CHAPTER 12: Three Hawks In A Nest
GINO'S STORY
We land in Rome and hurry to our two bedroom suite Danny had reserved the four seasons hotel.
"Listen up, every one!" Danny calls out. It's time for food and a tour of Rome. We glare at her and say one word together. "Tour?"
She grins"On second thought, food, and a spa or whirlpool bath."
"That's more like it." Kammy says followed by a deep sigh.
She hugs Kammy. "You were sensational, Kammy. I'm so proud of you."
Phantom Hawk is euphoric. "I drove the get-away car. That was so neat! Ummm, am I a Hawk now?"
I hug her too. "You most definitely have your wings. Expect to drive or fly us again. Your first gig was a trip to beat all trips, and you were at the top of your game." I kiss her on the nose. "You're a keeper, Phantom Hawk."
She stares at her feet. "But I threw you off the Jeep. I'm so sorry, Gino."
I lift her chin. "You didn't throw me off, Kammy, I fell. Your evasive driving was perfect. You saved the people who couldn't protect themselves."
***
The news wires, papers, commentators, announcers all hawk the story of Falcon the Ninja Hawk, Chief Hawk, the Boss Bird, and Phantom Hawk the transporter.
This time, any vendor that wanted to exploit the rescuer's names has to buy their license from a company I set up for the team before I trademarked our names.
"Hey Gino, how about we have hawks embroidered on our uniforms, or at least a flag patch?"
"You got the brains, kiddo. Be like a rabbit and hop to it."
After dinner, we soak in the hot tub to retrieve our sanity. After that, all three of us plop our parboiled bodies on the king size bed in our room.
"Gino?"
"Hmm?"
"Can your company cancel your appointments or something without knowing of your involvement in the next rescue, like Bruce Wayne?"
"Ummm hmm."
"Gino?"
"Ummm?"
"I still haven't spanked you."
Kammy's head pops up. "Me, me! Spank me!" Then her voice becomes businesslike.
"Guys, I'd like to clear something up about the rescue. Is this a good time?"
Danny's eyebrows shoot up. "What's on your mind?"
"First, when we are on these rescues, am I with you as an employee, or is this separate?"
Danny nodded once to indicate the question was reasonable. "Do you mean, are you paid extra for these challenges? The answer is yes, we'll standardize the remuneration. You are definitely someone we want on the team."
Kammy grinned. "I know you'll be generous. We had different degrees of risk, but the fact remains if we were caught. All of us would have been killed in the process, or decapitated on public TV, right?"
Danny squirms, unsure where this is going. "Riiii-right."
"We are all tapped out from running on high octane energy and need some kind of release valve for all that stress, tension, and for me, a truckload of fear." She giggles. "Make that a triple load."
Danny agrees. "True, Kammy. Where are you going with this?"
" Danny and Gino , to be sure, I feel like part of the team when we're out like this. I'm merely making certain you two feel the same. I want to be included in the ups and downs and the ins and outs of everything while we're on a mission, even though I'd revert to employee status at home."
Danny's patience is wearing thin. "Damn it, Kammy! What is it you want? We haven't treated you like a second-class citizen or spoke down to you that I know of. What's the problem?"
She gives Danny a big, beautiful gotcha grin. "It's like this, Danny. There are three of us on the team who share everything. Now we are ready to defuse, but that's the one thing I'm not included in, and I wondered if, only on the missions, all three of us could unwind in bed instead of sending me off to crash alone."
Danny simpers. "Ah, I see. Now that I think about it, you are there when we need you, and you want us to be here for when you need us. Your needs are the same as ours, isn't that part of what you are saying?"
Kammy's satisfied grin is it's own answer. "Exactly."
Danny and I lock gazes and confirm our agreement by glancing at Kammy quickly and back to each other with a slight bob of the head and wink.
"Gino, this young lady is sitting too high up in her saddle and is desperately in need of being taken down a notch."
I grab Kammy before she can protest, slap her over my outstretched legs and Danny promptly pulls her pants down and begins rubbing her tiny hiney.
Danny fakes anger with a stern voice and scowling face. "Kammy, you know you are getting this spanking for your own good, don't you? You know you must be put in your place after stealing those folks from those nice murdering terrorists, right?"
Kammy catches on quickly. "I guess so. Is this the only punishment? The spanking, I mean?"
Danny shakes her head vehemently as she massages Kammy's butt. "No, no, no, Kammy baby."