by Kylie Parker
“Staying up here would be suicide. I need to keep out of sight.” He thought to himself, putting his car in neutral. His Impala rolled down the downhill road. He eased on the brakes, bringing it to halt and put an earphone that David had given him in his ear.
“David, can you hear me?” He spoke in a low voice.
“Loud and clear,” David replied. “What’s your exact position?”
“About a hundred yards south of that cabin,” Tim replied. “Where are you guys?”
“My men are getting in position as we speak.” David informed. “Just sit tight.”
“Have you seen them yet? Jon and Josephine,” Tim asked quickly.
“Affirmative,” David hurried to respond, “They just brought them upstairs. They’re fine.”
Tim sighed in relief, running his hand through his hair.
“Let’s go over the plan, one last time. You get there: you demand they be released before you give them the money. This is important. If you give them the money first, they’ll kill you. On my mark, you run like hell. Don’t look back. You get in that car of yours and you get the hell out of there. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good. We’re a ‘go’.”
Tim started the engine of his car and drove towards the meeting coordinates, understanding that the next few moments would be forever engraved deep in his heart and mind, regardless of the outcome of the operation. Glancing right, he saw his loved ones outside, a few feet away from the front door, with Laura standing between them, with a gun in her right hand and two of her men behind them. Three more of her men stood close to the road, staring at him as he came closer.
Tim stopped his car and turned off the engine. He grabbed the sports bag from the passenger seat and opened his door, feeling his heart ready to explode out of his chest.
“Frisk him!” Laura ordered, as he moved around his car. One of her men pointed his gun at him, while the other two carried out her order. The little light available was enough to tell him that their hands were still bound. Josephine did not resemble the attractive brunette he had fallen in love with. Several strands of her hair were covering a large portion of her face. Her purple sweater was badly torn; she was shivering from the cold. Jon had been beaten up quite badly. His left eye was bruised and his right cheekbone was swollen.
“He’s clean.” One of Laura’s men said.
“Bring me the money.” Her second command forced him to tighten his grip around the handles of the sports bag. The man on his right leaned down and reached his arm towards him, but Tim pulled it away from him.
“Let them go first.” Tim’s stentorian voice filled the air.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Laura smirked, raising her gun to aim at Josephine. “The money!” She cried. “Now!”
Tim did not have time to react. The deafening bang of a powerful weapon going off echoed in the wilderness. A single bullet whizzed past him, knocking the gun out of Laura’s hand.
“Run!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. In a split second, multiple, similar bangs tore through the night. Josephine and Jon started hurtling towards him, as the noise of the bullets became louder and louder. The man who had earlier tried to take Tim’s bag pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Jon. He pulled the trigger, just before two bullets penetrated his stomach and his chest. His bullet struck Tim’s friend in the right thigh. Jon fell hard to the ground. Amid a hail of fire, Josephine plunged towards Tim. Opening his arms, he grabbed her in midair. He landed flat and hard on his back and rolled them over. Laura’s men were not given a chance to use their guns. One by one, they were brutally gunned down. The remaining men in the back ran to their aid, but they shared the same fate. On the other hand, their boss was shot in the left arm. Laura tumbled onto the ground, screaming in agonizing pain. All of a sudden, the shooting ceased. Seconds afterwards, the piercing sound of sirens tore through the silence, as three ambulances sped down the road, followed by two, large, FBI SUV’s. Tim snapped his eyes open and looked down at her.
“Are you ok?” He asked, his voice full of anxiety, his chest rising up and down.
“I’m fine.” Josephine nodded and replied in a sweet soft voice that was almost an inaudible whisper.
“God damn it!” Jon’s painful cry drew Tim’s attention. He jumped up, rushed towards his friend and dropped to his knees beside him, looking down at the gushing wound on his leg.
“Jon!” He yelled. “What happened?”
“Hey, big Tim,” Jon said, his voice low as a faint smile formed on his face. “We finally worked together. That’s what happened.”
Tim then grabbed his friend’s wrist and led it to his wound.
“Put pressure on it.” He commanded, pressing his own hand against Jon’s.
“Aaargh!” Another cry of pain left Jon’s lips. “Take your hand off, man! You’re killing me!”
“Sir?” A strong, manly voice filled his ears. “Please, step away. Let us do our job.”
“Take care of him.” Tim spoke, looking up at the paramedic.
“Good job.” David interjected. “Great job, really: you stayed calm; you didn’t panic; amazing.”
“Thanks,” Tim said, standing up. “Where is she? Who fired all those shots?”
“She’s going away for a long time.” David smiled, casting a pleased glance right. Laura was being loaded onto a stretcher. “I called her father; he should be here any minute now. Look behind you.”
Tim did as told. More than a dozen men, dressed in dark uniforms and powerful rifles in their hands were coming their way.
“Hey, have you ever thought about joining the police force?” David asked. “We could use people like you.”
“I’m not cop material, David.” Tim stated. “Besides, I have a rap sheet.”
“You have balls of steel, Tim.” David tried using a firmer tone of voice. “I saw the whole thing. You protected your girl. Ok, so you can’t become a police officer. How does the job of a…” He paused and took a short step towards him… “Fireman sound?”
“Not bad.” His answer was quick, “But I can’t think about this right now.”
“I understand.” David said with a nod. Then, he leaned over him and whispered in his ear:
“She’s right behind you.”
“It’s just a flesh wound.” A paramedic informed them, as they passed by him. “He’s going to be fine.”
Tim slowly turned around, taking a deep, cleansing breath. Josephine was not behind him. In fact, she was more than ten yards away from him, walking slowly down the street with a green blanket wrapped around her, and her back turned to him. Her attitude puzzled him. He had just shielded her from fire and yet, she didn’t seem interested to thank him. However, a simple “thank you” was not what Tim wanted from her. He demanded an explanation, no matter how painful it would be.
“Doc?” His masculine voice forced her to stop. “What’s the matter, doc? Are we not even speaking to each other now?”
“Thank you, Tim.” Her feminine voice was shaking; still, she would not turn to him. “You were very brave tonight. Go home. Please, go home.”
“Screw this,” he muttered. Tim strode towards her, quickly closing the gap between them. “Thank you?” His voice rumbled like thunder, as he spun her around to face him. The moonlight reflecting off her teary eyes broke his heart. “What are you talking about? You left me!
“And I came back…” She whispered, in a voice thick with emotion, as a tear toppled over the edge of her right eye. “I wanted that job, but I couldn’t leave you behind. I missed you so much… She told me, Tim. She told me everything about…” Her voice broke, as one more tear rolled down her cheek. “Last night.”
“You had left!” His loud voice shook the wilderness. “We were over!”
“You could have had sex with anyone you liked.” Josephine sniffled. “It’s not the sex that bothered me. You went out with her. You tried to replace me with the woman who ruined our lives
; the one responsible for Paul’s death. I’m sorry, Tim. I can’t forgive you for that.”
“Says the one who decided to play God,” Tim’s voice was dripping with irony. “You’d do anything to find that cure, wouldn’t you? Including getting a man killed.”
“I think about that every day and every night!” She screamed, while the vein in the middle of her forehead seemed ready to explode. “I’ll never stop thinking about it... God…” She sucked in a deep breath, her lips trembling. “I can’t stop picturing you with her. I just can’t. It doesn’t matter what you say or what you do. I’m sorry. I really am.”
Tim dropped his face into his hands, unable to believe his ears. Josephine’s words had shattered his world, destroying all hope he had of being with her again. The cold feeling inside him returned. This time, she would not be there to make him feel warm inside. Tears rushed down his face. His pain overwhelmed him so much that he could not force a word out of his throat. But, even if he could speak to her, he knew that his attempts to convince her to come back to him would be futile. After all, Josephine had just proved to him that even saving her life did not matter. In her mind, he was beyond forgiveness.
The click-clacking of her high heels was slowly fading out. Tim slid his hands down his face, desperate to catch one last glimpse of Josephine. She was heading towards one of the ambulances.
There she is: the girl, who avoided me like the plague, because she had a crush on me, is just walking away from me. The one who made me believe I could be better: the girl that left me; then, came back for me; the one I risked my life for: is leaving me once again. Why, doc? Why won’t you give us a chance? Maybe you have a point. I don’t know. I was vulnerable, baby. That’s a lame excuse, but that’s all I have. Goodbye, Joey. I miss you already…
Chapter 30
The midnight hour found Tim in a hospital room on the second floor of Central Vermont Medical center, waiting for Jon to wake up. The doctors had removed the bullet and confirmed the paramedic’s initial assessment. He would have to wear a cast for at least a week, but, other than that, he was going to be just fine.
Despite his sleep deprivation, Tim was still so adrenaline-rushed that he would not even consider sleeping. The events of that night kept swirling in his mind, not allowing him a moment’s peace. He was right to believe that he would remember everything for the rest of his life, but, more than anything, he would recall Josephine’s heartbreaking expression and the moment that she announced to him that she could not forgive him.
“Timmy…” Jon murmured in a drowsy tone, slowly opening his eyes. “Where am I?”
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Tim teased him. “Nice of you to join us; we’re still in Vermont. Oh, and don’t call me that.”
“Just kidding,” Jon smiled up at him. “You look like hell, you know that?”
“I haven’t slept in two days.” Tim replied.
“Go get some rest. I’ll be fine.” Jon claimed. “Where’s your girl?”
It was the question that Tim had been dreading. His face hardened; he even squeezed his lips tightly shut, unwilling to answer.
“I’m waiting.” Jon insisted.
Tim sighed. “It’s over. She said she couldn’t forgive me.”
“Oh, man…” Jon gave a huff of exasperation. “Talk about ungrateful. You put your ass on the line for her and that’s how she repays you? I mean, come o – ”
“It’s complicated,” Tim interrupted. “What happened out there, Jonny? Do you remember anything?”
“Well, yeah! I remember just about everything.” Jon said a little more forcefully. “That Laura girl is one crazy chick.”
“Tell me about it.” Tim snorted. “Do you remember anything else?”
“Her goons didn’t hurt us. I resisted: they roughed me up a bit; but that’s about it. They didn’t touch your girl. But now, Laura?” Jon paused, “She wouldn’t leave Josephine alone.”
“What did she do?” Tim wondered.
“Well…” Jon started, “she did a lot of things. She didn’t get… physical or anything, but she did a lot worse than that. She kept talking about how she seduced you. Your girl didn’t believe Laura at first, but she wouldn’t let up. She only believed it, when she showed her a naked picture of you. I saw it, too.”
“Can TV’s take pictures?” Tim interjected one more question.
“If it’s got a built-in web camera: sure.” Jon responded. “But, the system has to be on. No power? No picture.”
“That fucking whore!” Tim shouted, kicking a stool in front of him.
“Take it easy, big man.” Jon tried to placate him. “You don’t want to get kicked out of here.”
“You’re right…” Tim drew in a sharp breath, running his hand through his hair. “Go on.”
“As I was saying, Laura wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace. She taunted her a lot, kept saying ‘how good you were in bed, how you paid attention to detail.’ That’s a direct quote, by the way. At some point, Josephine passed out. Laura wouldn’t allow her men anywhere near her. She said she’d take care of it herself. She just left her there, lying on the floor, until the poor girl woke up. I felt for her, man. I really did. You know what? Now that I think about it? Maybe…” Jon faltered. “Maybe she’s not totally wrong to not want you back.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tim said in a voice filled with confusion.
“That girl just spent 36 hours of her life locked up in a tiny little room, 24 of which she had to listen to the same old story about her boyfriend going out with the bitch who fucked everything up in her life. She got brainwashed. If I was her, I’d never want to see you again: ever.” Jon voiced his opinion.
“I was lonely, Jonny. I screwed up.” Tim confessed. “I just wanted to feel a little better. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Laura also wanted to know if you guys had a song.” Jon continued. “Your girl told her. After you guys went out, she came over and bragged about how she had used it to make you feel even worse. She knows a thing or two about psychology; I’ll say that much.”
“We underestimated her.” Tim concluded. “So now we’re paying the price. I keep wondering about what the hell I can do to change her mind, but I can’t find anything.”
“Is that so?” There was doubt in Jon’s still drug slurred voice. “I talked to your girl yesterday. In fact, we talked a lot. She told me all about you guys. She loves you a lot, but, she had a tiny little complaint about you.”
“What’s that?” Tim was intrigued.
“She said –and I quote- ‘He never liked the job of a security guard. He didn’t care if he was going to get fired or not. He just loves being called a “misfit”. Doesn’t he want to do anything in his life, other than breaking into people’s houses?’” Jon’s few sentences relit his hope. It seemed that Josephine disliked the fact that he was always ready and willing to go back to being an outlaw, but had not shared it with him. His short conversation with David flashed through his mind. He did like the idea of becoming a fireman, but had not given it much thought yet.
“She never said she wanted me to go legit.” He claimed. “You just gave me an idea.”
“I’m just telling you what I heard, man.” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “What idea?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Tim winked at him. “I need to check it out first. Goodnight.”
Chapter 31
Josephine’s ordeal had taken such a heavy toll on her that staying in Manchester was completely out of the question. She was unemployed and the small town brought back painful memories. After her breakup with Tim, there was nothing to keep her there or in her country. In truth, the young brunette’s options were limited: She could only hope that the job offer from the University of Paris still stood.
The following morning, she contacted Jan Pietrus, their director of human resources, with a very good excuse as to why she had practically abandoned them: she had had an issue with her father. It didn’t take her long to co
nvince him. Pietrus accepted her apology and, much to Josephine’s relief, announced to her that the job offer still stood. There was one, minor problem:every flight out of Vermont, New York and New Jersey was booked for the next three days. She had to wait until Saturday.
On the morning of that cold, rainy day, she would meet with her good friend, Mona Silver. Josephine had already informed her of her decision and wanted to see her one last time.
“What a great day…” Mona whined, pushing her wet, graying hair back from her face. “My friend’s leaving the country and I’m getting soaked. Lovely…”
“Oh, my God…” Josephine whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “Did you swim here? Come on in.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Mona attempted a polite tone, stepping into her friend’s living room. “Tell me more about that job in Paris.”
“There’s nothing much to tell.” Josephine pointed out. “They’re giving me eighteen months to finish my research. Then, I can teach at the University or do some more research on something else. It’s up to me.”
“That sounds great!” Mona said, her eyes wide open with admiration. “I’m really happy for you.”
A few slow steps to the left brought Josephine closer to her living room window.
“It’s the best thing for me right now.” She sighed, folding her arms across her chest.
“I really wish I was in that club that night.” Mona lowered her tone, looking at “Christine’s” club through her friend’s window. “I know; I wouldn’t be able to feel all the things you felt, but I’m just…” she paused. “Curious, you know?”
