Kong tossed his highlighter on the table and rubbed his eyes. “No it’s not.”
“Sure it was the gas?”
“Yeah, that and she took down two targets on the upper floor by herself. From the looks of her face when we got home it didn’t go well. She got the job done but the hard way. I’m guessing it took more out of her than she realized. Then you add in that damn gas and I think she just got disoriented.”
“Lowe, there were two confirmed kills last night.”
“Two?”
Walt nodded his head. “One found outside the building, one found on the first floor.”
Kong banged his fist on the table. “Fuck, she killed him.”
“Yeah, I gathered that from my talk with Campbell and Underwood last night. They seemed just as shocked.”
“You obviously haven’t told her yet ‘cause she’d be a mess right now.”
“No and I don’t plan to. I suggest you don’t say anything either. She’s been doing this work for years and never lost control to the point of taking a life.”
“She said last night she hasn’t been working out the way she did before we moved in together. She thinks she’s getting rusty. That’s why she’s out there right now working herself into the ground.”
“Maybe she’s right,” Walt muttered.
Kong’s head snapped up. “You think it’s my fault she lost control last night? You think my moving in with her has slowed her in some way that I’m putting her life in danger?” He fisted his hands. “Is this the way it’s going to be Cannon? Every time she has a slip or a bad reaction to something I’ll carry the blame?”
Walt stood. “Nothing like this has ever happened to her before, ever. Now from my point of view you’re the only thing that has changed in her life. Where would you place the blame?”
Kong folded his arms across his chest. “You wanna pin this on someone then pin it on yourself. It was your gas we used and your gas she reacted to. You’re the high and mighty one. Why didn’t you know what it would do to her?”
“Don’t pull that shit with me, Lowe. I know her better than anyone else, better than you ever will and don’t you forget it. I was the one who raised her, trained her and held her when she had nightmares.”
Not one to be outmatched, Kong stood, folded his arms over his chest and jutted out his chin. “You really want to do this Cannon? You want to have a pissing contest over her?” he asked stepping out from behind his desk, growing more agitated by the second.
Kong’s first reaction was to go head-to-head with the man who raised the woman he loved, the man who saw her through the most tragic times in her life. He respected Cannon for that. As the seconds ticked by the respect beat out the anger.
“Well I won’t. I respect her and you too much. You think you know her so well, fine. I’ll concede to it. I wasn’t there when she lost her family or woke in a sweat from a nightmare. But I am now and that’s something you’ll have to get used to.” Kong returned to his chair, sat and continued studying the map.
When he glanced up at Walt, the man stood with his face void of expression. It seemed he had been prepared to battle over her. Now he was left standing without a fight. He sat back down at his desk, opened his file and stared blankly at it.
Kong smiled to himself. He’d managed to one-up the great Walt Cannon. It was a win for his column, one of many he hoped.
“Lowe.”
“Yeah.” Kong replied without looking up.
“You’re right. I…ah…I have to get used to the idea that she has someone else who cares about her as much as I do. I’ll forget from time to time.”
“I’ll remind you,” Kong said with an evil grin.
“I’m sure you will,” Walt mumbled.
“There are my two favorite men,” Sam walked in, her skin dewy from a hot shower.
Both men looked up with warm smiles.
“I thought maybe I could get you two to take me to lunch,” she said sitting on the edge of Kong’s desk.
Kong looked over at Walt. “Why don’t you and your uncle go? I have to finish making amendments to this map then I thought maybe I’d find Ricochet and Boomer and grab something with them.”
“Oh, okay.” Disappointment was at the edge of her voice.
Walt cocked his head to the side with question in his eyes. “You sure you don’t want to join us, Lowe? I think Sam was planning on having both of us accompany her.”
Kong stood and walked around the desk to Sam and slid his arm around her. “I get to have dinner and breakfast with her everyday. You two haven’t spent much time together. I think she’ll forgive me,” he said and then placed a tender kiss on her lips.
“He’s right, Uncle Walt. We don’t get to talk much anymore.” Sam returned Kong’s kiss and then hopped off the desk and went to her uncle. “I’d like to find out what you’re up to these days besides business.”
“Well then I’ll tell you over…how about a nice, thick sub?”
“Sounds good to me. See you later, Mark,” she said walking out the door.
Walt stopped and turned to Kong. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped and simply nodded before leaving.
Chapter Four
Boomer stepped out of his second shower for the day, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He was looking forward to hanging out with Ricochet tonight even though he had no intention of picking up a woman.
He chuckled to himself. Ricochet would surely have at least two women on each arm before the night was over. He considered himself a ladies’ man and with good reason. Women couldn’t resist his charm.
With the dream still looming in his brain, Boomer walked to the phone and dialed his brother. When the connection was made he started typing on his TTY.
“Hey it’s Ben. Who’s this?”
“Your worst nightmare.”
Boomer laughed. “Hey Mike, what’s up?”
“I should be asking you, we haven’t heard from you for a while. I thought you forgot about us.”
“How could I forget about my little brother?” Boomer typed. “Besides, you could call me, you know.”
“I’ve tried but you’re never home.”
“About that, my boss is getting a TTY at the base so you can contact me whenever you want. You can even leave a message. He has a part-time secretary who I’ll show how to use it.”
“That’s great. So tell me about your last mission, I take it that’s what you’ve been doing the last couple of days.”
Boomer groaned. He hated this part. “Can’t tell you, Mike. This one was top secret. Average Joe can’t know about it.”
“Average Joe, hunh?”
Boomer cringed. He had used the wrong words. “Sorry, didn’t mean that, Mike. How’s the family?”
“Excellent. Marissa is getting straight A’s at school and wants to know when Uncle Ben is going to visit. Jen has her hands full with teaching and tutoring not to mention running Marissa to dance and soccer but she loves it.”
Boomer sighed. He envied his brother. He had the perfect life with the perfect family. “Sounds great, Mike. You have the perfect life don’t you, little brother?”
“What about you Ben, anyone special you can tell us about?”
Ben rested his fingers on the keys of the TTY. It was always the same answer when he asked and tonight he’d hear it again. “No one special.”
“Are you dating?” Mike typed.
“No, but Ricochet’s dragging me out tonight to a club.”
“Remind me to thank him the next time we see each other. If it weren’t for him you’d turn into a hermit.”
“That’s funny, Mike, real funny. I’m not that bad.”
“Maybe not but I worry about you. You spend too much time alone. I’ll tell ya, Ben, there’s nothing like the love of a good woman.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Mike. Someday I’ll find one.”
“Okay, I won’t nag you anymore about it, at least until the next time. Je
n says hello and wants to know when we’ll see you again.”
Boomer scratched his head. “I’ll check and see when I can get some time off and then I’ll let you know. I better get moving before Ricochet thinks I bailed on him.”
“Okay Ben, take it easy.”
“Mike, if you need me for anything don’t hesitate to call the base okay? I mean it, anything at all.”
“Okay I will.”
“All right, little brother, I’m going. Give Jen and Marissa kisses and hugs for me. Tell them I miss them.”
“They miss you too. Call me and let me know when we’ll see you.”
“I will.” Ben disconnected and sat for a moment relieved there weren’t any problems with his brother or his family. Whatever the dream was about it didn’t have anything to do with Mike. He could enjoy his evening without that hanging over his head.
A warm rush of air brushed by his face. This was getting weird. He was seeing strange lights and now he was feeling things. Maybe he needed a vacation.
He looked at the clock and decided if he didn’t get moving he’d have Ricochet hanging over his head. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, button-down shirt and then rolled up his sleeves. After splashing on a touch of cologne and headed out the door.
When he reached the club it didn’t take long to find Ricochet. In one of his trademark bright shirts, orange tonight, and with his boisterous voice he was the center of attention with four women surrounding him. Boomer hesitantly made his way toward the spectacle.
“Boomer, hey man where ya been?” Ricochet screeched reaching out and shaking Boomer’s hand.
“Had something to take care of first.”
“Well you’re here now. Hey meet my friends. This here is Jamie,” Ricochet said pointing to a young woman with shoulder length brown hair wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a tight green tank top. “And this is Tanya, Crystal and Kara.”
Boomer nodded his head at all the ladies.
“Get yourself a drink man and let’s have some fun.”
Three of the girls giggled while Jamie fixed her eyes on Boomer. Discomfort spread from his toes to his gut, stopping to churn his stomach before traveling to his chest, fluttering his heart. He turned and headed to the bar.
As he stood waiting for his beer he could feel eyes boring into his back. He turned slightly to see Jamie, her eyes directed at him, sipping a light amber liquid on ice. When her tongue darted out and caught a drop of the liquor on her tongue, he quickly turned away.
He’d seen it before, been a victim of it before, a woman on the hunt for a husband and not that particular about who he is. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he recalled one specific woman who tried to trap him with the all-too-common lie of being pregnant. Luckily Kong had seen her a short time later boozing it up in a bar and laughing with her friends about how she had caught her man.
Her alcohol-loosened lips had revealed she’d have to get herself pregnant soon before he caught on. When he’d confronted her about it she’d turned on the waterworks, confessing, telling him it was the only way she could think of to keep him from leaving her.
His well-contained temper had broken free. By the time he’d finished hurling nasty names and threats of his own at her she’d been more than relieved to be rid of him. He’d promised himself to be more careful about women who showed too much interest too fast.
The bartender slid his beer across the bar. When Boomer grabbed it he took a big swig before turning to find Jamie crossing the room to him. The beer turned sour in his stomach, rising, burning his throat.
“So is Boomer your real name?” she purred up at him.
Boomer chanced a look down into her eyes and then took another gulp of beer. Oh yeah, he could see it in those vivid, green eyes. She was looking for a permanent relationship, the kind that included “honey do” lists, constant phone calls asking where he was when he didn’t come home at a reasonable time and a whole host of other things he wasn’t sure he wanted right now.
“No, my name is Ben. Boomer is my call name for my job.” He answered without emotion.
“What kind of work do you do?”
“I work for a private company that resolves problems for people.” It was basically the truth but if he elaborated on it he knew exactly what would happen.
She’d become a groupie, taken in by the glamour of him playing the hero, saving the world and never leave him alone. When he was younger he’d thrived on that kind of attention. Nowadays he wanted nothing to do with it.
“So you’re a problem solver?” she asked in a husky voice.
“You could say that.” Boomer looked around and found Ricochet dancing with the other three women. He tried to catch his eye for help but Ricochet was busy gyrating around the dance floor.
“Why don’t we sit down and talk a while,” Jamie said slipping her arm through his.
Boomer froze for a second and then relaxed. He could talk. Talking was safe as long as he was careful about what he said.
“Sure.”
When they sat down Jamie pulled her chair close to Boomer, crowding his personal space. He sat as far to one side of the chair as possible. The talk was simple, she told him about herself, her life, her exes and what she wanted for her future. Mostly Boomer sat and half-listened watching Ricochet add to his harem of women.
Boomer jumped when Jamie’s bare foot began sliding up and down his leg.
“What happened to your lip?” she asked reaching out and rubbing the pad of her thumb across it.
Boomer backed away as far as he could. “Just a misunderstanding with a colleague.”
“He must be strong,” she countered moving closer to him.
“It was a she and she is.” His legs muscles were coiled ready for a quick get a way if she moved any closer. His eyes scanned the dance floor and caught Ricochet looking and laughing at him.
“A she? What the hell did you do to her to get a split lip?”
He noticed she backed away, the look in her eyes not as endearing as before. This was a good thing, if she thought he was a letch or bully she’d back off.
“I grabbed her,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I see.”
When her chair slid across the floor and she stood he felt the pressure in his chest release. He could finally take a deep breath.
“Well, it was nice talking with you. I think I’ll go see what my friends are up to.”
Boomer watched her walk away in somewhat of a huff and smiled. When she joined Ricochet and the rest of the ladies on the dance floor he knew he was in trouble. It wasn’t long before Ricochet came toward him with a hint of hostility in his eyes.
“What the hell did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Then tell me why that pretty little thing thinks you’re a brute who goes around harassing women?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He tried for an innocent look on his face but when Ricochet glared at him he knew it didn’t work.
“The hell you don’t. Man, I told her all kinds of good stuff about you. She’s been eatin’ out the palm of your hand,” Ricochet said as he took a seat at the table.
“I can get my own women, Rico. I don’t need your help.”
“Yeah, that’s why you’ve been playin’ with those damn explosives instead of playin’ with females. I’m beginin’ to think you don’t like women all that much.”
“I like women just fine. I just don’t like women with an agenda,” Boomer snapped.
“Oh I get it. This has something to do with that one who tried to trap you into marryin’ her. Come on, Boomer, they aren’t all like that. Give her a chance.”
Boomer leaned across the table toward his friend. “There’s a look in the eye when they’re on the hunt. She,” he said pointing toward Jamie, “had the same look the other one did. I won’t be taken in again.”
Ricochet looked across the table at Boomer. “Okay, I get it. I’ll stay out of it.”
>
“Good.” Boomer sucked down the rest of his beer and slammed the bottle on the table. “I think I’ll go home, I’ve had enough fun for one night.”
“Sorry man, I was just tryin’ to help.”
Boomer stood. “I know you were. See ya tomorrow.”
* * * * *
Boomer walked with stealth-like movements through the darkness, his rifle held tightly in his hands. His heart hammered so hard his blood roared through his ears. Urgency drove him forward. He had to get inside the large, three-story building before it was too late. Something bad was going to happen. He could feel it in his gut, the way it twisted and knotted.
His jaw clenched when he heard a door slam up ahead of him. Time was running out. He could not fail this mission.
His pace quickened, each step taken just as carefully as before. A pungent odor wafted through the light, fall breeze. He knew that smell, was intimately familiar with it. It was a chemical concoction that would leave nothing but a crater in the ground when it exploded. His lips curled like an angry beast. He had to get inside.
With his gun poised and ready to fire, he ran toward the building. Mere feet away, he felt before he heard the massive shock wave that violently threw him back to his starting point. Fiery debris rained down around him. Where was his team? Were they safe? What about the hostage?
Boomer clambered to his feet, rubbing his eyes trying to see through the thick, burning smoke. Off in the distance he heard the saddest sound he’d ever heard. Heartwrenching wailing that cut through the thick air and sliced into his heart leaving deep wounds that surely would never heal.
His soul ached with a loss that was indescribable. Why, he didn’t know, but he had to get to the source, now. He slung his rifle around on his back and ran, jumping and dodging burning piles of building. Ahead he saw Kong, Sam and Ricochet, their shoulders slumped, their faces racked with grief.
The wailing grew louder, more tortured, as he slowed passing by his team. His knees buckled and his breath lodged in his lungs. A stream of tears spilled from his eyes and trickled down his face dripping off his chin in a sooty mixture.
There in front of him protruding from underneath a large pile of rubble was one tiny, ghostly white leg. Next to it the source of the heartbreaking cries. Her hair completely burned away from one side of her head. Her blackened skin peeled away from her bones as she rocked back and forth, her grief overcoming her physical pain.
Boomer's Fall Page 5
