“Yeah, just the paperwork.”
“Yeah, just the paperwork,” she agreed, wishing it were that simple. If only anything could be that simple.
“Goodbye Steven,” she muttered as she started back towards her car. “I hope I don’t regret this”
Oceanside International Airport sprawled over about five square miles near the eastern north limit of Bay City. Rachel stepped out of Thorne’s car and he came around and opened the trunk. A man in a long coat stepped through a gap in a line of waiting passengers. No, he’s not here. He wouldn’t be.
“You shouldn’t retire, Rach.”
She hefted her suitcase out of the trunk. “I haven’t made it official yet, Pat. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll change my mind. For now, though, I at least need a change of pace and scenery. I got approved for a three month leave of absence. I don’t think A.D. West’ll miss me much. After that?” She set her luggage on its wheels and shrugged. “We’ll, see, I guess.”
“So where are you going?” Another man in a long coat, or maybe the same one, passed in and out of view.
“Home, Columbus, Ohio, to start with. I haven’t seen my parents in a long time. Not since they divorced. I’ll spend some time with each of them. Then I want some down time.”
“Beach?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet. I used to do hockey in college. I was pretty good. I’m thinking of maybe getting back into it a bit. You know, as a hobby. Not the same at 42 as it was at 22, of course.”
“Yeah, I hear that. Can I give you a hug?”
“Sure,” she relented. The hug wasn't creepy at all, a pleasant surprise from a man who had been crude with sprinklings of racism and sexism.
The handshake after that felt weirder than the hug did.
“It was good working with you, Agent Moore.”
“Please, just Rachel. But call me ‘Rach’ one more time and I’ll knee your balls.”
He stepped back, raising his hands defensively. She laughed at him, teasing, until he laughed back.
“I’m an asshole sometimes, I know. The FBI needs you more than they deserve you. If you ever want a shot at a police pension, I’ll put in a good word. You know you’ve got a lot of respect around the precinct. Even if you maybe haven’t seen it.”
“Thanks, Pat. That means a lot.”
“Take care.”
“You too.” She turned and hoisted the bag up onto the sidewalk and headed for the terminal. Sneakers, jeans, and her old crimson jersey under a light jacket felt homey and comfortable compared to suits and heels. She hiked her purse strap higher on her shoulder and made her way to security. Her world was more interesting than she was willing to admit before. Now all she had to decide was what to do about it.
In the terminal she looked out the window at the distant towers, half expecting to see a gray blur weaving in and out of them.
“I’m not done with you,” she vowed, not certain whether she meant Steven or Simon or the city itself.
EPILOGUE
Despite closed eyes, Simon tracked the limousine as it rolled into the warehouse. The loading door rolled closed on tracks that squeaked and ground. Doors opened and four men stood out of the car, leaving only the driver within.
Three different attacks on drug dealers had led him here. One of the four men inside, or one of the dozen or so already inside, would lead him further up the ladder. One of them ran a Boost lab. That one would tell him even more.
His breathing was as calm as always as the people inside shook hands and made introductions. No police cars were racing to the scene. No, tonight was his. The police did not need to be here. But he would call them when he was finished.
Initial tensions in the warehouse were fading. It was time to fight crime.
The rolling door tore itself away from the building, ripping the track out of the cinder block wall, and flew across the parking lot.
He liked making an entrance....
—
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads or your favorite book site. Reviews and word-of-mouth are the best way to help other people find me and my books. It helps a ton and I really appreciate it.
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ALSO COMING FROM BRIAN HOWARD
Rectifier – The Electric Man
A secret laboratory somewhere in Bay City is abducting the homeless and experimenting on them. Oliver Stewart's life had fallen apart after the death of his fiancée. He lost everything and had been living on the streets when the van found him. He woke up in a mass grave, left for dead as a failed experiment.
Except it wasn't.
Now he can control electricity. But can he track down the people capturing and killing his friends? Can he reclaim what he thought he had lost for good?
ABOUT BRIAN D HOWARD
I have been creating and writing stories since my early childhood. I am driven by “what if” questions, and often those lead to story or book ideas. I’ve lived in a motorhome seeing much of the United States, and plan international travel later.
My favorite genres to write are:
● Superhero (After the Crash series: what if an alien ship crashed to Earth and gave people powers?)
● Post-Apocalypse (After the Fall series: what if we defeated an alien invasion, but civilization collapsed in the process?)
● SF (Series to be named: What if aliens found us and gave us the chance to explore the galaxy?)
● Urban Fantasy (What if aliens…sorry. What if magic was real?)
Want to know more? I post progress updates and insights into my writing process at my blog at: www.BrianDHowardAuthor.wordpress.com
SPECIAL THANKS
A number of people have helped me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without a number of people who contributed to help me make it a better book.
Some have just been the people that encouraged me and cheered me on. You all know who you are.
There was the...eclectic group of fellow writers who helped workshop it along the way:
James A Hunter - check him out on Amazon if you like urban fantasy.
Amanda Robinson - watch for her tale of modern witches and the problems that chase one of them.
Zia Hunter - watch for her epic fantasy series where mortals and immortals alike team up against an evil that threatens existence itself.
Kelsi Martin - watch for her snarkier take on the Superhero genre.
Thanks to Olivia Wylie and Vicki Cooke for structural suggestions, and for pointing out the things I was too close to the work to see. You both helped me make sure the plotlines and conflicts I had in mind showed through.
And, finally, thank you to you, for reading it all. I hope you enjoyed it. Word-of-mouth and online reviews help new authors especially, and if you’ve enjoyed this book please take a few minutes and drop a review on Goodreads, or Amazon. Tell your friends. Share things on social media. It’ll help me keep going and get more books out.
Join my email list to stay up-to-date and get announcements and sometimes free goodies at my website:
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No part of this work may be reproduced in any way without the express written consent of the author, except for small samples quoted in reviews. For permissions and other requests visit briandhowardauthor.wordpress.com.
This is a made up story—fiction. Strange radiation or toxins are not leaking from wreckage of an alien ship and giving people super-human powers. Any similarities to actual people/places/events are coincidental and unintended.
Copyright © 2017 Brian D Howard
Cover by Beegraphica
All rights reserved.
ISBN:1542577926
ISBN-13:978-1542577922
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