by Jeff Shelby
He shook his head, disbelieving, but said, “You say so.”
We got out of the car and I tucked the gun into the band of my shorts, beneath my T-shirt. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d even need it if everything went according to plan. Alex came around to me on the sidewalk and we walked slowly in the direction of Hanson’s house.
I glanced at the watch on my wrist. “Four minutes.”
“Until?”
“Until the sign,” I said. “I think.”
“Dude, you’re confusing the hell out of me.”
“Bear with me.”
“Trying.”
We stayed on the opposite side of the street and I scanned the houses as we walked. I saw no one perched between the homes or in cars or posing as lookouts. As I suspected, Hanson was either too stupid to believe Red, or too arrogant to think we could come and get him. I didn’t want to go in overconfident, but Hanson was proving himself to be pretty predictable.
We slowed as we reached the block where Hanson’s house stood. A guy was parked in front of his door, but it wasn’t Red. It was someone I didn’t recognize, but he didn’t look all that different from Colin or the other guys Hanson surrounded himself with. He stood indifferently on the brick steps, turning his head occasionally from side to side, his arms folded across his chest like he was pissed that he’d been stuck with lookout duty.
“Let’s split up,” I said. “You walk ahead and go all the way past the house. Stay on this side. Don’t even look at the house when you pass it, just keep going until you’re about the same distance away as me on the other side. They won’t recognize you.”
“Then what?”
“Wait for the sign.”
“Right,” he said. “The sign.”
“Trust me.”
He shook his head but started off.
The guy glanced at him when Alex was across from the house, stared for a moment, then continued his rotating gaze. Alex walked casually, messing with his phone as he passed the house, not giving it even the slightest glance.
Perfect.
I looked at my watch.
One minute.
I stood and waited.
I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for. I wasn’t being difficult or evasive with Alex. I really didn’t know what we should expect. But I was confident that we’d know it when we saw it.
Two minutes later, I saw movement on the roof. A large figure, crouched, wearing something that looked like a backpack with an automatic weapon of some sort slung around his body. He moved quickly along the pitch of the roof, then paused, staring down at something. Then he brought the weapon around, aimed it at the roof and unleashed a flurry of bullets into what I was pretty sure was the bank of windows above the living room.
The guy in the front of the house nearly jumped out of his shoes, he was so startled. He fell to the pavement, fumbled for the gun under his shirt and disappeared inside the house.
I looked back to the roof.
The figure was no longer there.
I smiled and started jogging toward the house. I thought about the phone call I’d made just hours earlier. It had been startling to hear his voice. He’d agreed to drive straight to the airport and help. And I’d given him directions to my place so he could pick up one of the guns Ike had gotten for us.
I hadn’t seen him in forever and he’d agreed to do all of that in about ninety seconds.
He was still my best friend.
And Carter still knew how to give a sign.
FIFTY
Alex followed me into the house, his eyes wide, nearly as surprised as everyone inside.
Hanson, Colin and several others, including the guy that had been standing guard at the front of the house, were face down on the floor, showered in shattered glass. Carter stood over them, looking bored.
“I came all the way out here for this?” he asked. “I think you just missed me.”
He wore a plain black T-shirt, long khaki shorts and running shoes. His hair was a bit longer since I’d last seen him, but still electric-white. He waved the gun over the guys on the floor the way a kid might brandish a squirt gun.
He was right. I had missed him.
“Just figured you needed the practice,” I said.
“Good to know you still aren’t funny,” he said.
“Good to know you’re still ugly.”
“Let’s discuss your lame comebacks later on,” he said. “What are we doing here? Do I get to shoot people or no?”
“Maybe,” I said. “Be patient.”
“Not my strong suit,” he said, then looked past me. “What’s up, Alex?”
“Carter,” he said, still disbelieving. “I, uh…good to see you.”
“It usually is,” he said.
I stuck my toe in Hanson’s cheek. “Where is he?”
“Where is who?” he mumbled.
I brought my foot back and kicked him hard in the cheek. He squirmed on the floor and turned his face away from me.
“Where is he?” I asked again.
“Is he the biggest asshole here?” Carter asked. “Can I shoot him first?”
“Upstairs,” Hanson said.
“Red up there with him?”
“Yeah.”
“Keep them down,” I said to Carter. “Anyone moves, shoot the one I just kicked.”
“Kill him or play with him?” Carter asked.
“Play with him,” I said. “Then kill him.”
“Totally worth the trip now.”
Alex and I ascended the staircase and we each took a side of the long hallway. We were halfway down when Red stepped out into the corridor, his hands up.
“Kid’s in here,” he said. “He’s fine.” He eyed me. “Choosing your side.”
“He should be cool, Alex,” I said. “Keep an eye on him. I’ll get Jackson.”
“Got it.”
Red stepped away from the door, his hands still up. “You want me to get down or something?”
“You’re fine,” I said. “Alex won’t miss from here. No offense.”
“Just business,” Red said, shrugging. “We’re cool.”
I stepped into the room. Jackson was sitting on the floor, surrounded by stuffed animals, watching television.
He looked up and his eyes lit up. “Noah!” He scrambled to his feet and attached himself to one of my legs. “I missed you!”
“I missed you, too, Jax,” I said. “We’re gonna go get your mom, okay?”
“Yes!” His grip tightened on my leg. “Don’t leave me again, okay?”
“I won’t,” I said. “We’re going to get your mom right now.”
I reached down for his hand and he unclamped himself from my leg, latching onto my hand. He looked a little tired, but otherwise fine. I scooped him up with my other arm and he threw his arms around my neck.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” he said. “I just miss Mommy.”
I stepped out of the room and Red and Alex were exactly where I’d left them.
“Hi, Alex,” Jackson said.
“Hey, buddy.”
I nodded at Red. “Was that man nice to you?”
Jackson nodded. “Yeah. Red brought me ice cream and watched movies with me. We played games, too.” He smiled. “Hi, Red.”
“Hey, little man.”
“Why are your hands up?” Jackson asked.
“We all just playing a game right now,” Red said quickly. His eyes shifted to me. “Right?”
“Right,” I said. “There are more people downstairs.”
Jackson’s eyes filled with anxiety and his arms tightened around my neck. “Is the mean boy there?”
“The mean boy?”
“He would always come up to the room and tell me to be quiet and stuff,” he said. “He said mean things about Mommy.”
I looked at Red.
“Hanson,” he said.
“Yeah, he’s down there,” I said to Jackson. “But he’s on the floor a
nd he’s not getting up. Another friend of mine is down there, watching him.”
“Why am I here, Noah?” he said. “Did I do something wrong?”
I shifted him in my arm so I could look him in the eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong and you weren’t supposed to be here. But it’s not your fault. Okay?”
Tears bulged in the corners of his eyes. “Okay.”
“No one’s going to take you away from your mom,” Alex said. “Ever again. I promise.”
Jackson buried his head against my shoulder and there was something in Alex’s voice that I hadn’t heard before. He meant it. He’d do whatever he needed to in order to protect Jackson. Maybe it was a combination of guilt and his feelings for Bella, but whatever it was, it sounded different than anything I’d ever heard from him.
“Red, we’ll follow you down,” I said.
Red nodded and went first, followed by Alex and then me and Jackson. We descended the stairs and found everyone still on the floor, like they were frozen in time. Carter paced back and forth, a soda in the massive hand that wasn’t holding the small machine gun.
“Nobody moved, unfortunately,” he said. “And I got thirsty. He motioned at Red. “How about him? Can I shoot him?”
“No,” I said. “You may not.”
Red got down on the floor next to the others.
Carter shrugged and smiled at Jackson. “Hey, little dude.”
Jackson smiled. “Hi. You’re really big.”
“I really am, aren’t I?”
“Like a monster or something.”
“You have no idea, little dude.”
Jackson giggled and buried his face on my shoulder again.
“Everyone but Hanson. Get up,” I said.
There was some momentary indecision, but the five others on the floor finally stood. Hanson stayed flat against the ground.
“Put them in a closet,” I said to Carter. “Or someplace. I don’t care where. Secure. Lock them in.”
“Can I shoot anyone?” he asked.
“Only if necessary.”
“Define necessary.”
“Anyone breathes the wrong way.”
“Perfect.” Carter grinned. “Let’s go find a room, ladies! And if this thing goes off accidentally, I’ll just apologize now.”
He herded them together and they shuffled off down the hall.
Alex and I flanked the couch and I set Jackson down. He stayed right next to my leg.
“Get up,” I said to Hanson. “On the couch.”
Hanson got to his hands and knees, then moved over to the couch. A nice red welt had formed on his cheek where I’d kicked him.
“Jackson, will you do me a favor, buddy?” I said.
Jackson nodded.
“Will you go with Alex and check out the kitchen? See if you can find me something to drink?” I asked. “A soda or something?”
“Can I get one, too?”
“Sure.”
He walked in a wide arc around Hanson and over to Alex. I nodded and Alex took him around the corner and into the kitchen.
I looked at Hanson. “I hope you’re listening because this is the last time we are ever going to talk.”
“Oh, fuck you, man,” he said. “You’re dead as soon as I…”
I reached out and grabbed him by the hair and slammed him to the floor, coming down on top of him. I turned him over and straddled his chest.
“Open your mouth,” I said.
Blood trickled from his nose and the defiance in his words was absent from his eyes.
“Open your mouth,” I said.
He kept it shut.
I took the end of the gun and pressed it to his lips. He squirmed beneath me.
“Open or I’ll make my own hole,” I said.
His lips finally parted and I shoved the gun into his mouth.
“Let’s try again,” I said. “Ready to listen?”
He made a nodding movement, his eyes glued to the gun in his mouth.
“Good,” I said. “We’re never going to talk again. And you’re going to choose how that happens. You leave Bella alone and you’ll never see me again after today. That’s option number one. Nod or gag or something if you understand.”
He made the nodding motion again.
“Well done,” I said. “Option number two. Pay close attention. If you so much as say hello to Bella again, I will come and kill you. Just like this. We’ll be on the floor again, you’ll be eating the gun and I’ll pull the trigger. Several times. We won’t talk. I’ll just kill you.” I leaned down over him, my eyes inches from his. “And I’m guessing you know enough about me now from Zip to know I’ve done it before. So taking you out will be like scraping gum off my shoe. Easy and quick. We clear?”
He made the nodding motion again.
I pulled the gun from his mouth and pressed it against his left eye. He squirmed again, but couldn’t move me.
“And if you so much as breathe on her kid again, I’m gonna let my friend play with you,” I said. “For a long time.” I pressed harder against his eyes. “Tell me you understand.”
“I understand,” he whispered.
There was a part of me that just wanted to end his life right there, to give everyone the peace of mind they needed to know he’d never bother Bella again. But I’d done that before and it hadn’t given me what I’d hoped it would. It had given me more than I could handle. In every way.
I pulled the gun from his eye and stood up. “Get on the couch.”
Hanson pushed himself up and fell back on to the couch, blood still trickling from his nose. He wiped at his mouth and stared at me.
“You keep looking at me like that and you’re going to lose one of those eyes,” I said.
He moved his gaze to his knees.
Carter came back into the room behind me. “I found a really tiny hall closet and wedged all of them in there. Then I tied the door shut with a curtain cord.”
“Nice work.”
“I’ve still got it.”
“I’ll say.”
“Now what? He motioned at Hanson. “We bury his body somewhere?”
Hanson couldn’t help but glance in his direction.
Carter smiled at him.
“No,” I said. “He knows he can walk out of here if he behaves himself.”
“Can’t believe I came all this way and I don’t get to shoot anyone,” Carter said. “Seems so anti-climactic.”
“Maybe we can find someone on the way home.”
“Jesus, I hope so.”
Hanson stared at us like he couldn’t decide if we were serious or insane.
I was comfortable with him wondering.
“So are we good then?” Carter asked.
“Think so,” I said.
And we were until Bella opened the front door, holding a gun.
FIFTY-ONE
Bella aimed Alex’s gun squarely at Hanson. “I want him dead.”
Carter grinned. “This your wife?”
I positioned myself between her and David, the gun now aimed at my chest. “No, Bella. We’re cool. We don’t need to do this.”
Carter backed up and stepped out of the line of fire. I knew he was moving to a spot where he could take out Bella if he needed to. I glanced at him and shook my head.
“We don’t.” She held the gun steady. “I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Don’t tell me what I need, Noah,” she said. She sidestepped me, bringing David back into her sight. Her arms shook as she re-leveled the gun. “Don’t tell me what I need. You aren’t the one he’s after. Knowing he can come after me whenever he wants. Knowing he can take my son whenever he wants. That he can fuck up my life in about a million other ways. You don’t have to live with any of that. I do.” Her eyes narrowed. “But not if he’s dead.”
“It’ll make things worse,” I said.
“Not for me it won’t,” she said. “Can’t get any worse. He took my son. And he’ll do it again.”
>
“No, he won’t,” I said. I stepped toward her, my arm outstretched. “It’s taken care of.”
“Noah, I’ll shoot you if you don’t move,” she said. “I don’t want to, but I will.”
I could see Carter shift his gun in his hands. I glanced at him again, but he was focused on her. He didn’t lower the gun and I knew he’d pull the trigger before she ever got a shot off.
I inclined my head toward the kitchen. She followed my gaze. Alex stood there, just in view, Jackson right next to him, licking a Popsicle. “Look. He’s okay. Alex has him. We can get out of here.”
Her focus shifted and her eyes softened. The nose of the gun dipped slightly.
Jackson looked at us then. His eyes brightened and he dropped the Popsicle to the floor. “Mommy!”
He took off running for her before Alex could grab him.
Jackson was halfway across the room when Hanson launched himself off the couch, grabbing him around the ankles and tripping him up.
Before I could move, Alex was on top of him, ripping him off Jackson, his forearm flat across Hanson’s throat. Jackson scrambled to his feet and sprinted to Bella, crying and sobbing.
Bella dropped the gun and went down to her knees to scoop him up. She was crying, too.
Alex rolled Hanson over, his arm still locked around Hanson’s neck. Hanson kicked and grunted, but Alex used his weight to keep him down on the ground, beneath him.
Carter was next to me, holding the gun Bella dropped. “Pull him off?”
“Not sure we can,” I said.
“He’s gonna choke him out. For good.”
“I know.” I hesitated. “Don’t, Alex.”
Alex didn’t move and Hanson’s flailing slowed.
“Liz would shoot you, Alex,” I said. “You know she would.”
The only sound in the room was Jax sobbing on Bella’s shoulder.
“Alex,” I said. “Don’t. Don’t disappoint her like I did.”
Alex’s shoulder muscles flinched and his body slid to the side of Hanson’s. He brought his arm around from Hanson’s throat, his chest heaving, sweat covering his red face. He pushed himself to his feet, glanced at me and went over to Bella.
“Is he okay?” he whispered.
Bella nodded, still hugging Jax.
Hanson stirred on the floor. He was still alive.
