by Dale Mayer
“Sometimes,” Garret said, “life just happens. The good thing is that your father had already passed in his sleep. All things considered, that’s the very best outcome we could have had here.”
She stopped, thought about it, and slowly nodded. “As much as I don’t want to think that way, you’re right,” she said. “It’s just so sad, though and quite a shock.”
“The sad part,” he said, “is that your father passed away. The house is just a house. And you’re an architect. You can rebuild it wherever. Your father was already gone, so his death was not a part of this fire. Honestly, it’s pretty hard to argue with the fact that he died in his sleep. That’s an awesome way to go. But, like any death, it’s still a shock and leaves behind those who mourn the loss.”
“And that is something I won’t get used to very quickly,” she muttered.
“And you don’t have to,” he said gently. “What you need is time to grieve, time to deal with the loss.”
“I haven’t even dealt with the fact that we just found him like that, much less the house,” she said. “My mind just keeps running through everything that was in there.”
“The only thing that was in there of value,” he said, “you’d already lost.”
She sniffled back tears, as she nodded slowly. “I know,” she said, “but—” And she just waved her hand at the fire burning strong and bright below.
“I know,” he said. “It’s a lot of loss all at once. But it is something you can handle.”
“Maybe,” she said. “I’m just not in very good shape right now.”
“Of course not,” he said. “Nobody’s expecting you to be. You’re in shock.”
“Can you find those guys?” she asked, her voice getting stronger. “Can you help Eton?”
He looked at her hesitantly.
“Do what you can to help him,” she said. “I’ll just sit here and mourn.”
“I can’t have you racing back down there,” he said, and she realized how much she was holding them back because he couldn’t trust her.
“I promise,” she said. “Nothing is there for me now.”
“No,” he said, “there isn’t. But you’ll have a new life after this.”
She just didn’t see how. As she settled into her own space, resting her back against a tree, she tried to calm down. Garret pulled out his laptop and his phone. She listened with half an ear as he contacted various people. She didn’t know what was happening, but it sounded like something was, and, for that, she was grateful. She was thankful that people were out there they could call on right now because, damn it, she wanted these guys caught, and she wanted them to suffer for what they had done.
And, as Garret had said, she also needed to focus on the fact that, although she’d lost her father, it hadn’t been a result of the fire or the whole related scenario, and he didn’t know anything about it. He went quietly in his sleep, and she could hardly argue with one of the most peaceful deaths she’d ever heard about. Now all she had to do was keep herself together, so she didn’t impede their progress. She turned to look at Garret. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” she said in a firm voice.
He nodded, but he was distracted.
She stared down at the remnants of her house, wondering if she could possibly have identified any of the people involved. She wondered just who would have done this to her, yet suspected it was all based on this Karl, that Joe had told them about. “I would have thought dealing with Karl would be the end of it,” she said.
“We didn’t,” he said, “but we were hoping it was a step up.”
“So do you think this was hired out as well?”
“Definitely,” he said, “Karl was also shot to clean up the loose ends.”
“Oh, my God. If they’ve done that, then what about Joe?”
“We do have a guard on him, but I can’t guarantee that his life is any more secure.” He pulled out his phone and called the hospital. She listened, chewing on her bottom lip. When he turned, and she caught the odd look in his eyes, she cried out in pain. He said, “Thank you,” into the phone and hung up. “Joe had a heart attack and didn’t make it. We might never know if it was natural or from something else.”
Her heart sank. “As far as I’m concerned, they killed him regardless. Why are they so worried about getting caught?”
“Because we won’t stop,” Garret said. “We won’t stop until we get these assholes.” Just then he hopped to his feet and said, “I want you to stay here, Sammy. Don’t move.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m switching places with Eton. The suspects disappeared in two separate directions. We’re tracking one on satellite, and the other one is coming around to the village on the inside of this hill,” he said, and he pointed down below where she saw lights. “I’ll take it from here, and Eton’s coming back to look after you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
He didn’t bother explaining, and she realized he wasn’t telling her a whole lot. But then he was gone. Just like that, he disappeared into the tree canopy, leaving her sitting here all alone.
*
Eton pulled off to the side and drove up the hill partway. There he saw Garret, waiting for him, and he hopped out and asked, “Why the switch?”
“She needs you,” Garret said.
Eton looked at him, startled. “Why? What’s the matter?”
Garret quickly explained about her father and then said, “Satellites are tracking the other one. I’ll follow this guy.”
“Don’t you get into any shit,” he warned.
Garret laughed. “All we’re doing is tracking down the bad guy, same as always. I’m also not too sure that hill is empty.”
With that, Eton gave him a startled look and bolted to the top of the hill. By the time he got there, he’d been more concerned about speed than silence. When he reached the top, he stopped and frowned. No sign of Sammy at all. He slowly shifted through the trees, his movements silent as possible. But no sign of her. He pulled out his phone. And as soon as he did, a voice called out, “Garret?”
He froze and slowly lifted his head. “Who is there?” he said in a low voice, checking his back holster, silently cursing to find his gun missing. The last time he knew he had it was in Karl’s house.
“Well, I’ve got something you want, and you’ve got something I want.”
“And what is it that you want?” Eton said.
“I want you dead,” he said, “and I’m quite happy to have it happen any way you want.”
“Well, that won’t happen,” he said. “I’ve already decided I’ll die from old age.”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “The one thing I do know is you’ve been trying to protect this girl here. And I’ve got her.”
“Why?” he asked in that conversational tone. “You took everything else away from her.”
“She was supposed to be gone,” he said. “That’s not the point. It’s you I want.”
“What about Eton?”
“Oh, we’ll take him out too. Don’t you worry. We got vehicles following him all over the place.”
“Says you,” he said, leaning back, because there hadn’t been anybody behind him when he was in that truck.
“Besides, he’s only got so many lives. He escaped once, so he won’t escape the second time.”
With his blood running cold, he slipped through the trees to get a little closer to where the voice was coming from.
“I wouldn’t take any more steps in that direction,” the stranger said.
“Why is that?”
“Because I’ve got a gun against her head.” With that, the man stepped out into the clearing. And, sure enough, Sammy was there, but, instead of crying and looking victimized, he saw fury building inside her. He could only hope that she held it back. He also hoped that she recognized his voice. He stayed hidden. “What now?”
“I want you to come forward,” he said, “and then I
’ll shoot you nice and simple. That’ll make it easy.”
“You could still tell me why,” he said. “I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
“I was Karl’s boss,” he said, “and we don’t like the fact that you seem to think you’re finding your way through this maze.”
“What’s the matter? Obviously you don’t want to share your fees with anyone else. And you don’t want to fight for future jobs. Come on. Just between you and me.”
“Apparently not,” he said, “and that sucks because we didn’t intend on you even getting this close.”
“Well, that’s just too bad for you,” he said. “We can take you out anytime.”
“Well, I think that’s what the bosses are a little worried about,” he said.
“And why is that such an issue?” Eton asked.
“Because they have no intention of being found.”
“Are you part of Kingdom Securities?”
“Wow,” he said. “How the hell do you even know about them?” An odd tone was in his voice.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Eton asked. “Why wouldn’t I know about them? Kingdom Securities is one of Bullard’s competitors.”
“Now Bullard—such an idiot,” he said. “He’s nowhere near as good as our guys are.”
“So you’re saying that you guys at Kingdom are trying to take us out, huh?”
“I didn’t say that,” he protested.
“No, maybe not, but you sure as hell aren’t saying anything different,” he said.
“I don’t even know what it’s all about.”
“Why is somebody trying to take out Bullard?”
“What? Somebody did take out Bullard,” he said, “no trying to about it.”
“Has the kill been confirmed?” Eton asked curiously.
“So you don’t know yet,” he said. “That’s pretty funny.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s funny or not,” he said. “Answer the question.”
“No, no confirmed killing yet. Are you telling me that he’s still alive?”
Eton wished to God he could, but he wouldn’t tell him anyway, even if he knew, which he did not. “I don’t know if he is or he isn’t,” Eton said. “We’re still looking for him.”
“Good luck with that,” the man said.
“You’re still dodging the question. What is all this about?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I presume the company just wants yours gone.”
“Pfft. There’s usually a little more to it than that. What’s the deal?”
“No clue,” he said.
“You mean, as boss, you’re not in the know?”
“Funny,” he said. “Just because I’m not telling you doesn’t mean I don’t know.”
“Yeah, it does,” he said. “I get it.”
“Well, I’m not telling you, even if I do know, which just means you don’t,” he said, with a sneer.
“Whatever,” he said. “You’re full of shit anyway. I’m done talking. I’ve got things to do.”
“Yeah, going after some of my other guys?” he asked. “So it depends on how cleanly they take care of Eton.”
“He’s not that easy to kill,” Eton said, rolling his eyes at the ruse.
“Fine. Without answers,” he said, “I’m not coming out.”
Eton had his phone in his hand and turned it on and dialed Ice, leaving the line open. As soon as the call went through, he knew they were listening in and would track his phone.
“Like I said, Garret,” the gunman said. “We know what we need to do for the mission. That’s how it works. You know how compartmentalization works. You only get to know one rung up.”
“Yeah, I don’t generally work that way, and neither does Eton,” he said, ensuring that Ice would figure out the gunman had him and Garret mixed up. “Bullard’s good at keeping us all in the loop.”
“I doubt it,” he said. “He didn’t keep you in the loop about how he felt about Ice, did he?”
“You’re wrong. We all know how he feels about her,” he said. “We also know how he feels about Levi. Bullard loves them both and never tries to disturb what they have together.”
“I wonder if he can say that for everybody though.”
At that, Eton perked up. “Is that what this is? Something personal?”
“No clue,” he said. “Just doing what I’m paid to do. Paid very well, I might add.”
“And you think that’s all there is to it?”
At his words, Sammy turned to glare at the gunman. “You people killed my father,” she said. “You burned my home to the ground. You shot Karl. You threatened and intimidated a nice old man into betraying his values. Then you killed his son. Jesus. All that for what? Because you got paid?”
Her outrage was palpable in the air. The man just looked at her and sneered, giving her a shake. “You shut the fuck up, or I’ll knock you silly.”
And in a move that absolutely shocked Eton, making him wish he had just one second of warning, Sammy turned around and belted the gunman hard across the face. Eton jumped into the fray immediately and tried to grab the gun away from the guy. Meanwhile, Sammy turned and pounded her knee into the gunman’s groin. The shocked gunman, now fighting off the two of them, slammed his elbow into her face, knocking her back a good six or eight feet; then she stumbled to the ground. Eton called out, “You okay?”
“Hell no, I’m not okay,” she said, “but I will be. Just make sure you get that asshole.”
But it wasn’t an easy fight. This guy had the upper hand with a weapon, so Eton was outmatched and had to keep focused on that. Eton took a hard left before getting his right in with a heavy uppercut. That caught the guy under the jaw, snapping his head backward. He stood suspended in the air momentarily, before he collapsed to the ground.
Sammy got up and stood beside Eton. “Is he dead?”
“Possibly,” he said, sure he’d heard the snap of the guy’s neck. He dropped down beside the man, securing the gun and checking for a pulse. “He’s alive,” he said, “but I’m not sure for how long.”
“Was that sound his neck breaking?”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean it’ll kill him,” he said. He quickly pocketed the gun and stepped closer, pulled out the guy’s ID. He laid everything out, grabbed his phone, and took several photos. “I’ve never heard of this guy,” he said.
“But isn’t this leading to the same place you often wondered about?”
“Sure, but it appears to be layers upon layers. It looks like we won’t know the end game until we run out of layers.”
“It’s all bullshit,” she said.
Just then, weird sounds rattled up the man’s chest. They both froze and looked at him, as air escaped from his throat.
“Is that what they call a death rattle?” She gasped, her hand over her mouth in horror.
“Quite possibly,” he said. He quickly put the wallet back together and replaced it in the guy’s pocket and then leaned forward to check for breathing. He looked at her and nodded. “He’s dead.” He grabbed his phone again and called Ice back. “Sorry, I lost you in the midst of the fight. Did you get all that?”
“We’ve got your location,” she said. “I presume you’re good, for the moment at least?”
“The gunman’s dead,” he said. “I think I broke his neck.”
“Of course you did,” she said drily. “Have you got a place to hide out?”
“I can’t,” he said, “I have to go after Garret. They’ve got their team coming after him.”
“I’m not all that impressed with their intel, if they can’t tell you two apart. Have you got wheels?”
“Our dead guy’s got to have some somewhere.” He turned to look at Sammy. “Where did he come from?”
She pointed down by her house.
“We’ll go to her house, see if there’s a car we can use, and then we’re heading after Garret.”
“I want you to keep this line available
for me to call back,” Ice told Eton.
“Make sure you get a tracker on Garret.”
“We’re on it,” she hung up.
The minute he hung up, something soft landed against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her tight. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. She shook her head, without words at the moment, and just burrowed in deeper. He held her close for a long moment. “As much as I want to stay here,” he said, “I can’t. We have to go after Garret.”
“As long as it’s we,” she whispered.
He grabbed her hand and said, “Come on. We have to get down there fast.”
They raced down the hillside, loving the fact that she was as fit and as strong as he was. By the time they got to the base, she said, “We should have grabbed his keys.”
“I did,” he said, holding them up, wincing at the sight of the still-burning house.
There at the bottom, tucked around the corner, well away from the heat of the fire, was a small truck. He quickly unlocked it, letting her into her side, and said, “Let’s go.”
“How can you guys locate Garret?”
“Satellite technology. He’s ahead of us somewhere,” he said. “So we’ll get in contact with Ice again and see what she’s got from tracking him.”
“And will she deal with that body up there?”
“Yes,” he said, “at least she’ll tell the police that the gunman set fire to the house, then ran up the hill and into the woods.”
“Then they’ll presume that he fell and broke his neck.”
“Works for me,” he said.
“In a way it does for me to,” she said. “I just—he took so much from me.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry.”
Chapter 13
Sammy smiled at Eton, but it was a teary smile. “It’s not your fault,” she said gently.
He looked at her and said, “If I hadn’t spent time with you,” he said, “you wouldn’t have become a target.”
“It’s hard to say,” she said. “You can’t be sure of that.”
“Pretty sure.”
“Well, just like I have to walk away from it, so do you,” she said, “because that’s not something we can have between us.”
