Xn Read online

  Xn

  Xn

  X to the Nth

  Clint Townsend

  © 2018 Clint Townsend

  Xn

  X to the Nth

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

  Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Library Congress Control Number: 2018956335

  ISBN 978-1-595558992 (Paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-595559241 (Ebook)

  Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

  Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

  For my sister Kim - with all my love, admiration,

  gratitude, and deepest respect.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CH. 1. Adam

  CH. 2. Eve

  CH. 3. Babel

  CH. 4. GMO

  CH. 5. Evaluation

  CH. 6. The CARBEL

  CH. 7. Boys, Girls, and Gravity

  CH. 8. Big Brother

  CH. 9. The New Babylon

  CH. 10. Aware

  CH. 11. A Place for Everything

  CH. 12. Voices

  CH. 13. The Arks

  CH. 14. Shopping List

  CH. 15. Eden

  CH. 16. SPUD

  CH. 17. Agenda

  CH. 18. Harvest

  CH. 19. Invitation

  CH. 20. The Lottery

  CH. 21. An Introduction

  CH. 22. AWOL

  CH. 23. MIA

  CH. 24. Drinking Buddies

  CH. 25. Signs

  CH. 26. Encounter

  CH. 27. Reservations for Two

  CH. 28. I Do

  CH. 29. Special Delivery

  CH. 30. The Four Horsemen

  CH. 31. Recess

  CH. 32. I Spy

  CH. 33. The Man Upstairs

  CH. 34. Paper or Plastic

  CH. 35. Discovery

  CH. 36. Traced and Erased

  CH. 37. A Preemptive Strike

  CH. 38. Sacrifice

  CH. 39. Obstacles

  CH. 40. Words of Encouragement

  CH. 41. Saboteurs

  CH. 42. Three, Two, One … Fire

  CH. 43. Exodus

  CHAPTER 1

  ADAM

  Lubbock, Texas, 1986.

  “All right, boys, what’ll it be for last call?” asked the waitress as she placed the beers on the table.

  The five young men clapped and whistled as they reached for the cold bottles of Shiner Bock.

  “Who’s behind the bar tonight?” Evan inquired and wrapped his arm around her hips.

  “Ricky and Blake,” she replied seductively, laying her hand on his shoulder.

  “Excellent!” he stated, looking up at her shimmering eyes. “First, we’re gonna have a repeat on the cocktails.”

  “All of you? All five?” she asked astonishingly.

  “Yes, ma’am!” the quintet answered in jovial unison.

  “Three Jacks, a Crown, and a Bacardi?”

  “You got it,” Evan confirmed.

  “All right, I’ll get these out in a few minutes.” she replied, turning to walk away.

  “WHOA!” the men erupted.

  “Hold on, hold on! We’re not done.” Ron said, reaching for the young girls’ arm.

  “You just got five beers, you’re about to get another round of cocktails, and you want to order more?”

  The barmaid snuck a peek at her watch, shook her head, and lamented, “I don’t know if y’all will have enough time to finish everything before the bell.”

  “Oh, we’ll finish in time!” John declared confidently.

  “Tell Ricky we want another shot,” Evan instructed the girl, “But I don’t wanna know what he’s making. He can fix us Coconut Kamikazes, Fruit of the Looms, or DeLoreans; I don’t care, just surprise us.”

  “Oh, he’s gonna love y’all for this one!”

  With a sigh and roll of her eyes, the waitress turned to deliver the lengthy drink order.

  Evan and his brood lunged to the middle of table to clink the necks of their beers in a celebratory toast.

  “You gotta be kidding me!” Ricky complained loudly as he read the ticket request.

  “To Ricky!” the five men cheered, turning to face the bar. Although flustered, the mixologist managed to let a smile cross his face as he scurried to fill the drink requests before the bell.

  “All right, gentlemen, now we come to the real reason I’ve called you here this evening,” Evan abruptly stated.

  “Here it comes,” Ken whined.

  “Hold on now,” Ron interjected. “Let’s see what kind of evidence the prosecution presents before we make a plea bargain.”

  “He always does this!” Greg complained. “He’s got something to tell us, but instead of just saying what he’s gotta say, he’s gonna drag it out and make a show of it!”

  “Patience, Greg, patience,” Evan patronized. “A good attorney waits to hear all arguments before he reveals his plan of attack.”

  “Thank you for the lecture, professor,” Greg snapped back.

  Evan reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and slowly pulled out a certified envelope. He deliberately took his time as he looked over the front of the letter, ever so slightly nodding his head.

  “Come on!” John demanded, “Just say it and quit jackin’ around!”

  Evan casually tossed the envelope on the table and reached for his beer. The quartet made a mad grab for the letter, but it was Ron who was successful and held the prize in his hand.

  “So what was your score on the MBE?” Ken asked Evan as Ron removed the letter and began to read.

  “I don’t even wanna know!” Greg commented drolly.

  “You know he’s gonna milk it just to see us squirm,” John followed.

  “Oh my goodness!” Ron exclaimed, smiling.

  “One fifty-nine,” Evan calmly answered Ken.

  “What is it?” Greg asked Ron.

  “Nice!” Ron stated, nodding his head as well, “Does Shelly know about this?”

  “Know about what?” Greg anxiously piped up.

  “Not just yet,” Evan replied mysteriously.

  “Just say it and get on with the conversation!” John demanded.

  Tired of getting the runaround, Ken leaned over the table and snatched the letter from Ron’s hand.

  “If you two Chatty Cathys are done wasting our time…,” John quipped.

  “You fine lobotomized morons are speaking with the newest member of the staff fortunate enough to be in the employ of … Christian and Connor,” Evan proudly stated.

  “Houston?” Ken asked in bewilderment as he scanned the content of the communique.

  “Yes, sir!” Evan quickly answered.

  “What’re you gonna be doing?” Greg i
nquired, yanking the paper from Ken.

  “I’ll be leading a team dealing primarily with international contracts, intellectual property, and acquisitions,” Evan informed his cohorts.

  “When did this happen?” Greg asked.

  “While you guys were cliff jumping at the lake, I was in Austin having a meeting with Mr. Connor to discuss salary and benefits,” Evan explained.

  Just then, the waitress appeared and hurriedly called out the drinks as she placed them on the table.

  “Three Jacks, a Crown, and a Bacardi,” she spewed. “And you guys are gonna hafta slam the shooters, ‘cause….”

  Before she could warn Evan about the time, Ricky yanked the rope on the bar bell and began yelling, “Drink ‘em up!”

  He rang the bell loudly and quickly, all the while smiling and staring at Evan.

  “He can’t do that!” John declared.

  “Well, actually he can,” said the waitress.

  “Don’t argue, just drink!” Ron ordered.

  “What do we have here?” Ken asked as she gave each of them their shots.

  “Coconut Kamikazes,” she hotly answered. “Hurry, y’all! He’s gonna have me start clearing tables! It’s two o’clock right now!”

  “To Ricky!” Greg toasted.

  The five buddies stood quickly, turned to face the bar, and held up their glasses.

  “What a man!” John stated before they slammed back the potent concoctions.

  “Oh, c’mon!” the waitress griped, removing the bottles and empty glasses, then added “You’re messin’ around and he’s gonna have me pull your drinks.”

  “No one’s gonna nothing,” Greg comforted as they rushed to finish their cocktails.

  “To Evan and new beginnings,” Ron announced, holding his glass high.

  “To Evan,” they echoed.

  “Hey!” Ricky shouted from behind the bar, “It’s after two! Pull the drinks! Now!”

  “I’m trying!” the waitress yelled back, exasperated, as she hovered beside Evan, just itching to take the glasses from their hands.

  The intoxicated men turned away from the impatient barmaid, making it virtually impossible for her to reach the glasses.

  “C’mon y’all, I don’t have time for this!” she complained loudly, “I still gotta do my cash out and break down my section.”

  All five men slurped the last of their highballs in near perfect unison and handed them off to the waitress.

  “Thanks Evan,” she grumbled as she handed him the check, “You don’t have to leave just yet, but if you would pay out that would be great.”

  Every man began reaching for his billfold, but Evan spoke up, “Not tonight, gentlemen. This one’s on me.”

  “Wow!” Ken commented, “That must have been some salary negotiation.”

  “Something like that,” Evan answered, then added, “Oh! I almost forgot. I knew there was something else I was supposed to talk to y’all about.”

  Evan pulled a large wad of cash from his pocket and held it high in the air.

  “Aren’t you gonna count that?” John asked, looking confused.

  “Nah!” Evan scoffed, “No need.”

  The waitress saw Evan holding the check and cash, darted to the table, and plucked the money from his clenched hand. She silently scurried away as Evan continued.

  “Along with the new career and change of address, there’s gonna be one major additional change.”

  John looked over Evan’s shoulder at the waitress in the corner of the bar.

  “I need to get your opinions on something…,” Evan began as he leaned back and dug down into his pants pocket.

  While the other men watched Evan, John kept his eyes on the waitress. She pulled out her ticket book and the last check and cash from Evan. John could see her as she counted out the bills in front of Ricky.

  “But I also want y’all to be the first to know,” Evan finished saying as he slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed a small, dark purple, crushed velvet box in the middle of the table.

  Ron leaned back in his chair and once again said “Oh, my goodness!”

  John watched Ricky and the waitress shake their heads as they counted and recounted the cash Evan had given her.

  “Does she know this is coming?” Ken asked as Ron reached for the box.

  “We talked about it a few months ago,” Evan replied, locking eyes with Ron.

  Ricky and the waitress turned their attention to the five friends.

  “When are you gonna ask her?” Greg asked as he leaned over to see what was in the jewelry box.

  Ricky and the waitress held up the cash and pointed at the ticket as if to ask, Does he know how much he gave her?

  “Oh, my goodness!” Ron declared for the third time that evening. He stared in amazement as he gingerly removed the two-and-a-half carat, white gold and platinum, rectangular-cut diamond ring from the cushioned jewelry box.

  John nodded his head to Ricky and the waitress, confirming, “Yes, he meant to give you that much,” and motioned them away.

  The waitress held her hand over her mouth and jogged in place with excitement over receiving such a large gratuity.

  “I’m going to meet her on Sunday in Amarillo. She went to visit her parents for the weekend and I thought I’d propose after they got outta church,” Evan informed his entourage.

  “Wow!” “Nice!” and “Sweet!” seemed to be to be the only words the flabbergasted men could muster.

  “Do you like her parents?” Ken inquired as the men stood to leave.

  “Sure; they’re pretty nice,” Evan commented. “Her dad is kind of quiet, but if you start talking football or get him to play dominoes, he’ll be nonstop conversation.”

  “Why not go to church with all of ‘em and then ask her dad?” John asked.

  “Ah,” Evan began with a shrug, “I’m not much into that hocus-pocus kinda thing.”

  “All I can say is ‘Wow!’” Ron admitted, gazing at the ring.

  Grasping Evan’s shoulder, Ron handed him the ring and continued, “My best friend … getting married, graduating, moving, getting a new job. Ever since I knew you when we was kids, I knew good things were gonna be coming your way.”

  “Whadya mean ‘coming his way’?” Greg complained as they swaggered down the staircase.

  “He’s had nothing but good things happen to him his whole life,” Ken declared.

  “Yeah!” John agreed, “Who got the attendance records for junior high and high school.”

  “Evan,” the quartet hollered.

  “Who never got sick in school?” Ron asked.

  “Evan,” they again bellowed.

  “Oh, I got one,” Ken said as he exited the bar, “Who was the high school valedictorian and graduated from the Tech School of Law at the top of the class?”

  Once more the men triumphantly cried out “Evan!”

  “I think y’all are blowing this way out of proportion,” Evan commented.

  “Yeah? Well, proportion this,” John stated and punched Evan in his arm.

  “Oh!” Evan grunted, trying in vain to laugh off the hurt, “You are such a ‘tard!”

  “To Evan!” the remaining three shouted and proceeded to punch Evan’s arms.

  “I’m never gonna buy y’all another drink!” Evan threatened his comrades as he fought back.

  After the slugfest subsided, Evan rubbed his biceps and stated “Take one last, long, good look, my brothers.”

  The quintet turned to face the lighted restaurant sign.

  “Good ol’ Gardski’s,” Ken moaned.

  “We sure had some great times, didn’t we?” Ron asked sorrowfully.

  “It’s nights like these that remind me of nights I’ve forgotten,” Greg added.

  “A lot of good times,” Evan confirmed.

  “All right!” John jumped in, “I’m getting outta here before you sissies start huggin’ and cryin.’”

  With that comment, John once again punched E
van in his arm and abruptly turned to walk away. Greg and Ken blindsided Evan and landed one more solid jab each on Evan’s shoulders, then quickly caught up with John.

  “Be sure to send us an invitation!” John hollered over his shoulder.

  “Man!” Evan grunted, wincing in pain.

  “Oh, c’mon,” Ron chimed in, “You know you love it.”

  Ron landed one more mighty wallop to Evan’s already sore and tender bicep. Evan fell to the ground from the force of the hit.

  “You too?” he shouted with a chuckle of disbelief.

  “Nothing’s too good for my best friend,” Ron declared as he extended his hand to Evan.

  “Man, you’re killing me!” Evan complained as he rose to his feet.

  The lifelong buddies began walking down Broadway towards the main entrance to the campus of Texas Tech University, reminiscing about their boyhood and their future plans.

  “I’m telling you right now,” Evan began, “I’m not gonna miss the flatlands or the panhandle wind.”

  “Well, you know what my cousin Mike says about Lubbock, don’t you?”

  “No, what does your cousin Mike say about Lubbock?”

  “He says Lubbock is so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days!”

  Evan and Ron were still laughing at the joke as they crossed the intersection of Broadway and Avenue W, just one block away from the Tech campus.

  From out of nowhere, a beat up Oldsmobile came racing around the corner. Evan gave Ron a mighty shove and both men fell headlong into the curbside. Ron let out a moan of discomfort as he landed, whereas Evan gave a shrill scream of pain and agony.

  “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

  “No, you idiot! I scream all the time just for kicks when I’ve almost been run over! Yes, I’m hurt!”

  “All right, let’s take a look,” Ron said as gingerly tried to roll Evan over on to his back. “Where does it hurt?”

  “Ah, Holy Mackerel, that hurts like crap!”

  “Oh, my God!”

  “What? What is it? Tell me!”

  “We need to get you to the hospital! Now!”

  Protruding from the underside of Evan’s ribcage was a large shard of glass from a broken beer bottle. The bright red blood poured swiftly from the massive entrance wound just below the last rib on Evan’s right side.

  “Is it bad?” Evan asked with a sense of panic in his voice.