“Your mother’s name made it into the papers, her real name.”
“How did that happen?”
“The reporter has a source in the Sheriff’s department that let him look at the police reports. I don’t even think he knew that she’d been living under an alias, but in any event, it’s out that she was living there.”
“I was going to suggest that she move anyway; there was always the possibility that Gant might return there.”
“Yeah, that’s a good move; if you need help with that, let me know.”
“How’s Jace?”
“Up and about, he’s already back in Destina, helping with the aftermath.”
“Kid’s a keeper, treat him well.”
“He’s a pain in the ass, but he has his moments.”
***
His mother seemed a little lost in the city, after spending so many years in hiding, and living alone, but she smiled every time she looked at him and she and Jessica got along well.
When they talked about Billy Gant, they agreed that his mother couldn’t return to her ranch.
“I know someone who might buy it, but I won’t get much for it, and buying another place, a secure place, is going to eat up a good chunk of money.”
“I can help you with the money,” he said, but Jessica had another idea.
“She could stay with us.”
“What?”
“We have the room, and it would give you a chance to bond with each other.”
“It would be asking too much,” Amanda said,
He searched Jessica’s face.
“You really wouldn’t mind?”
“No, I think having your mother around would be good for you.”
“You two really want me to stay with you?”
Jessica reached over and took her hand.
“It’s time to come in from the cold.”
Amanda welled up in tears and nodded yes.
***
They had just returned from having dinner when they received a call from back home. It was Chief Dent and he had some bad news.
“A fire?”
“Yes Jessica, but don’t worry, it was put out before it could cause much damage. The arsonist triggered your perimeter alarms and flood lights, and luckily, we had a car in the area. My man traded shots with him and wounded him, then, he used the hose at the side of the house to douse the flames.”
Dent was on speakerphone, and he asked him a question.
“The wounded man, did he have any ID on him.”
“Yes, a driver’s license from Texas and a plane ticket for El Paso.”
“Was there anything else?”
“We found a sign stuck in the lawn like one of those campaign things you see everywhere.”
“What did it say, Jack?”
“It said, ‘Those who aren’t with me are against me’, does that mean anything to you?”
“Yes it does,” he said, as ice crept into his voice.
***
The following day, they were back at the ranch.
They waved goodbye, climbed into their rented car and drove off, as behind them, Amanda closed the door and settled in for the night.
***
They came just before three in the morning, two figures clad in black, guns at their hips, night vision goggles in place.
Once at the door, they made no pretense at stealth, and Billy Gant kicked the door open.
They went in with guns at the ready, expecting to find a woman alone and asleep, but after searching thoroughly, they came up empty.
Both men removed their goggles and Billy flipped on the kitchen lights.
“What the fuck, Dave? You said she was here.”
“She was, and it was Amanda. She was older, but it was definitely her.”
“Well, what the hell did she do, get raptured?”
“Actually, she used a hidden tunnel to escape; it’s also how we entered.”
Billy spun around with his gun in his hand, but lowered his arm when he saw the shotgun pointed at his face, a shotgun in the hands of Jace.
Dave Cully turned also, and as he did so, he received four shots from a Smith & Wesson, the shots doubled him over, and after a twitch, he fell to the floor, dead.
Billy was furious.
“Goddamn you, boy, you killed Dave Cully. That man’s been my friend for forty years.”
“Those who aren’t with me are against me,” he said, and saw a smile form in a corner of Gant’s mouth.
“That fire was just a warning. If you weren’t my son, I’d have burned you while you slept.”
“I’m touched,” he said, and then pointed his gun at Gant’s face.
“You’re going to kill me, your own father?”
“No.”
Both barrels of the shotgun roared and Gant crumbled to the floor as if he had imploded. Jace shook his head in an attempt to clear the roar from his ears, and then wrinkled his nose at the acrid odor of gunpowder.
“Thank you, Jace, it needed to be done, but not by me.”
“I understand,” Jace said, solemnly, his features devoid of their usual look of cockiness.
They walked out into the night. Two cars were driving towards them; one was driven by Jessica, the other by Lawson.
Jessica got out of the car and walked towards him with Amanda, who spoke to him in a hushed tone.
“Is he really dead?”
“Yes.”
Amanda looked up at the night sky.
“I’m finally free of him.”
He shook Jace’s hand as Lawson assured him that everything would be handled, and that the incident would be kept under wraps.
“With any luck, Mitchell will stick his head up to come look for him, if he does, we’ll lop it off.”
He gave thanks again, and then walked the women to the car.
“Let’s leave this place,” he said, then put the car in gear, and headed for home.
TAKEN! - THE COUPLE THAT SLAYS TOGETHER
By
REMINGTON KANE
CHAPTER 1
They were home in their living room, enjoying quiet time. His mother, Amanda Powers, had seemed a bit uneasy about her new living arrangements, but after the first few days she had fallen into a routine of cooking and baking, and by the time she had been with them for a month, she seemed to accept that she was finally safe and had a new home.
Jessica watched him often as he interacted with his mother, and believed that Amanda had a calming influence on him. By necessity, he and his mother had been separated when he was still very young, and the woman who had taken her place in his life had kept him at an emotional distance, because she had little to give to a child not born of her own body.
Reuniting with his birth mother, at the same time that he discovered his monstrous father, were turbulent, but ultimately healing events, and with their own deeper understanding and recommitted trust in each other, she thought that he rarely seemed happier.
***
Amanda kept holding the plate of chocolate macadamia nut cookies in front of him, despite his protestations.
“Just one more, I know they’re your favorite.”
“Yes they are; which is why I’ve recently gained two pounds.”
“A little extra weight won’t hurt you.”
“I still say no, Amanda, thank you, but no more,”
Jessica reached over and grabbed three more cookies and he sent her a look.
“What?” she said, “I’m eating for two.”
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“No, but you had that look.”
A Ding! sounded, it was the perimeter alert. Jessica rose from the sofa.
“They’re here.”
Amanda set the plate of cookies on the coffee table and patted at her hair.
“What do I tell the little girl?”
“For now, you’re a friend of the family,” he said. “But I’ll be having a talk with her very soon.”
“Her name is Mag
gie, right?”
“Yes, Maggie, my sister,”
They opened the door and the dog, Stitches, rushed out and ran to Maggie’s side. Standing beside Maggie was her mother, Betty, who gazed up at the porch with worried eyes, as she saw him standing beside Amanda.
Amanda went down the steps, walked up to Betty, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Hello Betty, it’s been a long time.”
“Hell, Mandy, I thought you were dead, that’s how long it’s been.”
Amanda smiled at Maggie.
“Hello.”
“Hi, I’m Maggie.”
“It’s nice to meet you Maggie. Your brother has told me nice things about you.”
“Your name is Ms. Powers, right?”
“It is, but you can call me Amanda; I’m not the formal type.”
“All right, Amanda.”
“There’s a plate full of cookies in there on the coffee table, help yourself.”
Maggie smiled, said thanks, and ran up the steps to hug her brother and Jessica.
They all went inside and he was just quick enough to snatch up the plate before the dog could grab the cookies, but then he felt pity for the beast and tossed him one, before passing the plate to Maggie.
***
It was after dinner when he spoke to Maggie in their home office.
They sat together on the leather sofa, as Jessica watched from a chair, ready to offer help if the news upset her. He told her about Amanda, and about how and why he came to live with their mother. When he finished, he saw a look of anxiety on her teenaged face, and a gleam of moisture in her eyes.
“So, this means you’re not my brother anymore?”
“No. I will always be your brother. This simply means that we don’t share the same blood, but we were both raised by the same woman in the same house, and that will bond us forever.”
Maggie looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged.
“Nothing’s really changed, has it?”
“Not one bit, I’m your brother and I love you; that will always be true.”
Maggie hugged him.
“I love you, too, and thanks for telling me this and not keeping it from me like I’m a little kid.”
“You’re welcome.”
Jessica stood and Maggie went to her and hugged her.
“And I still have a sister too, and, a niece or nephew on the way,”
Jessica grinned. “And we’ll have a built-in babysitter when you visit.”
“I can’t wait.” Maggie said.
After Maggie left them, a knock sounded on the door, and when he opened it, he found his mother, Betty.
“What’s up?”
“Maggie told me you spoke to her, so I figured I’m next.”
“Next? Why? You already knew about Amanda.”
“I’m ain’t talking about that. I’m talking about us... our arrangement.”
For a moment he didn’t understand, but then he remembered who he was talking to,
“You’re worried that the monthly checks will stop, is that it?”
“I’m not worried for myself, just for Maggie. She likes her new school, but private schools ain’t cheap.”
“Nothing’s changed; the checks will keep coming.”
She nodded, and he saw another question in her eyes, but it seemed as if she decided not to ask it, as she turned and walked towards the door, but, after taking one step into the hallway, she spoke.
“Are you going to stop calling me Mom, now that Amanda’s here?”
“No, you’ll always be my mom.”
She turned and smiled at him, but then she cleared her throat.
“You’re getting low on Scotch, and you know I like my Scotch.”
“I do know that,” he said.
“Are you sassing me, boy?”
“No, Mom, and I’ll buy more Scotch tomorrow,”
She smiled again, a quick one.
“That’s a good boy,”
And then, she strolled away.
He looked at Jessica.
“What the hell was that?”
“I think that was her way of saying she loves you.”
He sighed, “Maybe, but I bet it would die the moment I stopped writing checks.”
***
The rest of the weekend went by without incident, and on Monday, Maggie and his mother returned home.
On Wednesday, the phone rang as they were sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee. They had just eaten breakfast and were reading, while Amanda loaded the dishwasher.
After Jessica answered it and listened for a moment, she spoke to him.
“It’s Lawson,” she said, and he held out a hand to take it, but she shook her head. “He wants me to put it on speakerphone.”
“We’re listening, Lawson, what’s up?”
“Are you two alone?”
Amanda dried her hands on a dishtowel. “I think I’ll walk the dog.”
When she’d left, he spoke again
“We’re alone.”
“I’ve an assignment for both of you, if you want it.”
“What is it?”
“A DEA agent has gone missing in Detroit and I believe you know him; his name is Steve Szabo.”
“Missing? Was he working undercover?”
“Yes, and it’s been over twenty-four hours since he checked in.”
“What was he working on?”
“He infiltrated Rafe Benson’s organization as a weapons dealer named Tony Trent, and he was working for Benson’s new rising star, Trey Winslow. The fear is that Winslow somehow discovered Szabo was DEA, according to his AIC, Agent In Charge, Szabo thought that Winslow was wary of him.”
“We can be in Detroit this afternoon,” he said, and then looked over at Jessica and saw her nod, yes.
“You understand the assignment?”
“Yes, I’m to find Szabo, and unlike law enforcement, I don’t have to play by the rules.”
“Correct, but Dr. White, you’ll also be on the inside of the formal investigation with the DEA and FBI, between the two of you, I expect fast results.”
“You’ll have them, Szabo’s a friend,”
“I’ve worked with him also. Now check your email, there’s more info there, Lawson out.”
With the call ended, Jessica asked him a question.
“The name Trey Winslow, why does that sound familiar?”
“It’s because you know him. It’s the name that Tyler Davidson uses as a street name.”
Jessica’s hand went to her mouth.
“Oh God, you don’t think that Tyler may have...”
“Let’s just get to Detroit as fast as we can.”
CHAPTER 2
They called Tyler’s home and Kari Shaw answered, but had no idea where Tyler was, and had never heard him mention the names Steve Szabo or Tony Trent.
By mid-afternoon they were in downtown Detroit, speaking with Szabo’s supervisor, a man named Curt Baker, who he had met once before. Baker had nothing new to report and filled them in on what little they did have.
As they were leaving the building to go to Tyler’s home, they ran into a friend.
Cynthia McGraw gave a yell of joy as she pointed at Jessica’s stomach.
“Oh my God, you’re showing, that’s so wonderful.”
She kissed him on the cheek and gave Jessica a hug and then asked what brought them back to Detroit. When they told her about Szabo, she sighed.
“Yeah, Edwin told me about that, but I didn’t know he was a friend of yours.”
“Yes, and we were invited to the case in the event we could help.”
McGraw stared at him.
“Your kind of help, or Jessica’s?”
“Whatever it takes,” he said.
McGraw nodded. “Your kind of help saved my life the last time you were here; I hope that it does the same for Agent Szabo.”
***
Kari opened the front door of Professor Tyler Davidson’s home and her sm
ile was as luminescent as her red hair.
She led them into the living room, where she had a carafe of coffee waiting; she also had news.
“Tyler called; he should be here soon.”
“That’s good, we really need to speak to him,” Jessica said.
“So Jessica, have you guys picked a name yet?”
“No, but we have several contenders,”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“We don’t know; we want to be surprised.”
“What are you hoping for?”
“I’d be happy either way, but he’s hoping for a girl.”
“Really, well, maybe you’ll get twins.”
“That’s a real possibility,” he said. “I recently found out that I’m a triplet.”
Kari looked him over.
“You mean that there are three of you?”
He nodded and she kept staring, imaging, then, a moment later, she blushed.
“Can I have one?”
Jessica laughed.
“He’s one of a set of fraternal triplets, so he’s still one of a kind, and he’s all mine; but tell us, how are things with you and Tyler?”
Kari’s mood turned serious.
“I love him, and I’m certain that he has feelings for me too, but... there’s his wife.”
Jessica sighed.
“Coma is such a harsh condition; in many ways, it places lives in limbo.”
“I know he loves her, I understand that, but she’s gone, isn’t she?”
“There’s always the chance she could awaken, although, from my understanding of her condition, the odds aren’t favorable,” Jessica said.
“That’s why I’m leaving. I haven’t told him yet, but I won’t torture myself by staying here, seeing him constantly, and never having a chance of really being together.”
“It will hurt him, but he’ll understand, and I know he wants you to be happy,” Jessica said.
***
Tyler arrived home a short while later. He was dressed in a suit, but it differed from the conservative style that he preferred, he was in costume, and had been out on the streets playing the part of rising drug lord, Trey Winslow.
After greeting everyone, Tyler escorted him to the home’s office, and he asked Tyler about Tony Trent, without revealing the fact that Trent was actually Szabo.
The TAKEN! Series - Books 9-12 (Taken! Box Set Book 3) Page 9
