Hell and Back

by Dirk Greyson

  Forge worked the mechanism to open the box and handed Coleridge the note and the drive. “There’s just a slide show on there with pictures of Granger and me. As you can see from the note, he was aware for some time that he was working with dangerous people. I think he gathered the files we’ve been looking for in order to protect himself, but instead he brought on his death.”

  “Have you found the files?”

  “No. But I believe they’re in the cloud storage he had.” Forge pointed to the note. “I think I know the email he’s referring to, but I haven’t found the password. The last time we went through the safe, I found nothing I wasn’t expecting and certainly nothing that said what his passwords were.” Forge looked to Gage.

  “In some papers we found in Granger’s office,” Gage explained, pulling out the pages from the hidden drawer in Granger’s desk, “we found references to my father. When we were in Chicago, I spoke with him. My dad didn’t take any payoffs, but we believe the information we are searching for is on the Lucci family.”

  Detective Coleridge didn’t seem surprised. “The men chasing you were identified as having ties to the Lucci family. They lawyered up quickly, and all we could really get them on was a traffic violation. They weren’t going to admit chasing you, and their lawyers were damn good.”

  “I was afraid of that,” Gage said. “When we were at my father’s last night, Stanley Lucci was there with two of his men. They were trying to put pressure on my father to do business with them, but I gave them a very clear message.”

  “Where are your parents now?”

  “Taking a vacation. I don’t know where they are, but I got a message from my father a few hours ago that they were boarding a plane for Europe and planned to stay a few weeks. Hopefully they’ll be out of their grasp until we can clear all this up.” Gage took Forge’s hand, holding it under the table. “The Lucci family is involved….”

  “That’s what I figured. They have their fingers in many pies, and it’s going to be nearly impossible to take them down. Their business goes through many people, and they rarely do their own dirty work. Though they’re good at intimidation.”

  Forge had no idea what they were going to do other than try to find the information Granger had. “You said you’d made progress.”

  “We were able to unlock the laptop with the help of federal agencies. But the files we need have additional encryption, and we don’t have the key to unlock them. Do you suppose it could be this same password he refers to in his note?”

  “I don’t know,” Forge answered. “I’ll go get what’s in the safe again, but I don’t think there’s anything in there. Remember that Granger wrote that note six months ago, and he could have removed whatever he put that password on, which would be the end of it. There weren’t any notes or handwritten cards with some mysterious password on it. Besides, Granger would never do that. It wasn’t like him at all. He loved puzzles, so he’d put it somewhere that wasn’t obvious.”

  Forge left the room and went downstairs to open the safe and transfer everything to a box, then carried it all back up. He set the box on the table and stepped back, letting Coleridge take a look at some of the personal items from his and Granger’s marriage. Forge sat down and let Coleridge do what he needed to.

  Coleridge went through everything systematically, looking and then putting the items aside. Once he was done, Forge put the things back in the box and returned them to the safe, locked it up, and covered it the way it had been before.

  “That seems like a dead end.”

  “I’m afraid it is. Like I said, I know the account email, but the password truly seems lost to all of us. The note is six months old. Maybe Granger changed the password and took the card out of the safe, but didn’t change what he’d put in the safe-deposit box.” Forge handed Coleridge the papers they’d found. “You’re going to have to make do with these. It’s all we have at the moment.”

  “Unfortunately not everything on those pages is true,” Gage added, pointing out the information about his father.

  “You believed your dad?”

  Gage nodded. “He and I haven’t gotten along very well lately, but he was surprised I knew the information and he swears he never took anything from them that could be a bribe. Who knows?”

  Detective Coleridge stood, then paced across the room. “We aren’t getting anywhere very quickly. Every time we run down a lead, we hit a dead end. We need to find this information that Granger was keeping.” Frustration rolled off him, and Forge felt every ounce of it. Forge deserved answers—they all did—and there were so many questions still hanging in the air.

  “How did he get messed up with these people?” Forge asked. “He had a good practice that was well respected.”

  “They prey on weakness of any sort. I don’t know what Granger’s was, but they took advantage of him. You said he cheated on you. And his note said that he was set up.”

  “Yeah. Things with Granger and me had been difficult for a while, but we were trying to work things through. At least that’s what I thought until I found out about the affair. Granger said he wanted someone younger, but it didn’t last.”

  “Sounds to me like Granger might have been played.”

  Forge nodded and looked at the floor. “I keep wondering if I’d been more of what he needed, then this wouldn’t have happened.” A wave of guilt as high as the ceiling washed over him. “I should have been more vigilant. I took Granger for granted and thought he’d always be there. Then he wasn’t, and what we had was gone. Now he isn’t coming back.”

  Coleridge sat across from him. “These feelings are normal, but there was nothing you could do. If Granger was being played, then they already figured out that things were strained between you and played on Granger’s weakness. Regardless of how they did it, what happened isn’t your fault. You’re the victim of a crime, and unfortunately this is how many victims feel over time.”

  Forge looked to Gage, who nodded slowly. “You didn’t do this, and you aren’t responsible for what happened with Granger and what he did.” Gage turned to Coleridge. “What about the body?”

  “We’ll release it today. I don’t think there’s anything more that we can learn from it.”

  Forge nodded blankly. “I’ll call his parents, and they can make arrangements. They blame me for what happened. I know it isn’t my fault, at least in my head. I keep telling myself that, but in my heart, I—” Forge groaned and sat back in his seat. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

  “Nothing at all. Your husband was killed in the most violent way possible, and we aren’t any closer to finding out who did it or why.” Coleridge took the papers they’d given him and left the house.

  Forge stared at Gage, wondering what they were going to do next. “We’re done for,” he said. “Those people from Chicago are going to figure out that we don’t have the information you said we did and they’re going to come after us, and then that’s going to be the end of it.” Forge got to his feet, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe we should just tell them the information Granger had is locked away and they don’t have anything to worry about. Their deep, dark secrets are safe from everyone and they can back off.”

  Gage shook his head. “Okay. Let’s say that they believe us and agree to back off. What about Granger? They’ll have gunned him down, and the person who did it will get off scot-free. I know he cheated, but did he deserve that?”

  “No, he didn’t. Not at all.” Forge began pacing. “This is all one of Granger’s puzzles. He said that the password was where he kept our personal papers stored, and that was always the floor safe. It’s where we kept the wills and powers of attorney. Granger was always really anal that we have all those things. But we went through everything twice and came up with nothing at all.”

  “Like you said, the letter was written six months ago. What if he changed the password or pulled that information out of the safe because of what was happening between the two of you? There are a lot of t
hings that could have changed. We have to face that.”

  “But we can’t give up,” Forge said. The thought of never knowing what truly happened to Granger would haunt him for the rest of his life.

  “We’re not going to. There is an answer to this riddle. We have to find it.” Gage stood, stopped his pacing, and hugged him tightly. “Go on upstairs and pack yourself a bag. We’re not going to stay here tonight.”

  Forge went up to his room and packed some clothes for a few days, then returned downstairs. Gage was on the phone with Margie, talking softly, but he hung up when Forge entered. He escorted Forge out of the house through the garage doors and to the car. Forge buckled himself in, and Gage drove them toward his office, making quite a few false turns, looking for anyone who might be following them. Forge didn’t see anyone, and Gage pulled into the lot, used the remote to open the doors, and drove inside, the heavy-duty overhead door sliding down behind them.

  “We should be safe here.”

  “I hope so.” Forge’s mind went back to yesterday and the way they’d been located the last time.

  “Margie has been watching the property, and there hasn’t been anything other than cursory interest since we sent them on their wild goose chase. They also have no way of knowing if we’re here or not. We’re completely out of sight and the entire facility looks deserted. Margie is working from home and watching over secure internet connections that are encrypted six ways from Sunday. We’re safe. Besides, I doubt after they followed us here once, they’d think we’d return.” Gage led him inside and through the office area to the small living quarters. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’m going to see what we have to eat. It’s past lunchtime and we left Chicago in a hurry.”

  Forge’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. He set up his computer on the coffee table in the living area, booting it up. Gage poked his head in long enough to put in the passcode so Forge could access the internet, and he spent the next hour answering emails and working on paperwork. He had a load of meetings starting on Monday, but until then, work had cleared his schedule, which Forge was extremely grateful for.

  “What are you thinking?” Gage asked as he came in with a bowl of soup and set it on the table where Forge was working.

  “I don’t know. I keep thinking that I want this all to be over, and then I wonder what will happen once it is. In the last few days, my world has been turned upside down, and I don’t know what to do about it.” Forge sat back, staring at the bowl of soup as though he wasn’t sure what it was.

  “What do you want?” Gage asked softly.

  Forge shrugged. “I know I don’t want you to disappear into the ether. I want to have my life settled and quiet once again.” He blinked. “But I bet your life is never quiet.”

  “I have to admit, my life is rarely dull and I don’t sit on one place for very long. I spend a lot of my time out in the field, helping people who need protection, just like I’ve been helping you. It’s what I do and a big part of who I am and how I make my living.”

  Forge nodded slowly as what Gage was saying sank into his mind, chilling him. After this was over, Gage would go on to a new case and protect someone else. His life was going to be active and on the go all the time. He wasn’t going to be able to slow down and take a nine-to-five job, coming home to Forge at the end of the day. Was Forge going to be able to handle that, and did Gage want to come home to him? Was Gage going to want to settle down with him and his relatively quiet life? Gage deserved someone who could keep up with him.

  “Is that what you’re worried about? That my life will be more than you can handle? Or that I’ll want someone… different?” Gage sat next to him. “You need to remember that I looked for you in everyone I met for seventeen years. I don’t know what our future will look like, but I do know that I want one with you. So let’s get through the next few days, figure out what’s going on, make sure you’re safe, and then we can sit down and figure out the kind of life we want together.”

  Forge nodded but didn’t move. “What if you get bored with me? It was pretty obvious that’s what happened with Granger. We got settled in our lives and they became dull and something Granger didn’t want anymore. What if that happens with you?”

  Gage smiled and actually chuckled. Forge wanted to punch him for it. “I somehow doubt I could ever get bored with you.” Gage took his hand. “You think my life is all excitement and one big adrenaline rush. Most of the time it’s what Harv has been doing for the last few days—watching, waiting, and doing a whole lot of nothing.” He leaned closer, and Forge’s heart beat a little faster just because Gage closed the distance between them. “Besides, you are the most exciting thing to come into my life. You make my pulse race and make me gasp for air just by looking at me. I don’t want to be without you. That’s as simple as I can put it. When this is over, I want to come home and find you in my bed, waiting for me, just like you should have been for the last seventeen years. I want to hear your stories and have you listen to mine. I want to make love in the middle of the night when it’s raining cats and dogs. I want to be there for you when you grow old and we end up sitting in rocking chairs on our porch somewhere where it’s warm and peaceful.” Gage paused and stared into Forge’s eyes. “I don’t know exactly what our lives will look like once we’re together—we’ll figure it out—but I know I do want to have a life with you. I always have.” Gage held him tightly, as though he were the most precious person in the world. It had been so very long since he’d felt that way that Forge almost wondered if he could even remember.

  “I want that too. But what if—”

  “You and I can do whatever we want. Hell, the doctors didn’t think I’d be able to walk again, but you and I… well, we showed them all those years ago, and if we can do that, then we can do anything.” Gage pressed him back on the sofa, and Forge forgot about food or being hungry. All that mattered was Gage next to him.

  Forge clung to him. “I want you with me, like this, all the time.”

  “It’s what I want too,” Gage told him as he smoothed the hair away from Forge’s face. “Let’s get through this mystery and make sure you’re safe. Then we can make plans.” Gage kissed him hard, tongue exploring, then gentled it and sat back up. “You should eat your lunch….” Gage’s mouth fell open and he turned to Forge.

  “What is it?” Forge asked.

  “That thumb drive. The one we found in the safe. You had already taken the things back downstairs, so you put it in one of Granger’s puzzle boxes for safekeeping. We never showed that to Coleridge.”

  Forge shrugged.

  “I think we need to look at that once again.” Gage had a faraway look. “Do you remember that blank file on the drive? Shit, what if there was something in that file and we couldn’t see it.”

  Forge shook his head. “What do you mean?”

  “White lettering on a white background. I never checked to see if there was anything there. I saw a blank screen and thought the file was blank. Granger said the password was in the safe. What if he hid it in plain sight on that drive?”

  Forge sat up and picked up his spoon. “You could be right. After lunch, we’ll go back to the house and get it.”

  “No,” Gage said quickly. “I’ll go get it after we eat. I’d like you to stay here and be safe. I’ll phone ahead to make sure everything is all right. But Harv is needed elsewhere, so I’ve got to pull him off watching the house to start a new job. I won’t do that until later this evening, though. There’s a woman whose husband has been threatening her during their divorce. He’s a bodybuilder, and unfortunately she claims he’s taken too many steroids and is prone to fits of rage.”

  Forge frowned as he swirled his soup. “I’ve seen Harv. He’s rather small. How is he going to stand up to some roid-raged ball of muscle?”

  Gage’s mouth turned up in an almost evil grin. “Harv can take care of himself, and it doesn’t matter how big they are—if you break their knees, they fall hard. And Harv is
a master at self-defense, as well as a number of martial arts. I’ve seen him take on a man almost three hundred pounds and leave him rolling on the ground in pain. So don’t worry about him. Worry about the out-of-control bodybuilder. He’s the one who’s likely to end up in the hospital if he comes at Harv’s client.” Gage was still grinning, and Forge knitted his brows together in order to try to figure it out. “Besides, I don’t think I could keep Harv away from this client if I tried. She’s the one who got away from him a number of years ago.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “No.” Gage grinned. “He still cares for her and asked for the assignment. Margie and I discussed it, and we thought it best. You’ll be safe here until we’re sure the threat has passed, and Harv has been busy installing an alarm system at your house.”

  “An alarm?”

  “Yes. It’s noninvasive and uses some of the latest technology. There are also cameras that you’ll be able to access through the internet. We’ll be able to watch the house from here and know if anything is amiss. It will be much more cost-effective than having someone physically watching the house day and night. And once this is over, you’ll be safer there. The costs were part of the original protection contract I sent over and what you approved with your lawyer.”

  Forge realized he must have looked shocked. “I’m sorry. This just came as a surprise.”

  “The alarm system isn’t going to replace me, and I’m still going to make sure you’re safe. I’ll just have some help.” They ate in silence for a bit, the tink of the spoons on the dishes the only sound other than an occasional slurp. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You didn’t and you’re right. It will be good to have an alarm so I’ll know if someone else is there, especially when I’m home alone.” Forge suspected that he’d be spending a lot of time at home alone.

  “What are you afraid of? Really afraid of? Not the answer that you tell yourself or the one you think I want to hear, but the truth.” Gage set down his spoon, turning to him.