The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  “You know what it did? It gave me motivation to continue these missions. Kenneth and Mona deserved what happened to them. They killed my mother; an honest and good woman who never hurt anyone. So yes, it affected me but it doesn’t bother me.”

  “Then what is? I can see it in your eyes; something’s wrong.”

  I dropped her hands and moved away from the bed. “You really want to know?”

  “Of course; I’m your friend. You can tell me anything.”

  “That’s the problem right there. We’re just friends. That’s all we’ve been and all we’ll ever be.”

  “What’s so wrong about that?”

  “Because I want more.” The words slipped out before I thought about what I was saying. My voice quieted down as I rushed to blurt everything out. “I wanted to tell you during Christmas break, but we were side tracked by this whole Benefactor thing.”

  Lilly’s jaw dropped as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I figured; that’s why I never said anything in the past.” There it was. The conversation I played out so many times in my head over the last five years. I never imagined it would play out under these circumstances. “Just forget I said anything. I’ll just sleep next door.”

  I lingered by the door; staring at Lilly as her jaw hung open in disbelief. I shook my head and walked towards the door.

  Lilly hopped off the bed; grabbing my and pulled me to face her. She looked deep into my eyes and kissed me. Chills ran over my body while my insides burned with passion; raging to get out.

  “What took you so long?” She leaned in for another kiss; pulling me closer to the bed. I clicked off the nearby lamp and wrapped my arms tightly around her waist; landing in the bed and pulling the covers over us. It was the perfect end to a chaotic week.

  Chapter 33

  We arrived at Tom’s house a few minutes before eight the next morning. It was gut check time and the margin for error was minimal. I sat in the car; mentally ticking the minutes off until Mike was supposed to meet me at the window.

  “You okay,” Lilly asked. “You’ve been quiet all morning.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I lied as I reached into the glove box and pulled out the scanner. “I’m just a little nervous today.” I handed her the scanner and saw the digits on the dashboard tell me I had a minute to get across the street and meet Mike. “Keep the car running.”

  “Don’t be long.” Lilly remained in the driver’s seat while I reached over and kissed her; taking her by surprise. “I could get used to that.”

  “Me too,” I replied as I swung the car door open.

  Lilly popped the trunk; letting me grab Mike’s duffle bag and sword before running across the street. I made it to the white gate just in time for a big hairy arm to reach out the half opened window.

  Mike poked the rest of his body through the hole; finding me standing beneath him holding the bag. “Good, you’re here.”

  His expression confused me. It wasn’t a happy, nervous, or scared. Mike looked as if this mission was making him put his dog down.

  “You okay,” I asked. “You look like shit.”

  “You’re no beauty queen yourself,” he snapped. “Hurry up before anyone wakes up.”

  I handed him the bag and watched it disappear through the gap in the window. “Remember to keep the woman safe; she’s innocent.”

  “Yeah, innocent,” Mike chuckled.

  I wondered what he meant by that, but before I could ask he was closing window. “Hey, unlock the back door,” I whispered loudly.

  I could see him taking a gun out from the bag and put it in his waistband before walking out of the room with his sword in hand.

  Tom and Anthony’s lies were exposed and Mike was set on carrying out our brand of justice. I knew what was going through his head, After all, it was only a few days ago I convinced him to work for the Benefactor so I could get revenge for my mother’s death. But a part of me knew he was about to lose control. Mike was about to let his vendetta overrule his judgemnet.

  Chapter 34

  Mike stood outside one of the large bedrooms; gripping the handle of his sword tightly while his left hand trembled as it reached for the doorknob.There was a small creak as the door opened slowly. The dense dark curtains were pulled over the windows; letting only a few specks of sunlight to enter the room. A shadow emerged from the covers; letting out a low yawn as he turned towards the door.

  “Hey Mike,” Anthony said as he pulled his long hair back to put in a ponytail. “What’s up?”

  There was no turning back. Anthony would notice Mike holding a sword and would alert the others before he could strike. He had to silence Anthony before he had the chance to make another sound.

  Mike charged Anthony; slamming him into the headboard. Anthony threw an elbow in defense, but received a forearm into his ribs instead. He gasped loudly before being thrown onto the bed. Mike removed the sheath and plunged the pristine blade into Anthony’s chest.

  “You should have been honest with me,” Mike whispered through gritted teeth. “I never wanted to do this to you.” He retracted the sword and wiped the blood off on the sheets.

  Mike’s adrenaline was coursing through his body at an increasingly fast speed. It was time to focus on the true backstabber. He hurried to the kitchen and dragged two chairs to the middle of the white tiled floor. He placed the duffle bag on the counter along with his sword; removing the duct tape and rope before putting them on the round kitchen table.

  “Time to take out the trash.”

  Mike walked down the hallway; stopping in front of the other large bedroom door and kicked in the door with intense force. A couple fell out of the bed and held the bed sheet in front of them.

  “What the hell man,” Tom shouted as he sprung to his feet.

  Mike pulled the gun from his waistband; aiming it at the couple. “Move now,” he commanded; watching Tom and the brunette raise their hands and walk towards him.

  “I thought we were cool.”

  “You thought wrong.” Mike pointed the barrel of the gun at Tom’s head. “Keep your hands where I can see them and follow me.”

  “Why are you doing this,” the woman shrieked.

  “Tom knows why. We have unfinished business to take care of.” Mike cocked the chamber maliciously. “I won’t say it again. Move now!”

  They followed Mike out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

  “You won’t get away with this,” Tom shouted.

  “Why? Do you think your buddy Anthony is gonna rescue you? News flash; I’ve already disposed of his betraying ass.”

  The woman’s face turned ghostly white. “Disposed of?”

  “I’d let you see, but it’s a little messy right now.” Mike pointed to Tom with the gun. “Take a seat.” Mike grabbed the rope and tossed it to the woman. “Tie him to the chair. We wouldn’t want him to leave the party.”

  The tall brunette carefully took the rope and wrapped it around Tom’s waist, hands and chair.

  “Why are you doing this to us,” she whimpered.

  “You’ll find out in a minute.”

  Chapter 35

  I watched Mike from the back door. He was barking orders at Tom and the tall brunette from yesterday. Her face remained hidden behind Mike’s tall muscular body and her long wild hair. Mike walked backwards to the door; unlocking it for me.

  “You’re just in time Drew.”

  “Where’s Anthony,” I asked.

  “He’s lying in a pool of his own blood in the bedroom. It’s just us and these two.”

  “Good, kill him and let’s get going.”

  “No, I want him to admit the truth first.” Mike grabbed another rope from the bag and tossed it to me. “Do me a favor; tie her up too.”

  As I walked towards the woman, I finally noticed who she was. The long brown hair was the same as it did during high school.

  “Jess, what are you doing here?”

  “Sh
e’s been dating Tom for a while,” Mike said coldly. “I say it’s time for her to find out what kind of man he really is.”

  I placed Jess in the chair; securing her to the arm rests. “This will be over soon enough.”

  “Please don’t do this,” Jess cried.

  Mike removed the duct tape; placing a piece on their mouths.

  “Finally, some peace and quiet.” Mike squatted in front of Jessica. “I wish you didn’t have to hear this, but you have no idea who you’ve been screwing all these years.” He pointed to Tom with pure hatred in his eyes. “This is the guy that raped you. He’s been working with Anthony to drug women at bars so they can have their way with them.”

  Mike pointed the gun at Tom’s head. Tears began streaming down Jessica’s face as she shook her head profusely. Her screams were muffled by the tape; sealing her mouth shut as she tried to get Mike to listen to her.

  I knew there was nothing she could say that would change his mind, but I was the only one that could convince him to listen. “Let’s hear what she has to say.”

  “Why? She’ll just try to protect him or justify his actions.”

  “What harm can it do to hear her out?”

  “Fine,” Mike ripped the tape off of Jessica’s mouth and kept his distance. “You better make it good.”

  “He never raped me,” Jess shouted. “It was consensual.”

  “What do you mean it was consensual?”

  It was getting harder to hear Jess through her sobs. “We started seeing each other a few weeks before the party. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “So you pretended to be drugged and raped?”

  “I fell asleep in his arms after we had sex. He must have gone down to the party and left the door open. I panicked when you came upstairs. I didn’t want you to find out like that; so I pretended to be drugged.”

  “So you played some sick game all because you couldn’t admit the truth. Well, let’s take Tom out of the equation.” Mike raised the gun to Tom’s head and pulled the trigger; splattering blood over the spotless yellow walls.

  “No,” Jess screamed.

  “Shut her up before someone calls the cops,” I commanded.

  Mike placed the gun on the counter and picked up his sword. He stared into Jessica’s eyes; resting the tip of the blade under her chin.

  “I’m going to tell you about the low life you chose to be with. Tom and Anthony have been under surveillance for a while and were caught drugging women at bars. I saw it for myself two nights ago, but stopped the girl from drinking it.”

  “Liar,” she spat.

  “Maybe you’ll believe Andrew. He broke into this house yesterday and found a black box with vials of liquid in them.” He waited for Jess to flinch, but something was off about her. She didn’t seem shocked to hear about the vials the way she should have.

  “You knew what they were doing.” It was an outlandish accusation, but it was the only explanation. She didn’t deny it, but looked away instead. “You were part of it?”

  Mike knew it was true. One look in Jessica’s tear filled eyes; revealed the truth. He lowered the sword to her chest and lunged forward; piercing her heart with the tip of the blade. Part one of the mission was complete, and their blood was now on Mike’s hands.

  Part 2: Making a Statement

  Chapter 36

  Silence filled the car as we drove down Apalachee Parkway towards the Governor’s Mansion. Mike glared out the window from the back seat with the same look in his eyes that I had on Christmas. I knew how it felt to be swerved by people he once cared about. Now their blood and betrayal was etched into his soul.

  “Can someone tell me what happened back there,” Lilly shouted; breaking the silence.

  There was no easy way of explaining it. Mike didn’t want to talk about it, but Lilly wanted answers.

  “There were complications,” I whispered. “The woman I ran into yesterday was Jess.”

  “Mike’s ex; the one Tom raped?”

  “Yeah, she’s been dating Tom since before the party.”

  “So that would mean she wasn’t raped. What did Mike do?”

  “Exactly what he had to do.”

  Lilly pulled over on Monroe Street. “Tell me he didn’t kill her. She was an innocent bystander.”

  I quickly told Lilly about our confrontation with Jess and how she refused to admit or deny her involvement in the date rapes.

  “Pop the trunk,” Mike finally interrupted.

  Lilly pressed the black button on the floor of the driver’s seat; springing the lock on the trunk. Mike threw open his door and exited; grabbing the rifle bag from the trunk.

  “Wait here,” I told Lilly. “If anything happens, honk the horn and get the fuck outta here.”

  “I’m not leaving you guys behind.”

  “We’ll be fine, but I’ll feel better knowing you’re somewhere safe.” I leaned in to kiss Lilly; pulling her in tightly as if this could be the last time I saw her.

  “Promise me you’ll be okay.”

  “I promise.”

  Mike ducked his head back inside the car; startling us. “Can we move this along? I’d like to complete this mission and get out of here. But if you two need some alone time first, there’s a motel not too far from here.”

  Lilly turned bright pink with rosy cheeks as I exited the car and followed Mike to the brick wall that separated us from our setup point. We jumped the wall and fell to the base of a tree cluster.

  “How do you plan on taking the shot,” I asked.

  Mike looked around nervously. This was his first time scouting the area and didn’t know which tree would give him the best view.

  “You find a tree while I get the rifle ready.”

  Mike took the rifle out of the bag and assembled it quickly; breaking back down just as fast and continued to repeat this process for three minutes.

  “You’re pretty good at that,” I said while climbing a large nearby tree.

  “I should be. I’ve been practicing for the last two days.”

  “That’s what you’ve been doing while we were gone?”

  “Someone needed to.” Mike assembled the rifle one more time before locating another tree midway between the wall and North Adams Street. “This should do.” Mike handed me the rifle as he climbed the tree; reaching back for it once he was in position.

  I examined the tree; finding a red x painted on the bark as if someone intended for us to find this specific spot. “How long do you think this will take?”

  Mike peered through the scope. “Not long; he just walked into the office.” Mike aimed the barrel of the rifle at the office window. He had never used a rifle for anything other than target practice and had to make sure the shot was precise.

  The crosshairs lined up on the Governor’s neck; allowing for possible recoil to send the bullet up into his brain or drop down into his chest. Mike’s finger was itching to pull the trigger and fired once he was steady. A loud boom echoed the streets of Tallahassee as the first shot zoomed through the air; breaking the window. But the Governor moved just in time; the bullet connected with his left knee instead. The Governor doubled over clutching the wound; giving Mike the opportunity to fire a second shot. The second bullet put a large hole inside the Governor’s head; sending him crashing to the floor.

  Mike jumped down from the tree quickly, broke the rifle down and started running back to the wall.

  “Is he dead,” I asked.

  “Yes, now let’s go before the cops get here.”

  I could hear panic in the streets as people ran for cover. I knew the police would be there shortly, the Feds would be there soon after, and the countdown to our capture had begun.

  Chapter 37

  Lilly blew every stop light as we sped towards the motel. I was sure the Malibu had been caught by nearly a dozen traffic cameras, but cut our drive time down significantly. There was no telling how fast the police would show up or how quickly the road blocks would be set up.
We were racing the clock; hoping we won.

  We pulled into the parking lot; finding it nearly empty except a silver four door Sonata. The windows were tinted; keeping the three men sitting inside hidden from view. The doors opened as we drove towards our room.

  Agent Fields stepped out of the back seat and walked in front of the others; wearing a blue polo shirt. “Get their bags and put them in the trunk.”

  The two men hurried to transfer everything from the Malibu to the Sonata. They were quick and efficient; leaving nothing behind. Agent Fields walked with his hands behind his back and talked very quickly and sternly; leaving us feeling like we were in the military.

  “Where’s the rifle,” Fields asked.

  “In the back seat,” Mike replied. “Any way we can keep the bag? It’ll be easier for us to carry the swords.”

  “Take what you need and go.”

  Mike removed the swords from the trunk and placed them in the long black duffle bag; leaving the broken down rifle on the back seat of the Malibu.

  “Where are we,” I began but was interrupted by Agent Fields waiving his hand in front of me.

  “The mission was a success. Governor Levi is dead, but now you need to get on the road before the Feds show up.”

  “But where,” Lilly asked.

  “Drive to Austin Texas and call the Benefactor when you arrive. Until then, he has left instructions for your team.” Agent Fields handed me a note.

  “Mr. Lancaster, you will need to send emails to both the Tallahassee and Suffolk County Police Departments; making sure they know these murders are connected.”

  Something so simple as sending an email seemed like the most difficult job to accomplish when you are being hunted down. Finding a computer to access and sending to specific police departments would be very dangerous and could give away our location.

  “How are we supposed to do this,” Lilly asked.

  “There’s a laptop sitting in the passenger seat in your new car. You will find instructions on how to set up the secure modem along with the email addresses you need to send the notes too.” Agent Fields looked around; trying to hurry his men up. “You need to get on the road now; the roads won’t be open much longer.”

  “What about the rooms,” Lilly asked while taking the keys for the Sonata from Agent Fields.