by David Yates
Together they were able to lift Braden and carry him to the RV. Manny was waiting at the door, a grave look on his face. “Is he going to be okay?” Manny asked.
"I hope so,” Archer answered, handing Braden's gun to Manny. “I'll do all I can for him."
They carried Braden to the master bedroom and laid him on the bed. Archer cut Braden's shirt open and began to examine the wound. Sam stood next to Manny at the door. Manny reached out his hand and Sam took it, squeezing tightly. Tears were rolling freely down Sam's face.
Archer said, “I'll need both of you to leave me alone with him. Please close the door."
Sam hesitated, obviously not wanting to leave. Manny tugged gently at her hand. “Come on, Sam. Let's let the Doc do his job.” Reluctantly, Sam backed out of the door and closed it with a soft snick.
Ninety minutes later, Archer appeared from the short hallway and looked at Manny and Sam. They returned his gaze with hopeful expectancy.
Archer sighed and said, “Well, I've done just about everything I can do. I repaired the bone as much as I could without surgery, and I was able to stop the bleeding. Fortunately it was a small-caliber round, which greatly reduced the damage. The rest is up to him now."
Sam, voice cracking, asked, “Is he going to make it?"
Archer looked down at the floor for a moment, and then looked at Sam with tired eyes. “The honest answer is, I don't know. Either he'll live or he'll die. All we can do is wait to see which it will be."
Manny asked, “How bad were the injuries?"
"He had one gunshot wound to his upper torso,” Archer replied. “The bullet fractured his clavicle and caused internal bleeding. He had a second gunshot wound to the left side of his head. The bullet didn't penetrate the cranium, and exited from the rear. There was a lot of blood from the head wound, but head wounds normally bleed copiously. The head wound is actually just superficial. The major damage was caused by the bleeding from the bullet that broke his collarbone. I expect the bone to heal without much of a problem. He's currently sedated and stable. I'll continue to check on him frequently."
Sam asked in a small voice, “Can I see him?"
Archer looked disapprovingly at her, but then softened. “All right. As I said, he's sedated and won't respond to you, but you can have five minutes."
Sam rose and walked toward the hallway. As she passed Archer, he put a gentle restraining hand on her arm. “Sam?"
She looked at him questioningly.
"Five minutes. No more."
She nodded and went to the bedroom.
She opened the door and looked in. Braden was lying on the bed, the sheets pulled up under his chin. His face was pallid, and bandages were wrapped around his left shoulder and upper chest. She walked to the bed and sat down next to him. She took his hand in hers.
At first Sam said nothing; she just sat beside him and stroked his hand. Gradually, though, guilt overtook her emotions and tears began to stream down her cheeks.
"Oh, Braden, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry,” she sobbed. She kissed his hand and bowed her head. “This wasn't supposed to happen, he promised me...” Her tears fell to the bed sheet as she sobbed uncontrollably. She could manage only to repeat her apology to an unconscious Braden between her sobs.
Just outside the slightly-ajar door, Manny watched and listened.
Five minutes later, Sam emerged from the bedroom and walked slowly down the hall to the living area of the RV. Manny and Archer sat together at Manny's work station. Manny had his hands in his lap. They stared at her as she entered.
She walked to the sofa and sat down. Her eyes were on the floor as she sat silently. The silence spun out for two minutes. Finally, Manny said softly, “Sam."
She looked up. Manny and Archer were still staring at her. Manny saw misery in her eyes. Manny asked, “Who are you?"
Sam was taken aback by the question. The only thing she could say was, “What?"
Manny repeated, “Who are you?” He was still speaking softly.
"What do you mean?” Sam asked.
Manny leaned forward in his wheelchair. “I mean, who are you? Who are you working for? Anson?"
Sam drew in a sharp breath. She could think of nothing to say. Manny said, “I heard you apologizing to Braden. I heard you say ‘This wasn't supposed to happen’ and ‘He promised'. I came back here and checked through your jacket pockets and found this.” He moved his hands and revealed the object that had been lying in his lap. He picked up her PDA and held it up.
When she didn't respond he said, “I've seen the emails. I know you are at the very least working with Anson. So I ask again, who are you?"
Sam's face fell. Her eyes found the floor again and she said nothing. Manny glanced at Archer and they both looked back at her. Her body began shaking as her sobs started again. Finally she looked at Manny pleadingly and clasped her hands in front of her. She repeated the apology she had so recently recited to a sleeping Braden.
"I'm sorry!” she cried. “This wasn't supposed to happen! None of this was supposed to happen! I was just supposed to report back...I didn't know I...I couldn't...it wasn't supposed to happen! Please, I'm so sorry!"
"But it did happen,” Manny said. He nodded toward the hallway. “Braden's lying in there badly injured, maybe dying.” He leaned forward and yelled, “What did you think was going to happen? Did you think we're playing a game here?"
Sam sat and sobbed. She was incapable of replying. Manny wheeled his chair over and stopped directly in front of her. “What did you do this for? Money?” he asked harshly.
Sam shook her head in violent negation. She pleaded to Manny with her eyes again. “No, it's not about that! It was never about that!"
"Then why don't you enlighten us as to what it was about!” Manny roared. “Anson is a lowlife lying murderer, and so were his partners! All Anson cares about right now is seeing all of us in the ground!"
Again Sam shook her head violently. “No, he's not like that! I don't know about the others, but not him!"
"You're wrong!” Manny yelled. “I have tangible proof..."
"No!” Sam screamed. “No, not him!"
Manny sat back and looked thoughtfully at her. “Why are you defending him so fiercely?"
"Because he's my father!” she yelled, and broke down into convulsive weeping.
Manny and Archer looked at each other, shocked. Didn't see that one coming, thought Manny. They both sat speechless and looked at the bawling girl. Manny could think of absolutely nothing to say.
After several minutes, Sam seemed to regain some semblance of control. Her sobbing had tapered off to sniffles. She looked up and met Manny's eyes. “I'm going to be very honest with you,” she said. “Everything I'm about to tell you is the genuine truth. The reason that I'm going to come completely clean with you is because, believe it or not, I've grown very fond of both of you.” She took a deep breath and added, “And because I've fallen in love with Braden."
They were silent, waiting for her to continue. She took another deep breath and said, “Anson is my father. His first name is Tony; Anthony Thomas Anson. He asked me to help him with a ‘project’ he was working on. To put it bluntly, he wanted me to spy on you. He never told me why, only that it was important to his business.
"All the time I was growing up, I never knew what his business was. I still don't know to this day what he really does, but I know a lot more now than I used to, thanks to you. I tried to tell myself that he was an honest and honorable man, just because he was my father. I tried to deny what I saw and heard from you about him. But now...” she looked down the hallway at the closed bedroom door. “Now, I can't deny it any longer. I now know he's not a saint, but I'm still finding it difficult to believe that he's a murderer."
Manny said, “I've got proof that he's had many people killed over the years. I know now after looking at Miller's computer files that he was responsible for the deaths of all of my IT people from The Orchard. After we left, he had everyone remainin
g at The Orchard killed before he demolished it. From what I can tell, Kobriger was the boss until he died, then Anson took over the reins of their operation."
Manny could see in her eyes that she didn't want to believe any of it, but that she reluctantly believed anyway. He added quietly, “And he was directly responsible for the deaths of Braden's natural parents."
Sam's eyes widened. Manny nodded and continued. “I've known for some time, but I've been keeping it from Braden. I didn't want him losing it and doing something stupid. I'm not sure that he would, but I didn't want to take the chance."
There were a few moments of silence as everyone soaked in what had been discussed. Archer broke the silence by asking, “I'm curious about how you hooked up with us. How did you know we were in the little town of Drake, Wyoming?"
Sam uttered a harsh laugh which contained no humor at all. “That was pure luck. Some of my father's men were searching for you. They were passing through Drake on the way from Cheyenne to Casper. On a whim, they flashed Braden's picture around a couple of places in town. Somebody recognized him. Guess who?"
Manny and Archer said nothing. Sam finished, “Clay Vaughn."
They nodded simultaneously. “I should have known,” Manny muttered.
"But you weren't even in town yet,” Archer mused. “He was supposedly your ex-boyfriend at the time you met Braden. How did you work that out?” Before she could answer, he added, “And what about the job at the movie-rental?"
Sam smiled, but again there was no humor in it. “My father rigged up the job. He told Kenny that he was with a Federal agency and they needed an ‘undercover agent’ in the store. Kenny jumped at the bait. After all, it is a small town, and Kenny was excited that he was helping the Federal government.
"As for Clay, I just threw myself at him. He also took the bait. Guys like him always do."
"So Clay was never working for your father?” Manny asked.
"No, he was just a dupe who was in the wrong place at the right time,” Sam replied.
Archer said, “So it was your ‘assignment’ to hook up with us and spy on us for your father. And you got inside our loop pretty easily."
Sam looked down at the floor again. “Yes. But then I got to know all of you and I started liking you. And of course, my feelings for Braden grew quickly. I didn't count on falling in love with him. When Jim died...when that happened, I started seriously questioning what my father was up to, if only in my own mind. Jim was such a great guy. I think it was then that I started weighing my heart against my head. I didn't like what was going on, and I told my father. He assured me that Jim's death was an accident. He's been assuring me all along that he meant no harm to any of you."
Tears began leaking out of Sam's eyes again. She said, “Jim's death is my fault. I can't ever forgive myself for that. And I don't know how I can make amends to you for what I've done. I know I've destroyed your trust in me, but if there's anything I can do to restore that trust, just tell me and I'll do it."
Manny asked, “And what about Anson? He's still your father."
Sam shook her head. “No, he's not my father anymore. The father I knew is gone. In fact, he never even existed. He's been lying to me my whole life. He can't be my father, because I don't even know him."
She looked up at them, her eyes pleading again. “Please don't turn me away now. I have nowhere to go. Please let me stay and help you stop him."
Manny and Archer looked at each other in silence. Manny said, “I'll have to tell Braden about all of this when he gets better.” He thought about it and amended, “If he gets better. I'll let him make the decision."
"Please let me be the one to tell him,” Sam said. “I need to clear the air with him, and if he's going to hear it, I would feel better if he heard it from me."
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle that?” Archer asked.
"I'll have to,” Sam replied. After a moment, she added simply, “I love him."
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Chapter 8
Archer completed his examination of Braden and closed up his medical bag. “You're healing nicely,” he said to Braden. “Much better than I had anticipated."
"Well, it's been almost a month,” Braden said. “I think I'm ready to..."
"Whoa, hold on there, Hoss,” Archer interrupted. “You're not ready to do anything until I say you are."
"But I feel fine,” Braden argued. He was sitting up in bed. Sam was sitting next to him. “I'm sure I can..."
"Shut up, my love,” Sam said, and kissed him briefly on the lips. “You'll do exactly what the Doc tells you, and you'll like it."
"That's right, kid,” Manny agreed from the doorway. He added gruffly, “Don't make me get out of this chair."
Braden knew when he was licked. He gave up. His shoulders sagged and he winced at the resulting twinge which shot across his left shoulder. Sam stroked the line running through his hair. A month's worth of growth hadn't quite been enough to completely hide the scar which ran from his temple to the back of his head.
"What about Anson?” Braden asked, and then glanced guiltily at Sam.
She said, “Don't worry about me, Braden. Like I told you before, he's not my father. He's a cruel, vindictive, malicious killer with a hole where his heart's supposed to be. He deserves whatever he gets."
"But...,” Braden began, and Sam hushed him with another quick peck.
"I'm okay with it,” she said. “I admit it was tough on me at first, but I've made my peace with it."
"Anson will keep,” said Manny. “Sam has made sure of that. You need to get back to one hundred percent.” Following Braden's shooting, Sam had sent Anson an email telling him that Braden was dead. She followed that up with a few false emails about their location, leading Anson's men on several wild goose chases. Right now, Anson thought they were somewhere in Arizona. He had sent Silas personally to search for them there.
"Come on, tough guy,” Sam said. She got up and took Braden's hand. “Let's go get some of that fresh mountain air."
Braden allowed Sam to lead him out the door of the RV. She pushed him gently into a folding chair and sat next to him. Braden let his eyes wander across the rim of the Great Smoky Mountains. They were camped at Cherokee, North Carolina, and the view was breathtaking.
He turned to Sam and said, “I know how you feel about Anson, but I want to make sure you understand fully. There may come a time when I have to kill him. I don't want your feelings for me to go away if that happens."
She squeezed his hand. “I may not know him like I thought I did, but I know you. If you kill him, it will be because you had to. And I repeat: I'm okay with it."
Braden said nothing. He nodded and returned his gaze to the mountains. Her gaze remained on him, letting her eyes trace his profile. Her eyes roamed from his forehead down the length of his nose, across his lips and down to his squared jaw. Her gaze returned to the one blue eye that she could see from this angle. It was the color of a crisp, clear winter morning.
"I love you, Braden,” she said softly.
His head turned, and his blue eyes met her green ones. “I love you, too,” he said.
One week later, Braden stepped into the RV. He had been doing his daily physical and tai chi workouts, and had a towel slung over his shirtless shoulder. Sam was sitting with Manny at his work station. Archer was dozing on the sofa, and came awake when Braden closed the door.
"I'm going after Anson tonight,” Braden announced to no one in particular. Archer opened his mouth, but Braden cut him off with a raised hand. “No, Doc, no arguments. I'll admit I've still got an occasional twinge in my shoulder, but I'm well enough to go.” He looked Archer square in the eye and added, “You know I'm well enough, too."
Archer's mouth slammed shut. He nodded and said, “Yes, I guess you are. I'd like to have you take another couple of weeks, but you've been the boss around here from the beginning. I don't really have a valid argument against it."
Sam stood and went
to Braden, taking his hands in hers. “Are you sure you're up to it?” she asked.
Braden stroked the wrinkles from her forehead. “Yes, I'm fine. If I didn't think I could do it, I would wait."
She nodded her consent. Braden broke contact and headed for the bedroom. “I'm going to get a few hours sleep,” he said. “I'll be up around nine tonight."
As he disappeared down the hallway, Sam said, “I'll tuck you in,” and bounded after him.
The warm ocean breeze lifted Braden's hair from his forehead. He was standing outside another mansion, but the architecture of this one was the same style favored by many South Floridians. Flat roof, curved red ceramic roof tiles, stucco walls, plenty of arched doorways. It also differed from Alexander's Chicago home in another, more ominous way. When Braden had stood behind the tree at Alexander's mansion, there had been lights blazing from almost every window. This one was totally dark. There was an empty feel about it.
Braden moved cautiously to a first-floor window. He peeked in and saw nothing but inky blackness. He moved to the back of the house. There were French doors giving access to the house from the rear. From this vantage point, there was enough ambient light for Braden to see an empty dining area. There was no furniture at all; the floor and walls were bare.
He examined the doors and saw the contacts at the top, indicating an alarm system was installed in the house. He took another look inside and traveled to the dining room.
From inside the house he could see parts of other rooms. They all appeared to be devoid of any furnishings or decoration. He moved quietly from the dining room into what he thought was a parlor. Again, the room was completely bare. His ears were tuned into the house, listening for any movement. He heard nothing.
Braden went from room to room, finding the same bare emptiness in each one. He went upstairs and searched, but by now he knew what he would find. He searched the entire house and found not a single stick of furniture, not a single portrait on the walls. He even searched the small attic space but found nothing except for cobwebs and dust bunnies.
