Noah Wolf Box Set 2

by David Archer

  “I can’t wait till tomorrow to see you,” Sarah said, putting a bit of whiny sound in her voice. “It’s been too long—I need to be with you.”

  Noah chuckled. “Okay, but just be careful. If you start feeling too tired, you stop and get a room somewhere. Understand me?”

  Sarah laughed. “Yes, Daddy,” she said sarcastically. “Come on, Rex, you know I can drive. How many times do I drive all the way to Texas to see you?”

  “About twenty,” Noah said, the answer instantly coming from the backstory he had been given. “But that was an even longer drive, and you always stopped about halfway. I just don’t want you to overdo it and end up in an accident.”

  “I’ll be careful. How’s the new job going?”

  Noah made a coughing sound. “This kid can be a royal pain in the ass,” he said. “I’ve been driving him around all morning, and now it’s getting close to lunchtime, so we’re on the way to pick up his girlfriend at school. I guess he wants to take her out to lunch.”

  There was a burst of laughter and a protesting sound that came through Noah’s phone. “I gather he’s in the car with you now?” Sarah asked.

  “Yep. I can’t escape the little jerk, but at least his daddy is paying me very well.” He laughed again. “Actually, Ralph isn’t that bad. Pretty smart for only being nineteen years old.”

  “I seem to remember you being pretty smart when you were that age. You guys probably ought to get along pretty well, then.”

  “We actually do. Although if he tries to buy my car one more time, I may just stuff him in the trunk. Other than you, Black Beauty is my number one pride and joy. I’ve been trying to explain to him that she isn’t for sale, but he doesn’t like taking no for an answer.”

  “Yeah, well, I expect he’ll lose that attitude pretty quickly with you around. Tell him I said to be glad he isn't married to you. You tell me no a whole lot more than I like.”

  “I only have your best interest in mind,” Noah said. “You know I try to give you whatever you want, within reason. I mean, I even went out and bought you a house. I’m afraid you’re going to get spoiled.”

  “Hey, spoiling me is your job, now. Don’t act like it’s such a burden—you love it and you know it.”

  “I do,” Noah said with a chuckle. “And I love you.”

  “I love you more,” Sarah said. “Ha! Gotcha!”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Yeah, you got me that time. You win. Listen, babe, we’re about to pull up at the school. I’ll give you a call this evening, after I get off duty.”

  “Okay,” she replied. “Talk to you then. Love you.”

  “Love you more,” Noah said, and then he ended the call before she could reply.

  In the Charger, Ralph was looking in his direction and grinning. “That your girlfriend?”

  Noah shook his head. “Wife,” he said. “We’ve been married a little over three weeks, now. She was my girlfriend in high school, and when I went to the Fed joint, she waited. Used to drive all the way down to Texas to come see me every couple of months.”

  Ralph gave him a lascivious smile. “Federal prison, huh? Did they give you like, conjugal visits, that kind of thing?”

  Noah rolled his eyes and laughed. “No, you don’t get that in the Fed. At least, nobody I ever heard of did. Maybe that’s something you only get if you’re a snitch.”

  “That could be right,” Ralph said. “Wouldn’t surprise me, anyway. Here, turn in here.” He pointed to a driveway that pulled in behind the school. It led to a parking lot filled with cars, and Noah drove the Charger off to a fairly empty area, off by itself. Shawn pulled in beside him and powered down his window.

  “I want you and Jake to get out and stand either side of us,” Noah said. “Look for anything out of the ordinary, but don’t open fire on anybody unless they fire first. Just watch, and be ready for anything.”

  Both men nodded as they got out of the car and took up the positions Noah had indicated. He watched them until he was satisfied that they were able to keep most of the area under observation, then turned to Ralph. “Call your girl and tell her to come over here,” he said. “I don’t want you getting out of the car with so many hiding places around us.”

  Ralph rolled his eyes but took out his phone. “Hey, Darlene,” he said when she answered. “Come out to the back parking lot. Look for the most incredible black car you’ve ever seen, and that’s where you’ll find me.” He listened for a moment, then chuckled. “Trust me, baby, you’ll know it when you see it. And hurry up, we don’t want you to be too late getting back to class.”

  He put the phone back into his pocket and turned to Noah. “She’ll be here in about three minutes,” he said. “You care if we get into the back seat?”

  Noah grinned. “I don’t mind, but keep your clothes on back there. I don’t want to have to disinfect it.”

  Ralph burst out laughing. “Man, you’re cool,” he said. “If I gotta have a babysitter, I’m glad it’s you.”

  “It won’t be me all of the time,” Noah said, “but I’ll be with you a lot during the day.”

  Ralph nodded, then pointed out through the windshield. “There she comes,” he said. Noah looked in the direction he was pointing and spotted a pretty blonde girl. She looked young, and Noah turned his eyes back to Ralph.

  “How old is she?”

  “Sixteen,” Ralph replied. “Her daddy is the mayor. We’ve been dating for about a year and a half now, though. It’s cool.”

  Noah shrugged and said nothing. When the girl got close, Ralph stepped out and flipped the back of the front seat forward, then offered her his hand as she climbed inside. A moment later he was settled in beside her and made the introductions.

  “Rex, this is Darlene,” he said. “Baby, this is Rex Madison. He’s my new bodyguard.”

  “Security chief,” Noah corrected. “I run the security crew that is charged with keeping Ralph alive and healthy.”

  “That’s awesome,” the girl said. “I couldn’t believe it when they said somebody tried to kill him. Why would they do that?”

  “Somebody’s apparently afraid I’ll be even bigger and tougher than my dad,” Ralph said. “I guess they figure if they take me out now, it’ll save trouble for later.”

  “That’s terrible,” Darlene blurted out. “My daddy says your dad is what keeps this whole area running smoothly. This used to be the kind of place where drug gangs kind of ran everything, but since your dad took over all that stuff, we don’t have the kind of crimes we used to get. Daddy says we’re lucky to have Jimmy Morgan, so I think we’ll be even more lucky to have you running everything.”

  Noah grinned. This girl was obviously full of hero worship, and Ralph was the target. Either that, or she was shrewd enough to know that getting her wagon hitched to the rising star was the smartest way to make sure she came out on top in local society. After a quick glance into her eyes through the rearview mirror, Noah began to think the latter was closer to the truth.

  “Where to?” Noah asked.

  “Someplace we can get out of the car,” Ralph said. “I don’t even care if it’s burgers. I just don’t want to eat in here.”

  Noah nodded. “No problem with that,” he said. “I’m not really a fan of having food in the car.”

  He started the car and headed out of town, making the turn onto Highway 221. The farm supply store was only a couple of miles away, and they had picnic tables outside. The weather was balmy, so Noah decided it would be an appropriate place for a lunchtime rendezvous.

  * * * * *

  “Oh-oh,” Neil said. “Rex just got a message from that other guy.”

  Sarah looked over at him. “Great,” she said. “Better send it to him now.”

  “Doing so as you speak,” Neil said. He composed the coded message that would give Noah a number he was supposed to call and then typed it into his phone.

  * * * * *

  Noah’s phone beeped, signaling an incoming text message. He
took it out of his pocket and read it quickly, then looked at the other two bodyguards.

  “I need to make a phone call,” he said, then got up and walked over to sit down inside the Charger. As soon as the door was closed, he dialed the number. The familiar distorted voice came on the line almost instantly.

  “How is your mission going?” the voice asked.

  “It’s going,” Noah replied. “You figure out how to set up our meeting yet?”

  “That’s exactly why I’m calling,” the mole said. “I’ll be very close to you tomorrow evening. Have you seen the town of Eureka Springs yet?”

  “Yes, I’ve been over there.”

  “I’ll be attending a function there tomorrow at seven. At 8:05, I will be finished and will call you. I am going to meet with you, as we discussed, but I want you to understand that I am not coming alone. When I call, I’ll tell you where we can meet, but if my people or I were to see any sign of a problem, I can assure you that you will never leave their alive. Immediately afterward, your wife would become a target. Do we understand one another?”

  “Perfectly, like crystal. As I told you, all I want is for you to convince me this is a legitimate offer. If you can get us out, I’m all for it.”

  The line went dead, and Noah put the phone back into his pocket. There was no safe way for him to let anyone know what was going on, not until Neil arrived with his computers. He sat there for a moment, then took his phone back out and dialed the number that rang through to Sarah.

  “Hey, baby,” she said as she answered. “Miss my voice already?”

  “Yes,” Noah said. “And the kid is busy munching on chicken with his girlfriend, with the rest of his security team keeping watch. I figured I had a couple of minutes alone, so I wanted to give you a call.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet. We’re just barely on the interstate right now, got on a few minutes ago. I’ve got my cruise set at eighty, just a little over the speed limit. Hopefully all the cops will be too busy to pay much attention, and I’ll get there a little earlier. I really don’t want to stop anywhere tonight.”

  “Well, I admit I hope you don’t have to. Can’t wait to see you, sweetheart. How’s Neil doing on this long ride?”

  “Like always,” Sarah said. “Playing games on his stupid computer.”

  “My computer is not stupid,” Neil said in the background. “It’s just not quite as smart as I am.”

  Noah chuckled. “Maybe I’m just getting horny,” he said. “Been away from you too long, and I can stand to kick his butt in another game of chess.”

  “That’ll be the day,” Neil said loudly. “She’s got the volume turned up so loud I can hear you crystal clear.”

  “Shut up,” Sarah said. “Ignore him, baby. I’m horny too. If I didn’t have this trailer hanging on the back, I’d kick it up another five miles an hour.”

  “No, don’t do that. I just hope you manage to make it in tonight. I really can’t wait to see you, baby.”

  The reference to a chess game was a code that Noah and Neil had worked out before Noah left. It meant that there was a development in the mole situation, so Noah was confident that Neil would relay that information back to Allison. Once they arrived, Noah could fill him in on the details about the meeting, and Neil would be able to transmit that information to one of the gamers back at Neverland.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It was almost three in the afternoon before Forney called. “I got you some guys,” he said. “Where would you like to meet up?”

  “Take them out to my place,” Noah said. “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

  He and Ralph were in the car at the time, so Noah made a couple of turns to get back onto the highway and headed for his new house. Ralph looked over at him, and there was a nervous glint in his eye.

  “You really bought the haunted place, right?”

  “That’s the rumor,” Noah said. “I haven’t seen any sign of ghosts, though. To be honest, I think the whole story is bogus. Apparently the old guy had something wrong with his lungs and coughed up a crap ton of blood all over his kitchen. The story about him killing himself there came from the people who went to clean it up, but I checked and double-checked. He died in the hospital of complications from emphysema. Don’t think there’s any haunting going on out at my place.”

  The kid smiled, but the nervousness didn’t quite fade away.

  When they got to the house, Forney and the others had not arrived yet. Noah parked in the driveway and led Ralph inside, leaving Shawn and Jake out in the yard. The boy was looking all around as they entered, and made a point of poking his head into every doorway for at least a few seconds.

  “I think you’re right,” he said, visibly relaxing. “I think I’d feel it if this place was really haunted.”

  Noah shrugged. “I don’t feel anything. I’ve got root beer and cola. You want something?”

  “Got any beer? The real stuff, I mean?”

  Noah grinned. “Sure,” he said. He went into the kitchen and came back a moment later with two bottles of Bud Light and passed one to the boy. They sat down, Ralph on the couch and Noah in a recliner, to wait for Forney and the others.

  They didn’t wait long. They arrived a few minutes later, and Noah invited them all inside.

  Forney made the introductions all around, and Noah spoke with each of the new candidates for a few seconds. As far as he could tell, all of them were serious about their willingness to take the job, so he agreed to taking them on. Two of them, men named Chuck and Riley, he immediately assigned to the afternoon shift with David, whom Forney had also brought along. David took his new subordinates outside to talk, and it appeared they were going to get along well.

  Noah delegated the responsibility for scheduling to Forney and then told him to take over running the day crew. Noah would also be present, he said, at least most of the time, but with his wife coming in late that night he would probably be late in the morning. Having Forney in charge, however, would make it possible for Noah to move himself around, get a little rest when he needed so that he could pop in on the other shifts and see how they were doing. Forney shook his hand and left, taking all of the other men with him.

  At four, Noah told Shawn and Jake they could go off duty, then offered each of them a beer. They hung around for an hour or so, then headed for their homes. Each of them seemed surprisingly proud of his new job, and Noah suspected they had wives or girlfriends they wanted to brag to for the evening.

  David and his men took over then, and Ralph left with them. Noah was finally alone and allowed himself to relax for a bit. He picked up the satellite TV controller and turned on the television, then kicked off his shoes and put his feet up. A moment later he sat up again, took the pistol off his belt, and laid it on an end table beside his chair, then leaned back once more.

  He caught the local news programs and paid particular attention to a couple of stories about murder in the area. It seemed the local sheriff’s office was having a hard time finding clues in the recent murder of a local thug named Benny Smoot, but they were confident they would make an arrest sometime in the next few days. The other murder had happened a few months earlier, when a homeless man had apparently been robbed and then beaten and set on fire. He had not died at the time but had suffered burns over most of his body and passed away almost a week later in the hospital.

  In this case, there was genuine outrage in the sheriff’s voice when he appeared on camera. Apparently the old fellow had been a veteran, a local fixture around town for several years. He had never been known to cause any problems or hurt anyone, and the sheriff was determined to find his killer. A reward of almost $10,000 was being offered by local businessmen.

  The weather followed the news, and Noah noted emotionlessly that it was supposed to rain the following day. Weather was something he rarely thought about, unless it was going to interfere with his mission. In this case, rain simply meant that he would want to put on a light, waterproof jacket.
This mission was not going to be over soon, and he didn’t want to start planning for its conclusion just yet. It was now that he was beginning to meet a number of the people he would have to take out.

  Ronnie Sneed, for example, was the type of person Noah would expect to find on his target list. The man could laugh about people who died from overdose, and didn’t seem to care at all about the families who were hurt when drug abuse struck them. While Noah could not feel compassion for these people, his own personal moral code required him to consciously abhor their deaths and suffering. He would never, even if he had a conscience, lose any sleep over killing a man like Sneed. It would fall under the heading of community service, as far as he was concerned.

  He had met others, as well. There were at least a dozen lieutenants under Morgan, each of them responsible for overseeing one of the many divisions of his criminal empire. Noah filed each name and face away in his memory and reminded himself constantly to be alert for any further information he might pick up on them. The Morgan Mafia was a hydra, with many, many heads. When he struck, it was his intent to eliminate all of them so thoroughly that none of them could grow back.

  This led into thinking about Ralph. Other than being the son of a criminal boss, he seemed to be a fairly typical teenager. Unfortunately, he had been groomed all his life for the day when he would take over the illegal enterprises his father had founded. His elevation to running the drug operations was a step in that direction, and Noah had no qualms about him being on the target list.

  The trick, he knew, was going to be figuring out how to take them all out at around the same time. If any of them survived for any length of time—more than an hour or so—it would give them the opportunity to regroup and possibly even resurrect the organization. This was something Noah did not intend to allow.

  He cleared his mind and turned his attention back to the television, flipping channels until he found a movie he wanted to watch. Strangely enough, he felt very comfortable in the house, and it wasn’t long before he dozed off in the recliner.