by David Archer
“Well, we’ve got the sheriff and almost all of his people in custody. The state police are supposed to arrive any minute now, and the governor has been gracious enough to assign some troopers to fill in as deputies, and the coroner, who was never implicated in any of Morgan’s activities, will serve until a new sheriff is appointed to fill the vacancy until the next election. Most of the city police are either in custody or on the run, including their chief, as well as the county prosecutor and four judges.” He sighed. “It’s gonna be a long night. We don’t even know where some of these people are.”
“Most of them are probably gone,” Kate said. “Noah had to crash through a sheriff’s roadblock that let Morgan pass, so I’m surprised you even managed to get any of them.”
Carter looked at Noah, his face registering surprise. “Is that what happened? We found five of their squad cars nearly totaled just up the road a little ways. Look like one of them had been hit by a missile.”
“You’re not that far off,” Noah said. “It’s more like a grenade launcher, but it gets the job done.”
“I’ll say it does. Whatever it was, it killed three of the deputies and wounded seven others badly enough they weren’t going to be back in action anytime soon. The only one there who wasn’t hurt was the sheriff, and he was apparently in a rage that none of the others was able to pursue.”
Noah looked him in the eye. “They shouldn’t have gotten in my way.”
Carter started to say something, but Kate put a hand on his arm. “Jared, trust me,” she said. “Just let it go.”
Carter looked at her for a long moment, then turned his eyes over to where Ralph and Marco were sitting on the bench. “Is that Morgan’s kid?”
“Yes,” Noah said, “but I’m taking him into personal custody. He’ll be dealt with by my organization. You have any questions about that, contact the State Department.”
Carter stared at Ralph for a moment, then looked back at Noah and Kate. “We been hearing something about how that kid killed another boy, but there’s a man in jail who’s been charged with the murder. You guys know anything about that?”
“Mr. Wesley is innocent of the murder,” Noah said, “though you might want to look into him for contributing to the delinquency of minors. Apparently he’s been providing drugs and alcohol to teenagers in return for sex with the girls. He was charged with murder by the sheriff, who didn’t want to get into a fight with Morgan over his son.”
“But you’re just going to take that kid and let him get away with this? If he killed somebody, he should…”
“Agent Carter,” Noah said calmly, “where do you think my organization gets its recruits?”
“What, aren’t you guys all ex-military, ex-special forces, something like that?”
“No. Most of us were recruited out of prison, because we already had murders on our records. I was on death row awaiting execution when they came for me. Ralph Morgan is a killer, and he’s young enough that we can train him. As much as most of the world may hate killers, there comes a time when a killer is what’s needed. My organization lost several of its best sometime back, and I think young Ralph might eventually fill one of those empty slots. The day may come when DOJ puts in a request like this one and it’s Ralph Morgan who is sent out to take care of it.”
Carter looked flustered. “Well, how the hell am I supposed to write that up in the paperwork?”
“You want my advice? I’d suggest that young Mr. Morgan, there, died in the big explosion out at his father’s junkyard.”
Carter blinked and shook his head. “The explosion at the junkyard? Did you have something to do that?”
“My orders were to eliminate Morgan and all of his lieutenants,” Noah said. “How I chose to accomplish that mission was left up to me.”
“Jared, I’m telling you,” Kate said, “you really want let this go. Noah did his job, and I’m alive because of him. Let it go.”
Carter blew air out in frustration, shaking his head. “Okay, fine,” he said. “This ain’t my first rodeo. If I raise a stink, I’m quite sure somebody from the State Department will come down and tell us to shut up, anyway.” He focused on Kate. “You ready to help me sort through all this mess?”
“Give me a couple of minutes,” she said, “and I’ll come on in. I just need to say goodbye before Noah leaves.”
Carter looked at her, turned his eyes to Noah for a moment, then threw his hands in the air and turned around. He walked into the sheriff’s office, yanking the door open so hard that it rattled the glass.
Kate looked up at Noah. “Well, it was nice to have my brother back for a little while. You’re so much like him, Noah, you really have no idea. There were moments when it almost felt real.”
“I’m glad,” Noah said. “You’re a good person, Kate. I’m sorry you had to go through this, tonight, but I’m glad I was able to get you back.”
Kate burst out laughing. “You think you’re glad? I’m absolutely overjoyed.” She got herself under control, and her eyes softened. “Listen, you tell Angie, or whatever her real name is, that I enjoyed meeting her. I don’t know if it’s allowed, but if you guys ever want to come visit me, you’ll be welcome.”
“I’ll tell her,” Noah said. “And don’t be surprised if we take you up on that invitation sometime. We don’t have many friends outside the organization, might be nice to be able to say we have at least one.”
“You do. You definitely do.” She reached up and hugged him around the neck, kissed him quickly on his cheek, and then turned and walked into the building.
Noah turned and motioned for Marco and Ralph to get back into the car, but then he took a good look at the front end of the Charger. The fenders were damaged, and the headlights on the passenger side were gone, as was the high beam on the driver’s side. He knelt down and took a good look and saw that both of the guns were still in place, but there was no way he could drive the car back to Kirtland in that condition.
Marco and Ralph came to stand behind him. “Poor old girl’s seen better days, boss,” Marco said. “What do we do about this?”
Noah stood up again. “Let’s go get your truck,” he said. “I know there’s someplace around here I can rent a trailer. I’m not leaving this car behind, no way.” They climbed inside and Noah started up, then drove with his one lonely headlight back out to the farmhouse.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere to rent a car-hauling trailer at almost 10:30 at night. They went into the house, and Noah found some leftover chicken in the refrigerator. He set it on the table and offered some to Marco and Ralph. He wasn’t surprised when both of them dug in.
He took out his phone and called Sarah.
“Noah?” Sarah asked as she answered the call. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Noah said. “The mission is complete, the feds are in town taking over, but the Charger was damaged and I can’t get a trailer until tomorrow morning. Marco’s pickup truck is still here, so we’ll go get one tomorrow and load the Charger up on it, then be home by tomorrow night.”
“Wait a minute,” Sarah said. “What happened to the Charger?”
“Well, we had an unexpected glitch in the plan,” Noah replied. “Today, for some reason, someone in the Fayetteville FBI office found out about Kate and told one of Morgan’s people that she was FBI. Just as I was ready to blow the whole bunch of them into the atmosphere, Kate got dragged into the building. I had to do something, so I had Marco sneak in and set up the smart guns, then I used the car to launch an attack. Morgan managed to grab Kate and Ralph and get away in a fast car of his own, and I had to chase him down. Morgan called the sheriff, and he tried to set up a roadblock to stop me, but I crashed through it and it sort of wiped out the headlights. I want to bring the car back so Rodney can get it fixed up again.”
Sarah was quiet for several seconds. “But you said everything was okay,” she said. “When I first answered the phone, I asked you if everything was okay and you said yes. Noah, none of that w
as okay.”
“But everything is okay,” Noah said. “We got Kate back safe, Morgan is dead, his organization is finished, the feds are in charge, and I’m bringing Ralph back so that he can be trained for E & E.”
“You’re doing what? Noah, what will Allison say? He’s a kid!”
“He’s a killer, babe. Now, I could have killed him, but I think the kid may have potential for the organization. If I’m right, there could be missions that call for someone that young, and he’d be an asset. If I’m wrong, he’ll flunk out and someone will terminate him.”
Across the table, Ralph’s eyes had grown very wide.
“But, Allison…”
“I already checked with her, and she okayed this. All I’m going to do is bring him back and turn him over to her and Doc Parker. They can decide whether he’s worth saving or should be put down like a mad dog.”
Noah heard her force her breathing to slow down. “So, what are you doing for tonight? Are you at the farmhouse?”
“Yes. We’re going to stay here tonight, then I’ll send Marco to get a trailer in the morning while I keep an eye on Ralph. As soon as we get the car loaded up, we’ll be on the road. After this mission, I just want to get home.”
“Amen to that,” Marco yelled so Sarah could hear. “He told you we crashed through the roadblock, but he didn’t tell you about this massive bruise I got from the seat belt. It hurts. Tell Renée I need her to take care of me when I get home.”
Despite herself, Sarah chuckled. “Tell him I will,” she said. “Neil and I stopped somewhere in the middle of Kansas and got a room about an hour ago. I was getting worried, and he said my driving was scaring him, anyway, so I decided to stop for the night.” She yawned. “And on top of that, I’m still tired from when we drove to Kirtland and back the other day. We’re going to get some sleep and then head on home tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, babe. I’ll let you get some rest, and I’m going to do likewise, right after I make sure Ralph can’t get away. I’ll see you tomorrow night, sometime. I love you, Sarah.”
“Oh,” Sarah said. “You said it to me first, this time. I love you, too, baby, and I want you to call me in the morning when you get up, okay?”
“Okay. Good night.” He waited for her to answer, then disconnected the call and immediately dialed Allison. He told her quickly about everything that had happened, and she responded that he should report for debriefing at nine o’clock the morning after he got back home. Noah hung up the phone and dropped it into his pocket.
Ralph was staring at him. “What?” Noah asked.
“Were you, like, serious? They might actually kill me?”
“If you don’t make it through your training, or if they think you won’t work out for any reason, yes.”
The boy looked down at his plate for a moment, then looked back up at Noah. “Will you be the one training me?”
Noah shook his head. “No, they’ve got an actual school set up. Training normally takes about a year, unless your instructors think you’re ready sooner than that. The big thing for you will probably be the physical training. It’s tough, and I’m not sure you’ll be up to it.”
Ralph glared at him. “You kidding me? I played football all through high school—I don’t think a little exercise is going to hurt me.”
“Football,” Noah said, “is like fighting your way through cotton candy compared to what Mr. Jackson will put you through. Have you ever heard of parkour?”
“Yeah, that’s those guys who do stunts on YouTube. Jumping around and running up walls, that kind of stuff. They do that?”
“Yes, and if you can’t keep up, they only let you keep trying for so long. If you don’t make it…” Noah drew a thumb across his throat.
Ralph swallowed hard, but then he started eating again. “Well,” he said, “at least I ain’t dead yet.”
When they finished eating, Noah took Ralph into the bedroom he had shared with Sarah. “Here’s the choice you’ve got now,” he said. “You can sleep in the bathtub, and I’ll block the door so you can’t get out, or you can sleep on the floor beside the bed. If you try to get up, I’ll know, and if you try to get away, I’ll kill you. Any questions?”
Ralph stared at him for a moment, then looked at the floor. “This’ll work,” he said. Noah opened the closet and pulled down a couple of blankets and handed them to him, then took one of the pillows off the bed and passed that to him, as well. While Ralph made himself a pallet on the floor, Noah closed the door and lay down on the bed, tucking his gun under the pillow.
“Hey,” Ralph said. “You won’t shoot me for snoring, will you?”
“I don’t know,” Noah said. “It depends on how loud you are.”
He was asleep only a minute later.
Noah woke up at seven and immediately looked over to where Ralph had made his pallet. The boy was sound asleep, so Noah called out to him. “Ralph,” he said. “Ralph, it’s time to get up.”
Ralph sat up quickly, looking around as if he was confused, but then his eyes found Noah and he let out a sigh. “Oh, man,” he said. “I thought it was all a dream.”
“The time for dreams is over,” Noah said. “It’s time to get up. Use the bathroom if you need to, then I will.”
Ralph got up and made his way into the bathroom, and came out just a couple of minutes later. Noah took care of his own morning necessities and then led the boy down to the kitchen. Sarah had left the coffee sitting on the counter, so he made a pot. Marco came out as it was finishing, and the three of them sat there and drank a cup together.
“You can go get the trailer,” Noah said to Marco. “I’ll wait here with Ralph until you get back, and then we can hit the road.”
“No problem,” Marco replied. “I saw a rental place down by Walmart. Won’t take me half an hour.” He got up and walked out the door, and the pickup truck rolled away a minute later.
Ralph looked up at Noah. “Do you think I’ve really got a chance to make it? In your outfit, I mean?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I had more than enough chances to kill you, Ralph, and I need you to understand that the fact I’m getting this chance for you has nothing to do with compassion. For me, it’s simple logic; you’re a killer, and you enjoy it. Some of the others like me also enjoy the killing, so the only question is whether you can learn to control that urge and only use it when you’re on a mission. If you can, then yes, you’ve got a good chance to make it. If not, then you’ll just be eliminated. You won’t see it coming, you won’t be told, you’ll just be dead.”
Ralph nodded slowly. “I wonder what it’s like, when you’re dead. I wonder if you even know it.”
Noah shrugged. “Do you believe in God?”
Ralph bit his bottom lip. “I don’t know,” he said. “Marlene used to take me to church, but I stopped going a few years ago.” He suddenly looked up at Noah. “Damn. What’s gonna happen to Marlene?”
“Probably nothing. As far as I could tell, she was not actively involved in any of your father’s illegal activities. It’s possible she might be charged with something minor, because she never came forward and reported what he was doing, but I doubt it sincerely. Your father would’ve killed her in a heartbeat if he thought she was going to testify against him, so I don’t think anyone would blame her for keeping her mouth shut. From what I know, most of the people around here knew enough about what he was doing to testify, but none of them were ever willing. If they charged Marlene with anything, they’d almost have to prosecute the whole county.”
“Yeah, probably. I was really just thinking about how she’ll get by, now. With my pa gone, she’s out of a job.”
“I suspect she’ll be all right,” Noah said. “She’s not your problem, anymore.”
“Yeah, I guess not. Anyway, you asked if I believe in God. I guess I do, but I don’t really know how to feel about it.”
“Then my advice to you would be to find a way to make peace with Him. I do beli
eve in God, and I believe that we go on after this life is over. I’m just not sure whether He’s going to want anything to do with me by the time I get there.”
Ralph looked at him for a long moment but didn’t say anything more.
Marco took longer than he had expected, coming back an hour later with a trailer hooked to the back of the truck. Noah and Ralph went outside, and Noah started up the car and drove it onto the trailer. Then he and Marco strapped it down and hooked up the safety chains that would keep it from coming off the trailer if the straps were to snap. Once they were satisfied, Marco climbed behind the wheel, and Noah told Ralph to sit in the middle. Noah climbed in beside him and put on his seat belt, and they were back on the road only a few minutes later.
The trip was long, but they finally rolled into Kirtland a little after six p.m. Noah had called Allison when they were getting close, and she told him to drop Ralph off at Doc Parker’s place. Noah wasn’t surprised to see another man waiting there when they arrived.
“Hey, Noah,” the man said. Noah recognized him as one of the instructors he had met during his own training. “I understand you brought in a new recruit.”
“Yes,” Noah said as he and Ralph got out of the truck. “This is Ralph Morgan. He’s only nineteen, but he’s already killed more than once, and I thought it might be a good idea to find out if he’s made of the right stuff.”
“Allison gave me a quick briefing on him. Ralph, I’m Jerry. We’re going to go see Doc Parker; he’s sort of the man who decides where we put you. Once he’s done with you, I’ll take you to our motel and set you up with a room.” He looked at Noah. “He didn’t bring any clothes or anything?”
“No, this was sort of a spur-of-the-moment situation.”
Jerry nodded. “That’s no problem,” he said. “We can provide whatever he needs.”
Ralph looked at Noah, but Jerry had already taken hold of his arm. He turned and followed the man into Parker’s office, and Noah got back into the truck. Marco put it back in gear and headed for Noah’s house.
Sarah, Renée, Neil, and Jenny were sitting at Noah’s picnic table when they arrived, and Sarah ran to the truck. She threw herself at Noah as he got out, laughing and planting kisses all over his face.
