Devlin's Defiance: Book Two of the Devlin Quatrology Read Online Free PDF Page B

you
certainly do that, JJ.”
    After a moment of
relative quiet, Pam said, “You know, Jake, I think I'm ready
for another mimosa.”
    “ Cranberry?”
    “ Of course.”
    “ JJ?”
    “ Sure; same.”
    “ Twin Mimosas
coming right up.”
    “ No, no, Jake,
stay there; I'll get 'em. Anything for you?”
    “ No, thanks, JJ;
I'm good. By the way, Pam tells me you're going back to the States,
right?”
    “ Uh, yup. I'm
sure gonna miss this luxury, and I thank you and Pam for letting me
spend this time with you.”
    “ Oh, JJ, Pam and
I loved it, and thank you both for helping so much with my recovery.
But I know sometimes life intrudes.”
    “ Yeah, it does.
My leave of absence is up and we're already in the prime giving
season. I talked with my boss last night and he really wants me back
in the saddle.”
    Pam and Jake glanced at
each other and chuckled.
    “ That'd be
uncomfortable, wouldn't it?” Jake said.
    JJ smiled and said,
“Not if you know what you're doing.”
    “ And I'll bet you
do.”
    “ Of course. Too
bad you haven't seen me at my best … yet.”
    “ Ah, but I can
put two and two together sometimes.”
    “ How about two
and one?”
    Jake just smiled as JJ
sashayed across the deck to the bar.

- 19 -
    November
12, 2012 3:45 p.m. local time
    Bonita Beach, Florida

    The chanting woke Gordy
from a much-needed nap. Not quite fully awake, he reached under his
lounge, but found nothing there. Instantly awake, he pulled his hand
back out and shaded his eyes against the hot sun.
    “ Baby killer,
baby killer, baby killer,” the chanting continued, growing
louder and louder as the group moved from the boardwalk onto the
sand.
    “ What the”
--
    “ Baby killer,
baby killer, baby killer.” Chanting and waving signs, a few
looking homemade, most professionally done, some with grisly photos
of aborted fetuses, the gang of a dozen or so mostly senior women in
matching black skirts and white blouses, a few older men clad in
black slacks and white shirts with ties and two priests in their 40s
followed their apparent leader, a thirtyish male with piercing eyes
and a bullhorn amplifying his chant, closer and closer, until they
gathered in a rough circle around Gordy's lounge and continued their
rant, remaining at least five feet away.
    Norm and Janet pulled
out their cell phones and started shooting video, as did Rosemary,
several of the Beach Potatoes and the Barefoot Beach Babes. Gordy
reached into his beach bag, retrieved his cell phone and sat up,
smiled broadly and aimed his phone directly at the leader.
    “ Say 'Cheese,'”
he said and started the video recording. As he did so, the leader
raised his bullhorn in front of his entire face, but not before
Gordy's phone had gotten a clear picture of him.
    “ Baby killer,
baby killer, baby killer,” the group continued to chant.
    Gordy, still sitting on
his lounge, swiveled his phone toward each member of the group in
turn, but each of them lowered their sign to conceal his or her face.
Gordy paused on each and tilted down to the feet, then slowly tilted
up to the sign before repeating that process on each of the rest of
the group, all the while smiling. The chanting continued. Janet
made a call on her phone.
    “ Need any help,
Gordy?” Norm shouted over the din, peering between the signs
two of the ladies were holding.
    “ Thanks, Norm,
but nah; got it handle- – wait a second. Yes, you can. See if
you can get some face shots; profiles will do fine.”
    “ You got it,
Gordy.”
    Norm circled around
behind the group, videoing the members' faces from the side as Gordy
aimed his phone at each from the front. Between the two of them,
they managed to get video of all of the members of the group by the
time they heard sirens in the distance.

- 20 -
    November
12, 2012 3:34 p.m. local time
    Aboard Defiance
    On
t he
Red Sea

    “ Sir, your C of S
wants to talk with you.”
    “ I'm on my way
below; I'll take it in my cabin.”
    “ I'll let her
know,