The Tradition

By Annagail Lynes

In all Federal Agent Jessa Masters' covert career, she has feared one thing. Although she did what she had to do, and her crew is calling her a hero, she feels far from being the person they are admiring. With the opening of a new club on the Liberty, visitors are swarming to it while a mad women is on the loose. A woman set on killing Jessa and abducting the children aboard. Will Jessa be able to stop her in time? Or will Jessa's fear keep her from reacting in time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781105399879

Book preview

Calendar Description automatically generated with medium confidence

~one~

Momma, I heard Remy scream.  I looked over at my husband Nate’s sleeping body and knew I would have to take care of this myself.

A month ago, Nate and I took down a ring that stole weapon parts from the Freedom Alliance and assembled and sold them to the Crimson Fleet.

In 2100, with more SpaceCrafts exploring space, Earth's Armed Forces joined together to form  the Freedom Alliance.  Each branch functioned on its own as it always had.  Only now they came under the rules and regulations created by the Freedom Alliance.  Fifty years later, some members didn't agree with the Freedom Alliance's rules and actions any longer and broke away to form the Crimson Fleet.   The Crimson Fleet wanted to establish a totalitarianism one-world government on Earth and all its colonies on other planets.  When the Freedom Alliance tried to stop them, the people of Earth and its colonies took sides.

Since we took down the weapons ring, Nate Masters, who had been my partner at the Intergalactic Intelligence Bureau (IIB), a covert organization based in Washington, D.C. for fourteen years, and my husband for a year and a half, became distant and brooding, like he was preoccupied with something.  He didn’t touch me, didn’t kiss me and went out of his way to avoid me.

For the kids’ sake, we made everything seem as normal as possible–dinners as a family, sleeping in the same bed, but we were separated and had been for weeks.

I slid out my nightstand drawer and pulled out my 9 mm.  I opened the chamber and loaded the gun, muttering, He is never going to let us go.  He is never going to stop this.

I took a deep breath, swinging my legs around so that my feet touched the ground.  After standing up, I closed the chamber of the gun.  Cocking it, I put it down by my side.  I ventured out into the hallway.

Momma, I heard Remy scream from the direction of the living room.  I tiptoed to the end of the hall, then to the end of the couch. 

I saw a tall, large shadow, holding another shadow.  Remy.  Since someone bombed my SpaceCraft on Planet M-89 where I caught debris in my eyes, I had been blind.  I could see shadows now but little else.

As they reached the doors, I came up behind them.  Let go of my son, I charged, raising my gun, or I will shoot.  To Remy, I asked, Are you okay, Rem?

Momma!  Help me!

The shadow laughed a maniacal cackle and taunted, Never!  I will never let him go, and then dragged Remy out the doors. 

I said, ‘Let go of my son,’ I yelled, following them into the corridor, or I will shoot!

He didn’t turn around.  He kept on moving down the hall with Remy, yelling, All your guards have tried.  All have failed.

I aimed my gun at his back, pulling the trigger once, then again.  When he fell forward, Remy ran to me, crying on my shoulder.  Listen, Remy, I need you to go back into our quarters.  Go into your room and barricade it until I knock three times.

He nodded and rushed back inside. 

I uncocked my gun, hit my CommLet, a wrist-worn communications device, three times, indicating a medical emergency.  I crept over to the fallen man.  Pressing my fingers to his throat, I felt no pulse.  He was dead, and I had killed him.  I had never killed anyone before.  In my fourteen years as a Federal Agent, I had never taken a life...until now. I stood up and rapped on the doors of Colin, my security chief and brother-in-law.  A few minutes later, a shadow opened the doors.

Jess, you look as white as a ghost.  What happened, Colin required, tying his bathrobe. 

I led him outside to the body.

Colin gasped and wondered, Is he dead?

I didn’t get a pulse, but a medical team is on the way, I answered, looking in the direction of the body.  I shot him, Colin, I confessed, peering back.  I heard Remy screaming for help, and when I got out to the living room, he was taking Remy.  I told him to let him go or I’d shoot.  I warned him twice, but he didn’t listen.  Why didn’t he listen?

This is Logan Lavin, the same man who has tried to abduct the kids this week.  He is the one who killed two of my officers and injured two more.

To me, he was just a shadow taking my son.

He was terrorizing your family.  He came into your home and kidnaped your child.  You had every right to shoot him.  Pending further investigation and viewing the Overseer, if he is dead, I am going to rule this justifiable homicide.

I slipped back into our quarters and grabbed the Overseer, a device that allowed a person to see any part of the vessel at any moment and brought it out to Colin just as the medical team swarmed the man on the ground.  When one of the shadows kneeling beside the body looked up and shook his head, my heart felt as if it were on a plummeting elevator.

After Colin’s officers dusted for fingerprints, collected evidence and processed the crime scene, the medical examiner took the body. 

Colin approached me as everyone was leaving.  He handed me back the Overseer and my gun.  The evidence and the Overseer support your statement.  I have ruled this justifiable homicide, and I have sent my report and the Overseer footage to both the IIB and the Freedom Alliance.

He put his arm around me and led me back into my quarters.  You did the only thing you could do.  Try and get some sleep.  There’s nothing more you can do right now.

How am I supposed to sleep?  I killed a man.

"I know I had a hard time sleeping after I killed a man who was trying to kill the commander of the Roosevelt.  Eventually it became easier."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Do you need me to stay, Colin questioned.

No, go home.  I’ll be fine.

After Colin left, I knocked on Remy’s doors three times, staying with Remy until he fell asleep.  I then told CHIP to lock the main doors, letting no one in without my or Nate’s authorization code.

I paced the floor back and forth, back and forth, debating about whether to wake Nate up.  I needed him right now.  I needed him to hold me.

I marched back into our bedroom.  Moving to my side of the bed, I slipped my gun and the Overseer in the nightstand drawer and shut it.  I sat down on the bed and faced the still sleeping bundle.  Nate, I called out, shaking his arm.  Nate!

He sat up with a start and looked at me, moving his eyes up and down me.  He said nothing.  He knew when I called him Nate that something was wrong.  I usually referred to him by his code name Jaguar.

Nate, I know you are angry with me, that you maybe even hate me.  I know you think that I did something horrible.  That you saw something that wasn’t as it seemed, I rambled on, closing my eyes briefly. 

When I opened them, running my hand through my hair, I said, But right now, just for tonight, I need you to put all those feelings aside.  Just for tonight, I need you to be my husband, my best friend.  Tomorrow you can go back to hating me, but tonight, I need you not to shut me out.

My CommLet chimed.  Jessa, Dad, Bradley Thomas, the head of the Intergalactic Intelligence Bureau (IIB) called over it, Rueland called me.  He told me what happened, Sweetie.  We both read Colin’s report and your statement.  We viewed the footage.  We are closing the books on it, and there will be no investigation from the IIB or the Freedom Alliance.  You did what you had to do.

I know that Dad, but it doesn’t make it any easier, I said in a hollow, wooden tone, pressing my thumb to my CommLet.

Dad was staying on board the Liberty, the vessel I commanded, until I had the surgery to expedite the restoration of my vision.

How’s Remy, came Dad’s response after a few seconds of silence.

He was crying so hard.  I never wanted to ever do that in front of my kids, Dad.  I sat with him until he went to sleep, but I think I am going to take him to see Doctor Dakota.

How are you doing?  I know you aren’t going to get much sleep.  You want me to come sit with you?  Get you anything?  Doctor Dakota maybe?  A sleeping pill from Doctor Manning.

Dad, can you call Graham and have him make arrangements for me to take the next few days off?  Let me try to make it through the night.  If I need anything else, I will call you. 

I wish I could fix this for you.  I wish I could make it better for you, Dad uttered, but if the best I can do is get you some time off, time off is what you are going to get.

No one can fix this, Dad.  None of us can undo this or make it right.

When I ended the transmission, I looked toward Nate.

Nate reached for me and exclaimed, "Peacock, you are shaking!  What happened?  I know it’s bad.  You’ve called me Nate three times since you walked into this room.  You are taking time off?  Remy’s crying?  It’s really bad, isn’t it?"

I felt my bottom lip quiver, and the tears stream down my cheeks.  I nodded. 

He took me in his arms and put my head on his shoulder.

Once the damn broke, I couldn’t stop the tears, soaking Nate’s night shirt. 

After I was able to control them, I lifted my head.

Nate wiped my tears with his thumb.  What’s this all about?  What happened?

You know the man that keeps taking the kids.  Monday, it was Rina and Ashley.  Lieutenant Lakelow ended up in critical condition getting them back, I started, taking in a deep breath, sitting on my legs. 

Tuesday, he took Reggie, and Lieutenant Nicholls ended up dead.  Wednesday, the twins went missing.  Lieutenant Courtney died bringing them back.  Thursday, Caleb was taken.  Captain Diamond was injured, I continued, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.  It’s Friday now, and he was here tonight, he tried to take Remy, and I killed him, Jaguar.  I killed him.

He threw his arms around me and held me.  Peacock, you did what you had to do to stop this man from taking Remy and to stop him from terrorizing this family.

I don’t know.  I should have done something else, I ranted, looking up.  Jumped him from behind maybe.  Fired warning shots.  If I had a stun gun.  Anything but kill him.  But I just kept thinking ‘I have to stop this monster.’  I put my hand on my heart, and I clamped my eyes shut, lamenting, You don’t know how much I wish I wasn’t pregnant right now, so I could drink myself into a stupor.  I wonder how many shots of Vodka it would take to numb the pain.

You can’t do that, Nate objected.

I know I can’t.  I’m pregnant.

No, you can’t because you haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since Amy died.  You have to honor her and Cougar’s memory.

I broke away from him and climbed out of bed and walked to the doors.  I folded my arms.  I don’t owe them a doggone thing.  What do I owe Cougar for?  Getting me in this business?

You are shutting down.  I can feel it.  Don’t you owe it to this family to get through this?  Don’t you owe it to Jace?

Jace?  What does he have to do with this?  It should have been him that I killed.  He almost murdered me and the baby I am carrying for your sister.  I am supposed to feel indebted to him...why?  I haven’t been in contact with Jace since we relinquished custody of him.

I turned around and faced Nate.  What do you care if I disgrace Cougar and Amy’s memories?  Or if I get through this anyway?  You don’t care about me anymore.  You don’t love me.  You don’t want to be with me.  What does any of this matter to you?

Nate jumped off the bed, walked over to me and whispered, You are so wrong–

So are you about whatever you think you saw between Jace and me.  I can prove it.  Although technically, I don’t think I should have to since I didn’t do what you think I did...and by now, you should trust me.

He grabbed me in his arms and pressed me against his chest, touching my lips with his thumb.  Leaning in, he kissed me passionately on the lips.  I don’t hate you.  I love you.  I will always love you.  If fourteen years didn’t change that, why would you think four weeks would?

I love you too.

Don’t say anything you don’t mean.

I do mean it.  I do love you. I returned his kiss, deepening it, And frankly, I don’t want to be separated tonight.  I don’t want you hugging your side of the bed and me hugging mine.  I want to make it through the night by being held in your arms.

He put his hands behind my neck and brought my face forward, kissing me.  Lifting me up, he carried me over to the bed.  He climbed into bed next to me and held me.  We exchanged kisses for a few moments until the kisses heightened. It was obvious where we were headed.

I broke away from him, putting my hand on his chest.  We don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to, I whispered.  I know that you are upset with me...

I want this.  What about you?  I mean tonight hasn’t been easy for you.  You had to kill... he let his voice trail off.  Are you sure about this?

I met his lips with mine, kissing him passionately.  I am sure.

When did you stop loving me, Nate asked as I walked back into our bedroom after I got the kids dressed and ready for school.

I let Remy sleep and had scheduled a meeting for him with Doctor Dakota for today at 1400 hours.  I had Colin explain the situation to Joey, Nate’s sister, Colin’s wife, as well as the headmistress of the on-board school.

Weren’t we intimate last night?  Didn’t we, I questioned, gesturing between him and me.  I killed a man last night.  I am tired both physically and mentally.  Our son is still sleeping because a man abducted him from his bed.  And you are asking me a question like that, I complained, walking over to my nightstand drawer. 

I’ve had it.  If you won’t believe me, maybe you will believe, I continued, pulling out the drawer, retrieving the Overseer, this.

I don’t want to see it.

You don’t want to see it why?  Because you don’t want to know the truth, that maybe, just maybe you are wrong?  Or is it because you would rather believe the lie that Jace wanted you to see, I demanded, sitting down on the bed, activating the small screen of the Overseer.  I programmed it for the day we took Jace into custody. 

Nate stood up and started toward the doors.

"Do you want me and the kids to die, Nate?"

At the word Nate, he turned around and faced me again.  What are you talking about?

I leaned over and grabbed my QuanPad, pressing a few buttons.  Handing it to him, I ran my tongue over my teeth.  I started receiving these about three weeks ago, I voiced, putting one hand on my back as sharp pains radiated through it.

Nate sat on the edge of the bed and took the QuanPad.  Studying the messages, he looked up at