Here and Now

by Wasowski, Mary

  “The hell it doesn’t! Why are you shutting me out?”

  “You are too close and clearly very angry which makes you dangerous and unpredictable. I can’t have you going off half-cocked and showing your hand to him. He’s already proven that he has nothing to lose and will do anything to get what he wants and that’s including attempted murder on your girl. For all we know, he may believe he succeeded in silencing Alex for good. What we need to know is what he was looking for at her apartment? And was it worth killing for?”

  “Maybe he didn’t intend to hurt her at all?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m thinking she came home early and surprised him. She’s tough, a survivor. She’s had to be all these months grieving for her father and living under Lockhart’s threats and blackmail. Yesterday morning we had a heart to heart and dad, she bared her soul to me about losing her mom at a young age and growing up without her. They were a team for many years and maybe I didn’t understand it when I first found out her part in all of this, but I do now. This piece of shit Lockhart preyed on Alex and the love and loyalty she had for her father. I think she had enough and fought back.”

  “On all accounts, it’s looking that way but until he admits it, all we have is speculation. When you left yesterday, I got in touch with some of my contacts at the FBI along with Fleming. They know everything and currently have Winston on surveillance. A meeting has been arranged and he will be here today at noon. The office is wired for sound and whatever he says will be also heard by a team of undercover agents in the office next door.”

  “I have to be here. Please don’t shut me out.” I implored.

  “I’m sorry but you have to go. Again, you are way too close to this and I will not have you involved. I want you to go and be with your girl. I will call you when it’s all over and he’s in custody.”

  “What if this was mom? Or Emily? Would you be so eager to just leave their fate up to chance at nailing their assailant to the wall?”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Oh, but it’s fair for Alex?”

  “You are not listening, Rogan. This is why you have to leave. You are not behaving rationally, and your anger is going to trip you up with Winston. Please, just go back to the hospital and I will call you as soon as it’s over.”

  “Fine, I’m out of here.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Douglas, everything is ready in conference room B.”

  “Thank you, Alison. Are Ty and Paul out of the office?”

  “Yes, I delivered your instructions.”

  “Okay, back to business. Let me know when Winston arrives.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, Alison, one more thing. Check with security and let me know that Rogan has left the building and grounds.”

  “Right away.”

  I knew my father well enough to know he would have tracked my movements until I was off the property and away from interfering with today’s meeting. Once I was far enough away from the property camera’s, I parked my car out of sight and returned on foot using the back entrances and ones he wouldn’t be looking at. I re-entered the building through the loading dock and took the stairs all the way up to the executive floors. I couldn’t just walk out in the open and alert my father to my presence. I took the back stairs and was right in front of conference room B. I heard voices coming from inside so I knew the FBI was set to go. I ducked out of sight and hid in the adjoining bathroom between my father’s office and the conference room. I hoped I would be able to listen the best I could without being detected.

  This was for Alex. I knew if this went south and that bastard didn’t implicate himself, I would take the matter into my own hands and not give a shit what happens to me. My father would disagree but I just don’t care.

  About fifteen minutes later, I heard doors opening and closing along with voices coming from my inside of my father’s office. One was my father and the other was Lockhart.

  “Okay, Douglas, what do I owe the pleasure of being summoned to your office?”

  “I think you know but I’ll try to talk slow so you understand.”

  “Someone is touchy today. Rough night?”

  “Yeah, asshole, a great way to open the communication by taunting my father.”

  “Where’s your young apprentice? Did the lad need a day off? It must be exhausting trying to keep up with his old man.”

  “Age doesn’t have anything to do with it. I’m still in the game, Lockhart, and my son is just beginning. You on the other hand, well, time’s up.”

  “You’re wrong, I still have a lot of moves to make and plenty of chips to cash in. It’s already underway and soon I’ll have back what is rightfully mine.”

  “The mineral rights on the Harrington farm?”

  “For starters. They’re mine, Douglas, and I intend to acquire them back.”

  “So you can drill for imaginary oil you believe is buried deep beneath the earth? Yeah, think again. You will never get those rights back because they have all legally been transferred back to Harrington.”

  “No, you’re lying.”

  “I can assure you that I’m not. You lose…again.”

  “I still have a card to play.”

  “And what would that be? The mole you planted down at the EPA?”

  “Fuck! I can’t hear anything.” I have to get in there and without compromising my father’s plan.

  I slipped out of the bathroom and walked to Alison’s desk. She looked up surprised to see me. Her hand was on my father’s private number when I stopped her.

  “Stay out of this, Alison. My father is going to know I’m in the building because I intend to walk into his office.”

  “You’re playing with fire, Rogan. You need to let your father handle this.”

  “Not this time. This is my family’s company and legacy that bastard tried to compromise. An innocent woman has been hurt at the hands of Lockhart. I belong in that room. Please don’t try to stop me.” She nodded and gestured for me to go.

  I knocked a couple of times on the door before entering. “Hey dad, sorry I’m late. My meeting ran over and I got delayed.”

  He covered perfectly. “It’s fine, you haven’t missed much. Don’t forget your manners, we have a guest.” He pointed over to Winston who was smirking like the smug bastard he is.

  “How do you do, Winston,” I say shaking his hand, trying not to punch him in the jaw.

  “Doing just fine. And you?”

  “I’m great, thanks for asking,” I replied and then looked at my father before handing him an envelope with the EPA seal on it. “Great news, dad, you will find in that report that we have received all green flags on the farms that were flagged. It seems it was a misunderstanding and Ed Fleming sends his deepest apologies to us. I’ve contacted Harrington, Stallings, and Jefferson who are all already at work on their farms. We did it, dad,” I said excitedly, hoping to get a reaction from Lockhart.

  “This is great news, wouldn’t you say, Lockhart? I guess your little undercover operation didn’t work after all.”

  “It’s impossible, you’re lying.”

  “Now why would I lie? Reports don’t lie, at least the real ones.”

  “No! those properties belong to me.”

  “They never belonged to you. You are out of your mind if you believe otherwise. Face it, Lockhart, it’s over. We know what you’ve done trying to sabotage our work and the officials you bribed to make it happen.”

  “You got nothing, son, and will never be able to prove it.” I looked back to my father showing him I got this. I wouldn’t have come in if I wasn’t confident I couldn’t rattle Lockhart. He’s a pompous sonofabitch who hates to lose or be outsmarted. I just had to be better and bluff my way into making him reveal his part in all of this. I already knew he was the one that broke into Alex’s apartment. You couldn’t miss the deep cut on his neck just noticeable enough above his collar.

  I pulled a flash drive out from my pocket and raise
d it up for both men in the room to see. Lockhart looked visibly uncomfortable and then I knew I had him.

  “You see what I’m holding here, yeah take a closer look because it’s your undoing. Is this what you were looking for when you broke into Alex Depry’s apartment?”

  “I don’t know what you are referring to.”

  He stepped back, I stepped closer. Sure you do, and you were willing to do anything to get your hands on it, weren’t you? It contains all kinds of information. One, in particular, is when you admit planting evidence to make one Ernest Depry look very bad in his department. When he wouldn’t comply with your demands, you force his daughter to doctor a phony report to red flag our jobs, but you slipped up Lockhart because you didn’t count on what did you call me? Oh yeah, the young lad going directly to Fleming’s superiors to reinspect.

  “Stupid bitch, I knew she had to be recording me.”

  I got you!

  “Is that why you almost killed her?” He ran his hands through his hair and shouted out.

  “She wasn’t supposed to be there! I never wanted to hurt her. She came after me first.”

  “Is that how you got that nasty cut on your neck?” said my father. “She fought you, Winston, and judging how she’s fighting for her life right now, I would say it was pretty hard.”

  He fell to his knees and began to cry as he continued to say that he never meant to hurt her or take it this far. I wasn’t going to allow this piece of shit to cry over my girl. I reached down and hauled him up by his suit jacket.

  “You didn’t win and will never be able to hurt anyone again,” I said and pulled back with everything I had to knock him on his ass. At that moment, the FBI charged inside and arrested him on a number of charges breaking federal laws.

  We watched Lockhart be led away in handcuffs and once he was gone and out of sight, I released the breath I had been holding.

  “Holy shit, that was intense,” I said bending over to grasp onto my knees.

  “Come here,” was all he said as he stepped closer to pull me in for a hug. My father held on to my shoulders where I practically sagged against him. “How did you know to do that? You took a big risk back there.”

  “I know I did but I saw no other way.”

  “You always have a choice, Rogan, and fortunately for you, yours paid off.”

  “Dad, you know how much I respect you, right?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Then you know I would never just go against you and not be sure about the repercussions of my actions. He put Alex in the hospital. Whatever he was searching for had to be pretty big to do that.”

  “Did she ever tell you she had evidence as a back-up?”

  “No, she didn’t. I guess I watch too many crime shows. I was just going on a bluff and used what Alex shared with me to at least show Lockhart I knew what I was talking about.”

  “It paid off and thanks to your quick thinking, Winston Lockhart is going away for a very long time. You did great and I have never been more proud.”

  “Thank you, dad, I really needed to hear that right now.”

  “No, you didn’t. You just needed to believe it. If I ever made you doubt that, I am truly sorry. You are my son first and forever.”

  “Thanks, dad,” I said and then I delivered a hard slap to his back.

  “Hey, what was that for?”

  “Just another way to say I love you.”

  “I think you’ve been hanging around grandpa too much.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Never.”

  “You’ll finish up here?”

  “Yeah, go see your girl. We’re praying for her.”

  “Thanks, dad. Will you do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Will you tell mom that I’m sorry too.”

  “She knows but sure, I’ll tell her.”

  I showed my pass and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. When I got to her room, it was empty and the bed looked freshly made. Panic seized in my chest as the air escaped my lungs. “Where are you, Alex?” I gripped my shirt and twisted the material between my fingers.

  “Turn around, I’m right here,” she said. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Alex was up and in a wheelchair looking as beautiful as she can be. I lost all ability to speak and simply dropped to my knees and placed my head on her lap. I broke down right there not giving a shit how I looked. She came back to me.

  “I can’t believe you’re looking at me right now. I thought I was going to lose you.”

  “Impossible. I’m too smart to leave you when I just found you.”

  “Hey, that’s my line.”

  “It’s our line.” I took my girl in my arms and kissed her passionately with everything I had. “Wow, I’m going to feel that for days,” she laughed happily.

  “I was hoping you would say that because I want you to feel them for the rest of your life as my wife.” I paused for a moment to study her beautiful face. She was speechless which just made me want her even more.

  “I guess I know one way to silence you but if I’m being honest here, I would rather hear something else come from your enticing mouth like the word, yes.”

  “Was there a question posed somewhere? Or was it you just issuing another statement of fact?”

  “I’m not sure I understand your question.”

  “It should be pretty easy. Since we’ve met, you have basically have stated what you’ve wanted and have had no issue with taking it. Today is no different. Do you hope for me to be your wife? Or you just know it’s going to happen because it’s what you want?”

  “And I always get what I want? Is that how you see me?”

  “In a way, yes. You’re strong, passionate, and confident but not in a cocky way. We are so different. I’ve always played it safe and never once colored outside the lines until the night I met you at Raggy’s. I was drawn to you with this fiery connection burning inside of me.”

  “I feel as if we have known each other for a lifetime but in reality, it’s only been a few weeks. How is that possible?”

  “Because it’s right and somehow we were meant to find each other that night. What I do know is my heart and how it’s led me here to be with you. I don’t care about the logistics and how we happened. All I care about is that we did happen and if there’s any confusion about how I feel about you, then allow me to clear it up right now.”

  “I love you. I no longer want to walk in this life alone. I need you beside me always. This is me standing before you, asking you to love and trust me to always love you unconditionally and protecting you forever. Alexane Depry, will you marry me?”

  “Honey, if you don’t say yes, I will.” We both laughed when her nurse walked in. “Well? Don’t keep him in suspense?”

  “Okay, I won’t,” she said looking back at me with stars in her eyes. “Yes, Rogan, I will marry you. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.”

  I took Alex in my arms and cradled her body against mine. “I love you so much. I can’t wait to make you mine.”

  “I think I already am.”

  “Yeah, you are but I don’t mind reminding you.” I kissed her again and again before placing her down back on her bed. “You look, tired baby, do you want to get rest?”

  “I feel great, don’t worry about me.”

  “Yeah, well you weren’t so great when I found you. Do you remember anything about what happened?”

  “Yeah, it’s a little fuzzy but I remember. I left the office intending to go to your place, but I needed to pick up some clothes first. I should have left the minute I saw my door damaged, but I foolishly went inside and saw Lockhart flipping sofa cushions and dumping my bookcase.”

  “Do you know why he would risk exposure by going to your apartment?”

  “He believed I had evidence on him, and he wanted to locate and destroy it before I could hand it over to the authorities. The only thing is, I didn’t. A call came through my office yesterday and it was him checking for a
status. I told him that I was out and didn’t care what would happen to me because I had proof that would end this one way or another.”

  “He got angry and threatened me again and I hung up on him. He never called back and I didn’t talk to him again until I found him in my apartment.”

  “Did you have any evidence on him?”

  “No, it was just a bluff. My father loved poker and taught me how to fake out an opponent. I guess I never utilized that skill until going up against Lockhart.”

  “How did you get hurt?”

  “I tried to run and he grabbed me by my hair and threw me into the wall. He hit me again and that’s when I fought him with every self-defense tactic I knew. I was almost free and then he struck me to the back of my head and I don’t remember anything else until you came for me. I remember hearing your voice and then I must have blacked out.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I was out of my mind with worry and baby, I thought I was going to lose you. You were bleeding so badly and I couldn’t stop it.”

  “It’s over now, right?”

  “Yeah, we got him. My father and I confronted him and the FBI got it all on video.”

  “It’s really over?”

  “For Lockhart, yes. For us, it’s just beginning. Rest up and get well so we can get on that, okay?”

  “Yeah, bossy man, I’m on it.”

  Five days later I took Alex home to begin the first day of the rest of our lives. The doctor said she made a remarkable recovery and was very lucky. She called me bossy which wasn’t too far from the truth. I had her moved out of her apartment after she agreed to marry me. The place was trashed anyway and the few personal things she had moved with her from her family home is now in our home. I wasn’t planning on holding on to the apartment and already had my very efficient assistant, Cari working with my realtor to find me a home close to my parents’ home. Emily and Gus weren’t too far away either.

  We were always a close-knit family and with Emily and Gus in married bliss and me on the way, all my mom was dreaming of were grandbabies. She and my father were taking bets on who would be first but I was in no hurry. I wanted to savor every minute with Alex before I had to share her. I know it sounds selfish but it’s how I feel. Since our relationship was built on blind faith, what’s one more thing like pending parenthood?