No More Swedish Meatballs Pt. 03

He smiled as he walked out onto the porch. "Got any food for the battle weary?" he asked.

The two women stopped talking and grinned sheepishly. Kristen jumped up, tipping over her glass of lemonade in her haste to greet Ryan. She walked over to him and kissed him on the lips.

Ryan was startled. "That was a guilty kiss. What were the two of you talking about, or need I ask?"

Kristen blushed crimson.

"You, of course," Leslie said with a smile. "Did you have a good sleep? You earned it," she said cryptically.

"You told her," Ryan accused Kristen, not knowing how to react.

"I didn't," Kristen responded. She could tell just by looking at me. I'm not a very good actress." She sounded young and nervous. Leslie was right. This is going to be awkward.

Ryan groaned inwardly. Leslie's going to have my hide later. But the thought didn't stop his heart from leaping at the sound of Kristen's voice. They looked into eachother's eyes.

Yes, the magic is still there they both thought relieved.

Leslie cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt this tender moment. You said you're hungry."

"I'm starved." He gave Kristen a heated glance. Kristen picked up the vibe and grinned.

How 'bout I fix you some lunch while the two of you talk?"

Ever the diplomat Ryan thought.

"That'd be great. Is there anymore lemonade? I'm dry as a desert."

"I wonder why," Leslie said archly. "I heard you stumble into bed at about six. Did you sleep well?

"Like a baby."

"That's good. "The lemonade's in the fridge. I'll bring you some. How does hamburger and a salad sound for lunch?"

"Great. But I don't want you to go to the trouble of cooking. I could just forage in the refrigerator, Ryan demurred.

"It's no trouble."

"Well, in that case, make it two burgers," Ryan said.

"Okay," Leslie said. "What do you want on them?"

"What have you got?"

"Oh, your basic – cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, relish…."

"Leave out the kitchen sink. I'll take everything else," Ryan said laughing. "Meanwhile, I've got to check in. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure. It's in the foyer."

"Thanks"

Ryan was anxious to hear how things went last night. He wondered what sort of 'accident' they'd staged for Karl and when the news of his 'death' would come out. He dialed Jim Phillip's number at work.

Jim picked up on the first ring. He'd been pacing his office all day. Karl never made the call last night and was missing. So was Kristen. When Karl didn't show up at work Jim had looked for his research. It also was missing. He was relieved to hear Ryan's voice. "Ryan. Hi. What's going on? Is Karl with you/"

Ryan was perplexed. "What do you mean? I was just checking in to see how things went last night."

"Last night? Nothing happened last night. Karl never made the call. And now he and Kristen are missing."

Ryan was still a little dopy from sleep. It took him a minute to grasp what Jim was saying. "Kristen's not missing. She's with me at Leslie's. Sorry I didn't call last night. It slipped my mind. When and how is Karl's 'death' coming off?"

Jim was frustrated and angry. "You're not listening. We don't have Karl. He never called and he wasn't at home when they checked. He didn't show up for work. And his work is missing so that means he was here last night. I was hoping you'd know where he is. Thought maybe there was a change of plan and he was with you." He paused. "What's Kristen doing with you if you don't have Karl?"

Ryan was stunned. "Christ! Karl's missing? And his work? How'd that happen?"

"I don't know. I thought you were handling the matter."

"I was. But I took Kristen out to dinner. Karl needed some time to think things over. I didn't want to push him too hard and I wanted to divert Kristen. But she figured something was up and badgered me into telling her about the plan to fake Karl's death. So we decided it would be better for her to stay with Leslie for a while. Safer all around. Karl was gone when we stopped off to pick up some clothes and we assumed he was picked up. Hellfire. This is not good. Karl's out in the cold. He must have decided he didn't trust any of us." A grimmer possibility filtered into Ryan's mind. "Oh Christ. You don't think Max or someone from the Company….?"

"It's a possibility," Jim said grimly. "Damn it. How did this happen?"

"I'm sorry," Ryan said feeling guilty. His attraction to Kristen had clouded his judgment he decided. He should have stayed at the house while Karl read the Cabal material. "I knew he had reservations. He wanted to be left alone while he read the material. I never dreamed he'd take off. If that's what happened."

"We've got to find him. If they get him and his work…."

"Yeah," Ryan said heavily. "Look. I'm gonna talk to Kristen. Maybe she'll have an idea of where he would go if he wanted to disappear."

"What is it with you and Kristen? You're not…. She's just a kid. Keep your hands off of her. Do you hear me?"

Too late for that, Ryan thought ruefully. God, what a mess! Ryan dodged Jim's question. "Is there any way we can find out if the Cabal or the Company have Karl?"

"The Company doesn't have him," Jim said with exasperation in his voice. "I'd have heard by now if they did."

"So that leaves the Cabal or cold feet. Was his car at his house?"

"No. And it looks like he packed a bag. But that doesn't mean anything. They could have done that to throw us off track. God damn it. We should have been prepared for this."

"Let me go talk to Kristen. I'll call you back."

He placed the receiver into its cradle and started to go to the porch but stopped in mid-stride. He decided he needed a minute to collect his thoughts. What to do? he mused. What was I thinking? Christ, what a mess.

After he collected his thoughts he headed for the porch. Kristen and Leslie's animated chatter wafted through the hallway as he walked. They turned when the floor creaked as Ryan walked through the doorway.

They looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat.

"Kristen, we need to talk."

Uh oh. Those were four of Kristen's least favorite words. They almost always spelled trouble. She hid her concern behind her smile. "Okay. What about?" Her heart was in her throat.

"Do you want me to leave?" Leslie asked diplomatically, assuming it was about their relationship.

Ryan hesitated, then nodded. He'd already told her too much he decided. It's not that I don't trust her. But she's better off if she knows as little as possible.

Leslie stood. She looked at Kristen. "I'll be in the garden if you need me."

Kristen smiled gamely. "Thanks."

When Leslie left if was like the sun went behind a cloud. Kristen shivered inwardly. I wonder what's wrong?

"What's wrong Ryan? If it's about last night…."

Ryan cut her off, not wanting to muddy the waters. "We'll have to talk about that later. There's a problem. It seems you father's missing. And so's his research."

"Missing?" Kristen was confused. That was the last thing she expected to have been on the agenda for this afternoon's conversation. "I don't understand."

"Neither does anyone else. He never called my team last night. They assumed there'd been a change in plan and that you guys were with me. But when they went by your place late last night his car was gone. He never showed up at work."

Cold fear gripped Kristen. "Oh God, something's happened to him."

"That or he decided he didn't trust anyone."

"That'd be just like him," Kristen said, somewhat relieved. "I'll bet he's hiding out until he decides what to do.

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Ryan asked.

Kristen paused before answering. How well do I really know this man? Sure, we hit it off to say the least. And he had that letter from Dad, but what if it was coerced? All of a sudden she was very frightened. She hadn't even waited for her father to come home before running off with Ryan. What if it was all a bunch of lies?

Ryan could tell what was running through Kristen's mind by the look on her face. "I'd better let you talk to Mr. Phillips before you answer that. Okay."

Kristen was vastly relieved. "Yeah. I'd like that."

They made the call. Kristen talked with Jim at length. Neither one of them had much of an idea where Karl might be. They decided to stick with the original plan of having Kristen stay with Leslie for the time being. The Company was going to go ballistic when it realized Karl was gone and if the Cabal didn't have him they, too, would be looking for him -- and for Kristen as well for leverage. Jim would clue Kristen's siblings in on the QT as to what happened. He wasn't sure yet whether to hide them or leave them where they were. So many decisions to make and so little time! When they finished talking he asked to speak with Ryan.

Kristen turned over the phone. Ryan waited expectantly for Kristen to leave the room. Kristen didn't go. Ryan said "do me a favor and get me a cup of tea."

"Okay," Kristen said reluctantly, wanting to hear what Ryan and Jim talked about.

"Thanks," he said, and paused, waiting until she was out of the room to talk to Jim.

So that's how he's going to play it, Kristen thought angrily Cover himself with a cloak of responsible adult versus kid as if last night didn't happen. Well he's not going to get away with it. She fumed as she put the pot on to boil.

Leslie was in the garden, wondering what going on. She figured it couldn't be good the way Kristen was clattering around in the kitchen. She though about going in to see if she could help but decided to let the pair try to sort things out themselves.

Ryan was finishing his conversation with Jim when Kristen returned with the tea. She'd made a cup for herself. She figured this was as good a time as any to get things out in the open.

"Ryan, about last night…." She hesitated, remembering what she and Leslie had discussed earlier. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Kristen," Ryan sighed, "as wonderful as it was, it shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have let it happen."

"That's crap and you know it," Kristen spat out. "You didn't let it happen. It was meant to happen. And if you recall, I forced the issue. I'm not a kid."

"You're sixteen years old. Underage. I could get in a lot of trouble for what I did," Ryan said trying to make Kristen see reason.

"What we did - together. It was mutual. And you're only 24. Eight years older than me. Don't act like you're forty."

"You've been talking to Leslie."

"That's right. And she made a heck of a lot more sense than you're making right now. You can't pretend it didn't happen. Or were you lying about your feelings for me?" Kristen said accusingly.

"No. Of course not. It's just… you have the right to your childhood."

"My childhood!" Kristen laughed bitterly. "I think my childhood ended yesterday when you walked in the door. My father's gone. I can't go home. You're the best thing that ever happened to me but you want to deny what's between us. You want to put me into a little mental box marked mistake and forget about me. Well I'm not going to let you away with it."

"That's not true," Ryan said heatedly.

"You're going to send me away to Ohio where you won't even have to think about me."

"That's not why…" Ryan began.

Kristen cut him off. She knew she was being capricious but didn't care. She knew school was the right answer for her once things settled down a bit. But Ryan's regrets and hand's off attitude hurt and she was going to make him pay for it.

"Sure it is. I'm not 'convenient.' You have your life and I don't fit in. Case closed."

Ryan placed his hands on Kristen's shoulders. She tried to shrug him off but he wouldn't let go. He made her look at him. "I'm not trying to 'get rid of you' Kristen," he said seriously. "I swear. Last night was … well I hope it was the beginning of something very special. But I can't do my job if I have to worry about your safety. So we're going to change your name and spirit you away for a while. To Antioch in Ohio. It's a great place. You'll like it and you'll meet a lot of interesting people close to your age."

"You mean boys," Kristen said sullenly.

"Boys, girls, gorillas, whatever. You deserve a normal adolescence."

"That's what you think I am – a horny adolescent." Kristen needed to vent her anger.

"You are an adolescent. That's a fact not an insult."

You didn't think of me as an adolescent last night," Kristen pointed out.

"I should have," Ryan retorted. "I had no business taking advantage of you like that."

"Go to hell," Kristen replied furiously, holding back tears. "You didn't take advantage of me. I started it, remember?"

"And I should have stopped it," Ryan said heavily.

"So it's going to be like that is it? Leslie warned me. You – you're a coward," she said accusingly, then burst into tears and ran from the porch.

"Kristen wait," Ryan called after her. "I didn't mean…."

But Kristen was already out of earshot.

Smooth work, ace, Ryan chastised himself. You alienated her and now she won't talk to me much less tell me where her dad might be. He cursed himself for an idiot. I don't understand teenagers. He stopped himself with a rueful laugh. Christ. I sound like I'm 48 not 24. When did I become such a stick in the mud? He tried to remember what it was like to be sixteen. It seemed like a thousand years ago. So much had happened in such a short time. The world was changing – spinning faster and faster. He wished he could take Kristen and jump off – or a least go to some place away from the intrigue , danger and corruption he faced every day. No. He wished he was going off to college with her. They would fall in love the right way.

Fall in love? That brought him up short. Is it possible I'm falling in love with a girl I've known less than 24 hours? God, it's so complicated, he sighed.

Chapter

Kristen had wanted to run straight to Leslie but something held her back. I just met her last night. Sure, she's great, but she's his sister. I know where her allegiance lies. Suddenly Kristen longed for the simpler days when she and Rita went on make-believe adventures and had perfect romances with knights on white horses.

I thought he was my knight. Boy was I wrong. She started to discount all the good energy between them.

Kristen stood in the hallway for a minute trying to decide what to do. Her pride wouldn't let her go to Leslie. I wish Lizzy was here. She'd know what to do. Kristen had spent a good part of her adolescence so far watching in awe as Lizzy spun a web of charm around most of her male classmates. I just don't have that' kind of magic she thought sadly, little knowing the havoc she'd wrecked on Ryan's heart.

Kristen had her own natural charm but not Lizzy's ebullient charisma. In many ways Lizzy and Kristen were two sides of a coin. Kristen was an empath of high order. Lizzy was enchanting. She gathered friends like moths to light and filled them full of Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy until no one else was interesting.

Lizzy didn't use her charm maliciously. At least not very often. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing most of the time. Lizzy was like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When she was good she was very, very good. And so on. Lizzy had been a pretty good surrogate mother for Kristen much of the time. She could be loving and generous. Kristen remembered the times when they were very small that they would make up stories after lights out. Lizzy had a way of dispelling Kristen's fears and turning her tears into giggles under the covers.

I miss her, Kristen realized. And Rita. She wondered when she would see them again. What will Rita think when she realizes I've disappeared? Rita and Kristen had grown apart over the past couple of years. But a friendship like theirs was forever. Will she try to find me? I should call her – just to let her know I'm safe.

Kristen slipped into the living room and peered into the kitchen. Leslie was nowhere in sight. The telephone beckoned. Kristen picked up the receiver and dialed Rita's number. Luck was with her. Rita answered.

"Hi. It's Kristen," she whispered into the phone.

"Kristen! Where are you? People have been asking questions about you and your dad," Rita said excitedly.

"I can't tell you but I'm safe. It's an adventure, she said using their code word."

"When are you coming home?"

"Not for a while. But I'll be in touch. Don't tell anyone you've heard from me. It's important."

"It goes back to Max and your mom, doesn't it?" Rita was quick on the uptake.

"Yeah. I got to go. But Rita, I met him."

"Him who?" Rita said, puzzled.

"My knight," Kristen replied cryptically. "Gotta go."

"Lucky dog," Rita said as she hung up.

Kristen felt a little better. She decided to go bend Leslie's ear.

Chapter

The Company was furious when Karl disappeared. Fortunately Karl made a clean break and Jim wasn't implicated. His position with the Company was safe, or so he thought. He was worried sick about Karl. At least I know Kristen's safe. But where the hell is Karl? He put out tentative feelers with the only source he had in the Cabal and waited.

Two days passed and all he got from his connection was silence. If the Cabal had Karl they were keeping it close to the vest, which worried Jim. It meant they were afraid of a leak. Jim began to think his days as an agent were numbered. All he could think about was how Wanda and the kids would take it if he disappeared or had a fatal accident. It was time to get out he decided. There wasn't much keeping him in now that Karl was missing.

Jim contacted Ryan to let him know he wasn't as secure as he ought to be and was pulling out. Then he put in for some vacation time he had coming. He figured he ought to be able to make some new connections in the three weeks he had coming to him. No one would think it odd for him to take his family on a trip in June. Everyone took vacation in June. He hated to admit it but he was scared stiff.

His leave was granted a week after Karl disappeared. Jim was packing up his office the Friday before his vacation was to begin when a shadow fell across his desk. He looked up. Dave Hurst was standing in the doorway of his office.

Jim tensed.

"Heard you're takin' a vacation," Hurst said. His pale blue eyes were cold.

"Yeah," Jim said lamely. "Summertime, you know, the wife and kids have been hankering for a real holiday for a long time."

"With you going and Karl gone off…, I don't suppose you know where old Karl's got to do you?"

Jim shrugged. "Strange, isn't it. Guess he got a wild hair or something. Well…., you know those genius types can be kind of peculiar. They get an idea and poof – off they go. He didn't say anything to me before he left."

"You sure of that? Funny, huh? And his little girl's gone too. How old's she, 14? 15?"

"Sixteen."

"Up and disappeared, like they was abducted by aliens or something. Or maybe an angel from heaven," Hurst said meaningfully.

Uh oh. What does he know? Jim thought worriedly. He tried to look as relaxed as possible. He laughed. "You've been reading some science fiction. 'smore likely he just decided to go walkabout."

"That wouldn't be very responsible of him. And Karl always struck me as pretty responsible. We invested a lot in that boy. I'd hate to think that he's come to some harm. I think maybe you and I should spend some time, put our heads together and figure out where Karl's got to."

Jim kept a gun his bottom desk drawer. Locked, of course. Lot of fucking good it's gonna do me tonight, he thought disgustedly. "I'd like to be of help, but I'm out of ideas." He looked at his watch. "I've got to go. Wanda and I have plans for the evening. He stood up and put his jacket on.