by Orion Gaudio
He sat back down on the couch and slowly sipped his drink. Turner found himself glancing down at his phone every few minutes in hope that Alice would respond.
There was a knock at his door. Turner set his drink down on the coffee table, stood up and walked over to the door. He pulled it open and smiled when he saw Alice standing in front of him with a frozen pizza in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
“You hungry?” she asked.
He smiled and nodded.
“Come on in.”
He closed the door once she was inside. Alice walked into the kitchen and turned on the oven. She opened the bottle of wine and got two glasses out of the cabinet.
“None for me,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow.
“You sure?”
“Yeah… thanks. I’ve been sipping on a whiskey… and just in case they call me into work.”
“Ah… I get it.”
“Sorry.”
She shook her head and smiled.
“No worries, it’s very responsible of you.”
“That’s me.”
She smiled and poured herself a glass of wine. They walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.
“So, how was work?” she asked.
“It was… an interesting day.”
“How so?”
“I would tell you everything I did, but it probably wouldn’t make sense and I’d bore you to sleep.”
Alice laughed, shook her head, and took a sip of wine.
“Sounds exciting.”
“Yeah… it’s a job. What about you? How was work?”
“Just another day in paradise.”
“Another day closer to owning a winery?” he asked.
She shrugged.
“Yeah, probably not. I wish it were that simple. Right now I’m making enough money to pay my bills… and that’s kind of it.”
“You gotta start somewhere.”
“True.”
“Just don’t lose sight of your goal… and you’ll be able to accomplish it one of these days.”
“I could say the same to you.”
He smiled and took a sip of his whiskey. The oven beeped as it reached temperature. Alice got up from the couch and went into the kitchen.
“You need a hand in there?” Turner asked.
“No, I got it… thanks.”
He heard the oven door open as she put the pizza in. Not exactly what he imagined for their first real date, but he was glad she was there. It was a good distraction from everything that had happened during the course of the day… and what would be waiting for him back at work. Turner looked down at his phone as she walked back into the living room.
“Everything OK?” she asked.
He nodded and smiled.
“Yeah, just checking to see the time.”
“Antsy to get back in that dark mine?”
He chuckled and shook his head.
“No, not really.”
“Are you trying to say you enjoy spending time with me more than being at work?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s good.”
Turner found it harder than usual to relax, which surprised him considering her presence. His mind continued to drift back to Rollins as he wondered why Howard hadn’t asked him to stay and help with the interrogation. It was true that he looked like hell, in addition to feeling beat up from everything that had happened over the course of the week, but that had never stopped them from wanting him to be a part of an operation. He sighed and tried to not think about it. The only thing he could do was wait to hear from Howard… and try to relax in the meantime.
“You alright?” Alice asked.
He looked over at her, smiled, and nodded.
“Yeah… why?”
“You just seem… a little off.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I feel like I might have overstepped my bounds by coming over here without an invitation.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am. My mind has just been wandering. It has nothing to do with you. I think I’m a little tired and beat up from work… that’s all.”
“I can go if you want,” Alice said.
“No… I’d like you to stay.”
“Are you just saying that because you want some of my frozen pizza?”
He shook his head and smiled.
“No, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Alice set her wine down on the table and went into the kitchen to check on the pizza. She took it out of the oven and set the pan on top of the stove.
“Second drawer down on the right.”
She opened the drawer and took out a pizza cutter.
“Are you sure I can’t help you in there?” he asked.
Turner had lived alone for so long that he was having a hard time with her taking care of him. He also didn’t want her to be under the impression that he was the kind of man who assumed the woman in his life would gladly wait on him hand and foot.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’m sure you’re tired after having to go to work last night.”
She came into the living room with a plate for each of them. Turner took his phone out and set it down on the coffee table.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
He lifted a slice of pizza and took a bite out of it. Salty, cheesy, chewy… the pizza was perfect.
“How is it?” Alice asked.
“It’s great.”
“Good.”
They ate in silence for the next few minutes. His thoughts continued to drift back to Rollins, despite how hard he tried to focus on staying in the present and enjoying his time with Alice.
“So,” she said, clearing her throat, “I hope this isn’t too forward… but I was just searching around on the internet today after work… and I found a place called Penns Creek. I was wondering if you’d ever heard of it.”
“No… where is it?”
“A little less than two hours to the east.”
Turner shook his head as he finished his whiskey.
“It doesn’t ring any bells.”
“It’s supposed to be one of the best fly fishing places in Pennsylvania.”
He smiled and looked over at her.
“Oh… nice. I don’t even know the last time I’ve gone fishing. It’s been a while.”
“Well, I was kind of thinking maybe we could take a drive there some weekend… you could go fishing… I could… I’m not sure… I could find something to do.”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head.
“Sorry, it’s a stupid idea. Forget that I brought it up.”
“Not at all.”
She looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow.
“You sure?”
Turner nodded and smiled.
“It’s very sweet of you to think of me. I do have to say, though, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve been fishing. My rod, and everything else, is buried deep in the back of my closet.”
“Well, I think it would be fun.”
“I agree. I would love to do that.”
“Is your schedule predictable?”
He shook his head.
“Not really. It’s kind of all over the place most days.”
“Hmm.”
“I know, not ideal for being in a relationship.”
“Is that what this is?” she asked, with a smile on her face.
“Sorry… I didn’t… I….”
Alice shook her head.
“I’m just teasing you. It’s all good. Just let me know what your work schedule is like when you find out. I have the weekends off, so maybe we can head to Penns Creek at some point for a day… just to check it out and you can fish.”
“I’d really like that.”
“Me, too.”
Turner picked up another slice of pizza and took a bi
te. He enjoyed her company, but the idea of being in a relationship scared him. It had been years since he’d been serious with a woman. His job made it almost impossible to sustain a relationship. Turner had developed feelings for her, that was clear, but he also worried about what that could mean. He didn’t want to put her into any kind of danger and that was always a possibility considering what he did for a living. If they were going to continue to see each other, it was something he’d have to think long and hard about. She was a sweet woman, and he didn’t want her to get caught up in his world. If things got complicated, he knew that he’d have to break it off and find a way to distance himself from her.
“So, what do you do for fun around here?”
Turner pulled himself back to reality and looked over at Alice.
“In Altoona?” he asked.
“Yeah, like what do you do on the weekends?”
“Uh… nothing really.”
She scrunched up her nose.
“Do you just sit around in your house?”
“Kind of. Is that terrible?”
She laughed and shook her head.
“Not really, I just… I thought it would be fun to get the inside track on Altoona.”
“I get it. Well… there’s honestly not that much fun stuff to do.”
“So, if someone came to visit you… what would you show them?”
“Hmm. I guess Lakemont Park?”
“What’s that?”
“Our local amusement park, of course.”
“Wait… get out of here. There’s an amusement park in Altoona?”
“Yep. Home to Leap-the-Dips.”
“What’s that?”
“The oldest operating roller coaster in the world.”
Alice laughed and shook her head.
“I don’t believe you.”
“What? Why would I make that up?”
She took her phone out of her pocket and did a quick Internet search.
“Well… you weren’t kidding.”
“Crazy, right?”
“Have you been?” she asked.
“To the amusement park?”
“Yeah.”
Turner shook his head.
“No, never been.”
“What? We have to go. It would be so much fun.”
“We can go.”
“Perfect. What else does Altoona have?”
Turner shrugged and thought about it. He usually just went to the bar, the gun range, and work. Alice had already been to the bar, since that’s where they met… and he wasn’t going to ever take her to the other two.
“Not much really.”
“I guess we’ll have to make our own fun.”
Turner raised an eyebrow and smiled. Alice burst out laughing and shook her head.
“That sounded terrible,” she said, as she laughed.
“Just a little.”
His phone chimed. Turner grabbed it and read the message from Howard.
We’re ready for you.
That was it. Not that surprising since they were careful about what they said over regular text messages and phone calls. He sighed and looked over at Alice.
“Sorry… work.”
“Aww… do you really have to go?”
Turner nodded.
“I do.”
“You’re such a good employee.”
“You have no idea.”
They stood up from the couch. Alice took their plates and glasses into the kitchen while he fetched his keys.
“When am I going to see you?” she asked, as she walked out of the kitchen.
“Whenever you want.”
Someone knocked on the door. They both turned to look at it.
“You expecting someone?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“No.”
“I’ll get it.”
She started walking toward the door.
“No.”
Alice turned and gave him a confused look.
“Hang on,” he said.
Turner walked up to the door and looked through the peephole. It only took him a fraction of a second to register what he was looking at—the barrel of a pistol. He spun around, grabbed Alice, and pushed her down the hallway.
“Bedroom… now!”
She had a confused look on her face. Three bullets ripped through the door and slammed into the wall a foot away from where she was standing. She started screaming. Turner took her hand and pulled her down the hallway to his bedroom. He pushed her inside.
“Get under the bed.”
He pulled the door closed and ran to the bathroom. The middle drawer of the vanity had a false bottom. He tore it open and grabbed the Glock he kept hidden there. Turner looked toward the front door just as the lock failed. A Chinese man, who had rammed the door with his shoulder, stumbled into the living room.
Turner raised the Glock and squeezed off a round. It hit the man square in the chest and he dropped instantly. A hail of bullets flew in his direction as he ducked back into the bathroom. They tore through the hollow bedroom door. He hoped Alice had listened to him. There was no time for him to check.
The gunfire stopped. He knew they were reloading. Turner ran into the hallway and saw two men standing in the living room. He took out the one on his left with a well-placed shot to the head. Turner shot the other one in the chest. He dropped to the floor. Turner walked up to him and shot him between the eyes and looked at the other two. All dead.
He glanced out the front door and saw four more men getting out of a black SUV. Turner picked up the CF-05 SMG one of the men had dropped. He stood in the doorway and fired at the SUV. Two of the men darted back behind the vehicle. The other two ran toward the side of his house. Turner threw the CF-05 to the ground and ran back into the bathroom. He jumped into the tub and raised the Glock. The first man rounded the corner of the house. He fired through the glass of the bathroom window. Two shots to the chest killed him. The other man dropped to the ground and crawled up to the exterior wall of his house.
Turner pulled the magazine out of his Glock and retrieved a full one from the vanity drawer. He still had a few shots in the first one, but there were still at least three more men and he didn’t want to get caught out.
He heard a noise coming from the bedroom. Turner cocked his head. Crying.
“Alice… are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Stay there.”
“Wha… what’s happening?”
“Just stay there, Alice… don’t move.”
The sobbing resumed.
He heard the crunch of gravel outside the bathroom window. Turner jumped out of the bathtub and smashed his bathroom mirror with the butt of his Glock. He picked up one of the shards, got back in the bathtub and held it up. A quick adjustment of the angle allowed him to see the man shimmying along the wall. Turner stuck his pistol out the window and fired. The bullet ripped through his leg. The man screamed and dropped to the ground as he clutched at his thigh. Turner fired again, this time hitting him in the neck.
“Two more,” he said, as he tossed the broken mirror on the vanity counter and walked back into the hallway.
As he walked toward the front door, he heard an engine roar to life. The sound of tires screeching followed a second later. Turner rushed to the door and saw the SUV speeding away. He was safe… for the moment. One of his neighbors would have called the police… he knew that, so he needed to get Alice out of the house before they showed up.
The idea of running crossed his mind, but he knew there was no point. If he left, he’d be able to make it to the mine before the cops showed up… but then his cover would be blown and he wouldn’t be able to stay in Altoona.
Turner set his Glock down on the coffee table and walked to the bedroom. He slowly opened the door.
“Alice?”
She was still crying. He walked into the room.
“It’s OK… it’s over.”
She slid out from under the bed. Turner tried to
take her hand, but she swatted it away.
“What… what the hell was that?” she asked.
She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. Bloodshot eyes, wet cheeks, and a look of pure terror on her face.
“I don’t know.”
“James… I….”
She shook her head.
“I need you to go before the cops come.”
“What? How… what’s happening?”
He sighed and walked over to his dresser. In the second drawer down was his bug-out bag. Inside was a plastic bag full of cash. He took it out and extended it to Alice.
“What is that?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“Look, you need to get out of town. Those guys are gone, but they might come back. It’s not safe for you here.”
She shook her head and looked down at the floor.
“Please… Alice… I need you to trust me.”
“Trust you?”
She pushed by him and walked into the hallway. Alice froze and screamed when she saw the two bodies in the living room. She turned away and covered her eyes.
“Alice… take the money. Get out of town. Go back to Charleston.”
“I… I can’t.”
“It’s not safe here. Please. I’ll explain everything to you, but there’s something I have to do first.”
“Who the hell are you?”
He sighed and shook his head as she looked at him.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Turner couldn’t remember the last time he was around someone who wasn’t used to seeing death. He knew it wasn’t normal, but it had been a part of his life for years.
He took the bag of money and forced into her hands.
“Just promise me you’ll get out of town… please. Go anywhere else.”
She nodded slowly.
“Close your eyes,” he said, “I’m going to guide you out of the house.”
He took her arm and walked her through the living room and outside. She pulled away and just looked at him. Alice didn’t say anything. She turned, walked straight to her house and went inside without so much as a glance over her shoulder.
Turner shook his head and sighed. That was it. He knew she’d never talk to him again and it would likely be the last he saw of her. As much as it pained him to lose her from his life just as they were getting to know each other, he just wanted her to be safe… and she wouldn’t be as long as he was around.