“Derek, just take care of yourself and your pawn; you know that they can destroy you both if you get in their way.”
“Goodnight beautiful,” Derek mouthed, as he closed the door, returning to the night now knowing he was once again a wanted man.
The binoculars pried into the shadows that darted into and out of the night. Patience was not pleasantry, and wondering thoughts were dangerous to these surroundings. He fought flashing thoughts of both of them, of Leslie’s warning and of Kellar’s deep touch upon him in the fogs of dreams. Somehow the latter held his interest more firmly. Sure, he knew if his part in this assignment were revealed outside of his organization or even to the wrong people inside of it; anyone would be lucky to ever see one severed slice of him again, but that was something that had become somewhat normalcy to him. He wasn’t sure he trusted Leslie’s associates about the price on his head anyway, though he was pretty sure that some of those beautiful ladies working for her would pay a pretty penny for him to nail them. Ah, but nail was not the proper word for use when it came to Kellar; he was still trying to figure out why he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Usually it was the other way around; women who saw him fell into his mystical gaze. This woman, Dr. Raines must indeed be a siren to be drawing him in with such power without even so much as a spoken word in his private direction, as of yet. Derek shook his clouded head and focused in on the target scene.
Soon he was able to snap pictures of the arrival of a new shadow, Derek’s prey. From his position, Derek closely followed the motions of the men and recorded the few words they spoke. He was sure that none of them would discover his presence from this vantage point; however he would have to get a hell of a lot closer to finish this job. For now, he would listen in on the visionaries and possibly gain insight into the roots of their cause.
“We appreciate your continued support; tightening our borders is of the utmost importance, yet I think that you know the complications that will bring.”
“Yes, and I can assure you that our arrangement will come to fruition,” the congressman strongly returned. “I have the support that is needed, and have upheld my end of our little arrangement thus far. Am I to assume that you have a new shipment for me?” Fowler questioned the darkened figure.
“These are important additions to the family. They must be handled with care,” the man returned.
“All of my people are handled in accordance to your needs; you need not worry,” Fowler assured the man.
“Let’s all hope so, for your sake and ours,” added a second mist entering the conversation. Fowler took the small package and tucked it away into his jacket. He then watched the men slip away into the night.
As Derek watched the figures shift slowly into the blackness, one lone presence gave a deep yet nervous gaze towards the night’s sky. Derek eyed Fowler who soon found his exit was blocked by an all too familiar warning click, Derek’s gun as he had made his way through the shadows in the man’s direction.
“So who did they send for me?” Fowler quietly spoke as he froze to the emerging threat coming from behind him.
“Who would you like me to be?” Derek returned.
“You know my friends have not departed too long ago. I’m sure their listening in as we speak. I like to accessorize in today’s secure technologies.”
“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m fairly sure that your friends will assume you’ll be getting tucked in securely tonight, that is until tomorrow. You know you don’t seem like their type anyway. What exactly does your friendship, consist of?”
“You’re in way over your head, Son.”
“Maybe so, but hell it pays the bills.”
“So, you think you’re someone of importance. Well, I’m afraid you’re mistaking. Do you know who I am? Do you know who you’re fucking with?” Fowler demanded.
Derek eyed the man’s subtle movement and quickly ended the conversation. “I know who you used to be,” he smirked as he raised the pipe into the whipping wind, taking down his prey, and making off with the spoils of insight.
Derek shook his head in frustration as he felt the depths of the words, the explanations in front of him. Watson, his boss, had ordered the hits that Derek had carried out; Willis, Price, and now the good congressman Fowler of course. Though the triangle was now complete, the situation was still quite complex it seemed. The hits on Willis and Price had been well, less complicated however. They had not come weighed down with information pinned to them for the taking. The coded data in Fowler’s deep pockets that Derek found before him now seemed to come from someplace that at the moment anyway likely held more power than the money mint itself. Derek knew his place, and it was not going through these codes which he had confiscated. His mind and curiosity just couldn’t however help themselves to a quick study, and a quick flash or two of the micro camera.
“What took so fucking long, Mr. Barnes?” Daniels questioned as he arrived after finishing “the job.”
“Just being cautious,” Derek replied sarcastically.
“And since when has caution ever entered your mind, Derek? Is the job finished or not?”
“Let’s just say he won’t be wasting my taxpayer dollars any longer.”
“Right…and the spoils?” Daniels sharply questioned. Derek smirked and handed over the information he had found on Fowler. “We will get back with you on any decisions to be made. Be advised, you had better be immediately available. Is that understood?”
“What the fuck ever,” Derek answered before turning and walking out. He headed back to his own side of the building, ordered “his” personal guards to quietly lock down his area and to be sure and make him aware of any “intruders” that might arrive without prior notification. He himself then began taking part in a little code breaking of his own.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
John awoke to an alarm clock and a phone call. ‘Who the hell would be calling this early’, he thought. Reaching for his phone, John felt like getting a call from anyone this early probably wasn’t a good thing.
“John, are you awake yet?” Kayla spoke softly into the phone.
“Kind of, why what’s going on?” Caroline began to stir as John rose up from the bed.
“There’s been a murder; you need to get down here. I’m um, across from the old industrial park.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Wish I was, but that’s not the only problem. The victim, a VIP you could say, as in Congressman Neal Fowler.”
John’s shocked face drew concern from Caroline’s direction. “Is everything alright?” she whispered to him. John nodded his head and took the phone downstairs so as not to alarm her any further.
“John, are you still there?” Kayla asked.
John tried to quickly gather himself. “Yeah, I was just moving into a different room so I wouldn’t bother Caroline. How was he killed?”
“Not sure yet, John. I just arrived. Stroud and Dodd got here before me, and they have taken control of things. Ryst is here now too, and he wanted me to call you.”
“I’ll be right there.” As John hung up, he noticed Caroline standing at the top of the stairs.
“Are you okay?” Caroline questioned as she stared down towards John.
“Yeah, it’s just work stuff, Baby. I got to get to work in a hurry. I’ll see you tonight. Go on back to bed.”
“Okay,” she answered back a bit puzzled. John wished that he could share more. This was just too big, and she was well kind of acting a bit odd lately. He just didn’t want to burden her with this type of thing especially when it was so new, and he still knew so little about all of it himself. Well, other than one thing that was anyway; the fact that there was a connection between this dead man and the reason he himself had almost had his own name carved out in stone.
Upon pulling up to the scene, security was very tight yet attempting to not draw too much attention to itself in the early morning air. John walked up to see his Captain waving him over.
&
nbsp; “Thanks for inviting me,” John greeted annoyingly since it seemed that he was the last one to be called in on the scene.
“Seems you’re not the most popular guy around here, John. I think that you’ve done that to yourself possibly,” Ryst answered back
“What the hell’s that got to do with it?”
“Maybe not as much if this was one of our regulars. It’s not as if we called you in a day or two late or anything though so quit your whining. You know that the feds are going to jump us on this kind of thing, John.”
“So what do we know so far?” John then questioned, getting a cautious look from his Captain. “Well?”
“Initially, it looks like blunt force trauma to the back of the head killed him.”
“Son of a bitch… and I’m willing to bet that the similarities don’t and won’t end there,” John said before walking further in towards the scene.
“Now John…” He heard Ryst call out after him.
“Well, hello Agent Stroud; what gets you out of bed so early this morning? Missing out on our beauty sleep now aren’t we?” John jabbed trying to get a rise out of Stroud, receiving only a cold glare and a distant watchful stare apparently from Dodd as well.
“John, there you are,” Brown interceded now stepping between the two men, John and Stroud. Seemingly eyeing John with a concerned warning, at least what appeared to possibly be one anyway.
“Yeah I’m here, and I hear that we have a possible third match as well. I’m sure glad that your boss will be helping us get to the bottom of this, now won’t you Stroud. I sure am glad that we are all working together now, hand in fucking hand these days. Isn’t that right, Dodd?” John responded noticing that Dodd had now made his way over as well. “We’ll have to pull those Willis and Price files back out of the closet, get the moth balls off of them and all. You know, come to think of it this is about the same timeline as the third murder in District 4, imagine that shit,” John then boldly announced.
“Lieutenant Goldman, that’s enough!” Captain Ryst then interrupted. “We’re not here to cause a problem. We have been over that multiple times previously, and you were told that your place in that matter, in District 4 is in the past and will stay there.”
“Why thank you, Captain Ryst. I suggest that you learn to better control your people so that we don’t have to control them for you,” Stroud then spoke firmly. “This is a very sensitive matter, one that I would rather not have to take my attention away from in order to deal with your problem officers. I hope that that is clear, Captain.”
“Oh of course.”
This time John was quite sure that Kayla’s gaze was that of a warning.
“Come Agent Brown,” Stroud then harshly ordered.
“Yes sir,” she then answered, and John could have sworn that he saw her rolling her eyes just slightly, though he had to wonder if that was to be issued in his direction or in Agent Stroud’s.
“What the hell were you thinking, John? Why can’t you just keep your damn mouth shut?” Ryst questioned.
“Just back the hell off of me alright,” John then replied as he walked over to now see the body of the Congressman, it wasn’t pretty, and once again it showed signs of being dumped at the scene just like all the rest. “So who found the body?” John then questioned.
“A drunk, homeless guy and they already carted him off for questioning at the federal offices.”
“Let me guess they already did a lot of damn things before I got here and possibly before you got here as well even?” John questioned Ryst.
“Let’s not start this shit please, John. I don’t want a war with these people.”
“Because you’re fucking afraid of them, go ahead and say it, Ryst.”
“I will not let you cause a scene here today either. Do you understand me, John? This time it won’t be just a weekend getaway that they slap your ass with; I’ll make sure of that personally. You know just as well, as I do that by now there has to be some plainclothes journalist over there trying to figure out a way to snap some damn pictures. We cannot afford to embarrass this department just because of your inability to play well with others. Now you want to be here you shut up and listen to me and to Agent Stroud, like it or not.”
“Well, I’ve been here what ten minutes, just in time it looks like, seems there here to collect the body.”
“Captain Ryst, Lieutenant Goldman we’re going to need you to step back now.”
Just then John saw Agent Brown come back from around some vehicles nearby looking nervous, annoyed and well slightly off her game perhaps. As he turned in an attempt to begin combing the rest of the scene, she approached him from behind.
“I’m sorry John, but I’m afraid that you’re going to have to go,” she then quietly informed him.
“What, what the hell are you talking about, Agent Brown?”
“They’re closing off the scene, John. I’m sorry. Stroud has ordered me to tell you that you have to leave, now.”
“Oh I see. This is where your trust comes in, huh?” John questioned feeling a bit of déjà vu creeping up on him.
“Not now, John. Please not now, with the attitude. I’m worried that he might try to pull something on you. He’s very angry right now. Whatever you said, the discussion you had with him as short as it might have been, it really pissed him off even more. He’s actually scaring me a little bit right now, John; so please I am asking you for me if for no other reason, to just go,” Kayla’s eyes pleaded with him desperately.
“Is there a problem over here, Mr. Goldman?” Dodd questioned, suddenly appearing before them.
“No, no problem. After all I wouldn’t want to cause a fucking scene here for you or the damn department or anything. I was actually just leaving, Agent Brown,” John nodded to Kayla while flaunting deep signs of irritation for Dodd’s benefit and showing his true frustrations as well, hoping all the while however that he could trust the desperation in Kayla’s eyes to be a true and meaningful emotion.
“So what’s this about? What’s with all you’re little secrecy tactics?” John questioned deep into the night’s breeze.
“I’m scared, scared that I’m being followed John, that I’m being watched. I’m even beginning to wonder if they might have my place bugged, be listening in on my life, you know. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about this kind of thing; I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before. Even so, I came straight from work. I know that they are keeping things from me there, John. Here, I brought you this.”
“Brought me what?” John questioned as she stepped in closer and handed him a flash drive.
“Everything that I could get in the last couple of days on the Congressman’s murder. I fear that it’s only the bare bones basics as they say, but like I said I’m just… I mean I know that I’m the new bitch on the block there, and I’m still learning the ropes in this location. But, dammit John, I out rank Dodd, and he acts like he’s my damn master around there. He talks down to me like he’s ordering some whore around, and don’t even get me started on Stroud’s odd behavioral changes since I first arrived. He’s starting to scare me now at times, John.”
“It sounds like from what you describe you might have risked a lot bringing me this. Once again, why the hell are you doing that?”
“I…”
“Hey, you can trust me, Kayla. It’s not just a one way street you know.”
“Alright, I’m a part of a faction that has split from the main FDC division in a manner of speaking.”
“Whoa, whoa slow down. What exactly does that mean?”
“I infiltrated their ranks to get intelligence, information that will one day put a stop to… certain elements among them, we’re hoping anyway. I have then helped to recruit others that have assisted in the division or secretive splitting off inside the ranks of the FDC. There’s but a small number of us now, yet our numbers are growing. There are others that have managed to infiltrate such as myself. I’m not brand new to the game, bu
t this situation that I’ve found myself in now is more serious than what I have encountered before I’ll admit. ”
“Wow, impressive truth that you were hiding there. So do these elements that you are targeting include people like Stroud and Dodd?”
“Yeah, they weren’t my immediate targets, at least not initially,” she scoffed. “I am finding out however that I believe that they have a higher stake in the game than I was familiar with so to speak from some angle obviously. Cracking them for intel has proven very difficult however.”
“Well, then who are your damn targets, currently that is?”
“I’m sorry John, but I can’t be that specific about it,” she smiled.
“So do you think that Stroud is attempting to keep tabs on you until he feels like he can trust you more or do you think that possibly your cover is blown and that these targets of yours are now targeting you or even that that’s the reason why Stroud may be? Maybe Stroud is suspicious of who you are?”
“I’m really not sure yet, but I really should probably get going. We both should go ahead and clear this meet area. I’m not sure how long it will be secure,” she responded while moving closer in towards him.
“Yeah, okay, and thanks. Take care of yourself now, Kayla. Let me follow you home?”
“Bad idea, John. Just go alright,” she softly requested while moving her long, slender body in to John’s, sliding her hand slowly across his chest her lips now taunting, trapping his own as she pushed his back against the concrete wall behind them. “I’ll be fine, hun, goodnight,” she added before pulling away slowly and blowing him a kiss through the night’s air.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You know, John, I just find it hard to believe that this woman would just open up to you like that, I mean without asking for any favors in return at all. That to me in itself sounds kind of suspicious.”
“Never said I bought her damn story. Still it seems like the file would have indicated that Congressman Neal Fowler’s death had no other similarities to Willis, to Price, to the District 4 murders. However her file shows his death to be pretty much an exact match. If Stroud sent her in to bullshit me, why would he send that kind of file with her?” John now explained. He definitely left out the part about Kayla shoving him against the wall, trapping him, and almost kissing him. That woman seemed to either be playing with his head as Derek had suggested or she was becoming obsessed with him, one or the other it seemed.
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