No More Swedish Meatballs Pt. 03

"Everyone has magnetic fields – energy fields -- in, on or around them. I'm not sure of the science. Some people can see them. Most can't. I can. The fields take on different colors and patterns depending on a lot of things like health, happiness, sexual arousal or frustration, mental well being. Most people read each other subconsciously when they meet. They sense the aura without knowing it. I see the auras much more vividly than most people."

"So when you saw me that morning I was glowing with sexual satisfaction." Kristen gave a rueful laugh.

"Well, not exactly. Your aura was different than the night before. And I sensed satisfaction and happiness. I'm an empath."

"What does that mean?" Kristen asked.

"I sense emotions more strongly than most people. I can read how others are feeling. You're empathic too, you know."

"I am?"

"Yes. Definitely," Leslie said. "And a bit telepathic with some precognition thrown in."

"You really believe in ESP? It's not a bunch of malarkey? I don't know…. Rita and I played games when we were little. We pretended we were sorceresses with magical powers. I could control weather. Rita could make things disappear. We pretended we could read each other's minds. Sometimes it seemed so real. But that's fantasy. They've never been able to prove ESP exists. There's no way to measure it."

"They haven't been able to show me an atom yet. Does that mean the atomic theory should be thrown out the window?"

"No," Kristen said stubbornly. "But that's science. And ESP is…."

"Improvable. But it's real. And you have a good measure of it."

"How do you know that?" Kristen asked belligerently.

"What am I feeling right now?" Leslie asked, trying not to smile.

"God, I don't know. Exasperated amusement, I guess."

"How did you know that?"

"Well it's obvious. I just…. I don't know. It just makes sense that's what you'd be feeling. It's not ESP. It's common sense."

"To you maybe. A lot of people wouldn't be able to figure it out. How do you feel when you're in a crowded room? Do you sense the undercurrents? Do you know who's mad at whom, and who's feeling insecure? I'll bet you hate crowds and don't know why."

Kristen shook her head. "You know, you're a spooky woman. How do you know all that about me? We've only know each other for what, a week? Rita and I were friends for years and she never understood how I felt about…. Oh. Duh. I get it. Rita's not an empath, right? What about Lizzy? Jeez. What powers does she have? Is there an ESP that makes people charismatic?"

"I'm not sure. I never really thought about it. But you may be on to something. Charismatic people seem to have the ability to control others, don't they? At least to some extent. I'd say that's an ESP."

"Well my sister has that in spades," Kristen said ruefully. "Wow. Thinking in terms of ESP might make some sense of a lot of things I could never get a fix on. I'm really gonna have to think about this."

"You do that. What time is it? 7:30 already. Leslie stood and stretched. I've got to get a move on. I have to be at work in an hour. "You and Ryan will have to hold down the fort today." She slurped up the last of her coffee and carried her cup into the kitchen. Then she made her way upstairs to get ready for another day at the small publishing house where she worked as a copy editor.

"I think we can manage," Kristen said with a smile. She had an idea how she wanted to spend part of the day. She ambled into the kitchen to fix a bagel and coffee for Ryan. Humming quietly to herself she prepared a breakfast tray and carried it upstairs. Ryan was sound asleep sprawled out flat on his back with a smile on his face. He'd kicked the covers off his feet which were sticking out over the edge of the bed. Kristen couldn't resist.

She put down the tray and started tickling his left foot lightly with her fingertips. He twitched and kicked a little. Kristen giggled. She tickled him again. He pulled his foot away and mumbled something inaudible. He rolled over onto his side. Kristen ticked his right foot and Ryan finally woke up. He jerked his feet away and sat up with a curse.

"Jesus! What the…!?"

Kristen burst out laughing. "Good morning sleepy head," she said with an innocent smile on her face.

"Christ, you're merciless. Tickling a man when he's sleeping is dirty pool," Ryan growled. "I ought to spank you." He made a grab for her but she slipped out of reach.

"Yeah? Try it buster. I'm fast. You'll never catch me. Besides you're naked. You can't run around the house like that." She pointed her finger at his naked torso.

"Oh yeah? I can if I want to," Ryan replied, jumping out of bed quick as a cat, grabbing Kristen and dumping her on the bed.

"Aren't you hungry?" Kristen asked as Ryan nibbled on her ear. "I brought you coffee and a bagel."

"I'm very hungry, but the food can wait," Ryan said ingeniously. "You're what I'm craving right now."

Kristen laughed light heartedly. "Down boy," she said. "You might want to save that appetite for later."

"Why? You're here. I'm here. The bed's here. It's early and neither of us has anything pressing on their agenda. Or do you have some place to go today?" Ryan laughed. "And as for my appetite, it seems to have become insatiable since I met you. You're leading me down the path to perdition."

"Perdition? Where's that? Is it anywhere near Hades? I thought we were on the road to Nirvana," Kristen quipped.

"Yeah. With a short cut through Paoli," he said as he began unbuttoning Kristen's shirt. He unclasped her bra and began tickling her nipple with his tongue.

"Oh. That feels heavenly. Don't stop."

Ryan pulled Kristen's shorts down and she stepped out of them. Morning light streamed in through the window. Kristen looked glorious swathed in sunshine.

Ryan slipped his hand into Kristen's panties and began playing gently with her clit. He slid his finger into her vagina. She was already wet and swollen with desire. She moaned with pleasure and rubbed herself against Ryan's hand. Just when she was ready to burst with passion Ryan pulled her down on top of him and guided his cock into her. Kristen gasped as her climax rippled through her. Ryan felt her come and slowed the pace. He wanted to make this last. They fell into a rhythm with Kristen astride, leaning back, feeling the length and strength of Ryan's cock. They moved their hips in time, slowly, then faster, faster. Kristen's heart was pounding and her blood was coursing through her body. She came a second time. Ryan bucked hard and finally came with a shout of triumph.

Afterwards they lay together in the bed enjoying the afterglow and the heat of the morning sun which was pouring in through the window. Something was nagging at the back of Ryan's mind. Oh hell, I forgot to pull out. What if she comes up pregnant?

"Uh, Kristen?" he said, "What time of month is it for you?"

"What?" Kristen asked, perplexed, "What do you mean 'time of month?'"

"How close are you to getting your period?"

"Oh. I don't know. I'm pretty unpredictable."

"Oh, great," Ryan said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I didn't pull out of you when I came. You might come up pregnant."

"Oh." Kristen was taken aback by the thought. "I never even thought about it. Jez." She didn't know what else to say.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you if anything happens."

"A baby. Gosh. Wouldn't that be weird? I'd want to have it, and keep it. I couldn't put a baby up for adoption."

Ryan shook his head ruefully. "Hopefully we won't have to make a decision like that." He tried to cast off his worry. "Hey, hand me that bagel, will you. My stomach's growling."

Kristen got out of bed and grabbed the tray for Ryan. Then she started putting her clothes on. Ryan watched, entranced as he sat eating his bagel and sipping coffee. Kristen's natural grace made the simple act of dressing alluring.

Kristen felt the heat of Ryan's stare. "What?" she asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Watching you dress is better than any strip club act I've ever seen," he replied. "You move like a dancer."

"Ah. That's it. You've identified my calling. I'm going to skip college and become a stripper. It may disappoint my friends and family but I'll have a hell of a good time. What do you think?" Kristen grabbed the lacy cloth on the bureau and began a little veil dance."

Ryan laughed heartily at Kristen's antics. This little girl has me beguiled. "Tell you what," Ryan said. "I'll buy a club and you can be my headliner. I'll make you a star." He stood and began dressing.

"Oh, good. That means I won't have to go off to school."

"No. I'm afraid college is a done deal.

You just can't get by without a college education anymore. Education is the great equalizer. A poor man with a great education will go further and get more respect in the long run than a rich man with no education. Look at how many immigrants have been able to pull themselves out of poverty to become great leaders our society in only one or two generations. Education is the key to power and success. Once you have it, it's up to you what you make of it. A lot of folks just throw it away."

"Ah hell. You're ruining my fun," Kristen pouted. "I know I have to go to college. But it's kind of overwhelming to think of going next fall. Don't worry, I'll get used to the idea. But you'd better be sure to visit me a lot. If you don't I'll go AWOL."

"I'll AWOL you if you even think about skipping out of school. And I won't give you the training you're going to need if you're going to be a guardian."

"What makes you think I'm going to be a Guardian?"

"Because you know about us and what we're trying to accomplish. And because of what the Cabal and the Company have put your family through, Ryan said.

"I don't know much about the Guardians."

"You will in time."

The conversation between Ryan and Kristen was interrupted by the sound of the telephone downstairs.

"I'd better get that," Kristen said. "It might be about tonight."

Kristen ran down the hall and took the steps two at a time. She made it to the telephone on the seventh ring. She answered it with a breathless hello. Jim was on the other end.

"Mr. Phillips! It's you. Fantastic! Are you okay? What happened? How'd you get away?"

"Hey. Slow down," Jim laughed listening to Kristen's excited babble. It was gratifying to know she'd been so concerned about him. "I'm fine." He filled Kristen in on last evening's events.

"I was so worried," Kristen said. "Ryan said they had some people out trying to find you but he didn't hold out much hope. Kelly must really like you to have done all that."

"Yeah. She's a good egg. I feel bad. She's out of a job because of me."

"You're out of a job, too. Maybe the Guardians can find a place for the two of you."

"Maybe. But don't worry about me. I'm like a cat. I always land on my feet. Let me talk to Ryan for a minute," Jim said.

"Okay," Kristen said. She put the receiver down and walked to the head of the stairs. "Ryan," she called, "It's Mr. Phillips. He wants to talk to you."

"I'll be right down," Ryan called back. He hauled himself out of bed, pulled on his jeans and grabbed his shirt which he donned as he walked down the hall to the steps. He caught a glimpse of himself in the huge beveled mirror on the wall in the hallway and laughed. I look like I was rode hard and put away wet. But I feel pretty damned good. He strode into the living room with a smile on his face. He was happy to hear Jim's voice.

"I have to admit I thought you were in deep trouble when Wanda called me. We got a team out looking for you but I didn't hold out much hope that we'd be able to extricate you. Thank God for that secretary. Kelly you said her name was?"

"Yeah, Kelly. So what are we going to do now with the Hansen kids? They're still at risk 'cause Karl's still out in the cold. Damn him. What possessed him to take off? Stupid thing to do. It put everyone at risk."

"True. But Karl doesn't know that. He probably thinks he's doing what he can to keep the family safe."

"And making a holey mess of things. Damn it all, I wish I knew where he's gotten to – him and his research."

"Don't worry," Ryan said trying to placate Jim, "You never know what might turn up. Maybe he's just gone for a short walkabout.

The two men chatted for a few more minutes. After he hung up, Ryan went looking for Kristen. He found her in the yard picking flowers for a bouquet. It was a fresh, dewy late spring morning. The scent of roses, peonies and honeysuckle filled the air. Fresh cut grass and rich black sod added flavor to the day.

"I'm so glad Mr. Phillips' alright," Kristen said as Ryan drew near. "It's pretty amazing how Kelly tailed Hurst all that way. And then she beat him up. You know, I ought to take Karate lessons. Do they have Karate at Antioch?"

"I don't know. But you're definitely getting self-defense lessons."

"Do I still have to go to a safe house now that Jim's okay?"

"No, I guess not."

"That's good," Kristen said smiling. "I'm getting to like it here. Leslie's great. Did she really raise you?"

"Yeah, from about age four on. After my father married her mother neither one of us had a real parent. Leslie's mother was a chirpy social climber who went from man to man until she realized she was starting to lose her appeal. She latched on to my father who was a mean-spirited son of bitch. They made each other miserable and paid no attention to me or Leslie. Leslie stuck around a lot longer than she had to because of me."

"Christ," Kristen said sadly, "are all parents destined to make their children unhappy? Look at my parents. They hated each other but loved us desperately. They stayed together 'cause they thought that's what would be best for the kids. Look where that got them. Mom's run off and maybe dead. Dad stuck it out for years working for the Company just so us kids could go to college. Now he's disappeared. I don't blame him. I hope he stays missing and gets himself a life. Kristen paused in mid-thought. I wonder where he is. I hope he left some sort of message in his office."

"That reminds me," Ryan said, "we have to pick up some black clothes to wear tonight."

Ryan and Kristen made a quick trip to a nearby Sears and Robuck. They returned to Leslie's around one o'clock with jerseys, sweat pants and sneakers all in black after pausing to get a bite to eat at the department store's restaurant.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Ryan and Kristen spent the time getting to know each other. Ryan told Kristen about his college days and his introduction to the Guardians. He talked a little about the horrors he'd seen in South East Asia and about his work in Hong Kong. Kristen thought he was the most interesting person she'd ever met. She wanted him to talk on and on but he began to bug her to talk about herself.

"There's not much to tell," Kristen said. "I go to school and sing in a band that's going no place. I'm kind of boring if you want to know the truth."

"I don't think you're boring."

They were pretty much talked out by the time Leslie got home from work. She found them on the porch sitting together companionably like an old married couple.

"Look at the two of you," she chided them, laughing. "Just sitting in the afternoon sun thinking about nothing. Tough life you guys have. Here's the bread winner home after a hard day in the salt mines and you don't even have a drink waiting or dinner on the table.

"Actually," Ryan said, "dinner should be here in about two minutes. We called the Pizza King"

"Oh, good. I wasn't looking forward to cooking. Why don't you run out and get some beer to go with it? You know where the distributor is don't you?"

"Sure. I live to serve," Ryan said, making a half bow. "What kind of beer do you like?"

"I'm not particular."

Ryan rode off on his motorcycle and Kristen and Leslie went to the kitchen to wait for the pizza. Leslie set the table while Kristen made a small salad to go with the pizza. It arrived about five minutes after Ryan left. Leslie paid the driver and brought the pizza into the kitchen. The air filled with the tantalizing scent of tomato sauce and garlic. It was tempting to dig in without waiting for Ryan. But they didn't. Ten minutes later Ryan arrived with a six pack and a sixteen ounce bottle of Coke.

Leslie cut the pie and Ryan distributed drinks.

The pie was pretty average, at least by Kristen's standards. "My dad makes a wicked pizza. He used to make it for us kids when he and mom were having liver for dinner." She took a small bite of pizza, made a face, and set her plate aside. She was too nervous to eat. She took a swig of Coke. "Most parents force their kids to eat liver. Mine never did," Kristen said sadly, as if she knew she'd never see either parent again.

Neither Leslie nor Ryan had any words of comfort for Kristen. Ryan took her hand and squeezed it gently. "We'll do our best to find your father," Ryan promised. He paused to take a sip of beer.

"Dad's pretty smart. I doubt you'll find him if he doesn't want to be found. What would you do with him if you did find him? Force him to work against his will?"

"No. Of course not," Ryan said. "We'd give him a new identity if he didn't want to continue his work. He could start a new life."

"Could I go with him?"

"If that's what you want."

They went over their plan for the evening once more as they finished dinner. Leslie did the dishes while Kristen and Ryan went upstairs to change into their black clothes. Kristen made a pit stop in the bathroom and Ryan loaded his revolver, slipped on his shoulder holster and covered it with a black jacket. It was a hot night to wear a sports jacket but Ryan didn't want to go unarmed.

Before they knew it it was time to leave. Leslie's dark blue Dodge Dart wasn't much to look at but was mechanically sound. Traffic was light on the way out of town and through the suburbs to Paoli. Leslie drove fast and they arrived at the Burger King early.

They ordered sodas and found a booth at the back of the restaurant. Kristen was nervous as a cat. Her stomach hurt and she had to pee. She glanced over at Ryan. He looked cool as a cucumber. How can he be so calm? she wondered. Then she realized this kind of action was second nature to him.

Leslie noticed that Kristen was looking a little green around the gills. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kristen replied. "But I need to find the rest room."

Leslie lit a cigarette as Kristen scooted out of the booth and made her way to the ladies room.

"I thought you quit," Ryan said, waiving tobacco smoke out of the way with his hand.

"I did. But this is a special occasion. Oh, look. I'll bet that's the O'Learys," Leslie said pointing towards the front door. They watched as a youthful pair entered the restaurant and looked around. They didn't see anyone they knew so they went to the counter and ordered French fries and sodas. They got their order and took a booth opposite to Ryan and Leslie.

Kristen spotted the couple when she exited the restroom. "Hi," she said walking over to their table with a big grin. "Thanks for coming." She motioned towards Ryan and Leslie, who stood up and joined Kristen at the O'Leary's table.

"Tom, Rita, this is Leslie and Ryan." The group squeezed into the booth and everyone began talking at once. Tom was in casual clothes and Rita was dressed in black. "I told you he's hunky," Kristen said to Leslie. Leslie and Tom laughed. Tom was just under six feet tall, with auburn hair and sky blue eyes. He had a very sexy smile.

I'm going to enjoy my part in this, Leslie thought, even though he's ten years younger than me. Tom was having similar thoughts about Leslie.