Beyond the Cabin

by Dana Ridenour

  Tony was strong and Lexie wasn’t completely recovered from her previous injuries. She tried to ignore the excruciating pain in her rib cage because she knew if she lost her grip on Tony’s gun, he would kill her. Tony had nothing to lose. His career was over and he was probably going to go to jail. A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous man.

  Tony twisted the gun, trying to loosen Lexie’s grasp. He brought the gun down close to her face. The opportunity presented itself, so Lexie seized it. She sunk her teeth into Tony’s hand and locked her jaws. She felt the blood ooze into her mouth. Tony’s piercing, primal scream filled the air.

  Lexie heard a loud crashing noise, followed by men’s voices screaming orders. Another set of hands clasped over hers, squeezing hard and pushing the gun away from her head. Lexie released her teeth from Tony’s hand, blood pouring from the jagged wound. Tony fell limp and Lexie could see that Matt had his arm around Tony’s carotid artery, causing him to black out.

  Stuart took the gun from Lexie’s hands and quickly jumped over to handcuff Tony. Despite the pain, Lexie got to her knees, drew her weapon, and pointed it at Tony while Stuart secured and double locked the handcuffs. Matt released the choke hold, but kept control of Tony until the handcuffs were in place.

  All three agents sucked in air, trying to catch their breath. Tony moaned as he came to. Lexie holstered her weapon and sat down with her back against the chair.

  “You all right?” Stuart asked.

  Lexie spit blood and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her other hand checked her rib cage.

  “I think so.”

  The door swung open and Zach barreled through the door, his gun in his hand.

  “We’re all okay,” Matt yelled.

  Zach assessed the situation and holstered his weapon. He ran over and knelt next to Lexie.

  “Oh my God. Are you okay? What did that bastard do to you?”

  “The blood is his,” Stuart said pointing toward Tony. “She took a hunk out of him like a pit bull at a dog fight.”

  “You bit him?”

  Lexie nodded, Tony’s blood dripping from her mouth and chin.

  “When we got here they were on the floor fighting over his gun,” Matt said. “She’s a hell of a fighter.”

  “He was ahh … ” Lexie’s voice cracked. She tried again. “He was waiting for me in my condo when I got home from work. He said he found the key in your drawer. He knew something was up with Max and wanted answers. He tried to shoot me, but I grabbed the gun and squeezed the slide so it wouldn’t function. He was so much stronger than me, but I managed to kick him in the balls and then I bit him.”

  Zach’s eyebrows arched.

  “Remind me never to piss you off.”

  “She didn’t just bite him,” Stuart said. “She had her teeth sunk in to the bone.”

  “What the hell?” Tony said.

  Matt grabbed Tony by the hair and turned his head so they were eye to eye.

  “You’ve tarnished the badge, you slimy bastard. I’m going to make sure you end up in prison where you belong.”

  Zach stood, went to the kitchen, then returned with a wet rag. He handed the rag to Lexie.

  “Thank you.”

  Lexie wiped the blood from her face and neck.

  “By the way, how did you guys know Tony was here?”

  “We had him under surveillance,” Stuart explained. “We tried to set up a meeting between LaBaron and Tony, so LaBaron could get a recording. LaBaron called Tony, but either he’s the world’s worst actor or he tipped off Tony on purpose. We followed Tony to the office. He spent about a half hour in the office then left and drove all over town. We were able to keep a loose surveillance on him since we installed trackers on both his Bureau vehicle and his personal vehicle while he was on vacation. When we saw that he was heading to the vicinity of your condo, we got nervous. We tried calling you, but your phone went straight to voicemail. I’m glad we were able to get here when we did before anything worse happened.”

  “You self-righteous pricks don’t have anything on me,” Tony said.

  Lexie’s eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched. She moved so Tony could see her face.

  “You compromised an FBI undercover investigation, you provided information to your snitch that put an agent’s life in danger, and you attacked an FBI agent using a deadly weapon. That’s the tip of the iceberg, you piece of shit. I hear they like pretty boys like you in prison.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Got anything better than that?”

  “Fuck you, cunt.”

  “That’s a little better.”

  The local police showed up at the scene. Stuart gave the police the rundown and they offered to help transport Tony to the hospital and then to jail. Zach stayed behind with Lexie.

  “You want to go to a hotel tonight?” he asked. “I can’t blame you if you don’t want to stay here.”

  “Who’s left that wants to kill me?”

  “Technically, Prichard, Stone, and possibly Jacobson.”

  “I think I might go to a friend’s house for the night.”

  “You sure? We can pay for a night in a hotel.”

  “I’m sure. I need a friendly face.”

  “Can this case get any more messed up?” Zach asked.

  “I’m sure it can.”

  41

  The oyster shell driveway crunched under the weight of the car. The two-story beach house came into view. The house lived up to the Pawleys Island slogan, “Arrogantly Shabby.” The plain brown house wasn’t fancy, but the real estate it sat on made it worth millions of dollars. Savannah rushed down the front steps to greet Lexie.

  “What’s going on? Are you all right?” Savannah grabbed Lexie and hugged her tight.

  “I’ll be fine. Are you sure it’s okay if I stay here tonight? I can go to a hotel.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re always welcome here. My parents are taking care of my sick aunt in Coral Springs for the week, so we have the house to ourselves. Let me help you with your bags.”

  “I only brought my backpack.”

  “Where’s the rest of your stuff? I thought you said you needed a place to crash.”

  “I do, but I can find another place to stay tomorrow. I didn’t feel comfortable staying in the condo tonight.”

  “You can stay as long as you like. We have plenty of room, and like I said, my parents are gone for the whole week.”

  Lexie followed Savannah into the house. The inside of the house was decorated in beach chic. Large comfortable furniture filled the main area. The updated kitchen had stainless steel appliances, beautiful granite counters, and pickled wood cabinets.

  “Your house is beautiful.”

  “Thank you. Let me show you my favorite part of the house.”

  Savannah led Lexie out to the screened-in back porch, which overlooked the ocean. The full moon lit the sky and reflected off the ocean. The crash of the waves against the shore was the only sound.

  “Wow. This view is gorgeous. I’d never leave the back porch.”

  “How about a glass of wine?”

  “I would love a glass of wine.”

  “Have a seat and I’ll get us some.”

  “Can we sit out here?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  Savannah returned with two large glasses of white wine.

  “If I remember, you like Riesling.”

  Savannah handed a glass to Lexie.

  “I do. This is quite a full glass. Thank you.”

  “You look like you needed a good pour. Tell me what happened.”

  The recount of the evening’s activities left Savannah dumbstruck.

  “Say something.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Damn, Lexie. First you were abducted, then beaten, terrorized, and shot. Your condo was trashed. Then you find out that your boyfriend was murdered. And now you are attacked in your hideout by another FBI agent. Have you ever thought about a career change? Something
not so death-defying? Stay here with me for a few days. Tomorrow we’ll swing by your condo and grab your stuff.”

  “I’m not sure I’m the safest person to be around these days. I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

  “No one will think to look for you out here on the island. We’ll be careful. At least think about it.”

  “I will. Thanks again for letting me crash here tonight.”

  “You look tired. Let me show you to the guest room.”

  ***

  Lexie woke to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. The digital clock on the nightstand showed 7:20. Lexie followed the smell of the coffee.

  “Good morning,” Savannah said. “Ready for some coffee?”

  “Definitely.”

  Savannah handed Lexie a steaming cup.

  “There’s cream and sugar on the counter.”

  “Thank you.”

  The spoon clinked as Lexie stirred.

  “How did you sleep?” Savannah asked.

  “Last night was the first night of uninterrupted sleep that I’ve had since before the island ordeal. Thank you for letting me stay here.”

  “Of course. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  Coffee in hand, Lexie walked over to the window.

  “With this view, I might never leave.”

  “Let’s sit out on the back porch.”

  Darkness had barely surrendered to the light of the new day. The two women settled in with their coffees and watched a gray-haired man standing in the surf holding a fishing pole. Two lazy seagulls stood near his cooler, hoping for a handout. Down the beach, an older couple walked hand in hand, stopping periodically to admire the metallic silver ocean as the sun began to make its appearance on the horizon.

  “Why on earth would you leave this beautiful place to go to school in Los Angeles?”

  “I ask myself that same question all the time. Eighteen and stupid seems to be the answer.”

  “If I lived here, I would never leave this back porch.”

  “It’s actually my parents’ home, so eventually I have to leave. Mom and Dad let me stay here in the summer months while I’m off from school, but I don’t think they want a full-time tenant.”

  “When do you finish school?”

  “This is my last year.”

  “Any idea where you want to live when you finish?”

  “It depends on where I find a job. Anywhere on the coast is fine with me. I really love the Charleston area. What about you? Have you given any more thought to leaving New Orleans?”

  “After the last two weeks, I’ve given a lot of things a second thought, including my career choice.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  Lexie continued to gaze at the ocean. “Yes and no.”

  Savannah put her coffee down and turned toward Lexie. “Don’t do anything rash.” Lexie smiled. “Why are you smiling?”

  “You’ve changed so much since we first met. You are so … mature.”

  “Getting arrested by the FBI will force a girl to grow up quickly,” Savannah said. “How about we have breakfast, shower, and go get the rest of your things from the condo? I really want you to stay here with me.”

  Lexie nodded.

  “If you’re sure I won’t be in the way.”

  “You’d never be in the way.”

  “I think you might be right, Savannah. The salt air cures all. A little ocean time might help with the healing process.”

  Lexie took a sip of her coffee and watched the morning sky change from gray to a soothing lavender. The dawn of a new day.

  ***

  Savannah’s aunt in Coral Springs took a turn for the worse, so her parents decided to prolong their trip, leaving the two women alone in the beach house. Lexie and Savannah settled into a routine. Both women worked, but they would return home each evening to prepare dinner and drink wine. The company and ocean helped the healing process.

  With Tony in jail, Stuart and Matt moved back into the FBI office to work. Lexie helped them sort through all the surveillance camera footage. From the videos, the agents were able to identify Ace. When Stuart and Matt assembled all the pertinent videos from the various surveillance cameras, the footage clearly showed that Burton Crane, AKA Ace, drove his car to the MarshWalk meeting, parked his car with the license plate clearly visible, and had dinner following the meeting at the adjacent restaurant. The fact he used his credit card to pay for his meal was icing on the cake. The agents stayed busy serving subpoenas and funneling any new information to AUSA Ray Greenwood.

  A week later, AUSA Greenwood presented the case to the federal Grand Jury, which returned indictments for Otis Ray Prichard, Jackson Stone AKA Jack, Aaron Jacobson AKA Ghost Runner, Samuel Young AKA Sam, Clayton Connors AKA Clay, Burton Crane AKA Ace, Max LaBaron, and Tony Russo. The charges ranged from drug trafficking to conspiracy. AUSA Greenwood worked around the clock to make sure he could present the entire case, including the corruption charges against Tony. As soon as Greenwood had the arrest warrants in hand, he notified Don, who in turn notified Lexie.

  42

  Five o’ clock in the morning was normally a ghastly hour for Lexie, however today she didn’t mind. Using the video conferencing system, Lexie, Matt, and the rest of their arrest team watched the large screen in the Charleston RA. Officers and agents milled around at the other location, preparing for the large operation.

  Don’s face appeared on the screen. “Can everyone in the Charleston office hear me?” he asked.

  “Loud and clear,” Lexie said.

  “Good. You’re coming in clear as well,” Don said. “Give me a couple of more minutes and I’ll start the briefing.”

  Matt walked over and put his hand on Lexie’s shoulder.

  “You sure you’re ready for this?”

  “I am.”

  “It was cool that Don let you choose your assignment for today. I still can’t believe the SAC allowed you to participate.”

  “Don can be pretty persuasive at times.”

  “How did you decide?” Matt asked.

  “It was a toss-up between arresting the man who brutalized me or the man who killed my friend. I’d really like to be at both locations but —”

  “Ready on your end?” Don interrupted.

  “Yes. Let me get everyone seated,” Lexie said. “May I have everyone’s attention? Please be seated. Agent West is ready to start the video briefing.”

  All the chairs in the conference room were filled. Members of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office SWAT stood in a line on the back wall. They watched the screen as Don took his place in front of the podium.

  “May I have everyone’s attention please?” Don said.

  Both rooms fell silent.

  “On behalf of the FBI, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for being here this morning and assisting with the arrests. We also have a team of officers and agents watching this briefing from the FBI office in Charleston through the video conference system. So, thank you to all the folks helping out in Charleston this morning as well. Thank you to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office for allowing us to use this space for our briefing on this end. Has everyone had an opportunity to look over the Operational Plan?”

  There were murmurs and head nods.

  “If anyone needs one, there are extra copies up front. We have arrest warrants for the following six individuals: Aaron Jacobson, Otis Ray Prichard, Jackson Stone, Burton Crane, Samuel Young, and Max LaBaron. It’s important to try to arrest the subjects simultaneously to prevent them or their family members from communicating with the other subjects.”

  Don looked around the room to make sure he had everyone’s attention before continuing.

  “I’ll go through each of the subjects and their charges. The first subject, Samuel Young, should be easy because he’s currently in the hospital. In case you’re unfamiliar with Young, he was one of the individuals involved in a domestic terrorist attack. While attempting to blow up a work site, Yo
ung was shot in the abdomen by a security guard. I’ve assigned two FBI agents and one local officer to go to the hospital, notify Young of the charges, and transfer him from state to federal custody.”

  Don paused so everyone could flip to the next subject in the Ops Plan.

  “Our second subject, Jackson Wayne Stone, has a lengthy criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous. Stone is being arrested for the kidnapping, assault and attempted murder of a federal agent, felony murder, drug trafficking, and conspiracy. Thanks to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, we have a potential location for Stone. The house is out in the country, so there’s the potential for barking dogs and possibly booby traps. FBI SWAT will make entry to the house and arrest Stone.”

  Don looked around the room.

  “The third team is going to the home of Burton Crane AKA Ace. Crane conspired and obtained information regarding the identity of an undercover FBI agent for the sole purpose of causing harm or death to the agent. Even though his criminal history doesn’t include any acts of violence, caution should be used when approaching Crane. We currently have an agent watching Crane’s home and as of five minutes ago, he was home with no lights on.”

  Don continued his brief. “The fourth team is responsible for the arrest of Max LaBaron. Like Crane, LaBaron conspired and obtained information regarding the identity of an undercover FBI agent for the sole purpose of causing harm or death to the agent. LaBaron is single with no kids or dogs in the house.”

  Don looked into the camera and addressed Lexie’s team.

  “Otis Ray Prichard will be arrested by a team from the Charleston RA. Prichard kidnapped, assaulted, and tortured an FBI agent. In addition to those charges, he’s also wanted for attempted murder of a federal agent, drug trafficking, and conspiracy. Prichard has an extensive criminal history, which includes violence, and he should be considered armed and dangerous. We have information that Prichard is hiding in a fishing cabin in Cross, South Carolina. FBI agents, along with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, will hit the house when we give the signal. A cooperating defendant with the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that as of two days ago, Prichard was in the cabin.”