Erick

by Dale Mayer

  “In the lobby? You’re talking about Honey?” Erick asked in surprise. Interesting that Honey would have called Kat. Was she checking up on him? Still, it was a smart thing to do. She didn’t know him at all, and she was in a foreign country … “I had no idea Honey knew Kat.”

  “Yeah, that’s her. Apparently Kat has known her for the last ten years or so. Both professionals, slightly different medical fields. But they ended up at some of the same charity events and became friends. Anyway, Honey wants to know if you guys are safe and on the up-and-up. Apparently she’s worried about something going on at the hotel. Do you know anything about it?”

  Erick groaned. “It’s nothing. She’ll be just fine.”

  “Not so sure about that. She just sent a text saying she thought she saw a gunman enter the hotel.”

  “Earlier she said she saw a man skulking but never mentioned a gun.”

  “No, this is a separate and more recent incident. She saw a second man with a gun on the fourth floor where her room is.”

  The fourth floor? “Shit, that’s our floor.”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter 3

  Honey stared at her cell phone in disbelief. She quickly sent a text back. How did you get my number? The response was almost instant. She watched as Erick’s answer came up on her screen.

  Badger and Kat.

  She groaned. “Of course Badger would call Erick to check on me after I contacted Kat, wouldn’t he?” Just when she was about to toss her phone on the bed, it rang. She stared down, seeing Erick’s number on the Caller ID. Still pissed, she answered her phone and snapped, “What do you want?”

  “Just checking in on you. Making sure you’re okay.” His tone was hard. “Did you see the same man again?”

  “I think so. But I couldn’t tell for sure if it was the same man.”

  “With weapons?”

  “Yes. He had a handgun. He was holding it down the side of his thigh, and it was partially hidden by his black jacket.”

  “I don’t care how hidden it was. If he isn’t in a security or police uniform, that’s bad news.”

  “I figured he was after you. I understand the sentiment, as I’d have liked to kill you a time or two myself,” she muttered.

  He gave a short bark of laughter. “I imagine so. But that’s not the point. Are you on the fourth floor?”

  “Yes, that’s where my room is. That’s where I saw him. He was just walking down the hallway toward the elevator.”

  “If you’re facing the elevators, what side was he on?”

  A little confused but willing to go along with his line of questioning, she said, “He was on the left. When I exited the elevator, he was walking toward me. I assumed he was heading toward it to go down.”

  “And where is your room in relationship to the elevators?”

  “I’m on the right.”

  “Did you see him when you went into your room?”

  “No, he wasn’t there anymore.”

  “So, he either went down the elevator, used the stairs or ducked into another room.”

  “I would have heard a door shut if he went into another room. But it was quiet. I thought I heard the sound of the elevator doors. But I don’t know.”

  “Good enough. When are you leaving?”

  In a dry tone she said, “I’ve barely arrived.”

  “Maybe, but a gunman on that floor is not a good sign.”

  “Why? Is your room on the fourth floor too?” She made it sound like a half joke. When there was silence on the other end, she realized her guess had been accurate. “Do you think he was after you?” She brushed loose tendrils of hair off her forehead. “And, if that’s the case, why? Are any of us safe?”

  “You’re as safe there as you are anywhere in the world.”

  “I’m not joking. A lot of innocent people are here, very gifted people. I really don’t want to have anything to do with something bad happening.”

  “Then contact the police.” And he hung up.

  She stared at her phone in frustration. “It’s not that easy. You don’t just contact the police and tell them something like that and expect to get a free pass.” All her instincts told her to shut up and to not tell anyone.

  Just then her phone buzzed with another text from Erick. Just kidding. Don’t call the police.

  Somehow that reassured her. At least they were both on the same page as to how to handle this. It was a little disconcerting, but it did make her feel better. She picked her purse off the floor and sat down on the side of the bed, looking for her flight itinerary. She was here for another two nights, flying out in the afternoon at four. She could have flown out the night before, but she’d chosen to stay an extra day, hoping she’d be able to meet up with some of the people, network a little. She’d come a long way for this conference and wanted to make the most of the time she had. But now a part of her was thinking she should have stuck with the earlier flight.

  What the hell was she supposed to do about a gunman? And was carrying a gun even illegal here? For all she knew, a lot of the locals carried weapons. She knew you could in some American states, so why not here? And was it supposed to be a concealed weapon? Maybe walking with it in his hand like he was, was fine?

  But of course it wasn’t fine. The only time you ever pull out a gun is when you intended to use it. Unable to help herself, she picked up her purse, walked out of her room and headed toward the elevator. She didn’t know where he’d come from, but mentally she tried to pinpoint when she first saw him. It was past the door on the left, which left four more doors heading toward the hallway window.

  On impulse she walked the length of the hall and stared out into the evening sky. It was darker than she’d imagined it would be. And her mood had taken a dive too.

  She’d come over here excited and full of anticipation. Her first day was spectacular. Meeting Erick wasn’t the highlight of the trip. But right now, there was comfort in knowing he was here. But not if a gunman was after Erick. The man had been through enough already. And he was a fellow countryman. As she drove herself crazy with this constant circling of thoughts, she headed back to the elevator. As soon as it opened, she stepped in, going down to the lobby. She was meeting the rest of the group for dinner. Having missed out on lunch, she made sure she’d gotten in on the plans for the evening meal. With any luck it would be shop talk all through the evening.

  As she walked across the lobby, she couldn’t help but turn to look, thinking about the way she’d seen the man disappear earlier. But there was no sign of him, no sign of the gunman, and neither was there any sign of Erick. She frowned and wondered if he was even coming back tonight. It was early enough she shouldn’t be considering that, but something was distant-sounding about his voice. But then the phone lines here were shoddy. She quickly sent him a text, asking if he was coming back to the hotel.

  Why?

  She shook her head. “Just answer the damn question, would you?” she muttered to herself. I want to know if I’m supposed to worry about you or not.

  Again, as if he was sitting on his phone waiting to hear from her, the response was fast. Aw, you care.

  No, I just thought I’d tell the gunman which room was yours.

  Ouch.

  In spite of herself she laughed. Just kidding.

  I know. Won’t likely make it home tonight. Expecting to be back tomorrow night.

  Business?

  Interested?

  Hell no.

  She chuckled. Their exchange was hard, fast and furious and, for whatever reason, a solid meeting of minds. She tossed her phone into her purse and walked through the lobby to a group of fellow attendees standing around. They waved and smiled at her. David, his robust body matching his beaming smile, reached out and hugged her.

  “About time you got here,” he said. “We’re just heading out now.”

  She fell into step as they moved to the street and down the block to the restaurant they’d all chosen. Maybe she’d throw
off all these worries and get back to the real reason she was here.

  “Happy?” David asked.

  “Absolutely,” she said, grinning. “It’s not a great time now, but we still have to settle up on the conference fees.”

  “Yes, we do. But it doesn’t have to be tonight.”

  Happy to push it off and enjoy the evening, she nodded agreeably but couldn’t completely forget about what Erick might be up to. And if he was safe.

  Erick pocketed his phone when no more comments were forthcoming from Honey. He knew a foolish grin was on his face, but it seemed beyond his control to get rid of it. The guys looked at him and shook their heads.

  “Well, at least you’re over your differences with her,” Cade said in a droll tone.

  Erick shrugged. “I don’t have a relationship with her either. That’s the way I like it. It’s just fun to tease her.”

  The men laughed at him.

  He twisted so he looked out the window, not toward them. Talking to Honey was a light in an otherwise dark mission. As he recalled their automobile accident now, he realized she’d been extremely distraught. And he hadn’t given any thought that she might have been in a tough spot herself. It was time to let it go. The fact that his Mustang was ninety-nine percent back on its feet helped. Just not enough. It was a little hard when that was his baby.

  He thought about her being a dentist and her training. He’d seen the write-up for the workshop here and wondered at the stem cell stuff. The USA only allowed minimal research on stem cells for dentistry, whereas the rest of the world had different regulations, often allowing for cutting-edge treatments.

  “You ready to get back to the business of what we’re here for?” Cade asked.

  “I never stopped,” Erick said. “The fact that she saw a gunman on our floor is definitely concerning though. Especially considering we were asking questions not too long ago.”

  “We can’t do anything about it right now,” Talon said.

  “Yes, we can.” He pulled his phone back out and quickly texted Badger to tell him where the three of them were. We didn’t leave anything behind, like a bug or a camera, to see if anybody entered our room. And we don’t have anybody watching.

  Do you think we need one more member? We can always pull in somebody else. Laszlo is not far away.

  What do you mean by not far? Isn’t he still in Norway?

  Last I heard he was heading toward Italy.

  Still far enough away.

  Hours. Not days now.

  Erick filled in the others on the conversation.

  “I’ll give Laszlo a call,” Cade said.

  Erick could hear his buddy clicking buttons. Erick twisted to see Cade holding his phone to his ear. Cade’s face split with a big smile. “Laszlo. How you doing?”

  Laszlo had a strong accent and a voice that could be heard over crowds almost anywhere. Just something about the power behind the man himself made people stop and pay attention. His voice filled the air around them as they drove. “I’m fine. Getting into position, just in case.”

  “Well, it’s not just in case that you might need to tug on.”

  “What’s happened?” Laszlo’s voice sharpened to a knife’s edge. “And where are you?”

  Erick listened as Cade brought him up to speed.

  “I’ll register at the hotel. I would have said I’d go into your room, but I think we’re better off if I try to get one on the same floor and just keep watch.”

  “Okay. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “I should be there tonight or first thing in the morning,” he said.

  “It’ll be good to have you on tap if needed,” Cade said.

  And Erick had to agree. Even though there were three of them, it seemed like things had gone south quickly, and they weren’t even at their targeted area. Erick twisted again and yelled to Laszlo, so he could hear him on Cade’s phone, “Badger is running central communication for us as well. And, just to let you know, we found our supplier here sold two antitank land mines, one six months before our incident—for testing supposedly—and the second one for a job two years ago.”

  There was dead silence on the phone, and then Laszlo started swearing. And when he swore, it was prime. All the men settled back with big grins. His swearing was done with such finesse, half-Norwegian, half-English, that the men rarely understood a word of it, but his tone was impossible to mistake.

  Finally he calmed down. “I’ll be there as fast as I can. And, no, don’t just keep me on tap. Pull me in. I’m kind of pissed now that I’m not there with you. You should have brought me in on this,” he said in a cold tone.

  “We didn’t know what we would find. For all we knew, this was a fool’s errand. We already brought Talon in as a backup. You were off with your family in Norway, and we didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Yeah, well, did you know Badger is in the hospital? That bloody leg of his is in bad shape. Apparently Kat had him rushed in about ten minutes ago.”

  “What?” Erick exchanged a hard look with Talon, then dialed Badger’s number. As soon as Badger answered, Erick asked, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  Badger laughed. “Wow, you guys don’t miss much, do you?”

  “We had to hear it from Laszlo,” Erick growled. “You know we need to be kept in the loop.”

  Silence came first, then Badger’s tone was a little heavier, his gasps a little harder. “Yeah. Not sure what happened, but the veins started to collapse under the swelling. Kat took one look and brought me into the emergency room. You know how I feel about that.”

  “Doesn’t matter how you feel about it. All I can say right now is thank God Kat was there.”

  “I agree. Surgery has been moved up to tomorrow. It could be just emergency measures first, then more surgery when the body has healed enough.”

  “You keep us updated, you hear? I don’t want to find out more shit from Laszlo.”

  “Well, for the next couple hours, I can do that. After that, I’m not so sure. You’ll have to contact Kat and give her the same orders.”

  “No problem,” Erick snapped. “You know the guys will want to come.”

  “They can’t do anything here. I’ll be a stuck pig in the hospital for a while. It’s up to you guys to take care of this mission.”

  “We can do that. But we will worry about you in the meantime. So, make sure you take care of yourself. Do you hear me?”

  Badger chuckled but pain was evident in his voice. “I hear you. Out.” And he ended the call.

  Erick twisted to look back at Cade who was no longer on the phone. “Any further update from Laszlo?”

  He shook his head. “No, you heard. He’s on his way. He’ll give us backup.” His gaze narrowed. “Badger?”

  “He’s having surgery tomorrow. The leg is in trouble.” Then he tried to give them as much as he remembered from the call. Badger was a mainstay in their lives. And his next surgical fight was one they’d all been through before and would cheer him on this time too. They knew that each and every one of them could be back there themselves at any time. Their bodies had healed, but they were a long way from perfect.

  Erick’s shoulder would never be as strong as it was before the land mine accident, and he could live without the two fingers on the left hand. Yet he found he expected them to be there at odd times. His lower leg and foot, … well, what the hell. Outside of his initial horror, he’d adapted faster than he thought possible. Mostly because he knew several of the other men had worse issues.

  Cade’s face thinned. “Damn good thing Badger is where he is then. If something goes wrong, they can save him there.”

  Erick nodded. “And we can thank Kat for forcing him into the hospital. You know Badger. He wouldn’t have gone on his own.”

  The men exchanged hard looks, knowing it was pretty much the same for any of them. They’d all done the hospital thing. They’d all done the surgery and recovery and physiotherapy thing until they were sick of it. They were
all grateful to be where they were now. But not one of them wanted to sign up for more.

  Just then Talon pointed ahead. “I think this is where we took the turnoff.”

  Erick stared through the windshield. “You think so?” He studied the surroundings but hadn’t been driving or navigating that day. He’d been in the back.

  Just then Cade leaned forward from the back seat. “Yes, it is. I remember those peaks in the distance.”

  Erick memorized them. You never knew when you would need a landmark again. The road they turned onto was much less traveled. Dust and time had eroded much of it.

  “How did you even see this as a road?” Erick asked. He shook his head. “This could be any road out here.”

  Talon said, “I was driving that day. And that was one of our landmarks.” He pointed at the simple family burial plot with its three graves marked by a pile of stones.

  The silence grew as they went farther down the road.

  “Does anybody but me worry about a second antitank land mine?” Cade asked from behind them.

  Erick turned. “Meaning?”

  Cade made a face. “What if they didn’t discharge the second one? And they buried both of them, hoping that, if we didn’t catch one, we’d find the other.”

  Talon hit the brakes and pulled the jeep to a stop. “Shit. Now I really don’t want to go down this road.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Erick said gently.

  “But neither do I want to hit another land mine,” Talon snapped.

  Erick was already busy, pulling out his laptop and his phone. “Tesla created that IED-detecting software, didn’t she?”

  “Yes, she did,” Cade said excitedly. “Something about finding mines ahead of us. Why the hell didn’t we come with that?”

  “Good question. But what’s the chance she can check this road using whatever updated system she has now?” He turned to look at Cade and Talon. “We don’t have the equipment here, but she does there. Give me a minute.” And he called Mason.

  Chapter 4