“Hopefully he’ll learn before I have to notify his mother that he’s never coming home.”
Ernie watched as the cop carried the scooter down the street. It couldn’t hurt to know where the police station was. By the time he turned down a side street, it Ernie had no doubt that he didn’t need to be concerned about police interference. This’d be the cleanest snatch and pop he’d ever seen.
“Hey, you got the time? My phone’s dead.” A scrawny looking teenager shuffled toward him.
He glanced at his watch just as he realized who the kid must be. “Yeah, it’s about time you got home and did your homework.”
“Jerk.”
If he hadn’t been looking, Ernie would have missed the wink as she shuffled down the narrow path between the flower shop and the coffee shop next to it. Kid probably got promised a good score for keeping an eye on the back entrance. From the looks of her, she knew how to play the game. He flipped open his phone and called Jenk.
“Kid’s here.”
“That kid is thirty-four.”
“She looks fourteen.”
“That’s how we want it to look too. Keep an eye on her. She’s good but she might need a little pick me up in a couple of hours.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“See anything suspicious?”
“The most exciting thing that’s happened since I got here was a cop confiscating a scooter from a kid.”
“Good. We’ll be there around ten. You’ll drive, so be ready to get in the van when it arrives. Is the girl still there?”
“Yep. As wasted as he looked, she’s either scared for him or waiting—”
“Well, she’ll have to settle for Del. Leo’s gonna be permanently out of commission in just a few hours.”
By nine o’clock, most of the businesses on Center and Main Streets were closed and empty. The Fox had cars parked in front and in back, and the Confectionary seemed to be holding out until after the late movie. Though an inconvenience for him, Ernie figured the additional after-movie business made it worth it for them on weekends. He took one last bite of his pastrami on rye and moaned with pleasure. He’d gotten it just as the old geezer had started to close the shop. He’d also taken a turkey on whole wheat to the kid in back—along with a little packet of white goodness to keep up her strength.
At ten-thirty, he saw the van cruise past again and lit a cigarette. The van disappeared around a corner. Ernie put out the cigarette and rolled it gently between his index finger and thumb. His eyes traveled to the theater. Bold lights announced that they were still open and the lack of people indicated they were still inside—no doubt enthralled by some stupid action movie that mocked reality with its overblown plot ideas and exaggerated effects. “Idiots,” he sighed.
Ten forty-five passed and again, he lit the cigarette as the van appeared. The wait became agonizing. He wanted it to end. Unlike many in Jenk’s organization, Ernie didn’t like fieldwork. He was a computer guy. He kept track of trends, enemies, and of course, their books. His girlfriend wanted to be his wife—one of those stay-at-home moms with a house in the suburbs and PTA meetings. If she only knew that he was the IT guy for the Kasimirs instead of a non-profit organization, she’d dump his sorry butt and he knew it.
Maybe it was time to take the plunge. Jenk wouldn’t send him on things like this if he had a family to worry about—well, he’d be less likely to anyway. Voices jerked him out of his thoughts and into the present. The movie was out.
He saw her. Alexa Hartfield passed him with a smile and a nod at his book. “Hope you enjoy it.”
“Hey, can you sign it for my girlfriend. I mean it’s signed, but if you’d add ‘to Sara,’ I know she’d say yes…”
The woman glanced around her and seemed satisfied that there were enough witnesses to risk pausing for a stranger. “Do you have a ring yet?”
“No. I just made up my mind to do it a few minutes ago.”
She nodded and pulled a pen from her funny antique-looking bag. He felt as if he had stepped into a time warp at the sight of the old-fashioned fountain pen and the dress that nearly touched the ground. Her hand scribbled something—something much too long just to be ‘to Sara’—and then Alexa Hartfield handed him the book. “Well, I hope I can congratulate you someday.”
“Thanks—hey, can you tell me what kind of dress that is? She’ll want to know.”
“Tell her it’s Edwardian—kind of an afternoon gown. You can find pictures online.”
“Thanks. I’ll Google it and find one.”
“I think,” she said, obviously trying to remember something, “there’s a picture of me in it on my website. Susie put up a gallery a few weeks ago, and I’m sure that this was among them.”
“That’s wonderful. Thanks.” The van passed again, but she still lingered. Del would be ticked—Jenk wouldn’t like it either—but he couldn’t do much about it.
Alexa Hartfield waved at him and continued on her way as if she talked to strange men about her clothes and their girlfriends every day. Then again, she probably did, but for him it just seemed weird. More people found cars and drove off into the night until at last, bare streets signaled time for action.
At midnight, half the streetlights went out, leaving only the ones on the corners. He punched out a text message while he hurried between buildings and found Jen. “You can go now. Here.” Ernie pulled another packet—larger this time—from his pocket and handed it to her. “Get home before you use. We don’t need cops out tonight.”
“Thanks.” She grinned at him. “You know, you’re cute.”
“I’m also not interested. Go before you become a liability.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and she took off down the alley just minutes before the van arrived. Without a word, Ernie jumped up into the driver’s seat the moment Del exited and shut the door behind him. He punched a remote to open the side door and waited as Jenk and Del climbed the stairs to Leo’s apartment. Kasimir enemy number one was about to become Kasimir memory number one.
Chapter Seventeen
Heat. She’d never make it. Leo watched as Allison developed grit he didn’t know she had in her and then wilted if she strayed from the door for more than a few minutes. Their “protectors” didn’t keep them under heavy guard—not during the day anyway. He had ideas about what night would be like, and he didn’t like the ideas he had. “Mark” was nearly there. Brian had gone outside with a pair of binoculars that had to be military issue and came back half a minute later, announcing probable arrival in fifteen or fewer minutes.
None of it made sense. Why would they create a temporary witness protection so secretively? The only reasonable answer was that they wouldn’t. This “Mark” was probably Jenk. It sounded like him. Mess with their minds all he could before he destroyed them. The thought made Leo want to vomit. What they’d do to Allison—his eyes glanced her way. Her confidence in their safety nearly broke his heart. He had to try to convince her to fight them with everything she had. Jenk would get ticked and overreact. Sure, strangulation or brain injury weren’t pain-free ways to die, but they were better than the alternatives he expected.
His mouth had stopped bleeding—mostly. He could talk for a couple of minutes without the gauze in there. The chopper would be there soon, and with it, Jenk and whomever else he’d bring. Bobby? Delano? Probably Del—the sickest of the bunch. Even Jenk hated to be around when Del got riled about something.
Leo beckoned her to join him outside and wondered at the dread on her face. Was it the heat? Probably. However, she might just hate knowing he didn’t trust their “benefactors” or that she thought he should be resting. Like a root canal and a wisdom tooth compared to what was coming. He could take a bunch of the painkillers. Even Keith seemed eager to dope him up. Maybe it would make the torture more bearable. It was something to consider anyway.
They walked a dozen yards and stood in the shade of a shed. Leo pulled the gauze from his mouth and shook his head when she protest
ed. “No, listen. If I’m right about what’s coming, this is going to get nasty and fast. If I’m wrong, who cares? Knowing won’t hurt you,” he hastened to add as she started to protest.
“Ok, I’m listening.”
“If Mark isn’t Mark—if he’s Jenk—then I can’t and don’t want to imagine what they’ll do to you. So, you have to fight and fight hard. He’ll threaten you, he’ll probably start to choke you or—”
The shock on Allison’s face stopped him. Maybe it was too much. Did he really have to terrify her like this? Memories of other “disciplinary action” stories assured him that he did. He’d never seen one, but he’d heard enough to know that she had to fight.
“Do you really—”
“Allison, if there’s one thing I know, it’s the Kasimirs. You have to fight, even if he hits you.” Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes and he swallowed hard, gagging on the rust-tainted saliva that had pooled in the corners of his jaw. “I’m so sorry, Allison. This is why I kept thinking I shouldn’t be friendly with you. It puts you in danger. Don’t you get it?”
“I think you’re wrong.”
“Well, great. Think it if it makes you feel better, but promise me you’ll fight.”
“Why? When I come to again, it’ll just—oh.” She swallowed hard. “You think he’ll get mad enough and kill me quickly.”
“Basically.” Leo glanced into the distance where a black dot grew a bit larger and a faint sound seemed to grow louder. “I bet that’s them.”
Allison watched as the dot grew closer and closer, before turning in an arc and slowly disappearing. “What—”
Brian stepped outside the house and beckoned to them. Confused, Leo shoved the gauze back into his cheek and urged her toward the house. “Ifs smotime.”
“But the helicopter is leaving.”
“Fomfing if mappening”
“Mark’s on the phone,” Brian said the moment they stepped inside. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I thought he was coming here.”
“He was, but he got word that things might be happening faster than we thought. He’s going to move your parents.”
Leo blanched. They overheard him. Somehow, they knew what he’d told Allison. They were going to use The Wahls for leverage. More people dead.
Lost in self-flagellative thoughts, Leo missed the beginning of the conversation, but when Allison began to cry, he lost it. Jerking the gauze from his mouth, he charged Brian with a roar. “You have got some nerve! These people did nothing to you! How—” Before he could get another word out, Keith slapped duct tape across his face. Leo glared at Keith while “Mark” tried to explain what was happening.
“Look, I don’t know how they found out about her, but they know Allison’s name, where she lives, goes to church—everything. We can’t protect the whole church and the whole town, but we can protect her parents.”
As Mark spoke, Keith removed the duct tape again and murmured low, “If it wasn’t for your dental work, I’d keep that tape there. Just listen.”
Despite months of prayer, practice, and reasonable amounts of success, Leo exploded in rage he hadn’t felt in a very long time. “Stop! Just stop. Torture me all you want and in any way you want, but Allison didn’t hurt you. She is innocent, and you’re killing her here. She believes this sh-onsense.”
“Leo!”
“Allison, he has reason to be skeptical. It’s ok. Really. Don’t worry about it. We’re not offended. He can hate us until the day we take him home. That’s ok. Our job is to protect you—not to be your friend.”
“No, it’s not ok. He’s being rude.” The quiet calm tones belied the anger Leo knew was beneath them. “He needs to apologize for yelling at you like that.”
“I—”
Brian shook his head. “No, he really doesn’t. I mean it when I say—”
“She’s right, Brian. He’s a Christian. We operate by different rules than you do. We’re not allowed to blast other people even if we feel justified.”
“Another reason I’ll stick to being a heathen dawg,” Brian muttered.
With the darkness after sundown, the world around them cooled. Tired of feeling smothered in the small house, Allison stepped outdoors and took a deep breath of air. She startled at a voice nearby.
“It’s beautiful in a weird way, isn’t it?”
Keith. He seemed like a nice man. “It is. I’ve only driven through it on a road trip once. It’s very different from an air conditioned car than it is when you’re surrounded by it without that refrigerated armor.”
“I like that. Refrigerated armor.”
The curtain behind them rippled and in her peripheral vision, she saw the head of a snake as the fabric closed over it. Leo. “I’m sorry about Leo. He really thinks you guys are here because of the Kasimirs.”
“Well, in a way he’s right. We are. It’s just that he thinks we’re going to help them hurt you. We’re not. We’re here to ensure they don’t.”
Twilight descended, Keith and Allison watching in silence as one by one stars appeared in the night sky. After a minute or two, Allison asked, “Is there some way to help convince him that we’re safe?”
“You know,” Keith began, “I’ve been on cases where I couldn’t tell a client why we were protecting them. At times like that, I want them to fight. I want them to be antagonistic and as uncooperative as they can be. I want them to try to escape and not think of me as a friend. It’s healthier that way. You shouldn’t trust someone who abducts you and holds you against your will.”
“But we know why, and wouldn’t it be an easier job for you if you didn’t have a thankless person making it that much harder?”
“Well, not that, no. I don’t really care if he doesn’t like or trust me. I don’t need his thanks and he can make it as hard as he likes—to a point. However, these people we’re fighting—they’re ruthless. If they managed to find us, and I don’t think that is possible, I would have the hardest job I’ve ever had on my hands. I’d have to protect you guys while fighting you and those trying to kill you.”
Before Allison could respond, the door opened and Brian beckoned for Keith. “Mark’s on the phone. They hit his apartment and they’re ticked that he’s gone.”
Keith stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. The silence of the night surrounded her as she watched the blue night turn inky black in a matter of seconds. A sliver of a moon hung over the mountains that towered in the distance. She pushed away from the house, her foot crunching in the sand, when the door opened.
“Don’t step away from the house without a flashlight. Snakes will be out.” It closed again, leaving her alone once more.
Without hesitation, she stepped back against the house again. What did it mean, “They hit his apartment?” Did they know Leo was actually gone, or were they expecting Leo to return? Were they waiting there to jump him if he returned? Would she hear if she went indoors?
The breeze blew warm air around her, tickling her face. It was so much cooler than the intense oven of that afternoon. Illogically, she shivered as if the cooler air were actually cool. The door opened again and Leo joined her.
“You ok?”
The previous day, she never would have done it, but Allison reached for his hand, pulling it from his pockets and wrapped her fingers in his. “I’m ok.”
Though stiff and a little awkward at first, slowly Leo relaxed and leaned up against the wall, adjusting his hand to support hers as it rested in his. “I keep trying, but I can’t figure out the angle. None of this makes sense.”
As she started to speak, Leo tried to protest, but she turned and covered his mouth with her hand. “No, listen to me. You admit it doesn’t make sense that the Kasimirs would bring us this far, not harm us, move my parents—”
“Mfee fone knoph.” She dropped her hand and he repeated, “We don’t know that they even have your parents.”
Her eyes stared into his for several seconds before she turned, freed herself from his
hand, and went inside. She ignored the sound of the door opening behind him and went up to where Brian and Keith were making plans with someone on the phone. “Is that Mark?”
“Yes, Miss Wahl, I am Mark. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you today.”
“You’re with my parents?”
“I am.”
She took a deep breath and said, “I want to talk to them.”
The refusal she expected never came. Instead, Mark asked her to “hold on” and called for Rod and Eva to come to the phone. She smiled at Keith excitedly as she heard her mother say, “Allison? Really? Rod! They’re going to let us talk to her. Is it safe?”
The next few minutes flew past in a cacophony of exclamations, laughter, and narrative of their respective removals. “I thought he was going to kill us!”
“He is,” Leo muttered, but Allison ignored him.
“Are you safe? Where—”
“They can’t answer that, Allison. Don’t mention where we are. It’s safer.”
“Allison, Mark says we can go home as soon as the police stop the Kasimirs. I was so relieved when they told me you were ok. Isn’t it weird to be thankful for someone who sort of kidnapped you?”
“It’s very weird. Maybe you should be a bit more skeptical, Eva.”
“Leo, you don’t have to be rude.” Allison took a deep breath. “Ignore him, Mom. He’s convinced that the Kasimirs have all year to play games like this for the sheer joy of tormenting us with their paltry attempts to make us comfortable in an unfamiliar place. It’s terrible.”
A phone buzzed in Keith’s pocket and he punched the button on, laying it on the table while Brian turned the other one off and pocketed it. Her eyebrows rose in question, but Keith shook his head and mouthed, “Later.”
“Did they—oh, well, I think it’s time to get ready for bed. I’m tired and I think Dad is too. Can I talk to Leo?”
“I’m here, Eva.”
“I know that I am ignorant of this gang you were in, but if they were as nice as these people, if they were as helpful and reassuring, I can see why you stayed with them. You said they beat you—your scars. Allison has described them to us. These people who have us did not give you those scars. They just couldn’t. The man is too apologetic for putting us through this. They wouldn’t bother.”
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