“So, any news on our mission last night?” I ask. It may be too early to know anything, but Charlie has a way of finding out things.
“Actually, I talked to the guy in charge of the security mission last night. I called him with a technical issue as an excuse. He was quick to inform me that your uncle is livid. Alexis disappeared from the party and turned up at a spa. Her bodyguards had no idea where she went. Her father refuses to pay your uncle. Your uncle was lucky nothing bad had happened to her, he should have protected her…just like we thought he would say. It is icing on the cake that he doesn’t pay him. So, all in all it was successful.”
“Anything on Jackson, Boots, or Max?”
“Nothing yet.”
We stand side by side on the porch enjoying the rare sunshine in silence. I’m the first to break the tranquility.
“What am I doing?” I ask, turning to face him.
“What you have to do.”
“Is it that simple?”
“Life isn’t simple.”
“I just think to myself, am I doing the right thing? Was I right to do that to Max? Is that what my father would have wanted? Am I a monster like my uncle?”
He is silent for a moment, contemplating me. Finally, he takes my hand and looks deep into my eyes.
“We all have weaknesses, Carter. We are human. We all have deep parts of us that contain darkness. Some let it show more than others. Your uncle is destroying our nation. Think back on what you have been taught by this organization. Is the sacrifice of one man worth the lives of many? People believe that. We all believe in it at one time or another.”
“So Max is the sacrifice?” I say kind of confused.
“If it makes you feel better then yes, but I was meaning your uncle more so.”
“I don’t feel better.”
“Getting that revenge is not quite how you thought it would be?”
“No, not quite. Don’t get me wrong, I will stop at nothing to take my uncle down, I just didn’t count on how many people would be in the crossfire. Mustang, Max, possibly Jackson and Boots. And Julia, Logan, you…What will happen to you guys if we get caught? It is all my fault.”
“This is not your doing. Your uncle put this in motion. You are doing what is right. Don’t lose your focus now and quit questioning everything. Trust in us, we can make our own decisions. So, quit putting all the responsibility of everyone on your shoulders. We got this.”
God, I hope so.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
That evening everyone is hanging out in the kitchen, eating dinner, when we hear the door slam.
“Awe, here we go….” I mutter.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Jackson bellows. I laugh and just take my plate to the sink.
“Carter, look at me.” He demands. I put both hands on the sink’s edge and take a deep breath.
“What I have to do.” I say, turning to wink at Charlie. Charlie brings his energy drink up in a salute. Jackson turns to him.
“Really, asshole, you are just going to support these crazy antics?” Charlie just shrugs.
“We all support her.” Julia states. Jackson runs a hand through his hair.
“Fine. What’s done is done. You do realize I can’t save Max.” Jackson says sadly. I pause, feeling the weight come down on my shoulders again.
“I know.” I say quietly and continue, “I don’t want you too.” Jackson stares at me for a long moment, studying my face. He sees how serious I am.
“Okay. Can you live with it?” He asks. My friends look at me with concern, support, but most of all, like I’m a leader. That’s what I am. I’m a leader and leaders have to make the tough calls sometimes.
“Yes.” I say more firmly. He exhales and shoves a hand through his hair.
“You have got to start being more careful. You put yourself and your team at a huge risk. What if Kilson had gotten a hold of you?”
“Look, we did it. It was a success, now let’s move on.” I say firmly. The others start cleaning up the kitchen.
“Hey, if you need us, let us know.” Julia says. Julia and Logan retreat to the backyard to train and most likely to get away from the drama fest.
“Okay, well, I have some news. Brooklyn’s dad has been wanting to get a hold of you for some reason. He keeps indicating something about a future business deal. What the hell did you get yourself into this time?”
“Oh, I just screwed up Kilson’s business deal with your future father-in-law. He knows I’m the one with the money and wants to be on my good side.”
“Well, Kilson is pissed and he is becoming a little more desperate for money. So, besides, checking up on you, I was letting you know that Charlie will probably be getting tested tonight. Kilson is going to see how loyal Charlie is.”
“What the hell, you couldn’t give me a little more of a heads up?” Charlie shouts.
“You have no clue what I’ve been going through today, trying to clean your messes up from last night!”
“You know what, screw you, dude, we are doing what should be done. You’re a big boy and can take care of yourself. We don’t need an invitation to your guilt party.” Jackson and Charlie are in each other’s faces. Oh no, not again. They are still yelling at each other when we hear the phone in the office ring. It’s the Organization’s phone line. The room goes silent and then Charlie moves.
“Show time, boys.” I say as Charlie rushes into the office. I follow, but a hand stays me.
“He has to do this mission and you have to let it go through or else everything will be over for Charlie.” Jackson says. I nod and pull away from him. I enter the office and hear Charlie speaking.
“Yes, sir, completely understand. I would do the same. Okay… okay… send me the details and it will be done, sir…… yes…. thank you for giving me this opportunity.” He hangs up the phone.
“Charlie…” I start to ask about the mission, when Jackson’s phone starts ringing.
“Cowboy, here……” I can make out my uncle’s voice, but I’m not clear on what he is saying. Jackson is listening with his eyes closed. Finally, he responds, “yes, sir. Let me know the details. Okay, thank you, sir.” He ends the call. Charlie and Jackson look at each other.
“Do you want me to tell her?” Charlie asks. Jackson slumps his shoulders.
“Oh great, what now?” I can see this is going to suck.
“Your uncle was hired by Nicholas’s brother, Alexander Sr., to escort a huge shipment of weapons to a warehouse in the city. Also, there is an added bonus if Kilson finds you and hands you over. He feels that you are responsible for killing his brother and the disappearance of his son.”
“First, we have to let the shipment go through. Second, I have a feeling that if I don’t find you, I’m done.” Charlie explains. My gut clenches painfully. What should I do?
“Okay, let’s figure this out.” I say. Charlie looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Don’t go there.” He says.
“What?” I ask innocently.
“Carter, you are not giving yourself up for me.” I shrug. Jackson comes up behind me.
“I’m not giving myself up, but I need to get the heat off us. I also do not need the Russian dude, breathing down my neck. Kill me off.”
“What?” Charlie shouts. I roll my eyes at him.
“Come on, smarty pants, keep up.” I say, ruffling his hair. He ducks away from me with a glare, I chuckle. Jackson narrows his eyes at us.
“Actually, I think it might work.” Jackson says. We make eye contact. We both smile, thinking the same thing.
“Are you crazy?” Charlie is shaking his head at us.
“Okay, let’s do this. I need the details of the mission. We will let the shipment through. I’m going to have to make another appearance somewhere. Where should I go?” I ask the boys.
“Brooklyn’s having a party on their yacht. I was going to be there, but obviously, I have to work. I was supposed to extend the invitation to you. Brooklyn�
��s father would like to discuss business with you. Just keep away from Brooklyn until the yacht sets sail. She will not want to see you.”
“Feelings mutual, okay, let’s go over some more details.” We discuss the mission as much as we can because time is limited. Julia helps me get dressed in a simple strapless red dress. I throw on some makeup while she does a quick up do.
“Good luck, girl. I’ll be waiting.” Julia says as she leaves my room. I’m getting ready to head out when Jackson steps in.
“Hey.” He says coming closer. I step up to him tilting my head. He runs a hand down the side of my face. He leans down and places soft kisses along my cheekbone. His kisses make their way all the way to my bare shoulder. I shiver and throw my head back. He grips my waist and kisses the side of my neck.
“Jackson…. we can’t….” I start to say, but I lose all train of thought at the feel of his lips.
“I’m going to be so worried about you.” He whispers into my skin. He pulls
away slightly, looking into my eyes.
“I’ll be fine.” He nods.
“Let’s do this.” He says and we walk down the stairs. Jackson leaves. Charlie starts to head for the door. He is going to the Organization’s headquarters for this mission. They will be watching him. He suddenly turns back to me, grabbing me in a hug.
“Be careful.” He growls out.
“You too.” He let’s go and grabs his keys. “Hey, Charlie, if something happens or things start to feel bad, get yourself out. We will keep you safe.”
“Carter, I’ll be fine. I’m on my guard. Just take care of yourself.” I smile at him.
“See you later.” I say with a wink. He smiles and gives me the peace sign. I watch as he leaves and know it is time for me to get going. Julia and Logan are already in the car. I lock up behind me and join them.
“Alright, everyone knows the drill?” I ask.
“Yep, let’s do this thing.” Logan says with confidence. I wish I had his confidence. I muster all the confidence I can on the ride over. We arrive. Logan and Julia both turn around in their seats to look at me.
“We got this.” Julia says. Logan nods.
“Good luck.” Logan says. I step out of the car and watch as my friends drive away from me. I’m on my own for now.
Here goes nothing……
Chapter Thirty
The lights are bright and reflecting across the surface of the dark water as I’m escorted onto the yacht. People are mingling everywhere and as soon as I step foot on the yacht, I duck out of sight. I can’t risk being recognized too soon. Even though the boat is huge, it’s still hard to stay hidden for long. I can see Brooklyn holding court in the middle, so I keep to the sides. I watch her briefly as she flirts with some guy. Boy, Jackson would have had his hands full if he seriously had to marry that harlot. I clear my thoughts of Brooklyn and wait until the time is right. I feel a hand on my elbow.
“Carter. So good to see you. I’ve been wanting to speak to you. I see that Jackson gave you my message?” Brooklyn’s dad starts to steer us into a room. I let him.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Sutherland?” I ask. He sits behind a desk and gestures for me to take a seat. I sit down and place my hands on my lap calmly.
“Well, I’m just wanting to clarify how our business arrangement is going to work. I don’t trust the fact that I’m having a hard time getting a hold of you. Your uncle is not happy with me and we both know he has some very strong connections. I just want to know that I was correct in screwing him over. You see I’ve been getting some interesting stories from your uncle. I’ve been told that you are the one that lied to me.” I start to laugh. Mr. Sutherland is looking at me with a scary, calm expression.
“My uncle is an idiot. He is terrified of you. Of course, he is going to put the blame on me. Don’t you see, he is weak. His loyalties change with the wind. It goes to whoever will benefit him. Now, as I see it, I’ve done nothing for you to question me. If you don’t want to do business with me, I completely understand, but trust me when I say, my uncle will screw you over when a better offer comes around. Remember, he is broke and desperate. I’m the one that holds all the money and the cards.” I never lose eye contact with him. I lean over and grab a pen. I reach for his hand.
“May I?” I ask. He lays his hand in my palm. I write down a number that we use for these kinds of situations on the top of his hand.
“There. Call me anytime.” I say, with a wink. He gives me a cold smile.
“Get back to the party. I’ll be in touch.” He rises and I stand up. I leave the room, closing the door, as he picks up the phone. I take a breath. I can only hope he is calling my uncle. It makes the plan work so much better. I take a glance around and then lean against the door.
“Kilson.” I hear him bark into the phone. “Just had a little conversation with your niece….” I smile. Whether he wants to do business with me or not doesn’t really matter now. My uncle knows I’m on this boat.
Now, that my cover is blown, I start talking to the guests. Brooklyn spots me and I see murder in her eyes. I watch her approach with a smile on my face.
“What the hell are doing here?” She asks.
“Oh, Daddy dearest didn’t tell you? He invited me.” She looks so confused and I can’t help but torture her.
“I don’t know Brooklyn, I think we might be hitting it off. I think I would make a great stepmother.” Her face looks like it is about to explode.
“Stay away from my father.”
“Sure thing, honey.” I say, walking away from her laughing. I roll my eyes and keep going. I sit down at a small table and watch as the staff prepares the yacht’s launch. I watch as two men hurry onto the boat. I smile to myself. Made it just in time boys. One of the men makes eye contact with me. Boots. Of course, Jackson made sure I had some kind of backup. At least, I hope. They split up. Boots heads towards me. Tex is the other man and he never saw me. I bet Brooklyn is going to love having Tex here. Your welcome, bitch.
“Heard you could use a little help.” Boots says with a smile.
“Let’s do this.” I say with a wink. He clicks on his earpiece.
“I’ve spotted the target.” I take off toward the other end of the yacht, away from the guests. I get to a secluded section and turn on Boots. I attack him and we grapple with each other, both of us waiting for the right moment. Tex is running towards us. Boots starts pushing me to the railing and I resist him as much as possible. Tex starts getting closer and pulls out his gun just as my back hits the hard railing. Boots looks at me and I look at him. He pushes me up and shoves me as hard as he can. I topple over the side into the Potomac River. Holy shit! The water hits me like a brick wall. I fight to make myself
stay under even though my lungs are bursting, and the water is freezing. I hold my breath until I can no longer do so. I silently let myself reach the surface, gasping for air. I look to where the yacht is and see it is far enough away. I start to tread water, already shivering. I can make out Boots and Tex searching the water. When I see their eyes scanning over to where I am, I duck under quickly, just in case. I come back up and start swimming in the opposite direction. Damn, this might have been a bad idea. I’m going to die of hypothermia if I’m not careful. Where are they?
There. I see something bobbing towards me. I start swimming to help keep my body going. I finally reach the side of a small fishing boat. Hands grab me under the arms and pull me into the boat. I lay there on the floor as they cover me with blankets.
“Have a nice swim?” Julia jokes.
“Suuuuurre thinggggg.” My teeth are chattering. After waiting until the yacht is far off in the distance, Logan starts up the fishing boat and speeds us towards the shore. Julia hands me a thermos. I take a deep gulp of hot chocolate.
“Let’s get these clothes off of you.” She helps me strip out of my little dress. Logan keeps his eyes diverted. She keeps me steady against the rough bumps. I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I p
ull the blankets around me and relax against Julia. She pulls me in close. When we reach the shore, Logan helps us out. We run to the car and head for home. Charlie meets us at the door.
“I’ve got some bad news.” Julia helps me move past Charlie and settles me down on the couch.
“Hit me.”
“It’s Jackson.” I feel my face paling. No, no, no……
“There were some guys from Alexander’s side that recognized him and put two and two together. They went after him. I don’t know where he is or what happened. There is radio silence on his part. I just know that a fight broke out and Jackson was left behind. Your uncle is trying to keep peace with Alexander. The shipment went as scheduled, but now they are after Jackson, if they don’t already have him. I want to ask your uncle if he has heard anything, but I don’t want to throw anymore suspicion on us. Jackson wouldn’t want that.”
“Oh god.” I feel myself starting to hyperventilate. Julia squeezes me tight. Logan grabs another blanket and wraps it around my shoulders. Charlie sits on my other side, grasping my hand.
“Carter, Jackson is one of the best, you know that. Let’s not think the worst yet. I’ll ask around.” There is a beeping sound coming from the office. Charlie clicks a button and a conversation is streaming through the surround sound system.
“Are you absolutely sure that she is gone?” It’s Kilson.
“Tex and I both witnessed her fall into the river. There is no way she would have made it to shore. The water is freezing cold and she was only wearing a little skirt.” Boots responds.
“The damn girl has nine lives. I want a body.”
“I’m sure she will show up soon, sir. You need to be ready for the media. Your niece’s death will make headlines.”
“Were there any witnesses?”
“No, sir.”
“Then it is simple, the poor girl drank too much and must have slipped. It happens all the time.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Send out a team to search. I want to know as soon as possible.”
No Regrets Page 22
