Flashpoint: Reed Series

by M. C. Cerny

  “A year ago in March, I had a car accident. I lost one of my best friends, and you’re talking about love? I’m pretty sure I feel sick right now.” Katie, reeling from the shock, took a step back. Her stomach began to knot, her heartbeat escalating.

  “And I was the bystander that brought you to the hospital that night.” Jacob watched Katie distractedly pick at a thread on her robe.

  “That’s impossible, Jacob.”

  “Not really.”

  “How could you have been there? The doctors said I hit my head pretty hard. I only remember talking to Tully that afternoon. I dream about being in a building on fire, but they said I was found unconscious outside the car before it exploded. I had eleven stitches in the back of my head. I can still feel the scar tissue.” Katie unconsciously reached up and felt the back of her head to remind herself of the reality of the experience.

  “I’m afraid that’s only partially true. I had wondered what you might actually remember from that night, if anything at all, and we’d given you nine stitches not eleven. I guess the ER doctors added some.”

  “What do you mean? Tully and I went to a bar to celebrate my journalism award and we drank too much. We were irresponsible, stupid, and reckless. The only time in my damn life that I’ve been reckless and it killed my friend.” Tears streamed down Katie’s face and she violently wiped them away.

  “I wish that I could have spared you that, sweetheart. You had nothing to do with Michael Tully’s death.”

  “Was…was Tully still alive when you found me?” Jacob wrestled about lying to Katie, but if she ever found out the truth from anyone but him, he would have no chance to make things right.

  “Yes. For a short time, we thought that maybe Tully would make it, but he had been shot too close to his lung and heart. I couldn’t stop the bleeding and he died there.” Jacob couldn’t tell her yet how Tully had begged them to protect her.

  “Oh, god. He was shot?” Katie sat down, resting the glass globe on the table, and put her head between her knees as things swirled before her eyes. “How would he have gotten shot? Where the hell were we?”

  “You really were in a warehouse that exploded prior to being in the car, but we’re not even sure how you got there in the first place. Somehow, Tully was involved in something that led you to being there that night. My team and I were there investigating an international prostitution ring. Things went south real quick and you were both caught in the crossfire. We still can’t quite figure out how you both were there. Not all of our Intel has given us the answers that we need.”

  “They said his body was unrecognizable from the explosion in the car. Did you do that?”

  “We didn’t have a choice.”

  “There are always choices, Jacob.” Katie wanted to give in to the grief and emotions, but needed to stay strong and find distance for herself. “I’d like to leave and get back to the city. I have things to think about and an apartment to clean up.” Katie stood, facing Jacob and looking him squarely in the eye.

  “I’d like for you to stay the weekend. Please. Hear me out, things are…complicated.”

  “So now I’m not even getting a choice to leave? I thought I wasn’t kidnapped.”

  “This is different, Katie. This time, those guys are looking for you because they think you know something or saw something that night. Those robbers couldn’t have randomly chosen you when they wrote what they did on your bedroom wall. It’s harder for me to protect you if I let you go about your daily business.”

  “I don’t need your protection! I need to be with people who don’t lie to me and then stalk me for a year!”

  “Damn it, Katie. It was never like that.”

  “So what were you doing then? Some weird, creepy Guardian Angel bullshit? I guess I’ll never know, will I?” Katie left the room and headed back upstairs. Anywhere Jacob wasn’t was a place she needed to be right now.

  After Katie shut the door to the library, he rubbed his hands over his face and through his short hair. Frustrated, he went to the kitchen to join the others.

  Upstairs, Katie closeted herself in the bedroom. Looking at the rumpled bed linens and remembering Jacob’s tenderness the night before, she was feeling sick to her stomach. She locked herself in the bathroom and sat on the floor near the toilet. Her head pounded with anguish. Tully was a close friend. They looked out for each other and, while she barely recalled the evening in question, she felt something was off about the story that Jacob was telling her. Obviously, details were missing and the hurt she felt at being responsible intensified. She’d spent months in therapy trying to deal with her guilt, and he had probably watched her from the sidelines like a sick and twisted voyeur. Katie was angry, distressed, and even more confused. The batch of unchecked emotions rolled her belly until she heaved, throwing up in the toilet. Whimpering cries escaped and she tried to hold back the sounds of grief.

  Jacob poured himself a cup of coffee and decided to let Katie have a few moments to herself before going to check on her. She would have to relive the grief all over again, and he doubted he would be high on her list of trusted companions, but he couldn’t let her retreat into herself. For the time being, she was stuck with him and he was going to protect her until the threat was over. He only hoped that she would let him be there for the long haul.

  The others quietly talked and caught each other up on their daily lives while Jacob sorted himself out. They continued their banter and teasing. Rush and Clint impersonated something Mason had said to them earlier, and Lulu punched Nick in the arm. He merely grunted and ruffled the shorter woman’s long hair before going back to his conversation with Eli.

  Jacob headed upstairs. He could hear Katie retching and crying in the bathroom. He knocked on the door, but she didn’t respond. Jacob took the skeleton key from above the door and unlocked it. “I guess I’m not allowed any privacy in here, either?” Katie leaned back up against the wall, her long hair in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth, the acidic taste burning the back of her throat.

  “I could hear you throwing up. Sue me later for being worried.” Jacob shrugged, upset and feeling helpless.

  “You can bet I’ll think about it,” Katie snapped.

  “I had the skeleton keys made years ago when Lulu threatened to break the door down in Nick’s room,” Jacob explained, lamely. “Julian had locked her in right before we were leaving on a mission that she wasn’t invited on. I kind of like my house in one piece so I had the key made.” Jacob sat on the floor next to Katie and handed her the key, as a gesture of faith, and a filled coffee mug. She pocketed the key and wrapped her hands around the cup, warming her fingers.

  “They seem like an interesting group to hang out with, I suppose…the guns and backtalk notwithstanding.” Katie sniffled and fingered the ribbon of her robe.

  “Oh, you get used to their antics after a while. I had hoped we really would have the weekend to ourselves here. You know, I was planning to come clean, whether you believe me or not. I didn’t want to lie to you. I just…I just ran out time.” Jacob sighed and looked towards the ceiling, hoping for some divine intervention; however, Nick was downstairs and unlikely to help him now. “Time escaped me, as usual.”

  “But why did you? I get that I’m a reporter, but I’m not a rat.” Katie took a sip of coffee to kill the taste in her mouth.

  “I never thought you would be. I wasn’t supposed to have contact with you again. I wasn’t supposed to be keeping tabs on you, either. I promised my brother that I would leave you alone and I did the best I could. It wasn’t safe and it was my recklessness that brought you back into this danger. I guess I really was being a creepy Guardian Angel.” Jacob watched Katie, who hooded her eyes from his view. “You distract me and I don’t like to ignore distractions.” He put his hand on Katie’s thigh, which was covered by the robe. Katie put her hand over Jacob’s and removed it. He felt stung by her rejection.

  “So where were you this
past weekend, really?” Katie tried to focus on her questions and not the humming that he caused in her body.

  “I was in London installing some surveillance equipment that I designed. It was part real work and part mission. We’re trying to get more information on this guy who is targeting young women in the prostitution trade and using designer drugs on them. We were scoping out a few clubs in the seedier part of town, which are frequented by Russian Mob groups and other persons of interest we’re looking into.”

  “And the mugging last week? How did you know that was happening?”

  “Well, I suppose that makes me seem more like a crazy stalker, which I wouldn’t blame you for thinking. In the past year…well, I’ve noticed you have some particular habits.” Jacob wanted to avoid the question of the security cameras as long as possible.

  “Such as?”

  “Your work routine. You like the Starbucks on that particular street corner and visit it frequently in the afternoons before you go on air. There’s a restaurant directly across the street and, when I’m in town, I eat there frequently, I read my newspaper, catch up on emails…and look for you.”

  “Definitely creepy, Jacob. A simple introduction could have avoided this whole mess, you know. If you’d just asked me out like a normal guy, I probably would have said yes.” Katie glared at him. He could tell that her temperature was rising by the angry flush of her cheeks.

  “I’m not exactly normal.” Jacob nudged Katie’s shoulder.

  “No kidding, Jacob.” Katie pushed back gently.

  “I promised myself, the team, and Eli that I wasn’t going to approach you. I was going to let you live your life and get past Tully’s death, and I was determined to keep you safe from a distance.”

  “So, if you knew my work habits, you already knew where I lived, my friends, my family.”

  “Yes, but I never, ever pursued you, Katie. I wanted to protect you and it was the only way I knew how. I didn’t even try to interfere when other guys asked you out. I just got lucky you never said yes to them.” Jacob shrugged.

  “Okay, that’s messed up,” Katie stated.

  “This isn’t a life meant for everyone. Having to be duplicitous, watching everything you do, everything you say to people. I’m obviously not very good at it, which is why I do my best to maintain a low profile. Give me a computer to tinker with and I’m happy. I’m much better at working behind the scenes. I have a whole team of people depending on me to keep their secrets and their lives safe.”

  “I didn’t get a choice.”

  “No but, at the time, I wasn’t sure my infatuation with you was a good basis for a relationship when you practically fell into my lap. You woke up not remembering the warehouse, or much of it, and our medical station looks like any basic ER room. Julian treated you and sedated you. He gave you nine stitches and made ‘suggestions’ through a hypnosis procedure of what happened that night. I’m surprised you didn’t recognize him when you saw him.”

  “No. I’ve occasionally had nightmares since that night, but nothing that’s stuck. I was seeing a therapist for a while…oh, wait, you already know that…but it wasn’t helping then and it still wasn’t helping now. I think she liked treating a well-known person in the media more than she actually cared about what I was going through. God, it makes me think that everyone I know has just lied to me or kept the truth from me in the past year.”

  “Well, hopefully, now knowing this can be helpful.” Katie snorted at Jacob’s reply, but he held his hand up. “I never wanted you hurt by any of this and I realize this will impact how we go forward.”

  “Forward?” Katie looked at Jacob skeptically.

  “Well?” Jacob remained optimistic.

  “So, now that I know, are you planning to keep me here indefinitely? You’re not going to, like, suck the memories of the last two weeks from my brain, are you?” Katie asked a little unsure of what they did plan to do with her.

  “Uh, no. We can’t really do that. Julian isn’t really qualified to alter memories in that way.” Jacob said scratching his head nervously.

  “So how did he do it?” Katie wanted to know.

  “He just makes hypnotic suggestions of what ‘could’ have happened aided by a cocktail of drugs. It’s kind of like taking a controlled dose of GHB and having events strongly suggested.” Jacob said.

  “Jesus Christ, you’re serious!” Katie’s voice rose and she thought that, if she was going to get hysterical, this might just push her over the edge. Katie stood up, needing to move a little to clear her head.

  “Katie, sit back down. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to touch you without your permission.” Jacob tried to reassure her, but knew that wasn’t likely right now.

  Katie sat back down slumping against the wall defeated. “You basically told me that your staff doctor gave me a date rape drug and I’m supposed to be, like, okay with that?” Katie looked up at Jacob as her voice got soft and quiet.

  “I said kind of, I don’t exactly know what the cocktail of drugs are.” Jacob winced.

  “But you know people who could do that?” Katie whispered warily at the man she thought she was getting to know.

  “I’ll repeat myself once more. Nobody is going to touch you ever again.” Jacob grabbed Katie’s hand, squeezing it gently, and she let him hold it.

  “If I disappear, my family will worry and my brother will kick your butt, you know.”

  “Sam Wilson has a promising career ahead of him with the Bureau. I wouldn’t mess with your brother or keep you from your family, sweetheart.” Katie sucked in her breath. She had never told anyone that Sam worked for the FBI, and it had never come up in conversation with Jacob.

  “How do you know about Sam? Never mind. I suppose nobody was off limits.”

  “Eli has full background checks done on everyone.” Jacob left the unsaid questions about Sam alone for now. He wasn’t even going to get into what her father did for work. That one was all plausible deniability. “How do you know?”

  “I suppose overhearing one or two of his phone conversations over the years might have tipped me off, but he doesn’t know that I know.”

  “I would protect you with my life. You know that, don’t you?” Jacob said to her.

  “We’ve kind of rushed things.”

  “Our whole relationship hasn’t been ideal. I agree with you there.”

  “Then I guess we work on just being honest with each other from here on out. I can only report on stories that I’ve investigated and sources I can confirm. I don’t like the paparazzi, if you didn’t notice that before, or trashy false news rags. I don’t know what you’re really doing, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean I’m shut out of your life.”

  “My amazing wonderful Katie, I don’t want to hide anything from you. I just want to keep you safe. The rest of the team isn’t going to like it, but they’ll have to deal with it.” Jacob made a move to gather Katie in his arms, but she put her hand out on his chest to hold him back.

  “Alright, I can live with that; right now, anyway. I’m hungry, though. Can we go downstairs for breakfast?” Katie stood, shaking slightly, and Jacob helped steady her.

  “Sure. Then I want to show you something in the library.”

  “You mean the ‘war room’?”

  “Nah, that’s in the basement behind the wine cellar.”

  “Jacob!” Katie muttered something about picking terrible boyfriends and walked out of the bathroom. Jacob chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. Katie braved the rest of the group, who were eating a simply prepared breakfast. Several of the members smiled at her, Lulu still looking as unfriendly as before. An older woman stood in the kitchen, cooking up omelets, and there was a spread of food on the large kitchen island.

  “Katie, this is Marta. She and her husband, John, take care of the house when I’m not here. She loves to cook so you’re off the hook…for now.” Jacob winked at her and she felt herself blushing. Marta wiped her hands on a towel that was folded int
o her apron. The tiny woman had grey braids pinned up, and she hugged Katie.

  “Ah, so good to finally meet a nice girl. Jacob and Eli never bring ladies here. I was beginning to think they thought we were too backwards for real company.” Marta had a thick accent, which was indistinguishable, but a friendly demeanor.

  “I’m nice and so is Becky.” Lulu pouted as she bit into a thick blueberry-filled muffin.

  “You girls are wild and need to settle down. Eli, you bring Miss Becky here and I’ll make sure she minds her manners.” Eli grunted, and Katie wondered what kind of ‘family’ she was suddenly pulled into. “That one,” she said, pointing to Lulu, “needs to be strong-handed with her fresh mouth.” She smiled at Katie, while Mason and Clint chuckled. “I will make some breakfast, and you sit here with me to eat, Katie. The boys are busy today planning things. You can tell me all about the fancy city. I love hearing about New York and Broadway. My John, he takes me once a year, but it’s not enough.”

  Jacob kissed Katie on the forehead and left her in good hands. He was just starting to feel better. “Eat something, then come join us when you’re ready.” Jacob left with the rest of the group, filing back into the library.

  Katie felt overwhelmed, but Marta’s kindness put her at ease. She told her stories about when Jacob and Eli first visited the property, and the home improvements they had attempted to do themselves. Katie especially enjoyed hearing about the bear that had wandered through the house, surprising the brothers during dinner one evening when the kitchen was not yet finished. Marta told her that the work the boys do was very important, often taking them away from the area for months at a time. She said it was all very top secret, but if Jacob had brought her to the farm, she must be pretty special.

  Marta made sure her plate was replenished and her coffee was topped off. Jacob had called her ahead of time and requested a lot of her favorite foods so Marta was excited to be cooking something other than steak and potatoes. Katie asked how the brothers were related. Marta explained that they had the same mother but different fathers, and that Mrs. Reed had died several years earlier, bringing the boys together. Mrs. Reed hadn’t married Eli’s father and Mr. Reed had taken the older, troubled boy in. Eli even had a daughter named Rebecca, who was as difficult as her father had been. Marta said it had served the man right, but that the girl had a good heart and just needed time to settle herself down. Katie enjoyed talking with Marta and, when a better part of an hour had been spent chatting, she felt more at ease and ready to brave the large crew in the library again.