by David Archer
“Those pictures were taken over the course of about a week, and some of them—the ones that show them sleeping—were taken right inside my parents’ home. The point they make is pretty simple: no matter what happens, this guy can get to my sisters. When I saw those, and I should mention that he had me on the phone when they were handed to me by some street punk, I took him very seriously when he said that if I told anyone what was going on, they would be dead.” He looked down at the floor for a moment, then looked back up at Noah. “I know that I’m supposed to forget everyone from my past, but the truth is that this hit me on an emotional level I just couldn’t handle. I was already in high school by the time they were born, so I kind of helped raise them. There was just no way I could turn my back and let something like that happen to them, but I do realize now that I should have gone to Jenny.”
“Damn, Skippy,” Jenny said. “If you had, we probably would have got this bastard by now.”
Sarah took the photos from Noah’s hand and looked through them again. After a moment, she looked up into Randy’s eyes.
“I never had a sister,” she said, “so I can’t claim to know exactly what you felt when you saw these, but I think I can understand what you mean when you say it hit you on an emotional level. Look, I’m not happy about what you did, especially after what it put me through, but I’m not going to hold it against you. Apparently Jenny has decided you’re worth saving, and I gather Allison thinks so, as well. I’ll let go of this—this anger—but it might be pretty hard for me to completely trust you again.”
“I understand,” Randy said. “I probably would’ve shot me myself, if I were in your shoes. But I appreciate you letting me at least try to explain.”
“Okay, so are we all good now?” Jenny asked. “Good, that crap is out of the way. Now, tell us about the honeymoon!”
Noah glanced at Sarah, who nodded, and then he got up and left the room for a moment. When he came back, he spent a couple of minutes connecting his computer to the TV, and then they all sat around watching the raw footage he had shot while they were in Cancun. All of them laughed at some of the more comical moments, such as when Sarah was standing in the surf and was knocked down by a wave, or when Noah was feeding one of the dolphins and it decided to take a nip of his finger.
But then there began the oohs and aahs when they saw the underwater shots of all the beautiful fish and plants through which they swam, and the many videos taken at the Mayan temple and other locations. The evening turned out to be enjoyable, and they finally decided to drive on out to the Sagebrush for dinner.
CHAPTER SIX
The next day was a Saturday, and Sarah and Noah had invited Jenny, Elaine, Neil, Marco, Allison, and Donald Jefferson out in the afternoon. Noah fired up the grill for burgers and hot dogs, and Sarah drove into town to pick up potato salad, coleslaw, and french fries that she would heat up in the oven inside, as well as stocking them up on beer and soft drinks.
Neil set up a portable screen and a video projector, and they watched the honeymoon videos once again, this time with an audience of their closest friends, and everyone enjoyed them. By the time the food was ready, they had already seen most of it, and so they settled down at Noah’s picnic tables and lawn chairs to eat.
And then it was time for Sarah to pass out the gifts they had brought back. She recruited Noah to help, and they went into the house and came back with packages she had wrapped only that morning.
“Okay,” Sarah said, “there was no way I was going to someplace as fantastic as Cancun and not bring back something for all our dearest friends, so we’ve got presents for each of you. Anybody who doesn’t like what we brought you, you’re disowned. Everybody got that?”
“We got it,” Marco yelled. “Just make like Santa, okay?”
Sarah decided to present the gifts to the women first, though she had left Lacey’s gift hidden in her closet. Since she and Neil were no longer an item, she figured it would be best to meet up with Lacey privately to give it to her.
“Okay, Elaine,” Sarah said. She handed Elaine the package, and everyone laughed as Elaine ripped it open like a child at Christmas. When she saw the lovely Mexican skirt and blouse, her face lit up in a huge smile.
“Renée is next,” Sarah said. “Renée, I haven’t really known you long enough, so I got you the same thing as Elaine. I hope that’s okay.” Renée ripped the package with as much enthusiasm as Elaine had shown and made it clear that she was absolutely delighted.
“All right, now for Allison.” She handed Allison a box, but the boss lady opened it a little more delicately than her predecessors had done. When she saw the beautiful desk set inside, and then realized it was made of genuine silver, she was just a little bit overwhelmed.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” she said. “It’s going on my desk first thing Monday morning.”
“Jenny, it’s your turn,” Sarah said. The box she handed Jenny was smaller, but the look of pure delight on the little woman’s face was priceless, especially when Sarah demonstrated how to extend the blade. Jenny’s eyes took on a mischievous tone, and she announced that she would never go anywhere without the cross again.
Sarah smiled and then turned to Neil. Noah handed her a box, and she passed it to the skinny kid. Neil acted more like a child at Christmas than any of the ladies, and when he saw the drone inside the box, he jumped to his feet and let out a whoop! “These are awesome! I love it,” he said, showing his gift to everyone.
“Mr. Jefferson,” Sarah said, “since you always wear cuff links, we got you a set.” Jefferson broke into a huge smile of his own at the sight of the silver cuff links with black onyx stones.
“And we can’t forget Marco,” Sarah said. “I actually didn’t have the slightest idea what you might like, but Noah picked something out. I hope it’s okay.” She took the box from Noah’s hands and passed it to Marco, and he jumped to his feet as Neil had when he saw the mug. “Pancho Villa,” he shouted. “Mi amigo! Oh, man, he’s like my all-time hero.”
“Pancho Villa?” Neil asked. “Wasn’t he like some Mexican bandit or something?”
“Well, yeah, for a little while,” Marco said. “But he was a lot like Robin Hood. He really did take from the rich and spread the money around to the poor, but then he figured out that the Mexican government was corrupt and started his own army to help in the revolution. Mexico never would have overthrown the corrupt government and discovered real liberty if it wasn’t for him.”
“Dude, you’re from the bayou in Louisiana. Why in the world would Pancho Villa be your hero?”
“Because my great-grandmother was actually his cousin.” He held the mug up beside his face. “Can’t you see a resemblance?”
Neil squinted at him. “Yeah, I think I can,” he said. “I think you both have the same big mouth.”
Marco made an obscene gesture, and everyone laughed.
The party continued until well past sundown, but finally people began heading toward home. First Marco and Renée, then Elaine, followed by Allison and Mr. Jefferson, until only Neil and Jenny remained.
“This was a blast,” Jenny said. “Thanks so much for inviting me, you guys, and I absolutely love the necklace.” She looked over at Neil. “So, Neil,” she said, “how come you didn’t bring your girlfriend tonight?”
Neil scowled. “Lacey and I kind of broke up,” he said. “It was fun while it lasted, but she was too much of a control freak for me.”
Jenny’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I’m sorry to hear that. Can I ask what it was that caused the problem?”
“Yeah, she wanted me to quit the team and try to get some kind of office job downtown. I told her there was no way I was going to do that, and she said it was her way or the highway, so I opened the door for her. I liked her a lot, but I’m just not the kind of guy who can handle letting a woman be in charge all the time.”
Jenny sat back in her lawn chair and stared at Neil for a moment, and Sarah watched Jenny. She’d seen the look on Jenny’
s face before and instantly recognized it. Jenny, for all she was one of the toughest women in the world, was honestly attracted to skinny Neil. Before Jenny could speak, Sarah jumped up out of her chair and grabbed her by the hand, dragging her into the house.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Sarah asked when she got Jenny alone. “That kid is like my little brother. You’re not gonna…”
“Relax, Sarah, sweetie,” Jenny said. “Didn’t you hear what he was saying? He broke up with Lacey because she was too bossy, right?”
Sarah narrowed her eyes and looked at Jenny closely. “Yeah. So?”
Jenny let out a sigh. “Let me tell you something,” she said. “This job, I love it, because it lets me let out all this violence and rage inside of me. Without it, I’d probably end up in real trouble, and there wouldn’t be any Allison to come and rescue me, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I think I do. But, about Neil… Jenny, you’ve got to understand that while he may see himself as a tough guy, he’s really pretty much a softy. Every time he has to use a weapon, every time he actually has to kill someone, he spends hours crying about it. He’s just not as tough as you are.”
“Sarah, he doesn’t have to be. See, I have to go out there and run my team with an iron fist. I can never, ever let them see any kind of weakness, or I’ll lose their trust and their respect, and then they won’t be there when I need them.” She sighed deeply once again. “When I come home, though, all I really want to do is leave that behind. See, I can go out there and be Ms. Tough Bitch on the job, but that’s not who I really am.”
“It’s not?” Sarah asked. “You sure have everybody else fooled, then.”
Jenny chuckled. “Comes with the job, right? We have to be whoever we have to be in order to do what we have to do, but like I said, that’s not who I really am. Who I really am is a girl who would love to have a man simply take charge, somebody I can cook for and take care of and lavish a lot of love on, but most of the guys I meet only see me as Cinderella. Neil doesn’t want a girl who’s bossy and dominant, and I want a guy who will let me be the submissive I am on the inside. Would it really be so bad if he and I were to get together?”
Sarah opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She tried once more, but still, nothing came out.
Jenny came and put her arms around Sarah and pulled her close. “Like I said, you can relax. If there is one man in the world who is absolutely safe from me, it would be the one guy that I think could accept me for who I am and still insist on putting his foot down when I get annoying.”
“And you think maybe Neil is that guy?” Sarah asked.
Jenny shrugged, and then they both began giggling. “There’s only one way I’ll ever know, right?”
Sarah fought down her giggles as much as she could, then pulled back and looked Jenny in the eye. “Okay,” she said after a few seconds, “but I need you to understand one thing. I’m pretty protective about Neil. If you hurt him, you’ll have to be more scared of me than anyone you’ve ever faced out there in the field. You got that?”
They stared at each other for a few seconds and then both began laughing so hard they could barely stand. They were still laughing when they rejoined the two men outside.
The four of them sat around and talked for another half hour, but then Neil said he was tired and would see them all later. He got up and walked across the yard to his trailer, and then Sarah told Noah about the conversation she and Jenny had had.
Noah only shrugged. “They’re both adults,” he said. “If Jenny’s serious and wants to be able to let down her guard at home, I think Neil is the kind of guy who could appreciate that. My only concern would be if the two of you got into a fight. Jenny, you live with violence almost every day. Are you sure it wouldn’t come out if you were arguing?”
“I’m sure, Noah,” Jenny said. “I’ve had a couple of boyfriends since I’ve been here, but it never worked out. They were either too scared of me to tell me what they thought, or they wanted a mama to tell them what to do, and neither one of those things is going to work for me. I’m not saying Neil is the right guy for me, I’m just saying I like him. He’s tall, he’s good-looking, he’s close to my age, and I really get the feeling that he could handle having a submissive girlfriend. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s attracted to me—he might not be. I’m not going to go chasing him, but I might make a point of letting him know I wouldn’t turn down a chance at a date.”
Noah looked over at Sarah. “I can’t say I see any harm in it,” he said. “This life has plenty of risks in it, but they’re both aware of what those risks can be. As long as it didn’t interfere in either team, I don’t see a problem.”
“Unless she gets it in her head to try to steal him away from our team,” Sarah said. “There’s no way I…”
“Hey,” Jenny said, “let’s just put that problem to bed right now. You guys have a good situation, now that you’re married and still working together, but there’s no way in the world I could have a guy I was dating on my team. It would just be too confusing. You don’t ever have to worry about me trying to steal him away.”
“Well, that pretty well takes away my last objection,” Sarah said. “Just remember what I told you, all right?”
Jenny smiled. “I won’t forget,” she said as she got to her feet. “Oh, speaking of forgetting, I almost forgot something important. I’m supposed to let you know that Randy sent word to you know who that he’s got the information you know who has been after. The asshole insisted on having it delivered digitally, but he did agree to let Randy off the hook in exchange for it.”
“Then I should hopefully be hearing from the mole one day soon. Thank you.”
“Just relaying the message. See you guys later.” She walked away and got into her car, and Noah and Sarah were alone.
The two of them got up and gathered up the leftovers, then picked up all the trash and threw it into the big can that sat beside the garage. They carried the food inside and put it away in the refrigerator, then headed for bed.
Sunday broke bright and sunny, and the air was warmer than usual for late fall. The happy new couple spent most of the morning in bed, but then Noah decided to take the boat out one last time for the year. While he went down to get it ready, Sarah made them sandwiches and loaded soft drinks into a cooler with ice and brought it all down a few minutes later. Noah already had the boathouse door open, so he helped her climb aboard and then fired up the engine and backed it out onto the lake.
Air that felt warm on land was considerably cooler over water, and it wasn’t long before they both were wearing windbreakers. Noah let Sarah take the helm for a while, and she shoved the throttles forward to their stops. The boat shot ahead, its bow rising as it planed across the water, and she laughed as she enjoyed the wind in her face.
“We need a faster boat,” she yelled over the engine noise and wind.
“Why? This one does pretty good.”
“Because I love to go fast!”
They raced around the lake for a while and then found a quiet spot to stop for their lunch. Fish were jumping out of the water all around them, and Noah commented that he wished he’d brought his fishing tackle.
“We can go back and get it, if you want,” Sarah said, but Noah shook his head.
“No, I’m just enjoying being out here with my wife,” he said.
Sarah giggled and smiled at him. “Mmmm, I love the sound of that.”
They stayed out on the water until it was getting close to dinnertime, then headed back in and put the boat away. Neither of them felt like going out for dinner, so they microwaved some burritos and opened the bag of chips, then settled in front of the TV once again.
The rest of the week seemed to pass by quickly. Their mornings were spent with Sarah at Doc Parker’s office, while Noah ran his group of new recruits. In the afternoons, they tended to simply stay home, and when they got tired of watching movies, they decided to explore other hobbies. Noah to
ok Sarah out to the big barn, where he was gradually restoring an old Ford pickup truck that had come with the place, and wasn’t terribly surprised when Sarah enjoyed getting greasy with him. After all, she had grown up around cars and probably knew as much about them as he did.
And then everything changed. On Friday morning, Noah received an email that included several pictures of the couple who were supposedly his parents. Each of them had crosshairs drawn over the faces, and Noah knew that the mole was making his move.
Sarah was looking over his shoulder, and she instantly took off out the door. She was back only a couple of minutes later, and Neil arrived less than a minute after she did, carrying his own laptop.
“We have contact,” Noah said. “These are the same kinds of photos that Randy Mitchell got. No doubt in my mind this came from the mole in the CIA.”
Just as he said those words, the computer chimed the arrival of another email. This one contained only a telephone number, and Noah stared at it for a moment.
Neil took out his cell phone and used its camera to snap a photo of the computer screen, then set it to record video and pointed it at Noah. Noah nodded and took out his own phone, then dialed the number.
“Tell me who you are,” said a digitally distorted voice that answered the phone. Noah sat silently for a moment, then said, “Camelot.”
“It’s good to see that you are not a fool, Camelot,” the voice said. “I gather you received my little gifts?”
“If you’re referring to the pictures of my mom and dad, yes. You want to tell me who you are and what this is all about?”
“Who I am is not important,” the voice said, “other than that you know I am the one to whom you will answer from now on. If you fail to do what I ask or in any way attempt to defy me, if you tell anyone about this contact, your parents are dead. If you look closely at those pictures, you’ll know that I can reach them at any time I choose. You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to them, now, would you?”
