by Jade Kuzma
I checked my phone but there were no new messages. I figured I would step into the bathroom to clean myself off. A quick shower washed the long day away. I felt like staying under the water for as long as I could. I didn’t know how long went by when I suddenly heard my phone ringing back in the room.
“Shit…”
I grabbed a towel and rushed back into the room. But my attention wasn’t on the phone.
Audrey was gone.
So was her switchblade.
So was her gun.
So was that fucking bag.
My phone didn’t stop ringing.
“Goddammit…”
I put my phone to my ear and heard Doc on the other line.
“Grant and Ash got a location. Booth’s set up on the other side of town. You ready?”
I closed my eyes and sighed a hard breath through my nose.
“Yo, Micah. You there—”
“I’m ready. Let’s not waste any fucking time.”
Chapter 23
AUDREY
I knew enough about Ivory at this point to be sure I was headed right where I wanted to go. Booth was waiting for me. Whatever goons he had with him. Whatever traps he had laid. Whatever plan he had… None of it mattered.
The location I was given was away from Ivory. I was beginning to think the cops never got involved when it was outside of town. Either they didn’t give a shit or they were too slow.
It was a warehouse. Abandoned, it looked like. Even though it was so far off the unpaved road, nobody would have given it a second thought if they drove by it. A couple of vans parked outside told me I wasn’t alone.
Stay calm. You’ve waited too long for this.
Another deep breath helped me keep my focus. Thoughts of Micah came back to me but I pushed them out.
I noticed light from inside the warehouse. I couldn’t hear anything but I didn’t need to. Everything I was looking for was right there in front of me.
I pulled my gun from my waist and stepped into the warehouse. It looked completely different from the outside. The place was filled with all kind of equipment. If my father wasn’t a detective, I wouldn’t have recognized any of it. But the kind of things in here… They turned this place into something you wouldn’t wanna be around when the cops arrived.
“Welcome.”
Then there was the man standing just a few meters away from me. I didn’t have to know what he looked like to know who it was. The dress shirt. The slacks. The fancy shoes. The slicked back hair over his head like he just got a fresh cut. The tan like he spent too much time cooking himself. And the smarmy little grin like he was better than everybody else.
“Booth.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
His grin grew even wider as he held his hands out. Accompanied by two men, they both had their hands behind their backs. When I pointed my gun at Booth, they revealed exactly what they were hiding.
“Careful now,” he said. “You’ve got two barrels pointed at you. You might wanna think twice about that.”
“If I die, I’m taking you with me.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… I expected something like that coming from you. But I insist that you put your gun down. You want to hear what I have to say—”
“You have nothing to say! You’re a murderer! You don’t deserve to live!”
“Murderer?” He shook his head at me and sighed, his hands on his waist. “That’s such a dirty word. I prefer to take care of my business—”
“Albert and Gloria Prescott. Two innocent people. And you had them murdered in cold blood.”
“I’ve never heard those names before in my life—”
“Oliver Pearson did it. And you’re the one who ordered the hit. Up in the city. Tell the truth. Admit it and I won’t make this painful for you.”
He scratched his beard, a confused look on his face.
“Albert Prescott… Now that name does sound familiar a bit. Wait a second… That police detective? Oh… Now I remember. That was so long ago.”
“You killed an innocent man and his wife and you got away with it. But you can’t escape justice forever.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, that obnoxious grin still on his face. I gritted my teeth, just waiting for the moment I could squeeze the trigger.
“You came all this way just to kill me?” he said. “Just because I had some detective killed—”
“He was more than a detective! He was my father… She was my mother… You took them away from me. Now I’m gonna take away everything you love.”
“I see… Now it all makes sense. A poor, young girl out for revenge. I should’ve known it was serious when Pearson suddenly disappeared on me. It’s a shame you were so sloppy about it. You wouldn’t be in this predicament you’re in now.”
“You’re the one who should be worried. I know you, Booth. I know what kind of man you are. You’re just some petty thug. A small-time dealer trying to make it. You might talk a lot but you’ll never be anything. Not in the city. Not here in Ivory.”
Seeing the smile disappear from his face gave me some satisfaction.
“I admire you,” he said. “You did a lot to make it here. When I had Pearson followed, I wasn’t expecting someone like you to be tailing him. But I have to thank you. He was a loose end. Him and that Solomon kid. I had to get rid of them eventually.”
“You’re about to join them.”
“Defiant. Even in the face of death. That’s the only reason you’re not dead now, Prescott. So… I’m gonna make you an offer.”
He looked at one of the guards next to him and nodded. The man kept his gun pointed at me as he turned around and moved to the side of the room. He dragged a duffel bag in front of me and unzipped it. I looked down for a split-second and saw what was inside.
“A million dollars,” he said. “A considerable sum for a small-time dealer but you’re worth it.”
“You can’t expect to buy me off,” I responded.
“I’m not buying off. I’m giving you an opportunity. Your vendetta against me… It won’t give you want you’re looking for. You’ll never be satisfied. Your parents are gone. This is your chance. Take this money and live the life they would have wanted you to live. They’ll be happy for you, you can be happy for yourself.”
“I’d rather live for a second knowing you’re dead than a lifetime with every dollar you can try to throw at me.”
“Yes… I guess it’s time then. You wouldn’t have come all this way without finishing your duty—”
“Audrey!”
A sudden voice interrupted Booth. I turned to the side and saw Micah. He walked toward me, his gun raised and pointed at Booth the same as mine.
“Ah, yes,” Booth sighed. “The Cobra. The man who roughed up my men. I must say, you’ve caused me quite an inconvenience having to replace all of the men who failed me. Luckily for you, they’re disposable.”
“Micah, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m trying to stop you from making a mistake,” he said.
“I have this under control. Please… You don’t understand. Let me do this.”
“I’m not in the mood for this!” Booth shouted. “Kill them!”
His two bodyguards squeezed.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Shots filled the air. I only had enough time to let one shot off in Booth’s direction before Micah grabbed me. I landed on the ground with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of me.
Bang. Bang.
More shots rang out until they finally came to a halt. The familiar feeling of Micah’s weight on top of me held me down.
“Micah… Micah… Micah, are you all right?”
I couldn’t hold back my panic. I looked up into his eyes. He grimaced like something was wrong. Then I felt it. The frenzy was so fast I didn’t even notice it. But then I felt it. The wetness on my leg like I’d been running it underwater.
“Shit…” he muttered.
He moved off of
me and I saw the blood stained through the denim of my jeans.
It doesn’t matter. Stay focused.
I turned to the side and saw both of Booth’s bodyguards were down. But Booth himself was slowly beginning to stir.
“He’s still alive… I have to stop him…”
“Audrey… You’re hit… We have to get you out of here—”
“No… I can stop him… He won’t get away…”
I reached into my pocket and pulled my phone out. I started working my thumb frantically on it.
“Don’t do it, Audrey—”
“I have to.”
Micah started looking around the warehouse like he was searching for something. My thumb kept moving until I got to the final key on the detonator. Booth was just getting back to his feet.
“Audrey…”
“I’m sorry, Micah.”
Micah grabbed me by the collar and dragged me across the floor before jumping on top of me. I pressed the last key on my phone. A split-second and the silence was broken by a deafening explosion that separated me from the world I always knew.
Chapter 24
MICAH
Six years earlier…
There was one in every unit. In ours, it was Charlie. He didn’t need a reason. He didn’t even need anybody there. The man just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The alcohol made it even worse.
“…I got this girl back home. She could deepthroat like a champion. Suction like a damn vacuum. Better than a vacuum.”
“Wait a second, Charlie… How do you know what a vacuum feels like?”
“I don’t know what it feels like. But I’m guessing it feels pretty damn good. This bitch though… Shit man, she’ll suck you dry. She’s so good you’ll be begging to get her off when she’s done with you.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
Wesley rolled his eyes skeptically but that didn’t stop Charlie from bragging.
“I’m telling you, man,” Charlie kept going. “That’s my only motivation to get back home. Being out here in the desert. The food. No water. Fucking hot as shit sun. I can deal with all of that. But being around all you stinky motherfuckers all day long is driving me crazy. When I get home, I’m gonna ring my girl up and just bang her until the end of time.”
“Keep talking about it will only make you want it even more,” Wesley said.
“Maybe… It’s my motivation though. We all need something to come back to. Ain’t that right, Lawler?”
They both turned toward me.
“You got someone special back home, Lawler?” Wesley asked.
“How stupid do I look?” I said. “Having an attachment back home would just make me miss it even more. We’re stuck out here, on the other side of the world. Why would I wanna dream about going back home?”
“Don’t mind him,” Charlie said. “He’s from that bumfuck town… Ireland or whatever it’s called—”
“Ivory.”
“Ivory. Probably got nothing but cows and sheep to fuck back there. I don’t blame you, Lawler. You’d have just as good a time going out there in the field and sticking your dick in a hole in the sand.”
“I’d rather do that than have to listen to you for much longer, Charlie.”
“You’re just mad because I’m telling the truth.”
I rolled my eyes at him while he cackled at his own joke. Wesley shrugged indifferently then took another sip of his beer.
“I’ve got another chick on the side,” Charlie went on even though nobody asked him.
I got up from my seat and moved around the camp. It was a quiet night for our unit. None of us had anything to do but we never complained. Nights when nothing happened were the best nights. While everybody lounged around, I saw Smith off to the side. He was hunched over a desk, his glasses on the tip of his nose as he went over some papers.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I said. “You don’t feel like drinking with the boys?”
“You know how Charlie is when he gets to talking,” he sighed. “This is our free time. I’d rather spend it doing anything besides listening to him talk about getting a blowjob.”
“You and me both,” I said with a laugh. “What are you looking at?”
“Just going over some numbers. Didn’t you notice something strange about the last patrol?”
“I’m getting used to the IEDs and the gunfire, so nothing is really strange these days.”
“The explosions on those mines. They’re different. And that bunker we saw a few days ago. That explosion was different, too.”
“An explosion is an explosion. They’re dangerous either way.”
“True but they’re not all the same. Check this out…” he shoved the paper in front of me and ran his finger over it. “…Says right here lethality is different for each one. Mines. C4. Semtex. TNT.”
I glanced at the paper and nodded.
“You needed a paper to figure that out?” I said. “There’s an explosion, you be as far away from it as possible.”
“But every explosion is different. You can be safe if you’re in a certain spot. Never hurts to know.”
“What hurts is being anywhere near an explosion.”
“We don’t always have that option when we’re on patrol, Lawler.”
Smith might’ve been overthinking it but he had a point.
“All right,” I said with a nod. “What if I’m near an explosion I can’t help?”
“You wanna get far. Get down, to avoid shrapnel. Lower surface area as much as possible. Shut your eyes as tight as you can. Plug your nose and cover your ears.”
“I can’t do both if I’ve only got two hands.”
“Go with your ears then.”
“Ten meters is the safe distance,” he said. “Minimal injury from there, no injury if you do everything right.”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t ever come to that. If I’m in a situation where I’m that close, I think I might already be fucked.”
“You gotta give yourself the best chance you can.”
Smith was locked on the paper in front of him. There was nothing I could do to get away from it. I put my beer down on his desk and got up from my seat.
“Drink a little bit tonight,” I said. “It’s a chance to relax. You earned it.”
“Thanks.”
I turned around to leave but he called out to me.
“Hey, Lawler… Ten meters.”
“Ten meters. Got it.”
Chapter 25
MICAH
“God… Dammit…”
I grimaced, clenching my jaw and shutting my eyes as tight as I could. My hands wrapped around Audrey’s head, my palms on her ears like I was trying to keep her in place.
The explosion happened in the blink of an eye but I could still feel it reverberating through my body. The dust from the rubble around me filled my lungs and made me cough uncontrollably.
Don’t let go.
I kept my hands tight on Audrey, holding onto her like my life depended on it. I wait a few seconds to pass before finally blinking my eyes open.
“Audrey… Audrey, are you all right?”
I whispered the words as I stared down at her face. She’d never looked so delicate before. I could barely feel her moving underneath me.
“Audrey…”
My heart stopped. I didn’t want to think about what could’ve just happened. It felt like an eternity when she slowly started to stir. Her eyes opened slowly as she looked up at me.
“Are you all right?”
“Booth… Where’s Booth?”
I turned my head and saw the two guards who were downed. Booth himself was on the ground, too. The explosion had done a number on the entire warehouse. But even then, he was still getting back up to his feet.
“Mikey! Mikey, where you at?”
The shouting sounded familiar. I slowly worked my way back up to my feet while the MC rushed into the crumbling warehouse.
“Micah,” Doc said as he rushed
up next to me. “You all right—”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Audrey… She’s bleeding…”
“I got her, brother.”
He moved next to her and ripped away the denim from her jeans that was soaked from her injury.
“I have to stop the bleeding,” he said to her. “I have to tie it tight.”
“I know how it works,” she said. “Don’t hold back.”
While the rest of the MC looked on, Doc tightened the fabric around her leg. She grimaced but barely made a sound.
“So… Some psychotic bitch was willing to blow up my entire warehouse just to take me down.”
I straightened up when I saw Booth standing there. He raised his gun up and pointed it at me. Ashton, Grant, Rex, Teddy and Jordan responded in kind.
“It’s over,” I said. “You’re outnumbered. You’re outgunned.”
“Maybe I am,” Booth coughed, turning his gun toward Audrey. “I should’ve killed that crazy bitch when I had the chance. I think I’ll kill her now.”
“You squeeze that trigger, you’ll experience a lifetime of pain before you die.”
“Go ahead,” Audrey said. “Do it. I don’t care. As long as you’re dead, nothing else matters.”
“Such focus,” Booth scoffed. “Such determination. Willing to meet your own end just to see it through. How about you, Lawler? Do you feel the same way? Will you give her up just to see me die? Is she worth the price of justice?”
He laughed to himself. The bastard had five sure-shots pointed at him but he didn’t even care.
“I’m in control,” he said. “Now I wanna hear you beg, Lawler. Beg for me not to go through with it.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Audrey said. “Let him do it. If I go, it’ll be worth it—”
“No,” I said. “It’s not worth it.”
“Put your guns down!” Booth demanded. “All of you! Do it now or I’ll do it.”
I raised my hand up.
“Do what he says,” I said.
“What?” Rex exclaimed. “You can’t be fucking serious—”
“Do it!”
“Shit…”
One by one, the MC dropped their guns to the ground. Booth kept his sights on Audrey. I clenched my fists the entire time, trying to stop my emotions from erupting inside of me.
