by Unknown
“Yeah, you do that. We need to split up, so we both don’t get caught in Yezhov’s trap,” Zach suggested.
Zach took the trail leading away from the shack while Rodney headed back toward the highway to wait for help to arrive. The pattern he picked up from Carla was that she appeared to run in a different direction. If she was out here, he didn’t believe she would double back and risk passing the shack. If anything, she was working her way back to the beach house to get help.
Then again, he didn’t know if that was true. She’d killed a man; that had to weigh on her heavily unless she didn’t know he was dead. He came upon a rocky clearing. Walking across it, he stepped on something, crunching it under his foot. Kneeling down he picked up fragments of a broken cell phone and saw drops of blood. Not wanting to waste more time, he continued to walk hoping the drops of blood would lead him to Carla.
*****
Rodney flagged down the SUVs of ATF agents arriving to assist in the search. He spoke with the agent in charge briefing him on the situation. “Here is the rundown. Agent Murphy is out in the woods looking for Carla Parka.”
“What about the other woman you mentioned?” Cooper asked. He was the ATF agent in charge.
“We still haven’t been able to locate her. We believe Yezhov dumped her along the highway, we just don’t know where. There is a shack about a mile up where Yezhov could be hiding. I didn’t want to storm it by myself. We aren’t sure how many men he has with him and what firepower they have. What we do know is Carla Parker took out one of his men and managed to escape. Yezhov has to be aware of it by now and is looking for her. Guys, time is of the essence here. If we have to drown this area with agents, then let’s do it.”
“I’ll get a chopper in the air,” Cooper said getting on his radio.
Rodney released a sigh. “Thanks.”
“We’re here to help bring this asshole down. We don’t need his kind on American soil,” Cooper stated as more SUVs arrived lining the long stretch of highway.
“We’ll go to the shack and check it out,” Rodney suggested.
“The chopper will be here in fifteen minutes.” He tossed Rodney a bulletproof vest. “Put this on.”
Rodney took off his jacket and put on the vest. “Have your men be careful. Murphy is wearing his FBI jacket, but in case he had to ditch it, he has tattoos visible on both arms and wearing blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. He is tall and muscular. Yezhov’s men are dressed in suits for some dumb ass reason.”
*****
Carla dragged Tonya to a haystack and sat her down. She was losing faith in her ability to keep both of them alive. Tonya’s injuries were more severe than she thought. She believed she suffered internal injuries that were bleeding and filling her chest cavity. Without medical attention, Tonya would die.
“Carla, we’re going to die aren’t we?”
“I’m trying my best to keep that from happening, Tonya. How are you doing?” she asked sitting on the ground next to her. Her pain was becoming troublesome the more they walked also.
“I wanna go to sleep. Can I lie here and go to sleep.”
“Tonya, you have to help me. I need you awake and on your feet. I can’t carry you anymore.”
“Then leave me. Save yourself. If my stupid brother hadn’t called me, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
Carla licked her bruised lips. She craved a glass of cold water to rid her mouth of the taste of iron. She peeled caked blood from around her nose and off her face. Her left eye had swollen almost shut. But she kept moving through it all. “None of this is your fault, Tonya. Ty and Phil are to blame. I wish I knew where they were because at this point, I’d give them up willingly.”
Tonya released a dry chuckle. “No, you wouldn’t. Family means everything to you, Carla. You wouldn’t give them up, and you know it.”
“Yeah, knowing me, I would try to convince them to give themselves up.”
“I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”
“What?”
“You and that sexy agent make a cute couple, Carla. Don’t let his being white stand in your way of happiness.”
Carla laughed, causing the pain in her side to increase. “Please, we are not a couple and never will be.”
“Alright, girl; don’t cut your blessings short. Our time on this Earth is not guaranteed.”
Carla took a piece of hay off the ground and bent it in half. “Even if I was slightly attracted to him it wouldn’t work. His job keeps him moving around too much.”
“There is always a way to make love work. Anyhow, remember the barbecues at your mom’s house? We had so much fun with the loud music and dancing in the driveway. Remember that July 4 picnic and how those nuts tried to set off a row of fireworks? I died laughing at them running in different directions after they started going off? That was too funny.”
“Oh my goodness that was funny. Those were good times.” Tears filled Carla’s eyes. She heard the rattling in Tonya’s chest with each breath she took. “Mom threw the best parties.” Her voice cracked—she couldn’t cry now, it would upset Tonya. She had to keep her calm and pray that help would arrive soon.
“I want to go to another party, Carla. Girl, we can’t let them party without us. Plus, you still hold the record for the best singer at Tino’s for karaoke; I want a chance to beat you.”
“If you want to beat me, you gotta stop singing those corny pop songs. You gotta bring it,” she joked. “You have to step up to the mic with Patti LaBelle or Toni Braxton.”
“Next week for sure, I’m stepping up my game.” Tonya struggled to take a breath, she said, “All kidding aside, Carla; I’m proud of you.”
“Why, Tonya? I haven’t done anything special.”
“Oh, please, you’re an Olympian; that is something to brag about. You’ve got a lot of talent in that little body of yours, girl. I’m glad you’re my best friend, and I love you. Please always remember that.”
Carla blinked away the tears hanging from her lashes. “We’re sisters, Tonya and I love you too. And we’ll have another party, even if I have to throw it myself. With that said, you make the plans on where and if there will be a theme. But you also have to use your skills to make me look pretty. I want to make one of your grand entrances and have the eyes of every man on me.”
She waited for Tonya to respond. Looking over at her, she saw Tonya’s eyes closed, and her body slumped over. “No, no! Tonya, wake up!” She shook Tonya by the shoulders and got no response. “No, please, God, no.” Tears fell from her eyes harder as she stood up looking around. She needed help, but there was nothing around her. Her body trembled as she fell to her knees crying.
“Carla!”
She lifted her head looking into the darkness. Reaching for the gun tucked in the waist of her pants, she put it between her hands aiming toward the sound of the voice. “Don’t come near me or I’ll shoot.”
“Carla, it’s me, Zach. Don’t shoot me; I’m here.”
“Zach? Zach,” she said louder as his familiar frame walked toward her. She got off the ground and limped to him.
He held out his arms taking her in them and holding her close. “I told you I’d find you.”
“I’m so glad to see you,” she cried in his arms. “I think Tonya is dead, Zach. I couldn’t save her.”
“Where is she?”
Carla led him to her. “Please tell me she isn’t dead.”
He leaned down to find a pulse. He closed his eyes and swallowed.
Suddenly gunfire rang out, bullets hitting in the hay. He shoved Carla behind the haystack, pulling Tonya’s lifeless body by the ankles with him.
“They found us! What are we going to do?” Carla asked in a panicked voice.
“So far, sounds like there is only one gunman, Carla. Do you know how to swim?”
“What?” It wasn’t a complicated question she just didn’t know why he was asking her about swimming.
“If you can swim, I want you to head for the riv
er. The current is high, so you’re going to have to swim for it.”
“I’m not leaving you too! I can’t afford to lose another person I care about. No, I’m not going.”
“Listen to me. I haven’t let you down so far. I’m not going to let you down now.”
Her eyes met his and locked in. Her sinking heart sunk further, but she trusted him. “Okay. Okay.”
He turned his back to her, and she touched his shoulder as if for the last time. His body recoiled from the shots he fired from his weapon. “Go now,” he yelled at her.
Carla looked down at Tonya, who hadn’t moved. Wanting to stay and grieve her friend, she couldn’t; she had to go. She took off for the river as bullets skipped in the grass under her feet.
She heard a grunt and turned around in time to see Zach fall to the ground. She stopped in her tracks. “Zach!” She yelled.
“Keep going, Carla. I’m okay, go.” He yelled back to her.
A bright light beamed down from the bottom of a helicopter scanning the open field. The swirling blades kicked up dry hay tossing it around in the air. Carla covered her eyes to keep the dirt and debris from blinding her. Gunfire rang from the helicopter and more came from within the woods. She saw flashes of white light that blasted from the barrels of guns.
Carla found refuge behind a metal water trough used for horses. She watched the action unfold wondering what was going on. There were only three men with Yezhov yet there seemed like a full war taking place now. Then she saw it. She stood up and yelled, but the noise from the helicopter drowned her out.
*****
Zach felt the butt of the gun come down on his shoulder. He quickly scrambled to his feet and faced the man holding the Uzi to his head.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” the man said grinning.
Zach rolled his neck to ease the stinging pain from where the gun hit him. The man was Ivan; the head of Yezhov’s security and his personal bodyguard. He was one hell of a fighter too. They had crossed paths before only to have Ivan escape before he could take him out once and for all. He ignored the pain radiating up his arm from the gunshot wound. He wiggled his finger motioning for the man to come forward. “Put down the gun and fight me like a man, asshole.”
Ivan arrogantly shrugged his shoulders. “We do it your way.” He dropped the gun and took off his suit jacket carefully placing it on the ground. He lunged for Zach grabbing him round the waist and throwing him to the ground.
Zach rebounded, jumping to his feet. In the distance, he heard the gunfire going off and the chopper hovering above him. The wind from it whipped his jacket up his back. Ivan leaped and pushed Zach down again, sitting on his chest. He bucked his powerful legs until he was able to roll him over. As they rolled around on the ground fighting, Zach felt the strength seeping from his injured arm. He managed to throw a punch landing it on Ivan’s face; the blow sent him backward.
As Ivan lay on the ground, Zach stood over him, his breathing heavy and ragged. Thinking Ivan was out cold, he turned around to pick up his gun to secure it. He heard a loud bang and felt his face hit the dirt.
Stunned for a few seconds that he was still alive, Zach shoved the heavy body off him and sat up.
Carla was standing over Ivan with the smoking gun in her hand. A zombie-like look was pasted on her face. She looked up at him. Her eyes were big, her face dirty with streaked blood. He got off the ground slowly and went to her.
“He was going to kill you. I couldn’t let that happen,” she said in a deadpan voice.
Zach took the gun from her as Rodney and ATF members ran over to them. He motioned for them to stay back. “Carla… it’s okay. I got you.” He managed to catch her before she hit the ground fainting.
Chapter nineteen
Three days had passed since the bloodbath on the private farm in Port Clinton. He didn’t realize how close to neighboring houses they were until the daylight hours came, and people flooded the area. News crews from around the world had settled in the area looking to get a piece of the hottest story to hit the airwaves in years. Zach and Rodney disappeared to avoid exposure on national television. They didn’t need the world knowing who they were. Since Lowes was the SAC, he stepped in to handle the media. He had no problem talking to reporters and recounting the events of what happened, even though he wasn’t there. Zach refused to ignore his suspicions about him but had to put it on the backburner for now.
The early morning sunlight and birds chirping caused Zach to stir. He rolled over in bed and pulled Carla close to him. She had tossed and turned the majority of the night sometimes screaming out from a nightmare. While her physical injuries weren’t severe, her emotional trauma would take time to heal. Once briefed by authorities and released from the hospital, Carla was free to go about her life. He and Rodney escorted her home, but she refused to go inside. Rodney suggested he stay with her until funeral arrangements were made for Tonya.
For three days she cried. Unable to accept Tonya’s death and the fact she’d taken a life. Ivan survived the gunshot wound she inflicted upon him, but doctors were confident he’d never regain the use of his lower body. The bullet severed his spinal cord.
Carla molded next to Zach and latched onto his arm clutching it tightly around her. “Thank you for staying with me.”
“You saved my life—I owe you. Although, we should get up and get dressed. Tonya’s services are later this morning. Are you sure you’re going to be able to sing? No one would blame you for backing out, Carla.”
She tugged on his arms tighter. “I don’t know if I can do it, Zach, but I have to try. I’ll have to watch them bury my best friend. It’s not fair! I hate my life and what it has done to me and the people I love.”
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”
“I do, blame myself. Tonya should not be dead. How will I face her family? They will point the finger at me.”
He nestled his chin on the top of her head. “Carla, when Rodney and ATF agents stormed the shack and killed Yezhov, I thought it would end there for you. I misjudged how all this would affect you in the long run.”
“It’ll never end for me, Zach. I’m a freaking mess. There is no way I’ll be able to face those people ever again.”
He turned her over gently to face him. Tiny scabs covered the cuts on her face and the bruise around her eye had turned a dark purple with hints of blue and red weaving through it. He grew angry every time he saw the scars and bruises that covered her body. Boris got what he deserved. If he had got to him first, the results would’ve been the same, only Carla wouldn’t be carrying the burden.
He brushed curls away from her face. “I’ll be your strength for you, today. If there is anything else I can do to help you get through this, let me know.”
“You being there will help me. Other than that, it will be an awkward day for everyone involved. Myron’s in jail for attempted kidnapping, and Tonya died because I couldn’t save her life. I didn’t know how bad her injuries were.” She leaned her head down and began to cry on his chest. “I can’t believe this, how am I supposed to stay here and know she’ll never come home again?”
Zach felt her emotions seep into him. She was slowly weakening him to have feelings of sorrow for other people. Years of being alone had taught him how to detach from what she was feeling. He hadn’t been to a funeral since his grandfather died, and he had not shed a tear since then. He was ten years old at the time.
He cuddled her in his arms. She was hurting, and he couldn’t take away her pain and the overwhelming need to take care of her was scaring the hell out of him. Maybe Rodney was right—he had fallen for her.
“We’ll worry about that later, Carla. Let’s try to make it through the services for now.”
Later that morning he managed to get her out of bed. They showered and dressed.
Preparing to leave the apartment, Zach checked his reflection in the mirror one last time. He didn’t like wearing suits. He found them confining and uncomfort
able. But he had to admit he cleaned up well. The black suit was basic and not a designer label. However, the crisp white shirt, black pinstriped tie, and gold cufflinks dressed it up. His size 12 feet felt snug in the black dress shoes. He scrubbed a hand down his clean-shaven face, thinking he didn’t look like an undercover FBI agent but one that sat behind a desk. He also had to shake off the uncomfortableness of attending a funeral that would be heartbreaking to everyone attending.
Carla came from the bedroom. She walked slow and with a slight a limp due to her injured ankle and knee. He wanted to tell how beautiful she looked in the soft black sleeveless dress that rested below the knees. She had pulled her hair into a tight bun to the back of her head but left a swooping bang to cover her black eye. Small loop gold earrings graced her ears.
She sat on the sofa to put on black low-heel sandals, and stuffed wads of tissue inside her beaded black handbag. Tonya’s family asked her to ride with them in the limo, but Zach had her nix the idea. He felt it would be better to escort her himself.
He walked over to the chair and removed her jacket that was hanging on the back of it. He helped her slip it on looking at her sad face. The glow was gone from her beautiful brown eyes, the flippant responses that flew from her mouth silenced. Drawing in a deep breath his heart shattered into a million pieces.
Zach took her hand and quietly they left the apartment. Carla slowed as they came to Tonya’s apartment. She touched the door with her fingertips. He put an arm around her waist letting her grieve for a brief moment but not longer than that. “Come, Carla, we have to go.”
She nodded and squeezed his hand. “Zach, I appreciate the effort you’re making to help me through this. I’ll always remember this side of you.”
He caressed her cheek. “Anything for you,” he whispered.
“Huh?” she asked looking at him confused.
“I mean I’m only doing it since your family isn’t here yet. Once we get to the church, they can take over.”
“Oh, I see. Well, after the funeral, I’m going to stay with Paula for a while. I don’t know if I’ll come back to Cleveland.”