by Kelly Moore
Brook looks him up and down. “Or maybe it’s from his uncle who hasn’t stopped gaining weight.” She pats his stomach.
Jake looks down at his stomach. “I’m not fat.” He raises his shirt to show off his six pack.
I laugh and shake my head. “Alright, put that away before you make us all lose our appetite.”
Jake flips me off before turning around to pour his coffee. I look over at Little J, who’s now holding up his middle finger, and I bust out laughing.
“What?” both of them say as they spin around to see John flipping off the room.
Jake’s laugh is as loud as mine but Brooklyn doesn’t look happy. She turns toward Jake, ready to smack him with the spatula.
Jake dodges and runs behind me.
Brook points the spatula at him. “You’re going to turn my sweet little baby into a sailor!”
I look back at John, who has long forgotten about the use of his middle finger. Instead, he’s playing with a set of keys.
“He’s forgotten all about it. See?” Jake says, motioning toward J-Man.
She looks at him and her smile forms. Her eyes cut back to Jake and the smile leaves. “You’re lucky!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jake mumbles as he moves to sit down on the other side of John. “Boy am I glad you’re back. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve handled her.” He looks at me. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
I shrug. “It helps that I get to sleep with her.”
Brook’s dad walks in and heads straight to the coffee pot. All talk stops.
He takes a seat just as Brooklyn is placing bacon and pancakes on the table. John throws the keys on the floor and tries crawling out of his seat to get the food.
“Chill, little man. I won’t let you starve.” I stand and make his plate, cutting the food up into tiny pieces like I saw Brooklyn do last night.
I cover everything in syrup and set it in front of him.
“Just so you know, you’re giving him a bath,” Brooklyn says.
“Huh?” I ask confused. “How many baths does the kid need?”
“It’s going to take twenty minutes to get all that syrup out of his hair.”
I turn and look over at him. He sticks his hand in the syrup and licks it. Suddenly, he’s crazy-eyed and shoving food into his mouth. When he’s out of room, he decides to just smear the syrup all over his body in hopes of absorbing it through the top of his head and face.
I grab a pancake and wipe the syrup off his cheek with it before taking a bite. “This parenting thing won’t be that bad.”
Chapter Nineteen
John
“Damn, I didn’t think I’d ever get all the syrup out of Little Man’s hair,” I say, walking into the garage with Jake.
“You said we had a project. What is it?” He hops on the counter and starts messing with the hanging tools.
I reach in my pocket and remove the bullet I took from Miles’ drawer. “We need to make this fit in my gun.” I show him one of my bullets to compare it to.
He takes it out of my hand and examines it closely. “I think we could shave it down a little bit to make it work. Your only other option is to have a gun made specifically for it.”
“I don’t think Miles is going to give us that kind of time.” I walk over to my motorcycle - the one that Brooklyn has claimed as her own - and straddle my leg over the seat. Jake takes the keys off a hook and dangles them at me.
“If she catches you on that bike, you won’t have to worry about Miles killing you. She’ll do it with her bare hands,” he taunts me, hanging the keys back up.
“I’m not afraid of her. This is my damn bike.” I hear the door start to open and immediately jump off the bike.
“What are you boys doing out here?” Brooklyn’s head peeks out the door.
“Nothing,” I answer quickly. Jake chuckles. I reach around and smack him.
She opens the door wider and points her finger at me. “Don’t be getting any ideas about that bike, mister.” She slams the door.
“I’m not afraid of her,” Jake mumbles, laughing.
I punch him in the arm. “Shut the hell up!”
“Hey, you better be nice to me if you want my help,” he says, rubbing his arm.
I walk around the room, opening up drawers to look for anything we can use to shave the bullet. I find what I need and walk back over to Jake. He holds it on the counter while I work on it. Several minutes later, the door opens again. This time it’s Matthew.
“What are you two up to?” he asks, making his way toward us.
Jake holds the bullet up into the air and I give him a dirty look. “Making this fit in John’s gun so he can kill Miles.” I want to fucking kill Jake for saying that in front of him.
“I…” I stammer.
Matthew holds his hand in the air to stop me from saying anything. “I want him gone as much as you do. Every day he breathes, he’s a threat to my family and the men and women that work for me.” He places a firm grip on my shoulder. “Just promise me when this is finally over, you will give up this job for good.”
“I gave it up the day I met Brooklyn. I don’t want to kill Miles, I have to. He’s not given me any other choice.”
“I know that, son. Is there anything I can help you with?” He takes the bullet from Jake’s hand and looks at it closely.
“I think you’ve helped enough by giving us security. I’m sure I’ve made your political career hell already.”
“My ratings are good, don’t worry about my career.” He hands the bullet back to me. “One day, maybe, when I’m no longer president, you could teach me how to make bullets.”
“Really?” I’m astonished that he wants to know how, much less have me teach him something.
“Yes, really. Once upon a time, I loved to go to the range and shoot.” He pats me on the back and walks to the doorway. “Carry on boys, I have some phone calls to make.
“Wow, he’s a pretty cool dude,” Jake says.
“Yeah, he is. Anyone else would have shot me for even coming close to their daughter. The fact that he accepts me for who I’ve been says a lot. Brooklyn adores him.”
“Well, he raised one hell of a woman. I still can’t believe of all people, she picked you.” He laughs and punches me back.
“Me either man.”
After dinner and Little John is in bed, we all meet in the living room. While everyone else is sitting on the couch and chairs, I’m standing, pacing the floor in front of them.
“Miles could show up at any time. I want us to be ready. I think Brooklyn, Matthew, and Little John should sleep in the safe room. I don’t want to be alerted that he’s on the grounds and have to scramble to keep you all safe. We have extra agents on hand now. I’ll set one up in the nursery so that he’s right outside the safe room.”
“What about Jake?” Brooklyn asks.
“Jake will be near me at all times. I need the extra hands and eyes.” He nods in understanding.
“There are already a couple of cots set up in there. I’ll go get another one from the garage.” Brooklyn stands.
“You go nowhere by yourself.” I motion for one of the agents to go with her. “An agent is monitoring the cameras at all times. One is outside the gate, one at the front door, and one in the back. But, I want Miles to step foot on the property. That way I have just cause to shoot him. But I don’t want to kill him here.”
“What? Why not?” Jake is on his feet.
“I don’t want his death to happen here at this house. I’ll shoot him with the tracking bullet and when he flees, we’ll go after him. One of the agents was able to install the software we need to track him down.”
Jake sits back down. “I guess that makes sense.”
“It doesn’t to me.” Brooklyn bursts back into the room. “I want that bastard dead, not give him a chance to get away!” She’s got steam coming out of her ears.
“He won’t get away this time.”
She clo
ses the distance between us and gets in my face. “I’m not willing to risk that!” Her jaw is clenched and she’s breathing hard.
I reach out to touch her shoulder and she swats my hand away. “I promise he won’t get away again.”
“You weren’t the one who had to rebuild your life without the man you loved. You didn’t have to raise a child on your own and face every day alone!” She turns and stomps off up the stairs. The bedroom door slams hard and echoes through the house.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that mad,” Jake mutters.
“Me either,” Matthew says.
“Um… I think our meeting is over. But nothing has changed.” I walk toward the stairs.
“Other than the fact that you may have no balls left if you go up there.” Jake laughs.
I ignore his banter in fear that he may be right. I pace in front of the door a few times. I’ve faced down evil and never showed any fear. How come this five-foot-eleven-inch tall redhead scares the hell out of me? I’m the man, I wear the pants in this family, right? I can do this. I give myself a pep talk, then adjust myself, looking down, “It’s okay boys, don’t listen to Jake. We got this.”
I push through the door but don’t see her. A rustling sound drifts over from the walk-in closet. “Brook.” I call her name, but she doesn’t answer. Clothes start flying out of the closet. A blouse hits me in the face as I walk closer.
“What are you doing?” I pull it off my face.
“I’m straightening. What does it look like?” she snaps without looking up at me.
“Is this what you do when you’re angry?” I step inside with her.
“It’s better than what I wanted to do to you.” She finally stops and looks at me.
I step closer and wrap my arms around her. “Thank you for not doing whatever that was.” I feel her relax into my arms. “I’m doing this for us. I don’t want death here. I don’t want you to remember his body lying dead anywhere on this property. I’m sorry you had to rebuild your life without me. I’m sorry that you had to have John on your own. You know I would have given anything to be here with you.”
She releases the clothes that are in her hands and wraps her arms around my neck. “I know. I’m sorry I said those things. I just hate the thought of him getting away.”
“You have to trust me. He won’t. If I have to track him to the ends of the earth, I will.”
“What about Knox? What is going to keep him from hiring someone else to hunt you down?”
“With the confession of one of Miles’ men and all the dirt we have on him, all his assets have been frozen. Thanks to your dad. He’s also been sent to a maximum security prison. He will have no contact with the outside world. He’s lost all his rights and he’ll be locked away for a very long time.”
She smiles and then pouts her bottom lip. “What else?” I ask.
“I don’t like sleeping without you.”
I draw her in and kiss her softly a few times. “When this is over, we will never have to be apart again.” I take her hands and drop down on one knee. “Will you marry me and make me the happiest man and father on this earth? I don’t have a ring, but you can have whatever you want.”
She gets down on the floor with me. “I don’t need a ring. I only need you and J-Man. And maybe another baby,” she adds, with a smile that could light up the world.
“Is that a yes, then?” I stare into her eyes.
“Yes, I will marry you.” She grabs my hair and pulls me in for a kiss.
“I love you, Brooklyn.”
“I love you, too. Now let’s go break the news to my dad.” She drags me off the floor with her.
“He won’t be surprised. He gave me his permission.”
Brooklyn, Matthew, and J-Man are all asleep in the safe room. I can’t sleep in that big king-sized bed alone, so I head downstairs to make myself a bourbon, neat. Jake is already sitting at the bar top, working on a drink.
“What are you doing up?” I walk behind the bar and grab a glass.
“My mind kept racing with everything that’s happened and I couldn’t fall asleep.”
“It will all be over soon and we can all get a good night’s rest.”
“I sure hope you’re right.”
An agent walks into the room and interrupts our conversation. “Sir, someone dressed in black and smoking a cigarette has been spotted outside the gate near the tree.” He places the open laptop on the bar and pushes it in my direction. Jake comes around to where I’m standing.
“Is that him?” He looks closely at the screen.
“That’s the little Napoleon. I would recognize him anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty
John
My heart rate increases and my chest swells with anger. “Let’s go.”
I tuck the gun with the special bullet in the waistband of my jeans and grab another gun, just in case he has someone with him. If I know Miles, he didn’t come alone. He probably has men surrounding us right now.
Jake picks up a gun from the table and follows me to the back door. “Tell your men to surround the house. Nobody gets inside. Do you hear me?”
The guard nods and rushes off to spread the word.
Jake and I step out into the darkness beyond the door. I stick close to the wall, letting my eyes adjust. There are no lights, aside from the moon and thousands of twinkling stars overhead. There is no wind blowing and other than the crashing waves of the ocean, no sounds. Everything is deathly quiet, like the world is preparing for all this to end.
Once I’m at the corner of the wall, I peek around the side of the house and look up at the branches of the tree, which are rustling and dropping leaves into the yard despite the windless night. I focus my eyes and see his round ass dangling from a branch, too afraid to let go and take the fall required to set foot on the property.
I shake my head. And he thought this would actually work? I want to laugh to myself, but I hold it back. Miles is a lot dumber that I ever gave him credit for.
I step away from the house and motion for Jake to stay back. I don’t want Miles to know he’s there and waiting.
I aim my gun up in the tree and cock it. The sound of the bullet going into the chamber cuts through the night. Miles stops moving, knowing he’s caught.
“Why don’t you get down from there so we can settle this once and for all.”
“Don’t shoot. I just want to talk,” he says with exasperation in his voice.
“Then talk.”
He shimmies his way down the branch and lets go, falling a couple of feet. He lands with a thud on the ground. If my family wasn’t in danger, I’d laugh. It’s like a bad comedy.
“What made you think that this plan would work, Miles? I mean, I’m a trained hitman. You of all people should know there’s no sneaking around me.”
He brushes off his pants and stands up straight, holding his hands out in front of him. “I’m not even packing heat. I have a new deal for you.”
This time, I do laugh. I shake my head while never taking my eyes or the gun off him. “No more deals. This is done.”
In the distance, I hear gunfire. I want to run to check it out, but Miles here is more important. “Who’s that? How many did you bring with you?”
He laughs, a deep menacing sound. “You didn’t really think I’d come alone, did you?”
I shake my head. “I knew you wouldn’t, but there isn’t anything happening here tonight. Everyone is locked up safe, far away from you.”
Miles begins pacing back and forth slowly with his arms behind his back. “I have to say, I’m proud of you. I never thought you’d have the balls to do what you’ve done.”
“And what’s that?”
“I really expected you to leave the president and come rescue your boy. I never thought you’d drag everyone along with you.”
“I know how that fucked up mind of yours works. Did you really think you’d just walk right out of here? You invaded my territory. I’ve been waiti
ng for this moment. I’m prepared for anything you can throw my way. Let’s finish this.”
“As you wish.” Miles jumps and tackles me to the ground, knocking the gun from my hand. I turn to look at Jake, he’s passed out on the ground. How’d that happen? I didn’t hear anything.
Miles is on top of me, delivering blow after blow to my face. I roll him off me and straddle him. I wrap my hands around his throat and begin squeezing. He’s fighting me with every ounce of strength he has, but I have surrendered myself to the whirlwind of rage in my chest. I cannot be stopped.
Gunshots continue ringing out around us. A guard rushes to Jake’s side. Miles’ eyes are beginning to close and I squeeze a little harder. Just as the life is about to leave his body, something hits me in the back of the head and I fall forward, losing control of my body. My eyesight blurs.
I’m on my back looking up. All I can see is the dark silhouette of the tree branches blowing in the wind. I shake my head, trying to get my vision back to normal as I climb to my feet. The night is filled with the smell of gunpowder and the sounds of combat. With my blurred vision, it is impossible to tell who is who. I look back at the ground, but Miles is no longer there.
I run over to Jake and slap him across the face. He groans but comes to. “What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve lost Miles. Get up!” I help him to his feet and push him one direction while I go another.
I run toward the front of the house and see Miles and three of his men are standing by the front gate, which is now open. I stop, studying them. What’s happening? They’re leaving?
“I’ll be back for you, John,” Miles says as he holds up his right hand. It is holding some sort of little controller. His thumb presses down on a button at the top, and an explosion shatters the night air behind me. The base of the house erupts in flames. Windows explode outward, showering the lawn with shards of glass. The force of the explosion blows the front door from its hinges. I turn back to look at Miles, but he’s running off.