Ghoulies Abroad, Julie Steimle [libby ebook reader .TXT] 📗

he sent that, he got an email from Eddie.

 

Howie, I don’t need someone standing in my place for notes or anything. You keep forgetting I am training with horses out on a ranch now. Just tell me what we need and what kind of excuse I can tell my supervisor. If someone is calling for the Seven, I’ll be there.

Sir Strength Heart

 

Smiling at that response, Rick sighed. Admittedly, he wasn’t as close with Edward White as he was with the others. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the guy. He just had so little in common with him. But Eddie was probably one of the most dedicated to the Seven’s purpose, and he hardly let his personal concerns get in the way of his duty. Eddie could be counted on.

But then Michael Toms email arrived.

 

Howie—I gotta say, this is really bad timing for me. I am stuck in the middle of an SRA training that I am not allowed to opt out of. Believe me, I already tried before emailing you. I will see what I can do to leave this thing early, but for now you should not wait for me.

Michael

 

Irritated, Rick wanted to chew Michael out about his priorities. They honestly had the most in common. Michael Toms, whom his pals in the Seven liked to call Sir Longshanks, had been Rick’s friend for a long time—as they walked in the same societal circle as wealthy heirs to corporate power. But Michael’s connection to the SRA really did chafe Rick. The Seven had told him it was necessary they had a representative in the SRA and Michael was a volunteer. But Rick’s experience of being relentlessly hunted by members of that particular organization every single full moon, made him worry that the SRA would influence Michael rather than him influencing and using the SRA.

But he had to let it alone.

Jessica’s email came next.

 

Rick,

I am so so so sorry, but I can’t go to China with the rest of the Seven. We are in the middle of a serious homicide investigation right now, and I have to be here. JJ and Matthew are working the case with me, and they need someone to deal with demons, as we have run across a serious possible demon crime mob that is manipulating humans and running a possible drug ring. I was about to bring it up with the Seven, or your friend Tom, actually—as this seems more like an FBI kind of thing. But Tom is CIA, isn’t he? Anyway, I cannot leave right now. If and when we conclude this investigation, I’ll contact you ASAP if you still need me. Sorry again.

Jessica

 

He sighed heavily, staring at that email. Jessica didn’t ditch out of things unless she really had to. The fact that she mentioned Joshua Johnson and his friend Matthew Calamori was proof she wanted him to double check her claim so he knew she was not lying. And he knew why, too. Jessica was furious with Andy, and she really was not in the mood to see him. Andy had, after all, made it clear he was ‘too busy’ to skype her. She made the air quotes when she had said it. And if he was ‘too busy’ for her, then why did she bother waiting for him? She wasn’t a pet dog.

Rick kept trying to tell his best friend that if he didn’t pay attention to Jessica he was going to lose her as a girlfriend. But Andy never took his advice seriously. The saddest part was so many guys in the Seven would have loved to have Jessica as their girlfriend, but none dared make a move as long as their leader Andy still thought they were together—and that included Rick, his friend Matthew, and a few others who thought Jessica was amazing.

But Jessica was tired of Andy taking her for granted. One day she would snap, and that would cause a huge rift within the Seven. Rick didn’t want to see that happen. They were his friends, and the world also needed them to stay together.

Finally Andy emailed him.

 

Howie! Seriously, do you have to nag? Why can’t this wait until spring vacation?

Andy

 

Rick clenched his teeth, staring at the email. He typed back immediately:

 

Are you the leader of the Seven or not? Focusing entirely on your degree in medicine when you have a duty as one of the Holy Seven to protect the world from supernatural danger is beyond pathetic. To quote Eddie, ‘You are a knight. Act like one.’ Or I will have to take your sword and do the job myself. You go back to being a boring self-absorbed human being, and I will join the Seven as their leader… like Bruce Wayne leading the Justice League.

Rick

 

He sent that email with a vehement punch of the button.

Immediately another email popped up. It was Chen.

 

Did you have to sick Tom on me? He won’t leave me alone now, and I have work. He’s gonna get me fired.

 

Rick stared at the email. It was so blunt. Tom was right. Something was up with Chen. He was more distant than ever. Rick wondered what happening with him.

He replied to the email.

 

Chen,

I did have to sick Tom on you. Sorry. This is urgent. If he makes you lose your job, I will help you find a better one. Please come on this trip with me to China. I am trying to bring the Seven along as well. Please keep in touch, as I feel it in my gut that this is urgent.

Rick

 

After sending it, an email from Andy popped up. He must have been at his computer looking at email that very moment.

 

Holy crap Howie, Where is all this anger coming from? I am NOT a self-absorbed human being. But I have to think about my future. Med school is extremely hard. Everyone in the Seven knows I can’t go off on missions until I finish it. Why don’t you get it?

Andy

 

Rick messaged him back:

 

I. I. I. Me. Me. Me. Do you want to know why I am angry? I am angry because you have tunnel vision. I am angry because Jessica is angry. What kind of boyfriend are you, the way you treat her? If she were my girl, I’d want to talk to her every day. Besides, this trip is important.

 

Rick’s cellphone pinged. He got a text from Tom.

 

Okeydokey about Chen. What do you want me to bring on this trip?

 

Texting back, Rick smirked. He was glad he could count on Tom.

 

Week’s worth of clothes. If you have Chinese yuan, bring it. Anything useful you can find about Jiangsu provenance in the CIA database. And anything you know about Chinese demons.

 

When he sent it, his email popped up three different messages. One was from Semour with the info Rick needed. The other was from Daniel, giving him an address for Silva’s rent. The last one was from Andy.

Rick opened Andy’s first.

 

Howie, what do you mean Jessica is angry? I should be angry with her for all the guys she flirts with at work. That’s all she ever writes about—the guys at work. Matthew this and JJ that. I don’t think she remembers that we are dating.

Andy

 

Rick moaned, shaking his head. And yet, he smirked. When Jessica had complained to him about how Andy was no longer skyping her or even emailing her as he was ‘too busy’, he suggested she keep emailing him rather than keeping silent, and just talk about the guys she was spending time with—to make him jealous. Rick was hoping Andy would see that Jessica had lots of options and he would quit taking her for granted.

At least the jealousy part worked.

The problem was, sometimes Andy did get so self-absorbed that he hardly noticed the effect he was having on others. This wasn’t the first time people had to wake him up to the realization that he was acting like a total jerk. It was shame. Andy had hardly learned his lesson and had to keep going over the same mistakes. Perhaps the only way he would learn this valuable lesson was if he lost Jessica.

Rick typed back:

 

AB, It would be your fault if she found other men interesting. If they are willing to show her attention where you will not, who can blame her? You can’t call what you are doing with her dating if she never sees you. Rick

 

He sent it. He wanted to rattle Andy’s cage. Andy had no idea how good he had it. It made Rick rage because he knew that for himself he didn’t have much of a choice when it came to love. Not that many women were not interested in him, but that as a werewolf he had to be careful. And as a Deacon, hunted each and every full moon—bringing an innocent woman into that sort of life was cruel.

Besides, there was that other thing. That one nagging, primal, addictive temptation which he had been resisting since he was eighteen when he had fallen in with a pack of werewolves in Alabama… and had gotten a she-wolf pregnant. Daisy. For all he knew, his future mate had been chosen that day and he had no other options but Daisy—regardless that she had miscarried. He was still constantly fighting the urge to leave everything and go back to the pack. To go back to her. The saddest part of it all was that what drew him to her wasn’t love. It had been entirely animal. And he hated the idea of his future life being empty of the deep satisfying bond of love he had seen between other human beings.  

So of course he was mad at his friend for taking Jessica for granted.

He answered Semour’s and Daniel’s emails next, taking down the information. Chen sent an email while he was transferring money to Silvia’s account for rent. Rick opened it.

 

Fine. I will come to China with you if it will get Tom off my back. And if I do lose my job, you have to find me one with better pay and benefits.

 

Fair enough, Rick thought, staring at the email. He replied to the affirmative, then he counted up those that he knew for sure would be coming. Semour, Eddie, Daniel, and James. That was about half of them. He wanted Andy, who might remain stubborn and not come—but he knew for certain he was not going to get Jessica, Peter, or Michael. So counting Tom and Chen, he had six people for sure coming, not counting himself. Seven total. That wasn’t too bad. Tom and Chen were decent substitutes. Rick now just needed to reserve one of his family’s jets for the trip. There was no way he was going to bring all his sword wielding friends onto a commercial flight. He didn’t want trouble with getting checked luggage getting lost. And the airlines certainly would not let them carry their swords onto the plane.

But first thing was first. He selected their departure date. Then he emailed the monk back.

 

AMonkK,

I’ve spoken with the Seven and a couple other friends who might be of help, and we will be arriving in Shanghai Sunday afternoon or evening. I will give you our itinerary shortly. We are taking a private jet, so I will have to text you our actual entry gate when we arrive. Or we can meet at the doors of the airport. Please give me the name of our contact there and how I can reach you once we arrive.

Sincerely,

H. Richard Deacon

 

He didn’t usually put his real name on his Anonymous-Wolf emails, but he was positive this monk already knew who he was.

The email storm was nearly over. All he had to do now was inform those who were coming their departure time and date, arrange for each of their needs while they were gone, and then get their passports so he can get tourist visas for his friends and a business travel visa for himself. Rick busied himself with this work when his