by Ray Green
Juanita could sense the raw emotion in his voice as he poured all this out. She put her arms around him and hugged him. At first, he gratefully accepted the comfort offered, but after some seconds he pulled away, his eyes glistening with barely suppressed tears.
‘So, the way I see it is like this: you two may have done some bad things … I don’t know, and I don’t want to. But you seem to me like good people. And in any case, I can’t be associated with what’s happened here today, either.’
‘So, what are you saying?’ said Juanita.
‘See this?’ he said, withdrawing his silenced handgun and holding it up, causing Juanita to momentarily recoil, before realising that he had no hostile intent. ‘It’s not my service pistol; the slugs in that bastard’s body can’t be traced back to me.’ He replaced the gun in its holster. ‘So, what I’m suggesting is this: you two get the hell out of here … you, lady, get those burns attended to, and then both of you need to disappear. Get the hell out of New York City and find somewhere in the world where no-one can ever find you. From what I heard here today, I’d guess you’ll have even more of a price on your heads now. These people you have tangled with don’t sound like the kind who’ll give up easily.’
‘For my part, I’ll rearrange the scene here to make it look like some sort of gangland shootout.’ He panned his gaze back and forth between the two of them, his expression intense. ‘I was never here, and neither were you two.’
‘I … I don’t know what to say,’ stammered Juanita.
‘Don’t say anything; just get the hell out of here.’
***
They needed to get out of New York City fast. Returning to their apartment in Toronto was out of the question, now that their adversaries knew that was where they’d been living. They returned to their hotel just long enough for James to hurriedly pack their bags and check out, while Juanita waited in the car. Then they just drove, with no particular destination in mind. They headed upstate, stopping when they felt it was safe to do so, finding themselves in the town of Ridgefield.
‘We need to get you to a doctor,’ said James, ‘and get those burns attended to.’
She shook her head, wincing as it caused the neck of her shirt to chafe against the burns. ‘Too risky – it’ll be obvious that the burns aren’t the result of an accident, and any doctor is likely to report it to the cops.’
He hated to see her in such pain, but he knew she was right.
‘Let’s just find somewhere to lay low for a while,’ she continued, ‘and then maybe you can get some first aid supplies. I know you’ll do a good job of patching me up.’ She managed a weak smile.
He felt a surge of love and admiration for this woman who had endured so much yet still showed such iron will. He leant over and kissed her cheek, taking great care not to touch any of her burns. ‘Come on then – let’s find somewhere to stay, and then I’ll go and get some things to treat those burns as best I can.’
***
Three hours later, they were ensconced in the Paradise Motel – a somewhat ironic name, given what they had just been through. Anyway, it was comfortable enough, and the receptionist didn’t start asking questions about why Juanita was making ill-disguised efforts to hide her neck and arms.
James had applied a soothing cream to Juanita’s burns and covered the worst of them with gauze dressings. Some strong painkillers and a large glass of bourbon – admittedly, not a recommended combination, had now made her reasonably comfortable.
‘So, what now?’ she asked, holding out her empty glass; James poured a rather smaller measure this time.
‘Let’s just stay here for a couple of days and let your burns heal a bit … no-one could possibly know where we are right now.’
‘But then what?’ she insisted.
‘We still have quite a bit of cash left, and several more fake passports. We need to get out of the USA, change our identities again, and settle somewhere where those bastards can never find us.’
‘But where?’ she said.
That was, indeed, the question.
Epilogue
Fifteen months later
They decided to flee to England. The first thing they had to do was adopt new identities once again. James chose the name Jason Hardwick, while Juanita became Gabriela Suarez Rivera.
The journey, travelling on fake I.D.s, had been stressful, but had passed off without incident. They had initially stayed in London for a week or so, but that was just a temporary arrangement. After much discussion, they decided that they could perhaps disappear more completely if they settled in a smaller, less well-known town. Besides, property rental prices in London were exorbitant, and their cash reserves wouldn’t last forever.
They chose the market town of Chichester in West Sussex. Technically, it was classed as a city, by virtue of its cathedral, but with a population of just 25,000, it was pretty small by city standards. They rented a small, two-bedroomed house in the popular Summersdale area of the city, and to begin with, kept a very low profile. Although there was absolutely no reason to suppose that their erstwhile enemies could discover their whereabouts, they were taking no chances. James – now Jason – installed security cameras at the front and back of the property, and sturdy deadlocks on the external doors.
Trying to get hold of a gun was far, far more difficult in England than it would have been in the USA. After failing miserably to source one locally, he eventually resorted to taking a trip back to London and finding one on the criminal black market: a SIG Sauer P220 10mm. Once he had obtained the pistol, he always slept with it loaded and ready in the drawer of his bedside cabinet.
He regularly checked New York City’s main news channels for any sign of repercussions from the shocking events in that Brooklyn warehouse. The original incident had been reported as the result of some sort of gangland vendetta, just as the cop who had saved their lives said it would. There was nothing in the news in the weeks and months that followed to suggest any further fallout.
As the months rolled by, they finally started to relax. It seemed that they had finally escaped the violence and mayhem in which they had previously become entangled.
Chichester suited them well: it had a theatre, which Gabriela absolutely loved, and was close to the sea; they both enjoyed walks along the seafront in the nearby towns of East and West Wittering. There were also numerous remains of Roman occupation in years gone by. Gabriela had never seen relics of such ancient times since she had left Mexico and became fascinated by learning about the history of the Roman occupation of Britain.
Jason managed to land a job as manager of a nearby clay pigeon shooting range. He didn’t particularly like being around guns once again, but he was well qualified for the job, and he enjoyed the social interaction with the diverse range of people who came to sample the sport.
Gabriela had begun painting once again; her main love had always been painting wildlife, but now she had also fallen in love with the striking landscapes of the South Downs and the varied seascapes along the coast – the charming Emsworth harbour being a particular favourite. She soon started capturing these scenes on canvas, too.
After a time, they became friendly with their neighbours: a likeable middle-aged couple on one side and a younger couple with a small child on the other. James couldn’t help noticing the wistful smiles which Juanita – now Gabriela – gave every time she met little Chloe – just two years old. Was it time for the two of them to consider starting a family? Or was it too soon to be sure they were safe enough from further pursuit?
***
It was Sunday morning, 10.00 a.m.; they were still in bed, luxuriating in the afterglow of a slow, passionate bout of early-morning lovemaking.
Gabriela yawned and stretched, rolling over to kiss Jason’s cheek. ‘You want some coffee, lover-boy?’
He smiled, pulling her to him and kissing her full on the lips. ‘You making then?’
‘Sure … stay there, and I’ll bring it up.’
As
she stepped out of bed and moved towards the door, seemingly completely unselfconscious of her nakedness, he could not tear his eyes away from her slim, shapely body, her hips swaying sensuously as she walked. As she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder, an impish smile on her face; she knew exactly what effect she was having on him.
‘You brazen temptress,’ he admonished.
She gave a toss of her hair, which had now grown longer once again, laughing as she left the bedroom.
While she was gone, Jason decided to check NBC News on his phone; with so much time now having elapsed since they had fled New York he was almost completely sure they were safe now, but nevertheless, he still checked the news at least once every day. As he scrolled through the various headlines, there was nothing of particular interest to him until …
NYPD Detective Murdered in his own Home – Professional Assassination Suspected.
With a growing sense of trepidation. he opened the article and read on.
Police have confirmed that the man found murdered in his Manhattan apartment yesterday was a serving NYPD detective. They have released his name as Detective Mark Bowman. The motive for the attack is not clear, and the police have released few details about the nature of the killing, but our sources suggest this was a professional assassination.
It is well known that the NYPD take any killing of one of their own very personally but, if this was indeed a targeted assassination, you can bet they will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.
Jason was barely able to breathe, as the impact of what he was reading hit home. He felt a deep sense of anguish that this man, who had saved both their lives, had fallen victim to these relentlessly vicious people. But that was not all; he felt a hollow dread eviscerate him as the implications began to sink in. If they were determined enough to wreak revenge on a NYPD cop in his own back yard, more than a year after the event, then—
Gabriela appeared in the doorway, still naked, holding two cups. The moment their eyes met, her warm smile evaporated, to be replaced by a fearful frown. ‘Jason, what is it?’
‘Put the cups down, Gabby. I think we may have a problem …’
THE END
About the Author
Ray Green is married with two daughters and lives in West Sussex, England. He graduated from Southampton University with a BSc in Physics and then went on to a career spanning some 30 years in the electronics manufacturing industry. For much of that time he was operating at Director or Managing Director level in several different companies, so he is well qualified to give an insight into the world of business and corporate politics and intrigue.
His business career culminated in his participation in a management buyout of his last company. It was an incredibly tortuous process, and the experience that provided the inspiration for his first novel 'Buyout' in which the principal protagonist, Roy Groves, battles similar issues in a fictionalised management buyout. The sequel 'Payback' tells what happens when the human desire for revenge takes hold. Ray's third novel 'Chinese Whispers' explores the shocking consequences when legitimate business is infiltrated by organised crime. The fourth book, which completes the 'Roy Groves Thriller' series is a comedy-thriller charting Roy's fortunes after he decides to quit the corporate rat race and retire to an upmarket expat community on Spain's Costa del Sol.
'Lost Identity', the first book in the 'Identity Thrillers' series, is a tense psychological thriller set in the criminal world of drug trafficking and murder. And the second … well, I guess you’ve just read it.
There will be more to come from Ray Green.
Also by Ray Green
Buyout – A Roy Groves Thriller (1)
For five ordinary guys and one rather extraordinary woman, the only escape from the corporate rat-race is to buy the company they’re working for: take it all to a new level, save hundreds of jobs and make some serious money.
But it quickly becomes clear that nothing is as easy as it seems. The bid is quickly undercut as twisted corporate politics and personal vendettas take over.
When the buyout becomes all or nothing for the management buyout team, it all spins out of control: marriages fall apart, lurid secrets are discovered; life savings are spent on the stock market; illegal insider dealing becomes a matter of fact; and blackmail, theft, betrayal and manipulation are the new rules of the game.
A once-in-a-life-time opportunity turns into a lurid nightmare.
BUYOUT is a gripping and compulsive page-turner about the power of money to unveil the deepest in human nature. It’s also a story about chasing one extraordinary dream. At an extraordinary price.
Also by Ray Green
Payback – A Roy Groves Thriller (2)
Roy Groves is Operations Director of a successful company manufacturing dashboard instruments for luxury cars.
A fatal motorway fire is traced back to a fault in the product supplied by Roy’s company. Was it a tragic accident or something more sinister? As Roy and his colleagues battle to establish the cause of the fire, and save the company from bankruptcy, they discover that they have been the victims of sabotage.
Eventually, it emerges that an old enemy of Roy and the rest of the team has reappeared and is intent on destroying the company and every member of its management team. Once just a business adversary, their nemesis is now so consumed with hatred that he is on the edge of insanity; he resorts to blackmail and even murder in the pursuit of his goal.
PAYBACK is a chilling tale of how hatred can twist and corrupt the human soul.
Also by Ray Green
Chinese Whispers – A Roy Groves Thriller (3)
Chuck Kabel is on a business trip to China, visiting the factory to which his UK-based company subcontracts the manufacture of its products. He unexpectedly collapses and dies at the airport before he is able to report on his visit. When the Chinese authorities are evasive about the exact cause of death, the suspicions of his boss, Roy Groves, are raised.
Roy decides to investigate further; it soon becomes clear that there are serious financial irregularities within the Chinese company, and that dark forces are in play, intent on ensuring that these do not come to light. When Roy edges closer to uncovering the truth, he is warned off but refuses to back down, unaware that he is about to confront the Chinese Mafia, who will stop at nothing to achieve their objectives.
When his own family are targeted by his opponents, Roy embarks on a desperate battle to protect them, now well aware that if he should turn to the police, their lives will be in even greater danger.
CHINESE WHISPERS is a frightening tale of organised crime and the way in which it uses and abuses legitimate business for its own illegal purposes, relentlessly destroying the lives of anyone who stands in the way.
Also by Ray Green
Horizontal Living: A Tale of Expats Abroad - A Roy Groves Thriller (4)
Roy Groves has led a colourful career in business, during which he battled with corporate politics, deception, and even vicious criminals. But now Roy has retired and he is looking forward to a quieter life. He and his wife, Donna, have bought an apartment in an exclusive development on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
He soon learns, however, that there are financial problems: the community is, in effect, bankrupt. Roy is persuaded to take on the role of President of the community, confident that, with his extensive business experience, he should easily be able to sort things out. It soon becomes clear, however, that nothing is as simple as it seems. As he tries to come up with a rescue plan, Roy discovers that a poorly-constructed retaining wall has begun to collapse, threatening the development with a landslide. And this is just the start …
As the problems mount up, Roy becomes entangled with an astonishingly diverse cast of characters: the devious building developer; the vengeful former President; the Russian prostitute, and her mafia minders; the deranged Middle-Eastern doctor; the devastatingly glamorous French girl next door; and many more ...
&
nbsp; HORIZONTAL LIVING is an illuminating insight into the shenanigans which pervade an ex-pat community abroad: sometimes hilarious, sometimes hard to believe, but sometimes darkly disturbing.
Also by Ray Green
Lost Identity - The Identity Thrillers Series – Book 1
When research scientist, Stephen Lewis, wakes from a coma in a Miami hospital bed, he remembers nothing about his head injury, how he came to be in Florida, or even who he really is.
As fragments of his memory return, Stephen is shocked to find that even those closest to him seem not to know him. And when another man turns up, claiming to be the real Stephen Lewis, he begins to doubt his own sanity.
Desperate to learn the truth, Stephen is unwittingly drawn into a murky web of drug trafficking and murder. At its heart lies a terrifying conspiracy and a secret so appalling that, even if he survives, he knows his life can never be the same again.