Ripple Effect

by L. T. Ryan

  She noticed Jack following her stare toward the house.

  “He knows we’re coming for him,” Jack said.

  “Probably.” Sadie tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear to keep them out of her eyes. “If he didn’t watch the fight go down just now, he probably knew the minute we said Spero had run off.”

  “I’d hoped there was some tension between them that gave Goddard reason to doubt him.”

  “Minimal. Spero’s loyal. He didn’t always agree with Goddard, and he didn’t always keep his mouth shut about it, but he was here on Goddard’s dime. From what I knew about him he wasn’t going to throw away that opportunity for his pride.”

  “The power of the almighty dollar, I suppose.”

  Bear started toward the house. “We going in through the house or around back?”

  “What do you think, big man?”

  Bear’s tactical brain kicked on. “Smartest thing to do would be to split up. You and Sadie go around back. Confront Goddard. Keep him busy. Try not to get killed. I’ll head inside, take out whoever’s left. Set myself up in a high window and make sure Goddard doesn’t get a chance to try anything smart.”

  Sadie exchanged a look with Jack. She wished they had Javier’s men on their side right about now. But there was no time to call them in. They couldn’t wait any longer. The time was now.

  “Sounds good to me.” Jack started off for the side of the house.

  Bear nodded and stayed low as he charged toward the front of the door. He moved with grace and agility. Shocking considering his size. He was through the entrance with minimal commotion.

  Sadie followed Jack around the side of the house. The manicured shrubs and trees provided plenty of cover, but that worked both ways. Where they could jump from bush to bush, making sure they weren’t seen by any patrolmen, those same men could be lying in wait for them. The pair crept forward slowly and deliberately, ears perked for any snapping branches or rustling leaves.

  Halfway down the side of the house, Jack stepped back and pushed Sadie into the bushes. She clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn’t cry out in pain as a sharp branch scraped against her injured arm. She glared at Jack fighting against the urge to unleash the stream of profanities that she screamed inside her head.

  Jack held a finger to his lips then pointed ahead of them. A pair of men were jogging around the side of the house, presumably to find out what was taking the other team so long to bring the body to Goddard. Jack locked eyes with Sadie. She nodded, acknowledging in that silent glance that she’d follow his lead.

  When the men were a few feet from the hiding spot Jack stepped out and clotheslined one of the guards with the end of his rifle as though he were swinging for the fences. The man let out a gargled scream as he fell back to the ground.

  Sadie popped out and slammed her foot into the other guy’s groin. He bowed forward and she teed off on his face. Two quick blows sent him over to the side, his hands wrapped around his shriveled testicles.

  Both Jack and Sadie aimed their firearms at the men’s heads. When Jack didn’t pull the trigger, she looked up. He was peering off into the distance.

  “We gotta keep quiet,” he said. “Maybe we can get the jump on Goddard.”

  Sadie looked down at her target. “Works for me.” She raised her weapon and smacked the man in the temple. His eyes shut and his body settled back just as Jack did the same to the other guy. They dragged them into the bushes and continued down the side of the house.

  When they reached the corner the pair stuck as close to the siding as possible. They took a moment to catch their breath and listened for any clues as to what was going on out back. They locked eyes after a minute. Sadie nodded to indicate she was ready. Jack nodded back and eased around the corner in an attempt to get a lay of the land before they charged forward.

  Sadie sensed something was wrong even before she realized that Jack had frozen in place instead of leaning back so he wouldn’t be seen. His body went rigid. Hers mimicked his despite not knowing the source of his shock. That didn’t last long. Jack dropped his rifle and stepped away from the corner of the house. Then a voice filled the air.

  “You can come out, Michelle. I know you’re there.” It was Goddard. He sounded far away as though he was shouting across the lawn.

  Sadie stepped up behind Jack. Her gaze narrowed in on the man who held a silver revolver with an eight-inch barrel to Jack’s head. She recognized him as one of Goddard’s trusted bodyguards. He was always nameless. Probably preferred it that way. Perhaps he would be the guy who would take over Spero’s position if things worked out in their favor.

  Don’t get your hopes up, bud.

  “Bring them around,” Goddard called out.

  The man took a couple steps back and gestured with his revolver. Jack and Sadie stepped around him into the backyard. A sprawling lawn stretched to the flowing river with hedges and flowerbeds placed strategically throughout. Goddard sat with his right leg crossed over the other. An orange umbrella covered the small circular table. A sweating pitcher of water sat in the middle alongside three empty glasses. Goddard sipped from a fourth.

  Two men dressed in black pants and shirts watched the back door to the house. Sadie didn’t recognize them. There were usually different men at the house. Guys Goddard hired on a per diem basis. Another guard stood behind Goddard with his rifle at the ready. Despite the standoff and Sadie’s betrayal, the senator sat there with a smile on his face as he traced lines in the condensation rings left behind by his glass. There was a manic gleam to his eye.

  “I really should’ve known better, right, Jack?”

  “You really should’ve,” Jack said. “Christ, with the amount of time you spend with those slimeballs—“ Jack held up a finger, “—I’m sorry, your fellow politicians, you’d think you could spot a snake in the grass.”

  Goddard’s smile spread, he turned to Sadie. “You were the biggest surprise of all, my dear. Everything we’d gone through over the years. Did it mean nothing? How could you betray me for an old friend?”

  Sadie shook her head. “Jack? I barely know the guy. It’s been, what, a couple of days?”

  Jack counted on his fingers. “Sounds about right.”

  Goddard’s grin finally dimmed. Sadie reveled in the shock on his face.

  “You didn’t figure that part out yet? The part where it really did mean nothing to me. How does it feel knowing you’d been played since the day I came into your life?”

  Goddard rose quickly, his knee catching the edge of the table. It tilted to the other side then crashed back down. The water inside the pitcher splashed onto the table, but the senator paid no mind.

  “You’re lying.”

  “I can get my creds for you. Or maybe I’ll call Langley and you can verify with my handler.”

  “Handler?” Goddard grabbed the back of his chair and steadied himself. The weight of the situation fell upon his shoulders. The CIA had been onto him, watching him, for years now. There would be no escaping this situation.

  Jack stepped forward. He paid for the advance when that long revolver smashed against the back of his head. His legs went out from under him and he collapsed to his right knee. He grimaced and sucked in a long breath of air to counter the pain and clear his mind. The jolt radiated across his head and down his neck. “As fun as it is to see you processing all of this, Senator, I have to say we’re on a bit of a time crunch.” Like a boxer in his last heavyweight fight, Jack forced himself back to his feet to take another swing. “You’ve got no more moves left. Give it up.”

  “I can still have my guys put a bullet in your brain.”

  Jack shrugged off Goddard’s threat. “You can. But then you’re killing a federal agent, and you’re not getting out of here any time soon. The CIA has a folder for you. Other agencies do, too. You think you’re gonna beat this? No government is gonna harbor you. Your career is over. Your life is over.”

  “Then what’s the point of drawing this out.”
>
  Sadie saw Goddard’s gaze slide to the right. He gave a curt nod. There was a moment’s hesitation and then thunder cracked the air. She flinched, fearing another round would explode from the revolver meant for her.

  Except it didn’t come from behind her.

  The shot rang out from two floors up.

  Behind her a body hit the ground. There was another shot. The man to the side fell. Before she turned back, another pop sounded and the guard behind Goddard fell.

  Jack grabbed the revolver from the dead guy and aimed it the two sentries posted by the back door. In the confusion of the moment they hadn’t moved.

  Goddard froze in place. A span of ten seconds passed. He charged back under the umbrella. He was as good as dead, but he was correctly banking on the fact that they didn’t want to kill him just yet.

  Sadie scanned the second-floor windows and spotted the barrel of Bear’s AR-15 resting on the sill. From that vantage point, he couldn’t hit the two men stationed outside the door.

  “One of you take him out!” Goddard shouted. The one on the right turned and ran inside.

  Sadie called out to warn Bear.

  The other guard raised his weapon, but before he could take aim his body jerked three times, coinciding with the three shots Jack fired into the man’s chest. He fell backward, crashing through the French door.

  Jack stalked toward the senator, revolver raised. He paused long enough to see how Goddard would react. The politician was just that; he was no soldier, no hero, but he stood his ground nonetheless. Jack lowered his pistol and stepped up to him, eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe.

  Thomas Goddard didn’t shrink.

  So Jack pistol whipped him across the face and brought the man to his knees. He took a step back and aimed at Goddard’s forehead.

  “The point of drawing this out, Senator,” Jack said, “is because we have a few matters to discuss before I blow your skull off.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The ringing in my ears persisted for several seconds following the shots. I spotted Sadie on the lawn. She was warning me about an incoming guard. Son of a bitch should’ve known better after what had happened moments ago.

  The door stood open to the quiet house. The buzzing subsided second by second. Through the open window I heard three gunshots, followed by a dull thud and then Jack talking to Goddard.

  Inside the man thundered up the stairs as though he were trying to win a race. He stopped at the landing, heaving heavily in an attempt to catch his breath. There was a chink-chink sound as he racked his pistol’s slide.

  I backed into the corner, out of view. Pulled the rifle up and zeroed in a few inches in front of the doorway. There was no reason to do it quietly. But it’d be quick. One bullet to his head.

  He shoved his arm into the room, but his aim was off. I steadied my breathing, long and slow. My finger rested on the trigger. Beads of sweat slipped from my hairline. I resisted the urge to wipe my forehead. His foot breached the threshold, then his torso, and finally his head. He caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye. A second later I put a bullet through it.

  I grabbed his shotgun, left the room and descended the stairs. The drone in my ears made keeping myself tuned into any little sounds a challenge. A quick scan revealed that the rest of the house appeared empty, but something pulled at me and gave me reason to pause. There had been plenty of men guarding the house, but something still seemed to be missing. As I hit the ground floor I paused with my hand on the banister. Goddard was never on his own, but that didn’t necessarily mean his guards were always present.

  He had a very dedicated personal assistant who was always at his side.

  I recalled the guy named Jordan. PDA in hand, Jordan had never been more than a few feet away from his boss. So where was he now? I closed my eyes to better tune into my surroundings. The house groaned and creaked and popped. It was a large structure and the rising temperatures would have that effect on it. But it wouldn’t cause the floorboards to creak in quick succession, as if someone were hurrying across them to get to the front door.

  My eyes flew open and I launched myself forward, skidding to a halt in the foyer the second Jordan had entered from another direction. He cried out and tried to turn the other way, but his momentum threw his feet out from under him and he slipped and crashed to his knees. His ever-present PDA went skidding across marble floor and bounced off the wall. A spider web of tiny cracks covered the screen.

  I grabbed it from the ground with one hand. The other gripped Jordan by the back of the collar and hauled him to his feet. He was so light he actually went airborne for a few seconds. His legs went weak and he couldn’t stand on his own. I dragged him along with me toward the back of the house.

  Jordan gasped at the sight of the dead guard at the exit. I kicked the remaining French door open, threw the man outside. He skipped along the concrete like a smooth stone on water.

  Jack stood in front of Goddard, his pistol trained on the man. He raised his free hand and pointed at me. “All good in there?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Found this little weasel trying to sneak out.”

  Jack nodded. The tension in his face eased. His lips twitched into a half smile, which faded almost as soon as it formed.

  This was our mission and it was finally coming to a close.

  I grabbed Jordan by his mane and crossed the grass. I tossed the man down next to his boss and placed the PDA on the table. A glass of water waited there. I downed it in three gulps then poured another and polished it off.

  “Keep an eye out,” Jack said.

  I took a moment to take in the scene before me. Goddard was on his knees, sweat tracking down his temples, gun to his head, fear in his eyes.

  “What do you want?” Goddard asked.

  “What’s your passion, Senator?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s a fairly straightforward question. What’s your passion? I like to travel. I can’t stay in one place for too long. I get antsy. I’m not a very nice person when I get antsy.” Jack turned to me. “What’s your passion, Bear?”

  I didn’t miss a beat. “Steak and beer.”

  “See, Senator? Easy question. What’s your passion?”

  “Helping the American people and—”

  The giant revolver cracked through the relative silence. Jack put a bullet three inches to the right of the senator’s knee. It left a hole in the ground an anaconda could’ve slithered through. Goddard flinched, tears tracked down his face. He must’ve thought he was above something like this ever happening to him. Jordan was shaking uncontrollably. Jack moved the gun back to point at Goddard’s head. “Cut the bullshit. What are you working on back home? What’s your passion project?”

  He took a few shaky breaths, exhaled loudly. “I-I’m working on a pipeline project.” When his words were met with a blank stare, he continued. “It would carry oil down from Canada into the Mid-West. I’ve been getting a lot of push back from other members of Congress, but we’re on the verge of getting the last holdouts to sign up.”

  “You blackmailing people into voting yes?”

  Goddard shifted uncomfortably.

  “Don’t lie to me, man. It won’t end well for you.”

  “Yes.” Goddard closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, I could see the cogs starting to spin. “It’s going to go through. It’s going to bring thousands of jobs to America. It’s going to make us less dependent on the Middle East.”

  Sadie crossed her arms. “How safe is it?”

  Goddard’s silence was response enough.

  I turned to Jack. “Same old shit, man. Either side of the aisle, It’s all about the money. Who cares who gets screwed over in the meantime.”

  Jack chewed his lip. “You think this is it? You think this is what Thorne has his eye on? If Goddard’s death gets back to the U.S. before the pipeline gets the go-ahead, all those people he blackmailed will be off the hook. Why does Thorne want it to go throu
gh so badly? What does he get out of it?”

  “Who’s Thorne?” Goddard asked.

  “Someone who likes you even less than we do, apparently. Only he’s not getting a paycheck to put you in the ground.”

  Goddard’s eyes lit up with a renewed sense of hope. “I can pay you. Let me go, tell them you killed me, and I’ll double whatever you’re pulling in now.”

  Jordan looked over at his boss. He had a look on his face that said he believed the man could save them.

  Jack lowered the revolver. When a smile spread across the senator’s face, Jack shook his head. “You’re going to die. Just not by my hand.”

  When Jack held the firearm out to his side, Sadie stepped forward and grabbed it from him, then walked up to Goddard, stopping a few feet short. She aimed at his head. The barrel was so long it was dangerously close to Goddard’s reach. No one missed the flash of anger in his eyes.

  “I spent a long time dreaming about this day, Thomas. The Agency shackled me, though. The mission was superior to morals.”

  “You bitch.” He spat in her direction but the glob of saliva made it about an inch past his lips before diving and crashing on his chest.

  “I’ve seen the things you’ve done,” she said. “Trust me, this is a mercy.”

  “I never pulled a trigger.” He sliced his hands out in front of him. “I never killed anyone.”

  Sadie didn’t budge. “You might’ve never pulled a trigger, but you’ve killed plenty of people, Senator. I’ve got the numbers. I’ve got the evidence. I could put you away for a thousand years with as much as I’ve gathered on you.”

  “So why don’t you?”

  “You’d find a way to worm your way out of it.” Sadie widened her stance and tightened her grip on the revolver. “Besides, some people just don’t deserve a second chance.”

  When the shot rang out Jack and I didn’t flinch. The tension eased out of Sadie’s shoulders. The bullet went in between Goddard’s eyes and took the back of his head off as it exited. She lowered the gun only after the senator’s body fell back and hit the ground.