True Valor

by Jax Hunter

That’s good, Julie. Keep him talking. Nic could hear their conversation now as he snuck in closer, staying low and barely moving. He still wasn’t in a good spot to take the guy out. Not without Julie knowing what to do. He needed more time.

  “Who killed them, Doug?” Julie asked.

  “I’m not going to tell you that.”

  “Are you here to kill me, then?”

  Us, Julie. He’s here to kill us.

  But she hadn’t let on that he was even there. Nic crept slowly still watching this Doug guy. He wasn’t ready to shoot yet. That gave Nic a bit more time.

  “You catch on fast.”

  The words came out with a sneer, but his face didn’t mirror that emotion. There was a flicker of uncertainty in him.

  Good.

  “I didn’t see the man who killed them. He wore a ski mask.”

  “Well, he sure as hell saw you.” Doug grinned. “And you nearly broke his knee with that kick.”

  That was obviously news to Julie. A question crossed her face.

  Keep talking, babe.

  “So he sent you to eliminate me because he thinks I know who he is? Is that it?”

  “That’s about it.”

  “Just like that, Doug?” As she spoke she shifted ever so slightly, taking up a more provocative stance.

  She was flirting with the guy! A stab of jealousy was followed almost immediately by grudging respect for her ingenuity.

  “You’re just going to shoot me? Just like that?”

  It was working, too. Doug took a slight step back. Julie pushed her advantage. Nic wasn’t sure that was a good idea.

  “Doug, you’re not a killer.”

  “You don’t have a clue what I am, the things I’ve done.”

  “Have you ever shot anyone before, Doug? Are you a killer? Are you sure you can do it? Whose flunky are you?”

  Crap, Julie.

  That earlier uncertainty the guy had shown now had challenge mixed in.

  Shut up, babe. The guy took a step forward, grabbing Julie by the throat. There was no more time. Nic leveled his own weapon.

  “No, bitch,” he hissed, “I’ve never killed anyone. And I’m nobody’s flunky.”

  Julie pulled at the hand that held her. But her eyes flashed with indignation, not fear. Finally, he pushed her away, sending her sprawling in the snow beside the car. Nic couldn’t see her, his view blocked. He sure as hell could hear her, though.

  “Well, you may not be a flunky, but since you can’t think for yourself, go ahead, shoot me. Go ahead, Doug, shoot me.”

  The guy aimed at her, his finger caressing the trigger. Nic’s own finger began to tighten.

  Everything was in slow motion.

  Julie scrambled back. Like that would help. Dumb. Would Nic hear the gunshot and come running? Please, no… She didn’t want him to die, too. Maybe Doug would only wound her and leave her for dead. Then Nic would come and save her. He was a paramedic. He could do that. Maybe she wouldn’t die.

  Julie’s mouth was dry.

  The look on Doug’s face changed. A second before, he’d been furious. Now something else. He smiled, an odd, disheartened kind of smile.

  “God, Julie. You’re right, I can’t kill you.” He closed his eyes for a minute, hopelessness slumped his shoulders. “But I’m a dead man if I don’t.”

  And then, before Julie had time to register what she saw, Doug put the barrel under his chin and pulled the trigger.

  Just like that, it was over. Julie sat in the snow, watching in detached fascination as Doug crumpled to the ground, turning the snow red. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight. Not until movement at the front of the car caught her attention.

  Nic came from out of nowhere, the 9MM trained on Doug’s fallen form. Nic’s eyes didn’t leave his target for an instant as he spoke.

  “You okay, baby?”

  Julie could only nod, watching Nic kick Doug’s gun away, approach the body, nudge it with his foot, then lean down to check the neck for a pulse. Only then did he look at her.

  “Julie?”

  She nodded again.

  “Is he dead?” she asked.

  The question came out so nonchalantly, as if seeing somebody blow their brains out was a normal, everyday thing. The tone did not reflect what was going on inside her, though. Her breath came out fast and raggedy.

  Nic took one more glance at Doug, then came and crouched beside her. “Are you really okay? Calm down, you’re breathing too fast. Calm…” He was all business, taking her pulse, watching her with a purely clinical look.

  Julie pushed his hand away. “I’m fine! Other than the fact that this guy,” she pointed with her chin as she got to her feet, “was going to kill me. Yeah, I’m fine. And where did you come from, anyway?”

  Nic watched her face as her voice climbed higher. Deny all she wanted, she was shook. As well she should be.

  “Over there.” Nic tossed his head to indicate the forest on the other side of the car. “I wouldn’t have let him kill you.” He’d meant that to sound comforting but it came out almost accusatory. “Sorry.”

  Julie leaned heavily against the car. Nic moved to stand in front of her, taking her shoulders. “That was hairy. It’s okay if you fall apart.” And now, he sounded condescending. Damn it. Instead of saying something else stupid, he settled for pulling Julie into his arms.

  She trembled despite her bravado. Who could blame her?

  The embrace was short-lived. Julie backed away and looked up at him. No tears. “I guess now we pretty much have to go to the police, huh?”

  She was right. Days ago, he’d have been glad to finally be on the “right side” of the law. Now he wasn’t so sure. Something about going to the authorities didn’t feel right. Maybe it was because they’d spend hours trying to explain this whole thing. Why didn’t they come forward sooner? Why did this guy shoot himself?

  One thing was certain, the first call Nic would make wouldn’t be to the cops. The first call would be to Cruz.

  Nic had covered the body with a blanket, careful not to disturb the crime scene. Julie didn’t remember Doug’s last name, even though she was sure he’d said it. So Nic went back, pulled out the guy’s wallet, and retrieved as much information as he could before putting it back. Then, they finished getting the car out of the snowdrift and headed for the nearest pay phone. And, yet again, Nic wished for his phone.

  Nic chose to call Eric’s cell phone instead of calling the Section. That way, if asked, no one had heard from Nic.

  “Cruz.” No hello.

  “If you’re not alone, don’t let on it’s me.”

  “I’m alone and by the sound of your voice, you’re in trouble.”

  “I need information. Got time to do some digging?”

  “Sure. How big a hurry?”

  “Big. I’ll call you back in thirty.”

  Cruz launched into a string of Spanish curse words. Some Nic knew. Some he didn’t. Nic gave Cruz all the information he had on Doug Davis.

  “Do I want to know why so big a rush?” Cruz asked.

  Nic smiled. Why lie when the truth would blow his friend’s mind. “Cause the body’s getting cold,” he said nonchalantly before hanging up the phone. Then he turned to Julie, who stood a few feet away. “We’ve got thirty minutes to kill. I’ll buy you dinner.” He took her arm and steered her into the café.

  The Dinner Bell Café was bustling, even though it wasn’t yet the dinner hour. Evident from the way the lone waitress rushed around, a half hour wasn’t enough time to actually eat, so they settled for pie and coffee. Well, Nic had pie and coffee, Julie had tea.

  “I can’t believe you can eat after...”

  The withering look Nic shot her made her stop midsentence. Did he think she was a complete idiot? It wasn’t like she’d blurt out the happenings of the past two hours. “I’m not stupid,” she hissed.

  Nic shook his head. “I know. I’m sorry.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “Are you okay?�
� he mouthed the words.

  Julie blew out her breath and nodded. “Just not hungry for pie a-la-mode.”

  Nic smiled and pulled his hand away as the waitress delivered steaming cherry pie with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. “I don’t understand that,” he told Julie.

  “What?”

  “That there’s ever a time that a person wouldn’t want pie a-la-mode. Wanna bite?” Nic speared a bit of pie, scooping ice cream onto the fork as well. He held it out to her, the look in his eyes suddenly becoming sultry.

  It wasn’t about pie at that moment. It was about adrenaline and life and sex and…

  She leaned forward and slowly took the food from the fork, their eyes locked. Nic laughed.

  “See?”

  Julie just laughed in reply. She glanced at her watch. Fifteen more minutes. Finally she whispered, “Are we going to discuss our plans?” She was careful how she asked.

  Nic smiled again, differently, probably just for show. “Not here, we aren’t.”

  Cruz answered on the first ring. His voice was tight. Unusual for him. That made Nic uneasy.

  “How bad?”

  “I don’t know,” Cruz answered. “Just not quite right, I guess. Your Doug Davis did grow up in Susanville, did go to school with Julie. His most recent employment is as a deputy on the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department.”

  Nic’s gut twisted. “Oh, that can’t be good.”

  “Odd, too, because the guy had a juvie record as long as my arm. He’s been with the department for a year and a half. Before that, he lived in Southern Florida, spending truckloads of money. Like I said, it just doesn’t sound right.”

  As Cruz rattled off Davis’ address, Nic wrote it on a napkin. “Anything else?”

  “Not yet. I’ll keep digging. Hey, D, do you want me to come out there?”

  Nic laughed. “No, buddy. At least, not yet. But thanks.”

  “Okay. Call me if you need me, man.”

  “I will.”

  “Watch your back, esé.”

  Nic hung up the phone, looked up the address of the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department and steered Julie to the car.

  It was another thirty minutes to Quincy, the county seat of Plumas County. Nic hoped it would work to their advantage that they weren’t in Lassen County, where Doug was a deputy. As they drove, Nic filled in Julie on what Cruz had told him.

  “So did you hear Doug say he didn’t kill my folks?”

  “Yeah, I did. There’s no telling if he was lying.”

  “I’d like to think he was lying.”

  “Why?”

  “‘Cause it would mean this was over.”

  Roger that. But they couldn’t be so lucky as to have tied things up so neatly. If Davis had murdered her family, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her. Wouldn’t have offed himself.

  As they parked the car in front of the sheriff’s department, Nic reached over and squeezed Julie’s hand. At best, the next few hours could be hairy.

  She looked scared. “What do we tell them?”

  “We tell them the truth, babe.”

  Chapter Thirteen