The Initiative: In Harm's Way (Book One)

by Bruce Fottler

  “Things change.”

  “Whatever,” Carlos said with a snicker and shook his head. “So, what about you and that job offer? Going to grab the money?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “No shit. Why?”

  “Something hinkey about it.”

  “Trap?”

  “Probably.”

  “Okay, Maxie. Your call. Something else will come around.”

  The game started, and as everyone thought, it was a close, low-scoring contest. It was highlighted by a two-out shoestring catch by Carlos in center field to prevent a run from scoring. He gracefully pulled in a catch that everyone was convinced would fly over him. Carlos had amazing athletic talent, which left some wondering if he intentionally allowed certain catches to appear difficult in order to show off.

  In the last inning, down by two runs, Tom unleashed a towering solo home run to pull Calvary Bible within a run. Two outs later, with the bases loaded, Ralph cracked a hard liner that was sure to go between third and short. The Belmont third baseman went nearly horizontal and got a piece of the ball, which deflected it directly to the short-stop. It was an easy throw to first base for the final out. Calvary Bible had been within a hair's breath of winning.

  The teams congratulated each other and marveled over the final play. It was sure to be talked about for many seasons afterward.

  “Nice game!” Susan acknowledged to Sam with a big hug as they walked back to their cars. “You guys almost did it.”

  “Almost,” Sam echoed in a discouraged tone.

  “Oh, come on, now,” Susan scolded. “It's not like you lost big. It came down to one play.”

  Sam smiled and gently patted Susan on her shoulder. “You're right.”

  “Of course I am.”

  Sam took a quick look over to Laura, who gave him a warm smile.

  “Hey, Sues, I've got a little something to take care of. Thanks for coming. I always love to hear you scream from the stands.”

  Susan glanced over to Laura and then back to Sam. She leaned into him and quickly whispered in his ear. “Go get her, tiger.”

  Sam turned to Susan in time to see her give him a clever smile and a wink. She turned and changed her direction towards Ron and Tom. Sam also changed direction and soon found himself walking beside Laura.

  “Close but a great game, Sam,” Laura affirmed with a genial smile.

  “Thanks, but we should have easily won. It shouldn't have come down to one play like that.”

  “But close games are much more fun to watch, even though you lost.”

  “Hey, um, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. Could I give you a ride home? I think I saw you come with Emily, right?”

  “Yeah, I did. Give me a second and I'll tell her I'm getting a ride home with you.”

  After letting Emily know, Laura walked with Sam to his car at the far end of the parking lot. Sam's mind raced to contrive small talk in order to segue into what he really wanted to ask, but he simply couldn't think of anything to say. Laura strangely didn't seem to mind the silent stroll. She was captivated by the sky, which was glowing in red and purple hues in the gathering clouds. The sun was a large orange ball that started setting behind a thick haze that still hung heavy in the air.

  Completely unnoticed by anyone was a nondescript sedan with tinted windows parked in an adjacent parking lot. Its lone occupant occasionally snapped pictures through his powerful zoom lens. His attention was fixed on Sam and Laura as Sam put his softball duffel-bag into his trunk.

  Sam pulled out of the parking lot as the sunlight faded. Laura watched the dwindling sunset as Sam carefully navigated the traffic past the fire station through Bedford Center. Laura eventually decided it was time to break the uncomfortable silence.

  “I'm actually glad we got some time alone. We need to discuss something.”

  Sam perked up. “What's on your mind?”

  “It's about Carlos and Angela. I'm a little concerned about her getting involved with him.”

  Sam relaxed himself. “Oh, I see.”

  “She told me you gave her a green light.”

  “Well, more like a thumbs up.”

  Laura snickered. “Really?”

  “Carlos and I have been buddies since college. He's a nice guy and pretty harmless.”

  “Look, Sam, I don't mean to insult your friend, but I get a certain vibe from him that I don't think would be healthy for Angela to be involved with.”

  “What sort of vibe?”

  “That he's looking to get something more from her than she should give.”

  “What guy isn't?” Sam tried to joke.

  “Exactly. I think Angela's smart and capable, but a little unwary. She's used to getting attention through harmless flirting. The guys in our group are used to this, but it's because they know her. They also know there's a line not to cross and they've always respected it. I don't know if Carlos is the type who'd understand where that line is, or if Angela would know how to deal with that kind of guy.”

  “Isn't that selling her a little short?”

  “Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way. It's the pragmatic side of me talking.”

  “Well, I warned him to be very careful with her.”

  “I hope that's enough.”

  “Look, I know she likes to flirt, but that's just Angela being Angela. Carlos knows how to read that. He's had plenty of experience with it.”

  Laura snickered. “That's what I'm worried about.”

  “Sorry, that didn't come out right. He knows the boundaries.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I'll make sure he behaves. I don't want to see her hurt, either.”

  Laura smiled. “I appreciate that about you. I think you're one of the few guys that wouldn't take advantage of the situation if you were put in Carlos' shoes.”

  “Thanks, but to be honest, she's not quite my type.”

  “So, what is your type?”

  Sam replied with a perplexed expression.

  Laura chuckled. “Too abrupt of a transition? Sorry, I was just guessing that's what you wanted to talk to me about, right?”

  Sam let out an exasperated sigh. “So, who talked? Ron?”

  “No one needed to give you up. I've been sensing a certain vibe from you lately.”

  “You have a thing for vibes, don't you?”

  “I'm pretty good at reading them.”

  “So, what's this vibe telling you?”

  “That you're interested in something more.”

  “Okay, does that go both ways?”

  Laura paused and allowed a subtle wince. “Sorry.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Sam, I've really enjoyed getting to know you and I value the friendship we have. I think you're a real nice guy and fun to be around.”

  Sam sighed. “But?”

  “I'm very flattered, but I really think we should stay friends.”

  “Was it something I did?”

  “It's just that I think we're coming from two different worlds. I'm serious about keeping to certain standards that I think you'd find too hard to deal with.”

  “Is this about my old girlfriend?”

  “I could never get into that kind of relationship with anyone. I took a vow that I'd save myself for marriage.”

  “I'd respect that. I'm really not looking for something physical anymore.”

  “It's more than just that. We're not on the same page when it comes to our beliefs.”

  “So, this is all about religion and God?”

  “That can't surprise you. You've been around us too long.”

  Sam went silent, stewing in frustration.

  “I'm sorry, Sam,” Laura said softly, breaking the awkward silence. “I'm extremely pragmatic about relationships. I'm often accused of taking the romance out of dating.”

  “You don't think romance is important?”

  “It's nice, but I just don't trust it. Feelings can betray.”

  “Sounds
like you've been burned. Old boyfriend?”

  “Look, I'm being blunt because I really care about you and don't want to string you along. Right here, right now, I don't see anything happening between us.”

  “Well, sorry about all this. I'm feeling embarrassed about bringing it up.”

  “There's nothing to feel embarrassed about. We're two adults having a frank conversation about the state of our relationship. I'm glad we had this talk. Now we can remain friends without all the weirdness hovering over us.”

  Cambridge, Massachusetts

  “Well, that sucked!” Carlos blurted. “You got friendzoned.”

  Sam slowly nodded as he took a drink of his beer. They were sitting in a booth at a pub near Harvard Square while Sam described his talk with Laura.

  “Then I just drove her home, came to your place, and here we are.”

  “Brutal night. First we lost the semi-finals, then you got shot down. On that last part, I hate to say I told you so, but Maxie, I fucking told you so!”

  Sam raised and tipped his beer to him. “You did.”

  Carlos smiled. “Thanks. Now, can we both get shit-faced and have a few laughs over it?”

  “Not in the mood.”

  “Hey, she's not worth a pity-party.”

  “I know.”

  “So move on. Get back in the game.”

  “At least she was polite about it.”

  “Aren't they always? It's like they want to keep us handy in case they change their minds. To be honest, I hope she never does.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she's a smug bitch who thinks she's too good for you. It's all part of that church group's holier-than-thou bullshit. They're all just a little too fucking good for everyone else.”

  “Oh, come on, they're not that bad.”

  Carlos rolled his eyes. “It's all fine and well for you to share a house, pay the rent, join in some of the fun, just as long as you stay away from their chicks.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “That you caused a serious disturbance in the force when they found out you wanted to make a move on Laura. Then, snap, all of a sudden your church homeys are trying to cock-block you.”

  “How do you see that?”

  “Wow, Maxie, you're slow. I sniffed that out without even being there.” Carlos paused and pointed his finger to his forehead. “Think about it for a second, Einstein. Ron and your musclebound roommate, Tweedledum-shit, made a pathetic attempt to veer you off to the little gymnast, which should have sent up all sorts of red flags. Meanwhile, who the hell knows what bullshit they've been sayin' to Laura about you. Wanna bet she came to them just like Angela came to you? But I'm sure those assholes didn't stand by you like you did for me. They probably scared her away with Nikki stories.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Jesus, do I need to draw you a picture? Because Ron's trying to make a play for her!”

  “Ron? He's not even interested.”

  “Who told you that? Ron?”

  Sam took a long drink of his beer. “I've been living with those guys for a couple of years and they've never tried to pull shit like that on me before.”

  “Because you've always minded your own business and picked up your chicks elsewhere. Maxie, you're just not part of their program. Never were. Never had a chance. Know what I mean?”

  “What about you and Angela?”

  “The whole reason I took a run at her is because I don't think she's quite as stoned on the church Kool-Aid as the rest of them, besides being insanely hot.” Carlos paused and smiled. “Okay, mostly because she's insanely hot.”

  Sam shook his head. “I don't know. I just can't see these guys doing this to me.”

  “Please,” Carlos sarcastically pleaded. “Have a couple more beers to make it clearer.”

  “Actually, I'd better back off. I have to drive home.”

  “How about showing the same good judgment by moving on from that group?”

  “Not ready to do that.”

  “Okay, Maxie. Your call, but please do me a favor and watch your back. You might think their shit doesn’t stink, but I've never really trusted those church homeys of yours. They're like anyone else. They're going to protect their own.”

  Bridge House - Lexington, Massachusetts

  “I feel awful about it,” Laura confessed.

  “It had to be done,” Ron reassured. “I could go back over all the reasons why.”

  Laura was sitting with Ron and Tom at the kitchen table recounting her talk with Sam. She had come over to check on Sam, but found he wasn't there and grew concerned. “You don't need to.”

  “And yet there's still some doubt?” Tom asked.

  “I just feel like I should have given him a chance. He's really done a lot of changing.”

  “Think about what he had going with his old girlfriend,” Ron said. “Remember, it wasn't that long ago.”

  “Yeah, it should tell you what was ahead if you two started dating,” Tom added. “Try to picture the awkward situations that would've put you in.”

  “Trust us,” Ron implored. “We know him. He's not there yet.”

  “Yeah,” Tom agreed. “We really like him, but he's not ready for you. Give it more time.”

  Laura looked at the clock. “It's getting late. You think he's okay?”

  “He's fine,” Ron replied. “But you'd probably better get going. I'll let you know if anything's up.”

  “Okay, thanks, guys.” Laura rose, picked up her purse, and left them sitting at the table. The door closed and there was a minute of silence before they heard Laura's car door open.

  “Are you really sure about this?” Tom asked as her car engine started. “You know I have your back, but Sam's our roommate, too. He's a good guy.”

  “I know, but she's just not experienced enough to deal with someone like him.”

  “Maybe, but I feel like we just stabbed him in the back.”

  “He'll get over it and move on to someone else.”

  “Like Sues? That was totally lame. He saw right through that.”

  Ron smiled. “Hey, it was just to get him thinking that there are other possibilities.”

  “So long as it's not Laura, right?”

  Ron's smile faded. “What's that supposed to mean?”

  “Why not show the same concern for Sues?”

  “Because he's not after Sues,” Ron rebutted with an annoyed tone. “Look, we're just protecting a sister from something she's not ready to handle.”

  Tom slowly nodded. “It's all good, but I really wish you'd do me a favor.”

  “What's that?”

  “Tone it down. You enjoy being right too much.”

  Lexington, Massachusetts

  It was lightly drizzling as Sam drove up the main road. As he approached Bridge Street, he saw a car turning out ahead of him, heading away. Between the blurred swipes of the windshield wipers, he saw it was Laura's car. This left him anxious to find out why she'd been at the house. His curiosity swelled after noticing that the kitchen lights were still on as he parked his car in the driveway.

  “You guys are up late tonight,” Sam said as he entered a short time later, finding Ron and Tom sitting at the kitchen table.

  “What happened to you?” Ron asked.

  “Just out celebrating our loss with Carlos.”

  “We were wondering,” Tom added. “You usually end up back here for a shower.”

  “Anything going on?” Sam asked.

  “Nope, we're just sitting here commiserating over the game,” Ron answered in a feeble tone.

  “Yeah, we missed having you here,” Tom asserted in an equally unconvincing manner. “Misery loves company.”

  “Hey, we saw you drive off with Laura. How did it go?”

  Sam hesitated. “We're staying friends.”

  “Ouch,” Ron blurted with a dubious wince. “Sorry I was right about that.”

  “Hey, buddy,” Tom added. “It was proba
bly for the best. Plenty of other fish out there.”

  “Well, what's done is done,” Sam said in a resigned tone. “I'm heading up for a shower. See you guys in the morning.”

  “Goodnight,” Ron replied with a smile, and then gave a slight nod to Tom as soon as Sam turned away.

  Sam headed upstairs and closed himself in his bedroom. He paced for a minute with unsettling thoughts racing through his head. What Carlos earlier suggested was starting to make clearer sense, despite the beer-buzz that fogged his mind. Ron and Tom said nothing about Laura coming over while he was still away, and their incredulous display of faux sympathy made it much worse. For the first time, his long-trusted roommates seemed to be working against him. He suddenly felt completely alone. His anger swelled, and after some additional thought, it eventually yielded to resolve.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Wednesday, June 29, 1994

  Blanchard Corporation - Chelmsford, Massachusetts

  Christine strode down the hallway with a cheery smile. She turned a corner into Walt's office, first encountering his secretary.

  “Is he available?”

  The secretary picked up her phone, made an inquiry, and soon waved Christine by.

  “Good morning,” Christine announced as she entered Walt's lavish office. His attention was focused on his large CRT monitor.

  “You're in a happy mood today. Good news?”

  “I just heard from Sam Maxwell.”

  Walt glanced at his calendar. “Damn, you didn't make that bet with me, did you?”

  “I had a feeling you'd be right about him. He accepted the offer with one curious stipulation.”

  “Oh?”

  “He wants us to provide him with temporary housing until he finds a new place to live in the area.”

  Walt leaned back in his chair with a bewildered grin. “Isn't that interesting?”

  “I told him I'd check first. It's a request we typically don't accommodate unless it's a relocation. His commute up from Lexington hardly qualifies him for one.”

  Walt thought for a few seconds before yielding a smile and a nod. “Give him what he wants.”