by A. O. Peart
Something large and heavy jumped on my back. I fell down, hitting the ground with a dull thud. My breath got knocked out of my lungs. I tried to scream but a hand closed over my mouth. I bit down on the flesh, and the guy roared in pain.
He must have lifted his head a bit, because I felt a slight change in how his weight distributed on my back. I seized the opportunity and, bringing my head down for more impact, slammed the back of my skull into his face. He shrieked and loosened his grip on me. I pushed him off and rolled to my side. The gun was gone from my hand. Frantically, I groped the ground for it. The guy held his face in both hands, moaning. I was sure his nose was broken. My head hurt from the blow like it was ready to split open. Where was that gun? Where the fuck was the gun?
“You bitch. You fucking little bitch. I’m gonna make you pay,” he snarled, coughing and panting.
I didn’t wait for him to fulfil his promise. My elbow connected with his eye once. Twice. He screamed. Yeah, that was fucking painful. Who’s in control now?
My hand closed on the familiar shape. Jack’s gun! I grasped it and turned to the guy. He was still holding onto his face, trying to get up. Blood seeped between his fingers.
I jumped to my feet and pointed the gun at him. “Don’t move.” I slid the safety off. I’ve never killed anyone, even back then, when I lived on the streets and had to defend myself on daily basis. I came close though.
I was sixteen again and only my survival mattered. I wanted to live. I wanted to finish the college and make Jan proud. I also wanted to see Ethan again…
The guy stilled, his face twisted in the mix of horror and hatred.
“What’s your name?”
“Fuck you.”
“Your parents must have hated you to give you such a repulsive name. Is your last name Asshole? Fuck You Asshole. Yeah, that goes together.” I was playing. I was sixteen again, a fearless smartass.
He was fuming, cursing and thrashing on the ground.
“I said, don’t move.” I pointed the gun at his knee. “You’ll never walk again if you don’t listen now.” I knew this was one of the gang members. I just knew it. There was no mercy for them for what they did to Helen. If I had to blow his knee, I wouldn’t even blink. Hell, I would gladly shoot his balls off, but that would make him bleed out too fast. Yes, I was that Lisbeth again.
He stilled. Finally, he was taking me seriously. His hands were pressed around his broken nose and the quickly-swelling right eye.
“Your name,” I insisted.
His lips trembled—from fear? From anger? I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted to know one of the assholes’ names.
I kicked his side. Hard.
The guy yelped, “Ed.”
The party boats’ noise ceased. The last firework lit up the sky. He removed his hands from his face, and I could see it now. I recognized it. God, I recognized him! It was him, Helen’s murderer! Tears blurred my vision, running down my cheeks and dripping down to the ground. My breath hitched; my heart rate was rapidly increasing. The visions from that night were suddenly vivid in my mind—Helen’s screams, the men’s laughter, blows to the face, to the stomach, the rape, the knife, Helen’s blood, so much blood spraying from her throat in an arc of red, leaking her life away.
I cried out. It was a guttural, angry shriek of pain. No fear, just pain. And then there was anger, so much anger. My finger slid onto the trigger. Ed scooted back on his butt and elbows, screaming. I took a long, deep breath, my jaw clenched, my vision focused. The tears were gone. There was only anger, a fury. Blood, so much blood spraying from Helen’s throat. And me—crouched helplessly behind that trash container, paralyzed with fear, helpless, stupidly helpless. Why wasn’t I the Lisbeth from the streets then? Why couldn’t I defend my friend? Where was my gun, my knife, my street martial arts? Why did I let her die? Why did I let them live? Now was my chance to make it right. The trigger, my finger, the pressure.
“No! Gloria! Stop!”
Who was shouting? Was that the part of the memories? Gloria? I wasn’t Gloria then… my head snapped to the side.
Special Agent Drasco stopped a few feet away, legs apart, a gun in his outstretched hands. “Put the gun down, Gloria. I’ve got it.”
I almost did. But then I remembered… who was the mole? I pivoted forty five degrees to my right and aimed my gun at Drasco’s chest. Three shots, bam bam bam, that’s what Ethan told me. I lifted the barrel so it actually trained on his head. I was sure he wore the vest. His head was a better target, just like what the street thugs taught me back when. “How did you know I was here?”
“Gloria, you called me from that cabin.” He slowly pointed with his chin toward Ryley’s cabin. It was behind him and to his left.
“I called from the landline, not from my FBI-issued cell phone.” My voice sounded icy and calm.
A short, pop-like sound followed by a punch sensation in my shoulder. And then the pain exploded in my muscle. Drasco fired his gun. It was loud. Was I shot? Who shot me? I dropped my gun and fell to my knees, wheezing.
Drasco’s pistol was pointed at Ed, who lay sprawled on the ground, his arms thrown to his sides, a long-barrel gun in his left hand. No, it wasn’t a barrel. It was a silencer. That’s what that sound was. The asshole shot me! But Drasco shot him. Ed’s head lolled to the side; a red, bloody point marked the middle of his forehead. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Helen… she should see this, not only me. At least, she was revenged now.
I glanced at Drasco.
He rushed to me, his gun down. “Let me see.” Kneeling by my side, he gently peeled my hand off my shoulder. “Hopefully it’s only a flash wound. We’ll take you to the hospital.” His hand went to his collar. “Drasco. I have Gloria. One of the gang guys is down.”
I didn’t want to hear anything. I could only think of Helen’s murderer, lying dead on the ground. But how about the rest of them?
I grabbed Drasco’s sleeve. “Where are the others? Was he alone here?”
“No, he wasn’t. We’ve got all of them.”
I hesitated. “Where are Ethan and Jack?”
“They are safe. They’re with the other agents.”
“Are they in trouble?” I felt sick to my stomach and not because of the excruciating pain in my shoulder. I had no idea what happened since I saw Ethan and Jack running into the woods with their guns at the ready. I was sure they had permits for the guns, so that wasn’t an issue. But there could be dozens of other violations for them to be charged with.
“We need to get you to the hospital right away.” Damn Drasco. He wasn’t getting out of this subject so easily.
“Stop avoiding the answer. You want my cooperation in this case? Then help me out here,” I said sternly.
That got his attention. He looked sharply at me.
“I will testify. But Ethan and Jack go free, no matter what they did. Otherwise forget it,” I hissed. My shoulder hurt so bad, I wanted to moan in pain. But I wouldn’t. I had to stay strong, at least on the outside.
“Okay.” He nodded.
I heard voices and pounding feet. A small army of federal agents ran between the trees. I sagged down onto my back. The stars twinkled in the dark sky. Nothing was different about that view. It was as I’ve always remembered it. No matter if I was fourteen, sixteen, or twenty-three—it always looked the same. That thought was somehow reassuring. I liked the fact that some good things stayed unchanged.
Chapter Twenty Eight
ETHAN
“Hey.” I kicked Jack’s boot and grinned at him.
We sat on a fallen log, side by side, watching the feds handcuff all the gang members.
Jack’s eyes flicked to me and he returned my grin. “Why are you smiling, idiot?”
That made me chuckle. “Why are you, moron?” Yeah, we were okay.
Cornell told me that Drasco had Lisbeth in his care. I asked him if she was hurt, but he didn’t know. I suspected he decided not to tell me, and that made me concerned. I wanted to go
to her right away, but the feds insisted that Jack and I talk with them first. They wanted the first-hand information on what exactly happened here before their arrival.
I took my cell phone out and turned it around in my hand. It was useless. I was a dumbass—I didn’t have Lisbeth’s phone number. I’ve never gotten it from her. Cornell walked up to us and squatted down. But before he uttered a word, I quickly asked, “What’s Gloria’s cell phone number?”
He took his phone out and scrolled through then turned the screen toward me. I punched the number on my phone, stood up, and walked away. The phone rang. She wasn’t picking up. A generic recording informed me that this subscriber is unavailable and proceeded to instruct me to leave a message. I hung up. Damn, I forgot she rarely kept that phone on, and now especially, after I told her the phone was tapped, she wouldn’t turn it back on.
I had to know how she was; to see for myself. I had to hear her voice and see her eyes. I wanted to hold her close. God, I missed her…
I paced back to where Cornell and Jack sat together, talking. Jack was answering Cornell questions.
“Call Drasco. Please. Get Gloria on. She’s not answering her cell phone,” I said to Cornell.
He glanced at me from over his notebook where he was taking notes based on Jack’s answers. “Sure.”
For a moment I thought he was about to give me his surveillance microphone, but he pulled out his cell phone, dialed, and passed the phone to me.
I went back to where I stood, away from everyone to get some privacy while talking with Lisbeth.
“Cornell?” the voice on the other end asked. He was probably puzzled about why the other agent used his cell phone and not the radio.
“It’s Ethan McCoy. I’m calling from Special Agent Cornell’s cell phone. He’s right here with me.”
“Okay.”
“Is Gloria there?”
“One moment.”
“Ethan!” she shouted to the phone. “Where are you? Is everything okay?” There were too many emotions mixed in her voice for me to decipher. I was just happy to hear her. She was alive.
“I’m fine. I’m going to you. Cornell said you’re not in the cabin. Where can I find you?” I didn’t understand my own reaction. I wanted to run to her, to get to her immediately. Nothing would stop me now. Nothing mattered.
“We are by the cabin actually. The doors are locked, but we are right here. Please come?” The last two words sounded like pleading. They melted my heart.
“On my way,” I breathed to the phone. I hung up and tossed it back to Cornell.
“Hey, bro!” Jack hollered after me.
I turned mid-step. He held the key to Ryley’s cabin. I caught it with one hand.
The cabin’s lights shone in the distance, between the closely-packed trees. I ran, weaving between the tree trunks, oblivious to the bushes slapping my face and body with their branches. I was in the high alert and focus mode, concentrated on one target only—get to Lisbeth, fast.
First, I saw a group of agents by Ryley’s cabin. I quickly scanned the area, looking for her. She was in the center, surrounded by a few feds. I squeezed past them. Drasco and a female agent sat on the ground with Lisbeth. There was a makeshift dressing on Lisbeth’s upper arm. She was hurt. That made me furious. Someone hurt her. Who?
I was at her side in an instance. Drasco nodded to me, and I nodded back in acknowledgement. But before I could ask about her injury, she quickly wrapped her good arm around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. I held her tight, careful not to touch the wounded spot. I slid my hands down her back and up again. She wasn’t crying or trembling. She just sat there, clutching onto me. I liked the fact she was clutching onto me. A liked it lot.
My heart pounded when I whispered in her ear, “What happened? Who hurt you?”
She didn’t answer at first, only took a long, slow breath. Her chest expanded, pressing onto mine. There was nothing erotic in it; nothing that would evoke my regular reaction to a woman. I didn’t get hard, nor did I immediately think of sex. What I felt was so much more. I cared for Lisbeth, more than I’ve ever cared for anyone. She was safe now, but I didn’t stop wanting to protect her. That need was stronger than any other desires I’ve known.
“I’m tired. I want to sleep,” she said quietly.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” I smiled in her hair.
“No. I want to sleep next to you. In your arms.”
I could barely think straight. That simple statement sent a wave of longing through me. My arms closed tighter around her. I touched my lips to her warm neck and kissed it. “You can sleep in my arms as long as you want.”
She pulled away a little, just enough to look in my eyes. I couldn’t hold it anymore. My breathing grew labored, and I was lost in her. Her lips parted, and it took all my resolve to restrain myself from kissing her now, in front of all these people. But I wanted to. I wanted nothing more than that.
The paramedics came, and the female agent who sat next to Lisbeth before returned and said, “Ms. Glass, let’s take a better care of that arm.”
I whispered to Lisbeth, “I’m not done with you, but I’m forced to take a rain check.”
She smiled, closing her eyes, maybe hiding her disappointment. I was disappointed too, but we had to wait.
Keeping one arm around her back, I looked at two paramedics who kneeled down by Lisbeth. “I’m Captain Ethan McCoy, PFD.”
“Oh.” The woman paramedic beamed at me. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and said sweetly, “Karen Torn, North Lincoln Fire and Rescue. This is Ron Smith.” She gestured to her colleague. “What do we have here?”
I wasn’t interested in talking with her, which was completely out of character for me. That paramedic girl was really good looking, and I could sense her interest in me. A lot of interest. It wouldn’t take much to get her come back to my cabin right after her shift ended. But I only had my eyes for one woman. Lisbeth.
Drasco answered her question, “A single gunshot. It seems the bullet penetrated and exited the muscle.”
A gun shot? A fucking gun shot? Lisbeth was shot? I wanted to punch someone, not once, not even twice, but just keep beating until their fucking face turned into a bloody mess. But first it would make more sense to find out who I needed to sock. “Who did that to her?” I asked Drasco in a sharp voice.
“One of those punks. He’s dead.” Drasco informed me.
That took care of the problem. Before I had a chance to find out who shot him, Lisbeth clasped my hand. She must have seen how furious I was. I looked at her, and my anger evaporated. Just like that. Instead, my throat closed with some unknown emotions.
“Gloria was extremely brave.” I heard Drasco’s voice. “The guy attacked her. He jumped on her back and knocked her down to the ground. But she managed to overtake him, nevertheless. When I arrived, he was the one on the ground, and she had a gun pointed at him.”
I watched Lisbeth. She quietly conversed with the paramedics. I noticed her jaw tighten in pain and her eyes squeezed shut, while they patched her up. She was going to the hospital, no matter what she said. I knew she would object. Just knew it. But I wouldn’t have it. She had to be stitched up and examined for any other injuries.
I turned to Drasco and motioned with my head for him to go with me to the side for some privacy. I kissed Lisbeth’s hand and said, “I’ll right back.”
I stood up in and walked ten yards toward the water. Drasco followed.
We stopped. He cleared his throat. I put my hands in my pockets. The night air felt cool and fresh. The pleasant fragrance of the woods carried over to the shore. The party boat was quiet, and I wondered if someone finally called the cops to end that nonsense.
“Did you find another gang member? Vince?” I asked.
“Yeah, we did. Was that you? You cuffed him to that bush and gagged him?”
“Sure did.”
“Awesome job. Thank you.” He nodded curtly. “That simplified a
lot of things for the Bureau.”
“I hope so. Did you question him?”
“Not yet. He’ll remain in our custody though. We’re taking him to one of our locations.”
I didn’t care what location, so his air of secrecy simply washed over me. But I wanted to know if they learned about Senator Kiersch. “You didn’t talk to him at all?”
“We will.” He sounded positive. Upbeat even.
I crossed my arms and looked back at Lisbeth, sitting in the same spot as before and watching us. I smiled to her. She was beautiful. I wanted to go to her, to hold her. I wanted her so much. But instead, I averted my eyes from Lisbeth and looked somberly at Drasco. “So you don’t know who’s behind all these crimes?”
Drasco’s features rearranged from carefully polite to tense. “What do you know?”
“I pressed Vince to tell me. Have you ever heard about Senator Kiersch?”
His watchful eyes drilled into mine. “What exactly did you learn?”
“Senator’s kid was the one who murdered Gloria’s friend Helen. The same one you shot. His name was Ed.”
Drasco swore and turned away from me. He walked off a few feet away then turned around and walked back, frowning and deep in thought. He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and slowly raised his eyes to me. They were still hooded with his brows. “That little asswipe I shot was the Senator’s kid?”
“Yeah, and an innocent girl’s rapist and murderer. What, you’re fucking remorseful, because that was some dirty politician’s son?”
He didn’t let me continue, “Do you understand what’s happening here?”
This time I cut him off, “I do. A Senator is desperately trying to cover up a gang rape, a murder, and the multiple attempts of another murder. Oh, let’s not forget a destruction of the federal property and the murder of a few federal agents.”
That shut him up. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the spot between his eye brows with his fingers. “Fuck,” he whispered. “Fuck!” he said much louder, looking at the dark water.
