“You know I love you, right?”
“Yes,” Robert said involuntarily. In fact, James had never told Robert he loved him, but instinct told him it was the right thing to say.
But where was the medal?
“You know how I feel about you coming in here?” James asked. “I’ve told you before, right?”
“Uh huh,” Robert mumbled.
He found his father’s demeanor strangely calm given the circumstances. Then again, maybe he had not seen the medal or the broken display on the floor? Maybe it didn’t happen! Or maybe Robert’s mother cleaned it up shortly after?
That’s impossible, Robert thought. Mom is out shopping. Who picked it up?
“Then why”—James moved to the side and it was then that Robert saw all the broken pieces sitting in a pile on the desk—“is my medal outside its case, and the case broken and in pieces?”
Robert froze. He was caught. And all he could do in that moment was shrug his shoulders.
“You don’t know?” James asked incredulously.
“Uh-uh,” Robert said. His breathing now came in short, shallow breaths.
James inhaled deeply. Then he let out a long, slow breath.
“That’s okay.”
Stunned, Robert said, “It is?”
“Yep.” James moved closer to Robert. His eyes became large. “We’ll just have to find the person who did it.”
His jaw hung open, but Robert did not have words to respond. He was too shaken and surprised by the outcome. Should he have felt scared? Relieved? He didn’t know what to feel.
“Did you happen to see anyone in here today who maybe… shouldn’t have been in here?”
His jaw still hanging open, Robert shook his head.
“Hmm,” James said with great emphasis. “Then I wonder who it might have been.”
James looked around the room, out the window, toward the doorway and then at the floor.
Robert’s hands were clasped and he clicked his thumbnails together, nervously wanting to say something but not daring to utter another word.
James’ eyes twitched and settled on Robert.
“Are you okay?”
Robert nodded.
James crouched down until he was face to face with Robert.
“Are you sure? You seem scared about something.”
He shook his head.
“You know something, don’t you? It’s okay, you can tell me. I won’t be upset.”
Robert’s lips quivered and he knew his face was red as the tears he fought back finally broke through.
“I’m sorry!” he cried.
He threw himself into his father’s arms, but James grabbed his son’s wrists and held him at a distance. Robert had foolishly expected his father to hold him tightly in a forgiving embrace, but James did not let his son into his arms. Instead, he held him at arms’ length and stared into his eyes.
“So you do know what happened,” James said. His voice was still soft, yet somewhat… colder. “Did you knock it over?”
Robert nodded.
“Okay. Well, you know that was wrong, correct?”
Robert nodded again, the uncontrollable sobs causing his head to bob up and down quickly.
James finally let go of his son’s wrists. He then stood up.
“Well, I suppose you learned your lesson then, right?”
Robert looked at his father with sorrow in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, daddy,” he managed to say.
“Mm,” James offered.
He struck Robert in the side of the face, the meaty part of his open hand crashing into Robert’s small and unsuspecting jaw. The blow spun Robert around and almost knocked him down, but he remained on his feet. Shooting stars rolled through his head as he stumbled forward, and the room seemed to move in all directions. When he found his bearings, he was facing the door. He didn’t dare turn around.
He felt James’ footsteps fall ominously on the floor behind him as his father approached. He felt the displacement of air as James’ body moved close to his own. And he felt his father’s breath as he leaned in and spoke softly into Robert’s ear.
“Next time,” he whispered, “my hand will be closed.”
Robert tried to still his breathing, and waited for his father to dismiss him.
But before he did, James said, “And there will be more than one.”
Chapter 31
The Present
“How many are hiding?” James asked.
“Sounds like it’s just her husband,” Robert said.
“Sounds like it, or is it?”
He knew James was frustrated with their prisoner’s attitude, Shelly’s continued defiance toward him, and losing Ryan. James was never good at hiding his emotions, and even worse at trying. Robert reminded himself to speak to his father with more precision.
“That’s it. Just him.”
They sat in another room within the store, but away from the others. Their agreement regarding the containment initiative was that Robert would run his strategy and ideas through James only. James would then determine whether it was good or not, and if it was, he would also decide on who would deliver the message to the rest of the group.
Robert had begun to tire of this arrangement. He wasn’t comfortable with interrogating the woman, but James had insisted he come to the room shortly after he, himself, met with her first. As his father explained, “I’ll go in and try to scare her. If it works and she talks, great. If not, it’ll set you up to be the real terror. Think you got it in you?”
He didn’t have it in him, but he didn’t want to disappoint his father so he agreed. Not knowing how to appear more terrifying than his father, Robert let his mind go to a very dark place. It was so dark and he’d been there for so long, he was scared he might never be able to come back. He did not like how he had spoken to the woman. The threats, the horrible intentions…
“Good,” James said. “Then you’ll need a team.”
“I was thinking Me, Tom, Kyle, and Liam,” Robert said.
“And?”
“Oh…” Robert felt embarrassed for not thinking like his father. “You think I’ll need more?”
“Robert, get your head out of your ass! This is a mission you can’t fuck up. When you catch this guy, there will be NO margin for error. You will find him, eliminate him, and be done with it. No talking, no sparing time to get to know him. We need guns on him, and quick.”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll bring more.”
“Who else is out there?”
“Devin and Madison are still out there. Last I checked in with them, they were somewhere between the hut and the summit.”
When they first arrived at the mountain, they had separated into smaller groups in order to cover as much of the area as possible. The ground sensors and trail cameras multiplied their eyes exponentially, but there was nothing like a pair of human eyes and ears to catch activity if and when it occurred.
“How long ago was that?”
“Oh, it’s gotta be hours now.”
“Then check in with them again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who else?”
“There’s Bailey and Sawyer. Also Matt, Bernard, Tanner, and Tyler. They’re on the other side, over by Three-Oh-Two, canvassing that whole area.”
Route 302 was a busy stretch of highway that ran along the opposite side of the mountain. It would be at least a day’s hike back to central command, if not two.
“Okay. Leave them be.” Then, as if he second-guessed himself, he asked, “They haven’t reported anything yet, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Hm.” James rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Maybe we’ll call them in. We can always reroute them directly to the summit. Take less time that way. We probably already have enough resources, though.”
Robert was confused.
“We do?”
“Yep. You’re taking Ryan’s dad with you.”
Robert’s concern grew.
The last thing he needed, on top of having to find and execute some lone wolf, was the responsibility of keeping Sam McKenzie from trying to kill Liam over the death of his only son.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Robert asked.
James glared at him.
“Are you questioning my judgment?”
“No, it’s just… the man is a wreck, Dad, and understandably so. Are you sure he won’t try to hurt Liam? We are carrying guns.”
“Liam will be fine,” James said. “Peter is here.”
Robert never made friends with Liam in the past, but over the last few days he’d come to realize that Liam’s father was not a supportive figure.
“Yeah, but Dad… Peter--”
James stood slowly and scowled at Robert. His breathing had become loud, deep, and menacing.
“There will be no questioning the mental stability of my men. Do you hear me? I’m also going to ignore your attempt to condescend me.”
“Dad, I swear… I wasn’t--”
James pointed a finger.
“No. Now you listen. You’re taking Sam. And you’re taking Tom, Kyle, and Liam. You will meet Devin and Madison on the way, and together you will all find this man and kill him. Do you understand?”
Frustrated, Robert sat quietly.
“Let me ask you one more time,” James said. “Do you un--”
“I got it, Dad. I got it.”
“Good. Now let’s get out there and tell them what’s going on.”
They stood to leave with James leading the way, but before they reached the door, James turned around.
“Who knows,” James said, “maybe several hours of Liam’s presence might inspire Sam to do some killing.”
The smile on his face turned the acids in Robert’s stomach.
Chapter 32
Liam danced on clouds as moments and words from his conversation with Shelly replayed in his mind. At times he felt optimistic that their ‘story’ would have a happy ending. A story that began—without either of their acknowledgement—back in high school, then suspended and lay dormant for nearly a decade, and now seemed to have restarted again.
He felt energized. Invigorated. He wanted to move on their plan now, but he knew they could only move as fast as Robert and the rest of the team allowed.
In time, he thought.
And then—
The door swung open and he heard footsteps emerge from the store. He spun on his heel, hoping to see Shelly again. Peter stood there, and Liam’s moment was ruined.
“Mind if we talk?” his father asked.
Liam said nothing and reluctantly welcomed his father with an open hand gesture.
He watched his father walk down the steps and into the parking lot with his head down, nervous to look his son in the eye. It was an unexpected change to their father/son dynamic. For all the years he’d been alive, Liam was always the acquiescent one, afraid to match his father’s temper. Now it felt like Liam had gained the upper hand in their relationship, and while it wasn’t something in which he took any pride, he was strangely comfortable in this new position.
When Peter stood only a few feet away, he said, “Look, I don’t want to head out on this mission with the way things ended earlier.”
“And how exactly did it end?” Liam asked. He sensed he knew what his father was going to say, but he still wanted to hear the words come from his mouth.
“Well, you know…” his father began in a tone that indicated he didn’t want to rehash the entire argument from before. “I just want us to go up there on good terms.”
“Why, Dad? So you don’t have to feel guilty if I end up getting killed?”
“Come on, Liam.” His dad looked worn out, and Liam took no pleasure in seeing him this way, but he was also annoyed, seemingly at his son’s newfound tenacity. “Cut me some slack, please?”
“Why should I?”
And just as Liam expected Peter to say, ‘Because I’m your father,’ Peter surprised him.
“Because you can tell me I’ve been wrong your entire life when this is done, but right now I just need some slack.”
He had been unprepared for his father’s admission and, for the first time, Liam was the one without a response. Luckily, the silence didn’t last long.
“I know I’ve been a terrible father,” Peter continued. “Maybe if your mother had been around, I… I don’t know.”
“Don’t bring Mom into this,” Liam warned him. “I never knew her. And I don’t know what it’s like to have a mom because you never dated. Which is fine…”
“I thought it was best for you and your sisters if I just remained single.”
“Right,” Liam said quickly. “And how’d that work out for everyone?”
Peter’s breathing sounded like a low growl and Liam expected a blistering retort, but Peter took a few more breaths and seemed to relax.
“That’s fine,” Peter said calmly. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, none of which I’m proud of. But you kids are all I’ve got now--”
“We’re all you’ve had,” Liam cut him off. “We’ve been here the whole time. And where have you been? Huh?”
Peter said nothing and only stared at Liam, his eye twitching erratically.
“Were we not good enough for you?” Liam pressed. “Did we not meet your expectations?”
“Stop it!” Peter barked. “You kids were wonderful. You are wonderful. I just wanted the best for all of you.”
“Mm hmm,” Liam muttered. “Best for us, or best for you?”
Peter sighed heavily. His anger was still hot, and although Liam was comfortable continuing the dialogue, he’d said enough. He’d stated his piece and his father heard him, for once.
Giving up, Peter swung his arms at his side. “Well, I tried.”
“Yep,” Liam replied in an apathetic tone. “Thanks for the effort, Dad.”
“Goddammit!” Peter closed the gap between them and his nose was now inches away from Liam’s. “I won’t ask you to understand my choices. In fact, I haven’t asked anything of you in a long time! So I’m asking now. I’m begging you, let’s just work together on this and we can sort out everything else when we get home.”
Peter’s face was twisted with anger, but there was also a bit of desperation, and Liam couldn’t help but feel somewhat remorseful. Perhaps now wasn’t the time to act harshly.
“Sure, Dad,” he said. “We’ll work together.”
“Thank you,” Peter breathed, as if convincing Liam required every ounce of strength he had. “I’ll see you inside.”
“Yep,” Liam said as his father walked back toward the store.
At this point, Liam was content enough to simply drop the matter. His focus needed to be on the mission—Shelly’s mission—and fighting with his father had already zapped him of enough energy. The core of Peter’s final argument had been a good one—there would be time to talk after all this was over.
Or there wouldn’t be.
Chapter 33
Shelly walked into the store where the men were getting ready. Tom was packing rounds into a magazine; Kyle was loading full magazines into the pockets of his vest and looking lost while doing so; Sam McKenzie held a long knife—serrated on one side, razor sharp on the other—in one hand and twirled the business end into the tip of one finger. He stared quietly ahead, devoid of emotion and anger; thoughts of killing, perhaps, running through his head.
This is it, Shelly thought.
Then she saw blood spill from Sam’s finger in slow drips and pool on the floor, and Shelly immediately knew he was a liability.
She found Robert checking his own weapons and storing them on his person.
“Hey,” she said as she approached.
“What’s up?” he said without looking up.
“Oh, nothing. Just wanted to come in from the cold.” She took another look around. “Looks like you guys are all set.”
“Yep.” His voice carried no energy and he sounded unenthusiastic abo
ut the mission.
She stepped around to speak to him so only she could read his body language… and so she could keep a watchful eye on Sam while she spoke.
“Just curious,” she whispered. “Is Sam going with you guys, or is he staying here?”
“He’s coming,” Robert said with a much fuller voice.
Shelly winced. “Shh, I was just watching him and… he doesn’t look fit for this.”
“Yeah, well… my dad says he’s coming, so he’s coming.”
“Right,” she said. “Did you ask him about--”
“Look, Shel, I’m not a fan of his coming along, either, but it’s my dad’s call. Not mine.”
She surmised he had spoken privately with James sometime between their last conversation and now and knew it had not gone as Robert wished.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Robert sighed heavily. “Where is this going, Shel? Is there something you want to know? Because I have a lot of prep to do before we head out.”
Several heads turned in their direction and she felt embarrassed. The last thing she needed was to have an open argument in front of the group. If she pressed the issue and argued further, it might fuel a lack of trust amongst Robert’s team, and she needed Robert to feel confident about his leadership, and them about their leader. Otherwise she risked putting Robert into a compromising position, which could lead to another man taking charge on the summit. She had a plan for how to control Robert; she was completely unprepared to control any of the others.
“Nowhere,” Shelly said. “I’m just worried. It’s important that we get this done right and get it done quickly. I’m not doubting you or your father. I guess I’m just nervous for you guys. That’s all.”
Robert scoffed. “Well, there’s nothing to be worried about.”
“You’re right,” Shelly said.
She then stood there quietly thinking of her next move. As Robert continued with his preparation, she thought about Grace in the other room, about what might be going through her mind, and if she truly trusted Shelly.
Had she said enough to prove to Grace she meant everything she said about getting off the mountain alive? And if they didn’t survive, will Grace have believed Shelly tried everything she could to accomplish their goal?
Dead Summit: Containment Page 16
