by Imogen Nolde
She moved round the side of the car, turning slightly as she opened the driver’s door.
Her eyes glanced at me a moment, then went behind me.
“Oh shit –”
A splash of blood exploded from the centre of her forehead and she fell behind the car.
My jaw dropped.
My whole body filled with panic.
As I turned behind me, a leather glove took hold of my wrist.
“Vera. Don’t lose yourself.”
There was a gun in his right hand.
He was wearing a motorcycle helmet.
“Let’s go,” Mr. Redthorn said.
21 Redthorn
My arms round her stomach, my hands pulling her jumper, Vera continued to try and break free.
“No!” she squealed. “Fucking, no!”
Maybe this isn’t a last resort, and I have something else up my sleeve – but it’s after I say this I realize that she’s breaking me down.
“Vera,” my lips whispered at her ear. “This is where my trust in you begins and end. This is who I am. This is what I do. If you can’t handle me, then just let go…”
I felt her turning round in my arms.
Her eyes wet with sadness.
“Why did you – why did you –”
“She was working with Greenstar.”
“The – the billionaire?”
“He’s an old nemesis of mine. It’s hard to explain the relationship he and I have. I don’t even understand why he had to get Zoe mixed up in this –”
“Zoe? What are you talking about?”
I sighed. “Thomas Greenstar has been behind everything. To think I sat there across from him, almost being fooled that he was telling the truth. I see it now though. He wants to hurt me. That’s why he had Amy and Dylan organize Zoe’s kidnapping. He was doing it to set me up. There’s nothing else to say. Other than that I need to settle my score with him. In the only way I know how.”
“So it’s true what they were saying then. About you being some kind of hitman?”
“I’m not just a hitman. I’m the best professional assassin money can buy.”
She shook her head at me.
Disgusted.
“You’re a murderer. That’s what you are.”
“I’m not a murderer. I don’t harm the innocent. I only kill people who deserve it.”
“Right.”
I stared at her, rage consuming me. “You’re rejecting me over that bitch I just wasted? She was about to hand you over to Greenstar. God knows what he would have done to you!”
She winced.
Looked away.
“Why don’t you just give him the money?”
I grabbed her shoulder. “What?”
“Give him the money!” Vera shouted. “So he’ll let Zoe go!”
“The only way to save Zoe is for me to take him out.”
She shook her head. “You don’t care about Zoe. You just want to get revenge.”
“Do you want to come with me?” I asked. “Do you want to see for yourself!”
“No, I don’t want to come with you!”
I looked around nervously. The cops hadn’t heard the silenced shot I fired, but they might hear Vera’s screaming.
“Come on, Vera. My bike’s just around the corner. I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home either!”
“What?”
“We need to get Zoe’s cat Milo back,” she said. “We just abandoned him in your office, and who knows who’s looking after him by now –”
“It’s alright,” I said. “I took care of that.”
“How?”
“I told them to get rid of him.”
“Get rid of him?”
“Let him loose. Look he’s just a cat anyway, he’ll be fine –”
“YOU MONSTER!”
Vera’s screams teared through my entire body.
I stared at her, completely defeated.
This was the end for us. The end of our relationship.
The end of everything we’d built together.
The end of hope.
She turned away from me as the clouds caved in on the sun above us.
The cold shadow swept us over.
And I knew it was time for me to go on alone.
22 Vera
My heart is broken. Ripped right out of my chest.
Did I do the right thing? Was it a natural reaction?
The moment he’s gone there are cops everywhere and they’re all looking for him. They wanted his blood. All I wanted was an explanation, which I got.
Now there was no more hiding.
I’d known all along there was something wrong with Mr. Redthorn, but I never imagined violence came so naturally to him. It’s true Detective Anders may not have had my best intentions in mind. But was it worth killing her? Was there no other way?
Stop it, Vera. Stop thinking about you.
This was about me. He’d killed her because of me. Did that mean his feelings were real? Did he actually care about me?
God, for the last time –
That’s it. There was nothing more to think about.
Nothing more to say.
I wished Mr. Redthorn the best in tracking down Zoe should we be so fortunate. But other than that we were done.
Friends no more.
I found James in sickbay a short time later. He was barely sitting up, the life completely drained out of him.
“Still at large?” came his greeting as I entered.
“Someway, somehow,” I murmured.
I sat down on the edge of his bed.
He coughed loudly.
“How are you feeling?”
“Okay, I guess,” he said. “I can’t imagine Amy will be feeling too well though by the time I’m done with her.”
“About Amy,” I said.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Redthorn shot her.”
“When?”
“Just before. She was trying to smuggle me out of here to see Mr. Greenstar.”
James sat up further. He shuffled beside me.
“How is she?”
“Dead. He shot her in the head.”
“Oh my God. Did they catch him?”
“No, he got away. He’s gone after Greenstar. Says he’s behind everything. Working with Amy and maybe Dylan. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“I guess it’s possible.”
“What is?”
“That Thomas Greenstar has been orchestrating things. I knew Amy had something on the side with him, but I never knew they were moving against Redthorn together. Figures.”
I breathed in deeply.
Then saw he had his hand out on the bed towards me.
I reluctantly placed mine on top of it.
“What are you going to do now?” he asked.
“I guess I’ll turn myself in. Let them do what they want with me.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” James shrugged. “Maybe Greenstar has other cops on the take. I don’t know how safe that approach would be.”
“Can’t you watch out for me?”
James choked on his laughter. “That hasn’t worked out so far, I don’t think.”
“Well, what else can I do?”
“I … I still have my contacts in the FBI. Maybe I get you turned over to them. And alert them about Redthorn’s plans in the process.”
He took out his cell and stood up.
My hand shrank away.
“But only if it’s okay with you,” he said turning.
“I guess.”
He nodded and put the phone to his ear. “I’ll just be a minute.” He stepped out of the sickbay leaving me alone to reflect on things again.
Alone in my head wasn’t a place I wanted to be.
“Okay,” James said returning after a brief interval. “I’ve spoken to a couple of agents.”
He lobb
ed me a bottle of water which I caught.
And began drinking quickly.
“We’ve got a deal on the table. You tell them everything you know about Redthorn, including everything they want to know from the first time you met him, all the way up the events today. Understand?”
I hesitated. “Yeah sure. What the hell.”
“There’s something else,” James said.
“What?”
“They want his real name.”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Redthorn is just his alias. We need to know his true identity.”
“I … I … I don’t know it…”
“I know you don’t want to give him up, but this is the only way they’ll deal.”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “I really don’t know. He always kept his name a secret. I’ve never even seen his face. I’ve told you this already. I wasn’t lying.”
James closed his eyes. Sighed.
“What?”
“I told them you knew his name. What are we going to do?”
“I can’t tell them something I don’t know.”
“Are you sure you can’t think of it? Some form you may have signed at some point? Some … placeholder on his desk…”
“Placeholder on his desk?”
“I’m just spitballing. Oh well. If you don’t know, you don’t know.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
He shook his head. “It’s probably just best to get you out of here anyway. Hopefully what you know will be enough to placate them.”
I stood up. “I’m ready to go then.”
James nodded. “Let’s hope there aren’t any problems this time.”
“Well, there won’t be from Amy.”
“Don’t remind me.”
James had it organized. He had it all figured out. We clamored out through the fire escape and made it outside for a second time. He had me wait behind a tree for him to return with his car. He was only gone a minute, but I was so afraid they’d catch me again. There still seemed as though there was a snake out there somewhere, hiding in the grass.
Six emerald towers soaked up what was left of the horizon.
Beep, beep.
James’s car caught me by a start, and I hurried quickly to the passenger side. Soon enough we were on the road, the towers behind us.
I looked at the time.
It was a quarter to three.
Just over two hours to save Zoe.
“Are you alright?” James asked.
“Not really,” I said. “This day’s been so fucked up.”
“Yeah.”
“I guess I should thank you for sticking with me.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“I’m serious, James,” I said looking over at him. “Your support means a lot.”
He glanced at me carefully. “Let’s not pretend there’s something here when there isn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know Mr. Redthorn was your first choice. I’m not going to allow you to settle for me.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
He smiled. “Yes, you did. But it doesn’t matter. We have it figured out between us. One way or another.”
His smile was infectious.
And he was right.
Today this wasn’t something. It couldn’t be something.
But maybe, one day, when this was all over…
Well.
Who knows what the future has instore?
As James explained to me, the FBI didn’t wish to meet down at their offices, or in a public location. This meeting was off the grid. He threw some jargon out at me about how this stuff is done all the time, or so that was the impression I got.
We arrived at the warehouse first. There wasn’t much out here where we were. A lot of fences and dirt. A couple of factories. No traffic, other than the occasional passing car.
We drove down a pebbled driveway leading to the factory’s entrance and moved into park. We sat there for a minute or so. James looked nervous.
I saw him check his phone a couple of times.
“God I hope this isn’t a set up,” he muttered.
“A set up?”
“You know. Meeting at places like this, who the fuck knows what can happen.”
“Jesus James. Way to lay it on me now.”
“I’ve only been talking to guys I know aren’t bought off. At least … I think they aren’t.”
He leaned over and looked through the back window.
“Maybe we should go inside and wait for them,” he said.
“Can you get in?”
“Yeah, I know how. I been here a few times before. There’s a … there’s a thing at the side. Come on, I’ll show you.”
He got out of the car.
I joined him.
It was cold out here. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth.
“I don’t suppose there’s heating inside,” I said.
“Yeah, you might be out of luck.”
We walked over towards the side of the warehouse. James stopped at one point to look back at the road.
I followed his gaze.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I think we’re okay. Okay. Yes.”
We walked round further till we reached a garage-type door. He took a key from his pocket and opened a box by the door which contained a switch. He pushed down the button and the roller door went up.
But not all the way.
It got stuck.
“Shit,” James muttered. “Must be rusted.”
He crouched down and crawled underneath the door into the warehouse.
“Are you coming?”
I bent my knees. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“No.”
“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Come on. Quit messing around.”
I put my knees on the concrete and crawled underneath the door. James helped me to my feet.
“This way,” he said.
We walked out to the main floor, which was a large open space, mostly unoccupied.
There were some chairs by a wall at the back, carefully arranged. I saw there was a camera also and facing one of the chairs at the wall.
“Is this where they conduct these type of interviews?”
“I don’t know,” James said. “But you might as well sit down.”
“Alright.”
I walked on to the chair at the back and made myself comfortable.
James was looking off to the side, his lips trembling a little.
Perhaps he was cold too.
“Maybe I can start without them,” he said. “As long as we get it on tape.”
“So I’m going back to town with you after this?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t trust them with you, I don’t think. If I’m with you, I know you’re safe. Right?”
“Yes,” I said. “Glad you have my best interests at heart.”
“Well. We’ll see about that.”
He leaned forward to adjust the camera lens.
The red light came on.
I tried not to look at it directly.
“Can you state your name for the camera then?”
“Vera Grant.”
“How old are you Vera?”
I pursed my lips together. “I’m thirty-two.”
“What is your ethnicity?”
“Caucasian?”
“Your height and weight.”
I exhaled. “What’s that have to do anything?”
James smiled. “How about your bra size?”
“Excuse me? Why don’t you go fuck yourself you perv?”
James chuckled. “But seriously. Take your fucking clothes off, slut.”
His words shook me to the core.
I couldn’t believe what he just said.
“James…?”
He pulled the gun from his holster. “Don’t make me ask you again.”
23 James
&
nbsp; My impatience has gotten the best of me. I’ve finally let her glimpse the innerworkings of my skull. No going back now. And sure I could have told her the moment she got in the car with me. Driving could have been a hazard, but I’m a strong guy. A sharp knock to the head from me and Vera would be out like a light.
I wasn’t sure when I was going to come out with it. I think I must have been savoring the moment. Or perhaps…
Enjoying the little of our friendship we had left.
Vera made a move to dive at me from the chair, but I was too quick for her. I jumped back and fired at warning shot.
“Get fucking back there!” I shouted, forcing her in front of the camera.
“What the fuck’s going on with you?” Vera yelled back. “Why are you doing this?”
“You want me to answer your questions, I want you clothes to come off. Maybe we can work something out, yes?”
She turned around, facing me. “This has to be a joke.”
“Right. You stay there.”
I marched round the back of the camera and went to the right hand corner of the room.
“Don’t move,” I warned her again, before stepping through the opening.
I peeled back a plastic curtain to find our favorite prisoner lying face down on the concrete, passed out. I took a key from my pocket, undid her chains.
“Hey,” I said, slapping her face. “Wake up.”
“James…”
“Get the fuck up.”
I grabbed her by the hair and forced her back out into the main area.
Vera had already made it to the roller door.
“STOP!” I shouted, my voice booming so loud it echoed. “STOP, OR SHE DIES!”
Vera glanced back.
Stopped her escape attempt.
I forced my prisoner to her knees and put the gun to her head.
“Zoe!” Vera cried. “Zoe is it you?”
She hurried back towards us.
“Vera, get out of here,” Zoe mumbled.
“Shut up,” I said and smashed her across the head. She fell to the floor.
“You bastard,” Vera screamed, charging at me. “Leave her alone!”
As she tried to grapple the gun off me, I bent her wrists back, groped one of her nipples, and slapped the side of her cheek.
The struggle ended with the gun pressed against her forehead.
