Rise of the Death Walkers (The Circle of Heritage Saga) (25 page)

Grandson although you are apart from your family and the Circle of Heritage know that the next thirty years of your life was meant to take place outside of the conflict we face on a day to day basis here. The tribe is handling the enemy as we have for generations and will continue to do so. The enemy is not aware of your location and will not know about you until they are supposed to. Live your life to the fullest and know that we love you. This will be my last contact with you or with your new mate for a few years. Don’t attempt to come home before the time is right. You will feel this.

With all the love and pride in this world.

Grandfather Sam White.

"Jeran?" I placed the letter on my desk and looked up at her. I could not help it the tears were flowing freely down my face. "Is there something wrong? Do you need some pain killers.?"

My voice was hoarse as I replied. "No, I am fine." I slid the letter in the drawer in front of me and locked it. I put out my hands to her and pulled her closer to me. "I realized the past couple of weeks that I have failed to do something and I know now it's something I need to do."

"What Jeran? Is there something I can do for you." She asked me with a concern on her face.

"You have done everything you can for me, Irma. You have healed a broken heart without even trying." I caressed her face as I spoke softly to her.

"Why are you crying then?" She asked concerned.

"I am crying because I realized I have hurt you."

"No you haven't, I am happy when I am with you." She stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "Now out with it Jeran before you make me mad."

I smiled at her and pulled her close to me. I stood up so I was looking right in her eyes. "I hurt you Irma because I have never said just how much I love you."

"You do?" Now the tears started flowing from her eyes. "Oh Jason. I love you too with all of my heart." I leaned forward and started the most passionate kiss we had ever experienced together. I poured all of my feelings that had been bottled up since Katie left me into the kiss.

She opened her eyes and accused, “You have been holding back on me Jeran!”

I laughed at her and then sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

She jerked herself out of my arms and ran toward the kitchen. "Jeran, you made me burn lunch! Now I have to start all over again." I heard her complain from the other room.

"Sorry Love, I didn't want to do that." I looked at the rest of the mail. Most of it were ads. I tossed them onto the desk and left the room. I joined Irma in the kitchen and asked. "What's for lunch?"

"I was going to do grilled cheese but you ruined the last of the bread." She walked to the refrigerator and looked inside. "You know last week I met this old fellow in town who said he knew you."

"Oh really?" I knew what was coming. "What about this guy?"

"He said his name was Sam White and he was your grandfather." She looked at me and continued. "At first I thought he had a few screws loose but the more I looked at him the more of you I could see in him."

I laughed, "That sure sounds like my Grandfather."

She looked at me in surprise. "I wonder how he found out where you are?"

"He has ways that even now I do not understand. What did he tell you?" I asked.

"Well it seems strange to me he gave me a message to give to you." I looked at her and waited for her to continue. "He said the family name is now safe. Do you know what he meant?"

I cleared my throat and said. "It was his way to tell me that Jason White need not hide anymore."

"So I can start calling you Jason now?" She asked me.

"Yes. I will have to get with Blake and have him start the changes needed. I will have to do a little bit of what my grandfather called mind tampering." I waited for the expected question.

"Mind tampering?" She asked as expected. "And this is?"

"It's not something we do often, love because it's wrong. But sometimes is necessary to hide the abilities which are common in our tribe." I levitated a glass over to her and she jumped back in fright. "There are some things you don't know about me yet my love but I promise you will."

She reached out and hesitantly grabbed the glass. "Ok, I think but try not to do any of this hockey pokey around my parents because they would probably blow a gasket." She looked at me with a suspicious look in her eyes. "You haven't done anything to my mind have you?"

I shook my head "Other than to see how beautiful your mind is I will not touch it. It is against everything I believe in. The tampering I am talking about is that instead of Jeran Whitemar, Jason White will be here now."

"Good the other feels like a lie to me so I am happy I won't have to do that anymore." she said as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Have you told your parents the name of the American you are with now?" I asked.

"No, I haven't they only know I am with one." She said.

"Then tonight you will be taking your American boyfriend to meet your parents." I said looking at her.

"Jason do you think this is a good idea?" She asked with a frightened look on her face.

"Heck Baby I just went through an operation where sixty men with guns were trying to shoot me in a place you haven't seen yet. I think I can handle a father and mother who's most violent gesture will probably be to try to scowl me to death." I laughed at her. "Your father doesn't own a shotgun does he?"

She giggled at me and said. "No silly! Why do you ask that?"

"I was trying to decide if I had to wear my flak vest or not." I laughed back at her.

We laughed together and I hugged her tightly. "Also I am sure your parents will want to help you move your stuff over here and see what kind of place their daughter will be in."

Irma stood still with shock on her face at what I said. "Are you sure about this Jason?"

"Absolutely positive, love, if that's what you want." I said with a twinkle in my eye.

"That's not all I want Jason White." She said in a husky voice.

"Well what are you waiting for woman. Do your best. Or your worst." I leered suggestively.

She turned off the stove and darted out of the room. "You're going to have to catch me first."

I walked out and joked. "Have a heart Irma I was shot remember."

"Your arm is not what I have targeted." she suggested I could hear the smile in her voice. "Don't come in yet."

"Ok." I stood there for a few moments and tapped against the door she had closed on me.

"OK Jason. Lunch is served." I pushed the door to the bedroom open.

Chapter 20 - Trouble that Follows

Later that day I was dressing for the first meeting with Irma's parents and I called out to Irma who was in the shower. "What time did your mother say we should be there?"

"Any time after seventeen hundred." She called back

I looked at the clock near the bed and it read sixteen ten so we still had fifty minutes to go. I walked to the phone and dialed Blake's number. He picked up on the first ring. "Yeah, Blake here."

"George this is Jeran Whitemar, remember the discussion we had in your office several weeks back?" We had talked about the possibility that my identity could have been found out and how we could correct things before problems were caused.

"Yeah." He said cautiously.

"Implement Operation Stingray. I will handle the details down here." I said and waited for him to confirm before hanging up.

"Operation Stingray?" Irma's voice caused me to turn around. She had a towel wrapped around her body and was drying her hair with a towel. "Something I should know about?"

"He will just change all my papers here and I will handle the little mind tampering needed so the men in the barracks start calling me Jason instead of Jeran." I walked into the office and pulled open the top drawer. Reaching in I pulled the name tags I would need for my utility uniforms. "If I got you a sewing machine would you be able to change the name tags on my utilities?"

"I am not as good as my mother but I can try." She said as she rubbed her hair some more.

"I have a manual that gives all the measurements needed for the positioning." I saw her questioning look. "In the Army everything has to be exact. It's a pain sometimes. We will have to rig one so I can get on base and do a little tampering"

"Do you have to touch someone to do this?" She asked.

"No, It's harder and takes a bit longer but I can do it from a distance." I proved it by reaching out and planting a suggestion in her mind she should drop the towel she had wrapped around herself.

"I can't imagine.." Her hand moved up and she opened the towel and dropped it to the floor. "Jason!! Did you do that?"

"I only planted the suggestion you would not have done it if you had not wanted to." I said and shot her a sly grin.

She turned red and looked at me. "Please don't do that again."

"OK," I said cheerfully. "Don't you think I should be dressed a bit more formally the first time I see your parents?" I pointed at the jeans and t-shirt she had chosen for me.

"No, those will be fine." she walked in the bedroom to get dressed. "They know you are a soldier and don't expect for you to be dressed like a doctor or anything like that." She called from the bedroom.

I let my hand run over my chin and called out, "I am going to shave before we go I will be right back out." I shaved quickly and cleaned up the sink before I walked back out of the bathroom. Irma was dressed in the dress I bought her the first day we had met. "I feel under dressed now." I smiled and looked at her as she blushed. "Nervous?"

She nodded and said. "I never even had the nerve to introduce Tom to them. I don't know how they will react. Oh my father is somewhat of a drinker so don't be surprised if he offers you something over and over again."

I nodded at her and asked. "Would it make things go easier if I accepted one from him?" She knew what I felt about alcohol.

She sighed to me and nodded. "It may but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I guess I could take one for the home team if needed." I smiled at her and held out my hand. "Ready?"

She took a deep breath and put her hand in mine. "Let's do this." We were going over in my car so we had more room for Irma's stuff when she told them she was moving in with me. We had been together for two months now but I felt that I knew her as well as I had known Katie. I had actually spent more time with Irma than I had with Katie considering I had been unconscious so much during that relationship.

"Remember, it's Jason White." I tossed her the keys to my car and said. "You drive."

I had never let her drive my car before but given what I was about to do tonight she might as well get used to it. "I remember. And the reason you speak German so well is you took it in high school. None of this hocus pocus stuff ok?"

I nodded and said. "Remember you promised I would get a chance to talk to your father."

"Ok." she looked at me puzzled not sure what to make of this. We drove to the apartment building where her father and mother and younger brother lived and parked out in front of it. She took my hand and lead me to the front of the building and up to the third floor. She paused outside the door and drew a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. "Momka, Papka we are here." She yelled and pulled me into the living room.

Nicholaus Baumann was about forty two and had a full head of premature white hair. He was about as tall as his daughter and heavy set. This was a sure sign that his wife fed him well. He drove a truck for a construction company located in town. His wife was Rosa Baumann and was shorter yet, but had black hair and was also heavy set. Sascha Baumann was nine years old with the same blonde hair and grey eyes Irma had but he wore glasses.

"Papka and Momka." Irma began, holding my hand "This is Jason White, my boyfriend."

I extended my hand to her mother first and said in accented German. "I am pleased to meet you Mrs. Baumann." I shook her hand and she eyed me like a cat about ready to jump on a mouse. I turned to her father and said. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Baumann." He gripped my hand firmly and nodded once.

Sascha spoke up and said. "Irma said you are a real Indian!"

I laughed and said. "Yes I am, but I am only half Indian so they only trust me with a bow without arrows."

Everyone laughed at this and Mr. Baumann spoke up for the first time. "Jason you speak German beautifully. Where did you learn it?'

"I learned it in high school, sir." I looked at him and replied.

"They must teach the language exceptionally in the schools there." He indicated the couch. "Please have a seat."

I sat down and said. "Yes sir the schooling is fine there but I have a natural ability with languages. I grew up learning multiple languages on the reservation."

"Oh, really? How many languages can you speak. And please call me Nicholaus." He got up and went into the dining room and pulled out two bottles of beer. Walking back to me he handed me one and I took it from him and nodded thanks.

I placed the beer in front of me and twisted the top. It seemed to be on pretty tightly so I twisted it harder and when I finally got it off Sascha gasped near me and Irma's father looked at me bug eyed. "I speak a total of seven languages now Nicholaus." I noticed the silence in the room and asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Irma cleared her throat and said. "No Jason, It's just we have never seen anyone who was capable of removing a beer cap like you did because you usually use a bottle opener to get them off."

"They are not twist caps?" I asked in confusion.

"No they haven't brought a twist cap to Germany yet like they have in America." She smiled at me.

"Oh, no wonder it was so hard to take off." I tried to grin to ease the sudden tension in the room.

Her father stared at me for a moment and started bellowing with laughter. He reminded me of the Russians I had occasionally seen at the local club. "Eugen will have to see this, won't he Rosa." He managed to get out between bellows. He was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.