by Dan Fairview
John yawned. “What are we talking about?”
“They let Taylor go free.”
John stared blankly. “Who let him go free?”
“The Council, and they let Gibson go too.”
John’s face heated up and he ground his teeth. “One day? They let them out after only one day? That's bullshit!”
Victoria nodded. “Yeah, I know. I don't know how Taylor managed it. Nobody on the council will say anything, except that I'm not to go near him again.”
John pushed down the rage, but it kept bubbling up. What kind of a government is this? “So, he is back in business, and there is nothing we can do about it?”
“You're not safe, and neither is Coles. I wanted to let you know in person. Will you tell Coles for me?”
John nodded. Victoria rose and jammed her cap onto her head. “Thanks. I gotta go. Watch yourself.” And she stormed out.
John sat for a while with the anger churning in his gut. He pulled out his comm unit and made the call to warn Coles.
“What! Are you serious?” she said.
“I'm not kidding. Victoria just told me, so watch your back.”
“I should have known better than to trust you.”
The call ended abruptly, and before he could put his comm unit away, it chirped again. He answered.
“Am I speaking with a Mr. John Finder?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“This is Shore Patrol dispatch. We received a call thirty minutes ago reporting smoke coming from an island registered to you.”
John ended the call. He waved Sabrina over and paid her. He felt strangely numb.
“I've gotta go. Apparently, someone is burning my island down.” He rushed to his boat and made the trip to his island at full throttle. When he stepped off the boat and onto the beach, his boat shoes sank into the moist sand creating a depression. A retreating wave immediately filled it in. The broken shells crunched under his dripping feet as he made his way up the path.
Smoke lifted on the breeze from smoldering embers, filling his nostrils with its poisonous filth. John pulled his shirt collar up over his nose to block it out.
The destruction was total. Only charred framework remained of the boathouse and outbuilding. The hulks of the two boats stored in the boathouse stood like melted candles in their deformity. John shook his head at the waste. Rebuilding would take a lot of time and effort. At this point, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to. This was Taylor's doing. He was sure of it. Anyone else would have stolen the boats.
John clenched his fists together in a steady rhythm without realizing it. First, he had tried to kill him, and now this. Taylor would pay somehow. John wasn't sure how yet, but he would pay.
7
“What do you mean, you can’t do anything?” John asked Victoria.
He sat in Victoria's office, strangling a pen he had just used to sign a complaint against Taylor for the fires at his island. He had found a fuel container with Taylor's business logo on it. Taylor had wanted John to know that he had done it. John had brought it into the office to show Victoria, but she had made him take it back outside. The smell of fuel still lingered in the building.
“I'm sorry, John,” Victoria said. “We can file all the complaints you want, but I can't go anywhere near him. It sucks, but there it is.”
John twisted the pen until it snapped and the pieces fell to the floor. He scooped them up and slung them into a wastebasket next to Victoria's desk. “This government is a joke. Where is the justice in letting proven drug dealers go free?” Victoria didn’t respond, but just stared at her hands. “You were as mad as I am this morning. What's changed?”
She looked John straight in the eye. “Don't think I'm not furious about it. But short of quitting my job and turning vigilante, I'm powerless to do anything about it.”
John settled back into his chair and folded his arms. His anger burned, but it wasn't her fault. He shouldn’t be taking it out on her.
He blew out a long breath. The silence stretched between them. Finally, John spoke. “Well, he isn't—”
Victoria cut him off with a wave of her hand and leaned across her desk to whisper. “Not here. Go outside.”
He paused, looked around her office and then nodded in understanding.
“I can tell I won’t get any justice here,” John said as he rose and left.
John stepped outside and slid his sunglasses on. The little park across from Victoria's office was filled with tropical flowers from Earth. Plumeria bloomed, their pink-tinged petals stretching outward. A cluster of palms shaded the benches. John picked one and sat down. The sounds of a fountain nearby soothed his nerves a bit.
In a few moments, Victoria came over and sat next to him.
“You can never be sure who is listening in there,” she said. “I trust Dan and a few others, but that’s it. The council may have even planted listening devices. They know I'm angry, and the council will definitely be watching what I do. I don’t want them watching you too.”
John fixed his glance on her. “I’m not going to just let this go.”
“No. I don’t expect you will. And I don’t blame you. Just be careful.” She smiled and patted John on the knee, then rose and went back inside.
John sat there for a long time, thinking about what to do. The breeze had stopped, and even in the shade, it was hot and muggy. Sweat ran down his back. A pesky yellow bug was biting his ankle, so he swiped it away and scratched.
A plan came to him, but he would need help. There was only one person that had as much too lose as he did. He wouldn't be surprised if Coles had already come up with a plan of her own. He needed to get to her—if Taylor hadn't already gotten to her first.
Getting into his roamer, John quickly left security headquarters behind and raced along the path. Soon, he was in sight of the marina where Coles usually kept her boat, but it wasn't there. Had Taylor already paid her a visit? He fished in his pocket for his comm unit and called her. She answered.
“Please don’t hang up,” John said. “You weren't at the marina, and I thought Taylor might have paid you a visit too.”
“I’m sorry for earlier,” she said. “After you called, I left immediately. Has he done something to you?”
John told her about the fire at his island.
“Just like the bastard,” she said.
“I have a plan, but we are on our own on this one.”
“That suits me. We won’t find any justice with the law on this planet,” she said. “But don't say anything over the comm. Meet me at Bill's place.”
John acknowledged and ended the call. Then he stepped on the accelerator. He soon pulled into Bill's lot. John climbed the steps to the deck and went inside.
Sabrina's shift was over, and Kian met him at his table. Bill's employees used the table to sort silverware when John wasn’t using it so Kian cleared the table. “Is everything okay at your place?”
“Nothing left, I'm afraid. Everything is gone.”
“Sorry to hear that. Anything I can do?”
John considered a moment. “If it’s not too big of a hassle, I could use some help stocking up on food supplies. Enough to last a week or so.”
“You’re going after Taylor?”
“Someone has to.”
Kian let out a long whistle. “I hope you know what you’re going up against. Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Probably not, but I have to do something.”
Kian nodded. “I'll help anyway I can.”
John deeply appreciated Kian's friendship, but he didn't want to involve him any more than necessary. “Is there enough food around to spare me some?”
“Sure.” Kian went to the back and gathered up a couple boxes of food. John paid, and Kian helped him get it to his boat. John said goodbye and stored the stuff away.
Coles pulled up alongside a short time later. She wore white short shorts and a halter-top. The mirrored sunglasses she wore shone brilliantly in the sun.<
br />
“Follow me,” she said. “I know a place where we can stay that Taylor doesn't know about.”
“Sounds good.”
They were soon under way. John followed her for about an hour, until they arrived at an island far to the south of where they were on Hishu. John pulled up to the dock beside her boat and tied off. A lone house sat up on a hill. It wasn’t very large, but a big deck surrounded it. From this angle, he could see it had large windows. There were no obstructions, and John was reasonably sure he would be able to see for miles up there.
Whoever lives here wants to see everyone coming, he thought.
“Whose place is this?” he asked as he unloaded supplies onto the dock.
“It belongs to a friend of mine who is off-world at the moment.”
John set another box down on the dock and then rubbed his fingers through his hair. “How long is your friend gone?”
“She said she wouldn't be back until next year, but don’t worry. It’s stocked and furnished. What’s in the boxes?”
“Food.”
“Good thinking,” she said and grabbed a box. “I'm sure there is food here, but it’s always good to have plenty.”
Boards creaked as they crossed the dock and started up the trail leading to the house. The path was strewn with loose gravel that crunched under their feet. John paused as he stepped onto the deck and turned to look out over the ocean. A gentle wind blew in over the water. He was right; he could see for miles.
Coles punched some keys on a pad, and the door unlocked with a click. She swung it open. They entered and set their loads on the kitchen counter, then went back for more. They soon had all the supplies carried up.
Coles slipped off her shoes and walked across the brown tile floor of the kitchen and into the living room, where she plopped down onto a black leather sofa and tucked her legs underneath her. She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head and motioned John over. He sat down next to her.
“Now tell me how we're going to get even with Taylor.”
8
The following night, John sat anxiously on Coles’s boat, waiting near one of the usual pickup points that Taylor's mule system used. If they were lucky, they would be able to catch a load right after the switch.
Shadows of the passing clouds danced across Coles’s moonlit face. She sat behind the wheel across from John in shorts and a tee shirt.
John was enjoying himself. It felt good to be doing something, but Coles concerned him. She knew most of the people in Taylor’s network and couldn’t be looking forward to what might happen if shooting started. John would rather not hurt anyone if he could avoid it, but things rarely went as planned. They sat silently as the boat rocked back and forth. All lights were off to avoid being seen.
“Are you nervous?” John whispered.
“More anxious than nervous, really. I find this sort of thing exciting.”
John stared at her.
“Don’t judge me,” she said.
A broad smile spread across John’s face. They exchanged knowing glances. Finding a woman that felt the same as he did stirred him inside. It took him by surprise. An awkward silence stretched but was soon interrupted by the roar of an approaching boat.
There were no running lights, but its engine noise grew closer. John's heart pounded in his ears as he strained to pick out the approaching boat.
He whispered nervously to Coles, “We’re too close to the meeting point. Will they see us?”
Coles shrugged. There wasn't anything they could do now. If they started the engine to move, they would be spotted for sure. All they could do was wait and let it play out.
They waited silently as the boat approached from the east, and then suddenly another boat approached from the north. The two boats flashed lights at one another as they slowed. They stopped when they were next to one another. John could make out muffled voices, and their silhouettes.
John whispered to Coles, “How do you want to play this?”
She leaned toward him, placing a hand on his thigh for support. The heat of her lips warmed his ear. “Our best chance is when they are passing the packages off. Are you ready?”
John nodded. If only I weren’t dating your friend, he thought. He squinted out into the night and thought he saw the shadowy figures passing something from boat to boat.
John and Coles looked at one another and then leapt into action. Coles started the engine. Its roar as she pushed the throttle forward shattered the silence.
John pulled his sidearm out and got ready. A flashlight came on and quickly found them. It bathed John in white light. He sent a warning shot over the head of whoever held the light. The light wavered and then plunged into the water and sank. When his eyes adjusted, there were no silhouettes so they must have ducked down.
A shot came in their direction from the other boat. That must be the boat with Taylor's enforcers on it, John thought.
The clouds suddenly cleared, and John could see pretty well now. Two people on the boat were firing projectile weapons at them. He waved for Coles to aim the boat at that one. It had drifted away from the other.
The two figures were standing upright in the boat when Coles rammed them, sending the men flying over the side. She shut down the engine, and then pulled her weapon out and aimed at the men.
“Coles!”
She turned her head toward John. “What?”
“What are you doing?”
A woman on the other boat raised her arms into the air.
“If we don’t do something about them, Taylor will just send them out after us. You know yourself that the law won’t be any help.”
What could he say? She was right.
“That’s true, but let’s deal with that when we have to.”
There was a long silence between them, but she finally put her weapon away.
“Have it your way.” Coles called to the woman in the boat, “Sarah, is that you?”
“Coles?” she replied.
“Yeah. I thought that was you. You can relax. We’re just here for the drugs.”
John didn’t know what to make of Coles. He knew she was dangerous but hadn’t expected her to be so casually lethal. “You go take care of the packages, and I'll cover these guys,” John said, motioning to the two men in the water.
Coles moved the boat over to Sarah's and tossed a line to pull them together. She jumped over onto Sarah's boat. The packages sat on the deck. Coles scooped them up, tore them open, and dumped their contents into the water.
John kept an eye on the two men flailing in the water, but he focused on the two women talking.
“What now?” Sarah asked Coles.
“Nothing. You can go.”
“They forced me to do this, you know,” Sarah confessed. “The first couple of times, I really needed the money, but when I wanted out, they threatened me.”
Coles put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. “I understand.” Coles hugged her. “I've been there. Go ahead and go. We'll take care of these guys.”
Sarah whispered something to Coles, but John couldn't hear. In a moment, Coles came back on board, and Sarah started her boat and moved off.
“I'll get us alongside their boat. You jump over there and toss their keys,” Coles said.
She maneuvered the boat, and John jumped over. He grabbed the key, ripped off the attached floater, and tossed the key as far as he could. He used a light to check every compartment. When he came across some guns and ammo, he tossed them over the side too.
Satisfied, John jumped back to Coles’s boat. She started the engine and waved to the men still in the dark water. “Have a good swim, boys.” They yelled assorted curses, but they were drowned out in the roar of the engine as Coles pulled away.
John turned to watch the two shadowy figures struggling to climb back into their boat. He moved next to Coles. “What were you two whispering about back there?”
“I'll tell you later. Let’s get away from here.”
“You were re
ally going to shoot those guys, weren’t you?”
“I must seem callused to you, but I’ve lived on this planet long enough to know that it’s kill or be killed. This planet may seem like paradise, but believe me, it’s not.”
John’s wanted to disagree with her, but he was afraid she was right. They rode home in silence.
9
Sarah slept on her boat, which was tied up at the Hishu marina. It was early, around three in the morning. She had tossed for hours, thinking on what had happened, until sleep had finally come. She had been thinking about Coles showing up and dumping the shipment and the lie that she had told Taylor. He had taken it a lot better than expected. She had expected him to fly off into a fury and hurt her, but he hadn't. He calmly informed her that she would have to pay for the lost shipment and then sent her away.
Finally, sleep had come, and now she lay on her bunk in a fitful dream with sweat beading on her forehead.
A silent figure crept into her cabin and placed a rag over her nose and mouth, waking her. She tried to scream, but something on the rag made her gag.
She struggled against the powerful arm that held her down until unconsciousness claimed her.
The dark figure poured liquid onto her body, soaking it and the bedding. He paused at the exit, then lit a wadded piece of paper and flipped it onto the body. It sparked the fuel, and he slipped silently into the night.
The next morning, John fixed eggs, toast, and bacon, and he and Coles sat down at the large, oval glass kitchen table for breakfast. Coles wore a large tee shirt that came down to her knees, which she had tucked up under her. I wonder if she is wearing anything under that shirt, he wondered.
John scanned the room in an attempt to not stare at her while she ate. Large wooden beams of a species he didn’t recognize supported the high ceilings and lined the walls. It wasn’t quite rustic-feeling with the tile floor, but he could see himself living in a place like this on his island if he decided to rebuild.
