by Faye, Carmen
He had to actually leave the state and embark on a private journey that couldn’t be tracked to a hostel 2400 miles away. His hostel roommate, the homeless crack addict, would actually be his boss. They would spend hours sitting outside, crack pipe in hand, and discussing the plans.
It was a perfect plan, but it meant he had to leave her in the care of Larsen and trust that she would be okay. It meant giving up control.
As he strolled towards the terminal at the airport, he thought back to when he became involved in this. Everyone knows he joined the club at seventeen. What they didn’t understand was that he was groomed for it from the time he was fourteen. He had to be trained in how to be a bad guy. He had to be trained in charm. Once he was old enough, they gave him the right scenario and crime to draw their attention.
It had worked and he’d be brought into the club. At first he wasn’t trusted much. He was more of the grunt guy. Shitty jobs. Lack of respect. He’d worked hard to earn the trust of the guys. Dakota had come in shortly after and they’d been fast friends.
Asher laughed because he knew that the club had very few of those original members. They’d moved on or passed on and he’d moved up the ranks. At the point he was chosen as leader, it was unanimous. The guys loved him.
He wanted to go straight to his house and kill Nelson. He’d been the one that helped the Feds send Melissa into his house. The point had been for her to die. He was grateful that he’d met her, but she really could have been killed. That infuriated him.
It had happened before. Angelia. She had been the only person he’d ever been serious about. Until he met Melissa he’d say loved. But he found out she was a snitch. And he was assigned the duty of killing her.
Of course, he couldn’t. But he’d had to fake it and she’d been hurt in the process. She’d left and never come back or talked to him again. At that point he’d realized that he couldn’t be serious with anyone. They would get hurt, one way or another.
Now that he’d met Melissa he knew that there was no choice. He didn’t want to feel that way for her. He wanted to push her away. Keep her safe. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t be without her. He needed her in his life.
That was why he was thinking of his past and headed towards his boss on the airplane. Listening to a screaming toddler. Looking at the toddler’s almost underage mother as she ignored him. Trying to watch a movie he’d seen several times. And all the while putting his life in danger every second.
He wanted to keep her safe. To be with her. To know that she was going to spend her life with him. Even if she hadn’t fully committed to the idea.
As his plane landed, Asher grabbed his single bag. He had the feeling that someone was keeping an eye on him so he did the normal things a guy like him would do. And somehow, he found his way to the hostel.
His initial meeting wasn’t going to be until later in the evening. So he spent his first few hours relaxing and trying not to think about the risks of everything he was doing. He didn’t want to be so worried that he fucked it up.
Instead he focused on the future. A life without the club. Without the ATF. Just he and Melissa and hopefully someday a family. Living somewhere else. Loving each other. Enjoying all of the simple things that he’d never been able to take part in. Like the idea of picnics and holding hands at the movies.
The idea made him smile and he felt sleepiness taking over his body. Deciding that it was okay to rest for a few moments, Asher drifted into a dreamless sleep. He would stay there for three hours and then wake to attend his meeting.
Hudson found it funny that the most important meetings of his life involved drugs and lots of them. He was taking a hit of the crack pipe when he saw the man step out onto the porch. Even with the dirty clothes and messy hair, Asher knew who it was.
He stood up and walked over, careful to act nonchalant. There was no doubt that someone, somewhere was watching him. Trying to decide what he was doing and if it was violating any specific code of conduct that he was supposed to maintain.
“You look like you could use this,” Hudson spoke as if he was accustomed to drug interactions constantly. Holding out his pipe, he began to speak again. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ve got plenty.”
“Thank you,” the fake southern drawl was almost perfect and Asher had to admit he was impressed. “It’s been a while.”
“Anytime without is a while, don’t you think?” Asher pushed.
“Yep,” the man replied.
“I’ve got a girl back in the room,” Asher noted. “Join me?”
“Look man,” the crackhead answered. “I wanna smoke,” he continued, “Not do any funny shit.”
It was all Hudson could do not to laugh. The guy was doing a good fake scene. No one without inside knowledge would have a clue. But Hudson had known the man for many years. Seen him in a variety of circumstances and disguises. This was, by far, his favorite.
Realizing that he had to dive into the act himself, Hudson let out a huge laugh.
“Man,” he began, “I’m all about the ladies. But if I was gonna do a guy, it wouldn’t be you. Not even with someone else’s dick.”
The guy stepped back as if he’d been insulted. Asher had to admit that he was doing a great job with the act he was putting on. Had he not known him, Asher would have believed every bit of it.
“Ya dunno what ya are missin, bud,” he ended the conversation with a belly laugh that sounded every bit as southern as he was pretending to be.
“Smoke?” Hudson held up the pipe and his new friend nodded and began to follow him.
They made their way through tangles of people. Some of them were on more drugs than Hudson had ever seen. Others were drunk and passed out. Many were young and partying a little bit. A few were travelers that had opted for cheap lodging. He even saw a few that he wasn’t positive were still breathing.
Finally, they had made their way to Hudson’s room. He opened the door with the key, positive that it could be done without, and led the man inside. They lit the pipe and began smoking. Hudson prayed he never developed a habit from the small roles he played.
He sat in silence for a moment. That was the drill. His federal friend had already had the room fixed for sound. There was no way that any kind of listening device not provided by one of them would be found inside the confines of the room. But Hudson had to wait on the clearance to speak. That was when the agency determined it was clear and allowed them to talk.
Once that signal had been given, Hudson filled the guy in on everything. He shared how the situation was progressing. He shared that agents were being killed. He told of his leak inside the club. He told of Guiterro and the danger the man presented. Finally he sighed and talked about Melissa and her role in it all.
He watched as the guy hit the pipe and thought over the many details he had been given. Then he sat as he was lectured on blowing his cover and risking the lives of many people in the process.
Fortunately, once the lecture was over, he received the help he needed. Together they worked out an idea for all of the situations that were taking place at once. This included the leak he had on his own team.
Hudson decided it best not to say anything to his so called brother. Instead they were going to use the knowledge that they had to bring them out. He was going to plant the seed that would create the disaster that would occur.
He didn’t like what his friend suggested. He wasn’t fond of putting Melissa in any situation that could present a danger. He was even more against the idea when he was informed that he could not tell her, regardless of circumstance.
“She has to be as surprised as she would normally be,” the guy had said between hits. “If she looks prepared it will blow up in our face and everyone will go down.”
Asher knew that this was truth. He was well aware of how things worked. He just didn’t like it.
Once the plan was made, Asher and the man finished the pipe and parted ways. A plan was in place and the necessary resources to carr
y it out would be finalized by morning. That left Hudson the night to get some rest and prepare himself to lie to the woman he loved. It would take even more prep time to prepare himself to purposely put her in the line of fire. He would do it, but only because it would ensure her safety later. But he had to confident that nothing bad would happen to her.
The trip back home was uneventful. No screaming kids. No annoying passengers at all. And the movie was old, but at least it was a good one. He was ready to land. He needed to be home and get this plan in motion. Waiting around had done nothing but increase the odds of someone being hurt.
Stepping off the plane, Hudson prepared for the biggest lie of his life. The same lie that would guarantee a murderer to be on the way to the house in the woods. A plan that would guarantee that his fiancé was next on the list of eliminations. And that scared the hell out of him.
Within moments of being inside his expansive home he had located Nelson and shared the important details and information with him. Asher knew what that meant. He could only hope for the best outcome as he began to turn the wheels and get it moving.
It would only take a few minutes for Nelson to pass along the info. That didn’t leave long for Hudson to prepare himself and make his way to that part of town. He couldn’t be at the cabin, but could damn sure be nearby. Just in case she needed him. Which he was pretty sure she would. At least until she realized he had lied to her.
CHAPTER 39
For the first time in weeks he had a smile on his face. That buffoon from the Nomads had called and informed him of the new plan. Fuller wasn’t being killed. Hudson had caved. She wasn’t at the hospital either. She was being kept in some tiny little cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Logan was happy. His boss had demanded a resolution and Logan was ready to give it to him. He had hoped that a final fulfillment would allow him to leave. He was tired of doing the same shit. He wanted a happier and more stress free life. He wasn’t sure it’d work. People in his position tended to be tied down for life. But maybe if he made them really happy he could go.
It was time to stop waiting on Hudson to take care of this thorn in both of their sides. She had to go. If Logan wanted his kids to be safe he’d make sure to do that immediately.
He grabbed the bag out of his pocket and laid out a few lines on the table. It was one of those days that he’d needed it. Just a little. It wasn’t a problem.
Then he grabbed some gear he felt he might need and headed out. Logan wasn’t a dumb person. He took the car that no one would recognize. Agent Logan’s car was seen all the time around town. But the one from the garage had only been seen by a select few and he doubted that they would be a problem.
His goal was to just drive up and go to the door. Chances were good that Fuller would open it. She wouldn’t be able to avoid it. He might not like her, but her ethics were strong. When she felt she had a chance to fix a bad situation, she would go for it. Even if it cost her own life.
Nelson wasn’t lying about the distance and Logan was getting annoyed. Fortunately, just as he was ready to give up; the driveway flashed in the distance. He turned and followed it moments later only to end up driving deep into woods. He personally thought woods in the desert were strange, but seemed to make a good hiding spot.
Seeing the cabin, he understood why. It wouldn’t take much to hide that tiny building. Noticing that there were no other cars, Logan pulled up and walked to the door.
“What do you want Logan?” She’d taken a good ten minutes to answer the door.
“To talk with you.”
Melissa seemed to toy with the idea forever when she finally stepped aside and let him in the door. She didn’t have time or energy for games.
“How did you know where I was?” she questioned.
“I’m a federal agent.” He shrugged. “With a little help, I can figure out anything.”
She nodded and wondered why her boss had shown up randomly. What was he hoping to accomplish and why? She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t terrified. She was. The closer Logan got to her, the worse she worried about what he was going to do.
That was pretty much what she’d told the Director earlier. Only she hadn’t said Logan. She had merely told him that she felt like her life was in danger along with anyone else that seemed to be in the way. He’d suggested maybe it was the Nomad Devils and she’d emphatically disagreed with him. He seemed puzzled by her insistence that they weren’t involved, but he hadn’t questioned it.
He did, however, ask her some things about Logan. She wanted to tell all and now that she stood here face to face with him she wished she had. But she had kept it aloof. She wasn’t sure if he was working with Logan or if he was merely curious. So she’d stayed quiet to potentially save her own life.
Yet now she stood in the room, alone, with the man. And she was scared.
Out of nowhere Logan pulled out a gun.
“It’s nothing personal, Fuller. I hope you know that. It’s just that you came at the wrong time. And you made wrong choices. And now I’m in a bad place. My business, livelihood, and family are being threatened.” He waved the gun around as he spoke and it scared her. A lot. “I didn’t want it to come to this. I wanted to transfer you.”
“You still have choices, Logan,” she answered calmly, barely hiding the trembling that she felt inside. “I can transfer. You can leave town. There are options.”
“You think that’s enough?” he yelled as her eyes grew wide with fear. “You already fucked up that idea. You know way too much. You are too close. You are a danger to me and my loved ones. And your little boyfriend is a problem too!”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” she whispered softly. “You can do what you want to do. Logan you know how this works. Sometimes we get in over our head. We make choices and then we have to deal with what comes from that. But we can always change. We don’t have to keep making the same decisions. What do you want to do Logan?”
“I can’t do any fucking thing I want to do anymore!” he screamed.
Melissa felt her stomach tighten. Her body was trying to go into an anxiety attack. It would send Logan over the edge. Judging from his eyes, he was either on drugs or in the midst of a complete psychotic break. She couldn’t help but wonder how he got this far gone in life. She had to question whether or not he was a good person before all of this.
Fuller was also questioning where the hell the guys were that had promised to keep her safe. Neither of them was around and she was beginning to switch between anger and panic. When she saw them again, there would be hell to pay.
If I see them again…
“Of course you can,” she spoke softly, making sure to take deep breaths to calm her own panic. “What do you want to do Logan?”
“He prefers killing people,” the voice appeared out of nowhere. “Or having others do it for him,” Hudson was behind her. “Isn’t that right Agent Logan?”
Her breath caught in her throat. Did Asher not know what he was doing? Angering a madman is not usually the best way to handle things.
“You know nothing, Hudson!” Logan yelled and waved the gun around. “You sit in that mansion of yours and do whatever the fuck you want regardless of consequence…” she could see the rage flare in his eyes.
“I watched my father shot point blank for no reason other than walking down the stairs,” Hudson spoke firmly. “I’d say I’ve had consequences.”
“God damn it,” Logan laughed, but it was a hysterical sound and not a funny one. “Let it go! He’s not coming back.”
“But you did.” Hudson continued baiting him.
Melissa stood in silence, afraid and wondering what was going on. Was Asher really using her own dangerous situation to settle old scores?
“Asher this probably isn’t…” she started but her words went ignored.
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I? And you know what, I’ve been paying for that every day of my life. For an accident! A stupid fucking accident!” He screamed mani
acally. “Shooting your father was nothing in my life.”
“It was something in mine,” Hudson didn’t flinch. “Why don’t you tell me why you did it?”
Logan laughed again. He stood in the room with both of the people he wanted gone and he was the only one with a weapon. Why not? What the hell were they going to do to him?
“Okay Hudson, let’s get this over and done for once to satisfy your fucking curiosity.” Logan was shifting from one foot to the other. “I was running weapons. I had no choice. And I had strict rules. Don’t get caught. Don’t fuck up.” He stopped for a moment.
“And apparently kill anyone…”
“You think I wanted to ever kill anyone, you son of a bitch? To wake up knowing that people whisper ‘murder’ behind my back? That I wanted everything that mattered to me held dangling over my head until I did what I was told?”
