by Robin Mahle
“What the hell are you doing?” Axell shouted while keeping cover.
Will didn’t answer, only waited for the man behind the couch to raise up just enough to try and fire on him. And he did. Will hoped his aim was better this time and fired again. The man went down with a shot to his head. They had options now.
The two remaining men held their positions, looking as though they’d realized the odds were no longer in their favor.
Will dropped to the ground and crawled toward Axell. “Are you hurt?”
“Jesus H. Christ! What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Trying to save your life. It’s two on two now. We have to make a move.”
“Where are the others?”
“They’re safe. Took shelter just beyond the trees.”
The other men began speaking to each other.
“What the hell are they saying?” Will asked.
“I don’t speak Chinese.”
The conversation lasted only seconds and the two men dashed toward the car.
Will jumped up. “Shit! They’re leaving!” He sprinted through the cabin and out the front door and began firing on the car.
Seconds later, Axell joined him and began shooting at the car’s tires. Will hit the grill and a loud hissing came from the engine. The car rolled to a stop when steam wafted into the air and the men jumped out, taking cover behind the doors.
“Shit. Here we go again.” Will ran behind a wood column on the porch.
Axell must’ve thought it had been a good idea because he did the same. “I’m taking them down!” He took aim again and struck one of them in the arm, forcing his weapon from him.
This time, the other man turned and sprinted down the driveway.
“I’m on him!” Will charged after him and the man turned and fired, striking him in the leg. Will fell to the ground.
Axell sprinted after the lone gunman, but he’d disappeared into the woods. “You okay?” He shouted to Will as he reached him.
“Go! Just go and find him.”
Will dragged himself along the car, using it for cover. He couldn’t see the injured man around the other side and had no idea if he was still armed. Will grabbed the passenger side door handle and pulled up until he raised high enough to take aim.
There would be no arrests made. This was kill or be killed. Once he regained his balance, he moved around to the back of the car, toward the trunk. He watched as the injured man reached for his weapon as he stretched his body as far as he could.
“Hey.” When he made eye contact, Will pulled the trigger and the man collapsed. He looked behind him, wanting to help Axell but on assessing the damage to his leg, knew there would be no running.
A gunshot sounded in the distance and all Will could do was wait. Wait for Axell to return. Wait for Lacy and Aaron to come out of hiding. The problem was, he had no idea who fired the shot and who was still left standing.
20
Trees rushed by as Lacy sprinted through the wooded landscape. The branches scraped her arms and stones lanced underfoot as she and Aaron approached a clearing in the distance.
Lacy began to slow her pace. “Did you hear that?” Gasping for breath, she tried to calm herself to listen again.
“Yeah. It’s all I’ve been hearing for the past ten minutes,” Aaron began. “Keep going!”
“No, wait. That one was closer than the others.”
“You’re not helping your argument here. We need to keep moving. We have no idea who fired that shot.” Aaron slowed to a stop when he realized she was no longer running. “Lacy, please, there’s no time to second-guess ourselves.”
She turned to him and looked again in the direction of the noise. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”
They started again on their journey to find help or a place to take shelter until they could reach Agent Caison again. The clearing was in sight now.
“There has to be something up here,” Lacy said. “It’s a road!” She looked again. “Is—is that a person up ahead?”
“I think so. Oh shit. It’s them.”
“I don’t think so. Come on.” Lacy pushed through the branches that obscured the path to the road.
“Just hang back, would you? We’re walking right out into the open here.”
“That’s all there is—open.” She continued toward the road and began to jog closer and when she reached the shoulder, the sound of a struggle forced her to stop. Two people were on the ground. “Oh my God!”
Axell, who was straddling a man, peered over his shoulder at them. “The hell?”
She noticed his bloodied hand and cast her eyes to the recipient of his blows. “I think you can stop now. I think he’s dead.” She moved forward. “Are you okay? We heard a gunshot. I didn’t know…You’ve been hit.”
“No, I haven’t. I’m fine. Caison is injured. We need to go back.”
Lacy rose to see Aaron behind her. “Let’s get back to the cabin.” She waited for him to move to the other side of Axell and the two carefully hoisted him from on top of the dead man.
“Jesus. Who the hell are these people?” Aaron asked.
“People we don’t want to screw around with,” Axell replied, regaining his balance.
“It’s a little too late for that,” Lacy added.
The cabin came into view several minutes later after trudging through the increasing isolation of the night. It’s singular source of illumination —a beaming porch light—burned in the distance.
“I don’t hear anything.” Lacy looked to Agent Axell. “What should we do?”
Axell reached for his weapon. “Pray the good guy is still alive.”
They slowed their approach and Aaron stepped away, flanking the far end of the driveway. Lacy and Axell began moving toward the other side.
“Agent Caison?” Aaron spotted him on the ground, leaning against the driver’s side of the car. “Are you okay? Agent Caison?” Aaron rose above the car’s roof. “He’s over here.”
Lacy and Axell hastened their approach and, on their arrival, noted Caison on the ground. She moved in. “Will? Will, are you all right?”
“I’m okay,” he mumbled softly as Lacy took his arm.
“No. You’re not. We’re taking you the hospital.”
“Axell?”
“I’m here. I’m okay.”
Will nodded. “Good. Okay. Good.”
“Come on. I got you.” Lacy helped him to his feet.
“It’s just a graze,” Will began. “I’ll be okay. Let’s just get out of here.”
“Where are the keys?” Lacy peered into the driver’s side.
Axell reached into his pants pocket. “Here.”
Aaron stepped over another dead man and took the keys from Agent Axell, surveying the carnage. Two dead, presumably Chinese assassins and a house torn to shreds by bullets. “Here.” He tossed them to Lacy and slipped into the passenger seat.
Lacy started up the engine and backed out. A thump startled them all until they realized it was a body and continued anyway. “What are we going to say happened to you?” She glanced into the rear view.
“I’ve got some friends at Walter Reed.” Axell returned her gaze. “We’ll take him there.”
“And what about you? How long will it take to get there?”
“An hour, maybe less. I’ll be fine. I’ll tell you where to go.”
♦♦♦
Lacy pulled alongside the emergency entrance of the medical center and walked inside. “I need help out here.”
The nurse behind the desk jumped into action and called for assistance. They rushed outside where Aaron had already begun to help Will out of the car.
“He’s injured,” Aaron replied.
An attendant appeared through the doors. “Get him inside.” He turned his attention to Lacy. “What happened here?”
But before she could answer, Agent Axell chimed in, “I need to see Dr. Allen.”
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” the doctor asked.
“That’s classified. Dr. Allen now, please.”
The doctor turned on his heel and went back inside.
“And that works?” Lacy asked.
“It’s all I’ve got. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask anything else.” He turned to Will, who was already in a wheelchair. “You’ll be all right, buddy.”
Will gave a thumbs-up as they rolled him inside.
“I’ll take it from here, ma’am.” A nurse began to push Will toward the entrance. “You should get checked out too, sir.” She eyed Axell’s hand and blood-spattered shirt before continuing inside.
“Oh my God. What are we going to do?” Lacey began. “Will’s been hurt. You could’ve been killed. We all could’ve died tonight.”
“I know this is upsetting.” Agent Axell led her through the sliding doors. “Let’s just get inside and you can call your kids, okay?”
“Yeah. I need to do that.” She feared for their safety now more than ever. “People are trying to kill us. How the hell do we get out of this?”
“I need you to stay calm, okay? Go talk to your kids. You’ll feel better. And then we’ll see how Caison’s doing. Aaron and I will go get coffees after I get myself cleaned up.”
Lacy nodded and headed outside to make the call to the kids. It had only been a few hours since she’d spoken to them, but she needed to hear their voices right now. She stood outside and waited for the line to answer.
“Hello? It’s Lacy. Alice?”
“Yes, honey. How are you?”
“I’m okay. I’m sorry it’s late. Where’s Celeste? I was hoping to talk to the kids.”
“She’s resting and the children are playing with Frank’s train collection. We’re all fine here.”
She sighed a breath of relief. “Can I talk to the kids?”
“Hold on a minute.”
Lacy heard footsteps in the background and then Alice’s mumbled voice. A moment later, she returned to the line. “I’m sorry, but they’re busy playing right now. Can they talk to you later?”
Later, Lacy thought. There might not be a later. “I’d like to speak to them now, Alice. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to call.”
“Sweetheart, they aren’t up for talking right now.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“They’re just upset. That’s all. I’m sure if you try again later…maybe tomorrow would be best.”
“I can’t try again later. I need to hear their voices, please.”
“I can’t force them, honey.”
And there it was. They didn’t want to talk to her because she’d abandoned them. “I don’t blame them. I haven’t been much of a mother these past few weeks. And with Jay gone…Never mind. I’ll try them tomorrow. Please tell them I love them, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Goodbye, Alice.” Lacey ended the call and turned to face the entrance again. She noticed the agents inside talking with Aaron and began her approach. “Looks like they got you all patched up.”
“Just a graze,” Will replied. “I’ll be fine, just like I told you. We were just working out a new plan of action.”
Axell nodded. “I don’t know how they found the cabin, but they did. And that means we have to keep you two out of sight and completely off the grid.”
“What do you mean, us two?” Lacy began. “Look, I’m not going anywhere. I started this thing and I intend to finish it. We’ve got surveillance in place; we just need to access it without it being traced back to us. And, Will, who’s your guy on the inside? Can you reach out to him or should I?”
Axell shook his head and looked at Will. “You have to deal with this?”
Will grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine,” Axell continued. “But if they found us at the cabin, I wouldn’t put it past them to have the ability to locate your children and the rest of your family. That means we need to get them someplace where no one can find them.”
Lacy nodded in a perfunctory manner, but it was the first time she’d truly felt like the kids were in danger. Like she had lost her ability to protect them and for a mother to feel that meant she felt like no mother at all. “We’ll get them away from Jay’s parents, away from anyone who knows me or Jay. But that has to happen before anything else. I have to know they’re safe.”
♦♦♦
In the early hours of the morning, before the sun had fully awakened, Agent Axell stood outside the home of Jay’s parents. He remained eagle-eyed with his uninjured hand palming his holster while Will accompanied Lacy to the front door. Aaron waited at the new, more secure location because it was too risky exposing the both of them and Lacy insisted on being the one to get the kids out. Axel turned his attention to the front of the home where she and the children emerged. The grandparents followed them outside.
“We’ll be safe, Alice. I promise you. I’m so sorry to put you through all this. Would you mind checking if Celeste is ready?”
“Sure.” Alice walked back inside.
“Frank, please know I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it was important.”
“I know that, sweetheart. Doesn’t make me any less worried. Now, I know you can’t say much, but when you can, you will call us?”
“Of course I will.” Lacy looked over his shoulder to see Celeste approach with suitcase in hand. “You ready?”
She nodded.
“Okay. I’ll keep you updated as much as I can, but we’re in good hands.” Lacy hugged and kissed them both. “Come on, kiddos. We need to get going.”
“Bye, Grandma. Bye, Grandpa,” Jackson said.
Olivia raised her hand and wiggled a goodbye with her fingers before turning and walking down the porch steps.
Axell opened the back door and the kids and Celeste slid in. He stepped into the driver’s seat and keyed the ignition, waiting for Will to get inside.
Lacy closed her door and waved a final time before Axell reversed out of the driveway.
“Where are we going, Mom?” Olivia asked.
“A little spot where you can play video games and watch TV and I won’t give you any grief about it. How does that sound?”
“Are you in trouble, Mommy?” Jackson chimed in.
“Of course not, sweetheart.” Lacy caught Will’s glance but dismissed it.
“Then how come you’re not going to be staying with us?”
“Oh, I will be. Just not for a little bit. A day or two, that’s all.” She hated lying to them. They deserved better than that, but what else could she say? Celeste knew the truth, at least part of it. She insisted on knowing before going anywhere and Lacy couldn’t blame her. She’d put everyone’s life at risk and she was the only one who could fix it.
♦♦♦
Axell waited alone at the corner table of the cafe, sipping on his black coffee. He was overheated in his suit jacket but didn’t want to draw attention to the bandage on his hand and continued to swelter.
The man he waited for crossed in front of the window as he made his way inside. Agent Porter spotted Axell and joined him at the table. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Axell replied.
Porter slid a manila envelope across the table. “I think this is what you’re looking for.”
Axell studied him and then reached for the envelope. “You were able to record the conversation?”
“I was. After we lost your connection, I kept on it, figuring something had happened on your end.”
“You were right.” Axell pushed his hand through the sleeve of his jacket. “Something did happen.”
Porter glanced at the wound. “How’s Caison doing?”
“Fine. He’s with the others now. Safeguarding them is our priority right now and we haven’t done a very good job of it.”
“You know, this is gonna hit the fan and when it does, they’ll all scatter with
the wind.”
“I know.” Axell sipped on his coffee again.
“What are you going to do about Kendrick?”
“He must know we’re getting close. I’m sure his MSS contacts have kept him informed on their attempts to stop us. You don’t think he’s caught on to the surveillance?”
“No. Not possible. He’s got a lot of powerful friends, that’s a fact,” Porter continued. “Not the least of which is the Ministry. And with you two continuing down this road, you’re going to need yourself a whole lot of backup.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got friends too.”
21
White lights twinkled on the horizon and a warm breeze brushed through Lacy’s hair. The exquisite cityscape almost made her forget why she was here, standing on Agent Axell’s balcony, awaiting his return. The children were safe, although holding them in her arms would be the only true confirmation and that wasn’t possible right now. She’d come too far now and all that was left to do was to put her trust into a man she hardly knew and another whose benevolence had already nearly cost him his life. And Aaron. She had his shoulder but had begun to feel the weight of that burden was taking its toll.
“You look like you’re in deep thought.” Aaron stepped through the parted glass doors and moved next to her, resting his arms against the stainless steel railing. “Want to talk?”
“No, not really. I just want this to be over. I want my life back, but I know it will never be the same. Jay’s gone and I’ll never know normal again. And all this?” With wounded eyes, she held his gaze. “I have no idea what will happen to any of us after this.”
“Nice night.” Axell joined them. “Why don’t you two come back inside?”
They both turned back at the disruption and Lacy began, “Sure. Don’t want everyone to see the giant target on my head, do we?” This wasn’t a time for sarcasm, nor was it in her nature and guilt reigned supreme the moment the words slipped from her tongue. “I’m sorry.”
