Out of the Dark

by Geri Foster

  Walking around the car, she opened the door and shoved. “Move over, Hershey, let me get in.” Her being away had made him more hyper than usual.

  “Settle down, boy. Sit. Sit. Let’s get home.” She rubbed her hands on the sides of his face then pressed her nose to his. “You hungry?” He wiggled like a worm. “Yes, my handsome boy is. Okay, we’ll go home.” Hershey licked her cheek several times before allowing Emily to pull out of the parking space.

  The sun settled into the West as she turned onto Bedford-Euless Road and headed for her quiet neighborhood. As she pulled up to a stoplight on Harwood Drive, a loud explosion shook her car. Instinctively, she looked at the sky wondering if a plane had crashed.

  Strange.

  All clear overhead, Emily slowly turned onto her street and drove toward her house, wondering what had happened.

  Rubble lay everywhere. Clothes were strewn in the trees and a large plume of smoke billowed into the sky.

  She stopped and stared at where her house had once been.

  Fire, smoke, smoldering charred wood occupied the corner lot. Her neighbors ran out of their homes, and Emily bit back the urge to scream.

  In shock, she realized she’d just lost everything. Even Falcon’s SUV resembled a mess of melted steel.

  She looked around at her stunned neighbors then searched for the cars the Falcon agents had occupied earlier. They were gone. But further down the street a black sedan sat with its engine idling. She couldn’t identify the driver because of the tinted windows.

  Slowly, she backed into her neighbor’s drive and drove away, constantly checking her rearview mirror. Nothing moved, so hopefully, no one followed.

  Somehow, she managed to get on the freeway and drive to Mac’s apartment complex. She pulled her Honda up to the gate but couldn’t remember the combination. Looking up she saw Mac running toward her. He pressed the combination and waved her inside the complex.

  Frantically, she pulled forward and into the same space as earlier when she and Mac parted. She killed the engine. Hands shaking, she reached for the door handle.

  She staggered out of the car. Warm summer air slapped her in the face. Mac ran to her and, before she knew it a pair of strong, male arms wrapped around her and held her in an unbreakable grip. She buried her face against his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. His hand came up and cupped the back of her head.

  “I’m sorry, Em. I’m so damn sorry you’re messed up in this.”

  Tears streaming down her face, she leaned away from him and looked into his eyes. She didn’t care if he saw her crying. It didn’t matter anymore. “Everything is gone. Even the SUV.”

  After kissing her forehead, he put his arm around her shoulders and they walked toward the stairs. His eyes searched the surrounding area. “Come on, let’s get out of the open.”

  As they reached the steps, she stopped, remembering Hershey. “Wait, my dog is in the car.”

  Mac looked over his shoulder at the blue sedan. “Does he bite?”

  “No.”

  Reluctantly, Mac released her and approached the car.

  Mac opened the door. A brown Lab the size of a small horse bounded out of the car then ran and tackled Emily.

  “Settle down, Hershey.” Em said. “You have to be a good boy.” She instructed sternly. Pointing a finger at the mutt, she continued. “Can you do that for mommy?”

  The dog actually nodded his head, but Emily had obviously seen that before. “I mean a really, really good boy.”

  Hershey rolled over on his back and whimpered his disapproval at having to be really, really good. “No, I mean it this time. You have to be nice or you get locked in the bathroom.”

  Hershey jumped up and barked furiously. Emily looked at Mac. “He hates the bathroom.” She turned her attention to the dog. “I want your promise now.”

  The dog whined and growled. Then when she didn’t relinquish, he sat on his haunches and nodded. God, Mac thought, now I’ve seen everything.

  “Can we discuss all this inside?”

  They entered the small apartment and Hershey walked ahead of them into the living room. “Oh, I left the bag of dog food in the car trunk.”

  “I’ll get it.” He took her keys and motioned her and the dog to stay inside.

  When he returned to his apartment, Em and Hershey stood in the middle of the living room staring. They both looked unsure what to do.

  He passed them and went into the kitchen and opened the dog food bag and sat it on the floor. As soon as Hershey heard the paper ripping, he charged. The dog started eating like he hadn’t been fed in a week.

  Mac looked at Emily then the dog, which now had its face buried in the bag. “When’s the last time you fed him?”

  Emily wrapped her arms around her body. “Debbie, my neighbor fed him last night. Hershey is just a natural born pig. Don’t you have something you can put the food in? He’ll eat until he’s sick.”

  “Won’t he stop when he’s full?”

  “Not a chance.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “You ever cleaned up dog puke?”

  He moved past her into the kitchen, frantically looking for a bowl. “No, and I don’t intend to.” When the search didn’t immediately reveal anything, Mac reached down and took the bag away from Hershey, who wasn’t through eating. The dog managed to sink his teeth into the bottom of the bag. As Mac pulled one way, Hershey tugged the other. “Let go, mutt.” Mac snarled. Hershey growled and continued.

  “Stop it both of you or...”

  The bag ripped, and brown nuggets spilled all over Mac’s spotless, white floor.

  “I’m sorry, Mac. I tried to warn you.”

  The stupid animal acted like he was in doggy heaven. He sucked up kibbles faster than a vacuum cleaner. The phone rang. Mac looking down at the mess, and shook his head.

  “Answer the phone. I’ll clean this up.” Emily said, pulling at Hershey. “You’ve had enough.” The dog stopped and licked his chops. The phone rang again. “Didn’t I tell you that you had to be really, really nice?” She pointed at the living room. “Now go over there in the corner until I clean this up.”

  The dog barked and the phone rang again.

  “No arguments. Go.”

  Mac reached the phone, just as the dog dropped his head, ran his tongue over his nose and trotted toward the corner.

  He turned and looked up at Mac with big amber eyes and growled softly. “Hey, don’t blame me, you’re the pig.”

  Mac put the phone to his ear.

  He listened carefully as the informant told him everything he needed to know about Marino’s activities. Just to be sure, after hanging up, Mac made two more calls that confirmed what his snitch had said.

  Several of his contacts said they’d heard rumors about a bomb, but they didn’t know anything solid.

  He hung up and looked at Em, tears running down her face as she swept up the dry dog food. He looked over at Hershey and saw he now sat with his nose pressed against the corner.

  Emily had found a dustpan and a plastic bag to dump the dog food into. He walked up and relieved her of those and put his arms around her, pulling her up against him. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Well, I went to the store to get Hershey some dog food because he’d eaten the bag I left at Debbie’s. On the way back as I neared the house, I heard this loud explosion. When I got closer I saw my house engulfed in flames. Then I stopped and...” Emily took a deep breath. “Mac, everything is gone. There’s nothing left.”

  Mac couldn’t believe it. Emily could have been in that house. She could be dead right this minute. And all because of him. This mess belonged to him. Yes, she took the pictures, but if Marino wasn’t so hot and bothered about killing him, maybe none of this would be happening. Now, her life was in a complete shambles.

  He pressed her closer, loving her scent. Enjoying the feel of her body against his. Being this close to her drove him crazy.

  For someone to find out where Em lived wouldn’t b
e hard, but to know if she were home or not meant that someone had been watching. Or had they?

  Emily pulled away and walked over to sit on the arm of his couch. “Mac, how did you know I was outside the gate?”

  “What?”

  “You knew I was coming?”

  “The agents in front of your house called me.”

  “But they’re gone.”

  “They never left you unprotected. A set of agents followed you to the store, and then turned off. The agents in front of your house received a bogus call to return to base. But the caller didn’t know to use the code word before saying anything. They drove away only to transfer to another car and drive back to see your house explode.

  “They couldn’t get to you before the blast because right now they’re following the black car that was parked down the street from your house.”

  “How did they know I was coming to you?”

  “They followed long enough to figure out where you were headed then informed me you were on the way. I knew as scared as you were, you probably wouldn’t remember the code.”

  “God, you guys are clever. But I could have been killed.”

  “Yes, but you weren’t.” Mac picked up her purse. “Em where is your cell phone?”

  She covered her mouth. “Oh no, I left it in the rental car. Now I don’t even have a phone!”

  “Thank God.”

  “What?”

  Mac picked up the phone and called Frank. He answered the first ring. “Frank, I think I know how they’ve been able to track us.”

  “How is Emily?”

  “Em and her dog are fine. However, Hershey is in time-out.”

  “Huh?”

  Mac shook his head. “Never mind. Listen, Emily’s house was blown up because her cell phone was in the rental parked in her driveway. They’ve been using her GPS system to keep tabs on her. They blew up the house thinking she was inside.”

  “I’ll be a son-of-a-bitch.”

  “Yeah, me too. I should have figured that out in the beginning. I just assumed since our phones are non-traceable, so was hers.”

  “I have to admit, I hadn’t thought of that either, Mac. But it makes sense. Now they think Emily is dead. That leaves only you.”

  “Jake and A.J. are tracking the black car seen in Em’s neighborhood when the bomb went off. They’re keeping me informed. Is Brody heading this way?”

  “Yes, but I think I might come and stay with Emily until we see where that vehicle leads us.”

  “No, you’re better off there. No one knows Em is alive. Should they happen to spot you, they’d know their plot failed.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I have a call into Archuletta. I think I’m on to something.”

  “Keep me informed. If you need help, let me know.”

  “I will, Frank.”

  “Above all else, keep Emily safe. And you better be on your best behavior, Mac.”

  “Sure.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Hershey climbed onto the couch next to Emily and Mac, and put his head in her lap as if he sensed something wrong. “I’m so glad to have you. You’re such a good boy.”

  Rubbing her dog’s soft fur, Emily’s body shook uncontrollably. The explosion raced through her mind, scene after scene in rapid procession. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the memory of seeing everything she owned destroyed.

  Emily hid her face with her hands, as if that would stop the images, and inwardly fought against the mess her life had become. She didn’t know who was responsible for blowing up her house, but hatred for the act of injustice and brutality made her heart ache.

  What if they found her? A sob escaped from her lips, and Mac pulled her against his chest. “I’m...I’m so scared.”

  “I know,” Mac said, stroking her hair. “But, you’re safe, Em. We’ll get through this. We’ll find the people responsible, and punish them. I promise.”

  Emily clutched the front of his shirt, wanting to crawl inside him where she would feel safe from harm. And yet, she had the urge to run as fast as she could away from the damage in her life. With no strength left, she went limp, and sobbed until the tears were gone. All feeling left her body, and she surrendered to complete devastation.

  The life she’d once known had not always been a happy life, but it was her life. The one she’d built alone after her parents died and she’d been left to care for her younger sister. Through tears and heartache she’d never asked anyone for anything. She’d paid for her and Victoria’s education by working two jobs. She’d gone to law school to make a difference. To serve as an honorable example of how one should live.

  Never in her whole life had she ever harmed another human being. Clean morals and a sincere belief in integrity were the foundations of her whole existence. And while there were things she would’ve loved to change... a husband, children, an extended family, she was still grateful for each milestone she’d passed along the way.

  Desperate for something to do besides cry, Emily asked, “Should I call my insurance company about the house?”

  “No, Falcon Securities is taking care of everything.” Mac brushed her hair back. “If you call the insurance company, someone might find out you’re alive. Frank is getting you another phone. Same number, but no GPS. Brody will bring it over soon.”

  “So, is this entirely my fault? The pictures, my phone?”

  “It’s nobody’s fault but Ramón Marino’s. He’s the one to blame. He wants me dead. You just got caught up in his shit. That’s all.”

  “Why does he want you dead?”

  Mac let out a deep breath. “I managed to bust up his organization pretty good the last time I went after him. He lost a lot of money. The CIA wanted me to bring him back to the States to stand trial for killing two DEA agents. I tried, but Marino crawled into a hole and wouldn’t come out. Frank gave me the go ahead to kidnap his sister as a bargaining tool.”

  “What happened?”

  “We’d made a deal. Marino for his sister. Once we had Angelina, Marino agreed to surrender if we let her go. During the exchange, in the middle of a dirty road on the outskirts of Columbia, with Marino fifty yards away, someone took a shot. Angelina was killed.”

  “How horrible,” Emily placed her hand on Mac’s shoulder to offer comfort.

  “I was on this side of the border. The shot came from the other side. The murder weapon belonged to a Mexican Policeman, and we proved it. But Marino refused to believe anything except I murdered his innocent sister. For that reason he’s vowed to kill me.”

  Mac’s cell phone rang and Tony’s ID came up. He answered then walked into the kitchen. Emily continued petting the dog, now sound asleep, snoring softly.

  “Tony, can you get to Moscow?”

  “I’m on my way. Why?”

  “I think I’m onto something. Do you remember that CI we pulled out of Bogotá?”

  “ATF, Right? I remember.”

  “Do you recall what he said about Marino dabbling in a new market other than drugs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Before you leave, can you have a conversation with Nicholas Belskavia?”

  “He’s a strange duck. We aren’t exactly on speaking terms. But I sort of owe the bastard a favor. He gave me an exit when I needed one. Never knew why. What’s on your mind, Mac?”

  After finishing the conversation, Mac returned to the living room, only to see Hershey’s head pop up. That damn dog lay stretched across Em’s lap on Mac’s expensive leather couch. With all that had happened lately, it must’ve gotten to Em because she was sound asleep. Mac called to the dog, but Hershey put his head down and stayed put.

  Determined to let Em rest, Mac dropped into the chair across from the couch and patted his knee. “Come here, boy, I’m not going to hurt her.”

  Slowly the dog came off the couch and sat beside Mac to get his head scratched. Watching Em sleep, Mac felt horrible. They had been on one rough joyride, and Em definitely deserved that v
acation in Belize. Instead, unless Falcon came up with some serious information fast, Em’s life would change drastically.

  Sad eyed, Hershey put his chin on Mac’s knee and whimpered. “What is it?” The dog padded to the door. “You need to go outside?”

  Hershey pawed the door. Realizing he didn’t have a leash, Mac went into his bedroom closet and buckled two belts together. All he needed was to lose Em’s dog.

  After securing the belt to the dog’s collar, Mac opened the door. Obediently Hershey walked beside Mac as they went down the stairs to the designated doggy area of his apartment complex.

  At dusk few people were in the park, but Mac was reluctant to let the dog off the leash. Mac squatted down and took Hershey’s head in his hands. “Can you be a good boy off your leash?

  Hershey barked.

  “No, I need a nod.”

  Hershey obeyed, and when Mac released him he ran to the nearest patch of grass and hiked his leg. Then he went sniffing everything, including the butts of every other dog in the vicinity. Being the biggest mutt in the park, Mac didn’t worry about him getting hurt, and with Hershey’s disposition, there’d be little chance he’d bother anyone. Even with all that, Mac wasn’t going to let him get too far away.

  After several minutes, Mac called, and Hershey came and sat while Mac clipped the belt on. Then they went upstairs to check on Em.

  Mac expected Brody any minute. With the make-shift leash tossed aside, a knock sounded at the door.

  Surprisingly, Hershey didn’t bark, but crawled toward the door, and growled low in his throat.

  Mac bent down and patted Hershey’s head. “He’s one of the good guys.” Confident his fellow agent wasn’t going to be eaten alive, Mac opened up and Brody stepped inside. The agent looked at the dog then Em lying on the couch. “What’s going on?”

  Hershey sniffed the bag in Brody’s hand and started licking his chops. Mac quickly snatched the food out of Brody’s hand and held it up in the air. “This is Em’s dinner.”

  Hershey’s eyes followed the brown bag.

  Brody laughed. “When I used the drive thru I didn’t know it was for Em.” Brody raised a brow and the dimples in each cheek deepened.