Her feet scuffed on the ground, but there was no escape. Eddie loosened the twine around her ankles and Brigitte’s cry of pain was loud when she was brought up to her feet by the grip on her hair. She was dragged across the building to be dumped down beside Matt and their eyes met for a brief instant.
“I can take you two out at once,” Eddie said and let out a manic laugh. “So, who wants it first? Which of you wants to watch the other one die?”
He loomed over them and waved the gun back and forth. It was aimed directly at Matt when it came to a stop.
“Is this how you thought it would end, Harris,” Eddie screamed and the bulging vein on his forehead pulsed as he worked himself to fever pitch. “You cowering on the ground in a crumbling shithole like this, with your girl watching your demise. So much for your fucking reputation.”
His wide-eyed stare made it looked like he was possessed by demons and suddenly the only sound was his teeth grinding together as he was consumed by rage for the man he was staring at. Matt turned to take one last look at Brigitte as he faced the end and he recoiled when the deafening explosion of a shot being fired echoed around the walls of the building.
It was a second or two before he realized there was no searing pain and he couldn’t believe the bullet missed at such close quarters. He frowned as the gang boss dropped to his knees to bring them face to face. A trickle of blood slid from the corner of Eddie’s mouth and he slumped forward to crash to the ground. The deathly silence lasted no more than a second before it was broken.
“Is he dead?”
Matt looked to the sound of the scared voice and saw the gun in Delores’s hand. The abject horror of what she just did showed on her face, but her actions saved their lives. She let the gun drop from her grasp and turned away from the gruesome sight.
Brigitte let out a sob as her relief welled up and she threw her arms around Matt’s neck. He groaned as the tight embrace made the pain in his body flare and she realized she was hurting him, so let go.
“But how?” she asked and looked to Delores.
“I bloody told you to go,” Matt said.
Delores turned to them and shrugged her shoulders as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“I thought you might need help.”
“How long did it take you to find Lincoln’s gun?” Matt asked.
“A few minutes,” she said. “I got lucky when the sunlight showed a glint of something while I searched.”
Matt leaned towards Eddie and searched in his pockets for the handcuff keys. He released himself after finding them then untied Brigitte from her bonds.
“We need to get out of here,” she said and got up.
“It’s not over yet,” Matt said as he struggled to his feet.
His body ached from the pounding it took over the last few hours, but he was alive and he knew there was work to be done. They couldn’t simply run or the problems would follow them and it might never end.
“I have an idea,” he said and saw the gazes of the two women come to him when he went on talking.
Chapter 25
The splash of cool water over Lincoln’s head made it twitch, but his eyes remained stubbornly shut and the cold sensation didn’t bring him out of the depths of unconsciousness. Matt moved forward and leant down to take a closer look.
“You must have hit him too hard,” Delores said after a short while. “Try it again.”
“You need to get in the car,” Matt told her when he picked up the second bucket of cold water he collected from the lake and got ready to use it.
He watched her walking away before moving into position and tipping the bucket up to dump the water out of it. Lincoln’s head jolted again as he was drenched and the involuntary chattering of his teeth turned to the muttering of his voice as he slowly came around. Dropping down to his haunches, Matt slapped at wet cheeks to speed up the process. The confused murmurings grew louder until the soaked man’s eyes began to flutter open.
“That’s it sleeping beauty,” Matt said. “You need to wake up and listen to what I have to say.”
“What…,” Lincoln let out and blinked against the brightness of sunlight. “What the hell is this?”
Matt straightened up and moved to Lincoln’s feet to kick at the soles of his shoes. He waited a few seconds to give the other man a chance to recover his senses before kicking again.
“Are you listening?” he said.
Water flew from Lincoln’s hair when he shook his head to try and clear it. His breath came out in rasping gasps and the agony flared when he tried to move. He quickly realized he was tied in place and let out a roar of frustration.
“We’re wasting time here,” Matt said calmly and folded his arms across his chest when he took a step back. “Do you want to shut up and hear me out?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Lincoln replied and narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun when he glanced up.
“Remember the fight at Brigitte’s house,” Matt went on.
An incredulous expression formed on Lincoln’s face.
“Are we going to have some drinks and fucking reminisce now?”
“No,” Matt said. “But you said some interesting things.”
“Like what?”
“Like…, you mentioned that Eddie won’t always be around and someone will need to take over the running of the organization when he’s gone,” Matt replied.
Lincoln scowled as he cast his gaze around, but there was no sign of the man being talked about and he focused on Matt again.
“You killed him?”
“You said it yourself,” Matt replied. “He’s got too many enemies and someone will take him out eventually. Well, today is the day it happened.”
“You’re lying,” Lincoln accused.
“I’m alive,” Matt pointed out. “Do you think I would be if Eddie got his way?”
Lincoln was quiet for a few seconds as he digested the information that his boss was dead.
“So,” he eventually let out. “What do you plan to do now?”
“Walk away,” Matt said.
“Just like that,” Lincoln said. “You’re going to tell me you killed Eddie Millar and simply walk away.”
“Not quite,” Matt went on. “I’ve done you a favor and handed you a free pass to the top job, but I’m not sure you’ll show me any gratitude for it. In fact, I’m guessing I would stay on your list of wanted men and don’t really want to spend my life looking over my shoulder.”
“Spit it out, Harris,” Lincoln growled.
Matt reached in his pocket for a handkerchief. He got up to move to the car and carefully picked up the gun sitting on the roof.
“Recognize it?” he said when he dropped it on Lincoln’s legs.
“It’s mine.”
“Correct,” Matt went on. “And today it’s been used to take out a couple of people. The first one is still in the trunk of the car you’re tied to. The second one, however, is now buried deep in the ground a few miles from here.”
“Eddie,” Lincoln said.
“Correct again,” Matt replied. “He has a bullet from that gun lodged in his skull. I cleaned the weapon thoroughly then put it in your hand when you were still unconscious, so the only prints on it now are yours.” He watched the reaction on Lincoln’s face before going on. “I can see you understand where I’m going with this.”
“You can’t pin the murder of Eddie on me,” Lincoln snarled.
“An ambitious criminal desperate for the top job and looking to get there quicker,” Matt commented and shrugged. “It has all the hallmarks of Eddie’s rise to fame, so why shouldn’t his right hand man use it as inspiration. I’m sure the police would believe that.”
“Fuck you,” Lincoln barked.
“It’s not my intention to kill anyone else today,” Matt threatened. “But I will if I have to. I’ll tie you and your men inside this car and let it sink to the depths of that lake. That’s not a nice way to go. I’m offering you the chance to
take over as the boss of the organization, but giving myself some insurance to make sure I don’t end up dead. Is that something you want to miss out on?”
Lincoln’s lips clenched together and his words were clipped when he spoke.
“What’s the deal?”
“That gun will be stored somewhere safe, with only me and one other knowing where,” Matt said. “The other person will also have the map to a remote grave. If any unfortunate accident should befall me, the two girls, or anyone close to us, it will trigger an anonymous message to the authorities. That will lead them to the gun with your prints, Eddie’s grave and mention of the man that pulled the trigger.”
“Fuck,” Lincoln let out. “I should have taken you out that first night we met in the bar.”
“I’ve lost count of the number of times you told me I was dead,” Matt said. “But I’m still here and still breathing. Now all I want to do is get on with my life. You can do the same as the top man in town, which is what you wanted.”
“I’ll have a dangerous secret hanging over my fucking head,” Lincoln said.
Matt shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s up to you if it stays a secret,” he replied and used the handkerchief to pick up the gun.
“Do I get free?” Lincoln said. “Or do you leave me trussed up here?”
“I’ll give the handcuff keys to your driver before I leave,” Matt said. “He can let you go and I’d suggest you do a good job of losing Brett Collins. There’s a bullet from this gun in his body too.”
Matt carefully wrapped up the gun to put it in his pocket.
“You’re some piece of work, Harris,” Lincoln said.
“Do we have a deal?” Matt asked.
“Do I have a choice?”
“I’d suggest you step into Eddie’s shoes and get on with your life,” Matt went on. “I’m sure the organization will go from strength to strength now there isn’t a psycho at the helm.”
He walked away before anything else was spoken and moved over to the damaged sedan. The two women were sitting inside and he saw their gazes come to him when he got in the driver seat.
“Well?” Delores queried.
“I’d say we have a deal,” Matt said. “He’s not happy about it, but Lincoln is no crazy psychopath like Eddie. I’ve given him the opportunity to take over and it’s something he wants. I don’t see him throwing it all away to come after us. In the end, we’ve done him a favor.”
“You’re sure,” Brigitte chipped in.
“As sure as I can be,” Matt replied. “It’s me he’d come after if I’m wrong, but I didn’t get the impression that he’d do it. He knows it could be the end of him and I don’t think he’ll take that chance.”
“Let’s get going,” Delores said in a weary voice. “I want as far away from this place as possible.”
Matt nodded his head then got the engine started. It ticked over smoothly to show the crash didn’t do it any real damage and he was sure it would get them home. After putting the car in gear, he turned it around slowly and brought it to a stop when they were adjacent to the other sedan.
“Throw these to the driver,” he said, then handed Delores the car keys and also the keys for the handcuffs.
She looked across at the other vehicle and waited until the window was lowered. As soon as the keys were passed over, Matt gunned the engine and set off. He glanced in the rearview mirror to get a last look at Lincoln and saw the driver was already out of the car and moving around it.
“I need a shower,” Delores said and stretched out her arms.
She then rested her head on the backseat and closed her eyes. Brigitte looked at Matt, but he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead as he drove along the dirt track and onto narrow streets. He tried to relax when he made it to the highway, but it was difficult to do. His body ached from all the punishment it took and he really wanted to lie down and recover. That could wait though and his first task was to get the other two home safely.
“Where do you want to go, Delores?” he asked.
“I need to get my stuff from…,” she started but hesitated to say Brett’s name. The thought of what he did made her anger well up.
Matt knew what she meant though and didn’t ask any more as he drove to the apartment.
“Do you want me to wait?” he queried when they got there.
“No,” Delores said. “I’ll collect my stuff and make my own way home.”
“Take care,” Brigitte said and hugged the other woman.
“You too,” Delores replied.
She stepped out of the vehicle and Matt got it moving to rejoin the flow of traffic. He and Brigitte sat in silence during the journey to her home, with not a word said until the car was parked on the street outside the property.
“Come in with me,” she told him.
“Sure,” he agreed and they both got out.
Brigitte led the way to the front door and it was only then that she realized her keys were in the bag left behind when they were taken by Eddie Millar’s men. She turned to Matt.
“No keys to get in,” she said in a forlorn voice.
“They’re at the motel?” he asked and she nodded her head. “Wait here,” he told her.
He wasn’t about to drive all the way out to the motel for a set of keys, but didn’t really need to. His criminal past meant he’d learned a few tricks over the years and he inspected the windows as he made his way around the building. The downstairs toilet was the one he knew he could get through and he managed to do it in a couple of minutes. When he was inside, he made his way to the front door and opened it.
“At your service,” he said.
The exhaustion of a stressful and terrifying few hours came over Brigitte when she walked in and she couldn’t stop the tears.
“I’m sorry,” Matt said when he took her in his arms and cradled her head against his chest.
The touch of his hand stroking her hair soothed her and she rubbed her face on his shirt to wipe away the tears before pushing herself away from him. The sight of the medicine box on the coffee table greeted her when she walked in the lounge and it made her shudder.
“At least he didn’t tear the place apart after your fight with him,” Brigitte said as she looked around the room.
She walked over to the drinks cabinet and poured two large measures of whisky then moved over to Matt.
“Thanks,” he said when he accepted one of the glasses.
He gulped down almost half the measure in one gulp and let out a slow breath as the heat of the alcohol settled in his belly. Brigitte sipped at her drink and walked across to sit on the sofa.
“What will you do?” Matt asked her.
“Do you really think we are out of danger now?”
“Yes,” he replied and drank some more of the whisky.
“Then my father is safe to come back,” Brigitte replied in a relieved voice. “I don’t think I’ll say anything to him.”
“What about your job?”
“I guess I can make an excuse about a medical emergency or something,” she said. “I’ve only missed today, so it’s not a disaster.” She caught Matt’s gaze. “What about you? Will you continue with the program?”
“I’m…, not sure,” he said hesitantly. “The first thing I need to do is sort out the gun and make sure things are set up with that. It’s the insurance we need.”
“And what about after you’ve completed that?”
“I need to work it out,” he said and finished the whisky.
Brigitte watched him put the glass on the table and he remained standing. It was an ominous sign that she didn’t like and she looked up at him.
“You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
Matt lifted a hand to cover his eyes and his breath came out slowly.
“You could have been…,” he started, but couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Brigitte told him and got to her feet.
“It was,” he s
aid. “And we both know it. This all happened because you were involved with me. ”
“No,” Brigitte protested and went to him.
The tears returned as she embraced him and they hugged each other tightly. Matt brushed his thumbs gently across her cheeks when she looked up at him and their eyes met for a brief second before they kissed. The flare of passion was there, but their lips parted quickly.
“You should listen to your father,” he told her.
Enforcer Page 30
