Henry blinked hard at him. “Can you stop with the stupid ass cheeky nicknames?”
Rain slowly shook his head in a seeming disappointed manner. “My, my someone is grumpy. And that is the thanks I get after all that I have done for you, baby?”
Carlos and I kept shaking our heads as these two really kept up the cover act well. Even though we were highly aware that this was not THE act. This was how they always treated each other.
“And what, may I ask, have you done for me,baby?” Henry snapped.
The doors on the SUV popped open and we all got in. The doors then shut by themselves as soon as we settled into our seats.
Now, behind the wheel, Rain answered Henry’s question, “You need to be grateful for the fact that I haven’t punched you square in your annoying face, Sir Henry.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Henry groused.
“We can throw down anytime you—” Rain halted as my blade came right up between the two front seats.
Both men stared at the deadly, shiny, sharp object.
Suddenly, a buzzing alarm rang out through the vehicle.
Rain immediately reacted as he called out, “Spartacus. It is safe!”
The buzzing got louder.
I lowered my blade.
The loud alarm halted.
I put my knife away and asked Rain, “Was that the car alarm?”
As the SUV drove through the lot and out to the street, Rain nodded. “It was. It has onboard sensors and cameras, remember?”
“And what would have happened if you did not call it off?” Carlos asked.
“It is set to electrify the seat the dangerous offender… is sitting in. Sort of a taser approach, like a cop uses. Then if it still perceived her as a threat after that, it would have pulled over and gone into Defcon 5.”
“Wait, wait,” With his hands up, Henry interjected, as per usual. “Defcon?” He laughed. “Like the levels the US has for war? You gave the car levels of Defcon?”
Rain smirked. “Da.”
“Do we want to know what these levels are?” Carlos asked.
“Probably not,” Rain replied. “If Defcon 5 did not work, then it would move to 4.”
“Dare we ask?” Henry now looked spooked and nervously gazed around at the interior of what he had perceived as the coolest vehicle up until this moment in time.
“Net.” Rain shook his head. “It is probably best if I do not say.”
“Defcon, Rain?” Carlos exclaimed. “Don’t you think you have maybe gone too far with this Spartacus-automated-vehicle thing?”
“Well, you know what they say,” Henry quipped before Rain could answer. “Often, men with tiny…” he paused for emphasis. “...Intellectshave to make up for their lack of inches by driving large trucks and vehicles. And in Rainmaker’s case with this overkill of a vehicle, it must beteeny-fucking-weeny.”
With a gasp, I smothered my laugh.
Carlos wasn’t quick enough to do the same as he laughed loudly.
Rain shrugged as if the comment didn’t bother him in the least. Calm and collected, he watched the road ahead. “And those who cannotriseto the occasion, talk too much.”
Carlos and I simply shook our heads as we snickered. The pair made the day move swiftly and the laughter was constant. I felt sure that neither of us had ever laughed so much, not since we were kids. I could only imagine what it would be like when they actually played theircover roles. While I felt sure they were great guards, they were also highly entertaining. And they should be paid just for that skill. I now felt very glad that Carlos had called them. The trip would move swiftly.Time flies when you are having fun, they say. I paused and realized this trip could kill all of us. Then again, I suppose living with the axe ofdeath over your head for years tends to make a person numb to the danger. Then it occurred to me that we would be weaponless against this looming danger. “What about weapons?” I asked.
