Cloud Invasion: R-D 2 (R-D #2)(71)
He ended up selecting a band for himself that had diamonds spaced about the wide ring made of gold and platinum. The total? More than fifty thousand.
He didn't blink when he handed over the credit card I'd given him, either.
I'd have spent more, he informed me as he signed the slip. But this is what my cabbage wanted.
"Do you want those sized? We can have them ready in a week," the clerk offered.
"We'll bring them back. For now, I'd like to take them with us," Ilya said.
We watched as the rings were boxed up, tied with ribbons and placed in a pretty, white bag with the store's logo on the front. We walked out seconds later. In all, we'd spent less than twenty minutes in the store.
"Will you transport us to Vegas? I want to get married today," Ilya said, taking me by surprise as we strolled through the mall.
"Can we get that done in an hour and a half?" I blinked up at him, feeling nervous, suddenly.
"Come-take us there and we will see."
*
I trembled slightly as I said my vows, but they were said. Ilya kissed me nicely at the end, too. The moment the license was signed and witnessed by two chapel employees, we left Las Vegas behind and landed in the dim hallway with five minutes to spare.
I'd had to size the rings using power, but they fit.
The others found us kissing in the hall when they arrived a few minutes later.
"Did you?" Leo began.
"License," Ilya handed the folded paper to Leo.
"Holy shit," James crowed after looking over Leo's shoulder at our proof of marriage. "Congratulations."
"If you're wondering, Rafe is registered at guns-n-bombs-r-us," I said.
Nick snorted a laugh.
"Nice ring," Opal grinned.
"Yeah."
*
Notes-Colonel Hunter
"We have something," Matt laid a folder on my desk. He'd shown up unannounced and scared my temporary assistant so badly the man could only stutter as he ushered Director Michaels into my office.
"Close the door, Corporal," I motioned for my assistant to do just that.
"Yessir," he couldn't leave my office quickly enough.
"What's this?" I opened the folder to look. Photographs were inside, taken with a Telephoto lens.
"They're taking the rockets through the tunnel," Matt smiled. "You can see for yourself-those crates contain their weapons."
"Crates don't mean anything," I began.
"No, but keep looking."
Matt had done a thorough job. Whoever he'd had on this assignment was more than good-they had photographs of the crates going into trucks, the trucks driving to a facility ten miles away on Russian soil, and then the same crates unloaded onto a dock leading underground.
The last photo was the best-somehow, an agent infiltrated the facility and snapped photographs of the crates as they were unloaded, revealing the rockets meant for shooting down planes.
"We need to see the President. Now," I stood and slapped the folder shut.
"Already have an appointment."
"When?"
"When we get there."
*
Ilya
The order came from Colonel Hunter as Corinne and I had a late lunch on the beach house deck-we had to get to D.C. as quickly as possible.
*
Notes-Colonel Hunter
I'd directed them to the ugly building in Arlington. They'd stay there until word came from Matt or me. Meanwhile, Matt put the plan to work to pose agents as Corinne and Rafe-I felt he was taking a big chance doing so, but I didn't argue the point.
Things had gone from a crawl to a gallop in the space of a few hours. Madam President already had a call in to the Russian Ambassador, demanding his presence at the White House.
Two of Matt's lookalikes would be there with us when that meeting took place. Matt intended to photograph the Ambassador leaving the White House, accompanied by those same lookalikes.
It was our way of cloning, when nothing could be farther from the truth. I hoped the enemy wouldn't realize it, however.
We were gambling, Matt and I, and I hoped we wouldn't be caught with a losing hand.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Russian Ambassador demanded the moment he was ushered into the Oval Office.
"Sit down," Madam President ordered. "There's something we'd like to get to the bottom of, and you're the first rung on that ladder."
The Ambassador looked from the President to me, then to Matt and the two agents, both of whom closely resembled Corinne and Rafe. He swallowed with difficulty. The corner of Matt's mouth curled.
*
Corinne
"Matt got photographs of the rocket shipment into Russia," Opal said. "Plus he managed to infiltrate the storage facility, too. Undeniable proof. I can't wait to see how the Ambassador dances around this."
"I'd like to see how he'd dance around all the Baikovs we've killed off, with more probably waiting in the wings," I said. "Not to mention all the Marys and Beckers and who knew what that scaly woman was."
"Good point," Opal agreed. "At least we haven't found any more with those metal contraptions hooked to their spines."
"An unfortunate piece of equipment," Leo said. "The last I heard, ours were working on a similar model."