“Nothing, but I get the sense that we’re being followed. Not by Wade, someone else with a love for floral perfume.”
“A woman?” The exhaustion overcame her, making her legs buckle. She never hit the floor, his arms wrapped around her and carried her over to the bed. Laying her down, he pulled the chair back against the door to block its movement and sat watching the shadows from passing cars play on the walls. Finally, his head rolled forward and silence fell on the hotel room.
3
Over two thousand miles away a woman stood at the office room window, her eyes following the path of the vehicles on the road below. “Mr. Carson, your idea is being reviewed by the board. Come in at eleven tomorrow and your answer will be prepared.”
“Colonel Morgen. The agency won’t last without a positive reaction, surely a soldier like yourself understands this.” She turned to face the man sitting at the table, perfectly formed eyebrow arched at him.
“My duty is the United States government; our agency is the not the only one whose mission it is to protect the citizens of this country. But saving on training costs by using readily available resources is part of my job. I’ll make sure to present these facts to the board before tomorrow morning.”
“Colonel.” He stood and bowed, his lapel flower wrinkling up so that a petal fell to the floor.
“Mr. Carson.” A young cadet showed the man out of the doors, leaving the woman standing in the center of the room. She remained there for some minutes before walking over the computer at the window. Her slender fingers typed out a brief email before sending it to her superiors. Then she turned to look at the picture on the desk, the small children meeting her gaze with serious expressions. It was the only surviving belonging that she had managed to keep throughout foster care of the family that had been ripped apart by violence. The girl that had been her, was incredibly slender with a pale gaunt face. Blue eyes that held so much grief behind them, while the blonde hair was done up in braids by a kindly neighbor. Her brother stood ramrod straight, no emotion on his young face. It was as though he was denying the terrible tragedy happening around them. His blue eyes were a dull grey, less like the sky that they resembled and more like troubled sea waters during a storm. Oh, brother, what happened to us? The door opened behind her and a young girl slipped in, holding two bags of groceries.
“Hey, girlfriend, wanna get back home and help me cook these up?” Her roommate came staggering over and slammed the bags in front of Morgen.
“Of course, Tessa. How were the classes today?” Morgen stood slowly, sliding her blue jacket onto her shoulders before grabbing up one of the bags. The girl babbled on about the boring professor in organic chemistry and her new crush on the barista up the block from their apartment building. But Morgen’s mind was far away with the boy in the photograph, running down the alleys of their hometown. He’d been more than the older brother, a father and a mother. Then the state had ripped them apart without giving them a means to contact each other. When she had been in active duty there had been a cocky police major who’d had the same pale blue eyes. No matter how much he’d strayed from the book, it had never damaged his career because Morgen couldn’t report him. Her heart had been too involved and then suddenly, he’d left for the States and a taste of civilian life.
“Almira! You are not listening. Is it a boy?” Morgen rolled her eyes and continued chopping onions. “It’s a boy. He’s handsome, though right?”
“Tessa.” The older woman gave a slight, sad smile full of pain. “There is no guy. I’m a military woman, not marriage material. Now, please, leave it alone.” The rest of the evening was spent in awkward silence, even the dinner was eating in silence. Something about her tone had given Tessa the impression that to approach the subject any further wouldn’t be wise. Morgen climbed into her car, deciding to spend the night at the office doing some work. Most of the day workers had gone home and the security officer waved at her, yawning over his cup of coffee. It didn’t bother her to be alone in the great big room, her training had been mainly solo operations. Still there were times when living alone was painful, especially since she lacked the family to fill the emptiness in her heart.
She turned on the desktop and brought up the military database, using the search engine for some private digging. The sun rose on her sleeping form and illuminated the computer screen which contained information on a certain Major Ethan Ryde, ex-military. His blue eyes were staring directly at the camera, a cocky self-assured smile on his face. A map blinked a dull red with a circle radius of fifteen miles, indicating at he was in Luka, Mississippi.
4
An intense pain woke the man sitting in front of the door, forcing him up onto his feet and his hands to clutch his head. It felt as though it was blowing up from the inside out, little lights exploding in front of his eyes. He fell to his knees, unable to keep standing because of the blinding pain. When his sight began to return, there were people with wounds and their hands reaching out to him. “Ethan, it’s all your fault.” A woman carrying a baby stood right in front of him, her dress flames rather than material. Her skin was blackened with the eyes burned out with circles around the indentions in her head made from still hot coals. The baby was getting smaller and smaller, ash falling from the little figure. Her hand suddenly touched his shoulder, just above his chest. It felt as though a burning brand were being shoved through his body and destroying his life. Then someone tossed liquid on his face, forced it down his throat, and shook him back to reality.
“John!” Amber’s voice was shrill from panic, the children were cowering at the back of the bed with the covers pulled up to their chins. “Don’t do this to us. We need your help.” His eyes met her own, focusing in on them and the pain receding in his head.
“You don’t want my help. I’m a killer, Amber. Not a man you want around your children or yourself.”
“So, you remember everything now?” The question hurt. There were no memories, no real facts to back up his statement. I can’t believe it. No. I don’t want to believe. We’re counting on you, John. Please, don’t say you know. The terrible icy fingers of dread began to wrap around her heart as she waited for his reply.
“No. I don’t.” His shoulders slumped forward from the disappointment and exhaustion that was breaking him down slowly.
“Then I’m not ready to accept that you are a killer. Killer’s don’t save women and children who don’t have any connection to them from drunken men. Killer’s don’t treat children with the same fatherly tenderness like you with my son and daughter. So, John Waters, don’t tell me that you are a killer.” Relief flooded her body and face, the breath coming out with the quick succession of words. She didn’t even register that in her joy, she’d talked to him like her brother.
“I have a name…Ethan…no last name.” The woman made a little shriek of excitement, her palm suddenly on his cheek in her joy.
“I told you that you’d remember everything. Let’s go get some breakfast before the kids start gnawing on the blankets.” She rose and went into the bathroom to freshen up, leaving him on the floor. The man with a name, but no memories stared blankly at the children who met his gaze with their own bright eyes. She trusts me. Even after that dog of man abused her. I have to find out for sure…for her sake. For their sake. Absolute silence reigned in the room until she returned, then the two children bounded into the bathroom. “I’m not letting you give up.” Her determination to help him confused the man, his brain searching for a logical answer and finding none. The judgement that would have been formed from personal experience and learning was gone along with whatever other life had come before the day on the road. There were flashes of memory on his inner screen of thought, but nothing distinct. Today, he had discovered his name. That was enough for him, personally. More than he had been hoping for. “Besides, we know another thing about you. You’re a British man, not American, the accent gives you away.” She hesitated for a moment. “I like it, sounds real refined and ele
gant.” He struggled to his feet, giving her a half-hearted smile before straightening his jacket and shirt in the mirror. “We all need a change of clothes. Especially you and the children, people will think we’re wandering vagrants.” His eyes looked down at the shirt, jeans, worn boots, and canvas jacket – they seemed fine to him. Still, this woman was risking a lot…trusting him with her children. If she wanted him looking like a man, not a vagrant, that was fine with him. A minute later they had strolled across to the diner and were seated at a booth in the corner.
Ethan had his eyes on every square inch of the place, body coiled like a cat ready to spring on any threat coming in their direction. There was something about that perfumed smell that caused his hackles to rise, instinctually wanting to protect the woman and her children from this unknown stalker. Nothing. Just the usual regulars that small town diners attract in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Then he noticed the mother and children watching him, eyes on every movement. “I told you, new clothes.” Her eyes sparkled with fun, while she pulled off a loose button on his shirt. Ethan had never noticed it, used to clothes that were tattered, torn, or worn to their last threadbare use. Eggs, bacon, and toast washed down with some good coffee lifted his spirits again. They wandered over to the small store in town, examining the clothes and joking. Food, rest, and the lack of danger had released the tension they had all been running on for days. Amber shoved a suit into his arms, then pointed to the dressing room. “Go!” Her voice held that special tone that mothers used to get unruly children to obey. He wasn’t going to argue.
Standing there in front of the full-length mirror, he examined the crisp white shirt and straightened the black tie. It felt familiar, yet foreign. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, making a mental note to get a razor blade. Exiting the small booth, he stopped short with a slight smile on his face. Amber stood there, her back to him. The shirt left her delicate tan shoulders slightly exposed, the peasant style resting as though by magic on her arms. Her long hair was thrown up in a thick braid that sat comfortably along her back. The leather belt on the skirt, accentuating the delicate slender form of her waist and hips. Red was her color, it brought out the dazzled sparkle in her eyes. Beautiful. She turned, grinning up at him. “You clean up good, look like James Bond.”
“That shirt looks nice on you.” The children bounded out in jeans and matching unisex shirts that looked practical. Ethan looked at them, then back at the reflection of him and Amber in the mirror. Cute kids. Too quiet, wonder what that man did to them. Interesting choice of clothes. Instead of puzzling his mind on the subject, he walked over to the woman at the counter and flashed a smile at her.
“You got a place where a man could get a decent car around these parts?” His tone was friendly, elbow leaning on the counter, acting like an old friend.
“Sure, stranger. Just up the road, a man called Ernie. Got the best vehicles in the state!” I’m sure of that. The thought ran through Ethan’s mind, but he smiled and thanked her before returning to the small family group.
“Let’s get ourselves some wheels.” Amber’s face turned slightly pale, but he held up a hand. “I got some cash, don’t worry about it. Need a darn car anyway.” They walked up the road to a junkyard of a car lot, where a man leaned against the telephone pole – a cigarette sticking out of his nearly toothless mouth. “You, Ernie?” Ethan’s voice rose about notch louder than normal, taking a powerful stance in order to appear larger in front of this man. Something told him, intimidation was the key to negotiation with the country drunk sitting there.
The man struggled up, dropping the cigarette out of his mouth and swearing. “Yeah. Who the crud are you?”
“None of your business, just a man who wants a good vehicle. Heard you were the man to deliver, unless you’re busy.”
“No, no.” Ernie’s stance changed, no defensive anger and raised hand. The figure slumped into an abject ball of a man trying to get on the good side of another. “What are you looking for, sir?” Even his tone had changed, from an angry shout to a polite, mutter.
“Something that’ll look nice, ride nice, and drive far.” Ethan stepped around the balls of trash and twine, stopping before a decent car – trashing for no apparent reason other than the fact that the gas gage read empty when he turned the key. “I like her, give you five hundred dollars.” He started low, intending to get her for around a couple thousand at most. Ernie whined about the price, pointing out that she was as good as new and offering to fill the tank, himself. They settled on a thousand cash, which the man tucked away inside some mysterious pocket in the worn vest. As they pulled away, he stood there chuckling and sure that the rich man in the suit had been ripped off.
“Why were you so loud?” Amber grinned at him from the passenger seat, leaning back against the black leather and enjoying the sun pouring the windows. She was enjoying the luxury of the vehicle, to her beauty-starved eyes it was wonderful. He kept driving in silence, not sure of how to reply. The volume and stance had been instinctual, not really prepared.
“Had a hunch he’d sell to a man with confidence.” His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror, miles of road behind them, empty. That made him happy, nobody to follow or bother them.
“Or a suit.” She retorted, laughing. The phrase made him tense, something poking the back of his mind from the past. His facial muscles twitched with nervous energy before the color began to recede to a haggard grey. Amber’s hand lay on his shoulder, no words for the situation. Then the truck appeared behind them on the horizon, creating a cloud of red dust.
5
The group of people sitting at the restaurant table were laughing, quietly, politely. There was a large fountain in the middle, imitating the goddess Artemis with her bow. Water poured out of the arrow in front of her harsh marble eyes. “Open the envelope!” A young man prodded his date who grinned at the woman across from her. Everyone leaned forward as the thick paper and plastic tore, revealing a thick sheet of paper with a large number printed on the front. The girl leapt up with a squeal of excitement, hugging the young man tightly. Several people gave the party annoyed looks, making them quiet down instantly.
“To Tessa, the smartest law student in the city!” The young man stood making the toast which everyone heartily agreed to and sipped their wine. An incessant beep stopped their merrymaking, all of them look at Morgen who was staring down at her phone.
“Sorry, tracking software for work.” Her face had gone ashen, hand shaking like a leaf and the other gripping the wine glass which she drained in a nervous gulp. Tessa leaned over to look at the phone screen which contained a red circle zooming in on a black vehicle speeding down the highway in Fort Smith Arkansas. It changed to a satellite photo of the area, then a close surveillance video of the occupants in the car. A man in a black suit, his blue eyes staring straight ahead at the road. There was a woman in traditional Spanish attire, her black hair glistening in the sunlight. Two children were in the back, but they weren’t being recognized by the facial software. Names popped up in the side bar – Ethan Ryde and Amber Waters.
“Who is he?” Tessa’s voice was low, quiet while her hand lay on the older woman’s arm. “A friend?”
“An ex-military officer who went off the grid ever since leaving the unit. My job was to hand over the belongings of the deceased, only one left…his. Still have it sitting on my desk.”
“Let’s get the message to him. Fred, you have the ability to run advertisements on the television, right? Give him someone to contact, a phone number or place.”
“Sure thing. Almira, give me his name and a phone number. We’ll just run it a couple of times for the next few days. A man traveling like that has to stop in a local diner, local news and federal news.” The group helped her work out the advertisement before leaving for their homes, laughing and enjoying the cool night. Tessa and Almira climbed into their large suburban, settling in for the drive home.
“He’s the one who meant something to you.” It wasn’
t a question, just a statement that Tessa had guessed from the few times that the older woman’s past had come up. “Who’s the woman?”
“I’m not sure. Ethan was a good friend, a good soldier. The best. But there were times that he made my job very difficult. A man like that isn’t meant to settle down, can’t. He’ll run for the rest of his life, however short that is. Too many enemies to last very long.”
“He’s got the look of a man who could handle himself in any situation. Those blue eyes are killer.”
“You have no idea.” Morgen thought back to her years in the service, the body count that sat in the folder labeled – Ryde. The cold, clinical way in which he handled each mission, sticking to the few rules that were necessary to stay alive. Never leave a man behind. Never betray your country. Finish the mission. That was it, except for the strict routine that he’d imposed on himself. Then the beautiful woman had burst into his life like a ball of fire, burning the rules and routine to the ground. It had lasted for a glorious eighteen months, even a child had been born. The retaliation of his own men had sent Ryde over the edge, killing without the honor that had distinguished his service before. Not a single man remained from that unauthorized mission. Now she was re-living that exhausting four months, not sleeping for fear that he would turn up dead or worse with a gun to kill her. After the killing, he applied for a resignation and was released from duty before they had a chance to talk. Here he was, driving down a road with a woman and children.
Water Page 2
