“Those people were professionals, Spencer,” Chris interjected. “Even we had a difficult time dealing with them, and we’re trained to handle situations like this. You’re not.”
Spencer nodded. “I suppose so.” He motioned to Jordan’s sling. “How’s the shoulder doing?”
Jordan smiled, raised her arm gingerly. “It’s nothing. A minor fracture. I’m good.”
Maddy awakened, saw her husband, Jordan, and Agent Hanover sitting beside her.
Spencer leaned over, kissed her forehead. “Hey, babe,” he said. “How’s my girl?”
Maddy smiled. “Much better now.” She stared at the IV bag hanging from the metal stand beside her bed and the thin plastic line running down into her arm. “I don’t know what they’ve got me on,” she said, “but this stuff is awesome.”
Spencer, Jordan, and Chris laughed.
A knock sounded on the open door. Colonel Hallier stepped into the room. “Mind if I come in?” he asked.
“Not at all, Colonel,” Maddy said. “Please join us.”
Hallier stood at the end of the bed. “I can’t stay very long, Dr. Coltraine,” he said. “I just wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine, Colonel,” Maddy replied. “Thank you for asking.”
“I took the liberty of asking the head nurse when they might be discharging you. She told me you’ve been given the green light. You can leave anytime you want.”
Maddy pulled herself up on her elbows. “I’m good to go right now.”
“Whoa, tiger,” Spencer said. He held her back. “Slow your roll. You’ll leave when the doc says you’re ready to leave and not a minute sooner.”
Hallier smiled. “It’s that degree of tenacity that explains why your wife is the youngest scientist to ever lead a major team at DARPA, Mr. Coltraine. You should be very proud of her.”
“I am,” Spencer replied.
“Thank you, Colonel,” Maddy said.
“Don’t mention it. By the way, I think you’ll all be interested to know that we stopped a container ship last night after it left the Port of Los Angeles. It wasn’t a real cargo ship. It was a Chinese spy ship. Her crew is in custody. The woman you shot was one of their operatives. Her partner was found executed. Bottom line, it’s over.”
“Thank goodness,” Maddy said.
“For what it’s worth, Dr. Coltraine,” Hallier continued, “I must tell you how impressed I am by how well you handled yourself under such dangerous circumstances. Pretty damn good for a civilian.”
Jordan squeezed Maddy’s hand and winked. “Maddy here comes from pretty tough stock, Colonel,” she said.
Hallier laughed. “I believe that one-hundred percent.”
Jordan smiled. What Maddy nor anyone else in the room could see was the ethereal image of her late father, Navy SEAL James Marcus Forster, standing in the corner of the room, watching over his injured daughter.
“Well,” Hallier said, “I think I’ll take my leave. Take as much time as you need to get well, Dr. Coltraine. Project Overlord can wait until you get back.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” Maddy said. “I appreciate that.”
Hallier tipped his hat. “Good day, agents. Thank you for your help, Jordan.”
“Anytime, Colonel,” Jordan replied.
Before leaving the room, Hallier turned to Spencer and smiled. “One last thing. I’d really appreciate it if you would return my Hummer.”
Spencer laughed. “No problem, Colonel. I prefer my Range Rover, anyway. Although the Hummer’s bulletproof feature is pretty cool.”
“I’ll see that your car is returned to you as soon as possible.”
“And washed,” Spencer teased.
“No problem.”
“Don’t forget the extra wax.”
Hallier smiled. “Don’t push it, son.”
When they had returned home to their condo, Spencer retrieved Maddy’s favorite pillow from their bedroom, helped her settle in on the living room sofa and made her a cup of tea.
“Comfy?” he asked.
“Perfect,” Maddy said.
“The doc says you’re supposed to get plenty of rest and take it easy for the next couple of days.”
“Sounds good.”
Spencer smiled. “Hang on a sec. I’ll be right back.”
Maddy grinned. “What are you up to?”
Spencer returned a few seconds later, holding a bouquet of wilted red roses. “These are for you. Happy anniversary, sweetheart.”
Maddy cracked up, accepted the roses. “I love them. They’re perfect.”
“I still owe you a dinner.”
“Yes, you do. Bellamy’s?”
“You bet. And another surprise.”
“What’s that?”
He needed to call the string ensemble and reschedule their private performance. Hopefully, they would understand if he explained that they had suddenly been faced with a family emergency. He hoped they would believe him, because never in a million years would they have believed the truth.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Spencer replied. “But I do have one surprise we can enjoy right now.”
“Oh?”
He retrieved the bottle of Promontory Cabernet Sauvignon he had bought to celebrate their special day and two wineglasses from the bar. He poured the wine, handed his wife a glass. “To us.”
Maddy clinked her glass against his. “To us.”
Spencer kissed his wife. “I love you, Maddy.”
Maddy smiled. “I love you more.”
“Hey, I have a great idea!”
“What’s that?”
“Let’s order in. What do you say to pizza?”
“With triple cheese, bacon and mushrooms?”
“Triple cheese, bacon, mushrooms… and pineapple.”
“Yuck. You don’t put pineapple on pizza. It’s practically sacrilegious.”
“Says you.”
Maddy smiled. “I’m willing to compromise.”
Spencer caught the mischievous look in her eye. “Oh? And what might you mean by that?”
“Triple cheese, bacon, mushrooms, pineapple… and a foot rub.”
Spencer smiled. “Just a foot rub?”
Maddy leaned back into her pillows, laughed. “It’s a start.”
55
ONE WEEK LATER
GLOBAL STEEL DRUM MANUFACTURING
9:30 P.M.
Bullet sat in his lawn chair reading to Eddy, the novel rescued from a neighborhood trash can. When he reached the end of the book, he set it down. “Wow, that was great!” he said. “What did you think, Eddy?”
Hearing his name, Eddy raised his head, looked up at his master, licked his chops, then stretched out, sighed, and went back to sleep.
“Tough crowd,” Bullet teased. He slipped out of the chair, sat on the floor beside the dog, gave Eddy a belly rub. Eddy rolled onto his back and took full advantage of the unexpected surprise.
Tap, tap, tap.
Bullet heard the light knock on the container's steel door.
Eddy had heard it too. The dog shot to his feet, began to growl.
“Quiet, Eddy!” Bullet whispered. They never received visitors. He crept to the door, listened. The intrusion was unnerving. Damn it! He knew it was wrong to have helped the woman. He should never have revealed himself or let her know where he lived.
“Bullet?” the voice called out. “You home? It’s Dr. Coltraine and Agent Quest.”
Bullet cracked open the door, peered outside. The women were alone. Not a truancy officer in sight.
“Yeah?” the teen asked. “What do you want?”
Eddy poked his head out the door, recognized Maddy, then began beating his tail against Bullet’s leg.
Maddy patted the dog’s massive head. “Hi, Eddy,” she said. “How’s my best boy?”
Happy to see his new friend, the dog pushed his way past Bullet and out the door.
Jordan spoke. “We were wondering if you had a few minutes for
us, Bullet.”
“What for?”
“We have a surprise for you,” Maddy said. “We hope you’ll like it.”
“A surprise? For me?”
“That’s right,” Maddy said. “Would you mind coming with us? Eddy can come too.”
“Where to?”
Jordan smiled. “You’ll see.”
Bullet hesitated. “You’re making me nervous.”
“Trust me,” Jordan replied. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s all good.”
“Okay,” Bullet said. “But not for long. It’s almost bedtime.”
“No problem,” Maddy said.
As the foursome walked up the laneway, Bullet spied Jordan’s Maserati. He whistled. “Whoa! That is one sweet ride. I never knew the FBI paid so well.”
Jordan winked at Maddy. “I’m fortunate to have business interests outside of the Bureau,” she answered. She double tapped the key fob, unlocked the doors. “Hop in.”
Bullet and Eddy climbed into the back seat. “Where are we going?” he asked.
“Like Maddy said,” Jordan replied, “it’s a surprise. One we hope you’re both going to like.”
“Way to lay on the suspense.”
Jordan and Maddy laughed. “That’s the general idea,” Jordan said. “You ready?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
The drive to the Royal Palms Condominiums took less than ten minutes. Jordan parked the car on the street in front of the housing complex and turned off the engine.
“Where are we?” Bullet asked.
“You’ll see,” Maddy said. “Come on.”
Bullet opened the car door. Eddy bounded out and followed Maddy and Jordan to the front door of a townhouse. The teen watched as Jordan unlocked the door and went inside.
Maddy stopped on the front steps, glanced over her shoulder. “You coming?”
Bullet looked down, pulled self-consciously on his T-shirt. “I’m not really dressed to be visiting anyone.”
Maddy smiled. “It’ll be fine. Come inside.”
“You sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
When Bullet entered the townhouse, he couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the most beautiful home he had ever seen. “Wow,” he said.
Maddy put her good arm around him. “Something else, isn’t it?”
Bullet took in the room. “I’ll say.”
“Why don’t you have a look around?” Jordan said.
“You sure it’s okay?” Bullet asked.
“Yeah,” Jordan replied. “The owner won’t mind.”
“If you say so.” Bullet took off his dirty running shoes, set them on the mat inside the front door.
Together they toured the home. Eddy made a point of sniffing every nook and cranny. Bullet warned the dog. “Don’t even think about peeing, Eddy.”
Eddy snorted, then moved on to the next room.
“It’s fully furnished,” Jordan said. “There are two bedrooms, an ensuite bath off the master, a half bath on the main floor, plus a study. Granite countertops in the kitchen, hardwood floors throughout, flatscreen television with Internet and Wi-Fi and a garage. The fridge and pantry are fully stocked.”
Bullet shook his head in wonder. “It’s incredible.”
“Glad you like it,” Jordan said. “There’s just one small thing we neglected to mention.”
Puzzled, Bullet stared at the two women. “What’s that?”
Jordan stepped forward. “Close your eyes and open your hand.”
“What for?”
Jordan smiled. “Just humor me, will ya?”
“Okay,” Bullet replied. He did as he was asked.
Jordan placed the key to the townhouse in Bullet’s palm, closed his fingers around it. “You can open your eyes now.”
Bullet opened his eyes, then his hand. He looked down at the key. “What’s this?”
“It’s the key to your new home,” Jordan replied. “But only if you want it.”
Bullet stared at Jordan. “This is for me?”
“Yes,” Jordan replied. “This home is for you. It’s the least I can do to thank you for saving Maddy’s life.”
Bullet shook his head. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
“No, Bullet,” Jordan said. “It’s not too much. As a matter of fact, it’s just a start.”
Bullet fought to keep his emotions in check. He swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”
Jordan opened her purse, removed a credit card, handed it to him. The embossed lettering read, FARROW INDUSTRIES INC.
“What’s this?” Bullet asked.
“It’s a corporate credit card,” Jordan replied. “Farrow Industries is my company. I’m its chairwoman. I’m going to have a card just like it issued in your name. You’ll have a ten-thousand-dollar monthly spending limit which you can apply against food, clothing, entertainment, treats for Eddy… anything you’ll need to live comfortably for the rest of your life. And I’ll be transferring title to the property over to you. You’ll own it lock, stock and barrel. No mortgage, property tax or utilities payments, ever. It’s all yours, free and clear.”
Bullet was speechless. “I don’t understand. Why me?”
“Why not you, Bullet?” Jordan said. “Everyone deserves a chance to live their best life. That includes you.”
Tears began to stream down the teen’s face. “No one has ever done anything nice for me before, and definitely nothing like this. I don’t know what to say.”
“Sure you do,” Jordan said. “Say yes.”
Bullet smiled. “Okay! Yes!”
Maddy joined Jordan. “We’re so grateful to have met you, Bullet,” she said.
Bullet nodded. “Me too.”
Eddy looked up, whined.
Maddy laughed. “Yes, Sir Eddy. That includes you too.”
Eddy banged his tail happily against Bullet’s leg.
“One last thing,” Jordan said. “It’s totally up to you, but if you’d like a job at Farrow Industries, you’ve got it. Let me know what interests you and I’ll see to it that you’re enrolled in one of our employee development programs.”
Bullet smiled broadly. “You’re the absolute friggin’ best, Agent Quest. Thank you so much.”
Jordan smiled. “Don’t mention it.” She turned to Maddy. “Come on, ‘cous. What do you say we get out of here and let these two enjoy their new digs?”
Maddy nodded. “Sounds good to me.” To Bullet, she said, “Mind seeing us to the door?”
Bullet smiled. “Happy to.”
After Maddy and Jordan hugged Bullet and Eddy and took their leave, the teen closed the door behind them and let loose his pent-up emotions. He slid down to the floor and sobbed. Eddy whined, walked over, and licked away his tears.
Bullet hugged the dog. “We’re gonna be all right, boy,” he said. He rose to his feet, walked into the kitchen, took in the beauty of his new home, then turned on the faucet and watched the steam rise.
“Check it out, Eddy,” he said as he laughed through his tears. “We’ve got hot water. Can you believe it? Hot water!”
Also by Gary Winston Brown
The Jordan Quest FBI Thriller Series (in order):
Jordan Quest - Series Prequel (Jordan’s backstory)
Intruders
The Sin Keeper
Mr. Grimm
Nine Lives
Live To Tell
Nemesis
Jordan Quest FBI Thriller Series Boxset 1 (Books 1-3) (Intruders, The Sin Keeper, Mr. Grimm)
Standalone thrillers:
The Vanishing
About the Author
Gary Winston Brown is a retired practitioner of natural medicine and the author of the Jordan Quest FBI thriller series and other works of fiction. His books feature strong, independent characters pitted against insurmountable odds who are not afraid to stand up for those in need of protection.
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This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Fiona.
Nemesis: A Jordan Quest FBI Thriller Page 19
