Reckoning

by R. S. Broadhead

  “He’s in the back room. Go back there while I get everyone somethin’ to drink.” I walked to the den with Steele on my heels.

  “You act like you haven’t been in this house before,” I told him.

  “I don’t want your parents to know I was here with you while they were out of town.” He rolled his eyes at me. “You know … using their washing machine because someone decided to get drunk at a party.”

  “Hey! You promised you’d never mention that again.” I scowled him. He started laughing at me. At least he was laughing; maybe his nerves were starting to go away.

  “Finally, you decided to grace us with your presence. I know you’re busy and all, but jeez,” Dad shouted at me as soon as we entered the room. He leaned back in an oversized tan recliner. Mounted animals hung around the room from the countless hunting trips he had taken over the years. He went all over the world to hunt, something he liked to call his ‘chill time’. I hated this room growing up because it always felt as though the dead animals watched me. It was very creepy.

  “You know … I thought today was a good day to let y’all be around my awesomeness.” He smiled at me until he saw Steele, and it abruptly disappeared.

  “You didn’t tell us you were bringing someone,” he said while sitting up in his chair. He ran a hand through his dark gray hair and walked briskly over to us. “Come on in, son.” He took Ollie by the arm and guided him to the couch. I sat beside him and locked my arm through his. “What’s your name?”

  “Oliver Steele, but you can call me Ollie.”

  “Nice to meet you. Did you go to school with Reese?”

  “Umm … not exactly.” Steele shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I taught one of the classes.” It was the closet thing to the truth he could say. My parents thought I went back to college instead of training with Fuzz. When I got the apartment, I told them I moved back into town.

  “What?” Dad’s eyes were on the verge of exploding out of his head. “So you were one of her teachers? Isn’t that against school policy or somethin’?”

  “I’m more like a teacher’s assistant.” Dad still didn’t seem satisfied with that response and sat with an ‘I smell shit’ look plastered across his face. Steele looked at me for help.

  “So what have y’all been up to lately, Dad?” I asked, changing the subject before he could pry any further.

  “Nothin’ much, hun,” my mother said. The ice clinked against the glasses as she rushed down the hall toward us. She set the tray down on the maple wood coffee table in front of us, which held glasses of sweet tea. She handed each of us a glass and sat down beside me on the couch.

  “Your mother bought me some MMA tickets for Vegas,” Dad said. He picked up his glass of tea and took a huge swig before continuing, “Can’t wait.”

  “Ollie’s into all that fighting stuff too,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah?” He gave him an approving look for the first time since Steele came into the room. “Do you just watch or do know how to do that stuff?”

  “I know how to do a little bit of it,” Ollie said.

  “Don’t let him fool you. He’s got a few black belts.” That got his attention.

  “Oh, you’re teachin’ me some moves.” Dad jumped up and grabbed Ollie by the arm, dragging him out to the back yard. I smiled at the successful bonding moment I created. I sat and talked with my mom until close to dark. I thought I would save Steele from my dad’s grasp, but found them laughing, playing a game of basketball.

  “All right guys …” I stepped out on the back deck. “We need to get goin’.” I received groans from them.

  “Reese, don’t be a stranger. Take care of my little girl, Ollie. She’s the only one I got.” My dad leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek and shook Ollie’s hand. “It was good to meet you.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, was it?” I asked him as we walked around to the front of the house.

  “No, it wasn’t. I’m glad I came. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a family like that. It made me miss the way mine use to be.” That was a sore subject for him. I knew it hurt him to think back to that part of his life. His mother left him. It would be hard for anyone to deal with.

  “Well, you just think of yourself as a part of our family from now on. It seems like they would rather have you than me anyway.”

  “Probably.” He smirked down at the ground. I tried to smack him in the arm, but he jumped back, just out of my reach. He walked me around to my side of the vehicle and opened the door. Before I could get in, he pushed me against the cool metal. He ran his finger down my jawbone and stopped at my chin. His thumb made slow circular motions before he pulled me to him to peck my lips. “Do you think that will ever happen for us?” he asked, looking into my eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I asked confused by his question.

  “A family. Your parents just seem really happy and all,” he replied looking at the ground and kicking something with his shoe. I hooked my fingers around two loops of his jeans and pulled him closer to me. His hand slid under my shirt in the back and began tracing my backbone.

  “When I was little, my momma always told to make sure the one I fall in love with was the one I end up marrying. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I do you, and I can’t see my life without you in it. That day will come for us.”

  “What if it was sooner than what you thought it would be?” he asked, looking back up at me. My heart rate increased. Was he trying to ask me right now?

  “Whenever it happens will be perfectly fine with me, whether it’s tomorrow or ten years from now.” He seemed happy with that answer and leaned down to kiss me. I held onto his arms, loving the way they felt around me. I couldn’t help but to let my mind roam to what that day would be like for us. Reese Steele. Ollie standing there with his solid black tuxedo and me in a strapless wedding gown, the thought sent goose bumps over my arms. I wanted it. One day I would make him mine forever.

  “REESE, WE NEED to get to the training camp now. Fuzz called and said there was some type of emergency,” Shayla said as we came back through the door of the apartment. Of course, this feeling of happiness couldn’t last. That, apparently, was too much to ask of fate.

  “He didn’t say what it was regarding?” Steele asked. His eyes were hard, and I knew he had converted into his ‘work’ mode.

  “No. He just said that as soon as you two got back we all needed to come out there. I tried to call, but it kept goin’ straight to voice mail.” She slipped on her shoes as Jace came bouncing into the room with a towel tied firmly around his freshly washed body. Shayla cocked her head and puckered her lips. “Why you gotta do that to me when we need to leave?”

  He gave her a smirk. “Last night and this mornin’ wasn’t enough, baby?” She shook her head, with a small smile on her lips. “I tried to get you to come get in the shower with me, but you just had to watch Cake Boss, didn’t you?”

  “Jace, you need to move your ass and get dressed. Aside from that I’m sure Reese doesn’t want to hear about y’all violating her apartment,” Steele said.

  “Oh, don’t even say that, Oliver Steele! Do you not remember pussy pie in my hallway?” Shayla exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch. “I’ll go make him get dressed.” She ushered him back into the bathroom.

  “You wanna go ahead and drive out there?” he asked me. I knew he was getting impatient waiting on the two of them. There was probably no telling what they were doing in my bathroom right now. Of course, I did dirty things in her bathroom, remembering the night Ollie and I got back together.

  “Guys, we’re gonna head on out there,” I shouted toward their direction. I heard a few bumps against the wall and some giggles, followed by Jace giving me an okay.

  “I’ll drive,” Ollie said as we made our way out to the Land Rover. I didn’t argue. I hated driving when something was nagging at me. I was nervous about what this emergency might be. Fuzz could have given a few details when he called. At least then I m
ight know what I was walking into once we got out there. Ollie drove like a crazy person, but that didn’t matter. I still felt like we weren’t getting there fast enough. After what seemed like forever, we finally pulled into the underground garage. I jumped out before he could fully stop the vehicle. I had the sickening feeling this was going to be something bad. I ran to the rec room and found it empty. I called out, but got no response. Where was everyone? Where was Sim? I thought he would have been there to greet me with his big smile and hug to piss off Ollie. I heard voices getting closer as the elevator doors slid open on the classroom level. I found a group sitting in the debriefing room. When Fuzz saw me, his eyes looked solemn.

  “What is it?” I asked, panicking. A quick glance over the room and I saw Sim was absent. Fuzz placed his hands on my shoulders. “Answer me, Fuzz!”

  “Sit down, Reese.”

  “I don’t wanna sit down. I want you to tell me what the crap is goin’ on. Where’s Sim?” My voice was getting higher as the worry increased. Everyone’s eyes told me something wasn’t right.

  “Sit, hunny,” Savannah said as she walked over to stand beside Fuzz. With a frustrated grunt, I did as I was told.

  “Now, I’m sitting. Please someone tell me what the hell is goin’ on.” Fuzz cleared his throat as he sat in a chair across from me.

  “This mornin’ Sim came to me and said he had some things he needed to go take care of. I told him it wasn’t a good idea that he leave by himself and he should wait until one of the guys could go with him. Of course, he didn’t like that and started giving me this speech about how he was a man and fully cable of takin’ care of himself. He saw that I wasn’t gonna let him leave because he could be in danger, so I thought he went back to his room. A couple of hours went by, and Payne came back in, so I told him to go over and grab him to take him wherever it was he was wantin’ to go.”

  “He wasn’t there,” Payne chimed in from the side of the room. He slouched back in the chair with one hand rubbing his chin.

  “We searched for him, and then we noticed his truck was gone,” Fuzz continued. He cleared his throat again and ran his hand over his mouth. “I had Dax review the cameras just to make sure he left on his own. We can’t be too sure with Casey knowing the whereabouts of this camp, even though we’ve changed everything over. The Magal that Derek has may have hacked into our system. After reviewing the footage, we saw he did leave out on his own, but someone was out there watching.”

  “What do you mean?” Steele asked from behind me. I didn’t even know he had come in.

  “I’ve suspected we were bein’ monitored for some time, but I wasn’t sure. No matter what I’ve tried to do to find someone or somethin’ out there, I’ve been unsuccessful. After we seen the video of him leaving, I was hoping he would return, and there wouldn’t be any harm done. After a few hours, I started to worry, and we received somethin’ that might be a little hard for you to take.

  “Oh, God, don’t let it be a finger or somethin’!” I cringed at the thought. Fuzz didn’t reply.

  “Are you ready for me to play it?” Dax asked from behind a computer.

  “Just in time for the show,” Shayla said. She and Jace bounced into the room and took a seat close to me. “What’re we watchin’?”

  “Shayla, you’d know if you two weren’t late gettin’ here,” Abby said.

  “I got here as fast as I could.”

  “Play it, Dax,” Fuzz told him. He punched a couple of keys on the board in front of him and a grainy video started playing. It was out of focus and shaky at first. Voices mumbled, their shadows bouncing off the walls. I took a deep breath and leaned forward, trying to see what was going on.

  “Hello, everyone … I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that your friend Sim Baker is no longer with you in your little hiding spot.” The voice sent chills down my spine. It was his voice. Derek had Sim. He walked in front of the camera, smiling broadly at it. “I have to say that’s a pretty impressive location you’ve carved out there, Fuzz, is it?” He chuckled slightly, as if enjoying an inside joke. I noticed Fuzz shift uncomfortably in his seat. “It’s always good to find out an old friend is here with me. However, you know that it’s pointless. Training your little team underground is a waste of time.” He walked closer to the camera. “I can’t be stopped.” He started laughing again and backed away.

  “Damn, that’s a crooked ass man,” Payne exclaimed. He now had his arms crossed and an irate expression. The camera turned, showing someone strapped to a wooden chair. Their hands bound behind them, their ankles tied firmly to the legs. An old, dirty cloth bag was draped over their head hiding their identity, but I knew who it was. We all did.

  “Sim was nice enough to come out for a ride when we found him.” He went over to the figure and snatched the bag off of Sim’s head. He started grunting and mumbling something. “I told you to shut up!” Derek brought his arm back and slapped Sim across the face with such force that it tipped the chair over.

  “That’s gonna leave a mark,” Jace said. Fuzz cut him evil eyes and glanced back at me. I was studying the video so hard, I barely paid either of them any attention. Two Valks came to Sim’s sides and picked the chair back up. He was now bleeding from one of his eyes to go along with the many bruises and cuts he already had. My chest heaved rapidly as I felt my blood pressure starting to boil. My fists clenched together, as I started to bite my lower lip. Sim’s head now laid over to the side, his eyes barely open.

  “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. We caught Sim leaving your hiding spot. I thought we needed to have a little chat and some bonding time together. You know, since he is friends with you, Reese. It’s time you and I meet. I’m here for a reason, and all you’re doing is making it take longer for me to get what I want. At first, it was sort of fun playing with all of you, but now it’s lost it flare. I’m bored. So come get me and your friend here, or we’re gonna have some fun with him. Aren’t we boys?” They laughed. “I’ll send another video soon with the location of where to come, so be on the lookout.”

  The video cut off, and everyone sat in complete silence. It was hard for me to stomach that he had Sim. I didn’t want to think about the fun they would have with him. It infuriated me.

  “What are we gonna do? Has the other video come yet?” Shayla asked. Her voice was strained with worry.

  “This is the only video that’s come so far. That’s why I wanted you to get out here as soon as possible. I didn’t know how long he was gonna give us to get where ever he’s hiding. My guess, it won’t be a long time frame,” Fuzz said.

  “He acted like he knew you, Fuzz. What’s up with that?” Steele asked, staring at Fuzz with raised eyebrows.

  “I think he has me mistaken with someone else, Steele. I’ve never seen that man before in my life until all of this started happening,” Fuzz replied coolly.

  “Did that place look familiar to anyone?” Raven asked.

  “It looked like they might be underground or somethin’,” Savannah said. She and Dax started pounding away at the computer, trying to find anything cave related.

  “Do you think he’s back at Kimbell Lake?” Shayla asked.

  “That didn’t look like anything we saw at Kimbell Lake. I don’t think he’d pick there anyway. We know exactly how to find that. I see him giving us somewhere that’d be difficult, so he might get his chance at actually killing Sim,” I said.

  “If he wants to do that then there’s really no stopping him from doing it,” Steele replied. He gently started massaging my shoulders to make me feel better. But nothing could, not until Sim was back here with us.

  I DIDN’T WANT TO ADMIT I was rattled over the situation. I was jumpy and anxious over possibly facing Derek again under these circumstances. Why Sim? What had he done to be involved in all this madness? The video played through my head repeatedly, and no matter how much I didn’t want to think about it, it was there. There was nothing I could do to get rid of it.

  “Obvi
ously they’re tryin’ to call us out, to face us, because we keep gettin’ in the way of whatever their plans are. I just wish we could figure out what the hell is goin’ on! It’d be nice to be a step ahead of this douche instead of two steps behind him all the time. He has to be one bad ass mo’ fo’ otherwise we would’ve done been caught him!” Steele said as he sat on the end of my bed waiting on me to get dressed. The only time he had left my side after we saw the footage was to rush to his room to get dressed and grab our weapons. I suppose he didn’t want me to flip out and run away to try to do this job on my own. After all, there was a strong possibility Derek wanted whatever was in me. Despite his hatred for Sim, Steele knew how much he meant to me and would do anything to keep me from hurting.

  “I’m just so ready to get my chance at him and Wheeler. I’ve killed him once before and I can do it again. It’s just that …” I stopped talking because I could feel myself trying to choke up.

  “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get him back,” he replied, rushing over to hold me.

  “No, it’s not that. I mean that’s what it should be, but I keep gettin’ the feeling that somethin’ isn’t right with this whole thing. Somethin’ is gonna go wrong. I just keep thinkin’ that I don’t wanna lose anyone else.” I pushed away from him to tighten the leather straps on my vest. He watched me with a serious expression and then grabbed my shaking hands to pull me to the bed.

  “I don’t think we have enough time for that,” I said, trying to make myself laugh.

  He smiled and shook his head. “You’re really one of kind, you know that, right?”

  “I try.”

  “No, you don’t try, you are. You’ve made me see how a person can give anything, just to see a smile on someone else’s face. The true beauty is all it takes for me to give you that, is just time being with you. You’re happy to be with me, and I can’t explain to you how that makes me feel. When I look at you, I have to ask myself how did I ever end up the one that she looks at like that? I literally feel like the luckiest man alive because I know there are a lot of guys that would kill for this feelin’ you give me. If it’s okay with you, I’d rather not let anyone else experience it but me.”