Ancient Birthright (63 page)

Beldon steadied Garret on his shoulder as he put his arm around Cindy. “The President seems to really like Command Prime Garuu. The
Universe Explorer
will have at least one national leader as a champion on Earth. Let’s help Saigg and Renna corral the untamed masses and head for home.”

Susan asked, “Can I come with you? This one’s already asleep and it’s been years since I got to put a baby to bed.”

“Sure, it’s not far, and you’re part of the family now.” Dantee took the First Lady’s hand and walked beside her.

The End

If you enjoyed this book and would like to see additional books with these characters, please go to Amazon.com and let me know your feelings by leaving a review for
Ancient Birthright
at:

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?ie=UTF8&asin=B00R3MH830

I delight in hearing from my readers and can be contacted at:
[email protected]

Once again thank you.

Current Books by - Kendrick E. Knight

Ancient Birthright -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/b00r3mh830

Nick Blade Series

Cutting Edge -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/b00hf8zb3g

God’s Ear -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/b00hkmyev2

Memoir of an Alien Princess -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/b00jx0zmgu

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife Rosemary. Her support and assistance has made my career as an author possible.

Author’s Profile

Kenneth Kirchner writing as Kendrick E. Knight:

All my life I've looked at the stars and wondered what had happened to make us what we are. Self-award, self-centered, the rulers of our universe, or maybe we are deluding ourselves with a myopic view of one little solar system.

I grew up on a dairy farm in rural Cashton Wisconsin; milking cows, baling hay, and playing football. After a long day of farming and maybe a few innings of ball, my brothers and I would sit out at night and dream about the possibilities of life out in space (and maybe the girl next door). We'd study the Milky Way, the stars, the cloud of light that shown down from millions of glowing suns, and believe that someday we would have the chance to go look for ourselves.

After earning my physics degree from the University of Wisconsin, I enlisted in the Air Force and served as a B52 electronic warfare officer during the Vietnam War. I later joined the North Dakota Air National Guard's Happy Hooligans as a weapons systems officer flying in F101 and F4 fighter aircraft.

A short stint as a high school teacher in Fargo ND was followed by a permanent move to Colorado where I managed a variety of R&D projects that ranged from electronic security to nuclear instrumentation and nuclear and hazardous waste treatment and disposal. After retirement, I launched a new endeavor as a writer. I have completed seven novels; three action/thriller and four science fiction. I'm a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the 93rd Street Irregulars critique group in Westminster Colorado.

Have a question or want to say hi - contact Ken at
[email protected]

Preview of Cutting Edge, a Nick Blade Novel.

Cutting Edge

A Nick Blade Novel

By

Kendrick E. Knight

Chapter 1

Warm sand cradled Riki Dorn’s hip as she rolled to a more comfortable position on her beach towel. She checked for sunburn, but a finger pressed into naked stomach muscle indicated no significant color
.

Eyes shifting to the surf rolling onto the beach, she observed her
assignment
complete a flawless surfboard run. He glided through the dying wave and splashed to shore. Sun-streaked, dark brown hair spiked his head, while loose-fitting boardshorts rode low on hip and butt. His well-defined seawater-slicked muscles stood out in sculpted relief from the early afternoon sun.

For a last-minute mission, this one was easy on the eyes, maybe a little too easy. Her breath hitched, and her mouth went dry as she studied him. Riki noticed several other bikini-clad sun bunnies of the same opinion.

She watched sleek muscles ripple as Nick Blade plucked his surfboard from the water and straighten his 6’3” beach-god body.

“What’s he doing? I don’t see a cell phone, but it looks like he’s talking to someone,” she muttered under her breath.

Blade propped the old-style long board alongside two others in a rack, and slowly looked over the available talent posing for him. Smiling at a few of the more blatant displays, he twisted his way through sunbathers and sand castle-builders toward the concession stands.

Riki jumped up and snatched her beach-tote, leaving her towel to mark her claim on the crowded Waikiki Beach. She trailed the finest pair of glutes she’d seen in a long time as they eased through the crowd in front of the concession stands. Keeping a few people between them, Riki watched Blade to see if he contacted or signaled anyone.

She stirred the contents of her tote for several seconds, looking for her sunglasses, before realizing they were on top of her head. Flipping the glasses down, she slid into the narrow space between the soda and ice cream stands. Her hand again descended into her tote to find her small digital camera. If he talked to anyone, she wanted to get a picture.

The call from her boss at seven that morning had derailed her first day off in more than three months. At least, this assignment didn’t look like it was going to require her to go undercover for an extended period. Now, if her boss had only told her why she was watching this guy, maybe she’d know what to look for.

><

Nick Blade studied the petite redhead with the centerfold body who’d been watching him since she’d arrived on the beach. Either she was a young woman looking for some action or an undercover agent. She stood out from the dozen or so other candidates for carnal pleasures because of the intensity of her observation. The others at least scanned for prey while chumming with seductive poses, strategic lotion application, or adjustments to almost non-existent bathing suits.

If she were just another sun-browned lovely, it could be stimulating in the short term, but if she were here to watch him in an official capacity, that could be much more interesting. Matching wits with one of the alphabet agencies, especially with an agent constructed with the attributes this one displayed, made getting out of bed in the morning definitely worthwhile.

Time to test which way the wind blows.

“Watch her, S’Board. Try to pick up any communications she has with a surveillance team,” Nick said as he leaned close to his surfboard.

“Searching, Mr. Blade. I’ll signal if I pick up anything,” came from the surfboard.

Resuming his trek through clusters of sunbathers, children building sandcastles, and great-white whales who’d escaped from mainland suburbia for the week, Nick headed for the concession stands set up at the edge of the paved parking area. The taint of coconut oil on broiled human filled the air.

“I’ll have a Cherry Cola and a bag of peanuts.” Nick fished the zip-top bag from the little pocket of his swim trunks and extracted a five-dollar bill, making sure several tiny flesh colored sedative patches remained in the bag. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks,” the concession worker said with a petulant frown.

“Hell, it isn’t my fault you sell fifty-cent cans of cola and twenty-five-cent bags of peanuts for $4.75,” Nick said as he used the glass panel of the concession stand as a mirror to check on the succulent redhead. Her towel was vacant. Scanning the area, he opened the bag of peanuts and poured half into his mouth.

Nick spotted her heading for the gap between two vendor stands. At least, he knew one thing for sure. She wasn’t armed, not in that suit. Of course, she could have a gun in her bag, but he didn’t think it likely.

He searched the crowd and zeroed in on the young mother with a look-alike daughter. The little girl was about six and the mother in her mid-twenties. They were dressed in mother-daughter fire-engine-red designer bikinis and had just stepped away from the ice-cream stand with dripping, napkin-wrapped cones. Licking frantically, they headed in his direction.

This is almost too easy. I thought I’d have to search this whole beach for them.

A perfectly timed step put his well-sculpted chest directly in line with the mother’s cone as she concentrated on catching a river of melting ice cream.

An abrupt stop and a mumbled, “Sorry, I didn’t see you,” from the mother gave Nick the opening he needed. He watched her eyes go wide as she got a good look at him and flushed. Her quickstep backward put some space between them.

“It was my fault. I should have paid more attention to where I was going.” Nick glanced down and looked for ice cream. “I don’t think I touched your cone, but if I did, I’ll get you another.”

“Disaster averted. No touching or dropping,” she stammered.

Nick bent down to the little girl. “You didn’t mess up your cone, did you?”

“It’s fine. Mommy is always telling me to be careful and watch where I’m going, so I was looking while licking.” She rolled her eyes at her mother and giggled as the words flowed off her tongue.

She is a cute little thing. Definitely gets her looks from her mother.

“That’s pretty funny. They should put that on signs around here. ‘To avoid accidents, make sure you’re looking while licking.’” Nick laughed with the girl and caught the quick smile on Mom’s face.

Ice broken. Now it’s time to land the fish.

“I’m Nick. What’s your name?”

“I’m Mariee Turney. I spell my name with an I and two E’s, and my mom’s Dannie with two N’s and an I and an E.”

Nick saw a flash of red hair out of the corner of his right eye. It disappeared between the soda and the ice cream stands.

Keep coming, baby. I almost got you figured out.

“Well, little Miss Mariee with an I and two E’s, are you enjoying the beach?”

“Yes, but we just got here. Mom had a business meeting this morning, so we hadta wait until this afternoon to come.”

“Oh no. Not a business meeting. We’ll have to give Mommy strict orders that business definitely
does not
come before time at the beach. You’ll have to tell your Daddy to bring you next time. Then Mommy can take all the time she wants, and you don’t miss any fun,” Nick said as he lightly poked Mariee in the ribs.

“Daddy doesn’t live with us anymore. He moved to ‘Strailia with Thatbitch when I was a baby.”

“Mariee! Mr.—Nick doesn’t want to waste his time talking about Daddy.”

Bingo, jackpot, and we have a winner. It’s been five years since I’ve seen her, but Dannie’s the one I remember.

Nick schooled his expression into a look of compassionate understanding and made eye contact with Dannie.

“Blade. My name’s Nick Blade. Have you staked out a spot on the sand?” Nick saw Dannie’s eyes dilate and her nipples harden with interest as she drew in a slow breath while she assessed his attributes.

“No. We thought we’d get a snack then find some place quiet with shallow-water access.”

“There’s a good place not far from where I stashed my surfboard. Maybe later, if it’s okay with you I could give Mariee a ride on my board?”

“Could we? Please, Mommy. I’ve never gotten to ride on a surfboard before.”

Nick watched the redhead edge out from her hiding spot and angle for a view of the mother and daughter. She surreptitiously clicked pictures with a tiny digital camera partly hidden in the palm of her hand.

Nice try, but no cigar, Sweet Buns.

He waved a hand in the direction of his surfboard and lowered a hand to Mariee’s shoulder as he steered her away from the green bikini-clad redhead. Nick made an effort to point out interesting people to Mariee as he wove his way through the crowd. He took an occasional sip of soda and crunched the last of his peanuts. A glance over his shoulder assured him that Dannie followed, still working industriously on her quickly melting cone. As often as possible, he would speak to someone in the crowd near him and touch them or lean in as if whispering to them.

The redhead tried to flank them, but had trouble getting through the people crowding the food and drink stands. It seemed that every tanned muscle-jock on the beach assisted him by making a pass at the well-endowed woman who’d make a Playboy photographer salivate.

Nick could see the lens of her little camera fully extended as she snapped pictures of everyone he touched or talked with.

This should keep you and your agency busy trying to identify people and do background investigations.

“Lick the other side or you’re going to have an arm covered in melted ice-cream,” Nick told Mariee. “You, too, Dannie.” He waited for Dannie to step up beside him before indicating the spot on the beach he’d suggested.

“This is perfect. Mariee, finish your cone before you go in the water.”

“I know, Mommy. When I’m finished, can Nick take me on his surfboard?”

Dannie bent down close to Mariee’s ear. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We just met him, and I don’t know how well he rides a surfboard.”

Mariee stuffed the last of her cone in her mouth and wiped the excess off with her forearm and the back of her hand. “Can I go in the water now?” came out in a muffled slur.

“Only up to your waist, and make sure you keep me in sight,” Dannie said.

“I will,” floated back as Mariee ran for the waves lapping the beach.

Nick sat down in the sand next to the towel that Dannie flicked open.

Dannie dropped to her knees and pulled a squeeze bottle of suntan lotion from her bag.