A Jar of Hearts

by Cartharn, Clarissa

  “Why Anne?” Mark asked slowly. “You could have had many other women, so why her?”

  Eric pressed his lips together, contemplating why. He had never really put any thought to his rationales for loving Anne. He just knew he did. His heart raced whenever he was with her, and when she would touch him, to see him with her hands, he would feel he could achieve the impossible.

  “At first, it was because she was beautiful,” he said. “I saw her standing across the basketball courts when I was seventeen and I thought she was the most exquisite woman I’d ever laid eyes on. And then when I found out she couldn’t see, I felt sorry for her. That didn’t take long to change into protectiveness. And as I grew to know her, I began to see my mother in her. She had those little niggling habits that my mom had. But more than that, she needed me and it felt nice to be needed for a change. I swore to myself that as long as I could help it, I would be there for her.”

  “And then you fell in love with her,” Mark said.

  Eric dusted his pants. “Yeah. What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “You and Julia.”

  Mark coughed. “There is nothing between me and Julia.”

  Eric grinned. “Oh come on. Even Anne knows there is something between the two of you.”

  “Well, it’s been a month and I’m still sleeping on a darned mattress on the floor.”

  “You sound like you’re complaining.”

  Mark lay back on his mat, his arm under him, pillowing his head. “I might as well.”

  “She’s a good woman, Mark. She just needs time.”

  “I know.”

  Eric followed suit, laying back, his eyes scouring the heavens for any stars. “You think the women are safe?”

  “They had better be or I’d have Hank’s ass for breakfast.”

  “Is he sleeping in Julia’s room as well?” Eric teased.

  Mark grinned. “I’d have more than just his ass if he does.”

  They lapsed into another silence as the fire began to die down.

  “Mark?” Eric murmured.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks man.”

  Mark smiled. At sometime during these past couple of years he had spent with this strange man, he had grown fond of him. It was a friendship he was hoping that would last beyond this assignment.

  “Get some sleep,” he murmured back. “Tomorrow is the day we get Trent Harvey.”

  “One hour to impact,” Casey said into her earpiece. She leaned against her old blue hippie camper van parked on the side of the road. Her short denim skirt and knee-high cowboy boots made her look like anything other than an FBI agent.

  “Where’s Corey?” Mark’s voice came over.

  “I’m here,” he replied, emerging from the back of the van in his tie-dye shirt.

  “How’s the phone signals?”

  “All good.”

  A truck stopped by the road and the driver peered out of his window. “You alright, lassie?” he asked Casey.

  Casey gave him a thumbs-up. “Just a little breakdown. My boyfriend, there, is just fiddling with the wires.”

  “Hi there,” Corey said, wiping his greasy fingers on a rag as he approached the driver.

  “You okay, man?” the driver asked again.

  “Yeah. A little tinkering will have it moving.”

  The driver grunted. “It looks old. You should roll it down the mountain while you have the chance.”

  Corey laughed. “Yeah, you may be right, but I think I’ll hang on to it for a little while longer.”

  “Okay then.” The driver gave them a short salute, a honk and went on his way.

  “All okay, Corey?” Mark asked.

  “Yep. Just a good Samaritan.”

  Mark settled himself beside his sniper rifle on the rock. In the distance, he saw Eric lying on the grassy hill with his own rifle aiming at the highway.

  “How about you, Eric?” he asked.

  “Not so good. You realize I usually do this on my own, right?”

  “Juan wants him domed and I want to be sure you get that hit.”

  “And I want to be sure you get yours,” Eric whispered back.

  Mark smirked. “I’m not as good as you, but I ain’t bad as well.”

  “I thought you wanted a fallout guy. Why are you doing this?”

  “Hmmm,” Mark mumbled, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “I’m doing it for Anne. Juan can be quite a temperamental bastard. I’m afraid he will flip for the worse if you do not give him Harvey’s skull.”

  “So you’re worried about me.”

  Mark could almost hear the amusement in Eric’s voice. He scowled. “I swore I would give you an out after this and that is what I am doing.”

  “So you’re worried about me,” Eric repeated with a chuckle.

  “Aww,” Casey’s voice came over. “You two have fallen in love.”

  “Argh,” Mark growled. “Where’s Hank?”

  “I’m here at the trail down the mountain,” Hank said into the earpiece.

  “Wonderful,” Mark murmured. “This is going to be fucking awesome.”

  “Here he comes,” Casey said through her teeth. She smiled seductively at the group of five cyclists riding up the road. She narrowed her eyes on the central cyclist. Trent Harvey. She couldn’t mistake his tanned skin and his cleft chin. “Blue shirt and black pants with a matching blue helmet. Estimate time to crosshair- five minutes.”

  “Got it, Casey,” Mark said, ending her navigation.

  Eric watched the men emerge from around the bend through his binoculars. Blue shirt, black pants, he recited silently as he adjusted his diopter on the man he would be targeting. Got you.

  He worked quickly, bracing his gun against himself. He felt the usual initial rush grip his body but he just as fast settled it down. He focused on his breathing, adjusting his windage and the elevation knobs and then waited for his target to merge with his crosshairs.

  “Five,” Mark began the countdown. But it would be the only number he’d say out aloud.

  Eric steadied his finger on his trigger. Four… three… two…one.

  A shot fired into Harvey’s back and a split second later, Eric fired into the back of his head. He caught a glimpse of blood splattering out of his wound, but he didn’t wait to watch the panic sweeping over the man’s guards.

  “Move!” Mark commanded, dashing into the thickness of the forest.

  Eric grabbed his mat, wrapping his gun into it and then slung it over his back as he fell into a sprint.

  “Eric!” Mark breathed hoarsely into his earpiece.

  “Right behind you.”

  “Corey, the phone signals!”

  “Intercepted!” Corey called out. “You have twenty minutes before the copters sweep the area with IRs.”

  Three miles in twenty minutes, Eric thought, his heart pounding in his ears. He had to run three miles in twenty minutes. The wind rushed through him as he swept over forest debris and shrubbery. His feet thud against the ground and he prayed he wouldn’t trip and fall. Because this was a run for his life, a run for his freedom and a race to have a new beginning with Anne.

  “Hank!” Mark grunted.

  “Come on… come on,” Hank chanted to himself.

  Eric caught sight of the dark van on the dirt trail, Hank revving to shoot off. Mark jumped through the opened sliding door.

  “Come on, Eric!” Mark growled.

  Eric threw himself into the van and Mark slid the door shut.

  “Go!” Mark commanded Hank.

  The van shot out of the trail and into the highway, blending with the other vehicles heading towards the city.

  “Casey?” Mark asked.

  “Behind you.”

  Ambulance sirens pierced the air as they whizzed by them. Eric could hear the whirring of helicopter blades thunder above them. His heart was still pounding in his ears and he closed his eyes to regain control on its racing pulse. We made it. We made it.
<
br />   “They’re not following us,” Hank’s voice quivered. “Fuck.”

  Eric managed to catch a nervous flicker of his tongue between his lips. His eyes scanned the two other men in the van, their bodies high-strung and jittery. They just killed the newly re-elected mayor of San Diego but he was also someone almost comparable to a terrorist. He killed society with drugs, ordered hits on the innocent and with the protection of his high-powered contacts, he would have continued to wreck havoc.

  But here were four of the few people he knew who were assigned to battle a corrupt system. They were supposedly the best, the elitist officers of the FBI, and yet here they were as fucked up as he was. They were human.

  The corners of his lips tugged upwards and he broke into a light chuckle. Mark stared at him with slight amusement and then fell into a small laugh, infecting the rest as Casey and Corey’s laughter spilled into his earpiece. They broke out with cheers and fists pumping as the realization of their success dawned on them.

  “It’s not over yet,” Mark reminded through his smiles, and then added softly. “But it will be.”

  They dropped off at different points in the city and then re-grouped back at the base a little while later.

  Mark pulled out two bottles of water and tossed one over to Eric. “You’re one helluva sniper, I have to give you that.”

  Corey slumped beside Eric, his feet over an empty chair. “How did you know he was gonna do that? Raise his head?”

  Eric shrugged. “The natural instincts for any man hit in the back would be to arch back before slumping forward. But because he was moving at a fast speed, I could have missed that unless someone else took that shot on the back for me.”

  Hank whistled at Mark and he reluctantly walked over to him. Was there something wrong? Eric perked his lips but didn’t get much time to think as Corey continued to prod him with more questions.

  “But how is it that you do it?” The man shook his head in awe. “The air, the speed, gravity… how do you manage to take that all into account and yet manage to pin that bullet where you want it.”

  “It’s math and physics and I kind of was good at both.” He smiled.

  Corey grinned and slapped him on his back. “Well whatever it is, well done, man.”

  “Where’s Hank and Mark?” Casey asked as she joined them.

  Eric turned to look at them again and caught a glimpse of the two men engaged in a serious discussion. Mark glanced at him grimly. Eric frowned as the two men ambled into the room, back in an apprehensive state again.

  “Eric,” Mark started. He scratched the crown of his head, shifting anxiously. “There is something you should know. We’ve been tailgating Juan for a while and you may be right. He suspects something.”

  “What do you mean? Has he been following me?”

  “No. Actually, he’s been showing more interest in Anne.”

  Eric stiffened. Anne? “How exactly?” His throat suddenly chafed. Was he going to hurt Anne to get to him?

  “He has been following her and made contact with her on two occasions as far as we know.”

  Eric leapt out of his chair. “And you’re telling me this now?” he growled.

  “We didn’t want you distracted during the assassination.”

  “Anne is the reason why I am caught up in this fucking web! Do you think I would give a damn otherwise?” He pointed angrily at him. “Anne had better be alright when I get home.”

  “Eric, we had no choice! If we hadn’t got Trent Harvey, we don’t know how long we would have had to wait for another opportunity like this.”

  Eric grabbed his jacket and began walking towards the door, ignoring his excuses. They were after all excuses. No one here cared for Anne. All they wanted was their fucking mission!

  “Anne is alright!” Mark followed after him. “I had a female agent posted with her. She is being guarded at all times.”

  Eric’s jaw clenched as he threw a chair aside with frustration. “Arrgghh!”

  “Take it easy, Eric,” Mark assured calmly. “She is safe. We just thought you should know.”

  “When did you find out?” he asked slowly.

  “A few weeks ago. I had my suspicions, but it didn’t make sense why Juan would be shadowing Anne so closely when he could have sent one of his cronies to do the job. I doubt he would do it for Avanna, but it seems I was wrong. Unless, of course, you’ve got some beef with him that we don’t know about.”

  Eric shook his head. “I’ve been careful. I know I have.”

  “Then it must be for Avanna,” Mark summed, pinching his lips together with thought.

  “Does she know who Juan is?”

  “No, we didn’t tell her. Juan told her he was a friend of yours and we’re letting her think that. We don’t want her further involved in this than she already is.”

  Eric put his hands on his hips and stared down at the ground. Should he tell her about Juan? Or maybe Mark was right. If she knew about Juan, she’d become wary of him and her body language would probably give them all away.

  “Did anything happen last night?” Eric asked, recalling Mark’s earlier discussion with Hank.

  “Anne went out to dinner with Hank and Juan approached her again. This was their second meeting. The first one was with me, Julia and Ashley.”

  “And how did she introduce Hank?” Eric raised his brow.

  “A long distance cousin. He seems disturbingly interested in her, Eric. I know you will be meeting up with him soon, and let’s hope he cuts you free from the clan without much fuss.”

  “And if not?”

  Mark swiped a hand over his face. “I promised you freedom on the completion of this assignment and I will give you that. I will think of something.”

  CHAPTER 28

  James lay on Anne’s lap, cradled between her legs. It had been a day since he had assassinated Trent Harvey and yet Juan hadn’t contacted him. But neither had he.

  “James,” Anne said softly, combing her fingers through his hair. “Is everything okay?”

  He sighed and kissed her hand. “Yes, I’m just tired.”

  “Are you sure that is all? I can feel you grinding down your poor molars.” She traced his jaw with her fingertips.

  “It’s only work.” He closed his eyes, trying to nestle comfortably between her breasts, but his uneasiness about Juan kept creeping into him.

  He didn’t understand why Juan hadn’t called him about the hit, but there was a reason why he hadn’t been in touch with the king of The Pacheco gang. He was anxious about what would follow once he announced his retirement.

  “You’re quiet again,” she whispered, breaking into his thoughts.

  He turned in her arms and looked up at her. “And you’re beautiful.”

  She leaned down and kissed him. “You’re being charming again.”

  “Is that wrong?” he grinned.

  “No, but you do use it to get out of a serious discussion.”

  “Is it working?” He shifted further up her.

  She giggled. “A little.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “That’s no good. I need to work harder at this.”

  He pushed down the neckline of her dress, kissing the tops of her bosom. He cupped her breast, kneading it under his palm as he reached up to cover her mouth.

  “You can’t avoid all our discussions,” she rasped through his kisses.

  “No… but I could this one.” He smiled as he pressed his lips hard against hers.

  Her fingers speared through his dark hair, her legs wound around his hips. His hard cock thrust against her quivering stomach and she groaned, pushing up her crotch to rub it against the length of his thigh. He was enveloped in her warmth, their heat melding together making them ache for each other.

  “You feel so good,” he murmured, his hand moving down her, seeking for her wetness.

  “James… oh…,” she groaned, and then she tensed. “James, the oven!”

  “You’re in a rush,” he whispered amuse
dly and then kissed her down between her breasts and to her navel. “Easy, babe, I’ll get there.”

  She slapped his back and pushed him off her. “I mean the chicken in the oven. I forgot all about it and I need to give it another basting before it starts to burn.”

  He let out a groan as he watched her race towards the kitchen, and then he smiled. It was like those days again- when he was Eric and they were home. And together, they were a family. He’d do anything to have that again and sometimes this would have to mean doing something he wasn’t too keen on- facing Juan.

  The doorbell rang and he frowned. It was close to eight o’clock in the night. He ran a hand through his hair and strolled over to the camera to see who was paying him a visit at such an hour.

  “James? Is someone at the door?” Anne called out from the kitchen.

  “I’m getting it,” he grumbled.

  He turned on the camera and a chill swept through him. Juan. He glanced over at Anne who was working busily at their dinner.

  “James, open up buddy.” Juan smiled. “It’s just me, your man, Juan. I know you can see me.”

  Anne cocked her head to the side. Had she heard him? But she returned to her cooking and he leaned an arm against the wall, deciding how to handle Juan.

  He opened the door and found the man shifting impatiently outside it.

  “What’s up, ése?” Juan smiled.

  “Juan,” he said slowly, keeping a close attention on the three men flanking the gang boss in the near distance. “You shouldn’t be here?”

  “Are you telling me where I should be?” Juan raised his chin.

  “Juan, you know that isn’t it. This is an affluent neighborhood. And if your boys turn up in those flashy wheels, wearing their napkins on their heads, it will draw attention. I just want no trouble from the neighbors or the cops.”

  “You know, you’re right,” he replied. “Let’s talk inside.” He pushed James aside and walked into the house. “I smell something cooking,” he announced loudly.

  “Juan?” Anne said, raising her head and trying to be certain of his voice,