by David Carter
“Are you sure you can stand?”
“I don’t see what fucking choice I have.”
The elevator stopped on the second floor. A small security team was armed and waiting. As soon as the doors opened, Ryan and Spider heaved the bed out into the crowded corridor. The startled guards skittled over as the doors closed once more and the elevator headed down to the basement.
The doors flew open. “Over here, brother!” Trigger and Ace exclaimed together as they saw Blaze emerge from the elevator shaft.
Ryan and Spider helped Blaze, each taking an arm and literally dragging him towards the back seat of the Hummer.
“Everybody freeze!” shouted one of the two security guards who burst out through the stairwell door, aiming pistols in their direction.
Nobody knew what to do. They easily outnumbered the guards, but the reality of having weapons drawn on them made the situation tricky. And time was not a luxury they had.
Plan A was now deemed a complete failure.
An armoured van screeched around the corner and skidded to a halt.
“Why don’t we all just take it easy,” the driver said as he calmly stepped out of the vehicle.
The driver held up his credentials for the security guards to see. “Special Agent Doyle, FBI,” he said confidently. He pulled his firearm from its holster and aimed it at Ryan and the SAS as he curtly said, “All of you, on the ground now. Do it quickly before someone gets hurt. I won’t ask again.”
Ryan and the SAS did as instructed. The guards assisted Doyle in cuffing the men before throwing them in the back of the armoured van. Doyle thanked them for their assistance and assured them he’d send someone back to impound the Hummer later that night.
As soon as Doyle had driven a safe distance from the hospital, he pulled the van over and removed everyone’s cuffs.
Ryan and the SAS stepped outside on the sidewalk, cheering and throwing high-fives. Except for Blaze. He hadn’t said a word since they’d left the hospital. He angrily eyeballed Doyle. “What the fuck, man? You left me for dead back there!” he shouted.
Doyle calmly raised his hands. “Blaze, I assure you I did everything I could to prevent that from happening. My superior overruled my decision to use you as an asset after discovering your true identity.”
“And I assume I’ve got detective douche to fucking thank for that?” His head motioned towards Ryan.
“If you’re referring to the same detective who just broke a couple of dozen federal laws in order to pull off this rescue mission, then yes. And you’re bloody welcome by the way,” he fired back.
Blaze offered no reply.
“Look, I get it, you’re pissed,” Doyle said.
“Pissed? You think I’m fucking pissed? Do you have any idea what I did for you in there? Fuck you, Doyle! Fuck you and your fucking assignment!” Blaze launched a punch at him, but was too weak to keep his balance. He toppled forward, falling into Doyle’s outstretched arms.
“But you didn’t do it for me, though, did you, Blaze?” He calmly stood him up, looking him in the eye as he revealed the truth. “I know you did it for Jane and her son. You’d have gone inside regardless. It’s as if you’re too bloody proud to admit that deep down you’re not such a bad guy. Sure, you’ll always be the big, angry, biker that no one wants to mess with, but I feel there’s more to you than that. And, look, I get it: you’re angry because you feel I stabbed you in the back. But I swear on my life that it wasn’t meant to happen. Your friends here know I’m telling the truth. The moment I knew you were in trouble we starting looking into how we could bust you outta there. Hell, I’ll probably be writing up parking tickets for the rest of my career because of this. But at least I’ll sleep at night knowing I didn’t leave you behind. And you know what? We actually did a half-decent bloody job of it.” He grinned. “I must say your friends are quite resourceful, as are you, Blaze.”
That was when Blaze did something no one expected. He threw his arms around Doyle, shedding silent tears. “Thanks for not leaving me behind,” he said emotionally, wiping his eyes. “I honestly don’t think I’d have seen the night out.”
“You’re welcome,” Doyle replied. “And I truly mean that. From the conversations I’ve had with Ryan and your MC brothers, I know I made the right decision.”
Blaze patted Doyle on the back, and said, “It’s just as well you did, because I got the information you wanted.”
Chapter 58
“Did you bring your pills?” Elizabeth asked Hampton tersely.
He sarcastically shook his pill pottle in her face. “Yes, Mother.”
“Now, you know I’m only looking out for you,” she replied.
“I’m sorry, love.” Hampton gave her a smile. “These pills are a constant reminder that I’m not twenty-five anymore. But I doubt I’ll be needing them. I hardly think this tour will be overly stimulating.” Hampton rolled his eyes as he and Elizabeth were summoned to begin their tour of Government House.
“If you think you’re going to die of boredom, why on Earth did you bring me here?” Elizabeth replied.
“So I could spend the morning with the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth,” he replied innocently.
Elizabeth smiled. “Now that’s more like it.” She squeezed his hand. “For me, it doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing, as long as we’re together.”
Hampton felt guilty for not telling her the real reason they were there, but the less she knew, the better. He also wanted to keep an eye on her after the Jackal had threatened her life. If all went to plan she’d never need to find out.
The middle-aged woman conducting the tour gathered everyone together in the airy double-storey spaced room and introduced herself before beginning her spiel. The room was quite magnificent. Apart from the cavernous space the tour currently occupied, the walls were made from New Zealand-grown macrocarpa, which served as a beautiful backdrop to the marble clad columns and onyx walls.
The tour guide filed everyone towards an open marble staircase, complete with sturdy bronze balusters. When they reached their destination on the third floor, they stepped out onto an exquisite expanse of marble.
“We are now standing in the banquet hall,” the guide explained as they entered the semi-circular space. “It was purposely designed to host state banquets and is able to cater for up to three-hundred guests.”
As the tour guide continued explaining the details about the marble walls and tongue and groove floor, Hampton whispered to Elizabeth, “I just have to nip to the little boys’ room. Won’t be long.”
She barely registered his voice. She was completely captivated by the extravagant room and history behind it all.
Hampton quickly scaled a further level of stairs and stepped out into a quiet, dark hallway. It was unmonitored. “Third door on the left,” he mumbled to himself as he marched along the pristine grey carpet.
Hampton punched in the pin code to the door to the surveillance room. Fortunately the commissioner was privy to such information and was able to get Hampton inside.
The entire left wall was full of television monitors where one could see anything happening inside Government House at any given time. On the other side of the room was a secure desktop compter containing the archives of Government House’s surveillance footage. Hampton used the commissioner’s details to log into the computer, praying the Jackal hadn’t beaten him to the punch and removed any files.
It was his lucky day. Every shred of footage remained online and untouched.
Hampton inserted a USB stick into the computer and patiently waited for the specific file he needed to transfer while leaning back in his chair, taking a moment to enjoy the peace and serenity of the darkened silence. Only the dim light from the monitors shone on his face.
The moment the file transfer was complete, Hampton logged out of the computer and slipped the USB stick into his jacket pocket, before making his exit. He quietly closed the door behind him and walked back towards
the stairwell. As he approached the top step, a man on security almost bumped into him as he was making his rounds. “What are doing up here?” he asked him aggressively.
“I’m sorry, young man, I was looking for a bathroom. Guess I made a wrong turn.” He chuckled.
“Can’t you read, old man? This area is out of bounds.” He pointed to the large sign on the wall. “Now what were you really doing up here?” He shone his long, solid torch in his face.
Hampton started sweating. His heart rate suddenly skyrocketed and he clutched his chest. “Agh!” he groaned.
The guard wasn’t impressed. “All right, you can quit it with the sudden heart attack routine. Come on, I’m taking you downstairs for questioning.”
Hampton collapsed right in front of the guard. His facial features immediately changed from annoyed to deeply-concerned. “Help! I need a medic up here!” he called into his radio.
“Pills...” Hampton patted his trouser pocket.
The security guard reached inside Hampton’s pocket and pulled out a small brown tube. He quickly read the label and removed two pills before stuffing them in Hampton’s mouth. “Can you swallow them?” he asked.
Hampton nodded.
Two employees with first-aid training arrived in time to see Hampton sitting up by himself. His breathing had returning to normal. “False alarm, we’re doing okay here,” the guard said. They offered Hampton some water and checked his pulse before they were satisfied his heart rate had normalised.
“Thank you, young man,” Hampton said to the guard. “I can’t handle stressful situations so well these days.”
“Please accept my sincerest apologies.” He lightly placed his hand on his shoulder. “I was only following procedure. Members of the public aren’t supposed to be up here.”
“I understand. It’s my own fault for getting lost. I’m sorry to have given you a scare like that.”
“Never mind, let’s get you up and outta here, shall we?”
Elizabeth was ropeable when she discovered Hampton being helped down the stairs and led out to the car by the young guard. “You stupid fool!” She thumped him on the shoulder and she angrily plonked herself down in the driver’s seat.
“Hey! What was that for?” he fired back.
“You’re overdoing it with this case! You have to take care of yourself. Today was meant to be a nice way to take your mind off things, and then this happens!” Her eyes welled with tears. “I don’t want to be the one to find you keeled over getting into the bathtub because you’re too stubborn to listen to your body,” she scolded him.
“Oh, come now, Liz, I’m still here, aren’t I? Why are you getting so upset?”
“Because I love you, Steve, you idiot!” She gently placed her hand over his. “I can’t lose you.”
Hampton was taken aback. “You love me?” he asked.
“Yes, of course I do.” She lightly punched him again.
“Oh, Elizabeth, you certainly know the way to my heart.” He caressed her cheek as he said, “I love you, too.”
They let the moment linger as they both opened their hearts to one another. Then Elizabeth said, “Promise me this will be your last case, Steve. I mean it. I won’t be a widow if we’re to be together.”
Hampton looked into her teary eyes, then leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I promise, love.”
Chapter 59
As Ryan, Doyle, and the SAS returned to their hotel to regroup, Ryan received word from Hampton about Lemon and Papa Bear’s deaths. He’d written a brief email outlining the events going on back in Brighton. Needless to say, tensions were running high.
“I’m not going back!” Blaze screamed at Ryan. “I figured out why you are here! Everyone knows, don’t they?” he exploded.
“If by everyone knowing you’re alive and well and that the SAS are responsible for the commissioner’s death, then yes, you’re correct in your assumption,” Ryan replied.
“I fucking knew it,” Blaze cursed. “How did they find out?”
“They found the contract regarding your freedom in the rubble of the commissioner’s house. Bluntly put: you did this to yourself. If you’d have just left well-enough alone, none of us would be in this position. And because I stayed quiet as to your whereabouts, I’m being heavily scrutinised. The new commissioner has me over a barrel: if I don’t bring you and the rest of the MC back home, dead or alive, my life as I currently know it will be over.”
Blaze was torn as to how to respond. His mind was reeling. He had no intentions of submitting himself for prosecution, but he knew it wasn’t fair on Ryan to take the heat for his actions, either.
“Did the commissioner make an offer as to what happens with the MC if I return?”
“He did make some concessions, yes.”
“Such as?”
“For their cooperation in the safe return of yours truly, all members of the SAS will serve minimal time, say, six-to-twelve months in Brighton Penitentiary.”
“Shit, that’s not so bad. What about me?”
“I’m sorry, Blaze.” Ryan shook his head. “The commissioner wouldn’t budge regarding your sentence. You will go to trial and take the fall and do whatever time the judge deems fit. And with a double-homicide hanging over your head, well, let’s just say it won’t be a positive outcome.”
Blaze’s insides squirmed. “Got any whisky?” he asked. “This is all getting a bit much for me.”
Spider got up and handed him a beer from the fridge. “Best I can do,” he said, and opened one for himself.
Blaze twisted the bottle top and lazily turfed it aside before draining the bottle’s entire contents.
“So what are you going to do?” Spider asked him.
Blaze looked Spider in the eye. He answered his question with a question. “What were you planning on doing once you’d found me?”
Spider grinned. “Knocking off the detective and doing a runner.”
“Even though Ciggy, Lemon, and Papa Bear were still locked up?”
Spider was taken aback. “To be honest we hadn’t thought that far ahead,” he replied, ashamed of himself.
Blaze was less than impressed. “You put yourselves before the MC! What the fuck, man?”
“Hey, you’re no fucking better! Doing a runner to the States and leaving us to take the heat for your vendetta! You’ve got a fucking nerve saying we’re disloyal to the patch!”
Blaze launched himself at Spider. They tangled on the floor, both struggling to gain the upper hand.
Blaze caught Spider on the lip with a furious jab. Spider popped Blaze in the ribs multiple times before Ryan intervened.
“Break it up, you two!” Ryan shouted. He and Doyle rushed in, copping a few knocks for their trouble as they pulled the two brutes apart. “Let’s all just take a breath and talk this through.”
Spider wiped the blood from his split lip. He knew he’d crossed the line with Blaze. They were all hurting after the news of Lemon and Papa Bear’s deaths and they felt anxious about their futures. “I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t mean what I said.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Blaze replied. They embraced each other.
“We wanted a taste of freedom. I pushed for all the MC members to come, but the commissioner only allowed the three of us. And to be honest, we didn’t think we’d find you,” Spider explained.
Blaze understood his motives. “So how do we solve this mess?”
“There’s only one solution, Blaze,” Ryan cut in.
“I’m not going to fucking prison,” he snapped.
“Is that so?” Ryan replied. “What happened to your all for one, one for all, mantra, eh? Or are you all talk and no bloody action? It sounds to me like you aren’t man enough to accept the consequences of your own actions.”
“Watch your fucking mouth, detective.”
“Oh, it’s detective now, is it?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You know, I distinctly recall you telling me that I was considered family after we buried Danny. And
last time I checked, I’ve lived up to every word and bargain I’ve ever said and made to you. And right now I need you to man up and to do the right thing. Who knows? I might be able to cut a plea bargain for a lighter sentence. There’s always strings to be pulled in the judicial system.”
Ryan knew his words struck a chord with Blaze. For once he was dead quiet, offering no snarky comeback.
Ryan made one last appeal. “Please, Blaze, I’m begging you. Sharon and I are to be married. I remained loyal to you and said nothing about your whereabouts until someone else figured it out. And for my trouble, Sharon called the wedding off. She won’t reply to my phone calls, she thinks I’m a lying, conniving, shithead, and I’ll be going to prison for something I didn’t bloody do.”
“Fuck, all right! I’ll do it! Just quit the fucking guilt trip man!”
Ryan was stunned by his response. “Are you’re saying you’ll come back? Without a fuss?”
“You said everything I needed to hear before: all for one, one for all. That still means something to me. And as president of the SAS it’s my sworn duty to look out for my MC family.” He looked into Ryan’s eyes. “And that includes you.”
Ryan couldn’t believe his change of heart. “Thank you, Blaze, you don’t know how much that means to me. I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to give you some sort of a life.”
“Don’t bother,” Blaze replied. “I’ll do my time. Running away to the States has only prolonged the inevitable. I’ll go quietly, but only on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“There’s something we have to do before I go back.” Blaze stared defiantly at everyone in the room. “We have to finish what Doyle and I started.”
Chapter 60
Hampton inserted his USB stick into the computer in his office and fast-forwarded the video until he reached the approximate time Lemon and Papa Bear’s murder-footage had been accessed and stolen. The footage was black and white; grainy at best. The room in which the camera was mounted was dark. All the ceiling lights had been powered off. Hampton concentrated hard as the assailant entered the room and sat at the computer terminal. He was wearing a black balaclava. The glow from the computer screen clearly showed the Jackal’s hands vigorously typing away on the keyboard. Hampton sighed in frustration, as without a visual on his face, the footage was rendered useless.