Mr. Blue, our doctor and assassin, was born Shane Lochlann in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up he felt he had only two choices, either join the mob or the military and obviously he chose the latter. Although, I’m sure he would have made one hell of a hit man, his excuse for choosing the military was that he had a better chance to move up the ranks. Having an Irish background didn’t bode well for advancement in the world of gangsters, he explained to me.
“Why did you choose to become a doctor?” I asked.
“Mainly because I didn’t want to be the bad guy anymore. I wanted to show myself that I could be something more than what previous acquaintances had thought of me.”
“Well, then why the sniper? The two are quite the opposite. One is a giver of life and the other, a taker.”
“Not entirely so. A sniper can save millions by killing just one man.”
“But if you wanted to get away from the hit man persona, then why did you become a sniper?” I was puzzled.
“A person cannot change their destiny. Sniping is what I’m best at and being trained in the field of medicine has helped me along my destined path. There are many ways to kill a human being and thanks to my training, I know most, if not all of them.” The grin he gave me at that moment made me glad that he and I were on the same side.
Seth Caldwell, a.k.a. Mr. Green, had joined the military at the urgings of a juvenile judge in Seattle, Washington. I guess he was in some serious trouble for a bank robbery. He went on to tell me that his involvement in the bank robbery was purely academic and the only reason he was fingered was because the crowd he had taken up with were unsavory and unfaithful.
“What do you mean, academic?”
“I wasn’t present at the bank, and I didn’t see any of the proceeds either.”
“Then how…”
“I mentioned the word unfaithful, referring to my pals at the time. They turned me in for planning the heist and several other occasions in which items turned up missing in exchange for lighter sentences. You’ve heard how all that works, I’m sure.”
“Ah, so you were a juvenile delinquent,” I commented.
“I can’t help it that I have nimble fingers. I’ve found a good way to channel it though. If nothing else, it certainly pays better.” This brought laughs from the men at the table.
Mr. Red’s true name was Aidan Tierney. He was born and raised in the well-to-do area of Greenwich, Connecticut. He came from a family with means and a strong military background, not unlike myself. I got almost a full genealogy report of his family. However, he knew much more about his family history than I did. I had never known any grandparents on either side of my family tree. My parents had given me almost nothing by way of an explanation, just that the only family we had was each other, and I hadn’t questioned it. I had learned at an early age, if it were important enough, they would tell me about it.
Now it was my turn to share some of my own stories and when I didn’t have much in the way of stories the men began to question me about my father. As it turned out, my father was somewhat of a legend in the military field. According to the men his name was ‘standard issue’ along with their dress blues.
“We know who your father is. He’s played an integral part in all of our careers, military and otherwise. He’s a very well known person in the Navy, but I didn’t know he had a daughter until you showed up. His background and personal life are rather elusive,” Blue added in defense of everyone’s questions.
“He’s a bit of an enigma. Of course we have all met him but it’s a rare thing to hold his ear and you most certainly have it. We are all a bit envious.” Red continued.
“Didn’t he talk to all of you about your careers?” I asked and got a sharp look from White.
“No, what do you mean?” Red asked catching the look White had given me.
“Uh, he talked to my friend Colin and at least one other person that I know of about their careers before they joined the Navy. I thought he might have talked to all of you since you were all in the company. He’s also your contact in the government. I thought you all had his ear, so to speak.”
“I suppose we do, so to speak. However this other information is all new to me. What I’m wondering is who in the company did he speak to?” He looked directly at White. I realized I had given it away when I said, ‘I thought he might have talked to all of you since you were all in the company.’
“What? Okay. It’s not a big deal. My father thought I was choosing the wrong path and he wanted someone to help me find my way back. You all know my dad had an extensive Naval career and he just happened to be the same generation as the Admiral.” White tried to blow it off.
“If it wasn’t a big deal then why haven’t we ever heard about it before? You’ve always said the reason you joined was because it ran in the family.” Brown was involved in the conversation now.
“I didn’t want to be a braggart. Stanton had me over to his house once right before I joined.”
“You were at his house?” Green chimed in.
“What’s the big deal? We’ve all been to his house, at least once.” White tried to minimize it.
“Only since we met Miss Stanton and never by invitation from the Admiral.”
“Well, maybe this is why I never told you. I knew you would blow it all out of proportion.”
This seemed to stem the tide of questions being thrown at White. I didn’t know if the reasons he gave were true but it subdued the rest of the men for now.
After this revelation the talk changed from light-hearted banter to business. We discussed how much or actually, how little, headway we had made on finding out who had initiated the race to end my life. A tentative decision to head back and do some of the work ourselves was made.
Then we moved onto the Strom question. We all put together what we had been working on and built a timeline of Strom’s life. If you ask me, the man was a pig and to do business with him should have been a crime. I had heard he concentrated his business ventures with people of the Caucasian community, but that was an understatement. The other accusations of him being involved with unsavory characters doing unspeakable things were documented fact. It was amazing how the press worked. If you had the right amount of pull and money anything and everything bad you ever did in your life just somehow disappeared. The average person wasn’t going to do the kind of research that we had done but the press would and for them not to report, for example, the fact that he had donated millions to the KKK, not to mention several skin head factions, was criminal in itself. This man was a quiet Hitler, working toward the same end, not with force but with money.
It was entirely clear as to why he would want us to contact Penumbra. He had a contract on his head as well. I’m sure he was planning on buying Penumbra’s allegiance. That we could not allow, even though he seemed to work strictly for the money, I was convinced if I did a thorough background check of Penumbra’s jobs they would eventually all help our government in some way.
The day wound down and shortly after an early dinner we all headed to our own rooms. It was such a great day and I was deliriously happy. It had been just short of two weeks since we had come up here. I don’t know how it was possible but it felt like we had been here forever and yet I could swear I just got out of the chopper a few hours ago. I lay in my trance for an hour or more unable to sleep until I heard some muffled voices coming from downstairs. This jolted me right out of my euphoria back to reality.
I quietly got out of bed and went to my bedroom door that was open just a crack. I slowly opened it a little more at a time until I could hear more clearly. The voices were Red, White and Black coming from the kitchen area.
“Well, about what time then?” I heard Black say peevishly.
“I think we should be out of here by noon or before.” White replied.
“Yeah, so you need to be far enough away by then.” Red added.
“She’s a good hiker so I only need about an hour to get her far enough away so she can�
�t get back in time, but I’d rather she didn’t hear the chopper. I know it’s going to be a fight and I really hate doing this to her.”
“Why do you always do this?” White asked.
“Do what?” Black sounded confused.
“Take her side?” White teased.
“I’m taking her side as you put it because she’s a competent person. All of you are so afraid of a woman’s wrath it’s pathetic. She’s just a human. Yes she has curves where we don’t and her brain works a little differently but in the end she’s just another person. What makes her different is only the way you perceive her.” I could picture the rage as Black spoke.
“Admit it Black. You can’t handle her anger any better than the rest of us. That’s why you’re so pissed right now, because you are going to be the one who’s left behind to deal with it.” There was amusement in Red’s voice.
Black made a sound of disgust and said, “Fine, I will have her out of here first thing in the morning.”
I heard the men return to their rooms and I began to pack.
*****
Chapter Fourteen
I had everything I thought I might need for the trek down the mountain and quietly headed toward the front door. The cabin was new and didn’t have creaky stairs yet so I was in luck. Yet my nerves were taut and my breath blared in my ears. I was afraid they would hear it. I stopped every couple of seconds to listen to the sounds around me and finally decided I was being too cautious. I would never get out of here at this rate and I didn’t have all that much time.
I knew Black and I had made the hike in a day but I knew I had to make better time than I had back then. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too hard this time. Not only would I be moving down hill the majority of the time but I also didn’t have a pack that weighed almost fifty pounds on my back.
The moon was giving me enough light so I didn’t need to use the night vision goggles. The light would have been better if they had just waited another day or two before they started plotting against me.
Black and I had made the trip, not including the nap under the stars, in less than eighteen hours and actually closer to sixteen hours. I needed to cut that almost in half if I had any chance of making it to the office before I was found. As soon as I got out of earshot of the cabin I broke into a light jog. I wasn’t timing myself but assumed I was making damn good time. My anger was pushing me along at a good clip.
The thought of them leaving me out of one more decision incensed me. I wasn’t going to let this happen. The only thing I could think to do was to wake everyone in the house and protest or make my way back alone. I’d show them that I wasn’t as helpless as they thought I was! All except Black, however I had a feeling he was standing up for me for the exact reason Red suggested. My heart didn’t want me to be mad at Black but my head screamed at me that he just didn’t want to hear me bitch.
I was running full throttle while all these thoughts seethed through me. Tears were streaming down my face by the time I had to stop to catch my breath. Why in the world was I crying? While I stood catching my breath and trying to force myself to quit bawling I thought about it. All I wanted was these men to accept me and evidently they didn’t think much of me. I was told I was to become part of the company, a partner. I was being paid a partners wage but I wasn’t being treated as an equal. Why couldn’t they just tell me I had to stay at the cabin or better yet, suggest I should stay at the cabin? Was I that big of a brat? It’s possible but I thought back on our previous disagreements. All I ever did was express my feelings and I eventually ended up doing what I was told to do. That was inherently how it worked out. I was told and everyone else was asked.
I pulled myself back together and started out at a light jog once again. I told myself I couldn’t do a flat out run like I had been because I wouldn’t last. I had to keep it fast but reserved. I had a long way to go. I continued on with the light jog for several hours stopping every fifteen to thirty minutes to take a breather. I looked at my GPS watch each time I stopped and calculated I was traveling between five to seven miles an hour. I didn’t know how far I had to go or which direction to turn if I ever found a road and I started kicking myself for leaving the cabin. Judging from the time it took for us to get to the cabin via the helicopter I was, at the least, a hundred miles from the office. I just hoped if I found a road it was well traveled.
If I could just find a road I could make better time because I would be on a flat surface and I wouldn’t have to be so careful. While this thought was crossing my mind the trees thinned and I came to a sharp drop. I stopped quickly and realized I had finally come to a paved road. Thank goodness, I thought to myself. I took in my surroundings and the road curved around the hill. I assumed I was still some distance from the bottom of the mountain. I slid down the sharp embankment to the road and picked up where I had left off continuing down hill.
I was never going to beat the guys back to the office no matter how hard I tried. I might get some distance away but they had the advantage of flight. It didn’t matter how hard I flapped my arms I wasn’t flying anywhere. The only thing that had kept me believing I might make it back before them is if they stayed most of the day or several days searching for me on the mountainside.
I rounded the bend in the road and was greeted with twinkling lights of a city. I almost started bawling again and if I would have had the energy I might have. I stopped and stared for a short period of time trying to judge the distance in the dark. As best as I could tell I was at least five miles away but it was a large city. Large city meant cabs and airports. My heart skipped a beat; I might have a chance now.
I mainly stuck to the paved road. There were places where I could see a turn in the road below me and then I would slide my way down the steep embankment to shorten the distance. If I followed the road I’m sure the city was much further than five miles so, I told myself, every short cut I can take is best.
I reached homes long before I reached the bottom of the mountain so I cut through yards and kept my eye out for a public pay phone. I was in a housing development and that meant convenience store or some other type of connection to the outside world.
The sun started to stain the sky and people started to move about. I was running out of time. Cars started to pass me, people on their way to work. I could have been just like them, but no, I had to choose an exciting job.
My pace had slowed considerably and I must have looked like I felt because a newer car pulled over right in front of me. I walked to the passenger’s window, which was rolled down, and looked in. A young woman, probably not much older than me with a child in the back seat asked if I needed a ride. I was thrilled it was a woman because I really wanted a ride somewhere, anywhere. If it had been a man I might have gotten in, but I would have had to think about it. I said thank you and hopped into her car.
“Are you going into the city?” She asked after I had gotten strapped in.
“Yeah, I need to get to the airport,” I sighed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I was in the mountains and stupid me decided to hike back to civilization.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?” She asked again.
“Yes, I was with friends and they made me mad so I left them up there to look for me later.”
“It’s just that…” she reached up and opened the mirror in the visor above my head.
I looked into the mirror and knew why she was so concerned. My face was dirty and unmistakably streaked with tears and sweat.
“Do you have a tissue or something?” I asked, embarrassed.
“Get a wet wipe out of the diaper bag in the back.” She gestured to the back seat.
I had to remove my seat belt to turn in my seat and rummage around in the bag. I found the wipes quickly and pulled out a couple of them. I sat back down and strapped in again and commenced to wash my face. I had small scrapes here and there on my face and felt compelled to explain them away.
“I must have run into
some branches on my way down.”
“My name is Vicky Shiel,” she introduced herself. “If you need any help, my husband is a police officer here, he would help you.”
“No, it was stupid. I feel really stupid now for leaving but it really was that I was mad and just left without really thinking it through.”
“Okay, I can take you to the airport if you’d like. I was just going to go grocery shopping and I have all day to do that.”
I figured by the time Vicky dropped me off at the airport it should be right about time for the men to realize I wasn’t in my room. Oh, how I would love to be there right now and witness that kind of confusion. I just hoped they would spend at least an hour looking for me before they hopped into the chopper. I felt horrible pangs of guilt at their imagined dismay while I was buying my ticket home, while I was waiting for my flight and on the flight home.
As my cab pulled up to the office building some of my guilt transformed into anxiety. I was anxious to see if I was the first back to the building. I walked in through the front door instead of the parking garage and was stopped immediately by a man I had never seen before. There were guards on either side of the door, one of which was talking to me, and one behind the information desk further into the lobby.
“Can I help you, Ma’am?” He stepped into my way.
“No thanks. I know my way around.” I dismissed him.
“I’m sorry but this building is off limits to anyone without an appointment and currently I have no scheduled appointments.” He was rude.
“I live here.” I replied just as rudely.
“I was not informed of such a situation. If that is the case, please accept my apologies but I must follow my current orders and that is no one is allowed inside the building without Mr. White’s approval.”
“Fine, call Mr. White and inform him that Ms. Grey is here and would like access to her apartment.”
Shades of Grey: Book Two of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles Page 14