by Joe Pascente
This is going to be a damn disaster if we don’t get our shit together.
At that thought, Ace looked into the distance and saw a police car driving down the road. It looked as though the police officer was slowing down as he drove closer, but then he continued on past the van. Ace grabbed the gold cross on his necklace and squeezed it, giving the man upstairs a quick head nod.
Thank you, God…that’s the last thing we needed right now.
As if the policeman could sense Ace’s worriment, the police car screeched to a halt, turned around and pulled up next to the van. Worm was now sitting in the passenger seat, as Ace lit up a cigarette outside the van. The police officer had his window down and stuck his head out of the window slightly.
“You havin’ some car trouble?” The officer asked in a southern accent.
Ace didn’t panic, even though he knew if the officer were to check inside the van, they’d have a murdered officer on their hands.
“No, Officer. We’re just switching drivers. Taking a long road trip here.” Ace lied.
The Officer stepped out of his vehicle and walked the length of the van examining it with shiny sunglasses over his eyes. Ace couldn’t tell if he was sweating from the heat, or the nerves he was experiencing from this lousy bad luck.
“Can I see your license and registration, mister?” The police officer asked, as Rocky, Worm and Boulder crouched in the back of the van, hands on their guns and ready for any trouble this officer might bring.
“Absolutely, sir.”
Ace opened the front door of the van and just like a professional, Bows had already fixed her cleavage so the officer could get a good look at her handing Ace the registration papers. She winked at the officer and smiled. He, of course, tipped his hat to her.
While Ace handed the Officer his license and registration, he wanted to have a bit of fun in this scenario.
“My girlfriend and I are on our way to her mother’s house. Take all the time you need, Officer.” Ace said with a light snicker, as the officer chuckled at his joke.
The officer took a look into the van and made eye contact with Bows again. She was stretching her arms above her head, pushing her chest out ever so slightly.
No more than a few seconds later, he handed Ace’s license back to him, while trying to get a few coy looks at Bows while he could.
“You’re a lucky man. Try to enjoy yourselves today. Drive safe now, ya here?”
The police officer sped off and Ace wiped the sweat off his forehead, again, taking a deep breath of fresh air before shutting the door.
“Yea…I still got it.” Bows said with a pat on her back.
“Now that everything’s under control, let’s get a move on. We’re already behind schedule.” Ace said, pulling back onto the street and driving down the road with a clear focused mind, ready for the mission ahead. He had hoped his bad luck would end there.
III. Sound the Alarm
Peeking out her door, Angela could see a freshly showered Jacobi, wrapped up in a white hotel towel around his trim waist. She couldn’t help but take a few seconds to examine his shredded body. The droplets of water cascading down his rippling abs were distracting her from visualizing her goal, which was getting out of the hotel room without her bodyguards suspecting she had even left. She heard Mr. Hicks coughing up a lung in the kitchen area of the hotel suite and thought of the perfect opportunity to get him out of the room.
Putting on a pair of blue jean cut-offs and a pink spaghetti strap tank top over her bathing suit, Angela decided to make her move. She knew she’d have to be sneaky and clever about the way she was going to have to handle this get-away situation. Walking out of her room she passed the bathroom (where Jacobi was getting dressed), and tiptoed into the kitchen as fast as she could.
“Sounds like you have a pretty bad cough there, Mr. Hicks.”
Clearing his throat, he replied, “Oh, it’s nothing to be concerned about. I’ve had this cold for over a week now. It’s unpleasant, but I’ll be as healthy as a horse in no time. Unless you have a magical elixir for me?”
“I am a doctor. I know some serious pills that can knock that cold out of your system by the end of the day. Here you go,” Angela handed Mr. Hicks a piece of paper with the names of some strong medications written down upon it.
“There’s a pharmacy down the block from this hotel. I saw it as we drove in. I’d feel safer having both my bodyguards as healthy as they can be.”
“I do feel like shit in a hand basket right now, excuse my language. You make a good point; I should be in the best health I can be…for you. I’ll go down there,” Mr. Hicks exclaimed. “Just as soon as Jacobi gets out of the bathroom and can keep an eye on you.”
Damn! He’s on to me.
“Sounds like a plan, Mr. Hicks.”
Angela turned her back to Mr. Hicks, quickly planning how she’d distract Jacobi for enough time to get out of this prison for a daytime dip in the ocean. Angela collapsed on the couch and let out an exasperated sigh of frustration. She thought about her life before she had invented Pure and wished she could go back to those days. Everything was simpler. She could come and go as she pleased without the threat of crazy people trying to shoot her.
Then again, she thought of all the people she had brought together from the discovery of Pure. Surely, the countless thousands of couples who found one another owed her a bit of their happiness.
How is it my fault these other crazy people haven’t found their own true loves? It’s so easy to blame others when you aren’t truly happy with your own life.
Jacobi came out of the bathroom wearing a long sleeved white dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, dark grey dress pants and navy blue socks.
“Don’t judge me, but there’s no way in hell I’m wearing a jacket and tie today. It’s disgustingly hot out there.” He said, sitting on the couch next to Angela. Slipping his dress shoes on and tying them tight, he looked like he was posing as a Greek statue.
Jacobi stood up and walked to the kitchen, where Mr. Hicks was eating what smelled like an English muffin covered in peanut butter. He was, of course, wearing his suit jacket and a tie.
“If you’re all dressed for the day, I’m going to make a short errand to the pharmacy. Angela was lovely enough to write down some medication for this awful cold. I should be back in half an hour.”
“Pick me up an energy drink, please?” Jacobi asked.
“I will not. I won’t be enabling that terrible addiction of yours. And you, Dr. Hav—uh, Angela, please behave yourself and listen to Jacobi.”
“Of course, Mr. Hicks.” Angela said, with the necessary smile on her face.
Mr. Hicks grabbed his wallet and gun from the kitchen counter, and walked out of the hotel room clearing his congested throat, shutting the door behind him.
One down…
“So what’s on the agenda for you today, Jacobi?” Angela asked, sidestepping into her room. She wanted to seem curious, but not overly pushy.
“Well, that’s pretty much up to you.”
“If it’s up to me, we’re off to the beach.”
“We went over this. It’s not safe to be out in the public at this time. There’s an Olympic sized pool on the fourth floor with a nice gym. There’s a four-star restaurant and even a movie theater in this hotel. Trust me, you won’t be bored while we’re here. You just have to compromise a bit. You understand why you can’t be out in the open, right?”
Yes, I understand...that you talk to me like I’m a child.
“Of course. You’re just protecting me. I get it. Well, in that case, I’m off to the pool.” Angela said, slipping her sandals on.
Jacobi went to the closet and grabbed a towel for her, opening the door of the hotel room suite for her.
“After you…”
“What are you doing?” Angela asked.
<
br /> “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m accompanying you to the pool.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Jacobi. I think I can handle going to the pool without being attacked, but thank you for your concern. You don’t have to be by my side 24/7.”
“Actually, I do. Dr. Rayne is paying us good money to do just that. Besides, it’s not like I don’t trust you, but…well, that’s exactly what it is. I don’t trust you. If I let you out of my sight, we both know you’d head directly to the beach. I’m not letting that happen.”
I thought the jock types were supposed to be dumb.
“Fine, let’s go to the pool…together. If that’s the only way I can get my swim on, then so be it.”
Jacobi smiled and grabbed Angela’s beach bag for her, leading her to the door, never wiping the smirk from his face. The elevator ride down was a quiet one, allowing Angela to form her plan into existence. She grabbed her beach bag from Jacobi’s hand as the elevator door opened. They walked side-by-side down the hotel hallway to the spa area of the hotel-–which is where the indoor pool was also located—and it was completely empty. The pool area was also empty, as all the guests were most likely at the beach since it was such a beautiful day outside. Jacobi slunk into a poolside chair, expecting Angela to stop walking, but she was clearly heading towards the women’s locker room first.
“Don’t you already have your bathing suit on?” He asked accusatorily.
“Yes, but I still have to freshen up, if that’s all right with you?” Angela was gripping the straps of her beach bag tightly hoping Jacobi would give her the time she needed to escape from the hotel.
Jacobi squinted his eyes at Angela. He was trying to read her face, trying to decipher if he could trust her enough to let her out of his sight for a short amount of time.
“You’ve got less than five minutes. Otherwise, I’m storming in there without any hesitation.”
“Yes, sir.” Angela said, giving him a salute with her right hand.
Once she was inside, she ran towards the opposite side of the locker room and knew at once what her next move had to be. It was risky, but at this point, she was backed into a corner.
Just pull it, Angela. You don’t have any other choice!
Angela had never pulled a fire alarm in her life. She never thought she’d be in the situation to pull one, so she was extremely nervous about actually going through with it, but she recited the quote she lived by anytime she needed to get some courage:
“Fortune favors the brave…”
It worked every time. Angela put her fingers on the lever and pressed down, causing the alarm to sound off. Without a second’s delay, Jacobi knew what Angela had done. Running from his chair to the women’s locker room, he opened the door making his way through the maze of lockers leading him to the back row of the locker room, where he saw the exit door cracked open.
Damn her!
Jacobi sprinted out the exit door and ran around to the back of the hotel where he knew Angela was headed. The beach was filled with countless people enjoying the sun’s rays.
After the confusion of the fire alarm, the hotel was now emptying quickly. There could be no way of singling out Angela through the enormous crowds of people. But it didn’t stop Jacobi from trying.
Jogging on the sandy beach barefoot (since he didn’t have time to put his dress shoes back on in the pool area), Jacobi made his way through the many beach towels with half naked sunbather’s tanning. As he passed by a group of young women tanning, he heard one of them give him a flirtatious whistle.
“Look at that Michael B. Jordan brother in the suit…fine as hell…”
He tried to spot Angela through the crowds of people searching person by person. But the bright sun was bouncing off the glimmering ocean waves into his light brown eyes and he couldn’t make Angela’s figure out on the beach, or in the water. He called Mr. Hicks immediately and told him about the situation at hand. Of course, Mr. Hicks started yelling uncontrollably at Jacobi’s stupidity for letting Angela get away.
“We treated her like a child, Hicks. She wasn’t our prisoner!” Jacobi shouted back.
He told Mr. Hicks to meet him on the beach and hopefully two pairs of eyes could spot their missing client faster than one pair. Mr. Hicks told Jacobi he’d be right there, but this didn’t comfort Jacobi. Somewhere out there, Angela was by herself. Defenseless. Alone. Unprotected.
You’ll find her. She’s going to be fine…
At least that’s what he kept telling himself to make the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach subside. But alas, it wasn’t working…
CHAPTER 4
FEELING BETTER
I. Hot as Hell
Ace and his crew arrived at the Church of St. Anthony. This church was shut down and abandoned due to financial reasons, but it was never torn down because of its historical relevance to the small town of Santa Margarita. Ace and his crew were stationed at this location since it was in close proximity to the Watermark Hotel—being directly across the street.
And furthermore, there was an ideal bell tower for Ace to be posted in. The tower was the highest point in the city and Ace would be able to see the entire front entrance of the hotel, as well as the beach beyond it. With his crew’s help, he’d have Dr. Haven in his gun’s sight in no time.
Boulder had his shirt off due to the intense heat, and also because he was passing time jumping rope at one of the alters of the church. Sweat dripped down his chest and muscular back, while he gazed at the masterful artwork on the ceilings and the many colors of the stained-glass windows. Being a simple man, the beauty of this art was lost on Boulder. However, he did appreciate the hard work and time that must have gone into the labor.
At the same time, Bows was appreciating her own beauty, making sure her complexion was flawless using just the right shades of purple eye shadow. She noticed Rocky was smiling at her from a distance and thought about how truly happy she was to have found her one true love. She was ready for this mission to be over. All she wanted was some alone time away from the crew and to be with Rocky on some remote island.
Right before she closed her compact mirror, she made eye contact with Ace, who was cleaning his sniper rifle in the corner of the church. She tried not to think about how awful it must be for him to see her with Rocky. They had been lovers once upon a time, and had even discussed their future as a couple.
It’s ironic that we’re about to kill the woman who was responsible for bringing Rocky and I together. It’s a bit wicked of us, but oh well. Hopefully this will give Ace some closure about us, once he pulls the trigger.
Concentrating on cleaning the singular components of his gun and making sure every piece of the deadly weapon was intact, Ace didn’t have time to contemplate how he felt about assassinating the woman who invented the love drug that ruined his relationship with Bows. He had a mission to complete, and that’s what he focused on.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ace viewed Bows getting all dolled up, fanning herself with a small handheld fan. He was still captivated by her beauty even if he knew she would never be his again. She caught him looking at her backside multiple times. She decided to ignore it and stroll over to Rocky, taking a seat on his lap.
“Babe, it’s too hot to sit on my lap right now.”
Bows just scoffed at her boyfriend as she walked away from him towards Worm. Worm was sitting a few pews down, with a laptop on his lap and two tablets on either side of him. He was in a complete hacking zone, typing codes and numerical combinations that Bows couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“How’s it coming along, Wormy?” she asked, still fanning herself so her makeup wouldn’t smear.
“Shh…” Worm whispered continuing his furious typing.
So, again, Bows rolled her eyes and walked to the corner of the church standing before Ace, as he continued to inspect, polish and c
lean all the parts of his sniper rifle.
“Next time we rendezvous at an old abandoned church, can you make sure it has air conditioning?” She asked, continuing to fan her face.
“Wow, you know what the word ‘rendezvous’ means? Who are you and what have you done with Bows?”
“You’re not even remotely funny, Ace. You know I hate when people dismiss my intelligence because of my beauty.”
Ace was looking into the scope of his rifle checking the wind resistance kilometers, trying to keep a straight face. He knew his ex-girlfriend was insecure about anything that didn’t concern her beautiful looks and he played into that as much as he could. Ignoring her now, Ace knew this would infuriate her even more, not giving her the satisfaction of responding.
Spinning in a circle with her arms out like a helicopter, Bows asked, “I’m so bored. When do we get to have fun?”
At times, she could be so juvenile; but even at those moments, she was captivating to watch.
“I’m about done here,” Ace whispered under his breath, and then raised his voice bellowing, “Worm! How’s it coming along in there?”
“All systems are a-go here, Captain! Just a matter of minutes!” Worm shouted back.
Worm was delegated the duty of finding the room Dr. Haven was staying in. Of course, it wasn’t exactly an easy task being that the room wasn’t listed under her name. But Worm could hack anything. He hacked into the Watermark’s computer system and ruled out any rooms that didn’t fit the parameters Duke had briefed the crew about.
The crew was given specific information about Angela Haven and they knew she was staying at the Watermark Hotel with two bodyguards the prior night. Worm ruled out rooms that were occupied for longer than a day as well as one-room suites. With that alone, he eliminated majority of the rooms and was left with 28 rooms that could be Dr. Haven’s.