by L. T. Ryan
"I'm pretty sure we changed each other's lives. If things hadn't gone down the way they did, you wouldn't have ended up in the program. I probably wouldn't have turned the corner I did, either."
The events of those two weeks set me on a path of darkness. It took years, and the grace of a young child named Mandy, to set me right again.
Reese leaned forward in her chair, elbows wide on the table, one hand supporting her head. "Tell me about what you've been doing."
"Not much worth talking about. Working for the highest bidder. Tons of collateral damage. Far too many friends lost and gone."
"They died?"
"Some." I wiped the plate with the tip of my finger, scraping off the remaining cheese. "Others are out of my life either by choice or necessity."
She held my gaze for a long second. "I miss my life back home. The sights and smells and action of the city."
I said nothing. There were times I missed it, too. Rather, I missed certain people who'd I always associate with my time in New York. Coincidentally, Reese was one of them, even though I'd known her for a few short weeks.
"Where will you go after here?" she said.
I shrugged, not sure if I wanted to talk about it. There was too much left to do in Texline.
"Just gonna drift some more?" she asked. "Solve the problems of one little town after another?"
I wiped my face with a napkin, smiled at her. "You make me sound like some hero in a book series. I'm not that good of a guy, Reese. If I've got nothing invested in a place, I couldn't care less what happens there."
"You don't have anything invested here." She bit her bottom lip.
"I've got you. I've got Herbie and Ingrid, and they're dead because of me."
"You don't know that to be true."
"You don't know that to be false."
"So...you still haven't said what's next."
"Mia," I said. "I'm gonna track down my brother and find my daughter and we're gonna leave and sail until we're on a nearly-deserted island tourists rarely visit. We'll create a life there. One that not a damn soul knows of. I won't be tracked down and coerced into a job. I won't be found by anyone. We'll just live."
"That sounds kinda nice," she said. "Maybe a little boring, but the right kind of boring."
"Then leave the program and come with me."
"Right now?"
"Why not?"
"We'd have trouble getting out of the country, don't you think?"
I laughed. "That's the least difficult part of all this."
"What's the most difficult part?"
"Getting used to the fact that you make a better burger than I do."
She stood, walked around the table, stopped in front of me. Her knees pressed into my thighs. She ran her hands through my hair, over my shoulders, down my back.
"Come on, Jack. Let's take care of those wounds."
Chapter 35
Crystal River, Florida, 1988
Jack clutched the comforter on his bed in an attempt to pull himself up off the floor. His legs were wobbly, weak. He looked back and saw the guy unbuttoning his pants. The man looked down at him and laughed.
Jack summoned his focus and lunged up and forward onto the bed. He clawed his way toward the headboard.
"Saving me time," the guy said. "Appreciate that. But don't think it's gonna earn you any favors. The ending ain't gonna change. You're nothing more than one of those whores or kids from over there."
Jack faked a sob, forced his body to convulse. The performance earned a laugh from the man. Perhaps it eased the guy into false sense of dominance, thinking this would go easier than he could have imagined.
The bed near Jack's feet dipped. The guy kneeled at the edge. He felt the guy's hand on his leg, gripping and digging into his flesh. He forced another fake sob, all while sliding his hand underneath the mattress. The hilt felt cold at first touch. Jack worked his hand in further, cutting his finger on the blade and grunting in pain as he did so. The guy punched him in the back. Jack grunted again.
He had the knife in his grasp and pulled his hand free from the mattress as the guy pulled him toward the middle of the bed. Jack resisted the urge to swing frantically. No, if the man knocked the knife free, it'd be over. There wouldn't be a second chance. So Jack waited.
The guy grabbed and tugged on Jack's shirt, lifting his torso off the bed until the shirt gave way and ripped. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Those tinges of panic surfaced. The voices of his family battled it, keeping it at bay. The man wrapped his hand around Jack's shoulder. He felt the guy's weight lift.
It was time.
Jack inhaled quickly and deeply. He pushed himself down into the mattress, then exploded up and around, swinging his arm in a controlled arc. The knife cut through the man as if he were made of butter. It penetrated his abdomen to the hilt. Jack twisted and turned and spun the knife clockwise, counterclockwise. Blood sprayed from the wound, warm across Jack's bare torso.
The guy stared down, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. A hollow scream turned into a high pitched grunt.
Jack pulled the knife free and struck again, this time aiming for center mass. It plunged in deep. And again Jack twisted and pulled the handle side to side. The man swung weakly at Jack's head. Jack returned the blows, landing a right cross on the man's chin, causing him to collapse forward.
The full weight of the guy smothered Jack. Unconscious, the man was like a massive paperweight. Jack squirmed underneath, working toward the edge of the bed. He managed to dump the guy over the side. The guy groaned after hitting the floor. He wasn't dead, but it couldn't be long judging by the amount of blood that covered Jack and the bed.
He hopped over the man, then spun and delivered a running kick to the guy's temple. He had to make it to his father's room. His dad kept a pistol in there, although the hiding spot changed every so often. But it would be in there somewhere. And it would be loaded.
Chapter 36
The sun had set, casting Reese's bedroom into shadows. She had countered by lighting an oil lamp. The sheets rose and fell with her relaxed breathing. It felt good to be at rest, and it might be my last chance for a while. Unless Vernon showed up with an arrest warrant and locked me up again. The chances of that seemed slim at the moment. Several hours had passed, and we hadn't heard from him. My mind slipped into overdrive, and I wondered where they were in the investigation. Had they caught the guy?
Perhaps sensing my shift toward anxiety, Reese rolled over and placed her hand on my chest. She smiled at me as her fingers worked up and down my sternum.
"What?" I said.
"Let's do it," she said.
"Again?"
She smiled. "Not that. Let's go to that island."
"All right. Gotta find Mia first, though."
It had been a while since I'd reached out to Sean. It might not be a bad idea to do so in light of recent events. The plan had been for me to disappear for a while, let things settle down. But now that Darrow had opened up an agency backdoor channel, and brought my name to light, someone was bound to start digging. And if that someone was Frank Skinner, I might never make it home again.
Wherever home was.
"Reese?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me about Darrow."
She propped up on one elbow. "What do you want to know?"
I rolled to my side and mirrored her. "Why did he blow your cover?"
"He didn't."
"But he knows who you are, what you did, and that you're in the program."
"Yes, and that's because he vets every person that comes into this town."
"He's got some solid contacts. Figured out who I was."
She didn't look surprised. "I don't doubt it."
"What's he into?"
"He's got his hands in everything, really."
"Any legit stuff?"
"Some housing developments, though those aren't around here. Closer to Dallas. He owns a couple restaurants there, too. And a specialty groce
ry store, of all things."
"So why doesn't he live there if that's where his legal operations are located?"
"Because this small town offers him no opposition. He couldn't go someplace like Dallas and operate like that. Think about it. The police, FBI, CIA, DEA, who knows what other acronyms, they'd be all over him there."
"So not everything is above water then."
She exhaled and closed her eyes. "You already know that."
"I do, obviously. But I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what it is."
She rolled over onto her back, letting her chin fall toward me. "Take a guess, Jack."
"Drugs."
"Of course."
"Illegal immigrants."
"Yup."
"Guns."
Reese started to answer, but hesitated. Her eyes narrowed as her gaze traveled toward the ceiling.
"Is that a yes?" I asked.
"It's a not quite," she replied.
"Not quite guns. Simple enough, I guess."
"Right."
"Knives?"
She laughed. "Come on, Jack."
"Arms in general, then. He's moving heavy stuff through here. Well, not quite here, but close. Got a nice private location where buyers can come to purchase automatic weapons, heavy artillery, explosives, and the like."
"You didn't hear it from me."
"So he figures out you're a cop, someone who could disrupt his operations, and he just lets you live?"
"Well, there's a reason he figured out I was a cop. See, the file the FBI put together was solid. His first go around, all he knew was what they said about me."
"OK. So, what's the reason?"
"I started snooping around. I knew his guys—Linus and the others—were bad dudes. They had crap jobs, and no prospects, yet they all had nice stuff. Their wives and kids didn't dress like they were poor. These guys walked around like they owned the town. And the locals were scared of them. Well, most, anyway. A few, like Ingrid and Herbie, stood up to them. Anyway, it didn't take long to track them to Darrow. I started watching him. All it took was one anonymous phone call on my part, and he nailed me. His contact scratched below the surface and uncovered my life history."
"And yet he let you live."
"He did," she said. "He's not a total asshole, I guess."
"In all these years, why haven't you ever gone to anyone? Notified the FBI?"
"Darrow has clients around the world. He doesn't care who they are, or what they do. These people aren't boy scouts. You've fought people like this for years."
"The terrorists," I said.
She nodded. "Yeah, he knows them. And he told me he'd give me up to them if I crossed him. The line was already cast. That's what he told me. If something happened to him, the hook would be set."
That explained the secrecy, and why Reese had been reluctant to do anything. Of all places, the program had set her up in a town where everything could be unraveled.
"He had me brought out to some deserted area," I said. "They beat me, dragged me out there. Had me walk a half-mile to a little cabin to meet with him. And when I got back to town, I was arrested. Linus drove me right up to the cops. They were waiting in the middle of town. Guess they figured I'd bail out of the truck if we went to the police station."
Reese nodded, said nothing.
"Darrow had me arrested. I mean, you saw how happy Vernon was to cut me loose, right?"
She continued nodding.
"Darrow's not gonna like the fact that I'm free," I said. "He knows who I am, and what I've done, and what I can do. Once he learns I'm on the outside, all bets will be off. He'll come after me with everything he's got."
"He probably will."
"You've got to get ahold of your bureau contact, Reese. Get them to move you."
"Why?"
"You're life's in danger."
"So's yours."
"I can handle it."
"So can I." She rolled over and stood, wrapping the sheet around her chest and waist. "Let's just go, Jack."
I was tempted by the thought of leaving right that moment. What was the point of staying? I owed no living soul in the town a damn thing.
But I couldn't go. Not yet.
"I have to know," I said.
"Know what?" she said.
"Who did it. Who killed Ingrid and Herbie. And I have to hear why they did it. Maybe we can trace it back to Darrow."
"And if we can? Then what, Jack? You want to take him down?"
"Yes, I do. And if not me, then I'll get the right people here who can do it."
"You know it's not that simple. You won't just bring this man down, not as heavily connected as he is. And there's a good chance that whoever you contact, they'll just pick up a phone and call him. Then what are you gonna do? We might be in some small town in Texas, but Darrow has a far reach. Now, if we just go, he probably won't care. And even if he did, is he going to spend resources to track us down? Hell, he'll likely be glad we're out of his hair. But if something were to happen to him any time soon, even if we're gone, he'll know who to pin it on. Look at how easily he got your name. How many people can do that?"
"Not many."
"Exactly. Yet he had it within a day or two. Don't you get it, Jack? Doesn't matter where we go. He'll find us if he wants to. So it's best that we don't give him a reason to track us down. And think about this for a moment, too. He might not decide to go after you, but rather someone you love."
I knew she was right. I had to swallow my anger and pride on this one. Only a week ago it would have been simple to do. Darrow who?
But the bastard had made it personal.
"So why don't you call your brother, find out about your little girl, and make a plan," she said.
"You can bet your ass I'm making a plan," I said.
She stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the kitchen light. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"
Chapter 37
We lay low the next morning. I drove alone across the state border to New Mexico, stopping at the first town with a drugstore. Reese stayed behind. I was surprised she let me use her car again, considering last time I drove it I abandoned it in town. Not totally my fault.
The phone I'd been using was compromised. It'd been out of my possession at the police station and couldn't be trusted. The store had two options. I went with the cheapest. It was a burner, anyway. Outside, I tossed the old phone in the trash before hopping back in the car.
I found a residential street a few blocks away. Drove down a quarter-mile, then pulled to the curb at an intersection. A couple kids sat on the front stoop of their house playing with toy cars and figures. Their voices rose and fell with the action in their game. Their mother was busy pruning a tree in the front yard. She stopped to stack the branches on the ground. Her gaze settled on the car for a second, then moved on.
Seemed a safe enough spot. I pulled out the phone, placed a call to Sean's forwarding number. He answered after a couple rings.
"Jack?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Was wondering when I'd hear from you. How're things?"
"About like you'd expect."
"In trouble again?"
"Pretty much. How's Mia?"
"She's doing well. Deb is great with her. Been keeping up with her studies so she doesn't fall too far behind."
"That's great. You guys stateside?"
"Nah, we're pretty well-hidden, like you wanted."
"Good. Probably smart to stay there for a while."
"That doesn't sound promising, Jack. I mean, at some point I have to return to my firm. Deb, the kids, we all have to return to our lives."
"I know, I know. Problem is I crossed paths with someone who knew Dad at one point, and he's got a thing for me now. He managed to get my name and history, all from a photo."
"Get the hell outta here. What's his name?"
"Darrow," I said. "At least that's what he goes by here. Ring a bell with you?"
"Can't say that it does.
I'll check with Dad and see if he recalls anyone by that name."
"Good deal. I'm not holding my breath on it, but let me know how it goes next time I check in."
"Will do. You want me to get Mia?"
I paused for a moment. We hadn't spoken since I'd left her with Sean. And even though she hadn't been in my life long, I missed hearing that little voice. I even missed the fits she threw. From what Sean said, she seemed happy, and hearing from me might throw her off. Soon enough we'd be together. I had to rest on that.
"Not now," I said. "Give her a kiss for me, though."
"You got it, little brother."
"I'll check back in with you soon. Let you know how this turns out."
I remained parked at the corner for a few minutes after hanging up. As I watched the two boys on the stoop, I conjured up memories of myself and Sean when we were little playing like that. Back during the years when Molly was still with us, and before hormones and girls dominated our teenage lives.
The woman carried her shears up a ladder, but stopped halfway. She'd spotted me watching her kids. Probably pegged me for a deviant or something. It only took a few seconds for her to cross the yard.
"Can I help you?" she called out from the corner of her lot.
I shifted the car in gear and turned right, waving my phone as I drove by her. In the rearview I watched her pull out her cell and make a call. Cops, presumably. I wondered if she hadn't managed to get the license plate number. Wouldn't matter. Reese hadn't done anything wrong.
I continued through the next intersection, and then navigated to the main road. Five minutes later I had cleared town with nothing but open highway between me and Texline.
Or so I thought.
Chapter 38
The truck appeared out of nowhere. No squealing brakes. No blaring horn. Only the sickening crunch of metal on metal as they T-boned me on the passenger side. The car whipped clockwise into a spin. I turned into it and punched the gas. The maneuver allowed me to regain control, but the car was in no shape to go far.
The truck slammed into me again, head-on this time, ensuring that Reese's car wasn't getting out of there.
Linus glared at me from behind the wheel. Blood seeped from a wound on his forehead. He wiped it away with his sleeve. The guy in the passenger seat hopped out and disappeared from sight. I tried to locate him, but couldn't. Was he armed? Linus slammed his shoulder against his door, but it wouldn't open. He slid across the seat and went out the passenger side, dropping from my field of view.