Othello smiled and nodded with understanding. He placed the sword under his arm and slowly clapped his hands together. “Lovely speech,” he announced. “Such a sentimental piece of bullshit.”
She stared at him with surprise then immediately became defensive. “It wasn’t bullshit!”
“No, I’m sure the truth was in there somewhere,” Othello remarked. He flipped the sword in the air and gracefully caught it. “Fact. Zack betrayed you, the team, and killed Kirk. Fact. Beck intends to kill Zack the next time he sees him. Fact. You need closure, and the only way for that to happen is for you to confront your monster.”
Jackie grumbled under her breath and again turned defensive. “Are you going to run off and tell Beck?”
“No, I’m going to teach you how to use swords properly,” Othello informed her. “I have no loyalty to Beck, and Monroe’s friendship doesn’t mean he gets to dictate my actions. You may never run into Zack again, but if you do and you confront him, I’d feel better knowing you have enough skills to survive that confrontation.”
She sighed with relief and smiled more naturally. “Thank you, Othello.”
“Besides,” he remarked while shrugging. “It’s not like I have anything better to do around here either, and I like playing with swords.” A twisted smile crossed his face. “Besides, women with swords are hot.”
Jackie hid her smile and laughed softly. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
“Damn,” Othello gasped. “All the good pick-up lines are already used.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
One week later. Despite the comfortable quarters at the ranger’s station, everyone was becoming restless. Their situation was the same as it had been the week prior. Jackie kept busy with learning new tricks and teaching Pinto karate moves under Beck’s watchful eye. Bogart spent a lot of time with them during practice and even attempted a few of the kicks as well. He usually ended up falling on his backside. Holden was recovering nicely from his injuries and was starting to get around better on his own. The guys were fighting more than usual despite Pinto and Ellie’s efforts to keep peace while Sal assumed a fatherly role and broke up more than his fair share of fights.
Even though Pinto and Ellie attempted to include Jackie in ‘girl time’, Jackie remained distant and spent most of her time either training or taking out her frustration on Holden in bed. Jackie didn’t mention Zack to the guys, and his name didn’t come up in conversation. She knew they were secretly plotting, but she couldn’t blame it all on Beck because Ross would have done the same thing had he been there. If they suspected she’d protest, she was automatically excluded. She tried not to take it personally, but sometimes it was difficult.
†
Jackie sat behind the desk in the weapon’s room with a bored expression as she flipped through a book on World War II. The extreme man cave was filled with books on war, magazines on hunting, and everything in between. Since the reading material didn’t interest her, she decided to do a little more poking around. Othello’s friend didn’t leave anything personal in his secret hideaway. She understood the need for secrecy, as it wasn’t an actual residence, but since she was now bored, it seemed like a fun pastime. She still had an hour before bedtime when she would take out her frustration and boredom on Holden. He actually enjoyed when she unleashed her aggression on him in bed, especially now that he wasn’t nearly as sore from his injuries.
She opened each drawer and removed the few items, going through each thing in her attempt to snoop. Sadly, she wasn’t given much to work with. She removed another war book from the drawer and saw a bookmark sticking out. Jackie wondered who was reading what last. She opened the book to the marked page and nearly dropped the book. She stared at the piece of paper used to mark the reader’s place and immediately recognized her father’s handwriting. As she stared the note, she realized she recognized the note as well. It simply read, ‘Jackie, I’ll be at the airfield this afternoon. Giving flying lessons to an old friend. Love Dad.’
Her entire body tensed as she held the familiar note. The last time she’d seen that note was exactly where she’d left it on the refrigerator in her father’s house, the same place he’d put it the day he died. She’d purposely left it there for sentimental reasons and didn’t even like anyone commenting on the note let alone touching it. She dropped the note and sprang up from the chair while looking around the room. Her heart was now racing as she scanned the room, eyeing the weapons and the setup. How could she have been so blind? She needed something concrete to prove her theory. Jackie nearly knocked the chair over while hurrying to the shelves of weapons. She frantically scanned the shelves, not entirely sure what she hoped to find.
Jackie then caught a glimpse of something behind the guns in the cabinet. She opened the glass cabinet door containing the handguns meticulously placed on their pegs. She carelessly tossed the guns from their pegs, allowing them to clatter and collect on a pile on the bottom of the cabinet. Scribbled on the wall behind the guns was a drawing of Kilroy peeking over his wall. Jackie could feel her heart pounding as she stared at the familiar drawing with a ‘Z’ in the corner. She took a step away from the cabinet and attempted to catch her breath. It couldn’t be! Jackie scanned the room, finally able to put it all together. There was a reason why the room was so comfortable and familiar to her, but it almost seemed impossible to believe.
She could hear someone on the stairs. Jackie lunged back to the cabinet and hastily replaced the carelessly discarded guns to random pegs, covering the drawing. She just finished replacing the last gun when she heard someone enter the room. Jackie looked up and saw Bogart in the doorway. He had a solemn look on his face, immediately setting her on edge, although she was halfway there already.
“I thought you’d like to know Othello cracked the email on that cell phone,” he announced while frowning. “I saw the look on Othello’s face when he told Beck. I think he saw something, but he didn’t want to say anything.”
Jackie casually closed the cabinet while attempting to sort out what he’d just said along with what she’d just found.
“Oh, uh, I don’t suppose he intends to share that information with me anyway,” she replied as she attempted to slow her heart rate.
Bogart eyed the note on the table a few feet from him. Jackie saw him looking at the paper. She casually approached the desk, opened the book, and placed the paper between the pages. She replaced the book to the drawer then looked at Bogart.
“I think I’m going to take a shower then go to bed early,” she informed him. “You’ll tell me if they find anything in the emails, won’t you?”
“Yeah, sure,” Bogart replied while giving her a strange look. “Is everything okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she replied despite feeling her body trembling inside. “I mean, as good as it gets.”
Bogart attempted a smile and nodded. Jackie returned the smile as she passed him, gently patted his arm, and then headed up the stairs. Bogart watched her leave then glanced back at the desk drawer.
†
Jackie sat on the bed in her sleep tank top and floppy shorts while brushing her wet hair. She was deep in thought and couldn’t seem to shake what she’d seen. Her heart was still racing, and every nerve in her body seemed to twitch. The door opened startling her. Holden limped into the room and immediately looked at her as he closed the door behind him.
“Well, Beck’s being a prick,” Holden remarked.
Jackie’s heart sank along with her shoulders. “They wouldn’t share any information with you?”
“Share?” he remarked and laughed. “They stopped talking the moment I entered the room. They must have found something important in those emails, and neither of us is privy to the new information.”
“I’m not surprised,” she muttered. “They must suspect you’d share that information with me, and I’m on a ‘you don’t need to know’ basis.”
Holden limped toward her and sat on
the edge of the bed near her. He gently caressed her bare leg while staring sympathetically into her eyes. “I know this is killing you, Jackie,” he remarked timidly then drew a deep breath and held it. “You realize you don’t need them, right?”
“This isn’t about how they’re treating me,” she replied. “You know what this is about.”
“Yes, I do,” he remarked while staring at her with a serious look. “You’re part of the team. If they won’t take your opinion into consideration and feel the need to exclude you from something as serious as killing one of your own, then you have every right to tell them you’re through with them and the team. They need you more than you need them.”
“Without Ross, Kirk, and Zack there may not be a team,” Jackie replied sadly. “What I think doesn’t really matter. They’re hell bent on putting Zack down, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them if they attempt it.”
Holden groaned softly. “Jackie, I know you,” he announced simply. “We both know you intend to go rogue.”
She stared at him with surprise, but it was too late to hide it from him. Jackie groaned and held her head. “I’m a horrible person.”
“No you’re not,” Holden replied and caressed her leg. “You’re looking for the same answers we all want. I just hope if the time comes, you’ll have the good sense to take him down before he takes you down.”
Jackie was slightly stunned by his words. He knew what she intended to do, and he didn’t intend to stop her. She placed her arms around Holden’s neck and hugged him while trembling.
“I’m sorry.”
He held her in his arms as if he’d never let go. “Don’t be sorry. I knew what I was getting into when I married you.” He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “Just don’t get killed trying to bring him back, because then it’s my turn.” His look was serious. “If he hurts you and I get him in my sights, I’m not asking questions.”
She attempted a smile and nodded while wiping the tears from her eyes. “I know, but I promise it won’t come to that.” Jackie pulled away and revealed her shaking hands then smirked. “I’m afraid I have a lot of anxiety and aggression to work through tonight.”
“Well,” Holden announced with a sigh. “You can beat the living crap out of the punching bag if you’d like.” He then hesitated. “Or grab my handcuffs from my jacket pocket.”
Jackie eyed him and grinned. “I’ll get the handcuffs.” She sprang up from the bed and ran for the closet.
Holden groaned and fell back on the bed. “The things I do for that girl--”
Chapter Thirty
It was nearly midnight when the team gathered in the weapon’s room. Beck wanted to inform them what he’d found on Melissa’s phone and discuss their course of action. Beck, Gil, Monroe, and Bogart were the only ones allowed to attend the secret meeting. Othello was already in bed as were Jackie and Holden. Sal, Pinto, and Ellie were outside enjoying the pleasant night air while having a drink before heading to bed. Beck chose the weapon’s room for its basement location, which would reduce the likelihood of anyone overhearing their conversation.
“I found dozens of emails on the phone Bogart snatched,” Beck informed them where they gathered around the desk. “This woman Bogart ran into must know the man who put the bounty on our heads. Her emails are loaded with reference to him without directly coming out and naming names. The emails are all rather vague, but they were designed that way to keep anyone from fully understanding their nature.” He glanced at the remaining team. “We need a plan to infiltrate this woman’s mansion and find out who’s behind the hits on us.”
“Question,” Bogart immediately spoke up then looked around the room. “Why isn’t Jackie part of this meeting?”
Beck inhaled deeply and seemed to drift out a moment. Monroe and Gil fidgeted simultaneously at the question. Beck looked back at Bogart.
“According to the emails, there’s a Russian bounty hunter new to the scene,” Beck informed him. “A more recent email indicates he’s submitted a request for payment on Kirk’s head.” He shifted uncomfortably. “There was an attached photo of his kill. I couldn’t look at it, but Gil confirmed it was Kirk in the photo. That means our Russian bounty hunter is Zack. He’s been spending a great deal of time at this woman’s mansion. If she’s as loose as you claim she is, I wouldn’t doubt he’s conned his way into her bed already.”
Bogart groaned and looked away. He cursed softly under his breath, hesitated, and then looked back at Beck. “So we’re excluding Jackie because we might run into Zack?”
“Yes, Jackie’s officially off the assignment due to conflicting interests,” Beck replied.
“You know,” Bogart began with some irritation. “I realize I’m not officially one of you, and I never will be, since I wasn’t part of your little boy band back in the day, but I’m a little uncomfortable with you plotting Zack’s assassination.”
“He killed Kirk in cold blood,” Monroe snapped, becoming animated. “Do you honestly think he won’t do the same to you or the rest of us?”
“It’s the only way,” Beck insisted, attempting to remain calm. “Zack is very good at what he does. If we don’t attack first, our chances of beating him are slim. Do you get it?”
Bogart frowned. “Yeah, I get it.” His anger then returned. “It’s still wrong to exclude Jackie. She’s the only one here he might listen to. He’d never hurt her.”
Beck suddenly slammed his hands on the desk. “I’m not willing to risk her life to find out,” he launched back then attempted to compose himself. He ran his fingers through his hair and held his breath. He calmed slightly. “You weren’t at the boneyard, Bogart. You didn’t see the things we saw. Zack turned on us. We can’t let him harm anyone else. That’s just the way it has to be.”
Bogart maintained his frown and nodded even if he didn’t necessarily agree with him.
Beck rubbed his eyes and appeared upset with their decision as well, but there was no turning back. “According to another more recent email, they’re having a meeting to discuss the bounties at the Melissa Pendleton’s mansion the evening after tomorrow. That gives us forty-eight hours to come up with a plan. The email was forwarded to nearly two dozen men, whom I’m assuming are all bounty hunters and professional hitmen. There’s an excellent chance Zack will be among them.” He casually sat on the desk and looked at the others. “We’ll stake-out the meeting, get eyes on Zack, and see if we can figure out who’s in charge. We find out who put the hit on us, and we take him out.”
“We’re going to storm a fortress containing over two dozen men who want our heads?” Bogart blurted out then grinned nervously. “Four of us against two dozen of them? Meanwhile, our best fighters are either sidelined or playing for the other team. That’s suicide.”
“We’ll go in after the meeting breaks up, genius,” Beck snarled while glaring at Bogart. “Two of us will keep eyes on Zack and handle that while the other two take care of the man in charge of this little ‘farewell to us’ party.”
Bogart shook his head defiantly. “I’m sorry, Beck,” he announced with little hesitation. “I won’t be a part of killing Zack in cold blood.”
Beck glared at Bogart and stood. “Do you want to sit this one out?” he demanded. “Because you’re more than welcome to sit this one out.”
“I’ll need time to think about that,” Bogart snapped in response then turned to leave. He hesitated then looked back at Beck while cocking his head. “You know, Ross was a ballbreaker, but I can’t imagine he’d approve any of this behavior.”
Bogart turned and left. Gil, Monroe, and Beck avoided looking at one another while sinking into their own moral dilemmas regarding Zack.
Chapter Thirty-one
The following evening, Jackie hugged her knees to her chest while sitting on the decorative concrete bench in the backyard behind the ranger station’s living quarters. She stared toward the slowly darkening woods. They still had an hour before the sun officially set, but the forest was alr
eady becoming dark. Monroe stood in the doorway a long moment watching her then finally approached. He sat on the bench alongside her feet and stared in the same direction she stared.
“You okay?” he gently asked.
She didn’t bother looking at him. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore,” she replied with little emotion.
“I’m not here to argue,” he informed her.
“If we continue talking, it’ll turn into an argument,” she countered.
“Yeah, you get that from your father,” Monroe replied. “He loved a good debate.”
“I believe the term is pissing match,” she corrected then cast a glance at him.
They exchanged tiny smiles for the first time in a while. Monroe cast her feet from the bench, moved closer to her, and pulled her into his arms. She tensed at first then allowed him to hold her in a warm embrace.
“Don’t be mad at me, Jackie,” he announced softly. “We sometimes have to do things we don’t want to do.”
“I know,” she replied into his shoulder while clinging to him as if her life depended on it. She drifted off into her own world. “We’ve been through a lot, and I wouldn’t want us to be angry with each other with things being so uncertain.”
“Yeah, me too,” he replied then finally pulled away and smiled at her. “Bogart told you we were leaving tomorrow afternoon, didn’t he?”
She managed a smile and nodded. “I guess my invitation got lost in the mail.”
“You know why you weren’t included.”
“I know,” she replied, taking on a callous attitude. “You can tell Beck if he intends to fill Ross’s shoes, he’d better grow a pair and tell me to my face.”
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