PUBLISHED BY
J.C. Phelps
Fragments of Grey
Copyright © 2014 by J.C. Phelps
Cover design and formatting by TERyvisions
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Written for:
Alexandra
Edy
Ellie
Jim
Rick
Robert
&
Robert
* * * * *
Special thanks to:
Becky - Bobbe - Caroline - Dawn - Deb - Erin - Jen - Jessica - Jimmy - John - Julia - Karen - Kathy - Kelly - Linda - Lorna - Lynn - Mac - Natasha - Robert - Tamara - Terry - Val
A huge thank you to LK Rigel and all the work you did for me, including writing my dreaded description. Thank you to all of my early readers, alpha, beta, and editors. Without you I wouldn’t have had to courage to press that publish button.
* * * * *
For my Ranger friend—you know how much of a help you are to me, as well as a source of happiness for my entire family.
* * * * *
I’d like to express an extra hearty thank you to Caroline, Linda, Mac and Terry. THANK YOU!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
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Fragments of Grey
Book Five of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles
By
J.C. Phelps
eBook Edition
Chapter One
Public execution. That’s what the instructions had specified.
Vasile Mitu, some sort of midlevel Romanian criminal, had really pissed off someone by trafficking women and children. I wondered if it would have been overlooked if he hadn’t snatched up a government official’s niece.
I really didn’t care. Colin had done all the research on this one and filled me in on the details. All I wanted was to be kept busy. And as far as I was concerned, all human traffickers deserved to be made an example of, so I was more than happy to oblige.
The problem that faced me at the moment had nothing to do with research or my wanting to fulfill the contract, it had to do with fulfilling the contract completely.
The target had picked up and moved to a remote mountain cabin shortly after I arrived in the country more than a month ago. The opportunities to remove him were often and ideal, but the public execution part of the contract stayed my hand. If there had been no stipulations, I would have been off this mountain the day I arrived. I hoped today would be the day.
The pungent smell of dirt near my face mingled with the trees. The scents and the vision of the small building tucked away on the side of the mountain had been triggering memories I’d been trying to repress. I missed roughing it in the mountains. I missed the cabin. I longed for things that would never be.
No matter what I missed, this was where I was. This was what I did. Thankfully, Colin seemed to find me a lot more jobs than White ever did.
White had been more selective than Colin, but my priorities had changed. Back then I had other things I needed to do and other things to keep my attention. Penumbra was a side business. Now it was all that I had. All that I was.
Of course, none of my recent work was done as Penumbra. Even if the jobs had been there, I told Colin I’d rather keep Penumbra quiet for a while. He didn’t fully understand, but he didn’t question me.
After that fateful meeting at White and Associates, telling my partners I was Penumbra in my spare time, I kept my head low and my location quiet. But I still kept in close contact with White for a few weeks, hoping I’d find an excuse to return. Any reason to forgive Red would have been enough, but he didn’t budge in his conclusion that I’d somehow betrayed them all by hiding the fact I was Penumbra. I wasn’t sure what he might do. I didn’t believe he’d go public, but the notion played around the edge of my thoughts.
I brought my concerns up with White in a moment when I was ready to give in and go back. If he’d have asked me one more time, reassured me he’d bring Red around, I would have given in.
“Give him a little more time to work through this,” he said instead.
“If he shows any signs of going public, I’ll have to do something.” I was angry White hadn’t continued to beg me to come home, and the threat just popped out.
“It might be best if you stay away for a bit yet,” was all he said.
The line was quiet as I digested the fact White had completely sided with Red.
My last words to White were, “Keep your dog leashed or you’ll find yourself at the pet cemetery.” I hung up and instantly regretted what I’d said, even if I meant every word. If Red threatened me or my family, I’d have no choice. Surprisingly, I was okay with this. Yet I knew the deep loyalty my partners had for each other. I knew my serious threat built a wall between me and them. My anger made me vocalize something we all knew, but something that shouldn’t have been said if I wanted to continue being a part of White and Associates. White would have no other choice but to protect his partner. I imagined his loyalty to me falling to his feet like a pile of sand.
I realized then I could put all of my emotions aside in an instant. Even my deep love for White was muted. All of this opened a hole in my heart, but I knew, after I hung up on White, I’d live without them.
I buried myself in jobs, cut all ties with everyone except Colin, and walked away from my home. I kept up on my surveillance of White and Associates—and Red in particular—through Colin. I still hadn’t told Colin what had transpired because I didn’t want him or my father to take action. If it came to that, I’d do the job. I wanted to do the job.
Even if the emotion was quelled, small drips escaped to keep the well below rippling. The phone I’d bought specifically for communicating with White was shut off, but I still couldn’t bring myself to toss it.
I knew it wasn’t a good idea to have any identifying objects on me while doing a job, but I still carried it with me everywhere. It was in my back pocket right now.
Deep down I held hope of going home. I didn’t want to toss my hope away, and I was afraid of losing my only link back to a world I loved. Part of my reasoning was
I’d added all kinds of fun things to it. Thanks to my additions, I could utilize the GPS functions without a connection, and it could come in handy in a dark place.
I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry the days away. I wanted White to track me down and make everything okay. I wanted so much that just was not possible any more. My threat to Red was the end. I knew my partners had an unbreakable bond, and nothing could intrude upon that loyalty, least of all an outsider.
The gradual dawning of the sun behind me pulled me from my depression. The rays had not yet touched the side of the cabin that morning, but as it became brighter my anxiousness became stronger.
Vasile had established his routine very early after moving to his cabin. He was up within half an hour of the sunrise and on his computer within half an hour of getting out of bed.
It took me a couple days to think about repositioning myself to see exactly what he was doing on the computer. He made regular video calls to the same person and after watching them for a couple weeks I knew he was to have a conference call with several of his partners in crime this morning. I’d use this as my public display.
I’d come closer in the night so I could gain access to his cabin shortly after I took the shot. My ghillie suit had to mimic this terrain perfectly. I’d gone all out and even disguised the soles of my shoes. He had a habit of gazing out his windows with a cup of coffee in the morning and I would be directly in his line of sight.
Anticipation boiled in my stomach as I watched the sun creep up on the cabin. Deep breaths and mentally walking through my plan worked to keep me sitting perfectly still.
Not long now.
Vasile was out of bed making his way to his computer. He switched it on like every other morning, and went to the kitchen to make his coffee. Within minutes he stood at his window enjoying the scenery. I couldn’t stop myself from mentally telling him to enjoy it, it would be his last chance. I also couldn’t stop myself from feeling triumph over removing a blight from the human race.
His face was content and serene as he scanned his surroundings. The steam from his coffee swirled from the cup making me wish I had my own. Vasile’s eyes brushed across me. There was no hint he picked me out, but I held my breath long after he moved from the window.
Deviating from his normal routine, he went back to his bedroom and pulled a plastic-covered suit from his closet. He laid it on the bed and smoothed out the plastic before he went to the bathroom and shut the door.
I didn’t have a clear view from my location so every time he used the bathroom with the door closed it made me nervous. I wanted to know what he was doing in there. The only solace I had at these times was the fact that the bathroom window was too small for him to climb out of.
After many tense minutes he finally stepped from the bathroom stark naked. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen Vasile in his birthday suit, but it shocked me every time. He was a fit man in his early thirties and it seemed a bit of a shame to deprive the world of a body like that. It was the brain I’d aim for, anyway.
As was my habit, one shot, one kill, started to loop through my thoughts. My finger wasn’t on the trigger yet, but it still threatened to twitch. I took several deep breaths as I continued to watch Vasile prepare for his meeting.
He was clean-shaven with his hair slicked back. It looked as if he’d slathered in some kind of oil or mousse. I could clearly see where the comb’s teeth had put tiny parts through his hair.
He stood for a moment, admiring his appearance in the full-length mirror that hung on the door between his bedroom and bathroom. With the suit on he had an air of ruthlessness. I didn’t know what his thoughts were, but mine were, at least the undertaker won’t have to work too hard before putting him in his casket.
I watched him practice several facial expressions, all of which gave me chills. I found myself cringing at the thoughts those expressions brought to mind. He was certainly nice to look at and the show of aggression on his face actually made him somewhat desirable—until I remembered what he did for a living. Chances were, any woman who found herself in a relationship with this man would soon find herself swept away from her home and family, living the rest of her life out as some kind of slave.
After some minor cleanup he signed in and started his video chat with the other man whose face had become familiar to me.
Soon, Vasile had several chat windows opened and the meeting began. I took one last serious look at the man who wouldn’t see tomorrow, took in a deep breath, released the safety on my rifle, exhaled, and pulled the trigger.
The recoil moved me back a few inches, a feeling of satisfaction radiated from the slight pain I felt in my shoulder. I’d forgotten the feel of a .50 caliber. It felt good. Then the bullet reached Vasile. I watched as his head disappeared and his body was thrown from his chair.
That had not been my intention. I’d been using whatever Colin had made accessible to me and they happened to be much smaller caliber rounds. I should have considered the mess I was going to make when using Penumbra’s signature rifle.
The impact had come from the side so the computer screen was still visible, though a little messy. Watching the full realization reach the four men on the other side of the screen was magnificent. It was only a matter of seconds before they realized what had happened and only a few seconds after that the computer screen went dark. If my contractor got to the computer before anyone else, it was highly possible they’d all be tracked down in short order.
I hurried to gather up my meager supplies and hiked down to the cabin. I’d intended to go in and drop my Penumbra packet on the chest of the dead man, but I decided against it when I saw the huge mess I’d made inside.
I passed Vasile’s vehicle as I walked down the driveway back toward the cover of the trees. It tempted me. I had a full day’s hike back to civilization. I resisted and continued to walk lightly to avoid leaving traces behind.
The sun was setting when I finally reached a road that led to a small town. I’d been slowly dismantling my ghillie suit and the .50 caliber as I walked, stopping every so often to bury another piece of the beautiful weapon. At least it wasn’t the one that had been given to me by the men. I’d probably never see it again, but it was nice to know it was more than likely still in one piece. When I buried the last of the .50 caliber a wave of relief and sadness passed over me.
I looked myself over one more time and decided to change into the set of clean clothes I’d packed in with me. I still looked like I’d taken a tumble down a hill. A few sticks, leaves, and grass still clung to my clothes. I was glad to peel off the old clothes and put on something different for the first time in more than a month.
I opted to bypass the small towns and continued my hike back to the closest city with an airport. It was easy to stay out of sight until I got closer to the larger populated city. When I reached the airport I went directly to the bathroom to clean up.
The mirror reflected a face I hadn’t seen in months. Though it was my own, I didn’t remember the dark circles under my eyes. Cold water from the tap washed away the dirt and dust, but not the tired and drawn look. I felt fatigue seep into my bones as I examined myself. A few extra splashes of cold water and I walked with purpose to the ticket counter. The next flight left in just under an hour. I hoped I could hold out that much longer now that I was sedentary.
Chapter Two
I got plenty of rest between actual flight time and layovers before I landed as close to home as I dared. It felt good to be back on familiar ground.
I had the taxi driver make a few stops for supplies, like a new, prepaid phone, clean clothes, and toiletries before I had him drop me at a nearby hotel.
The first thing I did after I checked in was stand under the hot water in the shower for a full hour. Going without a real shower for more than a month is even harder than not changing clothes for that amount of time.
Time to check in.
I dialed Colin.
“Hey,” I said.
&nbs
p; “You’re back?”
“Just.”
“Everything go okay?” Colin’s tone was always anxious after I did a job, but seemed even more on edge this time.
“I was unable to drop the packet, but the job’s done. What’s next?”
I was looking forward to my next job. It was too hard to sit alone in a hotel room for days at a time.
“That’s actually a good thing. There was a problem with the intel for that job. I need you to lay low for a while.”
“What problem with the intel?”
Panic was creeping up on me.
“Nothing for you to worry about. It’s my problem, especially since you didn’t drop the packet. That was a lucky break.”
“Then why can’t you put me back out?”
“I’m sorry, Alex. I don’t have anything right now. Besides, your dad said you need to slow down.”
“What? I need to do something. I can’t just sit around. I don’t have anything to fall back on.”
“It won’t hurt you to take a break for a couple months. You deserve it.”
“A couple of months! Absolutely not!” Tears began to form in my eyes.
“Where are you?” Colin’s voice became calm and even.
“I’m— I’m not far.” I almost told him.
“Can we meet for dinner?”
“I’m not that close.”
“Can you be close enough by tomorrow night?”
“I’m not telling you where I’m at, Colin. Quit trying to figure it out.”
“I could just put a trace on your calls, you know.” He threw back.
“Do you want me to hang up?”
“No. Don’t. We’re just worried about you. You’ve done seven hits in five months and you’re asking for more. You have to tell me what’s going on.”
“I have.” I evaded a full explanation.
“Come on, Alex. You haven’t told me shit. I’ve been more than supportive and I haven’t asked any questions. Now it’s your turn to give a little to get a little.”
Fragments of Grey [Book Five of The Alexis Stanton Chronicles] Page 1