Ford's Rise - L. Ann Marie Page 0,44

and have dinner with you. They’re excited about the spirit party.”

She nods and stands. “We should start back. I need to work the threat boards to help keep us safe. What did my father do?”

I don’t know what she means. “What did he do?”

“Why a threat to me?”

“I don’t know, Lexi. We haven’t found anything that has to do with him. Everything is big money corps, dummy corps and CIA.”

She’s quiet getting back. The freaky would come in handy for moments like this.

Chapter Six

Three days

Web

Today started perfect. I like the top of Lexi’s list and make sure to get her shower sex in early. In bed is quicker for her, she doesn’t have to dry her hair, she doesn’t seem to care about the time it takes. I love the light brown with lighter, almost-blond in it. Ford has lighter hair than me and Michael that is similar to Lexi’s. I shake that right out of my head and grab our bags walking to the door.

She comes running with her smiling blue eyes and mop of hair that is dry and looks beautiful. The desert must be lightening it. I still love it.

With a kiss to her beautifully flushed face, I open the door. “Holy shit. What did they do?”

She laughs. “This isn’t possible.” I point out. She’s still laughing. Standing still, I hold her arm and start from the left moving my eyes slowly to take it all in. They’re as crazy as the Brothers. I’ll have to tell Alder he’s right. “Is that a train?” It looks like the top of a train on the next road.

“I want to see them. I hope they got a drone to catch every house. Look! Hobbit houses. That is amazing. Look at the tiger! Amal is cute, a tiny house.” She’s laughing again. Alpha-Bits stop and watch us with smiles on, looking proud.

I walk slowly down the stairs following her pointing finger. Amal has a miniature Cape Cod house painted on his miniature house. It’s fucking cute. Garren and Michael have hobbit houses that have a new connecting hall that looks like a hill between them. They didn’t tell me they were separating. Michael is watching us from his new doorway.

He closes the door of Alexia’s old house and walks toward us. “Alder make me house, Web!”

I smile. “I see it. I love your new house. You still have a way to get to Garren.”

“Yeah. No door. Our house. New different.” He’s cute.

“Like us.” I kiss his head.

Lexi laughs. “That’s a good way to have space and stay close. I love your new house too, Michael. We’re going to walk around and see the others. How did they get done so fast?”

“Brusher make pictures. Juan, Maddox printers. Printers paint.” Michael is proud.

I shake my head, Juan and Maddox are crazy with the printers. We start walking and I’m laughing with Lexi. There is a train on the next road. It looks like a fucking train. Alpha-Bits are walking with us amazed with the painted houses they haven’t seen.

“Did you pick what you wanted?” I ask anyone really.

“I pick train, two empty train to match. Jose, Jacques match caboose.” Akai laughs pointing it out.

“It’s perfect. I love what you all picked.”

When we get to Anton’s, I laugh. He’s sitting in front of a huge orange cat with the grin on. “It’s still perfect, Anton.”

His smile says he agrees. “Yeah, Web. I like.”

“I love it,” Lexi tells him.

His grin gets bigger. “Your house?”

I look back to the hill where our house is. It’s still an igloo. “I have an idea. I like the aquarium, Marco and Mateo.” They come running with smiles and hug her legs. She bends and hugs them. “You can get a real aquarium for inside. I had one at my apartment. I can help. There’s a pet store in the warehouse community. They must have fish.” She left her fish? She never said she had fish.

The boys get excited. I love her and hope she connects to us better than her fish. Justice said she is. Alejandro comes down the road slow on his gator. “Web! They painted everything. Security is camouflaged. The whole building looks like the sky and ground.”

I turn fast. The building is camouflaged. I didn’t notice it when I was looking around and laugh. The kitchen looks like a garden, the living room has a drive-in on it. The school is a field with trees in the background. I noticed them but not Security. That’s