Chapter 10

My vessel landed. I didn’t want to look at Caiyan. I knew he would be mad, but I was mad too. He had put our lives in danger with his stupid attempt to get a new key. I glanced at my watch and saw it was 9:00 a.m. It had been around three in the afternoon when we’d left Berlin. The time change, combined with the time-travel lag, was going to kick my butt. I turned toward Caiyan. He was slouched against the wall of my vessel, wearing a stony expression. He seemed disappointed in me. Well, it goes both ways, buster.

“Jen, ye brought me to my prison.” His Armani suit was covered in mud. My vessel knew he had hurt me, and it had backed me up by changing his clothes but leaving him filthy.

“I know. I think maybe it’s for the best.” I bit my bottom lip.

Before we could sort out our differences of opinion, Jake yanked open my vessel’s door. He stood staring at us.

“McGregor—that figures. I should have known you’d be the instigator. Both of you, out now!” He was angrier than I had ever seen him. I felt like Maverick and Goose in the movie Top Gun when they got busted for buzzing the tower. Caiyan climbed down from the platform. He didn’t turn to help me down as he normally did when we traveled together.

“You’re late!” Jake barked. He squinted at me. “And why are you red?”

I looked down at my hands and saw they were still tinted with the red paint. I guess there are some things even my vessel couldn’t remove. “It’s paint,” I said as I clumsily tried to maneuver out of my vessel, thankful I was back in my sexy red dress. My ankle was swollen and painful, but I refused to ask for help.

Jake and Caiyan both stared as I flashed a long leg while stepping down from the landing square.

Jake motioned to two rather large men in black suits who were standing behind him and then turned on his heel and left the hangar. The men escorted us to the blue room.

“Do ye gorillas jest hang out in here waiting for someone to land?” Caiyan asked along the way, causing one of the men to tighten his hold on my arm. They deposited us in the room and then stood at attention on either side of the door frame, just in case one of us might try to make an escape from the most secure prison in the world.

The credenza, which normally held only a fresh pot of coffee, was loaded with pastries and kolaches. My stomach rumbled, reminding me it had been a long time since I’d had anything to eat.

“Sit, both of you,” Jake said as he shut the door behind him but remained standing. Both of us sat down across the table from each other. My hunger was silenced by guilt.

“You’re not supposed to be traveling,” Jake said, pointing a finger at Caiyan. “And you”—he turned toward me—“you were supposed to report for duty at six hundred hours. What the hell were you thinking?”

I was thinking I was in love and was trying to help the man I loved. I started to speak but shrugged instead. “Are you going to take my key?”

“I can’t!” Jake almost yelled the words, but his self-control grabbed him at the last minute. “I’ve got brigands that need to be followed. The moon cycle’s been open for nine hours, and I had to put your entire team on hold until I knew if you would need help in Berlin.”

Caiyan and I both stared at the ground. I was trying to decide if I should tell Jake about Marco. Would he be in trouble for coming to rescue me? If Jake took Marco’s key away, he would race without the extra protection from his key. But how was I going to rescue Marco without help from Jake and the travel lab?

“Mitchell Mafuso has been traveling back to 1990. I can’t even send you back then,” he said, pointing at me. “It will have to be Campy, and he’s not ready to travel alone. The Cracky clan has another traveler, and now they are dividing up and going back to different times. Not to mention Rogue is back, and God knows where he’s going to end up.” Jake dropped his arms to his sides.

This was good and bad. Good, because they needed Marco, so they would help me find him…and bad, because we had so many brigands to chase.

Caiyan started to disapprove about sending Campy when Jake cut him off. “What do you know about Mitchell’s sister, Mahlia, and Germany in 1945?”

Caiyan grimaced and looked down at his hands. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Mahlia has been going back to Berlin to the year 1945 the last few travels. We didn’t have a WTF agent available to track her, but since lover boy here snagged you to the same time period, I thought he might know something about this.”

“Do you?” I turned and raised an eyebrow in his direction.

“She might have been helping me locate a lost key.” Caiyan sighed like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“You’ve been traveling?” I stood. Now I was mad. “With Mahlia?”

Caiyan remained silent. He was apparently debating how much he wanted to tell me. I knew that look of indecision.

I aimed my anger at Jake. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jake shook his head. Holding up both hands in front of him, he said, “He doesn’t have a key or a vessel, so he doesn’t show up on the travel screen.” Jake put his hands on his hips and smirked at the fact Caiyan that had been caught and I was pissed. “It’s almost like a NAT going back in time.”

“Before ye were hired…” Caiyan gave Jake a nod and straightened in his chair. He cocked his head to the side as if he had a perfectly good explanation for this mess. “I found a key in the possession of another WTF traveler. We are to report any unclaimed keys to authority, so I did. When the traveler was confronted, he claimed it had been taken by a brigand. My boss at the time, Agent Geoff Grant, asked me to follow up on the key if I ever received any information on its whereabouts, so I did.”

“What key is this?” Jake asked, taking a seat at the table.

“The Sleigh key?” I asked Caiyan, and he nodded. I described the key to Jake, but before I could explain whose neck it was hanging around or tell him about Isla and Anna, Caiyan interrupted me.

“I was purchasing some art from a gallery in Berlin. There was an exhibit of lost treasures from World War II. These pieces were though’ to be lost in a fire that occurred in the Flaktürme Friedrichshain in Berlin. I saw a painting of a lass in a gold dress wearing a key. I recognized the key and did some research. There’s no record of any travelers using that key.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not in use by a brigand,” Jake said. “Did Mahlia know what you were searching for?”

“Aye, and who cares if a brigand loses a key? It’s why we are here, aye?”

“What did you promise her?” I asked, and he flinched.

“Any of the lost art she wanted. We planned to hide it under the Märchenbrunnen and retrieve it later.”

That explained how he’d conveniently had a shovel to dig the hole in the park. It was obvious to me that Mahlia was after the key.

“Why would she let you walk away with a key?” I was standing as I shouted the question. I felt cheated and lied to and mad.

Caiyan’s head jerked up, as if yelling at him was against the rules.

Jake raised a calming hand in my direction, and I huffed as I sat down, causing the legs of my chair to squeak against the floor.

“Why did you use Jennifer instead of Mahlia this trip?” Jake asked.

“I can answer that.” Gerald, one of the defenders on my team, casually strolled into the room. Gerald, who preferred to be called Gerry, was a dwarf, standing at four feet and five inches with reddish-brown hair and a bad attitude. His small stature kept him on the spy-and-tell side of the WTF and away from the horrid task of capturing a brigand.

“Were you eavesdropping?” Jake asked.

“Absolutely,” the dwarf said with a smile. “It’s my specialty.”

“OK, so tell us,” Jake said.

Gerry greeted Caiyan with a nod as he slid into the chair next to him. “Yesterday, I was down in the Flatiron district having lunch at Eisenberg’s Deli. You know, I was sitting at the counter eating my tuna on rye, and who should walk in but Mahlia and her evil brother Mitchell. They grabbed the table directly behind me.”

“Did they recognize you?” Jake asked.

“Not a chance. I tend to blend. Anyhow, I was sipping on my lime rickey when I overheard Mahlia say she couldn’t possibly travel this weekend because she was onto something big, and Jennifer Cloud’s brother, Eli, was going to get it for her.”

“Does Mahlia dating Eli have anything to do with your trips to Berlin?” Jake asked Caiyan.

“Mahlia is dating Eli?” Caiyan asked, and his gaze shifted to me. “Did ye know aboot this?”

I squirmed in my chair. “Yes, I was going to tell you, but then you almost got me killed, and it slipped my mind.”

He stood, chest thrust out and nostrils flaring, as he pointed at me and shouted, “When a brigand is crossing the line into yer family, ye need to tell yer defender.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t get that information firsthand, seeing as you’ve been all cozy with Mahlia yourself. Besides, you’re not my defender—Marco has that job now!” I stood, and we faced each other across the table.

Jake and Gerry watched as if they were in the front row at Wimbledon. “I’ve got ten bucks on the blonde,” Gerry said.

“She’s after more than jest Jennifer’s brother, I guarantee,” Caiyan said, taking his seat. I followed.

“Do you have any idea what that might be?” Jake asked.

Caiyan shook his head. “We have a bigger problem.” I didn’t think there could be a bigger problem than Caiyan lying to me, risking my life, and traveling with the bitch from hell—who was currently, as Ace would say, shagging my brother.

“Please, enlighten me,” Jake said, waving an exhausted hand in the air

“Toches is traveling again, and he has the key from Berlin and Marco.”

“Marco?” Jake asked, turning toward me. “Pickles told me he saw you blip to Berlin, and he was worried when you didn’t return for the meeting. I assumed McGregor was involved. He didn’t mention Marco.”

“Marco was rescuing me,” I said, frowning at Caiyan. I explained about meeting Anna and Isla, the fake Hitler, the fight between Marco and Toches, and the sleigh. I didn’t bring up the bombs or the art Caiyan had confiscated. No need to stress out the boss. My inner voice tucked away the information on the stolen art for safekeeping.

“I don’t have much intel on Toches. He hasn’t caused any problems since I was put in charge,” Jake said.

“Apparently, he was stuck in 1945,” I added.

“Someone must have taken his key in the past before he received it,” Jake said.

“Aye, and now he has the Sleigh key.”

“Your team should be arriving soon,” Jake said, scooting his chair back and standing. “Get something to eat. The travel lag is going to kick in, and I don’t need you falling asleep until I figure out what to do. I’ll be back in a moment.”


***


Caiyan and I stared each other down as we waited for the other members of our team to arrive. Travelers were sorted in teams, and ours included Brodie and Ace; Gerald and his transporter, Tina; Campy after he completes his training; and formerly me and Caiyan, currently replaced by Marco.

Each team was based on the brigands they were assigned. Now, thanks to Caiyan, Toches became a new brigand added to the mix in our already filled bowl. Ace rolled in a few minutes later, followed by Brodie. They both gave Caiyan a knuckle bump, showing their support for his presence. Ace grabbed a coffee from the credenza. Brodie sat down across from Gerald, wearing a big shit-eating grin.

“What are you so happy about?” Gerald asked.

“That’s the smile of a guy who is getting shagged,” Ace piped in, taking the seat next to Brodie.

“Must be nice.” Gerald looked at Caiyan and me. “I guess the two of you are taking a break. How about it, sweet muffin? Ever shagged a little person?”

I groaned and stood to get a cup of coffee. The travel lag was starting to affect me, and I would be napping soon if I didn’t infuse my veins with caffeine.

Gerald let out a sharp wolf whistle. “You know what they say: big things come in small packages.”

Caiyan grabbed the dwarf by the shirt collar and tossed him across the room. He took out two rolling chairs and bumped up against a filing cabinet.

Marco entered as Gerald was flying across the room. “Cool! Midget tossing—can I play?”

Relief overcame me as I rushed forward and threw my arms around his neck, hugging tightly. “You’re here?”

“You didn’t think that little weasel was going to take me, did you?” Marco asked, grinning and sending an admiring glance down the neckline of my red dress.

“What happened?” I asked, taking a few steps back.

“I’ll say this: kicking someone’s ass while traveling through time is freaking awesome!”

“Where is Toecheese?”

“When we landed, he was unconscious.” Marco cracked his knuckles.

“So ye jest left him with the key?” Caiyan asked, flipping his hand in the air in disbelief. “Why didnae ye bring him here?”

“My main concern was my transporter, Jennifer,” Marco said with an annoyed glance at Caiyan, and then his eyes gently found mine. “I had to make sure you arrived safely.”

Marco walked over and offered Gerald a hand, which the dwarf took, and Marco lifted him to his feet.

Although Gerald was a nasty little prick, I couldn’t help but be concerned. “Are you hurt, Gerald?”

The dwarf stood, brushing himself off, “Only my pride and my ass. But you could kiss it and make it all better.”

I ignored the comment and finished making my coffee. Marco sat down next to Brodie. I grabbed the plate of doughnuts from the credenza and placed them on the table in front of Marco, who immediately grabbed one covered in sprinkles. I took a seat next to Marco. Caiyan growled, and Gerald made a face at him.

Jake returned and scouted the room, making note of everyone present. He didn’t look surprised to see Marco, which meant Marco had already made his presence known to Jake.

“OK, everyone, settle down.” He tapped on his laptop, and a picture of Toches came up on the projection screen on the far wall of the room.

“This is Kishin Toches,” Jake started, but Gerald giggled.

“That’s Yiddish for kiss my butt.” He slapped his knee. “His mamma must have really hated him.”

Jake glared at him and noticed the chair next to Gerry was empty. “Where’s Tina?”

Gerald did a palms up. Tina was Gerald’s transporter and was always late. She rushed in a minute later. Her dark bob framed the sides of her face, which was flushed from the exertion of punctuality.

“What did Kishin do?” she asked, observing the face on the screen as she took her seat.

“Do you know him?” I asked.

“Yes, before I became Gerry’s transporter, he was the main brigand that my defender followed.”

I didn’t realize she had transported for another defender. She looked to be in her late twenties, but I supposed she could be older. She always wore black and rarely any makeup. She sometimes masqueraded as a young man if the need arose.

She fidgeted in her chair. “He had a sad life. His grandfather died, leaving him a key when he was only thirteen years old. His parents died under unusual circumstances not too long after that, and he kind of lost his mind. He’s a slippery fellow. We never caught him, but a few years ago, he just disappeared.”

She dropped her head, and her eyes squinted shut. “Then my defender was killed by one of the Cracky clan, and I haven’t seen Kishin since. I would really like to get those damn Crackys thrown in the brig and tomb all their keys.”

Everyone at the table was nodding. I didn’t know any of the Cracky clan. Brodie and Ace had been the key duo to keep an eye on them.

We filled the team in on our trip to Berlin, and I told them I thought Isla had the gift.

“If she does have the gift, we have to get that key back to her,” Marco said.

Why was Marco so adamant about returning a key that had never been in use? A year ago, Marco couldn’t have given a flip about anyone but himself. I’d had to kidnap him to get his help, and now he’d joined the WTF and had a serious calling to risk his life to return a stolen key? My inner voice was holding up a sign that read Marco loves Jen. I called bullshit on that one. He wasn’t doing all this because of me. Something was off.

“I did some recon on Anna and Isla,” Jake said, tapping a few buttons on his computer.

I felt Marco shift uncomfortably beside me.

“Are you OK?” I asked him.

“Yeah, we should really try to get that key back to that little girl.”

“Are you saying you want to go back to 1945?”

“If it means doing the right thing.” Marco looked away when he said the last words, and I couldn’t help but think there was more to this story.

Jake spoke to the group. “The bakery suffered a direct hit in the war. Anna died in the bombing, and I can’t find any information on Isla.”

Marco jumped to his feet. “That’s not possible.”

“I’m afraid it’s what our records show.” Jake scooted a paper across the table for Marco. “It’s a miracle the three of you didn’t die in that air raid. It was the worst of all the raids on Berlin.”

“This can’t be happening,” Marco said, pacing around the room. Everyone turned to stare at him.

“Spill it,” I demanded. “I know there’s more to this key than Toecheese.”

“I will tell you, but…” Marco stopped pacing and stood with his hands on his hips, staring defiantly at the group. “I can’t tell you who the Sleigh key belongs to.”

“Why the ’ell not?” Ace sat back with his arms crossed. “Does he travel? Maybe he could join us?”

Brodie jumped in. “Absofuckinlutely. We’re bustin’ our arses every moon cycle. We need the help.”

“I agree,” said Jake. “Why doesn’t this person travel?”

Marco crossed his arms over his chest, and the dimple in his chin deepened as he held his jaw firm.

“The mystery traveler can remain anonymous, as long as we get the key away from the brigands,” Jake said. “Tell us what you know about the Sleigh key.”

“OK, here it is,” Marco said slowly. “When my grandfather was in his early twenties, he traveled back in time and met the lady in the gold dress.”

“The one in the painting?” asked Ace.

“Yes. He fell in love with her, but he was already married in his present time. I think my father was about two years old. My grandfather traveled back each month during the moon cycle to see her. When she became pregnant, he knew he couldn’t continue with his double life. He told her about time travel and gave her the key to give to their child. He promised to return when he could. Her parents forced her to marry a captain in the German army, and then she had Anna. I don’t know all the details, but the woman and her husband were killed in the bombings during World War I. My grandfather didn’t know Anna was still alive.”

Marco pulled up a chair and dropped his head between his hands. “Anna was sent to live with relatives in Czechoslovakia, who owned a bakery. After she married, she moved to Berlin, had a family, and opened her own bakery. The bakery was bombed in World War II, but Anna and Isla opened a new bakery together after the war. My grandfather and his business partner, Henri Cordero, visited the bakery in 1965. The picture of Anna’s mother was hanging on the wall, and Isla had the Sleigh key. It’s how they connected the dots.” Marco leaned back in his chair. “You see, Isla married Henri Cordero, and a year later they had a daughter, my mother.”

Silence filled the room. If Isla died, what happened to Marco and the owner of the Sleigh key?

“Whoa, that’s some heavy shit,” Gerald finally said, breaking the silence. “Isla is your grandmother?”

“And your mom is also your half cousin, sort of?” Tina asked, rubbing her temples at the heavy task of trying to connect the branches of Marco’s family tree.

“In a very distant way, yes. If they died, what happens to me?” Marco asked.

“We ’ave until the moon cycle ends to go back and save ’em,” Ace said.

“It’s impossible,” Jake said.

“Why?” I asked.

“We have no way to tell if Isla was killed or if Anna died before you returned to our time, and you can’t be in both places at once.”

“Then send someone else!” I demanded.

“It would be a suicide mission,” Marco said. “You saw what was happening when we left. The Red Army is in the middle of a hostile takeover of Berlin. Landing a vessel in the middle of that would be a miracle. I wouldn’t put another traveler’s life in danger to save mine.”

I shot Caiyan an evil glare, and he changed the subject. “Why was the key naugh in the Flaktürme?” Caiyan asked.

“It was never in the Flaktürme.” Marco shrugged. “My mother is on the board of directors of NEMO.”

“NEMO, like the movie?” asked Gerald.

“No, the Network of European Museum Organizations,” Marco answered. “She loaned some family items from our vault to the German Historical Museum in Berlin for an exhibition. The painting was included. I went to the museum to retrieve the painting before a random brigand might come across it, and the museum curator was in a frenzy, because the painting had been stolen.” Marco cut his eyes at Caiyan.

“Borrowed,” Caiyan grumbled under his breath.

“Shortly after, I was informed Jennifer was in 1945, and I connected the dots.”

“How are we going to save Marco?” I asked.

“Maybe we can git the little girl the key,” Brodie said. “Ya told us no one used the key, right?”

Marco nodded.

“Weel, if we take ’er the key and explain things, she can still meet up with Marco’s grandpa.”

Jake thought about this for a minute. “Let me do some recon on Isla. If she wasn’t killed in the bombings, I might get clearance to send a traveler back to take her the Sleigh key at a later date.”

“What if she was killed?” Ace asked.

“One thing at a time,” Jake said.

“First we have to get the key,” I said.

“Where’s the key now?” Jake asked.

“That idiot Toches crashed us on the beach. Right out in the open, for cripes sake.” Everyone seemed alarmed at the picture Marco had painted. “Surprisingly, we were on the Mafusos’ private beach in Amagansett.” Marco added sarcastically. “You know the house—the one where I got shot.” He glanced my way and then continued, “As you know, they’re the title sponsor for my racing team, and if they found out I’m now WTF, well…” Marco hesitated before he spoke again. “I don’t think it would be wise to let that happen.”

“What did you do?” Tina asked.

“I ran for cover in the trees and left Toches lying unconscious on the beach.”

Jake’s cell phone chirped as Marco finished his account of what had happened, along with another sprinkled doughnut. Caiyan remained unusually quiet.

Jake read his text and grimaced. “The Mafusos want a trade.”

“What kind of trade?” Brodie asked.

“They said they want the Tribal key.”

“Is that the Thunder?” Gerald asked. “I’ve never heard it referred to as the Tribal key.”

“Ye betcher ass it’s the Thunder,” Brodie said, scratching his bearded chin. “It’s from the Cracky clan, and they can’t ’ave it. I stole it fair and square.”

There was something about the last few words that made my gut tighten. If Brodie had stolen the Thunder key, and Toches had stolen the key from Berlin, it seemed like someone along the way would be affected. There were so many reasons we didn’t have history on those keys, only one being that the people who owned them knew nothing about the gift.

“How did they know we ’ave it?” Ace asked.

All heads turned to Caiyan.

“I didnae tell them,” he said.

“You were all hot and cozy with Mahlia. Maybe you let something slip in the heat of passion,” Marco said.

Caiyan jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back in the process. “I have never let anything slip in the heat of passion, ye jackass.”

Silence overtook the room. I heard Ace swallow hard. Caiyan was pressing both hands hard onto the table, and he leaned down, supporting himself with his arms.

“I was not sleeping with her,” he said, turning his face toward me. His green eyes were hard. “It was jest a business deal.”

Jake looked over at Caiyan. “Sit down and explain what happened during your trips to Berlin. Maybe you can shed some light on why Toches landed on the Mafusos’ beach.”

Caiyan sat slowly. “As I told ye before, I saw the key and researched the location. It should’ve been in the Flaktürme. In my previous travels, I was meeting with the accountant and arranging for the transportation of the stolen art for him. Mahlia was posing as my assistant.

“Several months ago, Mahlia and I were invited to a dinner at the Reichskanzler, what we call the Reich Chancellery. All of Germany’s upper class was present. I think Hitler switched with Toches during the party. Hitler’s girlfriend was an avid art collector and had me caught up in conversation most of the nigh’. Mahlia must have recognized Toches and made him a deal.”

Jake stood, slowly letting the tension in the room settle. “They want to arrange a meeting at Jen’s cousin’s wedding.”

“Melissa Jo’s wedding?” I asked. “Why would they want to meet there?”

“Because they have Eli.” Jake handed me the phone with his camera app showing a picture of Eli. He was wearing the same purple shirt from this morning, except his necktie was currently being used as a gag, and his hands were tied in front of him.

I gasped, and the other travelers gathered around me, looking over my shoulder at the picture. I heard Caiyan cuss in Gaelic.

“Why would they want Eli?” I asked as Eli’s panic-stricken face stared back at me from the small screen.

“Maybe because they can use him as a threat against us,” Brodie said.

“He’s not one of us. They can kill him,” Gerald piped in, and my hands started shaking.

Jake came around and squatted next to me. “They won’t hurt him, because they want the Thunder, and it’s a direct violation of the WTF agreement with the Mafusos.”

“But Toecheese wasn’t involved in the agreement, was he?” I asked. I shuddered at the thought of my brother being killed over a key.

“He’ll be fine,” Jake said, gently removing the phone from my hands. “I don’t know why they want to meet in Mount Vernon at your cousin’s wedding. Maybe they feel like we can’t interfere if there are family members we are trying to keep in the dark about your gift.”

The thought of my parents or Mamma Bea finding out I can time travel made me cringe. My father would order me to stop traveling, and my mother would tear up every time I left for a travel. I didn’t need my family questioning every move I made. It was a pretty good plan on the Mafusos’ part. My mental unraveling of my family dynamics came to a halt as Jake started giving assignments.

“I need the four of you at the wedding. We need to get Toches before he screws up something major,” Jake said, pointing at Brodie, Ace, Marco, and me.

“What about the Cracky clan?” Ace asked. “We’ve been searching for the vessel. Do you think the Mafusos ’ave it?”

“Maybe,” Jake said. “I’m sending Gerald and Tina to Ireland to monitor the Cracky clan. Gerald, go talk with Pickles and Al to see if any of the Mafusos have made an appearance recently in the little town where we got the Thunder. Jen, Marco, and I will meet with the Mafusos. Brodie and Ace can keep an eye on things. Since Jen’s family is already familiar with the three of you, you will attend the wedding. Jen, make sure they get invited.”

I nodded.

“What aboot me?” Caiyan asked.

“Tina can give you a lift home, and for god’s sake, no traveling, or I’ll throw you in the brig,” Jake said. “I’m going to confirm your story with the general. If it doesn’t play out the way you say, you can count on another year of NAT, even if we have a key for you.”

Caiyan’s mouth turned down in a deep grimace, and he pushed his chair back hard as he stood and left the room without even a glance in my direction. I thought he’d gotten off easy for the chaos he’d caused.

Jake jerked his head at Tina to follow him, and Tina scurried after the stormy Scot.

“The two of you,” Jake said, pointing at Brodie and Ace. “Go to the travel lab to get the coordinates on Toches. If he is wearing the Sleigh key, we should be able to locate him on the map while the moon cycle is open.” Jake informed us that our instructions would be sent to our secured e-mail accounts after he discussed our plans with the general and arranged the meeting. He ordered Marco and me to go home and get some sleep.

“We don’t have much time,” I said.

“Both of you need to get some rest. If I find Isla, I will send you back to fix this mess.”

Revealing the WTF to a NAT in the past was a big violation. If I was right and Isla had the gift, she wouldn’t be a NAT, but would she start traveling or use the gift and change the present?

If Isla had the gift, it would explain why Marco had amazing power: it came from both of his parents’ bloodlines. I was confident General Potts wouldn’t risk losing a traveler with that kind of power. My inner voice was down on her knees, reciting the rosary.

“Do you think General Potts will allow us to break a law of the WTF?” I asked.

“Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness,” Jake said and began clacking away on his laptop in search of the missing Isla.


***


Marco seemed a little unsettled as we left the blue room. Brodie and Ace were walking ahead of us. Brodie was obviously upset about having to trade the Thunder key. He and Ace had been working hard to find the vessel in hopes that the WTF would give Caiyan the Thunder key. I knew it hadn’t been easy for Brodie, who was accustomed to working with Caiyan. They had a Han Solo–Luke Skywalker kind of relationship. The four of us were a good team. I was Princess Leia, and I guess that made Ace Chewbacca. The replacement of Caiyan with Marco was going to stir up the force for sure.

Marco walked through the entrance to the hangar, and I laid a hand on his forearm. “I’m sure we will get the key back and find Isla.”

Marco shrugged. “This is the reason I didn’t want to travel. I’m not a huge fan of dying.”

I nodded. When a key was stolen, chaos followed. Even a key that was hidden away and not used by a traveler had caused a life-altering situation. My reason to protect the keys from the brigands became crystal clear. “I think I’ll pop in on Albert and Pickles to see if they found Toecheese.”

Marco stifled a yawn. “My grandfather told me his one regret was that he had fallen in love with a woman from the past and changed the way her life should have been.” He bent down and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Later.”

I turned and caught up with Brodie and Ace, who had stopped and were arguing about the Thunder key. “I say he screwed us,” Ace said. “He knew we were tryin’ to find that damn vessel to get him reinstated.”

“Caiyan would never slice us in the back like that, mate,” Brodie said.

“He’s always lookin’ out for number one. See how he did poor Jen, shagging that tart.” Ace had his hands on his hips standing firm and defending my honor.

“Do you think he was shagging her?” I asked as I joined them.

They both jumped, surprised to find me standing behind them.

“Crikey, Jen, I didn’t know you were there,” Brodie said.

“Of course not, luv.” Ace put a protective arm around my shoulders. “I just meant the bloke is a little dodgy at times, and I think you deserve better.”

Brodie didn’t look as certain.

I loved visiting the travel lab. The layout was similar to the command center of the starship Enterprise in the Star Trek series. My bet was whoever had designed the lab had been a Trekkie. Albert was the agent in charge of following the brigands. His partner, Pickles, was the navigator. Pickles had the gift of foresight. He could see where the brigands decided to travel moments before they engaged their vessels and entered the travel portal. This gave us an advantage over the brigands.

Albert was waiting for us at the entry to the lab. His white lab coat hit just below the knees, and his striped oxford shirt with pens lining the shirt pocket was haphazardly tucked into his navy slacks. I never asked him why he wore a lab coat. He didn’t spend his days treating patients like my brother did, mixing chemicals, or dissecting frogs, but his pockets were always full of this and that, so I assumed it was so he could keep all his necessities close at hand. His long gray beard was tied at the tip with a red bow. It reminded me of my Mamma Bea’s Yorkies. They were yappy little dogs that always had bows secured behind their fluffy little ears.

“Al, my man, what’s up wit’ the bow?” Brodie asked, giving Albert a high five.

Ace laughed. “Are you supporting one of those charitable groups?”

Albert flushed and winked at me. “Italina thinks a little decoration is nice.”

I liked the way Albert called Aunt Itty by her full name. The way it rolled off his tongue sounded very romantic, like he was referring to a Romanian princess instead of Caiyan’s great-aunt. She was a sweet, absentminded little old lady who had been a fierce traveler in her day. She had some history with Albert that was unknown by me but had caused a rift my last time travel when they’d made a connection. It was nice they had mended their prior disagreement and had been seeing each other.

“Is she here?” I asked, surprised, because Jake didn’t like her coming to Gitmo. Things tended to go awry when she was around.

“No, we Skype,” Albert said, removing the forgotten bow from his beard.

I laughed and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek. Pickles was busy hacking something out on his keyboard. The large screen located across the front wall was full of blinking black dots. Jake was right; the brigands were out of control.

Brodie, Ace, and I sat down in the three chairs facing the big screen. Albert was leaning over Pickles’s shoulder, asking him questions about something on his screen.

“I’ve got it!” Pickles shouted and stood at his desk. He used a cane now and came over to point things out on the screen. “Here,” he said, pointing at a black dot blinking inside the borders of New York, “is your brigand.” His strong island accent filled the room and made me think of a font that had curlicues on each of the letters. “Dis is de guy.”

“Great, let’s pop over there and grab him,” Ace said. “We can be back in time to ’ave a nice dinner and return the key to Isla.”

“Dar’s one problem.” Pickles pointed at several black dots very close to the one marked as Toches. “These are all Mafusos.”

My heart skipped a few beats. What were they all doing in present time? There was an open moon cycle, and the Mafusos usually took full advantage of the time to travel back and cause chaos.

“Why didn’t they go back?” I asked.

“Mahlia has been traveling back to 1945,” Albert said. “Terrible time to travel, as you already know.” He raised his eyebrows at me. “We’re not sure why she didn’t go back this travel cycle, but she is staying present time.”

I knew why. Because Caiyan wasn’t around to escort her, and she was holding my brother by his necktie.

“Mitchell has been going back to 1990, but he also stayed behind.”

“I don’t know why these buggers aren’t traveling. If they break the agreement and cause an infraction in the present, we could have serious problems,” Ace said.

“I hate losing the Thunder to that mob of lunatics,” Brodie said.

“Me too.” I sighed, feeling the drain from the travel to Berlin.

“Doll, you need to get some rest,” Ace said, giving me an arm to lean on.

I agreed. I needed rest, especially if we were about to fight brigands. I said my good-byes and set my course for home.