by HMC
Jade agreed.
As she and Grady walked over, Sam caught sight of them and grinned.
‘Sam.’ Jade embraced her and held her tight. Flesh and bone. Not an illusion. She was too thin. But she was alive – everything else could be fixed.
‘I knew you’d come back for us. Nice work,’ Sam breathed in her ear.
‘Thanks,’ Jade laughed.
Then it was Freddy’s turn for a hug. He held on tight and didn’t want to let go.
‘Dr. Jade, Dr. Jade, Dr. Jade.’ When he let go and looked at her she saw his hollow cheeks. She forgot them quick, as the smile on his face was so dazzling and his blue eyes sparkled.
‘You did good, Dr. Jade.’
She smiled. ‘Thank you, Freddy.’
‘Hi, George.’ Jade saw a defeated man.
‘Hi.’ He fumbled and shook her hand. She pulled him in for a hug.
She would have to do a lot of counselling sessions to get these patients back to where they were before the fire.
‘Can we go back to Rowan’s now, Jade?’ Freddy jumped up and down.
She wished it were that simple. ‘Your family will be coming to get you, Freddy, and I have to go away now. I’m going to have to tell the police about what I did.’
Then she remembered Karl.
‘Sam, I have terrible news about your father.’ Her patient shushed her.
‘I already know everything.’
Jade reached into her pocket and pulled out Karl’s letter and gave it to her. ‘You have to know that your father saved my life. This is from him. He was so sorry, Samantha.’
She nodded, took the letter and changed the subject.
‘You thought about shooting Green, didn’t you?’ Sam purred. ‘You should’ve seen his face when he saw there wasn’t a real fire! You’re crazy.’ They both laughed.
‘I’ve been called worse.’ She’d done it. She’d fixed some of the mess she’d made, but there would still be a lot more work to do. It wouldn’t change what had happened, but Jade would get the abused patients the compensation that they deserved.
But she’d need to stay alive in order to do so.
Jade turned to Grady and was about to whisper.
‘Yes,’ he said, and she wondered how he knew what she was about to ask. He pointed to a few different faces in the crowd. ‘There, there and there.’ Jade saw the agents watching them. ‘They’ll be looked after, Jade. All of you will be looked after.’
Grady took her by the hand and this time she didn’t pull it away.
‘Ready?’ he said.
‘As I’ll ever be.’
Samantha Phillips opened a new book and smelled the fresh pages. She loved the smell of books and had recently developed a fondness for reading them, too. Picking a spot where the sunshine filtered into her apartment, she lay on a large futon and exhaled with satisfaction. Before she looked down at the very first line, she took a moment to appreciate where she was.
The walls were painted a pilot grey with a tint of blue, a colour she’d chosen herself. The apartment was one large room with a kitchen, living area and bedroom all together. The only separate room was a bathroom, branching off in the corner.
Sam shared a laundry with the other tenants and thought it to be very city-like – just as she had wanted to experience. The room had been decorated with as much colour as she could muster, adorned with fresh flowers and flamboyant artwork.
Since packing her belongings and moving to the city, Sam had never been happier, even though she missed her father terribly. She kept pictures of him all over her new apartment. As much as what he had done had hurt her, she completely understood. Karl hadn’t known her when she was taken. She’d been nobody to him at the time, and so Sam forgave him. Green had kept her father there for a lot longer than he had wanted to be.
Moo Owl purred next to her on the couch. He kept her company on the weekdays and she was looking forward to seeing Travis on the weekend. Things were getting serious between them.
Sam was beginning to form some kind of real relationship with Travis. It was important not to take on too much, too soon, however, and she was insistent on taking her time. It was all the sweeter as a result. She wondered if she was falling in love. Thinking about someone every day and wanting them near, that was how she’d felt about her father, and she was sure that she’d loved him.
It was difficult to see Jade and Travis whenever she wanted. She wasn’t as free as she wanted to be. Not yet, anyway. Sam wanted desperately to travel back to Fairholmes to visit Jade lately, but her doctor was in the middle of a huge class-action lawsuit. She was up against an enormous group of people, working to get compensation for the patients who had suffered at the hands of Green. Sam was very proud of her. The woman had guts and a whole lot of determination.
Sam was pleased that Grady had been allocated as a live-in armament for Jade. Jade didn’t seem to mind either. Grady was fumbling and awkward, yet carried himself with pride. He was a good fit for the doctor and Sam hoped that Jade would have enough ‘guts’ left to fall in love again. She’d become more like Sam in that it was far more difficult to be soft, than it was to be hard.
Freddy and George had chosen to take part in the Witness Protection Program. She didn’t blame them. It meant she wasn’t allowed contact with them. She missed them and would one day find a way to visit, in secret. She had to be careful, though – otherwise they could get kicked out of the program.
After reading the first several pages of her book she grew restless. She stood and walked over to her dining room table. Lying across it were the photos and documents she’d need over the next few months. Sam flipped through them and decided it would be a good idea to put them into some type of order.
First, there was Green. Sam had collected information on the prison and where he was being held. She had some intel on the inside and was doing pretty well for a newbie.
She knew when he exercised, whom he spoke to, which inmates he favoured. Sam had it all and would be using it to her advantage. She’d also sourced some places to buy the equipment she’d need. She laughed at the thought of visiting Angus, Jade’s brother, after hearing about his exclusive wares.
Even more impressive however, was the information that she’d gathered on two particular men who were supposed to be professionals. The first one was an Italian-Australian, aged 56, who went by the name of Frank Delorito a/k/a ‘Frankie.’ The second was a Chinese man, aged 32, who went by the nickname ‘Shanghai.’ She’d yet to find out his real name, but she knew exactly where they were staying, the cars they drove, and their two current favourite restaurants.
Agent Grace Burns had turned her back far too often when they’d taken Sam in. Sam could get into serious trouble for stealing government documents. It was nothing in comparison to what she was planning. These tracker-scum would never touch her friends – not while she was still breathing, anyway.
Then there was Green. Green she’d save for last.
It was funny, trackers were so used to being on the hunt that they were oblivious to the fact they were being tracked themselves. She promised herself to never get that complacent.
It was almost time for Sam to do a little work. She showered and dressed, choosing an outfit that wouldn’t attract too much attention. Sam threw her knotted rope into the small porthole and pulled herself into her laundry-shute. She shimmied down the rope, and waited for what seemed like eternity for two elderly women to leave the laundry.
She jumped down to the stone floor and climbed up on top of one of the machines. She was out a window, over a fence, and walking down the city street in no time. The police who watched her building sat in a car across from her apartment block, and she strolled by them.
She had an appointment and would only be a little late, due to the two chatting, laundry ladies. This time, when she got to the gun range, she’
d ask her friend if she could practice with his sniper rifle.
Hayley writes under the penname H.M.C. She is a teacher, with a degree in psychology, and is a columnist for an online magazine. Hayley blogs about global issues and is passionate about human and animal rights.
She resides on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia with her fiancé, daughter, son, and two dogs, Pudding and Finn.
For official posts and updates from the author, sign up at:
www.hmcwriter.com.