she returned, Kristine began soaking up the spilt alcohol.

"Sorry about that Kristine. This is just too unbelievable to be true."

"Actually, you took it better than I thought you would," she replied as she took the photo and handed it to Adam.

Adam tucked the photo into the folder and put everything in the nearby end table. He went to get two fresh beers, when he returned he handed one to Kevin.

"Ok, so Martina has a daughter who's a werewolf. She gets some people to help her break Mommy out of prison. Where does she take her, and why?" Kristine asked Kevin.

"You don't know if she is a werewolf Kristine. My dad wrote me a letter before he died. He tried to reason with me about continuing the family line. He said sometimes the gift skips a generation, or they have limited ability."

"I don't get it Kev. What kind of limited ability?" Adam asked.

"I don't understand it completely, but it seems the offspring will only have sight, smell, and hearing. They won't be able to change completely."

"Kevin lets assume for a moment that she's a full wolf. Where would she take her mom?"

"Back here for revenge."

"That would be suicide. Martina knows if we catch her we're going to have to kill her. She won't risk it," Adam told him.

"Kordic could have left well enough alone and lived a long life. Instead, he chose to hunt my family and me down so he could kill me. His grandfather did it, and he followed his example. What makes you think his daughter wouldn't do the same thing?"

"Martina can't get twenty feet inside the base without us knowing about it. She isn't that stupid Kevin."

"Do you have any current photos of her kid L-tee? From what I can see, there's no information on her at all. It's as if she never existed. Hell this is probably the only photograph there is of her."

"Point taken Kevin, but that makes our position stronger. We only have her daughter and a few hired guns to worry about. She'd have to keep the group small to avoid any attention."

There was a knock on the door, which stopped their conversation. Kristine went to the door and peered through the peephole viewer. When she saw it was Laura, she opened the door and smiled at her.

"Well hi there Laura. I'm glad you decided to come by and visit," Kristine said as she moved to the side.

As the two women moved into the living room, Kevin ran his eyes over her body. She was wearing a loose fitting sweater that draped over her firm breasts. The black spandex pants she had on clung to her tiny hips like a second skin. Even though she was extremely lovely, Kevin still had a feeling that something was out of place with her.

"Hi Kevin, surprise!"

"Hi Laura, nice to see you away from the club. How did you know I was over here?"

"Actually it was your friend Bill's idea. He said you'd be with Kristine and Adam and you really like surprises. By the look on your face I guess he was right."

"His name is Bob, and I'll have to thank him a lot when I see him tomorrow."

"Would you care for something to drink Laura? I have water and soda, or would you prefer a glass of wine?" Kristine asked.

"Um -- is it ok if I have some wine?"

"Sure sweetie, just sit down and make yourself comfortable. Kevin, Adam -- you two ready for another?

"I'm ready," Adam said.

"No thanks, I'm good," Kevin added.

Kristine left the three of them alone, and Adam turned to Laura. "So Laura, where are you from."

"It's a small town that isn't on most maps, Imlay City, Michigan."

"Hah, I knew there was something strange about you. You're a Michigan fan!"

"Um, I don't really follow football Adam. I'm more into reading fiction books. I get to loose myself in another world for awhile."

"What are you doing over here in Aviano?" Kevin asked.

"I'm an exchange student and I'm taking a few classes over at the College. My Uncle was in the Army and he thinks I should get out and see the world. Therefore, to make him happy I came over on a student Visa. I hope that it won't be too long before I get to see home again, I miss it."

"What does Mom and Dad think about you over here?" Adam asked.

Laura bowed her head. Her blond hair fell forward a bit as if to hide her face. Adam was confused at her reaction on the mention of her parents. He leaned forward in his chair, as Kevin too took notice of her actions. Something didn't smell right here.

Laura lifted her head and stared at the two Seals. "So what do you two do in the Navy? Seems strange to have Navy guys on an Air Force base."

'Now why would she change the subject?' We're part of a Navy Liaison crew. We help smooth things over when the Air Force and Navy interact with each other. It's basic protocol with all the Armed Services.

"Oh that sounds like an interesting job," Laura said, as Kristine came back in with two glasses of wine.

"Here you go dear. It's not top shelf, but I enjoy it," Kristine said.

Laura took the glass and sipped slowly. "Wow that is good Kristine. So how long have you and Adam been dating?"

"What makes you think we're dating?" Kristine asked as she almost choked on her wine.

"When you two were at the club, it seemed you couldn't take your eyes off each other. I just assumed you two were a couple."

"We're just friends Laura. I work with them from time to time. That's why these two are here a lot."

"So do you have a boyfriend back home?" Kevin asked.

Laura's eyes brightened as she looked at the young SEAL. "No I don't Kevin. To be perfectly honest with you, I have a hard time making friends. It seems that most of the guys want me for my body and not -- well let's just say they don't find me attractive after awhile."

Kristine was sitting close to her, so she reached out and touched Laura's blond hair. "That's nonsense. You're a very pretty young woman."

Laura pulled her head away at the sudden touch. Her eyes shot down and were once again slightly saddened. Kristine pulled her hand back and looked over at Adam and Kevin who looked on in curiosity.

"Um -- Laura we were going to have a large salad for dinner. I'd love it if you could stay over for a while." Kristine got up and went over to Kevin and Adam.

"Is that ok with you two? It'd be nice to have some female company for a change," she said.

Neither one of them objected to Laura's presence, even though Kevin had reservations due to his senses going crazy.

"Good, it's settled. Adam I could use a hand getting the large bowl down. Would you be a dear and get it for me?"

Adam and Kristine left the room, leaving Kevin and Laura alone in an awkward silence. Kevin took a few more sips of his beer while Laura sipped her wine. She glanced over at him and saw him looking at her.

"Um -- so do you have a girlfriend back home?"

"No, I'm kind of getting out of a bad relationship right now. I think I'll just lay low with women for awhile."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she told him with a sad face.

"It's sad that a girl would treat you badly, you seem like a really nice guy. Someone with your personality will find the right girl and settle down. I haven't known you long, but I find myself strangely attracted to you. I hope that didn't sound to forward," she said and then looked down again.

While Kevin and Laura tried to make small talk, Adam reached up and got Kristine her bowl. "Ok what gives? You could have reached this, so what do you want to talk about?"

"Laura is wearing a wig. When I touched her hair just a minute ago, I felt it shift a little."

"This is starting to get weird. I asked her about her parents and she avoided the question. Then the hiccup about boyfriends, and now we find out she's wearing a wig."

"We need to find out who she is. Kevin's senses go into overdrive for a reason and Martina's daughter might be out there. I'll bring her in here with me while you and Kevin see if she has any identification in her purse."

They walked back into the other room to find Kevin and Laura chatting.

"Looks like you two are hitting it off. Kevin, you're being polite to our guest aren't you?"

"I'm being a good boy -- Mom."

"Laura would you help me in the kitchen? It's been a long time since I've had female help in the kitchen."

"Sure Kristine, I really like being here, and you three are so cool. Kevin, can I bring you another beer while I'm in there?"

"Um - no not right now, maybe in a little while," Kevin said as he looked at Adam's face.

The two girls went to the kitchen and Adam waited for a moment before picking up her purse and digging out her driver's license. He quickly wrote some information down and then picked up her passport and wrote some more information.

"I guess you're going to tell me what's going on L-tee," Kevin said.

"She's wearing a wig Kev. She avoids questions on her parents and you already have reservations about her. I'm going to run a check on her, while you get close and get us some more info."

"You think she's Martina's daughter? That would explain why my werewolf goes nuts when she touches me, but why do I have to get close to her. Haven't I been used enough for one deployment?"

"Because she likes you, and we have a chance to end this once and for all. Now suck it up God damn it. How many more people will get hurt if we don't find her? We end this now, once and for all." Adam had placed everything back and was walking to the kitchen when he ran into Laura coming out.

"Oops, sorry about that Laura, I didn't see you coming."

"Its fine, I was just bringing Kevin a fresh beer. Sort of a habit of mine to fetch beers," she told him with a laugh.

"I have a better idea Laura, why don't you and Kevin sit down in the living room and get acquainted. I'll take over for you in the kitchen."

**********

Just down the block from Kristine's house, two men sat in the front seat of their sedan. They'd been staring at the house for hours now, and were getting anxious to get started with the operation.